Pictured above: members of the Midland High chapter of Business Professionals of America (BPA) at the Annual State Leadership Conference.
Midland Public Schools District Vision Statement: Lead with respect, trust and courage. Ensure an equitable, collaborative and inclusive culture. Enable all to achieve success.
March 11, 2024
Volume 11 Edition 29
MPS Multicultural Calendar - March
Dates of Interest for March:
Women's History Month: which includes International Women's Day on March 8 – This month celebrates the social, political, cultural, and academic achievements of women throughout history. For more information, visit the link here.
- Ramadan:March 10 - April 8 - Islamic month-long observation of fasting and charitable acts which begins at sunset on the first day and ends with Eid al-Fitr. For more information, visit the link here.
- Vernal Equinox: March 19 - Marks the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and fall in the Southern Hemisphere. The sun shines nearly equally on both hemispheres this day. For more information, visit the link here.
- Holi: March 24-25 - Festival of Spring and Color that originated as a Hindu festival that has expanded across India and beyond. For more information, visit the link here.
- Purim: March 24 - Jewish “Feast of Lots” commemorating the rescue of the Jews by Queen Esther. For more information, visit the link here.
- Easter: March 31 - Christian holiday that also has secular celebrations. The days of Palm Sunday and Good Friday are including in the Holy Week leading up to Easter. For more information, visit the link here.
WELCOME TO NEW ADMINISTRATORS AT NORTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL, ADMINISTRATION, AND PATHS
Keith Seybert named Principal of Northeast Middle School
As Dirk DeBoer will retire at the end of the 2023-24 school year, Keith Seybert will be his successor as Principal of Northeast Middle School, effective July 1, 2024.
Currently, Keith serves as the Assistant Principal at Northeast Middle School and has been in this position since 2016.
Keith has 29 years of experience in public education, including teaching and administrative experience. Prior to his role as Assistant Principal at Northeast Middle School, Keith taught in Grayling and then began teaching at Northeast in 1998. In addition, he has also coached boys' track at Midland High as well as girls' track and swimming at Northeast.
Keith and his wife, Kelly, have three children who attend Midland Public Schools. He would like to share this message with the Northeast Middle School community:
"It has been a privilege to serve as the Assistant Principal at Northeast. I have grown as a leader and an educator through the opportunity to work with the staff at Northeast! I am humbled and honored to serve as the next Principal of Northeast Middle School. Go Vikings!"
Troy Lynch named Instructional Technology & Media Specialist
With Melissa Toner's retirement at the end of the 2023-24 school year, Troy Lynch will be her successor as Instructional Technology & Media Specialist, effective July 1, 2024.
Currently, Troy is a teacher at Jefferson Middle School. Prior to joining Midland Public Schools, he was a middle and high school ELA and PE teacher and a K-12 Athletic Director. Troy has strong instructional technology skills, leadership abilities, and a collaborative spirit. As an ELA teacher, he understands the importance of appropriate text selection for the media centers, which is part of this role.
Troy and his wife, Michelle, have four children and enjoy youth sports, camping, and other family activities. He would like to share this message with the MPS community:
"I am beyond excited to take on the challenges of my new position and I look forward to spending time in each of our schools, building and continuing relationships. The people I meet and students I encounter are one of the joys of the educational experience, and Midland Public Schools has continued to impress me with both during my time here."
Lucas Peless named PATHS/Virtual Learning Coordinator
As Jeffrey Lauer retires at the end of the 2023-24 school year, Lucas Peless will be his successor as the PATHS/Virtual Learning Coordinator, effective July 1, 2024.
Lucas comes to Midland Public Schools with 13 years of administrative experience as a high school/middle school assistant principal and previous leadership experience in virtual learning and early middle college in his 20 years of experience in education. He began his teaching career teaching English, History, and Spanish in Alaska and has an Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership. He is also a graduate of Midland High School.
