Grosse Pointe News - Local History Archives

•
GROSSE POINTE NEWS, AUGUST 9, 2012
2AII
SCHOOLS
South students greet
guests before DSO concert
Before the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra
made the stage at the
Edsel and Eleanor Ford
House for the groups'
third annual collaboration
July 13 and 14, Grosse
Pointe South High School
students greeted and
treated guests to music
from Bach and Mozart.
Detroit Children's
Choir, under Carol
Shoch's direction, sang as
well.
PHOTOS BY RENEE LANDUYT
Above, the South quartet
of Hannah Adams, Erica
Arora, Janey Degnan
and Spencer Korejwo
play music from Mozart
for guests. Arora graduated
in June and will attend
Grand Valley State
University in the fall. The
others are all juniors.
Right, Grosse Pointe
South High School graduate
Brian Hall, attending
the University of
Notre Dame in the fall,
greets VEP guests at the
front door with a performance
of Bach on cello.
HIRES: Takis and Pratt take over for
Cross and Bowen, respectively
Continued from page
1AII
Cross was fired and
Bowen placed on paid
administrative leave.
Administration is currently
seeking Bowen's
termination. Their replacements
are, respectively,
Christopher Takis,
of Van Dyke Public
Schools, and
Christopher Pratt, of
Center Grove High
School in Greenwood,
Ind.
Takis assumes the role
as Pierce Middle School
and Grosse Pointe South
High School band
teacher.
As director of bands,
choirs and guitar class at
Lincoln Middle School
since 2005, Takis doubled
student participation
and brought numerous
awards and achievements
to the program.
He also worked as drumline
instructor for
Rochester Public
Schools and as pit orchestra
instructor at
Williamston Community
Schools near East
Lansing.
He graduated in 2005
with a Bachelor of Music
Education degree and received
K-12 music certification
from Michigan
State University, while
on scholarship at MSU's
School of Music.
"We had parents and
staff and administrators
interview a variety of
people," Dean said. "We
had all the candidates we
were really interested in
work with a group of students
in almost a festival
sort of environment. The
feedback we received almost
unanimously said
Mr. Takis would be the
right fit for this program."
Pratt steps in as
South's choir teacher, a
position Bowen solidified
the past 26 years.
Bowen's choirs performed
more than 60
times with the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra,
routinely earned highest
honors at the Michigan
State Solo and Ensemble
Festivals and Pointe
Singers at national show
choir festivals, and took
bi-annual trips across the
United States and
Europe.
Himself a decorated
choir teacher, in his 13-
plus years teaching in
both Indiana and Illinois,
Pratt
earned
Outstanding First Year
Teacher in the Danville
District #118 in Illinois
in 2001, Service Award
Recipient from Center
Grove Community
School Corporation in
2007 and was featured in
Choral Directors
Magazine as its Featured
Choral Director in 2011.
At Center Grove he
and an assistant director
managed about 400 students
in nine choral ensembles
and two piano
classes.
His choirs have won
more than 75 Grand
Champions awards and
several other national titles
during competitions
in New York City,
Chicago, Orlando,
Branson and
Indianapolis.
"I think the thing that
struck the committee the
most was," Dean said,
"when we talked to him
about his program, the
first thing he talked
about was the value of
his program — he puts
academics first and a focus
on giving kids the relationships
and a place,
something to be a part of
in high school — and
that really impressed the
committee."
Pratt earned a music
education degree from
Millikin University, a
Bachelor of Science degree
in music education
from Ball State
University and a Master
of Education in educational
leadership and administration
degree from
Indiana University-
Purdue University in
Indianapolis.
"Mr. Pratt's background
is extensive, he
has extensive show choir
experience as well as experience,"
Dean said.
"His choirs are also technically
sound, coming
from the state of Indiana.
He has built an amazing
program."
Meeting Brief
•Also included in the
human resources report,
Debra Higgins, new assistant
principal at
South. Previously,
Higgins was assistant
principal at the high
school and middle school
levels at Brighton Area
Schools.
She has an associate's
degree from Schoolcraft
College, a Bachelor of
Arts degree from
Madonna University,
Master of Arts in teaching
from Marygrove
College and education
specialist in supervision
and administration degree
from Wayne State
University.
•The board also recalled
several teachers
from layoff. About four
of the original 13 remain
on layoff.
SODEXO: Board encourages students,
parents to take notes on food service
Continued from page IAII
a survey for feedback on
the upcoming bid.
"I would just encourage
people to try to keep good
notes and make sure the
administration and even
the board is aware if
there's an opportunity or
things that have just not
come forward well in the
Sodexo program," trustee
Tom Jakubiec said, "so we
can be cognizant of that
as we go through the negotiation
process next
year."
Added president Judy
Gafa: "I'm going to look
with interest at if we really
are getting healthier food
options. I think we need
to make sure we start at a
young age getting our
kids healthier. I think this
district and community as
a whole tends to go up towards
healthier food options,
so I think we need
to make sure we're servicing
our families that way
too."
School breakfast
Also at the July meeting,
the board approved
operating a school breakfast
program at Defer,
Mason and Poupard elementary
schools and
Parcells Middle School.
c^tL^Jc $*JLXi
Up to 50% OFF.
*
EVERYTHING IS ON SALE,
END
OF SUMMER CLEARANC
PRICES DROP EVERY DAY!
FRI-SUN, AUGUST 10-1
TREK, VISION FITNESS, ELECTRA, UFE FITNESS, MIRRACO, GARY FISHER & MORE
A.^
« >
•^
Grosse Pointe Woods
20343 Mack Ave
313.886.1968
€7^/^7/^
rV
meeting this past April in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mark Schott, an undergraduate
student at Wayne State University,
was one of two physics majors to
recently receive the "Professors
Henry Bohm and Melbourne
Stewart Endowed Undergraduate
Scholarship" for academic
excellence.
On March 29, 2012, Wayne State
hosted the Vaden W. Miles
Memorial lecture with guest
speaker, [also pictured), Colonel
Terri Uirts, NASA astronaut, pilot
and lead robotic operator of Space
Shuttle Mission, STS -130. Prior to
the lecture, Mark was given the
award.
During the summer of 2011, Mark
participated in a 3-month
internship at Fermilab, located in
Batavia, Illinois. His research was
in particle physics and he
presented his findings at an APS
Mark was accepted and is currently involved in a physics internship at the College of
William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is working with a team at the NASA -
Langley research center in Hampton, Virginia.
Mark attended the Grosse Pointe Academy, Grosse Pointe South, and UC Santa Cruz. He is
in his final year at Wayne State. He is the son of Bobbee Schott (Grosse Pointe City] and
the late Michael B. Schott.
ericanCycleAndFJtness.com
' M t, ilot fly it • W, • i, ,
t*TO|V
mi ii mi
iimnii iiinnni