Seaholm Advantage - Birmingham Public Schools

The Seaholm
Advantage
Think with reflection. Act with compassion. Perform with honor.
Welcome to Seaholm
Welcome to Seaholm High School, a vibrant and exciting place to learn and a place where our students
know they are part of our family. We take great pride in our high expectations for achievement, our
acceptance of differing perspectives and our feeling of community. Our staff encourages students to take
risks and to find their passion during their time at Seaholm.
Seaholm prides itself not only on offering you a longstanding tradition of academic excellence but also on
providing you with a multitude of opportunities for engagement in the arts, athletics and community service. Whether you are interested in renewable energy, debating at the national level, or managing a retail
outfitter on campus, our curriculum extends well beyond the classroom walls.
We are proud of our dedicated efforts that reflect strong partnerships among students, staff, parents and
community. Helping individuals and organizations in need is one of life’s lessons that you will find is a
hallmark of Seaholm’s commitment to generosity, compassion and service.
So, again, welcome to our school and make yourself at home. We are excited about the opportunity to
enrich your lives academically, athletically, artistically and socially.
We look forward to your becoming members of our learning community.
Rachel M. Guinn, Principal
The Seaholm Advantage
For more information
Seaholm High School
2436 West Lincoln
Birmingham, MI 48009
www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/Seaholm
Seaholm High School is a four year comprehensive high school with over 1,400 students in attendance.
The trimester schedule allows our students to take a variety of core courses as well as an extensive number of electives. Students attend classes with an average of 26 students. The faculty and staff at Seaholm
are highly qualified, with nearly 90 percent holding advanced degrees.
Seaholm consistently ranks as one of the most highly regarded high schools in the state. On the ACT and
SAT, Seaholm students score well above both the national and state averages and are actively sought by
colleges and universities across the country.
Seaholm Pride
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Seaholm offers over 20 AP courses in both core and elective disciplines. A majority of the students
excel and earn college credit.
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Seaholm offers 32 varsity sports programs (several of which are State Champions) which emphasize
not only outstanding athletic skills but also teamwork, sportsmanship and character building.
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A large number of students participate in the annual Michigan Mathematics Prize Competition,
frequently advancing to the final competition.
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Seaholm offers award winning career and technical education programs: business, marketing, finance
and information technology.
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Seaholm offers extensive programs in the fine and performing arts. Annually, students earn awards at
local, state and national levels in music, art, publications, writing and oratory.
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Robotics, engineering technology and renewable energy capture the talent and imagination of students
who maximize their potential through hands-on experiences.
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Community Service is an integral part of the Seaholm experience. The Community Service Office
provides opportunities for students to perform service out in the larger community.
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The upperclassmen serve as mentors to the freshmen and students new to Seaholm to ensure a smooth
transition to high school through the Make Me a Maple (M3) Program and New Student Welcome
Group.
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Seaholm STEM/Physics teacher, Doug Baltz, earned the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator
Fellowship for 2015-16. Baltz brought bring his insights, extensive knowledge and practical classroom
experience to the legislative and executive branches, aiding in the establishment and implementation of
federal education programs.
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The latest technology for student learning includes Sanako language labs, Digital Storm Computers for
game design and programming.
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Seaholm Business Technology Teacher, Leisa Passarelli, was selected as Birmingham Public School’s
2016 Teacher of the Year
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Seaholm’s Business Technology Department services more students a year more than most other high
schools or vocational centers in Oakland County
English Language Arts
Our goal is to prepare you not only to meet college and career expectations, but also to find genuine
pleasure in the power of words to communicate the human experience. Whether your talent leads
you to create poetry, act in a Shakespearean play, or write the perfect argument, we have classes to
suit your interests. Our core courses offer instruction in the best of classic and contemporary literature, motivating you to find the joy of connecting to other people and worlds through reading. With
our emphasis on personal choice in elective and core classes, we can provide you with an intellectually stimulating experience in our honors, Advanced Placement, and college-bound classes.
Social Studies
Why did so many people die in the Black Death in Europe 700 years ago? Why are there still racially based
riots in the US decades after the Civil Rights movement? How can you make a difference in your world?
