BPS has amazing students and staff! Take a quick look at a few of the amazing things they achieved in 2018-19:

BPS Debate Team News

Groves hosted the largest high school debate invitational in Michigan on November 15-16, 2019. In the novice policy division, the team of Jonah Lipman and Eleen Laham took first place with a perfect 5-0 win/loss record, defeating Oakland Independent on a 3-0 decision in the final round. The team of Allie Fundaro, Lily Schafer and Kaitlyn Williams posted a winning 3-2 win/loss record. 

Division 2 Regional Champions

The Seaholm Football team won the playoff game against Port Huron, winning 44-28. The team earned the title of Division 2 Regional champs for the second time in history! 

Perfect ACT Score

Seaholm High School junior, Valarie Sherr, earned a perfect score of 36 on her ACT. According to ACT.org, only around one-tenth of 1 perfect of students earn a perfect score. Congratulations Valarie!

Award of Excellence 

BCS student, Grace Youn, received an Award of Excellence for her dance interpretation titled "Pet Vet" from last year's Reflections Program. Youn was chosen to be the featured dancer at the National PTA exhibit in Washington DC in January. Each year one winner is chosen to be recognized in each category. Congratulations, Grace!

Groves senior LaNiece Galloway is part of the Detroit Youth Choir and will move on to the next round of the show.  The host of AGT, Flint native Terry Crews, was moved by the choir's performance. 

Tom Carson Award nominees and winners at Groves High School are Rania Abbasi, Elana Bittker, Rachel Cryberg, Samuel Googasian, Claire Higley, Ben Iverson, Sloan Lemberg, Scott Lockwood, Henry Peters-Wood, Joshua Salter, Henry Van Faussien and Clare Walton.  Congratulations to the nominees and winners.

Groves honors
Over 100 graduating seniors were awarded High Honors at the Groves Honors Convocation on May 30. Students must have a 4.01 weighted GPA to earn this distinction and received a gold medal to wear at Commencement. A total of 181 Seniors were recognized for academic achievements! Congratulations to all!

Bingham Farms Student Council service
The Bingham Farms Student Council, made up of 3-5 grade students and coordinated by Rosa Stockel and Lauren Roach, packed backpacks with cards of support, reading and coloring materials for Team Joseph and families experiencing Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Students worked together to help fulfill the mission of the Duchenne Family Assistance Program:  We’re stronger together. We’re here to help. You are not alone.

Choir success
The Berkshire Middle School 8th grade choir students and Groves High School Concert Choir and Show Choir students traveled to Chicago last week and participated in the Music in the Parks music competition. The 8th graders were awarded 1st place in their category with a Superior score. The Groves Concert Choir earned 1st place in their category with an Excellent score. The Groves Show Choir achieved 1st place in their category with an Excellent score and also earned the trophy for the best overall high school choir. Freshman Kevyn Roessler received a medal for the best Outstanding Soloist of the day.

Orchestra 1st place
This past weekend, the Berkshire 8th Grade Band and Orchestra competed in the Music in the Parks national competition. Both the Band and Orchestra performed extremely well and earned 1st place in their divisions with ratings of Excellent!  They also combined to receive the Esprit de Corps Award, given to the school that best demonstrates positive behavior, courtesy, and professionalism throughout the competition. Thank you to band and orchestra teachers Paul Shawver, Mike Burkett and Sean Smith and congratulations to all our students!

BPS Galileo leaders
Congratulations to the following BPS staff members heading into the Galileo Leadership Cohort this fall: Erin Gallagher, Instructional Specialist, Pembroke Elementary; Michelle D’Orazio, 7/8 English Language Arts, Birmingham Covington School; Jennifer Stoller, Reading Specialist, Bingham Farms Elementary; and Erica Neumayr, English Language Arts, Groves High School.

BEA Scholarships
Congratulations to this year’s Birmingham Education Association Scholarship recipients! Claire Kowelec and Sarah Mazzoli, seniors at Seaholm, were this year’s recipients and will go on to study education after graduation.  

MIPA awards
The Groves Newsmagazine Scriptor students won  26 statewide awards from the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association, hosted by Michigan State University. These are the most awards won by any Groves Scriptor staff to date. Of the 26 awards, Four students on staff earned First Place journalism awards in the state for Division 2. First place winners were: Emilia Fauth, Rocco Prindle, Nicole Barnas and Philip Bradbury. The Groves Scriptor is advised by teacher Laura Redman.  

This year both the Seaholm Newspaper Highlander and Piper Yearbook earned multiple awards from the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association. Students earned 12 awards this year for in a variety of categories, including in-depth articles, features, photography and design. The Seaholm Highlander was advised this year by teacher Matthew Szalkowski. The Piper Yearbook is advised by Barbara Slatin. 

Congratulations to all our student journalists!

