January, February & March 2012
Lake Orion Community Schools
Featuring art work by the students of Mr. Brazeau at Scripps Middle School
Scripps 7th grade collaborative piece auctioned at LOEF’s Gala Event.
Message from our Superintendent Dear Staff, Parents/Guardians, and Community Members It is hard to believe that we are well into the second half of the 2011‐12 school year!. Time has a way of passing quickly! I am pleased to report that we have made great progress in the areas of our district Strategic Plan that were outlined in the previous edi on of the Dragon News. Recent Highlights
The results from the Michigan Educa onal Assessment Program indicate that students who took the exam are showing con nuous improvement in the core academic subjects. This can be a ributed to programs that have been implemented that focus on the strengths and needs of each individual student and help them develop strong academic skills.
The use of technology has been ramped up to improve teaching and learning throughout the curriculum and to engage and challenge students and support shi ing our educa on focus to teach differently in the 21st Century.
Students and staff con nue to receive numerous individual and team awards for their academic, athle c, arts and music accomplishments.
The LOCS Bond Refunding, reported below, will save District taxpayers $6.1 million over the next six years.
New opera ng systems have been established to streamline processes for more efficient use of fiscal and human resources.
What’s Ahead? Lake Orion High School Freshman Academy A posi ve school climate, where students and adults know each other well and where adults express care and concern for students’ well‐being, intellectual growth, and educa onal success, is a key mo va onal element in the learning process for students. We recognize that the large size of our high school may have the tendency to leave students feeling somewhat lost and anonymous and prevent the development of an atmosphere conducive to learning. This problem tends to be exacerbated for ninth‐graders leaving behind the more family‐like environment of middle school. As a result, beginning with the entering freshman class in September 2012, the Lake Orion High School Freshman Academy will be ini ated to focus specifically on the areas most likely to affect a child’s success during his or her ini al steps into the high school se ng. Small learning communi es and teams will be established within the larger high school to create a more in mate transi on from middle to high school. The goals of the Freshman Academy include an increased class iden ty and cohesiveness, early iden fica on of at‐risk academic behaviors, providing a smaller se ng for individualized instruc on in our large high school, assistance with the social transi on to the high school environment and, most important, preparing students for ongoing academic success. (More informa on will be available as plans are finalized for the LOHS Freshman Academy.) In closing, it is important to reflect on and thank all of the people who contribute to the success of our students. Thank you to all of our teachers, administrators and staff who daily demonstrate their commitment and dedica on to the students in their care; to the many volunteers for their contribu ons and to our community for their con nuous support.
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From the Of ice of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment LOCS Book Drive a HUGE success!! This November Lake Orion Community Schools hosted it’s 2nd annual used book drive. Our mission was to match more kids with the perfect books to support their growth as a reader. Thank you to parents and community members for their dona ons. 696 books were adopted by classroom teachers for direct use in Lake Orion classrooms. Each of these books is valued at a minimum $5.00. Cleaning out our bookshelves saved LOCS over $3,480.00! Watch for upcoming details on our spring book drive. Thank you for your generosity!
Kindergarten and 1st Grade Play Kindergarten and 1st grade each had a day during the first week of December to work with Mary Masson to dig deeper into the study and importance of play. We believe children learn through play. Children develop language, cogni on, socio‐emo onal, and physical skills, as well as crea vity, through play. Therefore we need to:
Keep play experiences fresh, relevant, and fun
Provide children opportuni es, materials, and me for free play within our daily schedule
LOHS Welcomes Nine Exchange Students! These students are enrolled in the tenth and eleventh grades and will par cipate in English as a Second Language program. They will spend the year like typical LOHS students: going to classes, ge ng involved in extracurricular ac vi es, and hanging out with friends. While living with host families, they will experience new foods, holidays, and do some traveling. The countries represented by these students this year are Germany, the Czech Republic, France and Korea.
Camila R. ‐ 8th Grade
Keyboarding More of a Focus in Second Grade Mastery of keyboarding has been in the 6th grade for LO stu‐ dents. With all of the latest technology and students having access at a much younger age, keyboarding skills need to be taught earlier. Our second grade teachers have received training for a program called Type to Learn. This program will be used to teach students keyboarding skills. Media special‐ ists will also support teachers and students with this program throughout the elementary.
