STURGIS

HIGH SCHOOL

216 Vinewood Avenue

Sturgis, Michigan

49091

SSSS HHHH SSSS � Ron Ehlers, Principal � High School office: (269) 659-1515

� Jessica Bucklin, Assistant Principal � Guidance office: (269) 659-1520

~ March 2017 ~

Although the winter months were a bit milder this year, we still are eagerly awaiting the spring season. Please be

aware of the following items of interest:

We are in the process of conducting a “student interest” survey as we prepare our course offerings for the 2017-2018

school year. Following the survey, we will be providing students with the opportunity to review and choose courses

for next year. Please take time to meet with your student to assist them in deciding what courses to take. Our guid-

ance department appreciates any assistance you can provide during this process.

You have been provided information recently describing dual enrollment opportunities both here on our Sturgis High

School campus as well as at Glen Oaks Community College. As some of you may know, the Early Middle College

program is also available for students who desire a 5 year program developed to delay their high school diploma one

year in order to help them earn a college associates degree or program certificate. Please contact our guidance office

for more information.

We are in the process of finalizing preparations for the SAT/PSAT testing that will occur on April 11,12, and 13 for

all 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students. Information will be provided soon regarding the daily schedule for those

days. Keep in mind that there are times when your student may not need to report to school.

Please make note of some important dates in the near future:

March 29 Parent/Teacher Conferences, 5:00-8:00pm

March 31 No school for staff and students

April 3-7 Spring Break

April 11,12,13 Michigan SAT/PSAT/M-STEP testing

April 23 NHS Ceremony, HS Cafeteria Annex, 2:00pm

Honors Convocation, HS Main Gym, 3:00pm

May 4 Senior Awards, Sturges Young, 7:00pm

Continue to check our Facebook page and school calendar on our website for details of these and other events.

Thank you for your continued support of our students and programs here at Sturgis High School.

Ron Ehlers Ron Ehlers Ron Ehlers Ron Ehlers Principal

Please note this MME testing information!

The following testing dates determine which day/s your student must attend. You can help support their

testing success by encouraging them to get plenty of rest the night before testing!

April 11: 9th - 8:25am testing begins. Students are released for the day when done.

10th - Not in attendance all day

11th - 8:25am testing begins. Students are released for the day when done.

12th - Not in attendance all day

April 12: 9th - Only Special Education students testing; released for the day when done.

All other 9th grade students not in attendance all day

10th - 8:25am testing begins. Students are released for the day when done.

11th - 8:25am testing begins. Students are released for the day when done.

12th - Not in attendance all day

April 13: 9th - Normal schedule - no testing

10th - Normal schedule - no testing (Special Education students will be testing)

11th - 8:25am - testing begins. Students are released for the day when done.

Early Middle College… Early Middle College… Early Middle College… Early Middle College… Open Enrollment for 2017 StudentsOpen Enrollment for 2017 StudentsOpen Enrollment for 2017 StudentsOpen Enrollment for 2017 Students

The Early/Middle College (EMC) Application packet is due on March 31, 2017 for 10th grade students

wanting to participate in the program for Fall 2017. Students can stop in to the SHS Guidance office for an

application.

If you would like more information about the program, please contact:

Anita Lopez SchlabachAnita Lopez SchlabachAnita Lopez SchlabachAnita Lopez Schlabach

St. Joseph County EMCSt. Joseph County EMCSt. Joseph County EMCSt. Joseph County EMC

email:email:email:email: aschlabach@glenoaks.eduaschlabach@glenoaks.eduaschlabach@glenoaks.eduaschlabach@glenoaks.edu

Office: 269Office: 269Office: 269Office: 269----294294294294----4234423442344234

Cell: 269Cell: 269Cell: 269Cell: 269----689689689689----2135213521352135

Accessing your student’s Power School informa�on …

(A repeat from our last newsle�er, but worth another shout!)

By logging in to your student’s account, you can quickly see your child’s grades for each class and par�cular assign-

ments; you can see if any assignments were turned in late or are missing; and you can check if they have been tar-

dy or absent to any classes. If you have any concerns from the informa�on you see, discuss it with your student. If

you feel that more help or interven�on is needed, please contact their counselor in the Guidance office.

If you would like assistance logging in to Power School, please contact the office at 269-659-1515.

SHS BLOOD DRIVESHS BLOOD DRIVESHS BLOOD DRIVESHS BLOOD DRIVE

On March 7 we had the 17th annual SHS Blood Drive

sponsored by American Red Cross and the student

Business Professionals of America organiza�on.

