2015-June - School Life Troy

Transcription

JUNE 2015
Troy High senior named
Presidential Scholar
Next stop: White House
She’s the number one ranked GPA
graduating senior from Troy High,
is active in several school clubs
and activities, including writing,
biology, Science Olympiad, and
track and field. She also started a
poetry club at THS this year, which
brought together interested students.
While the Harvard-bound Zhang
will be on stage and receive a lot
of attention for the next few weeks,
she is extremely thankful for the
support she’s received and the environment in which she grew up.
Ellen Zhang
When her friends ask her what’s she’s doing
this summer, graduating senior Ellen Zhang’s response is: “Oh, I’m meeting the President.”
After their eyes light up and jaws hit the floor,
friends reply: “Take pictures!”
“They’re excited for me,” Zhang said.
The Troy High graduating senior is one of
only 141 young scholars across the country
who received a 2015 United States Presidential
Scholars Award, and they’re all headed to Washington D.C. to meet President Barak Obama
this month. Zhang and other honorees will be
presented with their Presidential Scholar Medallions at the official ceremony on June 21.
“I’m definitely really, really excited,” Zhang
said. “It’s a really great way to end high school.
I’ve definitely worked hard, and I’ve definitely
had so many opportunities given by Troy High.”
The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars appointed by Obama selects topperforming high school seniors for the prestigious award based on several factors, including
academic success, essays, community service
and leadership.
Zhang covers all the criteria, and then some.
Will &
Grace
“People around me have inspired
me a lot,” she said. “Educators and
mentors are great. They work really, really hard. They want students
to succeed. After school, they stay
and help students and offer students
advice.
“My friends have been very supportive, and especially my family,”
Zhang added. “My family is always here for me, whenever I need
help. Whether it’s just advice or a
big decision, there always there for
me.”
Curtis ‘Humble’ Hsu fits
nicely as Athens’ Top
Scholar
Athens graduating senior Curtis Hsu’s accomplishments will blow your mind.
Here are just some of them (because his bio is three
pages long, single-spaced): Accepted to Harvard; an
Athens school record 4.5278 GPA; $20,000 Footlocker
Scholarship winner; $20,000 Coca-Cola Scholarship
winner; nationally recognized swimmer; pianist and
violinist; member of National Honor Society, Model
U.N., Project L.E.A.D., and Athens cross-country
team; founder and president of ‘Charity Cross Conti-
nents’, which collected almost 2,000 pairs of shoes for
kids in need in Africa this school year.
Perhaps even more impressive is the one thing not
listed on his biography: His genuine humbleness.
“If you can choose one student who just embodies
what’s great about being a person, it would be Curtis,”
said Athens Principal Dr. Lara Dixon. “He puts his
heart and soul into what he does, but he doesn’t seek
recognition.”
See ‘Curtis Hsu’ continued on page 34
Dye hard: Color Run covers students in
powder dyes for a great cause
“She’s just a very tireless person,” said Bill Hevel, Zhang’s AP
Chemistry teacher and Science
Olympiad advisor. “She just keeps
working at things. When she gets
going on something she likes, she
just pursues it as far as she can.”
Zhang says that learning from
others and “not being afraid” has
helped her along her high school
path.
“Don’t be afraid to explore new
things,” she said. “If you see opportunity, even if you think you
might not like it, just take it. It’s
Dozens of Smith Middle School
participated in the school’s Color Run.
The event raised $7,000 for Relay For
Life. Shown here, during the race,
volunteers threw powder dye at runners
as they passed through designated
check points. Afterward, runners threw
their own dye into the sky.
To see many Smith students smeared
in colored powder, go to: www.
schoollifetroy.com .
See ‘Ellen Zhang’ continued on page 3
GRADUATION CELEBRATION 2015
Honoring Our Seniors
Pages 14 - 30
2 • June 2015 • School Life in The Troy School District
A Salute to the Class of 2015
Photo: Ed Morykwas, School Life.
It’s one of our favorite traditions here at School Life:
Our salute to this year’s high school graduating classes.
Shown here, just over 100 students at International
Academy East walked the stage to pick up their diplomas
at the Detroit Opera House on May 26. You can click on
their special night at: www.schoollifetroy.com .
For the Class of 2015, we coordinated with district
administrators, high school staff, and parents to bring you
this special keepsake edition. Our staff put in hundreds of
hours to pull together what we think is truly memorable
content prominently featuring our seniors. Every June,
in School Life, the focus will always lean toward our
graduates themselves.
Throughout this first year in Troy School District, we
were impressed with all of our students, many of them
seniors and your children. We are impressed by the
achievement of our students as they get ready to enter
college and, eventually, the world beyond college. We
have no doubt that they will do better and dream bigger
and make us all very proud.
As a side note, you can find all the colorful and classy
images from honors nights and graduations at: www.
schoollifetroy.com .
The Troy School District and School Life would
like to extend our deepest gratitude to the schools and
administrators that helped make this edition possible to
share with you.
Congratulations Class of 2015!
‘Ellen Zhang’ continued from page 1.
an opportunity, it’s given, and maybe you’ll find something
you’ll really like. I’ve done a lot of extracurricular that people
might not necessarily find a link in them immediately. But as
you do a lot of things, you’ll find that they’re always interconnected. If you’re given an opportunity, take it because good
things come out of opportunities.
“Often times you can be intimidated or afraid of what lies
ahead because you don’t know what lies ahead,” Zhang said.
“Don’t be afraid. Be confident, pursue what you want deep
inside.”
Their first steps.
Their first car.
Their first day of college.
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www.schoollifetroy.com • School Life in The Troy School District • June 2015 • 3
Chop, Chop! Troy Union, Barnard
students cut hair for charity
Some students at Troy Union and Barnard
Elementary Schools said good-bye to their
ponytails and learned what it’s like to give.
Eleven students at Barnard had their hair
chopped off in front of their cheering school
mates in May. Several students from Troy
Union also donated their hair to Lock of Love
to make wigs for cancer patients.
For some, it was a fun thing to do, but for
others it was more personal. Some students
donated because they knew it would help
people, and they knew their hair will grow back.
Others donated because they know someone
who has cancer.
Troy Union students said goodbye to some
of their hair.
You can see more photos of students parting
with their hair at: www.schoollifetroy.com.
Schroeder Elementary:
Helping to educate the world
build six schools in underprivileged countries.
This year, Schroeder is
helping to build a school
in Haiti. Schroeder students have also helped
build schools in Nicaragua and Nepal.
To make this project
possible, Schroeder organizes an annual Kids4-Kids sale to help raise
money for building a new
school. Mrs. Weallars
an Mrs. Kristin Pingree
organize and chair the
The school board recently recognized Schroeder Elementary
event. Schroeder stufor helping build schools in poor countries. Photo: Ed Morykwas,
dents participate by makSchool Life.
ing numerous donations
Schroeder fourth grader Isabella Cook such as toys, athletic equipment, DVD’s,
knows how good she has it living and going games, and many other gently used items.
Parents, students, and the community are
to school in Troy.
invited to shop at the sale, which is one of
“We have great schools, loving teachers, Schroeder’s most popular events.
awesome principals,” she said. “But in poor
“My first year assisting and it was truly a
countries, kids have no schools, no teachers,
remarkable experience,” Mrs. Pingree said.
and no after school activities.”
“In less than two hours, we raised $1,200 to
It’s not hard to understand why Isabella help build a school in Haiti.”
and other students at Schroeder have been
All of the money raised at the Kids-forspending time the last six years helping to
Kids
sale is donated to buildOn. Students
build schools in poor countries.
from I.A. travel to the designated country to
“Everyone agreed that teaching kids at join the construction crew and actually para very young age that kids can make a dif- ticipate in building the new school. Every
ference in the world was important,” said year, I.A. students return to Schroeder and
Schroeder parent Jennifer Weallans, who ap- visit classrooms to show pictures of the new
proached Principal Brian Canfield about the school.
idea six years ago.
“I think this is a great idea because it helps
“Every year it gets better and better,” Mr. people,” said Seeun Lee, who volunteered to
Canfield said.
work as a cashier at the buildOn rummage
Over the past several years, Schroeder sale. This event shows how elementary stuElementary has teamed up with I.A. and dents can change the world and help those
an organization called ‘buildOn’ to help in need.
Barnard Elementary students donate their hair to Locks of Love. Photos: Ed Morykwas,
School Life.
“I knew that helping (Haiti) build a school,
would give students there a chance to make
new friends and seek opportunities for a better life,” fifth grader Jack Weallans said.
“It’s important for our students to know
that every place in the world doesn’t look
like Troy,” Mr. Canfield said. “It says a lot
when our students act on that and make a
difference.”
Mr. MacNair’s OpusBeloved music teacher
retiring
Mr. MacNair says so long. Students and parents say they
will not see the likes of him again. Just in the last few years, all
told, this soft spoken instructor has directed his orchestras to
‘Gold’ or ‘Superior’ finishes at district, regional, and national
competitions. His orchestras have finished as National Grand
Champion several times. He has led them to performances
at Disney World, the Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall to
repeated standing ovations-his most cherished memory.
He wore his traditional black and white tuxedo, like he
would any other concert. He walked on stage, acknowledged
the audience, turned around to face his young musicians and
raised his baton, like he had any other concert. Only May 21
wasn’t any other concert. It was Alan MacNair’s last.
“It’s time to move on to other things,” Mr. MacNair said.
Troy High’s longest serving and wildly successful Orchestra
Director says so long. After 29 years and instilling his passion
of music in thousands of students, Mr. MacNair is handing
over is baton. He thanked his young musicians after seniors
surprised him with a “thank you” video and special violin at
the May Concerto Concert.
He’s earned his easy chair. But don’t expect to find him
retiring to his sofa.
“I also have a desire to work with young teachers, to do some
mentoring, to do some other conducting around the country,”
he said. “I also conduct Oakland University’s chamber
orchestra; and I want to pass on a handbook, something that I
will write that can used in teacher education.”
“I’m speechless,” Mr. MacNair replied to his surprise.
“Thanks for making my days full of wonder.”
The feeling from students, current and past, is emphatically
mutual.
Noticed he started with an “I” and ended with wanting
to help others. That’s how Mr. MacNair thinks. It’s a team
thing. It’s a group result-success or failure. He never, in all
his time at Troy High, threw one of his musicians under the
bus, blamed them, or sacrificed someone else’s reputation to
protect his own.
“Mr. MacNair is exceptional,” said senior cello player
Amadeus Twu. “He is far beyond the social norm of a
conductor, especially in the high school setting.”
“One of my best high school memories,” said former student
Lynn Hodorek, “is having the opportunity to perform a senior
concerto duet under Mr. MacNair’s direction. Being able to
perform in his symphony shaped me so much as a musician.”
“He helps with everything,” said viola player Kavya
Gandra. “Whether you’re feeling down about how you’re
playing, he always has positive comments for improvement.”
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“I try never to get down on a student,” Mr. MacNair said. “It’s, what
can we do as a group, how can we be better, how can you help us be
better as a group.”
The breadth of humanity, humility, and modesty that he brought to
his job as instructor/director at Troy High and Smith Middle School
came from experiences.
“I’ve learned to be very humble about trying to judge a student and
how good they can be or how far they can go,” Mr. MacNair said.
He tried to get a middle school student to drop orchestra because she
“had no ability.” She came to Troy High persistent about playing in
Mr. MacNair’s symphony orchestra someday. “I said, ok, all you have
to do is practice and we’ll see. Sure enough, four years later, she was
in symphony orchestra. A fine cellist. I didn’t see that coming. So,
you have to be humble about what your expectations are.”