Perfect ACT
Congratulations to Maxwell Morganroth, a junior at Seaholm High School, on his perfect score on the ACT! Only around two-tenths of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2018, only 3,741 out of 1.9 million students scored a perfect 36. Congratulations, Max!

Groves Varsity Softball
Groves Varsity Softball won the District Championship game vs. Royal Oak on Monday, June 3. The team trailed 2-0 going into the bottom of the 7th inning, but with two outs and a tie score, Groves scored the winning run from second base. Congratulations to the Groves Varsity Softball team!

Seaholm Tennis
The Seaholm Tennis team earned state runner-up status as they came close to defending their championship on June 1-2. All four Seaholm doubles teams were State Champions - Madison Daminato and Emily Hirsch at #1 Doubles; Brooke Forte and Lilly Trinch at #2 Doubles; Charlie Kuchman and Sofia Manzo at #3 Doubles; and Ashley Buechner and Remi Maynard at #4 Doubles. Congratulations!

Design Award
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles selected its winners for this year's Drive For Design contest. Seaholm’s Vincent Piaskowski submitted a winning design. Drive For Design challenged high school students to design the ultimate status vehicle from any of the FCA brands. Third place Piaskowski made his creation a Maserati. The radical vehicle, which looks like a future Hot Wheels design, takes inspiration from a shark. The student even showed how a shark's basic shape transformed into the final Maserati vehicle sketch.

Character Education designations
This spring, Character.org shared Character designations with schools throughout the nation. Congratulations to Harlan Elementary School on their re-designation as a National School of Character! Additionally, the following schools and their programs were recognized with Promising Practices by Character.org:

• International Kids Film Festival, Pierce Elementary School
• Bridge Builders Peer Mentorship Program, Berkshire Middle School
• Science Literacy, Birmingham Covington School

USA Hockey accomplishment
Groves High School freshman, Kaidan Mbereko, has been selected to join USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program and will compete on the U.S. National Under-17 Team in 2019-20. The National Team Development Program is the pinnacle of USA Hockey’s amateur player development program. The NTDP is in its 22nd season of competition and is based at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. The NTDP scouts and selects the top 22 players in two age groups (Under-17 and Under-18) to train and develop in a highly competitive environment. The two teams (Under-17 and Under-18) face a rigorous domestic schedule including competition against older, more- developed players. The goal of the full-time development program is to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. National Teams and success in their future hockey careers. Its efforts focus not only on high-caliber participation on the ice but creating well-rounded individuals off the ice. Congratulations to Kaidan!

Interfaith Panel Discussion
Thank you to all that attended and participated in the BCS Diversity Committee’s Interfaith Panel Discussion, Exploring Islam and Judaism, on May 30. With over 80 attendees, the event offered the community an educational night filled with diverse discussion. The community event featured Imam Steve Mustapha Elturk, Rabbi Jason Miller, educators, parents and student panelists.

BU Legacy success
Congratulations to the Birmingham United Legacy eSports team for their third place win at the eSports Michigan Tournament held May 18-19 at Lawrence Tech University. This year, 64 teams participated with 16 teams advancing. Congratulations to team members Enrique Bruza, Jerry Zhao, Chaz Strecker, Antonio Narra, Dilan Daniels, and Ryan Stottlemyer. The team is coached by Seaholm teacher Leisa Passarelli.

Piano scholarship
Congratulations to Seaholm senior and pianist Lucas Bayagich. Lucas was offered and accepted a scholarship to Oakland University for Piano Performance. Lucas has been playing piano for 10 years and plans to major in Piano Performance. We wish him luck at OU this fall!

BEA and Paraprofessionals awards

Congratulations to this year’s BEA Teacher of the Year, Scott Kefgen, first grade teacher at Harlan. Three others are recognized with the BEA/Dr. Francis S. Randahl - MEEMIC Educator Excellence Award:

Elementary School: Kellie Bahri, 5th grade teacher at Quarton
Middle School: Mathew Brown, Engineering Technology Teacher at BCS
High School: Jennifer Hoinka, Spanish Teacher at Groves

Congratulations to all of this year’s BEA Teacher of the Year nominees: Rebecca Daugherty, Quarton; Julie Frishman, BCS; Danny Pruzinsky, Pierce; Cathy Reef, Beverly; Michelle Zibell, Bingham; Christopher Emmi, BCS; Denisse Jolokai, Berkshire; Jennifer Wagner, BCS; Kathy Westerlund, Derby; and Ken Wilson, Derby.

This year’s Birmingham Association of Paraprofessionals 2019 Lisa Coe Paraprofessional of the Year Award nominees are: Sandy Lang, Bingham; Amy Connely-Loeffler, Quarton; Sonia Sheppard, Seaholm; Liza Zamora, Pierce. 

