Monday, May 29, 2017

TRUMAN HIGH SCHOOL celebrates Decision Day 2017!


Decision Day for Truman High School was held on Tuesday, May 16.  The seniors were invited to the cafeteria to sign their name on the poster of the college or post-secondary education facility that they will be attending in the fall.   

They received student planners, sunglasses and enjoyed some good music and food.  The teachers, counselors, administrators and staff have worked diligently to help the class of 2017 pursue their areas of interest and we are all very proud of them. 


YOUTH ART COMPETITION deadline is Tuesday, May 30

Take note: Tuesday, May 30, is the deadline for the Youth Art Competition sponsored by MI Custom signs and the Downriver Council for the Arts.

Winners in various categories will be announced at Friday's opening day of the Taylor Farmer's Market. 

Participants should drop off their artwork at the Taylor Community Library!



TRUMAN HIGH SCHOOL marketing students join chamber forum


Truman High School marketing students were treated to a unique experience at the recent business forum at Crystal Gardens.

After completing their business plans and wrapping up the 12 segments of marketing in class, the keynote speaker, CEO of Biggby Coffee Bob Fish, was a perfect way to end the unit.

Our students received a delicious lunch and were able to network with Downriver officials on business and marketing. During the question-and-answer session, the guest speaker said Cindy Nyarko's question is the best one he has ever seen at a business forum (see picture of her question attached).

The 9 students who earned the chance to go were Alondra Castaneda, Sara Sherazi, Tiffany Timpf, Austin Gignac, Josh Myles, Cindy Nyarko, Meghan Hontz, Gabriella Sanchez, and Marissa Johnson. These students have A’s in marketing class, are leaders as school store managers, and some even attended district, state, and national competition for DECA.

We want to thank Councilwoman Angela Croft for sponsoring our table and Truman HS Principal Melissa Skopcynzski for providing us with this opportunity. It was an amazing learning opportunity for Truman marketing students, not just for the state NOCTI test and classroom curriculum, but also for their DECA competitions.

Posted by Truman HS marketing Teacher Carly Lindgren


DECA BANQUET is a huge success


The recent DECA Banquet was a huge success.

The students planned, organized, coordinated and set up for this spectacular end-of-the-year celebration of spectacular marketing students.

The banquet began with a speech from Truman Marketing Teacher Carly Lundgren, followed buy Vice President Sara Sherazi leading us in the DECA creed and followed by her speech.

Then President Amario Massey gave a speech. Individual awards followed, where students received honors for top scores for competitions; student of the months; academic achievement for the marketing class; vocational completion certificates; classroom awards; mock elections; and the crowning of the King and Queen.

Over 10 different students presented and gave speeches and the banquet ended with Amario Massey being awarded student of the year; Junaid Syed being awarded employee of the year; and Sara Sherazi being named the 2017-2018 DECA president.

Elections will be held in September for the other executive board positions.

Mrs. Amy Wagel took over 240 pictures from our banquet making sure to include each student that won something as well. Those are on her facebook page called zumbaparty.us If anyone would like to see more or tag themselves in those photos if they know their kid is in any of them.

It has been an amazing year and I am so blessed and honored to have had our most successful group of marketing students to date. I will miss the seniors so much and look forward to those underclassman getting a chance to take on their roles next year.


Posted by Truman HS Marketing Teacher Carly Lundgren

JOHNSON EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER creates scrapbooks


Preschool children worked together with a family member to create scrapbooks in Mrs. Sute's class at Johnson Early Childhood Center.


While designing the books, the children created a lasting memory, as well as developing their small muscles, creativity, planning and organizational skills. 

This experience also helps the little ones realize the end of the school year is upon them and helps them to look forward to a bright future in kindergarten next fall.

FOURTH-GRADERS attend the Michigan Philharmonic


Earlier this month, all of the Taylor School District fourth graders attended the Michigan Philharmonic Orchestra's Koncert for Kids at the Prechter Center for Performing Arts on the WCCCD campus. The Philharmonic presents 45-minute "Koncerts for Kids" for fourth grade students.