There were 97 presen�ng donors for the blood drive and

67 were successful. Each dona�on could poten�ally save

three lives, and in doing the math (67 X 3,) it shows there

were 201 poten�al lives saved! Well done SHS!

Are you the parent of a current 8th grade student? If so...

You’re Invited to Freshman Orientation!

When: Monday evening, April 24, 2017 at 7:00 pm

Where: Sturgis High School, Auxiliary Gym

Who: All 8th graders and their parents who are considering attending Sturgis High School in the fall of

the 2017-2018 school year.

Why: Receive enrollment materials, learn about Career Pathways, tour the high school, discover how

students and parents can become involved in academics, activities, clubs and athletics! Get your

questions answered about classes, earning credits, graduation requirements, dual enrollment,

Early Middle College and how to be successful at Sturgis High School!!

CTE Students of the Quarter Announced

The nine different programs in St. Joseph County’s Career & Technical Education (CTE)

Consortium nominate students as “Student of the Quarter” each marking period. These

students have distinguished themselves among the 550+ juniors and seniors who take CTE

classes, and become eligible for a “Student of the Year” honors. Isaac Pratt, Sturgis High

School, Welding Technologies (Glen Oaks)

Students in the CTE Welding Technologies class located at Glen Oaks Community Col-

lege have chosen Isaac Pratt (pictured at left) for the student of the quarter. Isaac is a sec-

ond-year welding student and has assumed a leadership role in the classroom. “First-year

students find it easy to approach Isaac to seek help or his opinion on class assignments,”

said CTE welding instructor Alyse Gordon. “Isaac is intelligent and has a great sense of

humor.

Ms. Gordon, GOCC Welding Instructor, feels confident recommending that other students

seek Pratt’s input when they find themselves at a roadblock in their welding projects.

Through his efforts and leadership, students have gained new insights in welding tech-

niques.

Quiz Bowl! The SHS Quiz Bowl Team brought home silver from the St. Joseph County ISD Quiz Bowl Tournament February 1. Sturgis was represented by Haley Ake, Maison Bishop, Andrew Burg, Anna Burg, Ethan Pattison, Jesse Pattison, Michael Scheske, and Hersh Vakharia.

The team faced tough competition, finish-ing second to Three Rivers. The events included buzzer round competitions and a pencil-paper round. Jesse Pattison was selected by his teammates as its recipient of the Team Leadership Award for his ex-cellent performance in the tournament.

Youth in Government took place March 11th through March 14th. Students partici-

pated in various governmental roles in all three branches of the government and

were given the opportunity to debate and speak in the capitol building in

Lansing. Sixteen students attended from Sturgis High School. Mrs. Saunders and

Mr. Shoesmith are the YIG advisors.

The following SHS students attended the

event: James Campbell, Avery Cleveland,

Noah Franks, Cassandra Herman,

Jesus Hernandez, Mackenzie Howk,

Brian Jordan, Katie King, Sean Kosman,

Ethan Pattison, Jesse Pattison, Paige Pattison,

Matthew Polzin, Hersh Vakharia,

Brookelyn Wheeler, and Dakota Wilson.

News from the Music Department! On Thursday, January 12th, 45 High School Band and Orchestra students accompanied their chaperones and teachers to a matinee performance of Mo-zart's "The Magic Flute" at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. The sold-out perfor-mance was preceded by a lecture about the opera and the music. A highlight of the setting for the opera was an entire two-story house constructed on the stage on a large turntable to allow different views of the house and yard. After the three and a half hour production, the students attended a dinner at The Italian Village restaurant.

Mari Ann Alldredge from the Temple of Terror Haunted House presents Sturgis Band and Orchestra students with a check for $750. The students were among many volunteers that worked at the haunted house last October. A portion of the proceeds from the haunted house are donated back to local organizations in the community.

On Thursday, February 2nd about 90 Sturgis High

School Band and Orchestra students traveled with their directors and chaperones to Chicago to at-tend an open rehearsal of the Chicago Symphony Or-chestra. The Orchestra was directed by English director Bramwell Tovey. The program included the Orb and Scepter March by William Walton which was written for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Other music included the second act music from the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" by Tchaikovsky and "The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra" by Benjamin Britten.