Honorees were recognized at the BEA Awards and Retirement Banquet on May 23.

Carson Scholar
Congratulations to Seaholm High School junior Leah Kim on being awarded the 2019 Carson Scholar. The Carson Scholars Fund awards $1,000 college scholarships to students in grades 4-11 who excel academically and are dedicated to serving their communities.

SCHOLAR recipients
Congratulations to our BPS students honored at tonight’s SCHOLAR reception. SCHOLAR is made up of a group of citizens working to grant scholarships to deserving high school graduates living in the BPS district. The following students were recognized:
Seaholm - Amelia Berry, Paul Fischer, Shane Guenther, Tatyana Grauman and Sofia Manzo.
Groves - Elizabeth Earnest, Madelyn Hardey, Emily Juriga, Lauren Lucas, Kelly Tran, Riley Montgomery, Joy Tenjeras, Lauren Emerick and Christina Young.

Dr. Hitchcock among Women of Excellence
Dr. Jamii Hitchcock, BPS Director of Character Education, Diversity & Equity, was recognized by Michigan Chronicle at the 2019 Women of Excellence induction ceremony in May. Michigan Chronicle has celebrated local African American women who inspire others through vision and leadership, exceptional achievements and participation in community service. Congratulations, Dr. Hitchcock!

Diversity Champions honorees
BPS proudly congratulates Dr. Embekka Roberson, Groves Principal, and Joe Leibson, Birmingham Covington School Spanish teacher, on their recognition as Diversity Champions by the Race Relations & Diversity Task Force. Student Diversity Champions included Seaholm’s Ana Davis, Miles Frierson, Tre Hairston and Makayla Rawls of the Seaholm Black Student Union. Honorees are selected for showing great commitment to diversity and equity within the District and surrounding communities. Musical entertainment for the 2019 Diversity Champions Breakfast was provided by Greenfield Elementary School music students under the direction of Jay Smith. Congratulations to all of the 2019 Diversity Champions!

Staff accomplishments
Congratulations to Bingham Farms Instructional Specialist Cyndi Settecerri and Berkshire’s Matt Fairchild. Both completed a two-year journey in the Galileo Leadership Consortium. Settecerri also recently graduated from Oakland University with an Education Specialist degree in Leadership.

Career Tech Awards
Kudos to Josh Myers, Groves senior, and Tatum Kreindler, Seaholm senior, recently recognized as Outstanding Career and Technical Education students in Oakland County. Myers won for Digital Design and Programming and plans to study Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin starting this fall. Kreindler won for Programming and plans to attend the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan this fall. Both students were nominated by CTE teacher Leisa Passarelli, and these nominations were enthusiastically endorsed by members of both Business Technology Departments at both Groves and Seaholm.

STEM experiences
The Center for Advanced Automotive Technology Conference 2019 invited the BPS STEM R&D students to share their authentic STEM experiences and pathways. The conference focus was on developing skills that will help students gain proficiency in collaboration, questioning, problem-solving, and critical thinking that will better prepare them for the many STEM careers that are currently and will continue to be available to meet the needs of industry/business. The student panel consisted of Madison Daminato, Nick Winkler, Kate Connelly, Raymond Smith. The panel was moderated by STEM R&D Coordinator and BPS teacher Doug Baltz.

National PTA Reflections winner
Congratulations to BCS student Grace Youn, recently honored at the PTA Reflections Art Celebrations for receiving a National Award of Excellence in Dance Choreography/Intermediate Division. She has been invited to the National PTA Convention this June to receive her award and prize. Congratulations to Youn and all of the 2019 BPS PTA Reflections winners!

World First Robotics Championships
Congratulations to Birmingham’s Robotics team, Automation Nation. They competed at the FIRST Robotics World Championship, held at Cobo Hall and Ford Field in Detroit, MI, April 25-27. The team was in the Carson Division, where they compiled a record of eight wins against only two losses, propelling them to 6th place out of 68 teams. For the elimination rounds, they moved up one more spot and were the 5th place alliance captain. Birmingham’s alliance won their quarterfinal matchup, advancing to the division semi-finals, where they lost to the number one seeded alliance. The world championship featured over 400 high school teams and over 10,000 students, elementary grades through high school. The team is led by teachers Bernie Simms and Pat Hoover. For more information about FIRST Robotics visit: https://www.firstinspires.org/

Seaholm Forensic success
Congratulations to the Seaholm Forensic Team on their Regional Tournament success. BPS wishes them luck as they go on to the State Tournament May 3-4 at Oakland University!

Music success
Seventh and eighth grade band and orchestra students from Berkshire and Derby middle schools recently participated in the District MSBOA Solo & Ensemble Festival in Lake Orion. Students prepared themselves to perform for a highly certified music judge based on a set of certified music benchmarks. Congratulations to each of the participants on their impressive performances!

