| Observer; Sunday November 12, 2006 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 12 2006, 12:06 PM (269 Views) | |
| Administrator | Nov 12 2006, 12:06 PM Post #1 |
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Administrator
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Teacher makes students dance BY REBECCA JONES STAFF WRITER Each morning before heading out to Stevenson High School, teacher Mary Clark packed fruit and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for students who might otherwise skip lunch. It went on for four years. The act was as much about nutrition as nurturing, said Clark, Stevenson's family life teacher. ADVERTISEMENT Clark was named Livonia Public Schools' High School Teacher of the Year. "I figure anyone who is going to eat peanut butter and jelly for four years must really be hungry," she said. Clark also hosts Cookie Fridays to encourage student visitors. In nominating her for the teaching award, a colleague called Clark "an expert on the human brain," noting that she prepares different lesson plans geared toward auditory, kinesthetic and auditory learners. Clark reads to students for 10 minutes each day. Right now, the book is "A Child Called It," about abuse. Then, the class takes part in a group activity, and wraps up with a video that goes along with the subject matter. Students even head out in the hall and conga. Clark knows six versions of the hustle, as well as Greek and Arabic dance steps. "We head back into the classroom rejuvenated," Clark said. Students may be hesitant about it at first, but she eases them into it. In addition to family life classes, Clark taught German and chaperoned four trips to Germany over the years. She's also a regular chaperone for other after school activities including band and choir concerts, plays, sporting events and prom. Clark, a Northville resident, earned a minor in German at Wayne State University. She also holds master's degrees in clothing and textiles and in special education for the emotionally impaired. Clark said she was "incredibly emotionally moved" to be named High School Teacher of the Year. "I'm shocked. I'm humbled. I'm grateful," Clark said at the Nov. 6 school board meeting, where she was recognized along with Isolina Carlini from Holmes Middle School and Amy Atwater-Truchan from Roosevelt Elementary. "This moment will touch me forever," said Clark, who used a term she coined to describe it: "wondiferous." "I figure if Dr. Seuss can do it, I can," she said. rrjones@hometownlife.com | (734) 953-2054 http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...427/1027/NEWS10 |
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| Administrator | Nov 12 2006, 12:08 PM Post #2 |
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Administrator
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Bomb threat at Cooper a hoax BY REBECCA JONES STAFF WRITER A bomb threat written in crayon at Cooper Upper Elementary was a hoax, police and school district officials said. The note, described as graffiti in orange crayon, appeared on a girls' bathroom stall Nov. 8 right before school dismissal. ADVERTISEMENT "It indicated that on Nov. 10 that there would be a bomb," said Jay Young, director of community relations. Westland police brought a bomb-sniffing dog through the school and found no evidence of explosives. "They determined that it was probably a hoax and had no reason to believe it was a credible threat," Young said. After school School Age Child Care programs were disrupted during the investigation, but the building was not evacuated during school hours. Westland police also provided extra security at Cooper on Nov. 9 and 10. School officials followed the district's Crisis Response Plan. The school district sent home a letter with students the next day informing them of the threat and to reassure them that school was safe, Young said. The letter asked parents to discuss the incident with their children. "Please encourage (students) to always talk with a Cooper staff member should they see/hear anything related to this type of incident," the letter stated. "It is important that, as a community, we send a message that we will not tolerate threats of any kind." "Bomb threats occur occasionally, but it is typically at the older schools," Young sad. Police are still investigating. They have no suspects. The school, on Ann Arbor Trail, has an enrollment of 750 fifth- and sixth-graders. Cooper reportedly had more absences than normal Friday, but exact figures were unavailable at press time. rrjones@hometownlife.com | (734) 953-2054 http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../611120420/1027 |
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| Administrator | Nov 12 2006, 12:09 PM Post #3 |
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Class makes tic tac toe for sight-impaired BY REBECCA JONES STAFF WRITER Tic tac toe is traditionally a pen-and-paper game of Xs and Os. But Emerson Middle School students developed a 3-D version for visually impaired children to play. ADVERTISEMENT On Thursday, Ron Wilson's technology class delivered the game boards and pieces to Seedlings, a Livonia nonprofit that adapts children's books for braille readers. Students routed a three-by-three grid into a sheet of plywood. Instead of Xs and Os, the pieces are red asterisks and white cylinders that fit into drilled holes. Last year's class started the project, and this year's students put the finishing touches together. Students created and packaged 54 games. "We sanded (the wood) to make sure there were no rough edges, drilled the holes and painted the tic tac toe pieces," said eighth-grader Courtney Woods. At Seedlings, Woods and classmates met and played tic tac toe with two vision-impaired students from Cass Elementary. Third-grader Austin Hill and first-grader Evan Winowiecki each got to take home one of the tic tac toe games. Austin also read from a Braille version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Seedlings produces 24,000 braille books each year, filling a need for blind parents who want to read to sighted children and for blind children who want to read for themselves about Arthur the anteater the or Junie B. Jones, the new favorite book series of both Austin and Evan. "You can't just go to Borders or Barnes & Noble and get a Braille book," said Debra Bonde, Seedlings' director and founder. Less than 5 percent of what's available for sighted children is ever available for blind children, said Susan Bresler, community outreach director at Seedlings. "They're still at a disadvantage, but we're trying to make a difference." Seedlings sends books around the world. Even Bonde doesn't know where the tic tac toe games will end up. "Your games may go to Australia. They may go to Ghana. Your school name is going to go around the world," Bonde said. "They'll go to good use." http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../611120421/1027 |
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| Recalla | Nov 12 2006, 06:57 PM Post #4 |
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Principal
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Gee, you would of thought that they would of said Livonia Public Schools some where in that article.
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9:09 AM Jul 11