Congratulations to our Band, Orchestra, and Choir students who attended District Solo and Ensemble Festival in mid-February in Schoolcraft (instrumental) and Vicksburg (Vocal). Sturgis brought home a large number of first division rated events and some second division events. Those with first division ratings are eligible to perform at the state events in March. Our students turned in some very impressive performances, and while there were too many to list here, we would like to point out that Abdiel Cardiel (pictured at right) performed a solo on violin and received a second division rating which is quite very good!

On March 16 our SHS Choir students attended the

79th annual Southwestern Michigan Vocal Festival

at Western Michigan University. Well over 800 stu-

dents from 18 southwest Michigan high schools at-

tended the event, and were able to enjoy the experi-

ence of “mass singing of good repertoire under the

leadership of an inspiring conductor,” Francisco J.

Nunez.

On Saturday, march 18, Sturgis sent nine events to State Solo and Ensemble - eight events were rated at a Division I - or "Superior" and one event was rated at a Division II - or "Excellent". Five students entered for State Level Proficiency Exams at different levels based on school year includ-ing their solo, scales, sight reading, and, for piano learning a second piano piece as well. All of our profi-ciency scores were Division I. Scores were:

Aimi Hettinger - flute prof. level I Katie Ehlert - harp prof. level I Noah Franks - piano prof. level I Noah Franks - trombone prof. level I Ellie Clemons - harp prof. level II - earned a perfect score of "100" on her proficiency exam. These were our other events: Alex Hernandez Gomez - Grade 9 solo - div. I Trumpet Trio of Julia Lalone, Cassidy Swinsick, Jessica Tschannon - div. I Brass Quartet of Julia Lalone, Matthew Kirk, Jose Jarmillo, Dillan Ware - div. II Harp Ensemble of Ellie Clemons, Katie Ehlert, Jasmine Miller, Lydia Kirk, Bella Good, Dontae Brown and Joshua Grace - div. I All students did a great job of preparation and performance!

… and even MORE Music News !

And special congratulations to Ellie Clemons (pictured above) who has been nominated to audition for soloist at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival!!

In January, congratula�ons went out to 5 of our talented art students who had their art work selected to be in the Re-

gion 5 MAEA Art Show. Winners in this show will go on to state level judging and from there to possibly be part of the

Michigan Youth Arts Fes�val in May at WMU. A recep�on for all the Region 5 winners was held at Open Door Gallery.

January was also Board Appreciation month and this year, our Art Department came up with a gold medal idea! January was also Board Appreciation month and this year, our Art Department came up with a gold medal idea! January was also Board Appreciation month and this year, our Art Department came up with a gold medal idea! January was also Board Appreciation month and this year, our Art Department came up with a gold medal idea!

In Mr. Erts’ words:In Mr. Erts’ words:In Mr. Erts’ words:In Mr. Erts’ words:

I used our school mascot as inspiration. In thinking about our school mascot, I am re-minded of ancient Greece as a time of education. Many teachers and philosophers passed along wisdom and education to new generations. They wanted to ensure a community of well thought out individuals, much like our board today.

This pin was created with new and old processes taught here in our high school. The mas-ter stamp was 3D printed with the help of our CAD department. The master was then pressed into clay to leave an imprint, each one a bit unique. The impressions were then filled with wax and finally cast into bronze.

I wanted to create a pin that resembled an old out-of-round Greek coin to give to each of you. When you see it you are reminded that you are a part of the long standing tradition here in Sturgis. The tough decisions you make and the countless hours you spend help provide all students with the tools and resources they need to be successful.

Thank you for all you do and for the impressions you make!

More congratulations went out to four students whose

artwork represented SHS at the Scholastic Art Awards at

the South Bend Regional Museum of Art, which ran from

Janurary 28-March 11.

In the words of Mrs. Baldwin, “It is a BIG honor to be

accepted in Scholastic and Mr. Erts and I know you will

be amazed when you see the show. This is the best of the

best high school art!”

Pictured at right (clockwise from upper left) are Janae

Brubaker, Honorable Mention; Mackenzie Lytle, Silver

Key; Alexis McCallum, Honorable Mention; and Chloe

Ditmer, Honorable Mention.

Emily Gooch, photo

Lela Rackley, painting

Zoe Yoquelet, photo

Our MAEA Art Show

winners are:

Amanda Carson, ceramics (l)

Alexis Vandenbosch, painting (r)

Photo, Emily Gooch

Fun times at

Creative Gymnastics

Center!

Life Sports and Fitness ~ Health ~ Women’s Fitness

Archery…

After being taught proper handling of a

bow and arrow,

students were given the opportunity to

target shoot balloons!

