WBSD Weekly Update
Friday, May 26
Time to Remember and Honor
Enjoy the long weekend! We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, May 30. Reminder: No school on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29.
Bravo, Bravo!
Awards & Recognition
Congratulations to Oakland Early College student, Cidra Rizq! Cidra's team took 1st Place in a local competition through the Architecture, Construction, and Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program of SE Michigan. The ACE Program was designed to introduce students to a wide range of career opportunities open to young people in architecture, construction, engineering, and related areas of the building design and construction industry. Cidra's team designed a home that they hope to see built within the next year! Cidra also received a $7,000 scholarship and was offered a summer internship. WAY TO GO!!!
Congratulations National Merit Students
National African American Recognition Award
Left to right front row: Laurin Unaegbu, Makayla Pittman, Talia Faison, Jada Ajagbe
Left to right back row: Alexander Walton, Moniyah Drammeh, Jasmine Ajagbe, Giselle Cole and Chukwubunkem Okezie
Not pictured: Jordan Ajagbe
National Merit Semifinalist:
Left: Maeha Sridharan
Right: Grace Redner
National African American Recognition Award and National Hispanic Recognition Award
Brickelle Rahmaan- Bixler
Superintendent’s Excellence Award-May 2023 Xavier Allen, West Bloomfield Middle School
Xavier Allen, an 8th grader at West Bloomfield Middle School (WBMS), is a recipient of the Superintendent's Excellence Award. Nominated by Ms. McCormick, his 8th-grade teacher, Xavier has consistently demonstrated qualities that make him a role model student throughout his middle school years. Teachers appreciate his exceptional levels of respect, kindness, and hard work.
Xavier excels in group settings, contributing as a strong team member and taking on the role of a task manager. Despite his quiet demeanor, he carefully chooses his words, displaying thoughtfulness and empathy. Xavier's dedication and commitment to his studies have earned him induction into the West Bloomfield Middle School National Junior Honor Society and consistent recognition on the Honor Roll.
Outside of academics, Xavier has a passion for designing structures and building complex LEGO creations. His fascination with airplanes and flight has been a lifelong interest since Kindergarten, and he aspires to become a pilot one day. Xavier actively participates in the WBMS band, playing the trombone, and intends to pursue his love for music at the high school level. Additionally, he is a member of the WBMS Football Team and participates in track with the Motor City Track Club.
Xavier's involvement extends to his community, where he dedicates a significant amount of time not only to his little sister but also to all the young children in his neighborhood, acting as a big brother figure for them. He deeply values family and community bonds.
He also cherishes his annual trips to Disney, except for 2020, where he indulges his love for travel and explores his interests in aviation. Furthermore, he spends free time constructing structures and delving into aviation studies.
Xavier's accomplishments and contributions deserve recognition. He is a humble individual who does not seek attention for himself but instead focuses on making a positive impact on those around him.
Superintendent’s Excellence Award-May 2023 Ian Robles, Scotch Elementary
Ian Robles, a 4th-grade student at Scotch Elementary School, has been awarded the Superintendent's Excellence Award for the month of May. Ian was nominated by Ms. Rodgers and Mr. Scrivo. Ian is a true embodiment of kindness, consistently demonstrating his supportive and helpful nature while being willing to take risks. His contagious energy and warm smile have the ability to light up any room, and he genuinely cares about the well-being of his classmates and teachers, displaying attentiveness to their needs and feelings.
Ian is not only a valuable team player at school but also excels in the sport of hockey. He has worked tirelessly to become a more confident reader and continues to achieve academic excellence.
Furthermore, Ian is deeply committed to helping others. He is frequently observed checking on classmates who may be feeling sad, encouraging his peers to make the right choices, and leading by example. When COVID vaccinations became available for children, Ian shared his personal experience with his nervous friends, telling them that "the shot was not that bad." He even brought his vaccination "swag bag" to school to show them that they too could receive the vaccine safely. Additionally, Ian was recently recognized at the West Bloomfield Youth Assistance award ceremony.
As a lunchtime partner for students in the self-contained classroom, Ian models appropriate social interactions by engaging in games, sharing jokes, and discussing common interests.
Scotch Elementary School is fortunate to have Ian as a student, as he has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on the hearts of students and staff.
