An information meeting has been scheduled for prospective candidates for the Ann Arbor Board of Education. The session will be at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, June 30, 2011 at the Balas Administration Building, 2555 S. State St., Ann Arbor.
The next Ann Arbor Public School Election will be Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011.
At this informal session, representative board members Deb Mexicotte, Glenn Nelson and Susan Baskett will talk about the roles and responsibilities of school board members. Persons interested in becoming a candidate and who would like to know more about what it means to serve on the Board of Education should consider attending this session.
Two four-year terms, expiring Dec. 31, 2015 will be on the Nov. 8 ballot (All terms begin Jan. 1, 2012.)
The filing deadline for open seats on the AAPS board is 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011, File at the Election Division of Washtenaw County Clerk’s Office, 200 N. Main St/, Ann Arbor. (Candidates wishing to withdraw will have until 4 p.m. Aug. 19 or their names will automatically appear on the ballot.)
Petitions may be picked up from the Washtenaw County Clerk Office, Election Division. Filing must be done at the Clerk’s Office (not AAPS). For more information, call 222-6730 or visit online.
Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011 is the last day to register to vote for the November General Election..
An AAPS candidate forum will also be planned for sometime in August, date yet to be determined.
3 join AAPS Educational Foundation Board
Three new members have joined the Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation Board of Directors. Martin Bouma, Barbara Eichmuller and Collyer Smith join the board this summer and serve for 3-year terms.
Bouma is a local Realtor and President of The Martin Bouma Group. He has one child in the Ann Arbor Public Schools at Haisley Elementary and his youngest will enter kindergarten there this fall. He believes very strongly in the importance of a healthy public school system: “A strong public school system is an integral part of the local economy – having the ability to attract the talent necessary for continued economic growth in Washtenaw County. With all of the challenges to our local school systems (state funding cuts, losing students to private schools, economic disparities, etc.) it’s more important than ever that local leaders stay in the forefront of promoting a strong school system.”
Eichmuller is an associate broker with the Charles Reinhart Company. She attended Pattengill, Tappan and Pioneer. On joining the board, Eichmuller calls for the involvement of individuals to support our schools: “I believe it is critical that at this point in time when funding for education is being cut from all directions that citizens at large participate in funding programs however and wherever possible. We must have high quality educational programs to attract new business and new jobs to the Ann Arbor area.”
Smith works for the Bank of Ann Arbor and is a longtime supporter of the Educational Foundation. His son is a high school student with dual enrollment at Community and Pioneer High Schools. According to Collyer, “You can talk about public education, or be engaged in it. My preference is engagement.”
18 AAPS students earn special scholarships
Eighteen Ann Arbor Public Schools students have been awarded scholarships administered by the Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation. At senior banquets, athletic events and end-of-year ceremonies, these students were recognized for their accomplishments:
- Haley MeLampy, Pioneer High School, Evy Eugene Mavrellis Student Leadership Award
- Kieana Watts and Darrel Nubin Jr., Haisley Elementary, Peter Stamos Memorial Scholarship
- Zach Juliar, Pioneer High School, Dorothy M. Russell Scholarship
- Max Brown, Community High School, Rick Burgess Memorial Scholarship
- Tiffany Cole, Pioneer High School, Alex Tons Scholarship Award
- Chi Tran, Huron High School, Taylor Calhoun Outstanding Cheerleading Scholarship
- McKinlee Ward and Margaret Peggy Wu, Huron High School, Sunshine Awards for women’s Soccer and Tennis respectively
- Michelle Garcia, Pioneer High School, Kacee Cronk Scholarship
- Garrett Wood and Gilad Eisbruch, Community High School, Jill Donellan Award
- Christina Allen-Pipkin, Huron High School, Lisa Ann Gallagher Award
- Alissa Pace, Pioneer High School, Robert E. Lewis Jr. Award
- Noam Zimet, Pioneer High School, Clara Goodrich Award
- Ellen Shen, Ellen Sauer, Dyami Bomia and Adira Cohen, Women’s Symphony Fund Scholarships for Summer Music Camps
The Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation maintains these funds, and the award process, as a community service. Most of the awards memorialize outstanding students and faculty of the Ann Arbor Public Schools.
