Spring 2015
High School Receives Coveted Accreditation from AdvanceED This past winter AdvanceED, the non-profit group which conducts rigorous on-site evaluations of schools and districts across the country, provided Lake Orion High School with its stamp of accreditation after a team of seven scrutinized the school over multiple days. Principal Steve Hawley said the coveted recognition reflects the high school staff’s commitment to continuous improvement and helping students reach their full potential. He added the accreditation is considered by college admissions offices when evaluating freshman applications. The AdvanceED team was most impressed with the amount of choices students LOHS accreditation team leaders, left to have, both from an academic and extracurricular standpoint, Hawley said. The right: Darin Abbasse, Jim Haugh, Melissa team’s follow-up report noted Lake Orion offers “something for every child”. Middleton, Steve Hawley and Chris Bell. AdvanceED also highlighted the school’s effective management of limited resources, which included materials available to students in the classroom, as well as structure of the staff. The evaluators were complimentary of the work the high school instructional staff has done using student achievement data as a tool to enhance the teaching practice. Along with this focus area, the staff has also committed to further growth in differentiating learning opportunities for all students. “This type of external feedback is very important,” said Hawley, who noted the last such external review was in 2009. “The review provided our staff with a fresh perspective and affirmation of the great work that they do.” See LOHS Accreditation on page 3
LO Winter Percussion Ensemble Battles to World Championship Title There was no beach vacation this Spring Break for Lake Orion High School’s Winter Percussion ensemble, but the 46 talented students and their advisor Paul Loos had plenty of fun, capturing the World Championship at the Winter Guard International (WGI) World Championships in Dayton, Ohio.
The Dragons competed against 57 other top scholastic marching percussion groups from across the country and even as far away as Sweden. Their score in the preliminary round was the highest of all ensembles and qualified them for the semi-finals, where their score was the second highest. In the finals, the Dragons outclassed the opposition with their Spartacus-inspired show entitled "The Shield," winning the World Championship title by almost two points, a huge spread in this competition. Percussion Ensemble members celebrate their world title in Ohio.
New Transportation Director Page 3
See Percussion Ensemble on page 3
Battle of the Books Page 5
Winter Sports Page 8
District News Operations Department Finds Variety of Ways to Reduce/Avoid Costs From cooperative bidding with other school districts, the township and village, to using third parties to secure best pricing on energy, the Lake Orion school district’s Operations Department has successfully reduced and/or avoided millions of dollars in costs, without compromising the quality of service it provides. This effort has enabled the district to lower its annual operational budget by more than $2 million ($6 million over the past three years). As an example, according to Director of Operations Wes Goodman, each school building in the district purchased its own cleaning supplies up until 2012 . Now Lake Orion uses a more centralized approach, including cooperative bidding with other districts in Oakland County, including Clarkston. This multiple-district approach has lowered the prices of cleaning products/consumables, fire safety systems, snow plowing, garbage hauling and other services by up to 15 percent.
parking lot and athletic field lighting. The improved scheduling has helped reduce energy costs by another 10-15 percent, the district estimates. In addition, the monitoring and managing of other control systems internally – rather than relying on an outside vendor – is saving the district $300,000 annually, Goodman said. Facilities Manager Andy Fountain and assistant Sue Tumey monitor energy usage. third-party procurement process to buy natural gas and electricity for its buildings, versus purchasing it through the utility companies directly. This enables them to secure fixed pricing over the length of the contract, rather than be subject to fluctuations in the cost of these energy sources, Goodman said. Since 2011, the district has reduced its energy costs by $942,000 through this approach and reducing consumption.
Lake Orion has replaced inefficient lights in several schools over the past year. The new technology includes more efficient light bulbs, occupancy sensors that turn off lights when nobody is in a room and daylight harvesting technology, which turns off lights where there is enough natural light in a room. In addition to saving at least 20 percent in energy costs through these lighting technologies, DTE Energy provided a rebate of $115,000 to the district as an incentive for installing the modern equipment. Since a district bond failed in 2013, the lighting retrofit was funded through energy bonds secured early last year, which are now being paid back through energy savings.