This is a modest man from modest means and high expectations,
See ‘MacNair Retires’ continued on page 33
“Everything worked out fantastic”
Retiring Troy Union
Elementary Kitchen
Manager Lori Agacinski
and her husband
Dave needed to sell
their home to move to
Florida. They called
on Realtor Jennifer
Toomajian, and she sold
their house in hours for
the full asking price.
Now, the Agacinski’s are
Florida-bound. Jennifer
Toomajian, a hometown
realtor, helping families
at the right time in
their lives.
Guitar, Piano,
Drums, Violin
(other instruments available)
All Ages, All Skill Levels
www.at-home-music.com
F
o
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Sponsored by Troy Foundation for Education Excellence
Team slots and sponsorships available
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What: Tony Spagnola Memorial Golf Classic
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From the
Superintendent
As I look back at my first year
as superintendent, there are so many
things that make me proud. This is a
community that achieves and excels,
but it’s also one that reaches out when
help is needed.
When the earthquake in Nepal
struck, students and staff in the TSD
sprang into action. In a matter of days,
the hard work began—fundraisers
were set up and generous donors
stepped in.
Shown below at Troy High, teacher Jayna Salk and her
yearbook team coordinated a massive effort that saw nearly
$6400 being raised in a very short time, and it was truly a group
effort. Multiple clubs at THS immediately rallied around the
cause and yearbook staff went around with buckets at every
lunch period to encourage students to get involved.
In the end, many students and clubs stepped up to be a
part of the relief effort, including Future Problem Solvers,
Spanish Club, Social Justice Project, Environmental Activists,
National Honor Society, Project LEAD, French Club, Bowling
Club, Japanese Club, Club MED and the Troy High Student
Government.
At Boulan Park Middle School, Erin Johnson’s Life Skills
Class created delicious chocolate treats for sale, then donated
$500 of the proceeds to Nepal Relief (the other funds raised
went to buy toys for an organization that serves young cancer
patients in local hospitals.) The students enthusiastically
embraced the effort—7th grader Vishok Gunasekar summed it
up best by saying “It was really exciting making the chocolate,
while having the feeling you were helping someone at the same
time.”
Other schools did additional fundraisers, and teachers across
the district used the earthquake relief as a learning opportunity
to show what is possible when many hands get involved. It
should make each of us proud to be a part of such a wonderful
community, where our students and staff come together in a
perfect example of the best of ONETROY.
Finally, I would like to say that our thoughts and prayers
are with the people of Nepal, and with one of our own TSD
families. Nathanial Wyatt, a 2012 Athens grad, is a mechanic
with the Marine Corp unit that had a helicopter go down trying
to bring supplies to Nepal. Thankfully, he was not on board,
but six of his friends were killed. It’s a stark indication of how
dangerous the situation was—and a reminder of the risks our
military servicemen and women take in service to us all.
As we close out the school year, let me be the first to wish
you a happy and healthy summer with your families. I hope you
enjoy this issue of School Life Troy—the best is yet to come!
Rich
Dr. Richard Machesky
Superintendent
Troy School District
School Life is a monthly publication, which focuses on TSD students,
staff and community, and is designed to increase communication
between district schools and parents. The opinions, statements and
claims expressed in this newspaper are not necessarily those of the
district or its officials. The Troy School District does not discriminate on
the basis of race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin, or disability
in providing education services, activities or programs. It is the intent
and policy of this District to conduct its activities in compliance with all
Federal and State laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race,
sex, age, religion, color, national origin, or disability.
DISTRICT NEWS BRIEFS
English as a Second Language program to undergo changes
TSD’s federally funded English as a
Second Language program has a new
name -- English Language Development, or ELD. TSD has 1,655 English
Language Learners, or ELL, students,
which represent about 80 different languages. That number represents an increase of 535 students from June 2014
through April 2015. “Our fastest growing population is our English Learners,” said Tammy Diponio, principal of
Costello Elementary School.
Jo Gusman, a national expert on the
topic, reviewed TSD’s program and
recommended some changes. Highlights of those changes include the
new name, new curriculum materials
and enhanced enrollment procedures
to track ELL students. TSD also plans
to provide ELD training for all TSD
teachers, appoint an ESD administrator
to oversee the program and hire ELD
specialists who will work with students.
TSD Special Education
program reviewed, improvements to be made
Seventh graders win first
‘OneTroy Element Bee’
trict,” Moran said. “’Strong schools,
strong community’ is the foundation’s
motto, and I would like to take it one
Shown above. A Smith Middle sev- step further and add ‘strong partnerenth-grader has won the first annual ships.’”
‘OneTroy Element Bee.’
Students were quizzed at their
schools first, and then winning students
from each middle school science class
advanced to the final round. Students
were shown a chemical symbol and had
to identify the element to advance in the
competition.
Congratulations to the top three Element Bee finishers, shown here, from
left to right: Nachiket Deshmukh (LarEducation Consultant Donna Tinson Middle, 3rd place), Edison Chiu
berg recently conducted a thorough
(Smith Middle, 1st place), and Gurish
review of TSD’s Special Education
Sharma (Smith Middle, 2nd place).
department and made some recomThe OneTroy Element Bee was creatmendations for improvements. Tined
this year for seventh graders to spark
berg noted that TSD’s special edumore
interest in the sciences and to precation students are performing well
pare
them
for future scientific careers.
on achievement tests and most state
indicators, but that TSD should work
Sodexo donates $2,500 to
to increase the consistency of services
for struggling learners throughout the Troy Foundation for Edudistrict, and also grow stronger spe- cational Excellence
cial education leadership within the
At the May school board meeting,
district.
Gayle Moran, general manager of SoKathy Jagels, director of Special
Education, presented the TSD Board
of Education with the department’s
plans for next steps, which include
special education professional development programs for all teachers, a
special education leadership team to
oversee work with struggling learners
and more coordination between general and special education.
Publisher:
Editor:
Photographer:
Advertising Sales:
Mailing Address:
Raad Alawan
Patricia Benavides
Ed Morykwas, School Life
Michelle Torres (248) 403-0016
michelle@schoollifetroy.com
Raad Alawan (248) 631-4816
info@schoollifetroy.com
School Life
P.0. Box 804
Troy, MI, 48099
dexo, which provides food services
for TSD, presented a $2,500 check to
the Troy Foundation for Educational
Excellence. Sodexo will also award
a $1,000 scholarship to a TSD high
school student who pursues a career in
culinary arts.
“Sodexo takes great pride in supporting the vision of the Troy School Dis-
Bond project updates
Bond project construction is in full
swing this spring. Here are some updates:
At Troy High School, the concrete
planks for the first floor of the addition
have been installed, and wall construction is underway.
At Troy Athens High School, construction of the LGI and multi-use classroom
is finished.
Masonry work is underway, and construction is moving quickly, at Boulan
Park and Larson Middle Schools. Bids
have been awarded for mechanical and
electrical upgrades at the schools.
Bids are slated to go out in August for
the mechanical and electrical upgrades
at Athens High School.
Bids went out in mid-May for the roofing of the administration building and
service center. The work should be
completed by the end of this summer.
Bids will go out in December 2015 for
the roofing work at Costello and Wass
Elementary Schools, the mechanical
and electrical upgrades at Hamilton Elementary School and the pool and LGI
conversion at International Academy
East.
E-mail photos and stories to: info@schoollifetroy.com
For advertising rates and information, contact Michelle Torres at (248) 403-0016
The deadline for ad submissions is the 15th of each month for information to be
included in the following month’s publication
School Life is published the first of each month and is available FREE
to parents, students, faculty, and the community in the Troy School District.
A complimentary copy is sent home each month in the backpacks of students.
Additional copies are available in school offices and various locations throughout
the communities.
All creative concepts, designs and layout for all advertisements are the sole property of
School Life and may not be reproduced in any other publication without prior approval.
School Board Corner: Time to Honor Our Own
May and June are probably the most enjoyable
and busy months to be
a Board of Education
Trustee. Over the course
of three weeks in late May
and early June, we have
the opportunity to honor Troy students at
all grade levels for notable achievements
across a range of academic and extracurricular efforts. We present certificates and
shake hands and even pose for occasional
pictures with the honorees as paparazzi parents snap photos and grin from ear-to-ear
with pride. This is a time when the whole
educational community rejoices around our
kids and where the hard work of all our employees comes to a logical end for another
academic year.
Of course, the ultimate show comes in the
form of commencement ceremonies for our
graduates. In the next few weeks we will
say congratulations and bid fond farewells
to about a thousand Troy School District
students. Individual families with a graduating senior will likely only experience one
commencement ceremony—but as Board
members, we get to experience all four. I’ve
had friends groan when I tell them that. Isn’t
it boring? Aren’t they all the same? Not at
all! Athens, Troy High, IA East, and Niles
Community High School are surprisingly
unique educational communities—and their
personalities are always strongly reflected
in their approaches to commencement. All
have different traditions, different inside
jokes, and different keynote speakers who
craft a message to their audience. Board
trustees get to come along for the fun ride.
More importantly, we represent the whole
Troy community in sharing our joy and
pride in these amazing kids. Their graduation stands as the “output” to a significant
13-year financial and emotional investment
by the city’s citizens. It’s humbling to be
part of a community that values education to
this degree, especially considering 75% of
Troy households don’t have a student in the
Troy School District but consistently support us anyway.
So, one final thought to our graduating seniors as you walk across that stage to shake
the hand of a Board member and receive
your diploma from another: you may not
know us, but know that we recognize and
congratulate you on behalf of every person
in the community who has cheered for you,
worried about you, mentored you, encouraged you, nagged you, taught you, and
loved you. Sorry if we squeezed a little
too tightly at times, but it’s all because we
wanted nothing but the best for you. Now
get out there and do us proud!
Retiring Leonard principal
found a passion for teaching
and never looked back
Leonard Elementary Principal Mr. Jerry Cottone will be retiring this month, logging nine
years at the helm of Leonard, and closing a near 40-year career as an educator in the Troy
School District. Photo: Ed Morykwas, School Life.
If an educator’s greatest gift is helping
others, that’s exactly what Jerry Cottone,
principal at Leonard Elementary, has
accomplished for nearly 40 years.
Mr. Cottone is retiring from the Troy
School District after 39-plus years. The
much-loved administrator has dedicated
his entire career to the district. Before
taking over as head of Leonard nine years
ago, he spent 18 years teaching sixth
graders at Smith Middle, eleven years
teaching at Barnard Elementary, and two
years teaching at Troy Union Elementary.
His heart has been in teaching others since
he worked with special education students
during the summer of his sophomore year
in high school. Something clicked.
“Working with kids it was that
crystalizing moment where I enjoyed
owning, and supporting, and facilitating
growth in people,” Mr. Cottone said. “As
a learner myself, I struggled initially with
school. Maybe I have a lot of empathy
with students that struggle. After that
experience, I went to college and just
pursued it.”
But Mr. Cottone considered another
career when he saw his brother making
big money in the corporate world.
“So, my first year in college I started
taking some accounting classes, and there
was something that wasn’t right,” he said.
“Then I started reading ‘Siddhartha’ and
it talks about the circle of life and about
doing what makes you happy.”
Cottone quickly changed gears, and
secured a student-teaching job in the
district. Now, after nearly four decades
in the district, he is very optimistic about
Leonard and about the district.
“I feel things are going in the right
direction, a very positive direction,” he
said. “My staff is very solid and much
focused on growth and the children.”
He said he wanted to retire at a point
in his life when he could spend some
time with his children and grandchildrenthere’s a couple home building projects
he’s looking forward to as well. But he
knows as he bids his Leonard family a
farewell on June 12, he will be saying an
emotional goodbye.
“I had a kid in kindergarten, he’s
leaving the building recently, and he came
over, gave me a hug and said, ‘I really
don’t want you to leave.’ I get that too
often. That’s emotionally tugging. There
are times I wonder if I’m ready to go.
