Pictured above: rehearsals for the Midland High Drama production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown". The performance took place at Central Auditorium January 25-27.
Midland Public Schools District Vision Statement: Lead with respect, trust and courage. Ensure an equitable, collaborative and inclusive culture. Enable all to achieve success.
January 29, 2024
Volume 11 Edition 23
Michigan All State Bands and Orchestras
Congratulations to the 23 Midland Public Schools students who participated in the Michigan All State Bands and Orchestras this weekend. Representing MPS were 5 in the middle school band, 6 in the middle school orchestra, 6 in the high school band, 5 in the high school orchestra, and 1 in the high school jazz band. For those who are unfamiliar with this kind of event, participation in this type of group is equivalent to going to the state finals for a sport. MPS is incredibly proud of all these students!
H.H. Dow High Student Margaret Hitt Receives 1st Place at the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) Conference
Congratulations to Margaret E. Hitt (senior at H. H. Dow High School) for winning the First Place Award for her research poster at the 39th Annual Meeting for the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) Conference at Washington, D. C., November 14-18, 2023. Her conference presentation, Investigating the Relationship Between the Cell Wall Integrity Pathway and Unfolded Protein Response in Arabidopsis thaliana, was a collaborative work with her teammates at NASA Ames Research Center this past summer as NASA GeneLab for High Schools interns. She also co-authored another research presentation, Optimizing Plant Yield in a Simulated ISS Plant Growth Chamber - Accumulated Results from 300 Middle and High Schools, a collaborative work with NASA Growing Beyond Earth summer interns. As a NASA space farming student researcher and ambassador, Margaret is honored to represent Midland Public Schools in the academic conference of biological and physical sciences, which focuses on the understanding of responses of biological and physical systems to variable gravity conditions. Congratulations, Margaret!
Midland High Drama Presents "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"
Congratulations to the cast and crew of Midland High Drama Department for their production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown". The performance took place this past weekend at Central Auditorium. Way to go, Chemics!
Dow High Student Leadership Gives Back!
During the months of November and December, Dow High Student Leadership was tasked with creating projects that would benefit the surrounding community in some way. Their creativity allowed for numerous projects to be successfully brainstormed, organized, and executed. The list below is just a glimpse of some amazing things these students did during the time of holidays and giving. Dow High Student Leadership is grateful to everyone who assisted in the success of these projects!
- Adopt a Family: Classes teamed up to adopt a local family for the holidays with the Salvation Army. Their combined efforts allowed for everything the family asked for (plus some) to be purchased.
- Book Drive: Almost 800 books were donated by students and community members at the December Dow v. Midland basketball games. These were donated to Midland County Foster Closet for local children and teens in foster care.
- Blanket Making Event: The second annual tie blanket making project resulted in over 50 blankets also being donated to Midland County Foster Closet.
- Spikeball Tournament: Competitors and spectators who attended the tournament brought physical or monetary donations for the Midland Humane Society. Over $200 worth of items were donated to help local animals in need.
- My Michigan Pediatric Toy Collection: Each 5th hour class was tasked with collecting wish-list items for a certain age bracket. In the end, over 100 items were donated to the hospital to help brighten the day of children in their care. Congratulations to Mr. Gardner's 5th hour class for an impressive win!
- Pen Pals: Student Leadership 3 began a pen pal connection with 1st graders at St. Brigid's. In addition to being fun for all students involved, this activity also helps forge connections between Dow High and other schools in the community.
- The Breaking Bread Village Partnership: Several Leadership Students worked with Erin Patrice of The Breaking Bread Village to help her promote her January 26 community discussion event. In exchange for helping her, each student got to select another local non-profit to 'sponsor'. The student who brought the most guests to the event received a donation to their selected organization from Erin. Through this project students were able to learn about and educate their peers/community members about The Arc of Midland, The Bridge Food Center, and For a Better Tomorrow; all organizations with a great cause that they were not previously aware of. Congratulations to Zailey Archbold for winning the competition on behalf of The Bridge Food Center!
- Babysitting Night: Leadership hosted a babysitting night complete with movies and cookie decorating. This free event allowed parents an opportunity to prepare for the holidays while their children enjoyed the event. This event was helpful to many community members, including many Dow High staff members.
- Teaching Kindness: Members from all four sections of Student Leadership teamed up to visit 3rd graders at Woodcrest. During this visit, students used activities and games to teach students about the importance of kindness and being leaders.
- Shelterhouse Crafts & Winter Gear: One group organized a winter gear drive in multiple MPS locations. This drive was very successful and all items were donated to Shelterhouse. This group also designed craft kits with instruction videos for Shelterhouse to have on hand for children that visit their location.
- Movie Night: Leadership hosted a movie night in the Dow High Media Center. Not only was this a great way for students to relax and do something fun before exams, their entry fee of non-perishable food donations created a nice donation to Open Door during the holiday season.
- Cards for Veterans: Leadership worked with 3rd hour classrooms to decorate and write holiday cards for local veterans. This group then connected with Midland County Veterans Services to ensure that the hundreds of cards that were made would be delivered during the holiday season.
Dow High Graduate featured in the 2023 Advanced Placement Art and Design Digital Exhibit
H.H. Dow High School is excited to announce that the 2023 Advanced Placement Art and Design Digital Exhibit opened last week and is now live and that one of our former students, Jacob Nguyen (Graduating class of 2023), is featured! The exhibit displays artwork from 46 high school artists from four countries selected from more than 74,000 students who submitted portfolios to the 2023 AP Art and Design Exam.
Jacob is now successfully completing his first year at the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, and we're excited to see Jacob change the world through his art. Congratulations, Jacob!
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.
Parents/Guardians of Incoming 2024-2025 Kindergarten students, join us for our Kindergarten Snapshot!
February 7, 2024 from 6-7 pm at all MPS Elementary Schools.
An overview of the Kindergarten experience will be presented, and parents may tour the school. *Parents only at this event, please.
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!
Kids Day at the Mall
A big thank you to our MPS staff for their help in making Kids Day at the Mall a success! The event on Saturday provided the opportunity for kids and parents to talk to MPS staff, get enrollment information, and for kids to complete a fun activity. We appreciate your commitment to inspiring excellence in our community!