Elaine Z. ‐ 8th Grade
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From the Of ice of Business and Finance LOCS Bond Refunding saves District taxpayers $6.1 million over the next six years. The Board of Educa on of Lake Orion Community Schools is proud to announce the successful sale of its 2012 Refunding Bonds in the amount of $23,880,000. The Bonds will be used for the purpose of refunding a por on of the School District’s outstanding 2002 School Building and Site and Refunding Bonds and to pay the costs of issuing the Bonds. The 2012 Refunding Bonds reduce the School District direct interest expense approximately $2.7 million for the taxpayers and will occur through lower debt payments over the next 6 years. The Bond refunding also results in an addi onal es mated $3.3 million savings because of the District’s reduced School Loan Revolving Fund liability, bringing the total es mated savings to the District’s taxpayers to $6.1 million. John Fitzgerald Assistant Superintendent of Business & Finance
From the Of ice of Human Resources We have had a busy fall and winter in the Human Resources office as we con nue to review and update our procedures with an eye toward be er service to our internal and external customers. We are pleased to announce that we have recently joined the Oakland Consor um Applicant System as our single source for all job pos ngs and applica on management. Besides elimina ng redundancies the move will provide applicants with a process that is coordinated and seamless with many other districts and offer our administra ve team extensive searching and sor ng capabili es. We have now ac vely begun the search for our new Principal at Lake Orion High School, including adver sing and mee ngs with cons tuent groups. The vacancy is posted on the school website with a closing date of March 9. It is our plan to take a recommenda on to the Board in by May for a start date of July 1. All interested and qualified persons are strongly encouraged to visit employment sec on of the district website for more informa on. We also welcomed Mr. Bill Putney to the Lake Orion HR team in January. Bill is a highly experienced school administrator who has served as a Superintendent, Human Resource Director and Principal in St. Clair Shores. He will be working in a part‐ me capacity on iden fied Human Resource administra ve projects. Human Resources Specialist, Renee L'esperance has recently announced the district's annual par cipa on in the Oakland County Be y Campion Dis nguished Support Service Award. This important honor recognizes excep onal service of employees in the custodial, transporta on, office personnel, food services and other professional support classifica ons. Any member of the school community is encouraged to nominate a support staff employee that has provided excep onal service to the district. The good news is that we have many from which to choose at Lake Orion! NOMINATIONS ARE DUE MARCH 5. If you would like to NOMINATE SOMEONE please contact Renee L'esperance at rlesperance@lakeorion.k12.mi.us for specific criteria and procedures. Larry Lobert Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources
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Annual Jeans for Teens Campaign All three of our middle schools collected jeans for the Teens for Jeans campaign sponsored by DoSomething.Org and Aeropostale. The jeans collected were given to Aeropostale at Great Lakes Crossing who donated them to the Detroit Rescue Mission for distribu on locally to homeless teens.
Scripps Middle School’s theatre program recently entertained students, staff and parents with several produc ons including “Girl in the Red Hoodie” (otherwise known as “Li le Red Riding Hood).
SAVE the DATE 2012 Parent Conference and Resource Fair April 28, 2012 9AM ‐ 2PM Community Educa on Resource Center (CERC) 455 E. Scripps Road For more informa on call 248‐209‐2229
Sooper Yooper Author Visits Stadium Drive Sooper Yooper is the story of Billy Cooper, an environmental superhero living in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, who does everything in his power to protect the Great Lakes from sea lampreys, zebra mussels, and other invasive species. On December 15, 2011, writer Mark Newman visited Stadium Drive Elementary to speak with our third, fourth, and fi h graders. Mark shared his experiences as a writer, different careers that involve wri ng, and how we can help protect our environment from invasive species. For more informa on, visit SooperYooper.com.
Change in Graduation Venue The school administra on is pleased to announce that we are officially moving our gradua on ceremony to the DTE Energy Music Theatre, located in Clarkston, on Tuesday, June 12, 2012. We loved Meadowbrook Theatre, but we have outgrown that facility and we were faced with having to limit pavilion sea ng to three ckets, due to the size of our gradua ng class. With this move we have nearly doubled our pavilion sea ng capacity.
ESL Summer Camp Coming Soon! Mark your calendars!