I know I’m ready. The family setting
we’ve created at Leonard is something
I will always cherish. The parents have
been amazing. It’s the community that
I service; it’s the friendships that I’ve
made.”
Mostly, it’s about the kids and
connecting with every one of them no
matter the challenge.
“You have to figure out what is it that’s
going to help turn a child,” Mr. Cottone
said. “You just don’t give up. You have
to keep pushing yourself. You’re going to
help that child, but you’re going to grow
yourself.”
Students break from books to
go back in time
Athens is BPA National
Champion
Boulan Park Middle School students reenact
square dancing and military marching
during Civil War Days at the Troy Historic
Village. Photo: Ed Morykwas, School Life.
District middle school students spent weeks taking standardized tests. But on a few sunny
spring days, the middle schoolers finally got a break, thanks to the Troy Foundation for Education
Excellence. The Foundation provided funds for students to learn unique lessons on the Civil War
at the Troy Historic Village in May.
Teachers and principals want students to experience the Civil War era, not just read about it.
Students said they learned what soldiers and others went through by simulating certain events-life
or death. They learned how to construct and sew Haversack replicas. During the Civil War, the
Haversack gave soldiers a place to store their possessions, food, and other personal items taken
from home. Students also learned the pastime of square dancing and military marching, both
shown here.
At the end of the day, President Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address. It was
an emotional moment, even for the youngest of students. Eventually, everyone returned to the
present day with a new appreciation of those who came before us.
See more photos from Boulan Park’s Civil War Days experience at: www.schoollifetroy.com
Congratulations to the Athens Business Professionals of America Team for finishing first in an
event at the BPA National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, California, in May.
Thousands of students from across the country gathered to compete, showcase their business
skills and develop their leadership skills.
A team of Athens BPA members put together a business plan based on Fair Trade principles
and then competed for sales dollars at the competition. They took first place! Maariya Siddiqui
received third place for her individual event, Basic Office Systems and Procedures.
The Athens National Champs proudly pose with their awards. Pictured: Alexzander Dudek,
Eric Potempa, Natalie Harris, Ramsha Awan, Maariya Siddiqui, Christian Schroeder, Brandon
Kohl, and advisor Shelley Hakala.
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Highlights from graduation
ceremonies/Youth Recognition
Night
Student features
Plus more information to keep
you in the know for the 2015-2016
school year
Pick up your copy of School Life at locations across Troy,
including: Lifetime Fitness, Troy Community Center, Troy City
Hall, National Coney Island, Zoyo Yogurt, and City of Troy Library.
Zukin & Steele, PLLC,
2833 Crooks Rd., Ste 104, Troy, MI 48084
248.643.6654
www.ZukinSteele.com
www.schoollifetroy.com
Larson crunches numbers to
raise money
THS marketing students win
world championship
Troy High’s international qualifying DECA team and its
world championship trophies.
Troy High’s marketing students are all smiles after capturing a world championship and top
ten performance at the International Career Development Conference in Florida.
These Larson Middle School students have something to be very proud of-helping to save
lives of kids their own age.
Sixth graders participated in St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s Math-A-Thon program
to help raise money for children getting treatment for all forms of cancer. The students raised
$6,000 during the course of the two-week fundraiser. Larson students have raised over $40,000
for St. Jude over the years.
Students competed in a variety of marketing competitions against others from the United
States and international community. Troy High students advanced after finishing first at state
competition.
Andy Olson and Matt Pienta earned the world championship in the Travel and Tourism Team
Decision Making Event. Three other students- Jennifer Cui, Ally Majewski, and Clare Keatingfinished in the top 10.
During competition, they completed a written test and solved role play scenarios, judged by
members of the business community.
Each student is given a book of about 12 to 15 pages of math problems based on their ability.
The students then get pledges from friends and family and collect the donations based on how
many problems he or she was able to complete.
Other students from Troy High who qualified to compete at the international competition
were: Jimmy McAuliffe, Leo McManus, Krista Myers, Juhie Mehta, Riti Singh, Sathvik
Byreddy, Esther Simon, Tabitha Hendren, Urvi Vasudevan, Mariana Renke, Cameron Barnett,
Sydney Alexander, Eric Cheng, Trevor Coval, David Bluhm (Athens), James Rudzewicz, and
Alex LaFave.
The average cost of one day of chemotherapy for leukemia or solid tumor patient is nearly
$1,500, so each donation helps tremendously.
“This could not have been a more successful year and each student competed very well in
their respective categories,” Troy High DECA advisor Heidi Rosenberg said.
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Martell celebrates
Leadership Day’
Wass wins
‘Innovator of
Year’ for allschool art
class
Teaching students to think and analyze
deeper are important goals at Wass Elementary
School, in all subjects, art included.
“I’ve had the privilege and honor to go into
Sarah’s classroom and see her teach students
arts instruction,” Principal Matt Jansen said.
“It’s entertaining, it’s engaging.”
Photos: Ed Morykwas, School Life.
Some future leaders at Martell Elementary
School showed off their skills in May.
It was “Leadership Day.” It’s part of the
school’s “Leader In Me” program.
Each grade performed skits, songs, and
filled various roles during the event as they
demonstrated the seven habit of being a leader.
The 7 Habits include, “Being Proactive” and
“Synergize.” The school was decorated inside
and out with banners, posters, centerpieces, and
pictures to reinforce the day’s theme: Martell
kids are superheroes. Pictured, many students
wore hand-made superhero capes.
School leaders say the 7 Habits serve as
a foundation and helps students exemplify
unique gifts and talents while providing them
opportunities to be leaders.
Martell Principal Charles Lesser said the
hardest thing for him at first was to relinquish
control to the kids. “If we want people to be
leaders, we have to allow them opportunities to
lead.”
Mr. Lesser says the program has not only
helped students get along better, but improved
communications skills and made them more
excited about coming to school.
This is the first full year Martell has
participated in “The Leader In Me” program.
Mr. Jansen decided to take Sarah Clos’s
combination of ‘Visible Thinking’ and art to a
whole new level with an all-school art night.
“We want to benefit as many kids as we can,”
he said.
Wass succeeded. Nearly 600 students,
parents, and staff packed the school’s cafeteria
and gym for the school’s Canvas Night in
January. That forward thinking inspired the
Troy Foundation for Educational Excellence
to recognize Wass with the ‘Innovator of Year’
award at its annual event in April.
What did it look like with hundreds of kids
made thinking visible during Canvas Night?
Instead of talking at the students, Ms. Clos
empowered students to express themselves
with their minds and brushes by simply asking
questions.
“I ask them why might an artist paint a
picture like this or what is the artist trying to tell
us through this piece of work, and that’s when I
think the magic happens when everything gets
put together,” she said. “It’s just getting kids
thinking, and it shows them that there’s more
than one answer to a problem.
“For example,” Ms. Clos continued, “if a
student is looking and sees icy shapes, I delve
deeper and say what kind of shapes do you see
and why do you think the artist used that color?”
Her questions stimulated students to express
their creative side, shown here. (You can also
see more pictures at: www.schoollifetroy.com.)
“Here’s the cool thing about Visible
Thinking; every child has a voice in the lesson
by engaging their minds to think,” Mr. Jansen
said. “Sarah facilitated the learning, and the
students walked out that night not with just
a canvas, but a night of thinking they will
remember.”
degrees and certification programs in the near future. Unlike most four-year educational institutions, HFC’s
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four-year
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HFC
will begin
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offer
four-year
undergraduate
degrees
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Henry
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Community
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Ford College
(HFC).
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Henry
Ford
Community
is
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Henry
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(HFC).
For
more
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please
callCollege
1-800-585-4322
or
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Henry
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HFC
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more
information,
please
call
1-800-585-4322
or
visit
www.hfcc.edu.
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2015 Athens High School
Summa Cum Laude
Max Adamo • Lamia Ahmed • Lauren Aiello • Rachel Alexander • Abisha Ali • Jacob Arabbo • Afrah Arif • Akul Arora • Ramsha Awan • Sujit Bajaj • Sarah Barton • Ryan Bean • Shannon Birney
• David Bluhm • Nicholas Boynton • Rebecca Bussa • Keerthana Byreddy • Colin Carmona • Elizabeth Chander • Whitney Chen • Emily Clemente • Melissa Doozan • Kareem Elhage • Patrick
Faubert • Karli Filips • Andrew Freiman • Marlisa Gashaj • Sophia Georginis • Ali Ghazala • Preetha Ghosh • Alicia Gonzalez • Kendra Grulke • Felicity Harfield • Natalie Harris • Curtis Hsu •
Evon Ibrahim • Dalia Ibrahim • Andrew Ignasiak • Gerrit Immink • Omar Ismail • Christopher Issa • Matthew Ittoop • Isabella Jabra • Sarah Jenuwine • Darab Khan • Cyra Kharas • Ian Kuo •
Andrea LaPonsie • Tyler Lazoen • Brittany LeGwen • Kurt Leverenz • Alexander Litchfield • Hui Yi Liu • Lindsey Lundmark • Debarshi Majumdar • Rajveer Mand • Catherine Marshall • Brennan
McHugh • Janela Michelle Mojica • Klea Myftari • Alexander Ngo • Claire Nord • Jensen O’Branovic • Justin O’Connell • Caroline Pale • Ellen Paquet • Gabriela Pinotti • Milan Puscas • Shesanth