Congratulations 2023 Tenure Staff
Tenure Recipients
Haley Barnes - Roosevelt/Scotch Elementary School
Jessica Bone - Gretchko Elementary School
Tammi Cantalupo - Sheiko Elementary School
Taylor Carroll - Roosevelt Elementary School
Michael Cushman - Sheiko Elementary School
Megan Dutton - West Bloomfield High School
Tarah Ehlert - West Bloomfield High School
Kristina Eovaldi - Doherty Elementary School
Nicholas Hamilton - West Bloomfield High School
Emily Hubbard - Gretchko/Scotch Elementary School
Rachel Jocham - Our Lady of Refuge
Susanne Kendall - Our Lady of Refuge
Katlyn LeMere - Roosevelt Elementary School
Kimberly Lijewski - West Bloomfield Middle School
Kara Liskey - West Bloomfield High School
Alyssa Losey - West Bloomfield Middle School
Teresa Manganiello - West Bloomfield High School
Kelli Mattson - West Bloomfield High School
Lindsay Montayne - West Bloomfield High School
Brittany Stephens - Doherty Elementary School
Kristine Stephens - West Bloomfield High School
Jacqueline Tomaszewski - West Bloomfield Middle School
Michelle Valentine - Doherty Elementary School
Kristi Virta - Sheiko Elementary School
Sage Wood - Roosevelt Elementary School
Certificate of Recognition
Ross Grossman - WB Middle School/WB Transition Center
Steven Levitan - West Bloomfield Middle School
Retirement Recognition
WBSD is pleased to recognize eight employees who have enjoyed lengthy careers in WB. These staff members are retiring this year will be moving onto the next chapter of their lives. Thank you for having an impact on countless students as well as wonderful working relationships with your colleagues. Best of luck to:
Wafa Farrington - 33.5 years
Keith Garrison - 25 years
Ross Grossman - 3 years
Carol Henson - 27 years
Amy Hughes - 29 years
Mary Keener - 25 years
Karen Matynowski - 23 years
Lisa Thompkins - 21 years
2023 Support Person of the Year Award from Oakland Schools Educational Foundation
Stephanie Faulkender is the proud recipient of the 2023 Support Person of the Year Award from Oakland Schools Educational Foundation. Stephanie received a check for $500, a plaque, and a certificate of accomplishment. What an honor, congratulations!
She loves ALL of her Doherty Elementary family, her job as a Building Administrative Assistant, donuts, and legos!
WBHS Sophomore Spreading Kindness
Kimberly Luty volunteered for the Farmington/Farmington Hills Children on Youth and Families Kindness Rock Garden Project at the Farmers Market, Library Program, and FAAPN event. Her knowledge of the project was shared with her WBHS garden teacher club and she was able to have this after school club paint kindness rocks that were left out for students at the high school to take during U Matter Week. She has also volunteered for her Robotics Team the WBHS Atomigators, helping out the team at freshman orientation, volunteering at competitions to support the robotics team, walking in the Keego Harbor Memorial Day Parade, supporting the team at the WBSD LakerBot event judging K-3 grade Lego Robotics projects, and working with the younger students to support them in enjoying robotics and STEM.
Tails are wagging!
Cosmo and Abby passed their Therapy Dogs International (TDI) test. Both are official therapy dogs for West Bloomfield School District. Thank you to Scotch Elementary Principal, Mr. Scrivo, and WBMS Special Education Teacher, Brandy Wilson for providing a loving home.
WBSD Transition Center
The Transition Center celebrated being recognized as a Capturing Kids’ Hearts (CKH) National Showcase Schools Award recipient. WBSD Transition Center was the first young adult transition center in Michigan and the second in the country to implement CKH. Young adult students celebrated with the dunk tank, carnival games, caricatures, food, and more!
Memorial Day Parade
WBMS Robotics will be IN the Keego Harbor Memorial Day Parade. Keego Harbor Parks and Rec is looking for volunteers to close roads during the parade. If you are willing to help out, volunteer here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050C4BABAC28A6FB6-memorial2
Planning Ahead
WBHS Senior Art Show
If your child has not taken an art class, we encourage you to visit the senior art show at WBHS. The senior showcase not only includes Advanced and AP work, it also displays projects that our seniors created in their beginning and advanced classes. If you are interested in taking a class, we recommend starting with art foundations or 3D foundations to get a little taste of everything. WBHS offers: Art Foundations, 3D Foundations, Beginning Drawing, Advanced Drawing, Beginning and Advanced Photography, Beginning and Advanced Ceramics, Beginning and Advanced Jewelry, and Beginning and Advanced ceramics. Teachers are: Molly Marshall, Margaret Squires, and Bridget Falenski.