Our ESL summer camp for grades K‐5 will again be offered. The first session will be July 10‐26th The second session will be August 7‐23rd
Oakview Pennies for Patients Oakview students par cipated in their annual Pennies for Pa ents fundraiser. Classes competed in raising money to aid the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and cancer research. Students experienced the powerful feeling that can be derived from helping others.
Both sessions will be held at CERC, free to our English Language Learners. Registra on informa on will go home in April.
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Art Contest
Between now and March 23, 2012, students in grades K‐12 can enter the Google Doodle contest to have their art featured on Google's homepage. Parents, teachers, or a er school programs may submit doodles on behalf of their child or student as long as they are accompanied by a completed and signed entry form. Google does not have a cap on number of submissions from one school, family, or a er school program but they s ll require that only one doodle is submi ed per child. Orion Township Library is asking that we encourage students to make library themed Doodles! They could win money for college. Details are here: h p://www.google.com/ doodle4google/
Real Dragons GO GREEN As Orion Oaks broadens their efforts to be green and promote taking care of our environment, they spread their sale of “Real Dragons GO GREEN” bags to the community at LOHS’ Parent/Teacher conferences. The only problem was that they didn’t bring enough! They sold out of the bags they had, so they have planned another sale at the next conferences. The fundraising proceeds will go toward playground revitaliza on.
MOS Certi ied! Here at LOHS, the Business Department offers an elec ve class called Computer Applica ons. Students in this class have a chance to earn their Microso Office Specialist (MOS) cer fica ons in Word and Excel. Why is this important? Because earning a Microso Office Specialist cer fica on can help you:
Differen ate yourself in today’s compe
Broaden your employment opportuni es by displaying your advanced skills
Increase your earning poten al
Increased competence, produc vity, and credibility with your employers, co‐workers, and clients
Prove to employers that you have the skills and ability to quickly complete on‐the‐job tasks across mul ple programs in the Microso Office system.
ve job market
“In my first term sec on of Computer Apps, I had 17 students earn their MOS cer fica ons in Word and another 7 earned their Excel cer fica ons. I was extremely proud of my students because they are both very challenging tests. The MOS cer fica ons look great on both College and Job Applica ons. I hope more students take advantage of this opportunity to set themselves apart from the herd.” Kevin Stone
The Michigan Na onal Wild Turkey Federa on in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has chosen the design from former Waldon student Viktoria B. as the basis for the 2012 Wild Turkey Management Cooperator patch. On Thursday, Viktoria was presented with a prototype of the patch and recognized at the monthly mee ng of the Natural Resources Commis‐ sion in Lansing. Members from the Michigan NWTF and Michigan DNR were also on hand at the presenta on. Viktoria is a freshman at Lake Orion High School but entered the contest when she was an 8th grader in Mr. Gray's science class at Waldon last year. She joins two other former Waldon students that have won this statewide contest in previous years. Congratula ons, Viktoria!! *The patch will be available for sale to the general public a er the first of the year and all proceeds from the sale go towards wild turkey management projects. Upwards of 7000 of these patches are sold annually at $5 each.
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Cyber Safety The Michigan A orney General's office conducted Internet Safety presenta ons for students at Orion Oaks and Carpenter Elementary Schools. The kindergarten through second‐grade presenta on included two videos. The videos taught students not to share personal informa on online, to avoid Internet strangers, and to always tell an adult when something makes them uncomfortable. Addi onally, the students learned to be kind to others online. In addi on to the keep safe, keep away, and keep telling messages, students in third grade and above also learn about common tricks Internet predators use and appropri‐ ate responses to cyber harassment. Third‐ through fi h‐ grade students watched fic on videos designed to make students aware of the poten al dangers of cyberspace.
Defeat the Label is a movement that strives to encourage students to defeat social barriers. They create cri cal awareness of bullying issues among middle school and high school students through awareness campaigns, community outreach and special events. Defeat the Label met with Oakview students on Tuesday, January 17. They brought in a local radio sta on and an up and coming ar st, Jessica Jerrell who performed for students and talked about her own experiences related to social injus ce.
Natalie Z. ‐ 8th Grade
Scripps Middle School students in Mrs. Cerny’s class are excited about using their new netbooks!!