Renukk Ramakrishnan • Sruthi Ramesh • Ali Ramzan • Rachel Renou • Ryan Rockensuess • Lynn Rose • Maya Sammane • Derek Schmitz • Kevin Schwarz • Katelyn Scudder • Mena Shenouda
• Adam Siismets • Adam Skotzke • Isaac Springer • Soundharya Subramaniam • Corey Svrcina • Yuka Takahashi • Hannah Tasker • Clayton Threatt • Sarah Toporowski • Nicole Tralka • Andrea
Tran • Maria Trotta • Erica Tschirhart • Nicholas Vande Kerkhoff • Scott Voytush • Rika Wakai • Kenneth Wang • William Waters • David Webster • Nadiya Williams • Jennifer Wong
Magna Cum Laude
Amit Ahluwalia • Daniel Al Najar • Rishi Asija • Alivia Baker • Joseph Bata • Holly Bazarewski
• Samuel Bright • Shelby Cavazos • Lemuel Cheon • Anastasia Costopoulos • Michael Fouad
Meshriky • Megan Fry • Andrew Galczyk • Jonathan Galea • Cara Grant • Jaleise Hall •
Andrea Hnatievych • Victoria Horne • Shannon Hunyadi • Connor Ingram • Kasey Joslin •
Nicole Karoumy • Faraz Khan • Piljae Kim • Kwang Kim • Zuzanna Kin • Brandon Kohl •
Georgia Kontogouris • Dominick Larch • Andy Lu • Austin McCall • Ryan Melotik • Bradley
Merola • John Miller • Ryan Mooney • Sarah Moore • Alexander Mussat • Derick Nelson •
Olivia Orlando • Thomas Pawlyn • Jade Pennant • Donovan Perayeff • Mykola Potapenko •
Phillip Reynolds • Justin Richardson • Madeline Salem • Yoshika Sato • Christian Schroeder
• Christopher Serwatka • Shelby Sheehan • Carli Shiner • Dakota Stanichuk • Jack Stover •
James Tompkins • Taylor Turla • Alyssa Upchurch • John Van Hoef • Isabella Warmbrunn •
Brandon Williams • Amy Zywicki
Cum Laude
Maya Ahmad • Beenish Ali • Sarah Brosseau • Sydney Burrus • Timothy Burton • Joseph Carolan
• Pioline Choudhury • Steven DeBlauwe • Juxhers Doko • Alexzander Dudek • Jennise George •
Christina George • Lindsey Gergel • William Gilbert • Jacob Gorski • Maria Grandy • Stacey Gross •
James Haggarty • Kellyann Hahn • Robert Hart • Constantine Kapatais • Katie Lewis • Qirat Maqsood •
Diana Matti • William Mooney • Caroline Panoff • Lauren Roll • Thomas Salem • Mitchell Schoenbeck
• Natalie Shammo • Timothy Shayoka • Allen Smith • Zachary Spryszak • Anthony Topacio • Kyle
Turner • Bryan Vick • Mikayla Viel • Benjamin Wright • Shane Yadon • Rachel Zelenak • Aaron Zhang
Distinction
Brianne Abdo • Michael Abels • Joshua Andritsis • Carrigan Berard • Micah Blake-Smith •
Alexa Brady • Amber Brodacki • Jozlynn Curney • Parker Decraene • Natalie Dodoro •
Michelle Donato • Jack Elwarner • Stephen Eng • Farheen Farid • Haley Gearing • Andrew
Gervais • Michael Gombos • Cathryn Grant • Kirsten Gustafson • Barbara Harlan • Charles
Kearney • Michael Krajcev • Alexander Lambert • Sophia LaPuma • Rachel Lenz • Rachel
Malkin • Trevor Malven • Michelle Mapes • Sara Moser • John Murphy • Tommy Ngo •
Laura Palokaj • Marissa Robinson • Katherine Savelle • Travis Tenbrunsel • Devin Terry •
Angel Thymalil • Selma Vranovic • Christina Warmbrunn • Nicholas Watkins • Ryan Zettell
2015 Troy High School
Summa Cum Laude
Ellen Zhang • Hannah Ma • Angela Xiao • Kunal Tangri • Franklin Wang • Frank Boudon • Juliana Tu
• Jason Ji • Steven Cheng • Akshay Rao • Yuanzhe Zhong • Elizabeth Sun • Lawrence Wu • Chunhua
Ni • Seoyoung Kwon • Michelle Liu • Ellen Yang • Mark Elinski • Sharang Karve • Karen Cao •
Whitney Zhou • Arushi Mahajan • Edward Kim • Alex Makkinejad • Sadie Quinn • Ankita Acharya
• Maya Youness • Jessie Yang • Krithika Balakrishnan • Lillian Lu • Jeremy Lua • Devin Zhang •
Charles Luo • Kunal Garg • Cara Skrzycki • Katherine Banas • Angel Li • Julianne Fava • Anna Balas
• Urvi Vasudevan • Benjamin Zhao • Vincent Thieu • Christine Welch • Waleed Al Rawi • Katherine
Schlafhauser • Daniel Wu • Tiffany Chen • Keola Dunn • Aditya Das • Faruk Kurtovic • Moksh Karira
• Rebecca White • Syed Nabi • Tiffany Wu • Shannon Smith • Katherine Qiao • Zhili Wu • Ruchica
Chandnani • Anna Cheong • Zachary Chen • Jessica Tan • Daphne Samuel • Evan Bao • Lilian Sheu •
Courtney Motherwell • Rachel Cooper • Ye-Eun Hong • Lee-Xin Wang • Paityn Donaldson • Edward
Cai • Bushra Varachia • Meha Patel • Nicholas Lin • Shreeya Gangal • Alexander Bonich • Steven
Mitchell • Margaret Wenzel • Michael Fisher • Joseph Jackson • Adam Artzberger • Isabelle Huang
• Pietra Pincinato • Connor Welborn • Mihir Patel • Fawaz Hussain • Matthew Kong • Zilin Wu •
Iman William • Robert Urban • Kristjan Deda • Amadeus Twu • Rajesh Anand • Benjamin Mansky
• Margaret Bohr • Hannah Moeller • Lisa Schmidt • Kathryn Musial • Julia Tu • Ailun Huang • Amy
Trenh • Joshua Baird • Casey O’Brien • Nathan Shen • Megan Falk • Kyle Fietsam • Marva Malik •
Kieu Tien Mai • Emma Thomas • Suk Ro • Felix Chiang • Sukhmani Singh • Kristen Dix • Shalini
Tummala • Brianne Yeskey • Krista Myers • Alyssa Grecky • Roshan Pathre • Gowri Chandrashekar
• Hannah Cho • Bradley Coster • Colin MacKillop • Jack MacKillop • Nicholas Thompson • Spencer
Eaton • Hamza Ahmed • Jacob Howard • Rachit Agarwal • Malvika Sharma • Emily Jones • James
Kavulich • Alisa Smith • Trevor Coval • Aditya Shah • Riti Singh • Manak Singh • Kevin You • Dylan
Powell • Christopher McCloskey • Andrew Hadad • Jessica Cheng • Noelle Blancke • Melissa Zhou
• Jay Wideman • Paul Zakhary • Sophie Lin • Nikita Shanbhag • Austin Ransdell • Kumresh Sharma
• Shivaani Annadurai • Christopher Lakey • Kyle Mei • Ioan Ghiurau • Alexander Balte • Benley
Mathew • Joseph McConachie • Bincy Mappilaparampil • Michael Demetriou • Robert Hahn • Bhumi
Patel • Tarun Kalyanaraman • Claire James • David Yang • David Huang • Won Seok Lee • Samantha
Tu • Spencer Barlow
Magna Cum Laude
Addison Bouzide • Catelyn Zuhl • Vincent Meller • Nykolas Moon • Christina Khouri • Sunny Chiang • Jake
Danhausen • Akash Channasiddeswaraiah • Dennis Shih-Yun Huang • Ana Otero • Janet Lu • Maylyn Wu • Sydney
Alexander • Jinxin Dam • Nicholas Bradley • Jonathan Farran • Thomas Moran • Kevin Xing • Shenze Li • Maxwell
Dalzell • Dinesh Kapuganti • Meera Patel • Rachel Grecky • Kyle Allevato • Christina Reinke • Sarah Chung •
Adam Zaretti • Omar Al-Sharabi • Rebecca Chmielewski • Hye-Kyung Seo • Matthew Chmielewski • Clay Huang
• Parwesh Rallapalli • Usman Tayyabi • Isabelle Taylor • Sunita Ramocan • Kathryn Stibich • Amina Guo • John
Drinkwater • Suketh Ravula • Niki Yang • Melissa Rowley • Brett Johnson • David Mulkeran • Daria Sterp •
Elizabeth Sully • Joshua Choi • Margaret Jones • David Thiede • Philip Wang • Marina Mikhail • Jessica Barnowski •
Sai Adoni • Hend Massarani • Kaitlyn Sanback • Caitlin Ferber • Courteney Roberts • Elyssa Durham • Chuan Yue Li
• Rostyslav Stakhura • John Percy • Lauren Valice • Gabriele Sirkaite • Bert Van Giesen • Evelyn Groscurth • Thomas
Rowbal • Bethany Chung • Alexander Nichols • Joshua Brodbine • Joshua Cueter • Graham DeVier • Andrew Reynan
Afante • Brian Elsas • Caroline Morton • Sowmya Satagopan • Michael Hart • Jesse Nahhat • Sadana Thiru • Cara
Burns • Nikolas Sciortino • Jason Wu • Zhuoming Lei • Kiera O’Halla • Sarah Endres • Michael Tabaka • Shelby
Sacco • Juliet Sherwood • Anuj Vij • Allie Plancon • Claire Spivey • Kasey Garvelink • Alexander Laba • Jack Hsu
• Andrew Ellicott • Anindow Saha • Ryan Dulay • Taehyun Ahn • Zakir Mahmood • Gwyneth Finney • Yasmeen
Pihlgren • Breana Teamer • Simon Ma • Rachel Doepke • Burgess Young • Alina Shafikova • Johan Zacharia
Cum Laude
Marcy Coosaia-Rodger • Jung-In Kim • China Burke • Alaina Schmidt • Saadat Faiz
• Pearce Baker • Haley Lee • Adwait Wadekar • Manoj Throvagunta • Sungwon
Ham • Steven Andooparambil • Brandon Kassab • Emily Fritz • Jacob Parry • Olivia
Braun • Somya Amin • Gina Abdelmalek • Ali Bultynck • Daniel Chmielewski •
Christina Casilio • Shwetha Ramchandran • Jietao Wu • Alexander Webb • Ryan
McIntyre • Mitchell Thomson • Elsa Koran • Kelly MacKillop • Edvard Tingstad
• Erin Brogan • Andrew Peters • Shravani Vatti • Tyler Sandy • Vania Noguez •
Dominic Di Mambro • Drishti Bansal • Bryce Carlisle • Jayvardhan Jadia • Osman
Faridi • Ashley Messina • Richard Harris • Iniyan Kailainathan • Patricia Durell •
Nathaniel Bladecki • Zhenhuan Wu • Jonathon Ryan • Sandra Cutean • Harrison
Lourim • Minir Jakupi • Alexander LaFave • Gabriella Teodoridis-Clarke • Truc
Nguyen
Distinction
Jenna Ray • Lamarco Johnson • Victoria Patrick • Hardeep Singh • Irene Tsai • Saliel D'Souza • Daniel Ceccato • Amanda GlorioRiley • Emma Steele • Alba Ajdinaj • Matthew Miros • Dejuan Newsome • Jeffrey Geesey • John Parent • Elesse Davis • Abbey
Rice • Madeleine Tryon • Michael Heredia • Keagan Bochniak • Melissa Kasgorgis • Anthony Gross • Austin Smith • Mark
Reimann • Ledio Topi • Nicole Tyndorf • Jason Wloszek • Brittany Crego • Alonndra Krome • Juhie Mehta • Spencer Palmer •
Austin Schmelzle • Juhyun Lee • James Rudzewicz • Han Goo Kim • Matthew George • Kavya Gandra • Adam Hawkey • Kamil
Maciag • Chase Fayne • Christina Loukopoulos • Adam Manne • Christopher Koumoutsopoulos • Claire Brodzinski • Joseph Burns
• Bryanna Pratt • Paul Chen • Sarah Hone • Bailey Copp • Samuel Connors • Reed Talbert • Vernita Harrison • Hannah Gorosh
• Julia Hammerschmidt • Shannon Cowie • Haley Sacco • Sydney Stines • Erik Papandrea • Arianna Deciantis • Megi Kekenezi
• Adrienne Chang • Zachary Lines • Nathan Cosart • Katherine Maher • Melinda Campara • Erin Li • Dustin Lane • Alexander
Munch • Katlyn Proveaux • Emma Crusse • Shane Muczynski • Kevin Thomas
2015 I.A. East
Summa Cum Laude
Hiranmayi Akkoor • Paul Alexopoulos •
Adhithyan Appukutty • Varun Aravapally
• Michael Arwashan • Murali Bollampally
• Pranav Bollavaram • Camilla Cascardo •
Eshrar Choudhury • Sri Tarun Gogineni •
Aaiz Hussain • Vineeth Kommidi • Prasanth
Kotha • Alexandra Levin • Charlie Liang •
Sanjana Madishetty • Noah McNeal • Kamala
Meyyappan • Anang Modi • Aditya Mukundan
• David Nguyen • Sierra Nota • Neej Patel
• Rahul Roy • Ananya Shah • Suraj Shekar •
Harkamaljit Singh • Amber Sufi • Husain Taher
• Rahil Ukani • Ananya Vasudevan • Yamini
Vepa • Nikhil Yedulla
2015 I.A. East
Magna Cum Laude
Gurbani Bedi • Sai Bendi • Prabhnoor Bhatti
• Adam Bowen • Alexander Cam • Keith
Cheung • Anuja Chowdhury • Amogh Daduvai
• Niharika Dantuluri • Isabella dela Cruz •
George Jiang • Kyle Katynski • Abhinaya
Krishnaraj • Ashwin Kumar • Nicholas Meier •
Aroma Naeem • Fariba Rana • Shashank Rao •
Paola Vargas
2015 I.A. East
Cum Laude
Monzur Ahmed • Shreeya Bakshi • Sacheth
Chandramouli • Anita Chirackal • Erica Chow
• Aryamaan Gaddam • Yuan Gao • Ritika
Golechha • Brittany Jerzowski • Farkhanda
Khalid • Riya Kumar • Brian Lam • Sarang
Modi • Rajan Narang • Naren Nathan • Jason
Potter • Yasmeen Raffee • Aneesh Rastogi •
Swathi Ravishankar • Calvin Rong • Sharara
Saifullah • Misha Shah • Gurwinder Singh •
Harman Singh • Needa Toofanny • Richa Vakil
• Mansi Verma • Meike Wolf
Dean Sellers Ford supports Troy High Boosters!