WBSH Drama 3's production of Circus Olympus
WBHS Performing Arts Special Announcements!
Congratulations to volunteer extraordinaire Christy Forhan and the WBHS student team for winning Best Costume Design at the Sutton Foster Awards Showcase. Christy volunteers her time teaching the students how to design, create, sew, and more! Thank you for ALL of your creativity and for sharing your many talents. We appreciate you!
WBHS Lead Actress Nominee Carley Law performed at the Sutton Foster Awards Showcase at the Fisher Theatre. Shout out to Christopher Brenner who was also nominated as a lead actor, but fell ill that day.
Thank you to our WBHS Costume Team: Selena Xie, Katelyn Baggett, Lauren Hammond, Jordan Dyment, Janelle Dodds, Laila Nichols, Elizabeth Swainson, Shyla Pierce, Wiblur Degan, Tiara Wallace, Kenna Ndukwe, and William Walker.
Congratulations Lakers!
2023 WBHS FRESHMAN OAKLAND COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS!
Kamryn Tatum, 100m Dash Champion & Ese Uwedjojevwe, 3rd Place
Laker Girls, 4x400m Relay Champions
Kamryn Tatum, 200m Dash Champion
Londyn Hall, Shot Put Champion
ALL SPRING SPORTS INFO
Tennis, soccer, lacrosse, baseball, and more! Check out the Athletic calendar here and enjoy the weather with The Lakers!
Volunteers Needed!
Call for Volunteers for a Wonderful Cause
Click here to volunteer for the dunk tank for the Youth Assistance. Thank you in advance for helping the Youth Assistance of West Bloomfield, Birmingham, and Bloomfield.
Juneteenth in the WB
To volunteer, meet your neighbors or earn community service hours click here
READY, SET, SERVE this one up A HUGE Congratulations to 2019 WBHS Alumni, Anika Yarlagadda! Her North Carolina women's tennis team just won the 2023 NCAA Division 1 Team National Championship! Read more here:
https://goheels.com/.../wom.../roster/anika-yarlagadda/23561
Kiddie Kite Day 2023, A Great Success
Thank you to all the families and staff, who braved the chillier May weather to celebrate the West Bloomfield Early Childhood program! The West Bloomfield Fire Department and Police Representatives were on-site, as well as, our own West Bloomfield Transportation Department. Ms. Emily from the West Bloomfield Library was on-site along with Cindy Grant, author of Oodles and Oodles of Noodley Noodles. It was an active day filled with kite making, a petting zoo, make and take activities, and so much more! Families were also able to visit the Scholastic Book Fair, purchase raffle tickets, have lunch, and even a sweet ice cream treat.
Girl Scouts Troop 77713
Troop 77713 is a combination of students from Scotch, Roosevelt, and Gretchko Elementary Schools. The Scouts ended the school year by partnering with WB Parks and Rec to clean up their sensory garden and add a Kindness Rock Garden. The Scouts raised money (think cookies!), planned, painted lots of rocks, shopped for plants, planted sensory plants and built a beautiful Rock Garden.
If you do not have a PowerSchool account you must create one by TODAY. Please contact your school if you need assistance. Visit https://www.wbsd.org/parents/powerschool for more info.
Last Day of School signs are posted here https://www.wbsd.org/
Scroll down under District News to print. Be sure to use #onlyWB and tag West Bloomfield School District if you are posting to social media. Thank you for celebrating!
WBSD is Hiring!
Click here to learn more about the job opportunities at WBSD.
West Bloomfield Public Library
Book Lists
· Asian-American Authors (Teen)
Summer Reading Kickoff
Saturday, June 10 from 11- 4 p.m.
Celebrate the start of Summer Reading with us! Mark your calendars for a day of fun, including circus skills with Cirque Amongus, an inflatable bounce house, human hamster ball races, a video game truck, a photo booth, Lego mania, and more fun for the whole family! For all ages. No registration required. Discover more upcoming library events in our Summer Events brochure at https://issuu.com/westbloomlib/docs/events_summer_2023.
Memorial Day Closure
Both branches will be closed from Saturday, May 27 through Monday, May 29. The library will reopen on Tuesday, May 30 at 9 a.m.
Do you have a newsworthy story to share? We want to share your wonderful stories with the rest of the community! Please share with us what is happening with your child(ren) and our staff. We would love to hear about your events and activities including awards, honors, good deeds, and accomplishments. Help us share your success stories in art, music, scholastics, athletics, drama, debate, and more. We look forward to sharing your news! Submit a story here.