Don’t forget Friday Night Family Splash Bash! The 2nd Friday of the month You can pay cash at the door $3.00 children (12 & under) $4.00 for adults. Splash Bash Dates: 2/10/12, 4/13/12 March is cancelled The hours are 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Jacob K. ‐ 8th Grade
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Kindergarten News: Kindergarten registra on is March 15, 2012 from 11:00am ‐ 1:00pm and 2:00pm ‐ 6:30pm at the CERC building room #109. For enrollment informa on please call 248‐814‐0215. Entering Kindergarten: Michigan Law (Public Health Code, Act 368, and Michigan School Code, Act 291) requires a vision screening for kindergarten entrance. Vision screening done by a health department technician, a physician or eye doctor fulfills this requirement. Oakland County Health Division offers free vision screening for County residents. Call (248) 424‐7070 for an appointment.
Early Childhood Programs Come Take a Peek! If you would like to visit the Early Childhood Center, please call 248‐ 693‐5439 or visit our website. New Family “Open Registra on” New family “Open Registra on” begins Monday, March 19, 2012 from 7:00am ‐ 7:00pm. Early enrollment is recommended to receive desired program. Open Registra on is held at the Community Educa onal Resource Center. For more informa on please call 248‐ 693‐5439 or visit our website www.lakeorion.k12.mi.us (under School Informa on).
Academic Booster Council (ABC) Webber Elementary is implemen ng a new program called the Academic Booster Council (ABC). The ABC is designed for fourth and fi h grade students to be posi ve academic role models for younger students. The ABC focuses on three areas: sight words, unknown word strategies, and math concepts. Students are trained on how to help the younger students in the focus area that is most needed. Training has already begun and students par cipa ng in both ends of the program are very excited! A er the ini al training and implementa on, monthly refresher mee ngs will occur. Congratula ons to the students selected to be mentors for younger students. Webber Elementary is empowering their students to be posi ve role models both inside and outside the walls of the school building.
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Carpenter Elementary School In The News!! “Bea ng the Odds” Congratula ons to Carpenter Year Round Elementary School for Bea ng the Odds! The Michigan Department of Educa on (MDE) released a list of 123 “Bea ng the Odds” schools which are outperforming schools with similar risk factors and demographic composi on. These schools were iden fied by the Department through two separate studies using considerably different methodologies. “Bea ng the Odds” schools credited various factors for their success including strong building leadership; common vision; highly qualified and dedicated staff; high academic and behavioral expecta ons; a collabora ve school culture; commitment to technology; strong community and parent involvement; and staff commitment to do whatever it takes to help students succeed. Top 1% Carpenter Year Round Elementary has been recognized statewide this year for being in the top 1% of all schools in the state of Michigan for student achievement. Congratula ons Carpenter Elementary
Bri any T. ‐ 8th Grade
Tiernan M. ‐ 6th Grade
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Lake Orion High School Marketing Concepts Class Welcomes Guest Speakers Jason Gole, Vice President, Digital Media Director Univer‐ sal McCann Mr. Gole came to spend an hour with our students in Octo‐ ber. He has spent most of his career riding the digital mar‐ ke ng wave. The students enjoyed learning more about tradi onal online adver sing, mobile device (iPads, iPods, and smart phones) marke ng strategies, Facebook and how it’s related to marke ng concepts we learn in class, and major industry trends.
Sheri Siver, Marke ng Manager Costco, Auburn Hills Ms. Siver has been coming to speak with LOHS marke ng students for quite a few years now. Just as going to Costco is always exci ng for us, Ms. Siver’s visits to our class are always very exci ng for our students. Not only does she bring us food to munch on, she enlightens us with so many interes ng facts about Costco’s marke ng strategies and business philosophies, the students eat it all up! We hope to have her visit again.
Paint Creek Elementary 2012 Science Fair and Art Show The 2012 Science Fair and Art Show, held on January 25, celebrated every Paint Creek student. Students who registered for the Science Fair had projects that ranged from fun and silly to simply amazing! Each child had artwork featured in the annual Art Show which accompanied the Science Fair. An awards ceremony was held and the event was well a ended.
It's a
Celebrate your birthday or team party at the Lake Orion Natatorium! A package includes 1.5 hours in the birthday party room and 2 hours of swimming for 20 children. Call the pool at 248.814.1715 or email Amy Kui‐ per at akuiper@lakeorion.k12.mi.us to make your reserva ons!