May 2nd, Dean Sellers Ford sales personnel along with General Manager, Liz Sellers, met at Troy High School to conduct a Drive 4 UR School fund raiser for the
Troy High Boosters. The promotion encouraged parents and students with valid drivers’ licenses to test-drive brand new Ford vehicles brought to the campus for the day.
For each demonstration drive, Ford Motor Company donated $20 to the booster club.
“We enjoy this worthwhile endeavor which allows us to bring the vehicles to the school and offer test drives in a non-selling atmosphere while raising money for
the school,” said Liz Sellers.
Each driver received a goody bag from the dealership that included a new T-shirt, koozie, drink bottle or sunglasses, post cards and information on new Ford products.
The event ran from 9am until 4pm and Dean Sellers salespeople answered questions and demonstrated the latest technology on the new Fords.
Refreshments were served and even the weather cooperated.
See Ford’s best sellers at Dean Sellers Ford.
2600 W. Maple Road, Troy, MI
deansellersford.com
248-643-7500
Dean Sellers
Liz Sellers
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TROY HIGH SCHOOL
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ATHENS HIGH SCHOOL
2015 GRADUATES
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Auto • Homeowners • Boat • Umbrella • Renters
Athens High
Seniors
favorite
Charles Kearney
Chris Olson
Neiko Murphy
Eric Flessa
staff
Alicia Gonzalez
Kristy Pierce
Courtney Hahn
Adam Burns
Jack Stover
Ron Keoleian
Kirsten Gustafson
Michelle Flessa
Brennan McHugh
Josh Heppner
Brad Merola
Paul Hartzell
Sujit Bajaj
Jeff McCoy
Michael Abels
Adam Burns
Alexa Brady
Eric Flessa
Stacey Gross
Ray Dawood
Brad Merola
Paul Hartzell
Allard Roen
Adam Burns
Allen Smith
Dina Chrisopoulos
Joelynn Cumey
Staci Vought
Jensen O’Branovic
Mr. Mills
Christopher McCallum
Adam Burns
Nevis Rumi
Rachel Peterson
David Webster
Tom Cook
Troy High
Seniors
favorite
staff
David Yang
Dave Aldinger
Adwait Wadekar
Mrs. Frendt
Gowri Chandrashekar
Jeff Moore
Anne Pappageorge
Bob Hamilton
Ellen Yang
Jeff Moore
Breana Teamer
MacKenzie Morris
Josh Cueter
Harriet Clark
Hannah Cho
Val Valentino
Kyle Allevato
Brian Nutting
Keidi Laho
Bob Hamilton
Noelle Blancke
Kim Benbow
Parwesh Rallapalli
Christopher Dannug
Sharang Karve
Joseph Moceri
Shane Muczynski
Katie Robles
Shannon Smith
Rebecca Brewer
Paul Zakhary
Brian Nutting
Terrence Lofton
Keith Thomas
Spencer Eaton
Brian Nutting
Makayla Ingram
Lili Trudell
Students decide best books
Troy High chess expert aims
to master
Some kids pick up dodgeball or
four squares at recess. Safal Bora
picked up chess. He was 5 years old.
“It was in the (Troy) community
center,” he recalled. “My mom saw
it, there was a chess club there, and I
played once a week.
“There’s always something new to
learn,” Safal continued. “I remember
someone telling me in the first four
moves there’s four billion different
positions. That’s crazy. You could
never satisfy your wants. You can
never master it.”
A record number of students at Boulan Park, Smith, Baker, and Larson voted for their ‘Troybery’
books recently.
Every year for the past 15, students decide the best young adult novels published from the
previous year and then read the books, from January until April. Students who read three or more
of the Troybery Award winners earned a chance to vote for the Troybery Award winners.
Those students voted “The Iron Trial” as the winning Troybery, “The Eighth Day” as the runnerup, “All Four Stars” as the second runner up, and “Tesla’s Attic” as the third runner-up.
One middle school student met the Troybery Challenge. Baker’s Saumit Kukkadapu read
130 books, from October until April! Those were all the Troybery winners from 2001-2013.
Kukkadapu was chosen to attend the ceremony and announce “The Hunger Games” as the “Best
of the Best” Troyberry Award winner from 2001-2014. Kukkadapu and other students who read
the most Troyberys received a gift and had a pizza party while Skyping with Troybery runner-up
author Dianne Salerni.
The Troybery Awards began in 2001 as a way to get students excited about reading, whether or
not they’re avid readers.
Congratulations to all Troybery participants!
Only Safal has mastered chess on
many levels. The Troy High junior is
an international chess master, a past
national champion, and aiming to be
a grandmaster at the end of this month
in Philadelphia. His game has taken
him everywhere from Wisconsin to California, Las Vegas, where he dominated a tournament and
earned international Chess master.
“It was kind of tense because I had to win my last round against an international master to get
the title; so it happened,” Safal said. “I was really happy.”
His record in these national and global clashes is stellar against stiff competition. Safal said
his top high international ranking is all about ratings, with players’ ratings rising or falling
depending on their tournament wins and the ratings of their opponents. A strong school-aged
player will typically gain about a hundred points a year and then top off at a rating 1,500 or sobecause the level of play is so competitive up there near the top.
But Safal’s rating lifted off like a rocket with his recent tournament wins; his already high
number has risen to 2,200. That’s an international chess Master. Next stop, Philly and a shot at
being officially anointed a Grandmaster by the World Chess Federation.
“I’m going to try and become a grand master and see how far I can go (with Chess),” Safal
said. “If I become really good, really fast…it’s hard to say where this will take me.”
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Varun Aravapally
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Suraj Shekar
Emily Manoogian
Anang Modi
Jeff Watson
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Jamie Hallmark
Sanjana Madishetty
Jaclyn Toepel
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Jamie Hallmark
Husain Taher
Chris Daugherty
Kyle Katynski
Andrew Shankles
Conner Healy
Steve Gallagher
Lavi Singh
Gaby Naus
Meike Wolf
Evan Rokicki
Neej Patel
Emily Beski
Raghav Talreja
Kelly Paterson
Mehanaz Oyshi
Gaby Naus
Soo Cho
Nichole Mayes
Shreeya Bakshi
Jackie Toepel
Abhinaya Krishnaraj
Bettina Gamero
Swathi Ravishankar
Steve Gallagher
Vijay Venkatesh
Natalie Selweski
Amber Sufi
Gaby Naus
Niles Community
Seniors
favorite
Amanda Digiovanni
Jeff Rainwater
Amanda Mundt
Jeff Rainwater
Colin Vincent
Jason Garza
Jeremy Huotari
Susan Flewelling
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Olivia Gentry
Susan Flewelling
Summer Javed
Jeff Rainwater
Racheal Wright
Jeff Rainwater
Maya Adams
Michelle Leonard
Kyle Newberry
Jon Matthews
David Murray
Deb Linford
Tyler Stewart
Jeff Rainwater
Zari Saynganthone
Jeff Rainwater
Olivia Gentry
Deb Sheldon
Sylvester Hanna
Renee Boogren
Travis Regits
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It’s Elementary
Morse honored for first Science
Olympiad team
When it comes to science, Troy School District middle and high school Science Olympiad
teams are among the best if not the best teams in the state.
Add Morse Elementary School to that list.
An 18-member team of Morse Elementary 4th and 5th graders recently took part in a regional
Science Olympiad competition at Schoolcraft College, and earned medals in several events,
including Charged Up, Mystery Architecture, Rubber Band Catapult, Water Rockets, and
Wildlife Safari.
This is the first time Morse competed. The school can thank parent Swati Chitre for kick
starting the team. Ms. Chitre looked at the middle and high school teams and asked, “Why not
us?” Principal Stephanie Miller gave her the green light on a team. In the first year, Ms. Chitre
served as head coach. Other parents used their education talent and skills to help coach the
budding scientists.
Morse’s pioneering spirit caught the attention of Superintendent Dr. Richard Machesky, who
recognized the school’s first year efforts in Science Olympiad by helping to hand out medals to
team members during a special reception at the school. The team, Superintendent Machesky,
Principal Miller, and parent and Coach Swati Chitre are pictured here. Photo: Ed
Morykwas, School Life.
Hats off to the
Class of 2015.
Congratulations to the graduating seniors
throughout the Troy School District. You should
be very proud of your achievement.
College bound?
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Congratulations!
ATHENS HIGH SCHOOL
2015 GRADUATES
The following is a list of seniors intending on participating in the graduation ceremony and receiving a diploma. Please note that students will only participate in
the graduation ceremony once they have successfully passed and received credit in all course work and met all district attendance requirements. Congratulations
and good luck to the Class of 2015!
