While their schoolmates at Monroe High School are taking various state-required tests next week, seniors at Monroe High School will have various opportunities to make sure they are “career and college ready.” They could earn a $500 scholarship in the process.
“On April 12, the first day of assessments for 9th and 10th graders and state testing for the 11th graders, we are encouraging our seniors to participate in a valuable off-campus opportunity and/or task of their choice to help prepare them for a smooth post-secondary transition,” said Monroe High School Principal Mrs. Sandy Kreps.
Mrs. Kreps and post-secondary planners, Savanah Garcia, Manual Hoskins and Jaclyn Sawasky, developed 20 valuable activities for seniors to consider doing on the day they don’t come to school. They range from job shadowing to a college visit to an appointment with a military recruiter or a job interview.
There are numerous other choices, too. Students also are encouraged to become introspective and identify what they want to do in life after high school and then develop a plan and a timeline to accomplish it. Seniors also are encouraged to submit three job applications and maybe be hired for a summer job before the summer rush, or make a checklist of things to be completed before graduation and then complete three of them.
All of the suggested activities are geared toward making the day away from school a valuable one for the seniors who are now one month away from Career and College Decision Day and two months away from graduation, Mrs. Kreps said.
If a senior fulfills the requirements for a career- and college-ready assignment, they can turn in a completed form to a post-secondary planner by April 15 to be entered to win a $500 scholarship which will be announced on Career and College Decision Day, May 3.
The team of Zac Jenkins, Brendan Hale and team leader Reed Corrin won the Monroe High School 2015-2016 Bridge Competition, which is held under the auspices of MHS Drafting/CAD program which is part of Monroe High’s Career and Technical Education Program. Six Monroe High teams competed for the bridge competition crown.
“Each three-person team developed a presentation showcasing how they designed and built their bridges to include research, testing, data collection, graph calculations, problem solving and working together as a team,” said Mrs. Victoria Sweet, the MHS Drafting/CAD program teacher. “They also tested their bridges to determine which one of the six bridges prepared would be the strongest.”
Judges for the contest came from the Michigan Department of Transportation which has hired a number of Monroe High School graduates over the years to participate in the MDOT paid summer intern program. Monroe High School is Monroe County’s only school that has produced graduates who have interned in the state program.
Mrs. Sweet said the competition was important because participating students learned lifelong skills such as working in a team, communications, problem solving, conflict resolution, diversity and inclusion, and time-management skills, all of which will be important when the students complete their education and begin their careers.
Registration for the Monroe Public Schools (MPS) incoming class of kindergarten and Young 5s students will be held at the Riverside Early Learning Center, 77 N. Roessler St., on April 25, 26 and 27.
To make it as convenient as possible, no appointments are necessary. Parents may choose from three different time periods to register the incoming students.
The registration schedule is:
Monday, April 25, noon to 7 p.m.
Tuesday, April 26, noon to 7 p.m.
Wednesday, April 27, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Any child who will be five years old on or before June 15, 2016, is eligible to enter kindergarten. Any child turning five between June 16 and December 1 is eligible to enroll in the Young 5s program.
For registration, parents must bring:
Certified copy of the child’s birth certificate
The child’s hearing and vision results from a doctor or the health department
Immunization record
Proof of residence, such as a utility bill or mortgage/rental document.
Picture ID for the parent or guardian.
All immunizations should be updated before your children enter kindergarten. Specifically, –
--DTP, four or five doses with the last dose given on or after the child’s fourth birthday;
--Polio, three or four doses with the last dose given on or after the child’s fourth birthday;
--MMR, two doses;
--Hepatitis B, three doses;
--Varicella (chicken pox,) two doses.
The Monroe County Health Department will perform hearing and vision testing from noon to 7 p.m., on Monday and Tuesday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Wednesday. In addition, immunizations will be offered on the first day of registration.
Persons with questions can call the Monroe Public Schools Administration Office at 734-265-3000. Parents coming to sign up their child should plan on about one hour, depending on the number of people registering at that time.
People with a child already attending a Young 5s class in Monroe Public Schools, do not need to attend registration.
Parents of Monroe Public Schools children -- If you have not yet done so, please take our confidential survey on-line. Monroe Pubic Schools annually polls its primary stakeholders – parents, students and staff – as part of ongoing school improvement efforts. The survey provides a great picture of the thoughts and perceptions of you – our Monroe Public Schools stakeholders. Here is the link to take the survey on-line. Survey concludes April 8 but take it today.
Twenty-two Monroe Public Schools students representing all MPS elementary schools placed in the recent Monroe County Science Fair, sponsored by the Monroe County Intermediate School District. In fact, eight of them won first place honors in their categories.
Here are the Monroe Public Schools’ students who placed, their category, ranking and school.
Kindergarten
Everett Kessel, Custer, first place, physical science; Mia St. Bernard, Raisinville, first place, models. Rose Bodenreider, Manor, second place, models. Gage Rippee, Manor, third place, physical science; Kathryn Disher, Custer, third place, scientific studies. Blake Bowman, Arborwood, honorable mention, physical science; Mallory Braden, Manor, honorable mention, models.