Flag Football Champions This fall several Stadium Drive Elementary students par cipated in the Michigan Youth Flag Football League (MYFF). Teams played their regular season games on Sunday a ernoons at Dragon Stadium at Lake Orion High School. The state wide tournament was held in Walled Lake on November 12 and 13. The Lake Orion Chargers beat Farmington 12 ‐ 6 on the last play of the game to bring home the 2011 State Championship trophy in the 1st Grade Division. Chargers who a end Stadium Drive Elementary are: Nick, Bennet, Ma , Brady, Robert, Collin, Drew, Nate, and Jus n. Congratula ons to ALL Stadium Drive Elementary students who par cipated in the Youth Flag Football League.
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Watch The High School’s Newscast On Facebook! LO‐AM is Lake Orion High School’s student‐produced daily live newscast, and you can watch it online each day! This is the 21st year for the show, and last year LO‐AM was named the best high school newscast in Michigan. Our Television Produc on Workshop students take their job seriously, and we aim to produce the best work for our Lake Orion audience. Shows are available online most days a er 3pm. You can “like” us and watch shows at www.facebook.com/ watchLOAM. Keep up with LOHS news by watching LO‐AM!
LOHS Programs Air on TV Television programs produced by LOHS students can be seen nightly in your home. The community Educa on Channel features student produc ons from 7:00‐9:00pm most weeknights. The Ed Channel is number 22 on Comcast and 99 on AT&T U‐verse. Each evening’s schedule includes the latest episodes of the high school’s newscast, the monthly edi on of Dragon Digest (now in it’s 26th year!), and other student video produc ons. The Ed Channel can also be streamed live at www.orionontv.org.
Times Long Ago One of Blanche Sims’ grandparents set up a wonderful learning experience so 1st grade and kindergarten students could learn how Thanksgiving was celebrated long ago. The students got to make candles, dry herbs, write with feather pens and berry ink, hammer nails into logs, grind wheat, and made cloth placemats.
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Retired GM Engineers Engage Paint Creek Students in Classroom with Science Re red GM Orion Engineer, Thomas Chaput, his wife Anne and several others have combined to develop a series of hands‐on science and engineering exhibits for kids to engage in the classroom. Demos include tles such as Electricity ‐ Build a Motor; Mechanical Engineering and Crumple Zones ‐ Newton’s 2nd Law of Mo on; Chemistry ‐ Evapora ve Cooling; and Simple Machines and Mechanical Advantage. The Science with the Engineers curriculum mixes nicely with the learning that the students are ge ng throughout the school year. The students at Paint Creek are having fun while learning!
Cranbrook Visits Carpenter
Oakland County Prosecutor visits Lake Orion
The Carpenter Cranbrook Family Science Night was ELECTRIC. This free event had many cool science sta ons and was well a ended by our families. Sta ons offered included: digging for dinos, animal skulls and pelts, slime making, stars and the solar system, electricity, roller coasters, light and heat, things that fling, stacking cups and the Van de Graff Generator (makes hair stand on end) . A special thank you to the Carpenter PTC and all the parent and teen volunteers who made this event possible.
Oakland County Prosecutor, Jessica Cooper, held a presenta‐ on on January 9, 2012, in Lake Orion High School. The presenta on addressed interested students and parents regarding problems associated with cell phone and computer crimes. The presenta on focused on the laws, social consequences, and the risks of unintended viewers or internet predators. The Prosecutor is commi ed to assis ng the community with this ongoing problem.
Pine Tree Staff Present at Response to Intervention (RTI) Conference On November 8, 2012 a team of teachers and special educa‐ on staff from Pine Tree Elementary made a presenta on at a statewide RtI (Response to Interven on) Conference at the Centerpoint Conference Center in Auburn Hills. This team developed a reading fluency lab for students last year which resulted in excep onal improvement in for students. Their presenta on was professional and engaging and was very well received by the a endees. This team represents our district and all of its staff as one example of the excellent instruc onal prac ces being implemented in our classrooms.