Mohamed Abbass • Emily Abdenour • Brianne Abdo • Michael Abels • Max Adamo • Amit Ahluwalia • Maya Ahmad • Lamia Ahmed • Sania Ahmed • Lauren
Aiello • Daniel Al Najar • Rachel Alexander • Abisha Ali • Beenish Ali • Elizabeth Andrea • Joshua Andritsis • Stephanie Angelo • Megan Anton • Jacob Arabbo
• Afrah Arif • Akul Arora • Rishi Asija • Ramsha Awan • Kristin Babbie • Sujit Bajaj • Alivia Baker • Sarah Barton • Joseph Bata • Holly Bazarewski • Ryan Bean
• Christian Bentley • Carrigan Berard • Bryant Bichalski • Shannon Birney • Micah Blake-Smith • Sara Blotske • David Bluhm • Andrew Bolek • Adam Borgen •
Kathryn Borgen • Patrick Bosworth • Nicholas Boynton • Alexa Brady • Samuel Bright • Megan Britton • Amber Brodacki • Sarah Brosseau • Ryan Burgess •
Sydney Burrus • Timothy Burton • Rebecca Bussa • Keerthana Byreddy • Angelo Cappuso • Jaden Carlson • Colin Carmona • Joseph Carolan • Shelby Cavazos
• Elizabeth Chander • Whitney Chen • Lemuel Cheon • Robert Cherry • Lily Choate • Pioline Choudhury • Emily Clemente • Michael Collison • Luke Copley •
Anastasia Costopoulos • Jozlynn Curney • Christian David • Francis James Dayco • Steven DeBlauwe • Parker Decraene • Austin DiMario • Natalie Dodoro •
Juxhers Doko • Michelle Donato • Melissa Doozan • Amy Dowdall • Alexzander Dudek • Kareem Elhage • Adam Elturk • Jack Elwarner • Stephen Eng • Tianhao
Fan • Farheen Farid • Patrick Faubert • Karli Filips • Ryan Fitzpatrick • Michael Fouad Meshriky • Joel Fox • Andrew Freiman • Megan Fry • Tess Gabriels •
Andrew Galczyk •Jonathan Galea • Marlisa Gashaj • Nicholas Gatt • Haley Gearing • Christina George • Jennise George • Sophia Georginis • Lindsey Gergel •
Andrew Gervais • Ali Ghazala • Preetha Ghosh • William Gilbert • Emmanuel Glass • Austin Goddard • Elizabeth Gojcaj • Michael Gombos • Alicia Gonzalez •
Jacob Gorski • Maria Grandy • Cara Grant • Cathryn Grant • Stacey Gross • Kendra Grulke • Kirsten Gustafson • James Haggarty • Courtney Hahn • Kellyann
Hahn • Aamina Haider • Rebekah Hailo • Jaleise Hall • Felicity Harfield • Barbara Harlan • Natalie Harris • Robert Hart • Timothy Hickey • Derek Hilty • Andrea
Hnatievych • Donte’Hogan • Victoria Horne • Curtis Hsu • Shannon Hunyadi • Dalia Ibrahim • Evon Ibrahim • Andrew Ignasiak • Gerrit Immink • Connor Ingram
• Omar Ismail • Christopher Issa • Lilian Istefan • Matthew Ittoop • Isabella Jabra • Alfonzo Jackson • Ashona Jackson • William James • Claire Jemmoa • Sarah
Jenuwine • Madisen Jorgensen • Kasey Joslin • Devin Justice-Brideau • Aleczander Kanno • Constantine Kapatais • Shane Karabelski • Nicole Karoumy • Charles
Kearney • Shane Keil • Elisabeth Kennedy • Darab Khan • Faraz Khan • Nabeel Khan • Cyra Kharas • Kwang Kim • Piljae Kim • Zuzanna Kin • Brandon Kohl
• Georgia Kontogouris • Kyle Kosnak • Michael Krajcev • Ian Kuo • Chun Kong Kwong • Nicholas LaFleur • Alexander Lambert • Morgan Lamont • Andrea
LaPonsie • Sophia LaPuma • Dominick Larch • Tyler Lazoen • Brittany LeGwen • Rachel Lenz • Matthew Lerdahl • Kurt Leverenz • Katie Lewis • Alexander
Litchfield • Hui Yi Liu • Danyelle Livingston • Brian Long • Aleah Lormin • Andy Lu • Lindsey Lundmark • Debarshi Majumdar • Rachel Malkin • Trevor Malven
• Rajveer Mand • Michelle Mapes • Qirat Maqsood • Catherine Marshall • Diana Matti • Tristan Matty • Austin McCall • Christopher McCallum • Nevin McDonald
• Brennan McHugh • Ryan Melotik • Jordan Mena • Bradley Merola • John Miller • Maya Mistry • Janela Michelle Mojica • Allison Moomaw • Ryan Mooney •
William Mooney • Sarah Moore • Sara Moser • Samuel Motzny • Randi Mousseau-Barnard • Mutanu Mukeku • John Murphy • Neiko Murphy • Bachira Murray •
Alexander Mussat • Klea Myftari • Derick Nelson • Alexander Ngo • Tommy Ngo • Claire Nord • Maxwell Northcote • Christian Novak • Brandon Nurak • Jensen
O’Branovic • Justin O’Connell • Olivia Orlando • Caroline Pale • Laura Palokaj • Caroline Panoff • Ellen Paquet • Anson Patrick • Thomas Pawlyn • Michael
Pekurovsky • Jade Pennant • Donovan Perayeff • Gabriela Pinotti • Brandon Popan • Mykola Potapenko • Milan Puscas • Kathryn Quinn • Shesanth Renukk
Ramakrishnan • Sruthi Ramesh • Ali Ramzan • Rachel Renou • Phillip Reynolds • Justin Richardson • Enrique Riley-Enriquez • Joseph Rizzo • Ennis Roberson •
Jason Roberts • Kacee Roberts • Marissa Robinson • Ryan Rockensuess • Allard Roen • Lauren Roll • Lynn Rose • Nevis Rumi • Madeline Salem •Thomas Salem
• Maya Sammane • Nicholas Santoni • Yoshika Sato • Katherine Savelle • Derek Schmitz • Mitchell Schoenbeck • Christian Schroeder • Kevin Schwarz • Katelyn
Scudder • Christopher Serwatka • Vishwa Shah • Natalie Shammo • Timothy Shayoka • Shelby Sheehan • Mena Shenouda • Carli Shiner • Drew Shornak • Adam
Siismets • Justin Silverthorn • Jarod Simms • Adam Skotzke • Allen Smith • Isaac Springer • Zachary Spryszak • Dakota Stanichuk • Jack Stover • Daniel Stutts
• Soundharya Subramaniam • Corey Svrcina • Lucas Tafoya •Yuka Takahashi • Hannah Tasker • Nighath Tayeb • Travis Tenbrunsel • Devin Terry • Emily Ther •
Clayton Threatt • Angel Thymalil • Celine Toma • James Tompkins • Anthony Topacio • Sarah Toporowski • Nicole Tralka • Andrea Tran • Maria Trotta • Erica
Tschirhart • Taylor Turla • Kyle Turner • Sami Twal • Alyssa Upchurch • John Van Hoef • Brandon Van Kampen • Leah Van Proeyen • Nicholas Vande Kerkhoff •
Bryan Vick • Mikayla Viel • Sanjay Villanassery • Scott Voytush • Selma Vranovic • Rika Wakai • Kenneth Wang • Christina Warmbrunn • Isabella Warmbrunn •
William Waters • Nicholas Watkins • Sydney Waynick • David Webster • Armoni White • Brandon Williams • Nadiya Williams • Jennifer Wong • Benjamin Wright
• Shane Yadon • Sarah Yousif • Rachel Zelenak • Ryan Zettell • Aaron Zhang • Amy Zywicki
Congratulations!
TROY HIGH SCHOOL
2015 GRADUATES
Mohammed Abboodi • Gina Abdelmalek • Steven Abitheira • Ankita Acharya • Sai Adoni • Andrew Reynan Afante • Rachit Agarwal • Hamza Ahmed • Sabbir Ahmed • Taehyun Ahn • Alba Ajdinaj
• Waleed Al Rawi • Omar Al-Sharabi • Sydney Alexander • Kyle Allevato • Ayah Aly • Michael Amalfitano • Somya Amin • Rajesh Anand • Steven Andooparambil • Drewann Andreoni • Adjoa
Aniapam • Shivaani Annadurai • Rawshan Arif • Lauren Arsanos • Adam Artzberger • Athina Baho • Joshua Baird • Pearce Baker • Marcus Bakko • Krithika Balakrishnan • Anna Balas • Alexander
Balte • Katherine Banas • Drishti Bansal • Evan Bao • Spencer Barlow • Jessica Barnowski • Kyle Beaulieu • Sean Benton • Mekayla Bisson • Nathaniel Bladecki • Noelle Blancke • Keagan Bochniak
• Margaret Bohr • Alexander Bonich • Kyle Booth • Frank Boudon • Addison Bouzide • Nicholas Bradley • Bogdan Bratu • Olivia Braun • Joshua Brodbine • Claire Brodzinski • Erin Brogan • Meghan
Brokenshire • Juliana Brooks • Ali Bultynck • China Burke • Cara Burns • Joseph Burns • Edward Cai • Melinda Campara • Karen Cao • Bryce Carlisle • Christina Casilio • Daniel Ceccato • Charlie
Chaar • Sharon Chaar • Ruchica Chandnani • Gowri Chandrashekar • Adrienne Chang • Akash Channasiddeswaraiah • Paul Chen • Tiffany Chen • Zachary Chen • Jessica Cheng • Steven Cheng •
Anna Cheong • Felix Chiang • Sunny Chiang • Sai Chittaluri • Daniel Chmielewski • Matthew Chmielewski • Rebecca Chmielewski • Hannah Cho • Joshua Choi • Andrew Cholagh • Bethany Chung
• Sarah Chung • Karen Claypool • Athena Collins • Samuel Connors • Rachel Cooper • Marcy Coosaia-Rodger • Bailey Copp • Nathan Cosart • Bradley Coster • Christopher Coussens • Trevor Coval
• Shannon Cowie • Brittany Crego • Emma Crusse • Joshua Cueter • Sandra Cutean • Saliel D’Souza • Grant Dagenais • Maxwell Dalzell • Jinxin Dam • Jake Danhausen • Aditya Das • Jalen Davenport
• Elesse Davis • Richard DeBerry • Arianna Deciantis • Kristjan Deda • Michael Demetriou • Graham DeVier • Dominic Di Mambro • Kristen Dix • Rachel Doepke • Paityn Donaldson • John
Drinkwater • Alexander Droll • John Duda • Ryan Dulay • Tressa Mae Duller • Keola Dunn • Patricia Durell • Elyssa Durham • Myka Eaton • Spencer Eaton • Mark Elinski • Andrew Ellicott • Brian
Elsas • Sarah Endres • Saadat Faiz • Megan Falk • Osman Faridi • Jonathan Farran • Julianne Fava • Chase Fayne • Caitlin Ferber • Kyle Fietsam • Benjamin Figley • Gwyneth Finney • Michael Fisher
• David Fracassa • Kaitlyn Freeman • Emily Fritz • Kavya Gandra • Shreeya Gangal • Kunal Garg • Kasey Garvelink • Michael Gebara • Nicholas Gee • Jeffrey Geesey • Lensa Gena • Matthew George
• Ioan Ghiurau • Tyler Giddey • Emma Glandt • Ashley Gleeson • Amanda Glorio-Riley • Jacob Goley • Gabriel Gomer • Matthew Gorges • Hannah Gorosh • Samantha Gotinsky • Lacey Grappin •
Alyssa Grecky • Rachel Grecky • Evelyn Groscurth • Anthony Gross • Amina Guo • Andrew Hadad • Robert Hahn • Sungwon Ham • Julia Hammerschmidt • Richard Harris • Vernita Harrison •
Michael Hart • Adam Hawkey • Michael Heredia • Brandon Hermez • Taryn Holliday • Sarah Hone • Ye-Eun Hong • Jonathan Hornsby • Jacob Howard • Alexander Howe • Jack Hsu • Ailun Huang
• Clay Huang • David Huang • Dennis Shih-Yun Huang • Isabelle Huang • Najwa Hunter • Fawaz Hussain • Amanda Hynd • Ayah Imam • Lamar Ingram • Makayla Ingram • Chanel Ita • Alexander
Jackovich • Joseph Jackson • Jayvardhan Jadia • Jacob Jaisinghani • Minir Jakupi • Claire James • Jason Ji • Brett Johnson • Lamarco Johnson • Emily Jones • Margaret Jones • Iniyan Kailainathan •
Tarun Kalyanaraman • Ramone Kammo • Jin Woo Kang • Dinesh Kapuganti • Moksh Karira • Sharang Karve • Melissa Kasgorgis • Brandon Kassab • Ashley Katta • James Kavulich • Megi Kekenezi
• Trevor Kent • Andrew Ketchum • Jesse Ketchum • Christina Khouri • Alexander Khurana • Edward Kim • Han Goo Kim • Jung-In Kim • You Seong Kim • Torrey Kinnard • Erisa Kodra • Matthew
Kong • Elsa Koran • Srinivas Kotha • Christopher Koumoutsopoulos • Alonndra Krome • Jordan Kropinski • Faruk Kurtovic • Seoyoung Kwon • Alexander Laba • Haley Labadie • Alexander LaFave
• Keidi Laho • Christopher Lakey • Dustin Lane • Haley Lee • Juhyun Lee • Won Seok Lee • Zhuoming Lei • Angel Li • Chuan Yue Li • Erin Li • Shenze Li • Nicholas Lin • Sophie Lin • Zachary
