Pictured above: Northeast Middle School’s Drama Club presents “The Day Aliens Attacked Fairfield”
Midland Public Schools District Vision Statement: Lead with respect, trust and courage. Ensure an equitable, collaborative and inclusive culture. Enable all to achieve success.
December 18, 2023
Volume 11 Edition 19
Superintendent Search
As you may be aware, Midland Public Schools has initiated its search for a new superintendent. To guide us through this important process, we have retained the services of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA), a consulting firm that specializes in assisting School Boards with the consideration of candidates for superintendent. A key part of this process is to gather information about the characteristics we will be seeking in our new superintendent. We would greatly appreciate your input and ask that you complete the survey linked below. This survey is open until December 20th, and is posted on our website as well. For more information, visit our "superintendent search" webpage linked here.
Thank you for your participation!
Jefferson Students at Work in the Community...
7th and 8th-grade artists from the Art Club at Jefferson Middle School were asked to paint the windows at the Midland Panda Express Restaurant. Students came up with holiday designs and went after school on December 14th to start their projects with teachers Ms. Hazen and Mr. Scherzer. Students will finish their designs this week. Pictured are 8th graders: McKenna Lang, Brooklyn Lederer, Allison Stout, and Brooklyn Shepard. Great job, Huskies!
...and in Life 101 and 102 Classes - Cupcake Wars!
The Life 101 and 102 classes at Jefferson Middle School celebrated this past week with a fun-filled event. Led by Ms. Jen Lehman, students in each class competed in a Cupcake Wars competition. The students were divided into groups by kitchen area and worked hard on a flavor profile and cupcake theme for their group. They also designed and created a display area for their cupcakes with a variety of items available to them. Cardboard, felt, construction paper, foam, glitter, and glue guns were just some of the items used to put together these multi-tiered display stands. Students stuck closely to holiday themes that coordinated with their kitchen groups’ cupcake decorations. At the end of each period, students had to decorate their cupcakes and load their display stands in similar fashion to the famous Cupcake Wars television show.
Teachers and other Jefferson staff were invited to come to the classroom and participate as judges. Groups were judged on flavor, use of featured ingredients, theme, and overall presentation of their cupcake displays. Judges rated each group on a four point scale for multiple categories, and the scores determined each class’s winning kitchen group. The students worked diligently on this activity and it was a great way to show off all of the skills they have learned this semester in their Life 101 and 102 classes. Congratulations to the winners of each class as well as all of the students on a job well done!
MPS Multicultural Calendar - December
Dates of Interest for December:
- December 21 - Yule/Winter Solstice Day - Longest night of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. For more information, click here.
- December 25 - Christmas - Celebration with many diverse traditions including both Christian and secular. For more information, click here.
- December 26-January 1 - Kwanzaa - African-American celebration lasting 7 days focusing on history and unity. For more information, click here.
"Global Eats" Continues with India
Last week, students enjoyed cuisine from India thanks to the "Global Eats" program by Chartwells. Tina Malzahn, Director of Dining Services, introduced Mexico as their first "destination" in the "Global Eats" program in October, with Italy, India, and China to round out the year. "Global Eats" provides an opportunity for the celebration of cultures in students' everyday lives. For more information on the "Global Eats" program, click here.
Adams Elementary Culture Club Visits the Midland Center for the Arts
The Adams Elementary Culture Club is an extracurricular opportunity for 5th grade students who want to learn more about the world’s diversity in order to appreciate, understand, and communicate with those who are different from themselves. The club is led by Adams’ World Language Teacher Kim McMahan and is in its 14th year of learning about the world.
On November 21st, 18 members of the club enjoyed a beautiful evening at the Midland Center for the Arts, listening to the elite Vienna Boys Choir of Austria. The choir sang in three of the languages learned at Adams (Spanish, German, and French), which was extra special for the Culture Club. They will continue their learning of Austria through learning unique holiday traditions around the world on December 19th.
Dow High Debate Team Competes in State Finals
Fourteen members of the H.H. Dow High Debate Team traveled to the 107th State Final Debate Tournament on Saturday, December 16th, at Wayne State University. Students competed against 160 entries from 29 schools.
The team of Macy Christiansen and John Velazco won the Novice division, earning 1st place! The team of Christine Cai and Angelina Chen earned 2nd place in the Varsity division. Sydney Reuter-Gushow won 9th place speaker all-around.
Congratulations to all on a successful season!
Midland High Freshmen Visit the Zekelman Holocaust Center
Last week, all the Freshmen World History classes at Midland High school had an opportunity to visit the Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills. We were the very first school to visit the newly revised museum and experience the soft Grand Opening. The students enjoyed small group tours with very knowledgeable docents who answered their questions and provided detailed information about the history of Anti-Semitism, the rise of the Nazi Party, Kristallnacht, the various camps, the Final Solution, as well as liberation and survivor testimonies.
Upon their return, students wrote thank you letters to the museum directors and donors. One student wrote, “the artifacts, the photographs, and the videos combined together to create an amazing experience that I will never forget.” Rachel Marcellis, a 9th grader, wrote "when I saw the room of taken belongings…it fully hit me…what parts of themselves did they really have left? Thank you for sharing the stories of so many voices who wouldn’t be heard otherwise.” Another student, Audrey McGlaughlin, noted that "seeing the boxcar that the Jews actually had to ride in on their way to the camps really put it into perspective for me…just seeing how many people were crammed into those cars was terrible.” Yet another student reflected, “Thank you for highlighting the personal stories of the survivors who now live in Michigan- I thought their stories were inspirational.”