The featured piece is Andre Myers' work, Paddle to the Sea, based on the fourth-grade curriculum's literature and social studies book by H.C. Holling and commissioned by the Philharmonic in 2004 specifically for these performances.

This piece is a twelve- minute narrated work with text taken from the book. The musical program is designed to engage a younger audience. At the concert students will learn about different instrument families, composers, the composition process, and conducting (including a "conduct along").


Also, every year our third-grade classes receive a visit from the Philharmonic in the schools to demonstrate orchestra instruments. The schools seek to expand the program for composing with our fifth graders.

EUREKA HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL welcomes Memorial Day



Eureka Heights Elementary Chorus and Chimes celebrated Memorial Day with State Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, who gave the school a flag that has flown over the State Capitol. Visitors that attended were Senator Hopgood, JROTC and Board of Education member member Pam Lakatos.

KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL senior finishes perfect attendance streak

(Via Dave Herndon, The News-Herald Newspapers)

When school is over for Kennedy High School seniors, Dylan Jones will have attended 2,227 consecutive days. That’s every single day between kindergarten and the end of his senior year.

“What a neat kid,” Supt. Ben Williams said.

Jones was more consistent than a postal worker, going to school through rain and snow and any various illness he had.

“I’ve never been so severely sick that I couldn’t do anything that day,” he said.

His mother, Stacy Jones said that on the rare occasion he did get sick, it was always on a Friday afternoon.

“He’d be better by Monday,” she said.

Appointments and other errands that needed to be run were always scheduled for later in the day.

Dylan said it wasn’t a goal he personally set, but more one his mother Stacy Jones had from the time he was born.

“She decided when she was in high school that she was going to have a kid who didn’t miss a day of school,” Dylan joked.

“He’s a very good student,” Stacy Jones said. “He’s on the honor roll.”

Dylan said he wasn’t involved in a lot of clubs while he was in school, so he never wanted to miss an opportunity to see his friends.

“I was in art club for awhile,” he said, “but not much else.”

The reason he wasn’t in many extracurricular activities was he was focusing on his education, taking courses at Wayne County Community College.

“I’ve got a full year of college finished already,” he said.

It wasn’t always easy to make it to school every day.

“There were a few days when I hit the snooze button and had to rush to get there on time,” Dylan said.

In the fall he is off to Eastern Michigan University to study nursing, like his mother did.

“He’s hoping that some group will offer some type of scholarship or something to help with room and board for next year,” Stacy Jones said. “He’s got a full academic scholarship already. It would take over an hour and a half to commute, in good weather.”

He will have a work-study job to help offset those costs as well.

Outside of school he spent years studying karate, drums and the guitar.


“He’s a very dedicated student,” Stacy Jones said.

KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL promo photos


Check out The News-Herald's photo album of the Kennedy High School Senior Prom.

Click here

TRUMAN HIGH SCHOOL senior prom photos


Check out The News-Herald Newspapers' photo gallery of the Truman High School Senior Prom.

Click here

13 WAYS TO REACH OUT: Countering thoughts of suicide


During a recent discussion on the Netflix popular series about teen suicide, "13 Reasons Why," experts, parents and educators gathered to create a different list.

Here are their 13 Ways to Reach Out:


  1. Distraction
  2. Being Reassuring
  3. Providing Hope
  4. Using Technology to Help You
  5. Normalizing Feelings
  6. Embracing Individuality 
  7. Validating Your Thoughts
  8. Talking About The Problems
  9. Treating Each Other Better
  10. Telling an Adult
  11. Advocating for Others
  12. Making a Journal
  13. Using Artistic Outlets




13 REASONS WHY discussed in roundtable

(Via Dave Herndon, The News-Herald Newspapers)

About 20 people gathered in Taylor recently to discuss the new Netflix television series “13 Reasons Why” and how that is helping to raise awareness of mental health issues.

