Community Recognized in School District's Success

A Board of Education meeting was held Thursday night at . The public portion of the meeting focused heavily on recent Huron Valley achievements.

Recognitions were given to various staff and organizations for their commitment and contributions to Huron Valley Schools. Some of those recognized included:

• Lakeland High School counselors, Lynne Burton, Tamara DiLorenzo, Sean Dougherty, and Christina Lindberg They were acknowledged for earning, in accordance with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) guidelines, a Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) Award. According to the Huron Valley website, Lakeland may be the first school in Michigan to receive this honor.
• Lakeland High School’s, Scott Rolando, was recognized for receiving the “One Step Beyond” award from the Highland Business Association. Principal, Bob Behnke referred to Rolando as, “the pillar of culture within the building” for all that he contributes.
• White Lake business, , received praise for their contributions to various district events.
• The Huron Valley Optimist Club was acknowledged for their continued efforts within the district including their involvement in the Toys for Tots program, the Drugs 101 parent seminar, the mock car crash presentation, as well as their book donations and volunteer tutoring. “Without them we’d be lost in this community,” said Janet Roberts, Director of Community Relations and Fund Development.
• The Milford Masons (Lodge 165) were recognized for their partnership with the Grand Lodge in donating a dictionary to every third grader in all nine elementary buildings.
• Public service communications network, Michigan Net (QMN) made a $4,600 donation to the Huron Valley Education Foundation so they can continue to provide grants and support to district schools.
• All Lakeland High staff members were recognized for their accomplishments as LHS received a place on Newsweek’s Top High Schools in the United States list. 

After the personal recognitions, a brief presentation was given highlighting the results of the fall 2010 MEAP test. Among the many notable accomplishments was that the district’s above state-average scoring on all 18 tests. Huron Valley also met or exceeded the county results on 17 of the 18 tests (with the exception of fourth grade writing). 

An update on the middle school transition plan was also presented. While some items are still subject to change, the transition process is well underway. Some transition updates include the following:

• Student visits and family open houses are planned for those who will be attending a new school in the fall to get familiarized with the location, students and staff before the first day.
• Highland Middle School will be holding a celebration on May 19 to honor all the success the school has had. Those who have pictures or mementos of their time spent at HMS are encouraged to contribute them to this showcase by May 12. To do this, contact the office at 248-684-8080.
• Notification of bus routes will be sent out in August, once enrollment numbers are finalized, but those interested in preliminary route estimates may request them.
• Staff assignments will be finalized by June 8.
• Each school level will run on its own tier bus schedule. Start and end times are not yet finalized so they currently have a 30 minute range, but will likely look similar to this:

4-4:30p

Jackie Johnson, with a handful of others, also urged the community to continue their efforts to contact Lansing representatives and air concerns about the pending budget cuts that may pose devastating consequences in the Huron Valley district. Johnson sent out a late last month for those interested in expressing their views.

John Knight was the only board member absent from this evenings meeting. To see tonight's meeting tune in to HVSTV Fridays at 8pm.

The next Board of Education meeting is scheduled for May 12 at 7 p.m. at Lakeland High School.