Kudos also go to the Groves choir students that traveled to Brighton High School on Saturday, April 27 for the Michigan School Vocal Music Association State Solo & Ensemble Festival. Students all received First Division ratings. Congratulations to Clare Birley, Kevyn Roessler and Jane Martin on their performances.

Youth in Service Award
Congratulations to our Birmingham Youth Assistance/Optimists Youth in Service honorees! Area students were invited to a breakfast in recognition of their service work on April 17. Special kudos to Middle School All Star Ethan Rass (Berkshire) and Jane Parker Ward scholarship winner Erin Roberts (Groves). BPS Youth in Service honorees included: Nasser Awada (Derby), Maya Belen (Derby), Drew Dorfman (Berkshire), Marley Eaton (Berkshire), Gabriel Farber (Berkshire), Lea Milanini (Berkshire), Viraj Nautiyal (BCS), Mena Refai (BCS), George Schriebeis (BCS), Jackson Bergstrom (Seaholm), Jana Dinkeloo (Groves), Cameron Howell (Groves), Kyla Hurns (Groves), Claire Kowalec (Seaholm), Gabriela Lloyd (Seaholm), Katie Lucken (Groves), Tania Miller (Groves), Chelsea Schaufler (Seaholm), Aly Simonelli (Seaholm) and Sam Zack (Groves).

Art Signing
Graduating seniors in BPS art programs were recognized for their work at the annual Senior Art Show on Tuesday, April 23. Organized by art teachers Liz Moyer, Kellie Vagts, Veronica Belf and Tony Fink, the event featured student artwork and a student Art Signing presentation recognizing BPS seniors heading to art schools this fall.

States!
The Birmingham Robotics team, Automation Nation, comprised of students from Seaholm High School and Groves High School, qualified for the Michigan FIRST Robotics State Championship! The team competed at the Troy District tournament March 29-30, and reached the Semi-finals before being eliminated by the 1st place team. Their sustained effort over two district tournaments qualified them into the field at MSC. The Robotics team is led by Seaholm teachers Bernie Simms and Pat Hoover. For information about the State Championship visit https://svsu.edu/firstatsvsu/

OAA All League Team
This March, Groves senior John Garrett was nominated by his basketball varsity coach and elected by the district coaches to the OAA All League Team for their division. John was one of 11 players selected and was also the top scorer for the Groves Boys Varsity Basketball team this season. Congratulations John!

Student swim success
Congratulations to Groves student Tyler Austin. Tyler finished with his personal best times in all six of his events at the World Series Paralympic Swim Meet this month. He also won the men’s 100 breast stroke event with a time of 1:19:58. He is now a proud member of the U.S. National Paralympic Swim Team. Congratulations to Tyler, his coach Richard Forrest (Groves High School Swim Coach and Berkshire Middle School teacher).

Seaholm graduate honored
Congratulations to 1985 Seaholm grad Brad Shively - named the Division III Coach of the Year for Men’s Swimming and Diving. Read more at
http://www.studlife.com/sports/2019/03/25/swimming-and-diving-posts-record-breaking-performance-at-nationals/

LAFAN celebrates anniversary
The Latino Family Network is celebrating the first anniversary! LAFAN has focused on fostering educational excellence and equity, improving language fluency (Spanish and Portuguese), and celebrating family traditions and values. In partnership with Birmingham Community Education, LAFAN worked to create advanced Spanish classes for K-8 BPS students through a Saturday Immersion Class. To learn more about the classes or how to get involved with LAFAN, email bpslafan@gmail.com.

Oratory contest
Groves varsity debater and state champion Lukis Bagdon placed second at the Birmingham Optimist Club Oratory Contest, held March 27 at the Community House. In the most competitive field of speakers in years, twelve (12) students from Groves, Seaholm, Detroit Catholic Central and Detroit Country Day, Luke received the 2nd place silver medal. Congratulations to all of our BPS participants!

Birmingham Robotics
Birmingham’s Robotics team, Automation Nation, team 2960,  participated in the FIRST Centerline District Tournament March 15 and 16. After two days and 80 qualification rounds, Birmingham ranked 9 out of 40 teams. The team was the 6th alliance captain, and their alliance upset the #3 pairing, advancing to the Semi-finals. The combined team from Groves and Seaholm was awarded The Excellence in Engineering Award for their innovative climbing mechanism. Their next tournament is March 29 and 30 at the FIRST Troy District. The team is coached by teachers Bernie Simms and Patrick Hoover. The District congratulates Automation Nation and wishes the team well at the Troy tournament!  