Lucas has five children: two in high school, one in middle school, and two in elementary school. He would like to share this message with the MPS community:
"I am truly honored to step into this role and return to my roots in Midland. I believe in the opportunities around a hybrid education and love engaging with these exceptional students. I believe in fostering individualized pathways for every learner, and I am excited to contribute to their growth and success in this role as I serve the Midland Public Schools community."
Superintendent Search Update
On Tuesday, March 12th, Superintendent Candidates Penny Miller-Nelson and Dr. Antoine Reed will spend a "Day in the District" where they will tour MPS schools, meet with staff and students, and host community meet and greets. Please see the attached schedule below for the times of the community meet and greet events that will be held at Central Auditorium.
Following the "Day in the District", the candidates are scheduled for final interviews at a Special Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, March 20th, at 6:00 p.m.
Second Annual We Belong Night at Woodcrest Elementary
On Thursday, March 7th, Woodcrest Elementary held their second We Belong Night! Volunteers from our school and community put together different displays about their culture so families and students could become more socially aware of the various groups of people who make up Midland. Some of the cultures represented were: Puerto Rico, Pakistan, Korea, China, Nepal, Scotland, Ireland, Middle East North Africa, and many more! Many families came to enjoy the event, and were also treated to performances representing Chinese and Scottish culture. It was great to see the many connections that were made. Thank you to all who made this night possible!
Woodcrest Elementary Principal Katelyn Beurer shared, "It was a beautiful event for our students to celebrate their cultures. We are so lucky that our students have this opportunity to experience the rich traditions, music, and food from a dozen different countries."
Plymouth Elementary Hosts Immigration Presentation
On February 26th, Plymouth Elementary invited Adams' paraprofessional Hiba Hamed (from Sudan) and DEI director Dr. Yang Jiao (from China) to give an interactive guest lecture on immigration, international travel, nationality and identity. This presentation was part of the "Where We Are in Place and Time" PYP unit, exploring how our lives and identities are shaped and reshaped by living in different parts of our world. The speakers shared their real-life immigration journeys to the US and the fun fact that their children became best friends thousands of miles away from home despite their racial, lingual, cultural, and national differences. All of the 4th grade classes actively participated in the informative discussions, and the various international-themed giveaways made their day!
Midland High BPA Students Advance to Nationals!
On March 7-10, the Midland High School chapter of Business Professionals of America (BPA) traveled to the 52nd Annual State Leadership Conference in Grand Rapids and competed for top honors in business, finance, technology, marketing, and health administration skills competitions.
The results from the Midland High BPA chapter events were:
- First Place Awards: Fundamentals of Web Design-Rori McCubbin-Green; Health Administration Procedures-Alahna Beckett; Human Resource Management-Isla McCubbin-Green
- Second Place Awards: Advanced Accounting-Bo Brutyn; Basic Office Systems & Procedures-Cameron Mackezyk; Computer Programming Concepts-Isla McCubbin-Green; Management, Marketing, & HR Concepts-Bo Brutyn; Parliamentary Procedures Team-Autumn Brutyn, Bo Brutyn, Claire Carpenter, Logan Gessford, Luke James, Maisy Matthews, Porter Pritchard; Presentation Team-Braiden Katzinger, Alex Ritter, Joshua Thurlow, Eli Woods; Python Programming-Adil Seidazymov
- Third Place Awards: Administrative Support Research Project-Tega Kamatoy; Economic Research Team-Elly Black, Addie McLaughlin, Mya Presley, Keira Shaffner; Meeting & Event Planning Concepts-Bo Brutyn
- Fourth Place Awards: Business Law & Ethics-Sean Surbrook; SQL Database Fundamentals-Adil Seidazymov
- Fifth Place Awards: Meeting & Event Planning Concepts-Rori McCubbin-Green; Parliamentary Procedure Concepts-Bo Brutyn; Presentation Individual-Isla McCubbin-Green
- Sixth Place Awards: Advanced Interview Skills-Lindsey Deckrow; Database Applications-Zack Steger; Interview Skills-Rori McCubbin-Green; Prepared Speech-Maisy Matthews
- Seventh Place Awards: Economic Research Individual-Cameron Cochran; Management, Marketing, & HR Concepts-Rori McCubbin-Green
Additionally, Claire Carpenter and Keira Shaffner were recognized as Statesman Torch Award recipients. Great job Chemics!