In Seaholm’s Social Studies classes, you will examine questions such as these in dynamic ways. We offer
you the traditional Social Studies curriculum but with a student-centered approach. You have options to take
unique elective classes, taught in a blended format, with time spent both in the classroom and doing field
research: visiting museums, utilizing community resources and interviewing local experts. Additionally, you
have opportunities to take multiple Advanced Placement classes, from AP American History to AP Psychology and more. You will learn to be active citizens of our community, our country and even our world.
Honors Flexible Scheduling Program
The Flex Program, currently celebrating 52 years at Seaholm, is at its core a community of learners, students and teachers alike. Flex’s seminar-based approach to teaching and learning offers you the opportunity
to examine English and social studies through an integrated curriculum. Together we explore yearly essential questions such as “What Does It Mean to be a Global Citizen?” and “Can We Still Dream the American
Dream?” Student and community involvement are at the heart of the Flex program with ample opportunities for community service, leadership, individualized learning and engagement in a democratic school
setting. Flex is open to all Seaholm students grades 9-12. For more information please visit our website:
www.theflexprogram.org.
Mathematics
Our mathematics sequences provide opportunities to reach AP courses in calculus and statistics and to
develop a solid college-ready foundation in mathematics at a pace that is most appropriate for your needs.
Daily Academic Labs provide math support if you need it. Dedicated teachers are available both before and
after school to help ensure your success. In mathematics classes, you will engage in learning with audience
response systems, graphing calculator tools, dynamic geometry environments, the Internet, spreadsheets,
and other technological tools. You will be pushed to deepen your conceptual understanding, become a
patient and persistent problem solver, and execute algorithms fluently. Success in high school mathematics
is a strong predictor of success in college. We look forward to helping you achieve success in mathematics
and appreciate its broad applicability in the world outside of school.
Science
Whether you’d like to genetically engineer bacteria, calculate the trajectory of the space shuttle, dissect and
analyze a brain, help in Seaholm’s recycling program, or observe weather patterns and compete with your
local weatherman in predicting the next record snowfall, Seaholm Science has something for you! You may
select college preparatory or honors classes in biology, chemistry and physics. Advanced placement classes
are offered in biology, chemistry, environmental science and physics. If space is your new frontier, Astronomy is your destination and if you’re more interested in your own personal inner space, join Anatomy and
Physiology. Our new research and design classes provide opportunities to develop STEM (science, technogy, engineering and mathmatics) related projects, embedding authentic data internships with professionals from the metropolitan Detroit area. Whatever you choose, you can be guaranteed an exciting science
experience using the most current technology applications in our modern world.
World Language
The World Language Department is proud to offer you course sequences in Chinese, French and Spanish. Advanced Placement courses are available in all three languages. Additionally, Hispanic Perspectives
provides a unique post-Advanced Placement experience for those of you wishing to expand your study of
Spanish. Your teachers are committed to the 5 C’s of language learning: Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons and Communities. We use the latest technologies for instruction, assessments, and
real-time communication with native speakers. At Seaholm, we are committed to a language acquisition
model, where you will demonstrate your learning through a multitude of activities and assessments and
where technology and collaboration are instrumental in this commitment. The strength of the language
program lies in the teachers who will work with you by making learning, collaboration and innovation part
of our daily routine. As a point of pride for the beginning of the 2016-17 school year, Seaholm will be inaugurating a new Language Lab with the latest technologies to aide in the acquisition process of your new
language.
Business Technology
Explore your career and college major options by taking hands-on courses in programming, web design,
marketing, financing, and business management. Our award winning programs and teachers offer our
students the chance to explore their career options. Students can choose from project-based classes such
as Game Design, Web Design, and AP Computer Science held in our newly equipped digital design lab.
Marketing students can participate in DECA (a competitive student marketing association), learn about
fashion merchandising, social media, sports marketing, advertising and learn to run a small business in our
student-run School Store. Students have the opportunity to take Personal Finance, Investments, and Accounting to help them prepare for their financial futures as well as potential college courses. In Investments,
students will compete against other schools in the stock market simulation. Students will also be able
to earn school credits by working in our work based learning program. Our teachers help students make
connections to the real world with field trips to places like the Palace of Auburn Hills, Ford Field, and the
Detroit Auto Show. Explore your interests in programming, marketing, web design, finance, and management and see where Business Technology can take you!
Engineering Technology
Imagine a car that could morph its shape based on the driver’s whims. What if satellites had metal-like
skins that could repair themselves from damage in space? What if old high-rise buildings could be turned
into vertical farms to help fight world hunger? Picture a 3D cell-phone screen strapped to your wrist.