“Even if we end up using a different venOver the past four years the district also dor, the cooperative bidding process helps has installed new computerized building secure best pricing,” Goodman said. “All of these programs initiated by the management systems in all of the school Operations Department have enabled the On the energy management front, Lake buildings to increase the efficiency of district to keep money in classroom inOrion – like many other districts - uses a heating and cooling systems, as well as struction,” Goodman said.
Transportation Team Members Receive Oakland County Award
See us on Facebook and Twitter!
Congratulations are in order for transportation team members Elizabeth Guzman and John Clark (pictured), who were recently selected to receive the 2015 Oakland County Excellence in Transportation Award for the Lake Orion School District. The award exemplifies excellence in providing or supporting the safe transportation of students to school. They were honored at a special banquet hosted by Oakland County earlier this spring.
2
New Transportation Director
LOHS Accreditation Cont’d from Page 1
Joins Lake Orion Schools Jamie Stottlemyer has joined Lake Orion Community Schools as Director of Transportation. He comes from Warren Woods Public Schools, where he spent nearly ten years as both Director of Operations and Transportation. Earlier in his career, he worked in construction management. Stottlemyer replaced Dale Goby, who recently retired. A resident of Clarkston and father of three school-age children, Stottlemyer is not only excited about the shorter commute, but the opportunity to work in one of Oakland County’s top districts.
“Lake Orion has a strong reputation as a well-run school district,” he said. “Our top priorities in the transportation department are to provide safe, reliable and on-time bus service to all of our students in as an efficient manner as possible.” This is no small task, considering Lake Orion’s fleet of 68 buses transport 4,000 students daily, covering 800,000 or more miles each year on district roads.
Stottlemyer understands the critical role that school buses New Transportation Director Jamie Stottlemyer and drivers play in the educational process, getting students safely to and from school. He welcomes parents to share their thoughts and concerns with him at any time.
Teacher Melissa Middleton, who co-chairs the high school’s improvement team with colleague Jim Haugh, said preparations for the AdvanceED visit started about a year in advance and involved virtually every staff member. The evaluation team interviewed students, staff, parents and community members, as well as conducted observations in 90 classrooms. “The external review process has really changed over the years. With the in-classroom observations, they really see firsthand what a school is doing,” Middleton said. During the evaluation a school is measured based on several standards, including its purpose and direction; governance and leadership; teaching and learning; resources and support systems; and how it uses the results from such evaluations to assure continuous improvement. In their verbal and written feedback, AdvanceED team members praised the high school and its staff. One said, “This is the type of school I would want my grandchildren to attend”, while another added, “This school is really a gem, not only in Oakland County, but the state.” Principal Hawley said he is proud of the recognition, but this does not mean it’s time to rest, stressing there is always plenty of room to get better. “I’m very proud of our staff and how much time they contribute to the process of continuous improvement, which was clearly recognized by the external team,” he said. “Of course, I expect the same over the next five years, before we look to renew our accreditation again.”
Percussion Ensemble Cont’d from Page 1
Trivia Night Raises More Than $20K for Blessings In A Backpack The Knights of Columbus Hall was packed one night this winter for Trivia Night benefiting Blessings in a Backpack - Lake Orion. The local non-profit organization provides food to district students of all ages who may otherwise go hungry on the weekends. More than $20,000 was raised for the organization, enough to feed 200 students for a year, making the night a huge success! Persons interested in making additional tax-deductible donations can send checks payable to Blessings in a Backpack Lake Orion, P.O. Box 321, Lake Orion, MI 48361. 3
In late March, both Lake Orion’s marching percussionists and concert percussion ensemble brought home State Championship titles. In fact, the marching percussion team earned its second state title while claiming the highest score of any group in the competition, regardless of classification. Not to be outdone, the concert ensemble took its secondstraight state title. According to Band Director Mike Steele, the students and their instructors showed incredible determination and dedication, with many long hours of rehearsal to achieve these historic accomplishments. He also noted the tremendous support of parent volunteers, who helped with costumes, props, transportation and countless other details.