DFCU donates another $10,000, pledges money for new accounts
DFCU Financial has committed to another $10,000 to the Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation for 2011. This follows an initial $10,000 donation earlier this year as part of the credit union’s commitment to support public education in the communities where it has branches through its Schools and You program.
From May 16 to Aug. 30, 2011, DFCU Financial will donate $25 for new deposit accounts opened or loans closed at one of its five Ann Arbor area branches. Loans must close prior to Aug. 30, 2011; accounts must remain open until August 30, 2011. Maximum donation is $50 per member. Details at their website.
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July events at Nicola’s Books
Nicola’s Books is a sponsor of the AAPSNews website. We publish activities from the store on a monthly basis. For details of events, visit their website.
Weekly Story Time at 11 a.m. on Saturdays – An experienced teller spins yarns for the 7 & under set.
Saturday, July 16, 2 p.m. – Author Jim McGavran will have a reading and discussion of his new book “In the Shadow of the Bear: A Michigan Memoir.” In this alternately frank and lyrical memoir the author returns, after a 40-year absence, to the site of his childhood summer vacations at Little Glen Lake in northwestern Lower Michigan’s Leelanau peninsula.
Monday, July 18, 7 p.m. – Local author Harry Dolan introduces his second mystery featuring David Loogan, “Very Bad Men”. David Loogan is living in Ann Arbor with Detective Elizabeth Waishkey and her daughter, Sarah. He’s settled into a quiet routine as editor of the mystery magazine “Gray Streets”-until one day he finds a manuscript outside his door. It begins: “I killed Henry Kormoran.”
Tuesday, July 19, 7 p.m. – Michigan author Bonnie Jo Campbell, National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist for “American Salvage”, will be at Nicola’s with her new novel “Once Upon a River. Sixteen-year-old Margo Crane, a beauty whose unflinching gaze and uncanny ability with a rifle have not made her life any easier. After the violent death of her father, in which she is complicit, Margo takes to the Stark River in her boat, with only a few supplies and a biography of Annie Oakley, in search of her vanished mother. But the river, Margo’s childhood paradise, is a dangerous place for a young woman traveling alone.
Wednesday, July 20, 7 p.m. – Local author Gregory Fournier will be here for a reading and signing of his novel “Zug Island: A Detroit Riot Novel”, a Huck Finn-meets-heavy-industry tale about a suburban white kid who gets a crash course in race relations. Set in 1967 against a backdrop of industrial blight and urban decay, the book follows Jake Malone and Theo Semple as they stumble in and out of rhythm on Detroit’s mean streets to discover that the face of racism comes in every shade of color.
Thursday, July 21, 7 p.m. – Scott Sparling will be at Nicola’s with his debut novel featuring train-hopping, drug-dealing lowlifes, “Wire to Wire.” While riding a freight car through Detroit, Michael Slater suffers a near-fatal accident–a power line to the head. After recovering, he tries to lead a quiet life in the desert, but his problems just follow him. Slater returns to his native Michigan to seek out his old train-hopping pal, only to find that the Pleasant Peninsula of his youth is none too pleasant
Saturday, July 23, 2 p.m. – Local author Carrie Harris will be at Nicola’s for a launch party to celebrate the release of her new book for children ages 12 & up, “Bad Taste in Boys.” Someone’s been a very bad zombie. Kate Grable is horrified to find out that the football coach has given the team steroids. Worse yet, the steriods are having an unexpected effect, turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless flesh-eating zombies. It’s up to Kate and her friends to save the their town and stay hormonally human.
Tuesday July 26, 7 p.m. –Nicola’s Books hosts a panel discussion with Jacqueline Carey, Jim Hines and Sarah Zettel on current trends in science-fiction and fantasy novels. All panelists have new books coming out.
Book releases:
• Jacqueline Carey will release the final Naamah book, “Naamah’s Blessing”, on June 29.
• Jim Hines will release his new Princess novel, “The Snow Queen’s Shadow” on July 5.
• Sarah Zettel’s new book, the first in a new series, “A Taste of the Nightlife: A Vampire Chef Mystery”, will release on July 5.
View more district achievements at “This Week in the Ann Arbor Public Schools” published through the superintendent’s office.
