School Pointes

Clockwise from upper left: "Chefs" Julie Kennedy, Christina Michaud and Christy Davenport serve up a gourmet selection of books; the table is set for reading; Julie Lawrence presents to the students; sixth graders enjoy the main course.

On the menu at Pierce Middle School’s library this week and last were some tasty book offerings to whet students’ appetites for reading. Sixth and seventh graders from Christy Davenport, Julie Lawrence and Julia Kennedy’s English language arts classes enjoyed a table setting complete with book recommendations and a checklist to write down 10 books they want to read.

Specials du jour included genres such as fantasy/supernatural served with magic and strange settings; mystery and horror served with intrigue curses and fear; science fiction served with science, tech and the future; adventure served with excitement and risk; realistic fiction served with real-life, relatable ideas; historical fiction served with action inspired by history; romance served with flirting and love; and humor served with cheesy jokes, silliness and fun.

After devouring books during the main course, students moved on to dessert – more books!

Monteith second grader Henry Melville models one of his T-shirt samples.

Entrepreneur is a big word for any 8-year-old, but for Henry Melville, a second grader at Monteith Elementary, it is already in his wheelhouse as part of his lived experience.

Henry started a T-shirt business on Etsy called HanksTanks and has designed several shirts specifically for Monteith’s upcoming Glow Dance on Feb. 11. He even designed a logo for his business card, which lists him as the designer/CEO of HanksTanks T-Shirt Designs.

Henry is collecting orders now at hankstanks.etsy.com and offers adult, child and even toddler sizes. He plans to donate 50 percent of his proceeds to Monteith’s PTO because “it just feels good,” the budding philanthropist said.

It started when his dad, Jason, showed him a video about how easy it is to start a T-shirt business.

“I saw there are kids doing businesses so I figured why not do my own?” Henry said. “I decided to stick with T-shirts mostly. I also have my own HanksTanks hats and HanksTanks business cards.”

He plans to hand out his business cards to his peers at Monteith to help spread the word.

For the glow dance, Henry has designed special T-shirts that say “Let’s Glow Bro” and “Glow Girl Glow.”

He creates his designs on a graphic design platform called Canva, then sends the designs (with the help of his mom, Carolyn) to his Etsy account through Printify.

Henry learned some of these skills from art class with Natalie Zoufal. Students download their artwork into Artsonia, a gallery of student art portfolios. This year second graders are studying Vincent Van Gogh, and Henry created a T-shirt design using his Vincent Van Gogh Starry Night art project.

In addition to honing his design and technology skills, Henry is learning about marketing and promotion and the finance side of his business. He is marketing his products on social media – again with the help of his mom, who shared his business on the PTO and her own personal Facebook pages, in addition to good old-fashioned word of mouth with his classmates, friends, neighbors and family.

When he isn’t busy with his business, Henry enjoys sports and reading "about history and how things work."

When he grows up, he wants to go into law enforcement, the military, or maybe become a boxer. Depending on how his T-shirt company grows, he may just have a future in business.

Go to hankstanks.etsy.com to place an order.

Have you ever been in a situation where you've been shocked by the words and actions of someone else and didn't know what to say or do? We all have...

Join us for our rescheduled Communities United in Diversity meeting on Thursday, January 26, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the library at Parcells Middle School. The topic is Be an Upstander, and the presenter is Dr. Roy Bishop Jr., Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services. During our session we will collaborate together on best practices to respond and ask the right questions when situations arise that make us feel uncomfortable.

Childcare will be provided by NJHS students. Please contact Emily Rennpage at rennpae@gpschools.org or Nick Symonette at symonen@gpschools.org with questions.

Kerby Elementary’s PTO is hosting a diversity event called Around the Globe at 5 p.m. Friday, January 27. All are welcome to come for this epic cultural festival complete with dance, music, international cuisine, raffles, a kids’ fashion show and more.

Organizers encourage families to come out to travel around the world, enjoy tasty food, watch artists at work, cheer on the children as they walk the runway and learn about the world around us.

Countries to be highlighted include Poland, Lebanon, Nigeria, China, Greece, Afghanistan, Tunisia, France, Brazil and more.

The cost is $25 per family or $15 per individual.

There are sponsorship opportunities available. Contact Palo Barakzai at (917) 952-1671 for more details.

Pictured, from left, are Isabelle Janis, Ashlyn Reed, Delilah Nicholl, Ava Stepulla and Elliot Block, the founding members of Ferry's Butterfly Club.

For two years now, Ferry Elementary art teacher Cindy Eichhorst has brought in monarchs, caterpillars and chrysalises to her art room.

Several second and third graders in the magnet class “were so interested, they asked if they could have lunch there and watch them,” Cindy said. “They were so excited about it.”

The students have been coming ever since and their interest prompted an informal butterfly club.

“It happened organically,” Cindy explained. “It was their idea. I told them we’ll get it going and grow it for next year.”

They started by visiting the Monarch Watch website to complete a lengthy questionnaire in order to request free milkweed, which they hope will help them get started in their quest to raise monarch butterflies.

Cindy confessed she hasn’t had much luck growing milkweed in her own garden, so she hopes their request for milkweed plugs is approved.

One of the requirements is to encourage participation and awareness, which the students have done by reaching out to administration and community members to request their support.

Dr. Roy Bishop, Deputy Superintendent for Educational Services, was one of the recipients of a handwritten note signed by the club members.

"The Butterfly Club would like to help the butterfly population at Ferry Elementary," the note said. "We wanted you to know that we are working to get FREE mildweed to plant at Ferry. We wanted to get your support for the project. Are you on board? If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at Room 125."

Dr. Bishop said he was honored to receive the request for his support.

Cindy sees herself as the facilitator, but the rest of it is up to the students. In addition to designing their own letterhead, they plan to make posters and create butterfly window clings.

Completing the request and “jumping through all the hoops” took months, Cindy said, but the students recently submitted it and are eagerly awaiting a response.

“We’re excited,” she said. “It’s fun to see that their idea is taking off and doing something for the world.”

Join The Family Center and its community partner, Grosse Pointe Public Library, for a presentation on understanding the impact of childhood experiences.

To register, email info@familycenterweb.org or click here.

Don't forget to fill out the Preschool Application before January 31!

Program Offerings for the 2023-2024 School Year:

Barnes Early Childhood Center: 2.5 years old- 4 years old

Ferry and Richard Pre-K: 4 years old

Check out the latest edition of Transition Trender, a newsletter highlighting GPPSS's Special Education Transition Services Department. The department provides opportunities for students to gain pre-vocational and vocational training, obtain work and social skills, explore employment opportunities, and assist students in making successful transitions to living and working as independently as possible after leaving GPPSS.

Check out past issues of School Pointes on the district website. Story ideas and photos are welcome and encouraged. Email info@gpschools.org.