Lapeer East High School earns high marks in national rankings
For the second year in a row, Lapeer East High School has earned two national rankings for excellence.
In Newsweek’s 2013 America’s Best High Schools ranking, based on schools that best prepare students for college, East is ranked in the top 10 percent. The ranking is based on factors proven to gauge college readiness: graduation rates, participation in college-level classes via Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, and acceptance into a two or four-year college program.
Lapeer East was also ranked 29th out of 826 Michigan High Schools and among the top eight percent of high schools nationwide in the Washington Post High School Challenge Ranking. The ranking is based on the number of AP, IB and Advanced International Certificate of Education Tests given at a school each year and divided by the number of seniors graduating. This Challenge Index is designed to identify those schools that have done the best job of encouraging students to take college-level courses and tests.
“Our staff at East deserves kudos for their efforts, encouragement, and instruction to our AP Students,” East Principal Scott Roper said. “All of our AP Students who have taken the challenge and made the commitment to include increased rigor in their high school schedule also deserve recognition.”
East Assistant Principal Dr. Mike Hobolth also is due a tremendous amount of credit, Roper said, for the school’s successful AP program. Hobolth is responsible for facilitating and hosting a top-notch AP Summer Institute for teachers across Michigan in Lapeer every year.
Both LCS high schools, East and West, have seen a marked increase in the number of AP exams undertaken by students – an increase of 45 percent in just the last year.
“As a district, we want to embrace the challenge of rigor,” said LCS Superintendent Matt Wandrie. “We are proud of the great strides that have been made, and we are preparing students to go even farther.”
Mr. Smith goes to Mayfield for ‘Pie in the Face’ Day
For their District-best participation in the food program, Mayfield Elementary students earned a special treat on Friday: They got to see Scott Smith, LCS Food Service Director, take a pie in the face.
Results from Michigan Industrial & Technology Education Society Competition
Here are the results of the Michigan Industrial & Technology Education Society Competition , both regional and state, from Lapeer East. If you know any of these students, please congratulate them on jobs well done. Many of the projects listed are on display in showcase #19, across from the metal shop at Lapeer East.
This is the same competition that East hosted in the media center three years ago.
Mr. Cory Gutenschwager, Lapeer East’s Industrial Technology Department Chair, also wishes to congratulate Mr. Tim Lewis at Lapeer West for earning the Grand Award in casting with one of his students, Sarah Clinton. What a great achievement!
Rolland-Warner band students participate in Mackinac Island Music Clinic
R-W students performing under the direction of Dr. Max Plank at the Mackinac Island Music Clinic.
Last Friday and Saturday, band students from Rolland-Warner Middle School traveled to Mackinac Island to participate in the Mackinac Island Music Clinic. The students performed for Dr. Max Plank, retired director of bands at Eastern Michigan University.
Following the clinic, the band was presented with a plaque in recognition of their participation at the clinic. Ten bands, orchestras and choirs performed. The trip also included a tour of the fort in Mackinaw city, a carriage tour of the island, lunch at the Grand Hotel and a fantastic performance on Friday night by singing group, Three Men and a Tenor. Students also had some time to shop and take in Main Street on the Island and sample plenty of Mackinac Island fudge. For the return trip the band rode the ferry back to St. Ignace and crossed the Mighty Mackinaw bridge.
Zemmer Middle School to perform ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ May 17-19
William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the Bard’s most joyous comedies, and director Amber Dillard is taking that joy and running with it in Zemmer Middle School’s production, which runs May 17 through May 19 on the Zemmer Middle School Stage. This luxurious tale of fairies, dreams and moonlight is Shakespeare’s most popular comedy. And just as Shakespeare combined characters from three different worlds (royalty in the court of ancient Athens, tradespeople from the Elizabethan era and fairies from Renaissance folklore), Dillard is borrowing from different times and places to create a visually stunning and fantastical world.
Theseus, Duke of Athens, and his rigid views cause a foursome of confused young lovers—Hermia Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius—to flee for the forest, where they cross paths with Oberon and Titania, King and Queen of a band of mischievous fairies. Because the fairy royals are engaged in a battle royal, things are thrown out of joint for a band of roguish actors, led by a buffoon named Bottom which sets the stage for a fairy prankster named Puck to create chaos in the night. But by morning all is well again, leaving harmony not just among the characters but within and between whole worlds. “The course of true love never did run smooth,” but when the feuding king and queen of fairies interfere in the couplings of mortals, the result is bedlam, from the roguish Puck to the rustic would-be actors, from the impish fairies to the young lovers.