Lines • Michelle Liu • Terrence Lofton • Alijah Loh • Christina Loukopoulos • Harrison Lourim • Janet Lu • Lillian Lu • Jeremy Lua • Charles Luo • Hannah Ma • Simon Ma • Kamil Maciag • Colin
MacKillop • Jack MacKillop • Kelly MacKillop • Willie Maddox • Arushi Mahajan • Katherine Maher • Zakir Mahmood • Kieu Tien Mai • Alex Makkinejad • Hamza Malik • Marva Malik • Erik
Maloney • Adam Manne • Benjamin Mansky • Bincy Mappilaparampil • Brian Marshall • Hend Massarani • Benley Mathew • Brayden McAtamney • Christopher McCloskey • Joseph McConachie
• Ryan McIntyre • Jack McMahon • Roja Meda • Juhie Mehta • Kyle Mei • Vincent Meller • Susana Mendoza Diaz • Ashley Messina • Marina Mikhail • Andrew Miller • Matthew Miros • Mikayla
Mitchell • Steven Mitchell • Hannah Moeller • Anahita Mohammadi • Nykolas Moon • Thomas Moran • Caroline Morton • Courtney Motherwell • Shane Muczynski • David Mulkeran • Alexander
Munch • Kathryn Musial • Krista Myers • Syed Nabi • Jesse Nahhat • Mouhamadou Ndiaye • Dejuan Newsome • Truc Nguyen • Chunhua Ni • Alexander Nichols • Vania Noguez • Alondra Nuno
Sanchez • Eri Nurce • Casey O’Brien • Kiera O’Halla • Sai Ongole • Ana Otero • Spencer Palmer • Anthony Panajoti • Erik Papandrea • Anne Pappageorge • John Parent • Jacob Parry • Bhumi Patel
• Meera Patel • Meha Patel • Mihir Patel • Roshan Pathre • Samir Patil • Victoria Patrick • Allen Paul • Gary Pendleton • John Percy • Brian Perna • Andrew Peters • Yasmeen Pihlgren • Pietra Pincinato
• Suzanne Pinkston • Alexa Pinneo • Allie Plancon • Landon Platto • Tyler Porteous • Colleen Powell • Dylan Powell • Bryanna Pratt • Katlyn Proveaux • Katherine Qiao • Sadie Quinn • Parwesh
Rallapalli • Shwetha Ramchandran • Sunita Ramocan • Austin Ransdell • Akshay Rao • Suketh Ravula • Jenna Ray • Mark Reimann • Christina Reinke • Abbey Rice • Suk Ro • Courteney Roberts •
William Rodriguez • Thomas Rowbal • Melissa Rowley • Maria Rozo-Ramirez • James Rudzewicz • Jonathon Ryan • Haley Sacco • Shelby Sacco • Anindow Saha • Daphne Samuel • Kaitlyn Sanback
• Tyler Sandy • Sohan Sarkar • Sowmya Satagopan • Katherine Schlafhauser • Austin Schmelzle • Nina Schmid • Robert Schmid • Alaina Schmidt • Lisa Schmidt • Nikolas Sciortino • Hye-Kyung
Seo • Alina Shafikova • Aditya Shah • Jannah Shakoor • Nikita Shanbhag • Kumresh Sharma • Malvika Sharma • Nathan Shen • Juliet Sherwood • Lilian Sheu • David Siegel • Hardeep Singh • Manak
Singh • Riti Singh • Sukhmani Singh • Gabriele Sirkaite • Cara Skrzycki • Alisa Smith • Austin Smith • Morgan Smith • Shannon Smith • Benjamin Sowerby • Claire Spivey • Ensa Stafa • Rostyslav
Stakhura • Emma Steele • Daria Sterp • Kathryn Stibich • Sydney Stines • Meghan Strozier • Garrett Stuart • Elizabeth Sully • Elizabeth Sun • Nitin Sundaram • Michael Tabaka • Reed Talbert • Corey
Tall • Jessica Tan • Kunal Tangri • Daniel Tayar • Isabelle Taylor • Zachary Taylor • Usman Tayyabi • Breana Teamer • Gabriella Teodoridis-Clarke • Timothy Tepatti • Enea Tereziu • David Thiede
• Vincent Thieu • Sadana Thiru • Emma Thomas • Kevin Thomas • Nicholas Thompson • Mitchell Thomson • Manoj Throvagunta • Flavio Tineo • Edvard Tingstad • Ledio Topi • Amy Trenh •
Madeleine Tryon • Irene Tsai • Julia Tu • Juliana Tu • Samantha Tu • Shalini Tummala • Amadeus Twu • Nicole Tyndorf • Robert Urban • Troy Urbina • Lauren Valice • Bert Van Giesen • Lasanee
Vang • Bushra Varachia • Urvi Vasudevan • Shravani Vatti • Anuj Vij • Adwait Wadekar • Franklin Wang • Lee-Xin Wang • Philip Wang • Alexander Webb • Connor Welborn • Christine Welch •
Margaret Wenzel • Rebecca White • Addyson Wickersham • Jay Wideman • Iman William • Jason Wloszek • Daniel Wu • Jason Wu • Jietao Wu • Lawrence Wu • Maylyn Wu • Tiffany Wu • Zhenhuan
Wu • Zhili Wu • Zilin Wu • Angela Xiao • Kevin Xing • David Yang • Ellen Yang • Jessie Yang • Niki Yang • Tony Ye • Brianne Yeskey • Kevin You • Maya Youness • Burgess Young • Johan Zacharia
• Paul Zakhary • Adam Zaretti • Devin Zhang • Ellen Zhang • Benjamin Zhao • Yuanzhe Zhong • Ellen Zhou • Melissa Zhou • Whitney Zhou • Tamara Zrien • Catelyn Zuhl
Athens students shine at
state HOSA event
Athens HOSA-Future Health Professionals team proudly poses with their medals after they
placed high at the state competition.
Congratulations to the following finishers: Creative Problem Solving, first place, Lamia
Ahmed, Angel Thymalil, Jeremy Clemente, and Anita Vellaichamy; Prepared Speaking, second
place, Sruthi Ramesh; Creative Problem Solving, third place, Ritisha Ghosh, Isha Naik, Noshin
Khan, and Pooja Shah; HOSA Happenings, third place, Afrah Arif.
First place winners Ahmed, Thymalil, Clemente, and Vellaichamy will travel to Anaheim,
California to the national competition, this summer.
Congratulations!
I.A. East
2015 GRADUATES
Mohammad Abbas • Monzur Ahmed • Hiranmayi Akkoor • Paul Alexopoulos • Adhithyan Appukutty • Varun Aravapally • Robert Armstrong • Michael Arwashan
• Shreeya Bakshi • Deepika Bandarupalli • Z’el Barnes • Justin Baskaran • Gurbani Bedi • Sai Bendi • Prabhnoor Bhatti • Murali Bollampally • Pranav
Bollavaram • Adam Bowen • Alexander Cam • Camilla Cascardo • Sacheth Chandramouli • Keith Cheung • Anita Chirackal • Soo Cho • Madeleine Chong •
Eshrar Choudhury • Erica Chow • Anuja Chowdhury • Amogh Daduvai • Niharika Dantuluri • Isabella dela Cruz • Radwa Elmarakby • Aryamaan Gaddam •
Yuan Gao • Sri Tarun Gogineni • Ritika Golechha • Connor Healy • Aaiz Hussain • Shriyash Jalukar • Andrew Jamil • Brittany Jerzowski • George Jiang •
Kyle Katynski • Farkhanda Khalid • Vineeth Kommidi • Prasanth Kotha • Abhinaya Krishnaraj • Ashwin Kumar • Riya Kumar • Brian Lam • Alexandra Levin
• Charlie Liang • Sanjana Madishetty • Neal Matta • Noah McNeal • Nicholas Meier • Kamala Meyyappan • Anang Modi • Sarang Modi • Aditya Mukundan •
Aroma Naeem • Rajan Narang • Naren Nathan • David Nguyen • Sierra Nota • Eugene Oh • Mehanaz Oyshi • Neha Paruchuri • Neej Patel • Payal Patel •
Jason Potter • Yasmeen Raffee • Fariba Rana • Shashank Rao • Aneesh Rastogi • Swathi Ravishankar • Aravinth Ravithas • Calvin Rong • Rahul Roy •
Sharara Saifullah • Sania Sajid • Ananya Shah • Jay Shah • Misha Shah • Priya Shah • Suraj Shekar • Gurwinder Singh • Harkamaljit Singh • Harman Singh
• Karthik Sridasyam • Neethi Sriranga • Amber Sufi • Kavya Sundar • Maryam Syed • Husain Taher • Raghav Talreja • Souichi Terada • Needa Toofanny •
Rahil Ukani • Richa Vakil • Paola Vargas • Ananya Vasudevan • Vijay Venkatesh • Yamini Vepa • Mansi Verma • Meike Wolf • Raymond Wu • Nikhil Yedulla
It’s time to walk up the aisle
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What’s Next
Graduates?
4 Ways to
Accomplish
Your Dreams
Troy High hosts Beaumont’s
Healthy Heart Check
by Kris Harrison, MA- Hough Counseling
Like many young adults, I felt as if I had
to choose a career path by age 20 or suffer a
life of poverty. When I first signed a major in
psychology, I felt overwhelmed by the amount
of schooling required to become a therapist.
Four years of undergrad followed by another
36 years of graduate school!? Oof! I remember
my parents saying “take it one day at a time,
and before you know it, you’ll be done.”
Well, of course, my parents were right. As
a working therapist, it is a bit surreal to look
back and reflect on the steps taken to get where
I am today. My former dream has become a
reality.
Here are 4 methods to help plan and obtain
your dreams:
1. Specific is Terrific. Most goals start out
vague. However, working goals should be
S.M.A.R.T: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timelimited. A good template looks something like this: Goal: Be 50%
less stressed at the end of each day by August
1st.
Step 1: Go to bed at 10pm each night.
Step 2: Spend 10 minutes meditating each
morning.
Step 3: Organize and sort mail and email
each evening after school…etc.
2. Forgive Yourself. When checking our
progress, it’s important to be gentle with ourselves. If one thing does not go as planned, it
does not mean all hope is lost.
3. Use Rewards. Most of the time, goals are
discarded because we feel as if we are sacrificing too much to meet them. Give yourself a
break, this way we say on track without feeling like we’re punishing ourselves.
4. Breathe . Life is lived from moment to
moment and though we often become lost in
our thoughts of the future, we should remember to stop and breathe. It is important to be
present for the moments of your life and enjoy
each step, because what’s the use of making
plans for tomorrow if we cannot enjoy today?
Beaumont offered free heart screenings for high school students ages 13 to 18, at Troy High
School in May.
More than 11,000 students have taken advantage of the program since it began in 2007,
including THS freshman Aaron, pictured here.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy occurs in about 1 in every 500 people, says Dr. Haines, a
cardiovascular specialist or Beaumont Health System who was one of the doctors who played a
key role in developing the Student Heart Check program. According to Dr. Haines, ten percent
of students screened require some sort of follow up appointment.
Some people are born with an abnormal thickening and stiffening of the heart walls, which
makes someone open to electrical rhythm problems. Often times, Dr. Haines said, there are no
symptoms and a regular physical exam can’t detect it. The best way to find it is through the
combination of an EKG and electrocardiogram.
If you missed the event and want to get screened, call Beaumont’s Ernst Cardiovascular Center
at 800-328-8542 to schedule an appointment.
A name you can trust
for rehabilitation
and health care.
Post-Surgical, Short-Term Rehab
Stop in for a
tour today!
Heartland Health Care Center Oakland
925 West South Boulevard
Troy, MI 48085
248.729.4400
heartlandnursing.com/Oakland
Oakland
THS students honored for
volunteer work
A Troy High student organization had a lot of opportunities to make an important difference in
the lives of people in need. That caught the eye of the state’s Hemophilia Foundation.