The series is 13 episodes long and focuses on a teenager, Hannah Baker, who commits suicide by slitting her wrists. Each episode shows off some of the reasons, or more specifically people, who caused her to get to the point of suicide.

The character in the show identified the 13 people in her life that gave her reasons.

“This is a very popular series,” Taylor Schools therapist Sandra Kluk said. “It is Netflix’s most talked about series of all times.”

It tackles several themes that helped to lead up to Baker’s suicide in the series.

In the show, Baker was shamed, having a graphic photo of her shared around the school, teased, picked on and more.

“Our teens are watching this and not processing it with anyone,” Kluk said. “It’s very graphic. Each of these characters in the show she blames as a contributor to her suicide.”

The specific discussion at the event was kept private, so names in the story of people other than officials have names to protect their identities.

Is suicide anyone’s fault?

“I don’t think it is,” a woman who will be referred to as Mandy said. “My niece committed suicide, and I blamed her parents.”

Mandy said after a while she realized that her niece’s parents weren’t at fault, it was just something that happened.

“I’m sorry that it happened to you,” a woman called Susan said. “A lot of these teens want to reach out and talk to someone. They have a fear of being judged or making their parents look bad.
Susan said that she feels that some people are at fault.

“My son came home the other days and told me about the girl around the corner having slits on her wrists,” she said. “Now I have to figure out how to deal with that and help her.”

Another woman, Michelle, said that there hasn’t been a month go by in recent memory where she didn’t hear of a child committing suicide due to pressures, real or perceived, put on them through school or other methods.

Officials with the Community Care Services center in Taylor said there is no reason why one child commits suicide and another doesn’t. They said every student reacts to things differently and each case is unique.

Hannah talked to no one. CCS officials said that was the key point missing for Hannah Baker. There were many key points in the series where she became a victim and seemed to feel like she deserved it.

“Hannah talked to no one,” Kluk said. “She didn’t talk about her problems with anyone.”

The characters were “far too adult” to be “real” according to officials running the meeting, however their stories are real.

“We work in the high school,” Kluk said. “We see these things, kids go to parties, kids get raped.”

Officials said that talking about their issues is the first step to getting help for people.

What do good friendships look like?

“Do good friendships keep suicide plans a secret or do they risk shaming the family by getting help,” one of the officials asked.

The group consensus was that it was better to seek help than to keep a secret. The group said that sometimes people, especially teens just need time to get out of the headspace they are in, and by seeking help they often help the other person get that time.

Officials said it’s better to seek help than to attempt to be the person’s therapist on their own.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, the event was put on as part of the continuing education and raising awareness for people with mental health problems.


(see accompanying story tracking “13 Ways to Reach Out)

ROBOTICS TEAM participates in Relay for Life

The TNT Robotics Team recently participated in the Taylor Relay for Life!





HOOVER MIDDLE SCHOOL band leads parade

The Hoover Middle School Marching Band recently led the Taylor Relay for Life's annual kickoff walk!











KINYON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL students enjoy visit


First graders from Kinyon Elementary School spent some quality time at City Hall recently.

The pupils saw the City Council Chambers (and acted out a resolution by standing in as elected officials); and toured the Veterans Museum, police and fire departments.


They also got an up close and personal look at the miniature log cabin model, on display in the City Hall atrium. The model was created by Sheila Baron and donated to the Taylor Historical Society in 2007. It has some amazing detail ... which certainly got the children's attention.











HOLLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Student Council passes out recess balls


The Holland Elementary School Student Council gifted each classroom a recess ball. The school is ready for some team sport activity.


MCDOWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL offers beautiful music


McDowell Elementary School is in full swing with lots of concerts! Its wonderful music teacher, Mrs. Arndt, and her students are filling the school with joyful music.

The second graders performed Thursday, the choir sang Friday and next week the first, third and fourth grades will take the stage. 

Musical training helps develop language and reasoning: Students who have early musical training develop the areas of the brain related to language and reasoning. Thank you to Mrs. Arndt for teaching the students!