Superintendent’s Message A Willingness to Make a Difference
Key Dates
I have always been a big fan of Dr. Seuss and his whimsical look at the world. His unique rhymes and stories are favorites of mine. I recently spoke before a group of youth volunteers in our community and, as I was thinking about what to say, I remembered a quote from Dr. Seuss on volunteerism that seemed very pertinent. It was not a rhyme from A Cat in the Hat, but rather straightforward: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.”
LOHS Senior Academic & Awards Ceremony June 1, 2015 6:30 – 10:00 p.m.
Those words don’t rhyme much, but they hit home. Caring for someone or something can truly make a positive difference in a person’s life or impact our great community. It doesn’t matter who you are or your age – we all have the power to change lives for the better. And I’m pleased to say volunteerism amongst our young people, in particular, has exploded in recent decades. Our senior class at Lake Orion High School alone has accumulated more Volunteers at the Mother’s Wish race. than 35,000 combined hours of community service over the past four years. They each only need 40 hours to graduate.
LOHS Junior/Senior Prom Palazzo Grande – Shelby Twp. June 5, 2015 6:30 – 11:00 p.m.
2015 Learning Options Graduation LOHS Auditorium June 8, 2015 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
I am so impressed with our young people’s willingness to make a difference, from volunteering at our schools to helping local charities flourish, to contributions of their time and talents at churches, nursing homes, food pantries, youth sports programs and other organizations. Our youth play a key role in making Lake Orion such a great place to live. They also make places far away much better, with many of them going on mission trips around the country and the world. Over the past couple of years, our students have traveled to Appalachia and other parts of the United States, plus Honduras, Peru and Greece, to help build homes for the poor. One of our students even traveled to Israel recently to help rebuild a playground that was destroyed by a bomb. A group is heading to Haiti soon to help the impoverished there. I also want to give credit to our teachers who guide many of these charitable activities. I can’t tell you how many thousands of food items are gathered through organized food drives at all of our schools each year? Last holiday season, students at our elementary schools collected nearly 20,000 cans and boxes of food for pantries across the region. This year’s elementary schools penny war raised another $13,000 for local food banks. Let me close by saying Dr. Seuss would be very proud of our young people here in Lake Orion. In fact, he would be amazed. I know I am.
2015 LOHS Graduation DTE Energy Theater – Clarkston June 10, 2015 7:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Last Day of 2014-15 School Year June 12, 2015
ACT Testing LOHS June 13, 2015 8:00 a.m.
4
School News
LOHS “Cells” Out for Soldiers
Students at Lake Orion High School turned out en masse to participate in Cell Out for Soldiers earlier this year. The event, organized by the high school’s Leadership Workshop class, drew 80 percent participation, with more than 1,750 kids turning in their phones for the day. For each cell phone turned off, $1 was donated to Cell Phones for Soldiers, plus individual donations were accepted. More than $2,600 was raised for the national charity that provides prepaid phones to servicemen and women overseas so they can call home. Leadership students carefully collected and tagged the phones, then delivStudent leadership members and military ered them back to students at the end representatives at Cell Out. of the day – with none lost! With their phones locked up, students 1,750 students turned in their phones. had to communicate with each other the old-fashioned way without mobile devices or social media. Television news crews from WDIV and WJBK covered the Cell Out that day and the event was showcased throughout Metro Detroit. A number of students commented that engaging their classmates face-to-face was fun, while many parents commented on the district’s Facebook page that it was a great idea for a great cause. Cell Phones for Soldiers sent a personal note to the Leadership Workshop class thanking them for the impressive event. This spring, the Cell Out for Soldiers event won the Michigan Association of Student Councils (MASC) State Service Project of the Year Award and was named Best in Show at the state student leadership conference.