The Women's Fitness and Life Sports and Fitness classes experimented with scuba

gear earlier this semester! Greg Stone from Elkhart's "Hart City Scuba" brought with

him his expertise, equipment and patience and allowed the students to experience

underwater breathing~ what a blast! Thanks Greg! Thanks, too, to Melanie O’Connell

for being flexible while helping with the logistics of bringing scuba to our pool!

In addition to the above, students in Life Sports and Fitness and Women’s Fitness classes have the opportunity to experience a wide variety of real life, non-competitive physical activities - including canoe-ing, horseback riding and yoga. We hope that these experiences encourage our students to pursue a life-long enjoyment of physical activity - for health and for FUN!

NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT: In Compliance with the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educa-tion Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1977, it is the policy of the Sturgis Public Schools District that no person shall, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, disability, height, weight, or marital status be excluded from participa-tion in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination during any program, activity, service or in employment. For information, contact: Julie Evans, Assistant Superintendent, 107 W. West Street, Sturgis, MI 49091, 269-659-1500 DECLARACION DE NO DISCRIMINACION: En cumplimiento con el Titulo VI del Acta de Derechos Civiles de 1964, el Titu-lo IX de las Enmiendas de Educación de 1972, Sección 504 de la Ley de Rehabilitación de 1973, la Ley de Estadounidense con Discapacidades de 1990 y la Ley de Derechos Civiles de Elliot-Larsen de 1977, es la política del distrito de las Escuelas Públi-cas De Sturgis que ninguna persona por motivos de raza, color, religión, genero, origen nacional o ascendencia, sexo, disca-pacidad, altura, peso o estado civil sea excluida de participar en, ser negado a los servicios de, o ser sujeto a discriminación en cualquier programa, actividad, servicio o en el empleo. Para tener más información, comuníquese con: Julie Evans, Sub Directora General, 107 W. West Street Sturgis, MI 49091, 269-659-1500

Business Professionals of America (BPA)

On Wednesday, January 4th, Sturgis High School Chapter of Business Professionals of America (BPA) participated

in our Regional Leadership Conference (competition). There were about 270 total students competing. Mr. Leach

said, “I am extremely proud of everyone who participated for many reasons, including giving their time during our

school's break!!”

On March 20, our qualifying students returned from the State competition. In the State Top 10 was the Video Pro-

duction Team comprised of Ethan Pattison, Noah Kinsey, Brooke George and Bailee Riess (Centreville) which re-

ceived 3rd Place at State. The following teams qualify for the National competition in May:

Visual Basic/C# Computer Programming, 2nd Place at State

Hersh Vakharia

Extemporaneous Speech, 2nd Place at State

Noah Kinsey

Presentation Management Team, 2nd Place at State

Katie Horn

Emma Boland

Derien Kleine

Software Engineering Team (guaranteed top 10 at Nationals)

Hersh Vakharia

Michael De Young

Nathan Moore

Jeremy Frohriep

(Logan Andrews is alternate)

Torch Award (Professionalism and Leadership in Life)

Brooke George

Brookelyn Wheeler

It was an amazing competition with a group of exceptional students. Please help Mr. Leach in thanking all of the

students for representing themselves, SHS and Sturgis BPA with poise and professionalism. We are VERY proud of

all of them.

SHSCalendar

2016/2017SchoolyearRemember–youcanalwaysaccessourcalendarfromthewebpage!

Checkthereforanylastminutechanges!

March:

29 Parent/Teacher Conferences, 5:00-8:00pm 30 End of marking period 31 NO SCHOOL April:

2-7 Band and Orchestra to Disney World 3-7 SPRING BREAK 11 SAT, 11th grade PSAT, 9th grade 12 Work Keys, 11th PSAT, 10th 14 HALF DAY 23 National Honor Society convocation, 2:00pm Honors Convocation, 3:00pm 25 Make up date, SAT (11th), PSAT (9th) 26 Make up date, Work Keys (11th), PSAT (10th) 26-27 State Choral Festival, Holt, MI 28 Fun Friday May:

1 AP Exam: Chemistry and Environmental Science 3 AP Exam: English Lit and Comp 4 AP Exam: Government and Politics Senior Honors Night 5 AP Exam: Us History 6 Grand March, 7:00pm, SHS Prom, 8:00-11:00pm, Sturges-Young Auditorium 8 HALF DAY AP Exam: Biology 9 AP Exam: Calculus 10 AP Exam: Macroeconomics 11 AP Exam: Statistics 12 AP Exam: Microeconomics 15-19 Senior Portfolio week 18-20 MYAF/All State Choir, Western Michigan University 18 Orchestra Spring Concert, 7:00pm, Sturges-Young Auditorium 21 Choir Spring Concert, 3:00pm, Sturges-Young Auditorium 22 Life Sports/Fitness canoe and kayak trip, 10:19-3:25pm 23 Band banquet, 6:00pm 25 Band Spring Concert, 7:00pm Sturges-Young Auditorium 26 SENIORS LAST DAY Fun Friday 29 NO SCHOOL June:

4 Baccalaureate, 12:30pm, SHS cafeteria annex Graduation, 2:00pm 15 HALF DAY—Student last day

Full school day: 8:25am—3:25pm

Half day: 8:25am—11:45am

2 hour delay: 10:25am—3:25pm

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES FOR

TITLE VI OF CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 TITLE IX OF THE EDUCATION AMENDMENT ACT OF 1972

SECTION 504 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973 TITLE II OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990

ELLIOTT-LARSEN CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1977

Section I

Any person believing that the Sturgis Public School District or any part of the school organization has inadequately applied the principles and/or regulations of (1) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, (2) Title IX of the Education Amendment Act of 1972, (3) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or (4) Title II of the Americans with Disability Act of 1990 may bring forward a complaint, which shall be referred to as a grievance to:

Julie Evans, Assistant Superintendent Sturgis Public Schools 107 W. West Street Sturgis, MI 49091 269-659-1500

Section II

The person who believes a valid basis for grievance exists shall discuss the grievance informally and on a verbal basis with the Assistant Superintendent, who shall in turn investigate the complaint and reply with an answer within five (5) business days.

If the complainant feels the grievance is not satisfactorily resolved, s/he may initiate formal proce-dures according to the following steps.

Step 1

A written statement of the grievance signed by the complainant shall be submitted to the Assistant Superintendent within five (5) business days of receipt of answers to the informal complaint. The As-sistant Superintendent shall further investigate the matters of grievance and reply in writing to the complainant within five (5) business days.

Step 2

A complainant wishing to appeal the written (or Step 1) decision of the Assistant Superintendent may submit a signed statement of appeal to the Superintendent of Schools within five (5) business days after receipt of the Assistant Superintendent’s response. The Superintendent shall meet with all par-ties involved, formulate a conclusion, and respond in writing to the complainant within (10) business days.

Step 3

If still unsatisfied, the complainant may appeal through a signed, written statement to the Board of Education within five (5) business days of receiving the Superintendent’s response in Step 2. In an attempt to resolve the grievance, the Board of Education shall meet with the concerned parties and their representative within forty (40) days of the receipt of such an appeal. A copy of the Board’s disposition of the appeal shall be sent to each concerned party within ten (10) days of this meeting. The decision of the Board of Education shall be final.

==============================================================

The local Assistant Superintendent, on request, will provide the complainant with a copy of the dis-trict’s grievance procedure and investigate all complaints in accordance with this procedure.

A copy of each of the Acts and the regulations on which this notice is based may be found in the As-sistant Superintendent’s office.

STURGIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS COMPLAINT FORM

Elliott-Larsen Title VI Title IX Section 504 Title II

Name: Date

Address:

(Street)

(City) (Zip)

Telephone:

(Home) (School or Work Location)

Status of person filing complaint: Student Employee

Parent/Guardian Other

Statement of Complaint (include type of discrimination charged and the specific incidents in which it occurred):

Signature of Complainant: _________________________Date Complaint Filed:

Signature of person receiving complaint:

Date Received: Complaint Number:

Complaint Authority:

Submit all copies to the local Assistant Superintendent. The person receiving the complaint will sign receipt,

date and number the complaint. One copy will be returned to the complainant, one copy will be sent to the

school or department affected by the complaint, and one copy will be retained by the Assistant Superintendent.

DISTRIBUTION: 1st copy – Assistant Superintendent

2nd copy – School/Department

3rd copy – Complainant

NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT: In Compliance with the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1977, it is the policy of the Sturgis Public Schools District that no person shall, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, disability, height, weight, or marital status be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination during any program, activity, service or in employment. For infor-mation, contact: Julie Evans, Assistant Superintendent, 107 W. West Street, Sturgis, MI 49091, 269-659-1500