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LOHS Choir News LOHS was represented by 9 outstanding singers on December 3, 2011 at the Michigan School Vocal Music Associa on Region C Honor Choir held at Pioneer HS in Ann Arbor. The following students prepared five choral selec ons for audi ons and a concert for the public: Molly Burns (12), Olivia Demmers (10), Samanatha York (11), Erica Spitzley (12), Alexandra Zacharevich (12), Tyler Dick (9), Phillip Dunckley (9), Jacob Nelson (10) and Evan Thurwachter (11).
Olivia L. ‐ 6th Grade
Olivia Demmers and Evan Thurwachter were selected to perform in the Michigan School Vocal Music Associa on (MSVMA) State Honor Choir on Saturday January 21, 2012 at DeVos Conven on Center in Grand Rapids, MI. Both students earned this honor by passing a rigorous set of audi ons beginning back in October. Olivia was a member of the SSAA Women's Choir under the direc on of Mrs. Pamela Pierson from West O awa High School in Holland, MI. Evan sang in the TTBB Men's Choir led by Mr. Les Rowsy of Jenison High School in Jenison, MI. Olivia successfully audi oned into the MSVMA ALL‐State Honor Choir which will be held May 10‐11‐12 at Western Michigan University as part of the Michigan Youth Arts Fes val. This Fes val (YAF) brings together top performers and visual ar sts who have successfully made their way through a series of tough audi ons sponsored by various arts educa on organiza ons. Congratula ons to all our singers!
Waldon Supports Movember Nicholas E. ‐ 7th Grade
Orion Oaks 5th Grade Connections The 5th grade classrooms at Orion Oaks played “Minute to Win It” on January 24, 2012. The purpose of this event was to connect 5th grade students from different neighborhoods prior to heading to the middle school. This fun event was held in the Orion Oaks Café and even offered a Nacho Snack Bar!
Waldon Middle School staff par cipated in an event called Movember. During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprou ng of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. The funds raised in the US support prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. The funds raised are directed the Prostate Cancer Founda on and LIVESTRONG, the Lance Armstrong Founda on. Together, these channels work together to ensure that Movember funds are suppor ng a broad range of innova ve, world‐class programs in the areas of aware‐ ness and educa on, survivorship and research. Male and female staff members par cipated by either growing a “Mo” or crea ng one to wear. Students were able to purchase coloring sheets of moustaches for $.25. Waldon hopes this will become an annual cause that they con nue to support.
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Adopt‐A‐ Stream The Clinton River Watershed Council needs Adopt‐A‐Stream volunteers. Adopt‐A‐Stream volunteers monitor the water quality of the Clinton River and its tributaries. Each volun‐ teer is part of a team that visits a specific site to assess physical habitat, river condi ons, and life within the river. For more details: (248) 601‐0606 or contact@crwc.org.
Senator Stabenow Replies Stadium Drive third graders in Mrs. Lareau’s classroom recently wrote Senator Stabenow voicing their concerns about environmental issues. To their surprise on November 1, 2011 they received a le er from Senator Stabenow. What a great lesson in ge ng involved to help their community.
Andi F. ‐ 7th Grade
Middle School Annual Spelling Bees
Geography Bee
Our middle schools recently held their annual Spelling Bee compe ons. The winner from each school goes on to compete in the Regional Spelling Bee held at Oakland Schools on March 18, 2012. Represen ng Scripps is Hannah G.; represen ng Oakview is Kyle M. ; and represen ng Waldon is Fee C.
Students at both Scripps and Waldon par cipated in a na onwide contest to test their knowledge of geography. Students par cipated in two rounds of tes ng, with qualifying students going on to compete in the Finalist Round. Congratula ons to Scripps winner – George G. and Waldon’s winner – Hannah Q. These students go on to take a qualifying state test for a chance to advance to the state contest.
Congratula on and good luck at Regionals!
Congratulations! Stadium Drive/Paint Creek Art Teacher, Amanda Novak, wins 4th place in "Art Ed Blog of the Year" contest.
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Boys Night Out LOHS Leadership hosted a "Boys Night Out" for elementary aged boys filled with fun, games and compe ons. The boys took part in flag football, soccer, basketball, relay races, bounce house and Legos. The evening was topped off with pizza and drinks.