Groves Honor Alumn
Wylie E Groves High School welcomed CPT Tara Middlebrooks (2007 Groves graduate) as their Honor Alumn and keynote speaker for Senior Seminar 2019. CPT Tara L.R. Middlebrooks (Roberts) commissioned as an Engineer Officer from the United States Military Academy at West Point in May 2011 where she received a B.S. in Comparative Politics. Upon completion of the Engineer Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, CPT Middlebrooks was assigned to the 555th Engineer Brigade at Ft. Lewis, Washington. CPT Middlebrooks served as a Horizontal Construction Platoon Leader for 18 months, where she led construction projects in Washington, Idaho, and California. CPT Middlebrooks later served as the Executive Officer of a Horizontal Construction Company for 14 Months, deploying in February 2013 to Regional Command - East Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Congratulations and thank you, Captain Middlebrooks!

National Hispanic Recognition Program
Congratulations to Seaholm High School students Ryan Chekan, Diego Suazo De La Ros and Jackson Sumida Flores. The students scored in the top 2.5% on the PSAT/NMSQT and have been invited to participate in the National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP). Each year, NHRP recognizes about 7,000 Hispanic/Latino juniors who take the PSAT/NMSQT.

MYAF performers
Congratulations to the following Groves Orchestra students! They were selected to represent the Birmingham Public Schools at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival (MYAF) on May 9-11 at Western Michigan University: Ethan Biederman, violin; Claire Hornburg, trumpet; Tessa Irish-Minewiser, cello; and Aaron Stottlemyer, viola. The students will be performing with the Michigan Honors Band and Orchestra, along with the other top student musicians in the state.  Students are chosen for this honor as a result of their extremely high scores at MSBOA State Solo & Ensemble. (Learn more about the S&E success.) In the world of music, this is equitable becoming an All-State athlete! This is a huge honor for our students, Groves High School, and the Birmingham Public Schools. Groves Orchestra students are directed by Paul Shawver. Congratulations!

Video features

Have you heard the latest? Take a look at some of the highlights happening in the District over this season!

Around the District - Maker Space  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z119JueqgIM

Sports, STEM, arts and everything in between - Check out the Seaholm highlight video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHON-xUNbys

Red Wings Luke Witkowsk stopped by Pierce  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kqaJMqVbyA

Superintendent Mark Dziatczak visits the Gifted Bakery at Harlan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXacn0XPdJc

BPS music update
Find out more about the music programs throughout Birmingham Public Schools!  
https://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/Page/9631

MIFA win
Congratulations to the Groves Performing Arts Company, under the direction of John Rutherford, on their recent recognition from the Michigan Interscholastic Forensics Association (MIFA). GPAC earned First Place in the Studio-Division 1 competition using the one-act cutting of the musical Summer of Love by Roger Bean. Students scored the highest overall combined points, earning 95/100 for their performance, from all five judges.
Individual Awards were presented to (^=Previously received individual awards at the District or Regional competition):

Superior Awards, Technical-
Directors: Megan Darby^ & Scotty Lockwood^
Set Designers: James Laport^ & Noel Stanley^
Costume Design/Construction:  Mateo Davis^ & Camille West^
Choreographers: Laiko Brown^, Trey James Hardy^ & Keturah Heath^
Hair/Makeup:  Maddy Hardey & Becca Woodrow

Superior Awards, Acting-
Holly:  Hailey Van Wordragen^
Coyote: Mateo Davis^
Donovan: Hunter Stabile^

Superior Award for the ensemble- Grace Balow, Laiko Brown, Annie Chernow, Sophie Dara^, Jordan Davis^, Mateo Davis^, James Hardy, Maddy Hardey, Keturah Heath, Josh Holmes, Nick Joseph, Griffin Kozlow, James Laport^, Beau Lerner, Noah Smalley, Hunter Stabile^, Noel Stanley, Hope Tushman^, Hailey Van Wordragen^, Camille West and Becca Woodrow.

Excellent Awards, Technical-
Program Design:  Noah Smalley & Hunter Stabile
Vocal Direction: Griffin Kozlow & Hope Tushman

Excellent Awards, Acting-
Curtis: Griffin Kozlow
Rufus: Jordan Davis

Berkshire Choir
Berkshire choir students participated in the Michigan School Vocal Music Choral Festival in March, earning 1st Division ratings with perfect scores in sight-reading. Berkshire’s choir is directed by Carolyn Priebe. Congratulations!

Seaholm Boys Swim and Dive team
Congratulations to the Seaholm Boys Swim and Dive team. The team brought home first place at the OAA Red Division League Championship on Friday, Feb. 22. In addition to the league championship title, senior team captain, Aiden O'Neill, was named Co-Senior of the Meet and All-League in the 500 Freestyle. Tom Girdler is All-League in the 100 Freestyle, Kameron Liberman was named All-League in Diving, and Head Coach Tom Wyllie was named OAA Red Division Coach of the Year. The team was also able to pick up 12 state qualified swimmers in one or more events each.

