HOOVER MIDDLE SCHOOL: How about that band!

Congratulations to the Hoover Middle School Concert Band which received a 1st Division Rating at District 12 MSBOA Band Festival competition on March 10.

The band performed three selections on stage for the audience and three musical judges. All three judges gave them the highest rating.

The band received the second highest rating in the sight-reading portion of the competition for an overall 1st division ranking.

The band will receive a plaque to hang in the band room and each student will be awarded a first place medal. Congratulations to Mr. Bergler and the entire Hoover Concert Band!

KINYON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL students created leprechaun traps

Fifth-grade Kinyon Elementary School kids recently created leprechaun traps using simple machines.

TAYLOR PARKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL turns the clock back

One of the most anticipated specials at Taylor Parks Elementary School is taking place.

The Scholastic Book Fair is in full swing and the students couldn't be more excited. With the theme of “Groovy Reading – Peace, Love, Books,” the whole school has a ‘60s feel about it. Tie-dye, peace signs, and lava lamps are seen throughout the building.

FAR OUT.

HOLLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is where reading turns to magic

Holland Elementary School is at it again. They keep on reading and reading and on March 15, we were celebrating with Magician Doug Scheer. It was a blast.

HOLLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL group shakes the world

It's Ms. Danaj's After School Club at Holland Elementary School! Every Tuesday in March they meet to read, play and have fun learning something really cool. On this day they built their own volcanoes and made them erupt.

TRUMAN HIGH SCHOOL DECA members excel in state career conference

Over the past weekend Truman High School’s DECA members competed at the State Career Development Conference in Detroit. All of the events took place at Cobo Hall and the group stayed at the Holiday Inn Express.

The students represented Truman with pride. They were so well behaved the hotel staff went out of their way to compliment the school on their manners and generosity to help not just the staff, but other schools students as well.

Truman graduate Johnny Williams is now a manager at PizzaPapalis in Detroit and he donated dinner for Truman and Kennedy High School on Saturday night. Their famous Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, pop, bread and salad – along with all of the plates, cups, napkins and silverware – were great. It was just another example of the great Truman character our students leave our school with when they graduate.

Truman took 18 students to the competition. Each student dressed professionally, attended events, “networked” with other students, advisors, teachers, businesses and colleges at the vendor exhibit. Our chapter was recognized for having 100 percent membership, meaning all marketing students are also DECA members.

Bianca Warner will be attending the International Career Development Conference in April. She applied for and was awarded a prestigious spot in the leadership academy. She had to write essays on leadership, marketing, character, and her future goals in business and marketing. She needed recommendation letters and a grade point of 3.0 or higher in all CTE classes.

Luke Deshano, Ethan Mulready, and Brett Rideout won medals for their entrepreneurship innovation plan. They were among the top 10 qualifiers in the state of Michigan. Linda Szabo and Rachel Trombetta won medals for their public relations project spreading awareness in the school and community on the importance of online safety.

Alexa Bailey, Alexandra rice, George Felix, Javon Felix, Amario Massey, Cindy Nyarko, Harkarin Sembhi, Da'kyra Mcghee-Monk, Daniel Andrade, Christian Hernandez, and Brendan Hoffman all won medals and were the top finalists in our district competition to qualify for the state competition. Each of them worked very hard on their projects and we are very proud of all 18 students that competed at the state level for DECA.

The staff wants to thank my administration and teachers for being so supportive of our DECA marketing club and for all the help they have given our students.

OLD FLETCHER SCHOOL to be demolished, thanks to help from state grant

The City of Taylor has been awarded a Blight Elimination Program Grant of $100,000 by the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority, targeting the old and abandoned Fletcher Elementary School along Pardee Road, north of Superior. 

"We've been working very hard behind the scenes to obtain this grant, which will go a long ways toward covering the cost of the demolition," Mayor Rick Sollars said.

"The demolition of this vacant and dangerous building is a benefit to the entire community," Community Development Manager Jeff Baum said. "It has become an eyesore in the middle of an area of rapid economic growth. Most importantly it makes the neighborhood surrounding the building safer for our residents."

The proposal to demolish the school aligns with the City's master plan, which focuses on placemaking and walkability within the community. It will be the fourth vacant school building to be demolished in recent years in Taylor. After demolition, the City will solicit bids for redevelopment of the site.

In October 2015, the Michigan Land Bank received a $1 million grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to continue efforts to demolish vacant and abandoned structures and promote public safety. County land banks and local units of government with eligible projects across the state were invited to apply for this round of funding in early February. Grant awards for individual projects were capped at $250,000. Statewide, 41 applications were submitted requesting more than $3.4M to fight blight.

"This award will help the continued revitalization of the Taylor community," said State Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D-Taylor). "Thought those efforts we will able to eliminate community blight and provide a safer and more secure landscape for families and children. I look forward to having this property back into productive use."

“While it is always unfortunate to see buildings and properties fall into disuse, removing these blighted structures will help make Taylor safer, allow further opportunity for economic development, and continually improve our image as the core of the Downriver communities,” said State Rep. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor). “I am pleased to have supported bringing this funding to Taylor.”

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents and to engage in community economic development activities to revitalize urban and rural communities.* 

*MSHDA's loans and operating expenses are financed through the sale of tax-exempt and taxable bonds as well as notes to private investors, not from state tax revenues. Proceeds are loaned at below-market interest rates to developers of rental housing, and help fund mortgages and home improvement loans. MSHDA also administers several federal housing programs. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/mshda.