Kaitlyn S. Oakview Student Published The Non‐Profit Literacy Founda on, Read3Zero honored 39 student authors and illustrators this month whose stories and artwork have been published in the "I Write" Short Stories by Kids for Kids Anthology. Kaylinn S. from Oakview Middle School entered this crea ve wri ng contest last year and has been published in the Read3Zero anthology. A public book signing was held in Houston, Texas for our winners to acknowledge their achievements on December 3, 2011.
Blanche Sims came together to make blankets for Project Linus at the January PTO mee ng. The blankets will be de‐ livered to a local hospital to be given to the children.
An alumnus to be proud of… Nicole Ackerman Nicole Ackerman thought she would always be a par cle physicist—un l a newfound interest in biology drew her toward medical imaging. Her research on Cherenkov radia on, the blue glow from charged par cles outracing light, could aid development of cancer treatments. She graduated from LOHS in 2003 with a 4.0. She went to MIT for her undergraduate degree. As a graduate student at SLAC Na onal Accelerator Laboratory, he joined Graves’ lab and began working on a PhD project in fall 2010
Dragon Yearbook Recognition Last year’s Dragon Yearbook was selected for inclusion in Ideas That Fly, a “collec on that reflects the best work in yearbooks from coast to coast…includes examples of stunning photography, incredible themes with superior visual and verbal elements, dynamic designs and crea ve coverage. All of this will serve as inspira on for advisers and staffs everywhere.”
Aaron D. ‐ 7th Grade
Congratula ons Dragon Yearbook Staff!!
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Orion Township Library featured resources: Playaways and Biography in Context Playaways are digital audiobooks on personal players that are about the size of a deck of cards. Listeners just plug in headphones and press play to hear a book read to them. Playaways require one AAA ba ery and they can be checked out for three weeks, just like books and cds. We have a variety of tles, including fic on and nonfic on, for kids, teens and adults. Biography in Context ‐ This premium research‐based database from Gale has biographies, photos, and magazine ar cles on more than 340,000 people! Students can search by name, occupa on, na onality, birth place, and more. Under the Resources tab find search ps, free lesson plans for teachers, and tools for students to help complete their assignment. Go to www.orionlibrary.org/children.asp and click on the Homework Help link to find this and other databases.
Math‐a‐thon On January 23, Scripps kicked‐off their annual Math‐a‐thon for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Students at Scripps will be able to spend me working on their math skills while raising funds for children who are figh ng cancer and other deadly diseases at St. Jude’s. Students were introduced to the Math‐a‐thon during the week of Jan. 23 by their math teacher. Students then complete the math funbook and collect pledges from their sponsors. Dona ons are due on Wednesday, February 29, 2012. Addi on informa on can be found at www.mathathon.org
1st Place ‐ Liberologists II
2012 Battle of the Books Congratula ons to all par cipants of the Lake Orion Middle School Ba le of the Books. Everyone did a fantas c job! 24 teams of enthusias c readers became experts on 7 great books and competed for the tle of 2012 Ba le of the Books Champions. These 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students worked very hard and had a great compe on to see who knew the books best! Students also enjoyed a pizza party hosted by the Orion Township Public Library. The library also donated Barnes and Noble gi cards as prizes to the winning team. This year, Waldon’s dynasty con nued with another champion team! 1st place goes to Waldon’s Liberologists II which consisted of Fee C., Owen W., Hannah M., Courtney K., Raven K., and Sky C. 2nd place goes to Oakview’s Cracked Bindings which includ‐ ed Kyle M., Max G., Anthony H. Mark S., Amy A., and Grace I 3rd place goes to Scripp’s Rubber Duckies of Doom which consisted of Tiernan M., Michaela C., Nicole B., Gabrielle D. 4th place went to Waldon’s team Six Pack including Grace S., Rachel K., Chloee I., Eldon P., Megan D., and Lilly N. Great work to all who par cipated!
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Waldon and Scripps Students Named to All‐ State Band We are pleased to report that 3 Scripps students and 1 Waldon student have been selected for the 2012 Michigan School Band and Orchestra Associa on’s All‐State Band. As members of this pres gious ensemble they performed at the 2012 Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids this past January. Congratula ons to Scripps students Lauren H. (Clarinet), Brad B. (Tuba) and Natalie W. (Percussion) and to Waldon student Adrienne J. (Flute).