TICKETS: Can be purchased at the door one hour before the show begins, tickets are $5 and are on a first come first serve basis. House will open 30 minutes before the show begins.
TIMES: Friday, May 17, 2013 at 7:30pm, doors will open at 7pm. Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 7:30pm, doors will open at 7pm. Sunday, May 19, 2013 at 2:30pm, doors will be open at 2pm.
LOCATION: Zemmer Middle School, 1920 Oregon Road, Lapeer, MI 48446. Any questions please call (810) 667-2413.
Mayfield Elementary students perform ‘Go Fish’ production
First graders in Shellie Forgione’s class at Mayfield Elementary performed a production entitled “Go Fish” Wednesday in front of students and staff members at the school.
The play reinforces the need for all of us to recognize and accept our differences.
The production was a cross-curriculum activity, using narrative writing skills as they prepared actors’ blurbs. Reading, speaking and listening skills were used as well as skills necessary to understand differences among families, holidays and traditions.
Great job students and staff!
LCS to solicit community input on new high school colors, mascot
In the coming weeks, students, staff and community members will have the opportunity to weigh in on an issue that has created a lot of buzz in the community: Selecting school colors and mascot for the new Lapeer High School, starting in September 2014.
On Tuesday night, Lapeer Community Schools’ Secondary Planning Oversight Committee, made up of a diverse group from the school community, laid the groundwork for the process that will involve the entire community.
“From the start, we wanted this process to be an exciting way to get the community thinking about its future together,” said Lapeer Community Schools Superintendent Matt Wandrie. “This is one facet of the overall transition that we can have fun with, cultivate a little creativity in the community and get the ball rolling on one Lapeer.”
One major component of the process will be an online community survey that will provide the committee with suggestions that it will share with the Superintendent and Board of Education. The survey will go live on May 13 at LapeerSchools.org and will remain on the site through May 24. The survey is open to anyone in the community and can only be taken once.
It is anticipated that a public announcement of the decision will be made during the last week of school.
For more information, visit LapeerSchools.org.
Lapeer East bands get high marks at MSBOA State Festival
Both the Lapeer East Concert and Symphony Bands have qualified for the recent MSBOA State Band and Orchestra Festival. The Concert Band received an overall second division rating and Symphony Band received a first division rating — that’s the best score a band can get.
Great job musicians!
Lyniece Fenner, Director of Bands at East, shared some of the judges’ comments about symphony band:
- “I really enjoyed your performance this evening.”
- “Fine playing within each section of the band provides a very balanced sound top to bottom”
- “Nice job with challenging selections!”
- “You have a great approach to the music.”
- “Strong points: tone, sensitivity, expression and style.”
- “It was a pleasure to hear you tonight. Congratulations on a superior performance!”
“Both bands were excellent representatives of Lapeer East and Lapeer Community Schools,” Fenner said. “They behaved very maturely and played with emotion and feeling.”
Coming June 1: 12th annual Murphy Drive for Education Golf Outing
Murphy Elementary will be holding its 12th annual Drive for Education Golf Outing Saturday, June 1 at the Metamora Golf & Country Club. For those of you who are not familiar, this is a major fundraising event for the school. Last year’s outing was fantastic! It was a fun-filled day of golf, good food and a great atmosphere of community spirit.
Last year’s proceeds went primarily to support the school’s literacy program, books for classroom libraries as well as texts for the leveled library.
This year they are hoping to begin purchasing iPads for classrooms and could really use YOUR help! The success of the outing is directly linked to the number of teams that sign up. The atmosphere of the outing is very casual. Most participants simply come out to enjoy the company of family, friends and school community regardless of their golfing ability. If you are not a golfer, there are several ways you can help. There are many ways to sponsor including gift certificates and door prizes. They can always use volunteers to assist in planning and on the day of the event.
For more information on donations, volunteering or team registrations please call the school at 810-538-2345.
Thank you for your support!