This year’s executive officers for Midland High BPA are: Bo Brutyn, President; Rori McCubbin-Green, Vice-President; Isla McCubbin-Green, Secretary; Zack Steger, Treasurer; Keira Shaffner, Historian.
While in Grand Rapids, the students also had opportunities to network with other BPA members, attend leadership and professional development workshops, receive awards for community service activities, and elect BPA’s 2024–2025 Michigan state student leadership team.
The 23 qualifying students will represent Midland High School at the National BPA Leadership Conference on May 10-14 in Chicago, Illinois. Advisors for the MHS chapter are Dr. Jeanna Cronk and Mrs. Melissa DeBoer.
Dow High Boys Lacrosse Team Gives Back
The Dow High Boys Lacrosse team exemplified true sportsmanship as they kicked off the spring season giving back to their community. The team generously volunteered their time at Midland Open Door, organized with the support of the Midland Area Community Foundation. With enthusiasm and dedication, the boys rolled up their sleeves and tackled various tasks, from cleaning house to raking the yards and sorting donated clothing. Their efforts not only beautified the shelter but also left a lasting impact on the team, as they had the opportunity to connect with those they served. Through their actions, the team demonstrated that teamwork extends beyond the field, embodying the values of community spirit. Great job, Chargers!
"You Be the Chemist"
On March 10th, 3 teams of students from Jefferson and Northeast Middle Schools participated in the "You Be The Chemist" Regional Challenge where they answered 40 timed multiple-choice and short-answer questions. Jefferson Teams 1 and 2 took first and second place. Part 2 of the challenge is to create a video investigating life science concepts in which they will form a start-up company that has developed a sustainable solution to a real-world challenge in their community. Overall team scores will be a weighted combination of their video score and their Regional Challenge score. The National "You Be The Chemist" program is open to all students in 5th-8th grades.
Dow High Safe Driving Festival
Dow High leadership is putting on a safe driving festival. The goal is to educate elementary school students on the importance of seatbelt safety while creating a fun atmosphere. This festival will have games, educational opportunities, pizza, and prizes! We would like to invite all the elementary school-aged students (parents and guardians welcome to stay) in our district to attend our event on March 14th from 6 until 7:30 pm in our green (auxiliary) gym at Dow High School. This event is completely free in hopes to have more attendees. We hope to see you there!
MPS Operating Millage Renewal
The MPS Board of Education recently voted to place a millage renewal proposal on the May 7, 2024, ballot. This renewal provides a significant source of revenue to the school district’s operating budget, including salaries, utilities, and educational programming for students. You can find more detailed information by visiting our Operating Millage webpage, linked here, as well as in the Frequently Asked Questions document linked in the button below.
2024-2025 Enrollment
Online Enrollment
Online enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year is now available by clicking the link below.
If you do not already have a ParentVue account, you will be prompted to create one, and then you will be able to complete the 2024-2025 New Student form for grades DK-12.
If you have any questions or issues with the enrollment process, please contact the enrollment office at 989-923-5024 or enroll@midlandps.org.
School of Choice
School of Choice applications for the 2024-2025 school year will be available beginning February 1, 2024, through March 31, 2024 by visiting the link below.
Availability will be based on current enrollment information for each building and grade. Families will be notified via email of their application status by the end of the day on April 24, 2024. Please contact Becci Longstreth at enroll@midlandps.org or 989-923-5024 with any questions.
Attention High School Families - FAFSA Information
Given the changes made to the 2024-25 FAFSA and the delays that students and families are experiencing, a letter was developed by the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) to provide support in solidifying postsecondary plans. The letter is linked in the button below.