High School Engineering
Special Olympics
Students Visit
Hoopsters
General Dynamics Facility
Compete at LO Fieldhouse Lake Orion and Oxford split two games this year.
A packed house of students and fans watched Lake Orion's Special Olympics basketball team take on Oxford in March at the LOHS Fieldhouse. Both teams made great shots and the Wildcats came out on top, 26-23, avenging a loss to LO earlier in the month. Judging by the rolicking noise and excitement, it was a fun time for everyone in attendance. Congratulations to all the players from both schools who continued the great tradition during the high school’s Charity Week, organized by the student Leadership Workshop class. A variety of events involving the entire student body raised more than $3,890 for the Oakland County Animal Shelter.
5
Lake Orion pre-engineering students toured the General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) maneuver collaboration center (mc2) in Warren, Mich. this winter. STEM program advisor Jim Stuef took 16 “Intro to Engineering” students to the facility, where they had an opportunity to learn more about the advanced military vehicles and weapon systems developed there, as well as ask plenty of questions about potential career opporEngineering students met with tunities in this area. professionals in Warren.
District Students Create Glass Mosaics for New Children’s Hospital
Oakview Middle School
Scripps Middle School
Waldon Middle School
Art students from all three Lake Orion middle schools and the high school, recognizing the healing power of art and nature, created several beautiful seven-foot tall glass mosaics this winter for the new Children's Hospital of Michigan, opening in Troy later this year. The intricate mosaics feature colored glass tiles arranged in pictures along with words of inspiration for young patients. Lake Orion students selected the season of spring as their theme. The project was led by district art chairperson and Waldon Middle School art teacher Jessica Kropog, who said students began designing their murals in late fall. She said one of the most gratifying aspects of the project was watching the students take ownership of their work and recognize their efforts were part of something big involving art students from around the region.
Scripps Sweeps Middle School Battle of the Books
Elementary School Battle of Books Champs Crowned!
33 teams from Lake Orion’s middle schools and Oakland Christian converged on Waldon Middle School for the annual Battle of the Books this winter. A running count was kept of each team’s correct answers to questions about a number of books the students read and, after more than three hours of intense competition, a new champion for 2015 was crowned. Scripps Middle School swept the event, with Team H.A.A.S taking first place, NeNeJoJaMa & the Intern finishing second and the Scripps Scholars taking third place. Chicas de la Biblioteca from Scripps was recognized for the best team name, while Waldon’s Nerd Herd won for the best team costumes.
Stadium Drive’s Greek Geeks
Paint Creek’s Bookworms
Scripp’s Team H.A.A.S took the title. 6
An epic Battle of the Books competition took place amongst elementary school students in the packed Scripps Middle School gym this winter. In the end, two teams tied with a total of 94 points: the Bookworms from Paint Creek and the Greek Geeks from Stadium Drive. There was a three-way tie for second place the Restless Readers from Stadium Drive, The Paint Creekers from Paint Creek and The Spitfires from Webber all finished with 92 points. Congratulations to all of the teams that participated!
Teachers of the Year
Stadium Drive Launches Lunch Tray Recycling Program Believe it or not, an estimated 40,000 cardboard lunch trays were thrown in the garbage each school year by students at Stadium Drive Elementary. To reduce this waste, the school implemented a reusable plastic tray program that the children and cafeteria staff have embraced. Principal Rob Murray thanks everyone involved who Stadium Drive’s lunch tray recycling program have made the started this winter. recycling effort a success, especially the food services staff at the school.
Elementary: Orion Oaks Principal Ken Nuss with teacher Teresa West.