Recently, the Foundation awarded Troy High’s Project LEAD student organization with the
‘Volunteer Program of the Year” award at an event in Frankenmuth.
The Foundation recognized the student group for organizing and hosting an annual holiday
party for children with Hemophilia and their families. A person with Hemophilia bleeds easily
because their blood does not clot properly. The genetic disorder can be managed with medication.
The high school students spent the day with the children facilitating several fun activities,
including decorating gingerbread houses, bracelet making, ornament decorating, and face
painting. All the children had a fun time.
Two-hundred students are part of Troy High’s Project LEAD. Shown here posing with their
award are Jason Fernando, Jennifer Schlafhauser, president Mark Elinski, faculty advisor Diane
Loucks, and her daughter Sara.
Smith breaks barriers
at lunch
At Smith Middle School, students ‘Mixed it Up” at lunch to break social barriers.
Smith students walking into the cafeteria one day in April knew right away that this lunch
would not be typical. For starters, select students greeted other students with colored tickets and
they were encouraged to find their assigned table for the meal.
The “Mix It Up Lunch” was designed to have students think beyond age, culture, race,
ethnicity, religion and social circles. Students sat at tables that matched their colored tickets.
They talked to each other, but more importantly, talked about what they had in common.
“Everyone usually sits with the same people and talks about the same things, so getting
together with new people is a good idea,” Ahimsa Sathyakumar said.
During lunch, students also stepped up their campaign to end the R-word (“retard”). Students
pledged to support the elimination of the derogatory use of the r-word from everyday speech and
promote the acceptance of inclusion and inclusion of people.
Student Melak Salim said “the r-word is a bad word because if the whole world was the same,
it wouldn’t be good. Different is good.”
One important lesson
learned from ‘Wass
Wolves’ Way’
by Harry Broomfield PhD - Director / Perspectives of Troy
In last month’s issue of Troy School Life, I wrote a brief article on the virtue of
“Respect”. At the time of the article I had not toured the Wass Elementary School
building. My grandchildren attend Wass Elementary School where poetry is a prized
learning experience in the 2nd grade class of Mrs. Skinner. I and other family members
had the joy of being an audience for an aspiring poet’s recital. It was during my visit that
I became acquainted with the “Wass Wolves’ Way”. The “Way” outlines four traits that
wolves attempt to learn and live out during their day. These four traits are noteworthy and
are admirable goals to pursue along with reading, writing and arithmetic. “Respect” is
one of the four traits listed in the Wass Wolves’ Ways.
Another trait listed in the Wass Wolves’ Ways is the ongoing pursuit of “Integrity”.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, integrity is defined as: the quality of being
honest and fair. Honesty and fairness are considered strong positive character traits in
every civilized society. Whether it’s honest score keeping in a game on the playground
during recess or trading snacks fairly from our backpacks for ones more considered more
tasty, honesty and fairness always builds a sense of integrity. When integrity begins to
develop it becomes an honored virtue to possess, especially for young wolf cubs.
Living a life of integrity is not an easy task to be sure. If a wolf were to attempt to
make wealth, fame, power, or prestige, their life priorities, there would come a time when
integrity would be sidelined in deference to that goal. It is important to note that the more
a valued behavior is practiced, the more easily it is expressed without conscious thought
or intentional effort being put forth. Living honestly and fairly within one’s community
on a consistent bases models the way we would like to experience one another. By doing
this, the cycle of living out the Wolves’ Way trait of integrity becomes the norm.
As I listened to the young poets during my visit to Wass, I wondered how their world
might be impacted for good if the Wolves’ Ways were to be fully grasped, digested, and
lived out indefinitely in their lives. I also wondered how this Wolves’ trait, if followed,
would impact our own lives?
‘MacNair Retires’ continued from page 5.
the son of a priest. One day, his father brought
home a violin. Alan MacNair was six. His
brother bet him a dime he couldn’t play Yankee
Doodle Dandy on the instrument in a week.
Young Alan won the bet, and he’s been playing
since.
When it all began at Troy High, his first
orchestra had 29 students, the second one had
13. But one by one, students began falling
under Mr. MacNair’s musical spell. Eventually,
the number of musicians swelled to the point
where three orchestras formed; each group
today numbers around 70.
Over the years Mr. MacNair’s influence on
students spread like ripples in a pond.
new approach to life.”
“I learned so much from him,” said Candy
Haldeman Cors, who played in orchestra at
Troy High from 195-1998. “He helped inspire
me to pursue my music career.”
It’s clear that whoever takes his baton will
not likely fill it the way Mr. MacNair did. His
students will miss him, so will their parents.
Troy High and Smith will miss him, too.
Twu says music under Mr. MacNair gave
him more confidence, as well as lessons beyond
music.
“I wish him the best in retirement, and I hope
he remains active in some scene,” said former
student Pei Hao.
“It’s been a personal journey for me in
humility,” Twu said. “He’s taught me more
than I could ask for; just being a person. When
I was younger, I was really in considerate of
other people. So, just thinking of myself less
has really changed my mind set and given me a
Sounds like a plan.
Mr. MacNair says so long. It isn’t often that
a long-time instructor can say, “Thank you for
having me,” and have it be just as true the other
way around.
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Preventing the “Summer Slide”
By Ann O’Brien, Center Director- The Tutoring Center, Troy
Summer slide refers to learning losses incurred by children over the
summer, when they typically are not engaged in formal learning activities.
Studies indicate that most children lose over two months of grade level
equivalency in math computational skills over the summer. And children test
lower on standardized tests at the end of summer than they did just a few
months earlier. As a consequence, teachers usually spend the first month or so
of the school year re-teaching or reviewing material that students forgot over
the summer vacation.
What can parents do to prevent the summer slide for their children? Here
are a few tips:
Before the school year ends, ask your child’s teacher for recommendations
about summer workbooks and pleasure books that can be used over the
summer.
•
Visit the library — often. The library is a great place to instill a love
of reading in children. Librarians can suggest grade-level reading
material or just let your children browse.
•
Go on day trips to the zoo, museum, or art institute. Have your children
keep a journal about these activities.
•
Set aside reading or math time. At least a few times a week, set aside
at least a half hour or hour of family learning time. Read books, do
math problems, write short stories. Make it fun, so your children will
enjoy these activities.
•
Make your vacation a learning experience. Consider visiting historical
places or national parks to discuss history lessons.
•
Need more structure for your child? Consider a more formal learning
environment, like summer camps, tutors, or learning centers. Summer
is a great time for your child to fill in learning gaps or jump ahead of
the class.
‘Curtis Hsu’ continued from page 1
“He’s such a diamond in the rough in terms of what I’ve seen across the span in my career; in terms of
being exceptional at every level, whether it is community involvement, athletics, academics, the type of
individual he is in the building,” said David McMillan, Curtis’s counselor.
Athens Prom 2015
A classmate asked him if he was going to Harvard recently. Curtis didn’t say yes, though he already
accepted. He just said, “I’m going to college.”
Spend a few minutes with Curtis, and you’ll find out what everyone else does: He is the most important
currency of any city, a tireless, humble, egoless, inspiring student leader who sees only hope and opportunity.
“I just like to enjoy the process,” Curtis said. “I look at each Advanced Placement test I take as an
opportunity to learn. I love each class I’m in. There’s so much information to take in. The process is the
reward.”
Philosopher, talent and humility all in one package.
Fish around all you like, this guy will never praise himself. Surprise him with a $20,000 scholarship
check, and he shivers.
“(The Footlocker Scholarship) caught me by surprise,” he said. “When you apply, you hope you win,
but it’s kind of hard to expect that you’ll actually win with so many talented high schoolers.”
Now. Remember. He just finished with the highest grade point average in the history of Athens. And
he said it’s hard to believe that he won a national scholarship?
Oh, Curtis.
Maybe we can clone him?
You look at him and you say, “Geez, this guy is going to win a Noble Prize someday.”
“It’s just a matter of when and in what,” McMillan said.
Curtis found his drive and will to succeed early in life. He describes his father’s sacrifices as fuel for his
success. Albert Hsu was a poor farmer in Asia.
“He went to school with no shoes,” Curtis said. “His father died when he was eight and his mother was
not educated.”
Mr. Hsu moved to America for opportunity and a college education.
“Sometimes you think, who in their right mind would just come to America with a new language and
new culture?” Curtis said. “He had to re-start everything because he couldn’t speak English. So, he gave
it all up. I think about that. I’m not just doing this for me; I’m doing it for my family. I’m doing it for my
Dad, who gave up so much just to make sure that I had a better future.”
His father succeeded.
Now, Mr. Wonderful and Humble is off to Harvard, off to the next journey in his life. Call it a hunch.
Call it blind faith. Curtis Hsu will continue to do great things.
“To be so brilliant as a human being, and so talented as a musician and an athlete, but then to be so
generous of living spirit, that’s what the world needs,” Principal Dixon said. “We’re so proud of Curtis.”
Photos: Alan Balaka Photography.
Athens High School students arrived at
Andiamo in Warren wearing stunning dresses
and sharp suits and tuxedos for their prom
Saturday, May 2.
The “A Night With Gatsby” theme set the mood for a lively night. Students rushed to the
dance floor with each popular song. School Life was there to celebrate the special night with
them. You can see many more photos of Athens’ Prom at: www.schoollifetro.com .
wishes you
Congratulations on all of your
accomplishments!
Best wishes in your future endeavors.
Call Perspectives at
248-244-8644.
We can help you on the next stage of your journey.
perspectivesoftroy.com
When it’s an emergency...
does your child have a Beaumont doctor?
Childhood emergencies never seem to happen between nine and five. That’s why
we offer specialized Pediatric Emergency Care at Beaumont – 24/7.
And if your child needs to be admitted to the hospital, you’ll be right where
you want to be.
At Beaumont, you get the most advanced care for the ones who matter most.
Pediatric Emergency Care
at Beaumont, Troy
Now a newly designed area just for children,
featuring private rooms.
beaumontchildrenshospital.com
Visit www.troy.k12.mi.us
2015 - 2016 TSD
School Calendar
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Whether you are purchasing a
new home or refinancing your
current mortgage, Talmer Bank
and Trust offers personalized
solutions for your residential
mortgage financing needs.*
As a proud parent in the Troy
School District, it would be my
privilege to assist you.
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Subject to loan approval.
*
800.456.1500 | www.talmerbank.com
F
F ebruary
Student/Staff Holiday
December 21 - Jan. 4:
Winter Recess
September 7:
Labor Day
November 26 - 27:
Thanksgiving
January 18:
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
April 4 - 11:
Spring Recess
May 30:
Memorial Day
February 15:
Mid-Winter Recess
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September 2-3 (Teacher Workday/PD Day)
November 25 (Conference Release Day)
April 1 (Teacher Workday/PD Day)
O ctOber
Jeff Miller
Senior Loan Officer
NMLS #718451
direct: 248.498.2826
2301 W. Big Beaver Rd.
Suite 525
Troy, MI 48084
email: jmiller@talmerbank.com
www.talmerbank.com/jeffmiller
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8
Mortgage Products.
Personalized Solutions.
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Half day information
9/8
10/22
11/18
11/19
1/19
1/20
1/21
1/22
3/10
3/31
6/15
6/16
6/17
(Half Day - All Students)
(Half Day - Grades 9-l2)
(Half Day - Grades K-8)
(Half Day - Grades K-5)
(Half Day - Grades 9-12)
(Half Day - Grades 9-12)
Parent teacHer
conference dayS
High Schools - 10/22, 3/10
Middle Schools - 11/18, 11/19, 3/10
Elementary - 11/18, 11/19, 3/10
Graduation information
IA East High School - 5/26/16
Troy High School - 6/11/16
Athens High School - 6/11/16
Niles Community High School - 6/15/16
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2015-June - School Life Troy

Transcription

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