Dear Families,
Last week, Three Fires Elementary Technology Teacher Mrs. Jill Cain was honored as the MiSTEM Network Region 2 STEM Integration Educator of the Year. The award honors educators with a consistent record of providing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) experiences for students. Mrs. Cain is a leader in consistently integrating STEM into her instruction. She created the first MakerSpace in our district and is continually looking for ways to develop her students' understanding of STEM concepts. She challenges her students to use design-process thinking as they explore various STEM-related topics. To read more about this honor, please visit http://bit.ly/3Yyyc79.
One of the focus areas of our district's adaptive plan is to prepare all students to be future-ready, for college, for careers, and for life. At Challenger Elementary, The Button Kingdom, a student-led business, is helping students become future-ready. The Button Kingdom helps students develop their independence and strengthen their social skills while improving their teamwork, communication, problem-solving, goal-setting, and financial awareness. Please check out the video below to learn more about the Button Kingdom.
Several of our athletic and co-curricular teams have excelled this winter. Congratulations to these outstanding teams and athletes.
- Our varsity pompon team won Mid-American Pompon State Championships in Class A Division 1. This is the first time the Howell Varsity Pompon team has received the state championship title in the program's history.
- Our gymnastics team took second place at their regional gymnastics meet to advance to today's state team competition. The gymnastics team has qualified for the state event in nine of the past ten years. Additionally, three gymnastics team members, Kayla Forsyth (Vault, Floor, Bars, and All-Around), Anna Lay (Beam), and Maria Petru (Vault, Floor, Bars, Beam, and All-Around) qualified for the individual state finals, which will be held on Saturday.
- Divers Peter Mick and Mackenzie McCormick qualified for the Swim and Dive state competition.
Two of our wrestlers advanced to state wrestling championships. At the event, Brynn Green ended as the state runner-up with All-state honors, and Zac Egan finished in seventh place with All-state honors.
- Kirsten Patterson placed third in MHSAA bowling regional and qualified for the State Finals.
- Alex Cotton competed at the state finals for ski, and the girl's ski team finished in the Top 5 from across the State of Michigan with the All-State Academics Award.
- Blake Pearsall (8th place), Delaney Hoyes (9th place), Piper Sundberg (8th place), and Lila Wessel (15th place) qualified for the Boardercross state finals.
- The girl's basketball team won MHSAA Districts.
- Our Varsity Quiz Bowl Team recently won the Tri-County League Varsity Tournament.
Eighth-grade students at Parker Middle School recently completed a service learning project by making hospital busy boxes with sensory items for elderly patients. The students collected donations and created fidgets and other sensory items for the boxes. Several students will deliver the boxes to Trinity Health Livingston Hospital on Monday.
Sincerely,
Erin J. MacGregor, Ed.S.
Superintendent
Howell Public Schools