Scripps’ Brazeau Named Artist of the Year Jerry Brazeau, the talented art teacher at Scripps Middle School, was named Artist of the Year by the Orion Art Center. He was honored at the Art Center’s Dragon Fever Disco Ball in March. Brazeau’s passion for art began in elementary school and he pursued art education in college. He has volunteered at the Orion Art Center since he started at Scripps in 2000. Over the past 15 years, Brazeau has produced and displayed his own art work and that of his students at the gallery located in downtown Lake Orion.
Middle School: Scripps Principal Dan Hass with teacher Matt Moede.
High School: Principal Steve Hawley with teacher Julia Dalrymple.
Art teacher Jerry Brazeau works with students at Scripps Middle School. 7
Athletics Dragon Athletes Commit to Play at the Next Level
Dragon Swimmer Sets State Record, Grabs Two State Titles
A total of eight Dragon athletes, many of whom have excelled both in academics and athletics, signed scholarship acceptance letters to attend a number of colleges and universities throughout the Midwest and play for their respective teams.
Lake Orion senior swimmer Devon Nowicki set a new state record for the 100 breaststroke at the D1 Swimming Finals in March, plus a second state championship in the 100 butterfly. The Oakland University-bound Dragon was named the Michigan’s high school co-swimmer of the year.
The high school recognized five soccer players: Richard Doll, who will be playing at Indiana Tech (Fort Wayne); Jason Inglis, Albion College; Hannah Cady, Western Kentucky University; Marisa Engel, Western Illinois University; and Madison Ham, Grand Valley State University. Dragon football players who will be playing at the next level include Matt Krause, Central Michigan University and Zach Serzo, Lake Erie College. Tori Basso is attending Alma College as a dual-scholarship recipient, playing both golf and lacrosse.
Dragons Finish Fourth at State at D1 Cheer Finals
Boys’ Ski Team Finishes Second in Academic Prowess Lake Orion’s varsity boys’ski team just missed winning a title in the classroom. The Michigan High School Ski Coaches Association named their All-State Academic Teams and Lake Orion finished second in the state with a combined grade point average of 3.7051. The Lady Dragon ski team also placed among the state’s top academic performers, with a combined GPA of 3.5552.
Lake Orion's varsity competitive cheerleading team took fourth place in the 2015 Division 1 State Finals with 783.84 points. Grandville, whom Lake Orion beat in the Regional competition the week before, took the crown - scoring a mere three points more than the Dragons over three rounds. It was Lake Orion’s second straight trip to the finals and second consecutive fourthplace finish. 8
Girls’ Varsity Bowling Team Qualifies for State Championship Tournament
Lake Orion Girls’ Ski Team Competes at D1 State Championship Meet
Lake Orion’s girls’ varsity bowling team qualified for the MHSAA D1 State Championship Tournament in March after finishing third in regional competition. Earlier this year, the Lady Dragons rolled impressive wins in the Oakland County Bowling Tournament; the Tri-County Tournament, featuring the best high school bowlers in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties; and the OAA League Championship. Junior Tryna Gladstone also qualified for the individual state tournament.
At the MHSAA Division 1 State Ski Championship Meet in February, Lake Orion’s varsity girls ski team finished in fourth place. Top Dragon performers were freshman Grace Stetsko; sophomore Emily Hewett; junior Makayla Kyre; and seniors Samantha Swiss, Katie Tyrrell and twins Madison and Sydnee Reid. The Lady Dragons qualified for the state meet by winning a Division 1 Regional Championship. In addition to their strong postseason performance, they completed an undefeated dual meet season and captured the Pine Knob Division Championship. Lake Orion also finished in second place at the Southeast Michigan Ski League Championship Meet. Varsity ski coach Derek Delzer was named Regional Ski Coach of the Year.
Scripps 7th Grade Boys Basketball Team Goes Undefeated!
Dragon Wrestlers Compete in Individual State Championship Matches
The 7th grade boys basketball team at Scripps Middle School went undefeated this year, posting a perfect 12-0 record, including three tough overtime wins. This was the first time a boys team finished with an unblemished record at Scripps. Congratulations to Coach Kelly Stalions and the entire team!