Carson Scholar
Seaholm is pleased to announce their 2019 Carson Scholar, Leah Kim. The Carson Scholars Fund awards college scholarships to students in grades 4 through 11 who excel academically and are dedicated to serving their communities. Across the nation, only 505 students are receiving the designation of 2019 Carson Scholars. An interested student must be nominated by his/her school to be able to compete for a Carson Scholar. The minimum requirements are a 3.75 GPA and involvement in community service. Congratulations Leah!

Birmingham United JV win
The Birmingham United JV team recently won their conference Championship and will face Eisenhower in a three-game series to determine a victor this weekend. Cheer them on Saturday, Feb. 16 at the Birmingham Ice Sports Arena - puck drop at 6:45 p.m. Congratulations to BU seniors Captain Andrew Beggs, Captain Dylan Resnick, Captain Will Sanders, Captain Daniel Zalesin, Alternate Captain Brett Hutchison, Goalie Gabe Barish, Alex Bradley, Andrew Siver and Michael Valk.

Battle of the Books
On Saturday, Feb. 2, nearly 1,200 elementary school students and parents geared up for Battle of the Books for a day of trivia and teamwork. Fourth and fifth grade students at Birmingham Public Schools formed teams and read six selected books. The books chosen were Astrotwins: Project Blastoff by Mark Kelly; Freakling by Lana Krumwiede; Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson; Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes; Story Thieves by James Riley; and Zoe in Wonderland by Brenda Woods. After ninety minutes of trivia, six winning teams were awarded gift certificates to Book Beat bookstore in Oak Park. Congratulations to
* First Place: Savage Pagers from Quarton Elementary
* Second Place: Bookie Monsters from Quarton Elementary, Theater Readers from Beverly Elementary, and The Page Burners from Pierce Elementary
* Third Place: Fre Sha Vaca Do from Pembroke Elementary
BPS thanks the Baldwin Library for their continued work to organize and support this program.

Athletic success
Groves senior and football player Khalil Dawsey is headed to Harvard! Read about his decision and big dream in the Detroit News.

Stevens honors Seaholm
Congresswoman Haley Stevens, a Seaholm graduate, recognized her alma mater by hosting her local swearing in ceremony in her old high school auditorium last month. Stevens was joined at the ceremony by fellow elected officials Mari Manoogian (Seaholm graduate and State Representative) and Jeremy Moss (Groves graduate and State Representative).   

Groves raises over $70K for Bittker Foundation
Congratulations to Groves High School students on their recent Charity Week fundraiser. The Groves students and community raised over $70,000 to support the Matthew Bittker Foundation, honoring a West Maple student that passed away. Students organized events and activities, exceeding their $60,000 goal despite weather closures during key fundraising days.

Scriptor earns top awards
This year, the American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) awarded The Scriptor 3 first place awards in this year’s national competition: National First Place with Special Merit, Best High School General Magazine and National Best Story. Congratulations to the Scriptor staff and their adviser, Laura Redman. Along with these national awards, the MSU-based magazine, “A Cut Above: The Best in Student Media,” published an article written by last year’s Scriptor editor, Christian Zeitvogel, who is now attending Kalamazoo College.  

Choir students celebrate success
On Jan. 12, five Groves choir students traveled to Howell High School to participate in the MSVMA district level Solo & Ensemble. All five students qualified to move on to the state level of Solo & Ensemble that will take place in April. Congratulations to Clare Birley (sophomore), Jane Martin (senior), Kevyn Roessler (freshman), Maya Ousachi (freshman) and Caroline Kondak (freshman). The Groves Choir is directed by Carolyn Priebe.

Joseph appointed to NCTE Committee
Rick Joseph, Birmingham Covington School 3 / 4 teacher was recently appointed to serve as a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Committee for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). His 3-year term will begin after the 2020 Annual Convention, scheduled for Nov. 19-24. 

Perfect ACT
Congratulations to Bennett Pompi, a junior at Seaholm. Bennett is the latest BPS student to earn a perfect score on the ACT exam! According to a press release by ACT.org, “On average, only around one-tenth of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2017, only 2,760 out of more than 2 million graduates who took the ACT earned a composite score of 36.” Great work, Bennett!

Special National Merit Scholarship
Congratulations to Seaholm’s Sophia Ericson and Tyler Firestone! The two have been selected to continue in the 2019 competition for corporate-sponsored special scholarship administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Every year some 1,100 National Merit® Program participants, who are outstanding but not Finalists, are awarded Special Scholarships provided by corporations and business organizations. Candidates for the scholarships must meet the sponsor's criteria and the entry requirements of the National Merit Scholarship Program and submit an entry form to the sponsor organization. NMSC contacts a pool of high-scoring candidates through their respective high schools and these students and their school officials submit detailed scholarship applications. Evaluated by a professional staff, candidates are selected based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments. These scholarships may either be renewable for four years of undergraduate study or one-time awards.

