Dear parents,
One of my core educational principles is to provide opportunities for students to have a voice in their educational experiences. I believe this leads to a more engaged student body. To support this, I have established a Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. The group consists of approximately 15 high school students. Our first meeting was last week. During the meeting the students provided feedback on the positives, negatives, and priorities for change regarding their experiences at Howell Public Schools.
In my last update, I shared that some of our high school manufacturing and engineering students had advanced to the state level of the Michigan Industrial and Technology Education Society (MITES) student project competition. Our students excelled at the state competition. Logan Huff, earned the Grand Award in the Machine Shop Division for his chess set. The Grand Award is the highest honor awarded in a division. Austin Rhodes earned first place in the machine models category of the Machine Shop Division for his model cannon and Drake Coy earned first place in the photo-realistic rendering category of the Mechanical Drawing Division for his reverse engineering drawing of a spray gun. Additionally, Anthony Tedesco earned sixth place in the rapid prototyping – assembly category of the Mechanical Drawing Division for his 3-D printed and assembled steam engine.
On Sunday, May 22, more than 380 Howell High School choir alumni from 24 states, representing 43 graduating classes will return to Howell High School to honor our Vocal Music Director Rod Bushey. The alumni will participate in a reunion concert and in the official dedication and renaming of the Howell High School auditorium to the Rod Bushey Performing Arts Center. Mr. Bushey will retire at the end of this school year following a 44-year career with our district. The concert will begin at 2 p.m. in the high school auditorium with the dedication following the concert.
It has been a very busy few weeks around our district. This week four of our teachers received TangerKids grants to support various educational opportunities for our students. Yesterday, cadets in the Howell Public Schools Fire Academy participated in their final practical training of the year, which involved entering a special burn building to experience a real fire up close. Recently fifth-grade students at Northwest Elementary attended a tea party to celebrate the completion of an art project. I have shared more on each of these stories below.
Four Teachers Receive TangerKids Grants
Our district is very lucky to have a business community that makes supporting our schools a priority. One of those businesses in the Tanger Outlet Mall. This year four teachers received TangerKids Grants totaling more than 2,500 dollars. These grants will help provide additional educational opportunities to our students. To read about how these grants will enrich student learning, please visit http://goo.gl/Moud7f.
Fire Cadets Participate in Live Burn Training
Once a month, cadets in the Howell Public Schools Fire Academy participate in a practical training where they gain experience using the skills they have learned in the classroom. The final practical training of the year involves learning how a fire starts, grows and reacts in a building. To do this, students gear up in their personal protective equipment and enter a special burn building with trained firefighters. To learn more about this training, please visit http://goo.gl/0EjbzO.
Northwest Fifth Graders Enjoy Tea Party
Northwest Elementary Art Teacher Carol Elliott recently held her annual Fifth Grade Tea Parties. The tea parties celebrate the end of the “Plate” project. For the project, students study designs that would traditionally appear on fine china and then create their own fine china from a paper plate. You can read more about the tea party at http://goo.gl/eeeQqb.