This field trip was subsidized by a grant from the Zekelman Holocaust Foundation (Mr. Rick Schaffner-Outreach & Teacher Education Director) as well as a grant from the Mark Schonwetter Holocaust Education Foundation. Thank you also to the MHS All In Fund (Jen Sisco Memorial) for helping cover some of the extra costs as well as to the many parent chaperones who made this experience possible. As another student summed it up for everyone, "the visit was an eye-opening experience that I will honestly never forget.” The MPS social studies department is excited to partner with the Holocaust Center for our upcoming Professional Development Day in early January.
Robotics News!
2023 Great Lakes Bay Bot Bash!
The 8th Great Lakes Bay Bot Bash was held at Dow High School on October 28th with 32 robots from Michigan competing in this off-season CHARGED UP event. Both the Dow and Midland High Robotics teams were part of the competition, and the game challenge required two alliances of three robots each to retrieve and score game pieces into a Grid and balance on a Charge Station to score additional points at the end of the game.
Dow High's Robotics Team 2619 ‘The Charge’ was one of four local robotics teams hosting the event and they were part of an alliance that finished 3rd place overall at the event. Midland High’s Robotics Team 5509 ‘Like A Boss’ was part of an alliance that advanced to the third round of the playoffs. Great job by both teams in their last competition with the teams’ 2023 robots!
THANK YOU to the community volunteers and to the Dow High staff and students for their support and flexibility, which helped make this event possible. Thanks also to the event partner host teams – 3770 from Bullock Creek, 5166 from Freeland, 5712 from Hemlock, 5216 from Essexville-Garber!
The 2024 FIRST Robotics season will kick off on January 6 when details of the CRESCENDO game will be revealed. The spring FIRST Robotics Midland competition will be held at Dow High School on March 21-23, 2024.
Midland Public Schools High School FIRST Robotics Teams – Fall 2023 Outreach
The Dow High Robotics Team 2619 and Midland High Robotics Team 5509 were part of a variety of fun STEM & community outreach activities this fall, including:
- Partnering with Jefferson Middle School FTC Robotics Team 10615, both high school robotics teams gave robot demonstrations at Hemlock Semiconductor’s FIRST Robotics Night at the Saginaw Spirit hockey game in early November.
- Both high school robotics teams gave robot demonstrations at the Dow Tennis Classic in November.
- Dow High’s robotics team volunteered for our fall Adopt-A-Street clean-up.
- Dow High’s robotics team hosted a mock FLL tournament to help MPS FLL teams prepare for their early December competition.
Great job, teams!
Dow High Student Leadership
Winter Gear Drive
We are excited to announce that Dow High's Student Leadership is organizing a Winter Gear Drive from December 4th through the 20th. In an effort to support our community during the colder months, collection bins will be conveniently placed at Dow High School, Jefferson Middle School, Northeast Middle School, Woodcrest Elementary School, and the school Administration building. We encourage you to contribute to this initiative by donating gently used or new winter gear such as; coats, gloves, hats, snow pants, socks, snow boots, scarves, and sleds. All donations will be given to the Midland Shelter House. Your generosity will undoubtedly make a significant impact, helping those in need in our city. Thank you for your support in fostering a warm and caring community - Dow High Student Leadership
Book Drive
Dow High Student Leadership is sponsoring a book drive to benefit the Midland County Foster Closet. Donate your gently used or new books for all age levels to children in foster care. Book donations will be accepted on December 20th at Dow High at the start of both Dow High versus Midland High basketball games, at 5:30 pm and 7 pm. Anyone who donates 5 books will be entered into a drawing to win a gift card. Thank you for your support!
2023-24 Guide to Admissions: click on the button below for the Michigan public universities' guide to admissions for the 2023-24 school year.
Students and families looking for help paying for college are encouraged to register for a Virtual Financial Aid Presentation to gather information on FAFSA applications, federal/state financial aid and scholarships.
- Adults ages 21 to 24 who have not yet earned a college degree can enroll in Michigan Reconnect, a tuition-free community college scholarship program. Governor Whitmer temporarily lowered the age for those eligible from 25 to 21. For more information, click here
Map your future with Pathfinder!
The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity's Office of Employment and Training created the Pathfinder online career planning tool to connect Michigan residents with high-quality, in-demand careers and credentials. Visit Pathfinder by clicking on the button below!
MPS Early Middle College Program
MPS offers Early Middle College experiences with Davenport University, Delta College, and new this year - Northwood University. For more information, contact your school counselor. To complete the application, click on the button below.
Community Resources
The 2024-2025 FAFSA form will open up on December 31. There are several Financial Aid nights available for both parents and students to attend, to get assistance filling out the form and to also learn about scholarship opportunities. DHS and MHS are co-hosting a session on January 9th at the Delta Midland Center (downtown Midland), from 5:30-7:00pm.
Parents wanting to attend the MHS/DHS session on 1/9 should email either Lori Pritchard (DHS College and Career Advisor) @ PritchardLN@midlandps.org, or Nancy Barnes (MHS College and Career Advisor) @ BarnesNA@midlandps.org to reserve a spot. Pizza and drinks will be provided. Several professionals will also be on hand to assist throughout the evening, including representatives from CMU, Delta, and SVSU. Heather Crowley from the Midland Community Foundation will also be in attendance to relay relevant scholarship information. Parents can get assistance from any of the Reps, regardless of what college the student is planning to attend in the Fall.
The flyer attached includes a QR code which parents must scan prior to attending the FAFSA night. The QR code leads to a checklist of documents and information that is requisite for completing the FAFSA. Additionally, dates, times and locations for other FAFSA work sessions in our region are listed on the flyer. Parents unable to make a live session and in need of assistance are encouraged to email Lori or Nancy to set up an individual meeting.
It is suggested that parents open the attached FAFSA Night File, and print the checklist several days prior to attending the FAFSA Night.