ACT/SAT success
Last year as a 7th grader at Derby Middle School, Shriya Nama took ACT and SAT through Northwestern University's Midwest Academic Talent Search organization, scoring a 36 in ACT reading and scoring high on the SAT. Based on this performance, she received an award from Northwestern University as an exceptional student in the Midwest as well as an award from Michigan State University for her performance.

Kendall earns academic all star
Seaholm graduate and Colorado School of Mines women's soccer senior Jennifer Kendall has been selected as a Google Cloud/CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American for her outstanding combination of athletic and academic achievement. Kendall, a mechanical engineering major with a 3.996 GPA, was Mines' leader on the field this season, earning First-Team All-Region, First-Team All-RMAC, and RMAC Tournament MVP honors. Read more at https://minesathletics.com/news/2018/11/28/womens-soccer-kendall-earns-first-team-academic-all-america-nod.aspx

All-State Band
Congratulations to Groves senior Claire Hornburg (trumpet) and Groves freshman Clarice Kim (violin). The two were accepted to the 2019 Michigan All-State Band and Orchestra and will be performing with the top student musicians in the state at the Michigan Music Conference on Jan. 26.

Seaholm Student-Athlete Swimmers 
The National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) has named five student-athletes from Birmingham Seaholm High School to the 2017-2018 NICSA/Speedo Boys High School All American Swim Team. This All-American Team recognition goes to the top 100 swimmers in the United States, as determined by time in each event. Congratulations to the following swimmers:
Individual Honors:

• 50 Freestyle: Michael Arpasi (2018 graduate, team captain) - Time: 20.83
• 200 Medley Relay: Michael Arpasi, Tom Girdler (10th grade), Iain Bukowinski (11th grade), Nolan Grout (2018 graduate, team captain) - Time: 1:33.94
• 200 Freestyle Relay: Iain Bukowinski, Michael Arpasi, Sam Hoover (12th grade, team captain), Nolan Grout - Time: 1:25.27

Congratulations to these swimmers and Head Coach Thomas Wyllie!

Birmingham Robotics Champs
On Saturday, Nov. 17, the Birmingham United Robotics Team, Automation Nation, competed at the Oakland County Robotics Championship. Ranked 4th overall out of 16 teams, the Birmingham team paired up with the Avondale Robotic team and only lost once in the elimination rounds on their way to their second victory in 7 days, winning the FIRST Robotics Female Tournament earlier this month. Next up for the team is the FIRST Robotics Challenge “Destination: Deep Space”, starting in January. The team is led by Birmingham teachers Bernie Simms and Patrick Hoover. For more information about the team, visit their website at www.team2960.org

Michigan Math Prize
Congratulations to the following students from Groves and Seaholm to have qualified for Part II of the Michigan Mathematics Prize competition. The finalists will compete in Part II on Dec. 5. The top 50 students in the state will be presented with scholarships ranging from awards of $250 to $2,500. These students are among the top 1,000 students of the more than 6,000 students in the State of Michigan who participated in Part I to qualify for Part II.

Groves -
Kyle Alkatib
Zac Chentouf
Jacob Flaherty
Claire Hornburg
Hadi Juratli
Linday Martin
Ethan Podolsky
Scott Rolf
Eden Sherman
Jay Stansberry

Seaholm -
Jeremy Bakken
Anna Broderick
Madeline Brooks
Burton Carlson
Toland Corum
Brady Johnson-Hill
Jack Jurkovich
Justin Klotz
Tatum Kreindler
Sebastian Leone
Jack Liddle
Alexander Lonze
Meredith Moore
Owen Salciccioli
Davis Sheppard
George Vukovic
David Watkinson
James Watkinson
Arvin Yaple
Jacquelyn Zamora

Groves Debate Results
Groves varsity and novice debaters had a successful weekend at Wayne State University's Ed Pappas Memorial Tournament, held Oct. 12-13, 2018. In the novice division, Groves took both first and second place, defeating Midland H.H. Dow High School in both semifinal debates. Representing Groves were Kevin Guich, Ryan Goodman, Amiri Walker, Ben Glick and Luke Lee. Ryan was 10th, Kevin 7th and Ben placed 4th in the individual speaker category. In the varsity division, the team of Lukis Bagdon and Sathvik Rajagopalan reached the semifinals before losing a close 2-1 decision to Midland H.H. Dow.

Successful Fun Run
Quarton Physical Education teacher, Kyle Cameron, was presented with an award from Jump Rope for Heart. Out of the 1,027 schools, Quarton Elementary was named the third highest fundraising school in the state, raising $31,109. Many thanks and congratulations to Mr. Cameron for his dedication and work with the students to keep them enthusiastic in their mission.