How about turning pond scum into green fuel? What if there was a class where curiosity ruled, where
you learned not only how things worked but how you might make them work better? What if the biggest
challenge was between you and your imagination? Students in the Engineering Technology department put
scientific knowledge to practical use applying science and math to solve problems creatively. It’s collaborative. It’s creative. It’s critical thinking. And it’s all centered on the most vital fields of learning and essential
professions needed in the world today and tomorrow. It’s what educators call STEM (science, technology,
engineering and mathematics). Step through the door to experience an approach to learning that fuels imaginative thinking, creative problem solving and innovative solutions - just the kinds of skills that will help
you succeed in you education and beyond.
Physical Education
Your physical health is important to us! Take advantage of our offerings in Personal Fitness, Team Sports,
Lifeguard Training and more. Work out in our state of the art fitness center, featuring cardio equipment,
Reebok Steps, free weights and resistance machines. Explore your adventurous side with our Scuba Diving
class and become certified to explore the deep!
Fine Arts
We invite you to join other creative students in our Fine Arts department. The marching band, concert
and symphony bands and orchestras, as well as our 60 member choir The Voices, and pop ensemble
SEA, nurture and celebrate the fine musical talents at Seaholm. Music students travel across the world,
most recently to London, Austria and Hawaii, receiving accolades and awards in competitions and solo
and ensemble festivals. We also offer a class piano lab with “state of the art” technology to learn music
theory and composition. If you are passionate about musical theater, then come and get involved in our
outstanding productions. If art is your passion, enroll in one of our numerous art classes, from Ceramics
and Drawing to Jewelry Making, Multimedia and Photography. Each year the number of awards received
grows as we submit our work to local and national competitions. The arts are a true strength of Seaholm
and highly valued by our community. Other school systems look to us as a leader in the area of arts’
education.
Life Management
Design your current or future home using the latest trends in interior design; learn to cook Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine while delving into the customs and cultures of those around the world; take a baby
simulator home for the week and experience what life with the responsibility of a baby can be; these
are a few examples of what coursesyou can take in Life Management. Life Management courses also
include Foods and Nutrition, Interior Design, Parenting & Child Development, Today’s Health and Contemporary Life Issues. We are proud that your experience in Today’s Health also includes the opportunity
to give back with community service projects.
Other Educational Opportunities
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Program for All services the needs of both in-district and Oakland
County resident students.
• English as a Second Language (ESL) and English Language Learner (ELL) services allow students to
develop English proficiency and transition successfully into the Seaholm environment.
• Oakland Schools Technical Campus (OSTC) allows students academic credit for coursework that
builds college and career readiness.
• Dual enrollment enables students who have advanced through the Seaholm curriculum offerings to
engage in coursework at local colleges and universities.
• The Oakland School Early College program is available to juniors and provides an opportunity to earn
an associate’s degree in conjunction with their high school diploma.
Inspiring learners
In 2013, the district embarked upon a process to create a new Strategic Plan. The goal creation
involved stakeholders throughout the district and took place over several days. Parents, community
members, students, staff members and administration and board members, established the four following
goals:
1.All BPS learners will continually excel in a learning environment that is engaging, global and free
of achievement gaps.
2.All BPS learners will be engaged every day, in every way, through a world-class education to
discover their passions, unleash their potential to be successful and contributing members of their
communities.
3.All BPS learners will demonstrate empathy. As ethical leaders, they will embrace opportunities
that positively impact the world.
4.BPS will design and implement a dynamic educational organization that creates unlimited
opportunities for student learners.
These four goals support the district’s Mission Statement:
“By ensuring educational excellence, we challenge and inspire all learners to positively impact their
world.”
BPS is proud to have earned district accreditation
through AdvancED. This voluntary method of
quality assurance is designed to help educational
institutions boost their ongoing performance efforts
for the benefit of their students.
The BPS AdvancED district accreditation means
that the district is united in providing the highest
level of educational excellence possible for each of
our students.
District Points of Pride
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Average ACT score of 25
News and World Report top ranking high schools in 2016
87 percent of teachers hold advanced degrees
Instructional Specialists and Reading Specialists in all elementary schools
Eleven National Schools of Character
Strong Community Education programming
Championship athletic teams utilizing state-of-the-art equipment and fields