Business Professionals of America Win Big! On Friday, January 6th, students competed in the Business Professionals of America Regional Leadership Conference. Eight students won 25 medals, qualifying them to a end the State Leadership Conference in March. Banking & Finance 1st – Tyler Jackson 2nd – Zachary Davis 5th – Leah Deciechi Economic Research Project–Individual 1st – Zachary Davis Financial Math & Analysis 1st – Tyler Jackson Insurance Concepts 1st – Tyler Jackson 2nd – Adrian Lupusoru 4th – Garre Ackner Keyboarding Produc on 4th – Brandy Geeck 5th – Joshua Stewart Administra ve Support Team 2nd – Garre Ackner, Tyler Jackson, Adrian Lupusoru
Art Websites Many buildings throughout the district have created art websites to highlight student’s artwork. Our art students work with the major elements and principles of art by drawing, pain ng, working with clay, and other ar s c me‐ diums. Please visit your school website to view the art created by the students. Student artwork is also highlighted through‐ out this edi on of the Dragon News!
Exchange Opportunities YSU Seeking Host Families! Youth for Understanding currently has six exchange students enjoying their year at LOHS. The next group of students, coming to America for the 2012‐13 school year will need loving host families, too. Maybe yours? Call Barb Kilkka, 248‐ 932‐0811 for more informa on
Administra ve Support Concepts 1st – Adrian Lupusoru 2nd – Tyler Jackson 4th – Garre Ackner Informa on Technology Concepts 2nd – Adrian Lupusoru Extemporaneous Speech 5th – Connor Sweeney Management/Marke ng/HR Concepts 1st – Garre Ackner 2nd – Adrian Lupusoru 3rd – Tyler Jackson Business Mee ng Management 2nd – Adrian Lupusoru 5th – Brandy Geeck Business Spelling 1st – Adrian Lupusoru 2nd – Zachary Davis
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Scholastic Regional Art Award Winners The Scholas c Art Awards were launched in 1923 to encourage, foster and reward crea vity in our na on's classrooms. Each year, more than 77,000 students in grades 7– 12 par cipate in The Awards. Young ar sts and writers submit more than 140,000 crea ve works to a network of Regional Affiliates that locally present The Awards. The most outstanding ( gold key por olio and individual ) works of art and wri ng from each region are forwarded to New York City to be assessed on a na onal level. Professional jurors review approximately 8,000 works of art and 2,000 manuscripts to select the 1,000 na onal award recipients. Gradua ng seniors who submit a body of work in the Por olio categories compete for local and na onal scholarships bestowed by the regions, the Alliance for Young Ar sts & Writers and a network of arts ins tutes, colleges and universi es.
Please congratulate the following students: Lake Orion High School: Gold Key ‐ Jazmin Biernat, Jonathan D’Ambrosio, Katarina Evan, Spencer Ferro, Bradley Garrigues, McKinzy Lawrence, Riley McCurry, Elizabeth Milne, Danielle Poisson, Andrew Schultz, Connor Tomkiewicz; Silver Key ‐ Kelsey Bird, Joe But‐ ler, Leah De Ghe o, Caitlin Dirroff, Heather Quinn, Nicholas Sena, Elena Stuart; Cer ficate ‐ Tayler Allard‐Schmid, Mitchell Bryan, Annalise Jongejkrig, Emily Rasaiah, Alana Slanec, Carly Thorpe, Kris n Watkoske and Rebecca Zimmerman. Scripps Middle School: Gold Key ‐ Hanna P.; Silver Key ‐ Eric N.; Cer ficate ‐ Natalie C., Maria H., Jacob K. and Elaine Z. Oakview Middle School: Cer ficate ‐ Cailee G. Waldon Middle School: Gold Key ‐ Elyse J., Logan S.; Silver Key ‐ Ma hew A., Brenton N., Emily P.; Cer ficate ‐ Aaron B., Jessica L., and Shania N.
Misunderstood Riley by Lizzy Milne
Undead by Elyse J. ‐ 8th Grade Waldon
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By Logan S. 8th Grade‐ Waldon
By Riley McCurry ‐ LOHS
Skunk by Eric N. 7th Grade‐ Scripps
Rabbit by Hanna P. 7th Grade‐ Scripps
Scripps 8th grade collaborative piece auctioned at LOEF’s Gala Event.