Birmingham Robotics Team
The Birmingham Robotics Team started the year off competing in the Oakland County Competitive Robotics League tournament #1 at Marion High School. With 20 teams competing in a round-robin format, the Birmingham United team (Automation Nation) won the third-place trophy, missing out on first place by one score. They were also awarded the Judge’s Award for “Design and Execution”. Automation Nation is led by teachers Bernie Simms and Patrick Hoover.

Thank you, volunteers!
Thank you to all the volunteers that joined Kids Against Hunger at Birmingham Covington Schools on Sept. 22 for Kids Feeding Kids. Over 22,800 meals were packed by 222 volunteers to feed children around the world!

All-American Swim
Tyler Austin, a junior at Groves High School, was named to the 2017-18 Scholastic All-American Swim Team. The team honors the top high school swimmers who focused and maintained excellence in the classroom as well as the pool. This year 1,619 high school swimmers earned the distinction in the nation. 

National Merit Scholarship
Officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalist in the 64^th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program. We are happy to congratulate Seaholm’s National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists of 2019: Jeremy Bakken, Sydney Czako, Tatum Kreindler, Emma Morganroth and Owen Salciccioli!

Berkshire student recognized by Duke University Talent ID program
Lochlan Patterson, an eighth grade student at Berkshire Middle School has been honored by Duke University Talent Identification program for his exceptional scores on the SAT. The talent program recognizes students across the United States who’ve scored at or above the 95^th percentile on grade-level standardized test. Duke TIP then hosts an annual recognition ceremony to honor the remarkable ACT or SAT scores. Congratulation to Lochlan!

Racing for Kids recognizes Sovran 
Racing for Kids is a unique, national charity which supports children when they are most vulnerable – sick and hospitalized. Each year, Racing for Kids to the Hill, an annual RFK event, gives out a Courageous Kid Award to honor and celebrate children who have beat the odds and overcome their various health challenges. This year’s 2018 Courageous Kid Award was received by 14 year old, Kathleen Sovran of Southfield, Michigan and student at Groves High School. The Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation of whom nominated Kathleen, is also a partner organization to Racing for Kids and a proud beneficiary of this event.

Rutherford Spotlight 
Congratulations to our very own Mr. John Rutherford! He was featured by the Educational Theatre Association this month!

"We chose John based on the outstanding theatre advice he regularly contributes to our Theatre Education Community. The instruction John provides helps other theatre educators, students, and artists from all over the world."

Check out his spotlight from the Educational Theatre Association. 

Service over the summer 
Alex Pallone, a senior at Seaholm High School, spent the summer volunteering with the YMCA at Camp Nissokone. As a junior counselor, he trained and lead the camp activities with students ages 8-16 and lead a 52-mile canoe trip. Congratulations on earning 550 hours of community service hours, Alex! 

Jackson Bergstrom, a junior at Seaholm High School, was honored by Birmingham Youth Assistance and the Optimists Club earlier this year with the Youth in Service award and Jane Parker Ward award and scholarship. Additionally, Jackson received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Medal for Volunteerism and is a past recipient of the President’s Gold Medal for volunteerism. Jackson directs an organization he created called “Lambs of Love” which has funded 13 years of education for each of over 500 girls in West Africa. At Seaholm, Jackson established the Young American’s for Freedom, which hosted School Safety Student Roundtables Civil Discourse assemblies with a state representative, U.S. congressman and students to have an open dialogue around important issues. He spent time over the summer planning additional opportunities. Additionally, Jackson spent the summer serving as a law clerk for a local judge this summer and traveled to Greece, Gettysburg, Williamsburg and DC where he attended several political leadership meetings.  

Thanks to the Pierce Community Education Council and the teachers and students in 3rd grade ESL, Pierce has a new Free Little Library! Located on the playground, near the new Buddy Bench, the idea came from Mrs Papaghanian's 3rd grade ESL reading group. The group read a non-fiction piece about Free Little Library's around the world and how they are helping communities grow together and gain literacy skills. Mrs Papaghanian, Mrs Hilzinger and students created a plan to design and advertise this new resource for the Pierce community. Mrs Hilzinger's friend, Simona Lucutz, volunteered to help the kids organize their design ideas and paint the library. They chose to highlight diversity and community, two themes that Simona is famous for. Her art even won the Downtown Birmingham Art Contest! Congratulations to Simona, Pierce ESL and the entire Pierce learning community!

Know about a great BPS kid? Let us know by emailing acron@birmingham.k12.mi.us  

Why Choose BPS?

BPS was ranked No. 1 in Michigan by Niche.com and BPS teachers were named the No. 2 Best Teachers in Michigan! 

BPS is now a State and National District of Character! 
BPS is the first district in Michigan to be named a District of Character! 

For more information about the district, explore our website or visit the Prospective Families section of our website.