First and Second Grades
Aiden Hasley, Custer, first place, physical science; Azariah Aaron, Custer, first place, models. Christopher Elliott, Raisinville, second place, physical science; Jackson Trpevski, second place, earth science. McKenna Ringle, Manor, third place, physical science. Jacob Wisler, Custer, honorable mention, life science; Jordan Nelson, Custer, honorable mention, life science.
Third and Fourth Grades
Xander Brumley, Manor, first place, physical science; Phoebe Lietaert, Manor, first place, life science; Leolaga Brown, Manor, first place, models. Emma Pasko, Raisinvlle, second place, earth science. Brady T. Kay, Custer, third place, physical science; Alana Aulph, Manor, third place, life science. Christopher Stein, Arborwood, honorable mention, physical science.
Fifth and Sixth Grades
Marissa Mahoney, Manor, first place physical science.
Eleven Waterloo Elementary School students placed and Waterloo Elementary School earned a $500 award for submitting the most posters in the World Water Day Poster Contest sponsored in Monroe by the Fluid Equipment Development Company LLC (FEDCO.)
FEDCO annually sponsors the contest locally in connection with the worldwide recognition of the importance of water. The 2016 campaign focus was “Water and Jobs: Better Water, Better Jobs.”
Waterloo students submitted 257 posters which earned the school the prize. It will be presented to the school in April. The winning posters will be on permanent display in FEDCO headquarters on Ternes Drive in Monroe.
“FEDCO is proud to support our community and spread the word about water and real jobs it creates right here in Monroe,” said Eli Oklejas, FEDCO president.
Waterloo students who were recognized for their posters were:
Kindergarten – Lily Waltbilling, first; Madelyn Bashaw, second; and Braden Dean, third.
Second Grade – Conner Simmons, second; and Ronny Waletouski, third.
Third Grade – Joshua Sutton, second; and Taylor Ray, third.
Fourth Grade – Jade Bean, second; Mallory Standifer, third.
Fifth Grade – Spencer Atwood, third.
Sixth Grade – Bethany Bashaw, second.
Monroe High School senior Darian Reed recently placed as a finalist in two competitions in the Business Professionals of America State Leadership Conference. Because of his finishes in Database and Advanced Spreadsheets, he now advances to the National BPA Conference May 5-9 in Boston. This is the second consecutive year that Darian has participated in the national finals. Last year he was 10th in the nation in Access Database.
Sodexo, food-service provider for Monroe Public Schools, held its first Future Chefs competition in the Custer cafeteria and crowned Custer 2 student Willow Johnson the winner. Elementary school students across the district were invited to submit their favorite after-school snack recipe. From a large number received, they were whittled down to five recipes as finalists. The six future chefs who submitted them were invited to come in and work with a Sodexo kitchen staff member to put together their recipes which were taste-tested by a group of judges. Willow’s “Apple Nachos” was judged the winning recipe. She won a large box of kitchen-related prizes and will represent Monroe County in Sodexo’s regional competition. Other participants were Lilly Currier and Hayleigh Byrd, Custer 1; Quinstella Penick, Raisinville; Harrison Tyner, Manor; and Addyson Marlow, Waterloo. .
The Monroe Public Schools Board of Education voted March 22 to seek bids for the demolition of South Monroe Townsite School.
In early February, Monroe Pubic Schools and the Monroe County Intermediate School District announced that the ISD’s Head Start program, which had been housed at Townsite School for the last several years, will move to Arborwood North Elementary School with the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year.
The other educational entity housed in South Monroe Townsite School – Monroe Virtual High School, the first virtual school ever established in Monroe County – will move to the Riverside Early Learning Center, 77 N. Roessler St., over the summer and start hosting its classroom sessions there in September.
Since the announcement of the Head Start move, the board of education has discussed at great length the future of the Townsite building. During that time, few public comments were submitted. However some neighbors have expressed a concern about having a vacant building in their neighborhood. SMT was closed as an elementary school in June 2009.
Two other schools which were closed at the same time – Christiancy and Lincoln elementaries – were demolished in 2011.
The honors keep amassing for the Monroe Public Schools music program with the latest accolades coming to the instrumental music program at Monroe High School.
The most recent group to garner state honors was the Monroe High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Mr. Jim Nuechterlein, which earned a Division One rating – the best achievable – at the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association’s (MSBOA) State Jazz Festival. This is the fifth Division One rating the band has earned in the last six years.
The Jazz Band also had two members earn soloist awards at the recent Northview High School Jazz Festival in Sylvania, Ohio. They are Dallin Bowie, piano, who won the Outstanding Soloist Award, and trombonist Kyle Henderson, who was an Honorable Mention Soloist.
With a flute solo, MHS’ Nicholas Howerton received a Division One rating in Proficiency 1 at the MSBOA Solo and Ensemble Festival at Chelsea High School. Students perform before a judge who specializes in that particular instrument. Ratings range from one to five with a one rating being the best. Solo proficiency levels range from 1 to 3 with 3 being the hardest.
Rounding out the March competition performance schedule were the Monroe High School Concert Band and the Wind Ensemble who earned Division Two ratings for their performances at the MSBOA’s District 12 Band and Orchestra Festival in Woodhaven. They are directed by Mr. Nuechterlein. Ratings range from Division One to Division Five with Division One considered an outstanding performance.