In March, Lake Orion wrestlers senior Logan Shadaia (215) and junior Brendan Thompson (285) competed in the MHSAA Individual Wrestling State Championship at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Shadaia had a 31-7 record going into the event, while Thomson carried a 28-11 record. Neither qualified for the championship round, but it was a major accomplishment for both. To qualify for the state championship, Thompson finished second in regional competition and Shadaia third in their respective weight classes.
Pictured, back row, left to right: Coach Stalions, Jack Cummins, Kyle Varney, Zach Hay, Max Menig, Mason Slocum, Kaidin Beck, and Peyton Preiskorn. Middle row, left to right: Kadin Collie, Teddy Hirschfield, Casey Coltrin, Willy Houser and Cameron Maupin. Front row: Amaru Abdullah-Raheem. 9
Spotlight LAKE ORION’S BAND PROGRAM Lake Orion High School band director Mike Steele fondly remembers his days as a high school percussionist and has always tried to give his band students similar experiences to the ones he had growing up. Based on the program’s ongoing success, today’s students also should have plenty of positive memories of making music in high school. The percussion ensemble’s recent World Championship, preceded by a state championship, is just the latest in a string of impressive performances by the band students. Lake Orion’s The Dragon marching band performs during the annual Homecoming Parade. highly acclaimed wind ensemble, symphonic band and concert band each received top ratings at this year’s Band and Orchestra Festival held here. The school’s concert band, made up of underclassmen, received the second-highest rating possible at the event. Lake Orion’s marching band, featuring students in all grades, has placed among the top five in the state for the past eight years, including several runner-up finishes. The Dragons also have qualified for the Grand Nationals band competition in Indianapolis the past two years.
The school’s winter color Band Director Mike Steele works with students. guard program also has grown considerably in recent years and enjoyed success. This year, it finished fifth at a regional competition in Pittsburgh, competing against schools from six states. “Our bands always seem to be the ones the judges want to hear,” said Steele, who has been at Lake Orion for 15 years. “People in the audience at these events often say they perform like a symphony. Rarely have we had a year where the students have not been exceptional.”
Lake Orion musicians at the 2015 Band Festival. 10
“I love it when they play for our community, so people can see just how talented our students are,” Steele said. “I think they are shocked at just how good our seniors are and how much time it takes to get to that level.”
Lake Orion’s state championship percussionists celebrate. Steele is quick to give credit to the district’s middle school band program for preparing the young musicians for the rigors playing in high school.
Oakview students perform at their band festival. Steele said a big thanks also must go to the band’s booster program made up of incredibly dedicated parents. The group provides some of the uniforms and instruments used by the students. It also coordinates transportation of the band equipment used at competitions.
Choral Musicians Join State Honors Choir
The Dragon Winter Guard at the state championships. “We’re really fortunate to have three outstanding middle school band directors who produce tremendous bands that are respected by judges around the state,” Steele said. “Kids come to the high school with a lot of ability and love for music thanks to their middle school experiences.” In addition to the middle school programs, the high school band director says the program’s success also is due to the dedication of the 270 kids who take band classes or play in the marching band. Not only do they practice daily in school, but the students can be heard playing throughout the summer and on many Saturdays during the fall leading up to their competition season. They come from all walks of life, he said, but the camaraderie of the band students is great.
11
Earlier this year, five of Lake Orion’s outstanding choral musicians performed with the 2015 State Honors Choirs in front of thousands of people at the Devos Performance Hall in Grand Rapids. This is quite an honor, considering a student must be one of the top 30 choral musicians of their voice part in the state to be named to the group. Representing Lake Orion, pictured below from left with high school choir director Bryce Thompson: Julia Donaven, Laura Pavliscak, Tyler Dick, Spencer Walters and Kathryn Linehan. Thompson noted the students’ attitude, work ethic and excellence in craft.
Around the District
12