West Middle School ELA teachers Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Kennedy-Jacob held their 2nd Annual "Human Library" Project recently. The Human Library brings in special guests with lives that might be thought of as interesting or extraordinary. The guests have "novel titles" and can be "checked out" by students and staff members. Visitors sit down with that novel/guest and listen to a short narrative of their story and then can ask questions. Students are involved in the process of finding guests, also - giving input about in what areas they would benefit from more understanding. The project brings people together from different walks of life and exposes the students to stories from people they might not normally encounter. The main purpose is to dispell preconceptions about people. Students also learn communication skills like how to form investigative questions, practice active listening, and how to be respectful and make eye contact. They are challenged to thin

On Wednesday, May 1, Medical Occupation students in I and II were visited by graduates of GBHS making strides toward future medical careers. The following alumni presenters shared their experience with students from the 3rd-6th hours of teacher, Mrs. McNair-Levi, MS, AT at GBHS: 2012 GBHS grad, Alexandra Stapleton, a medical student at MSUCOM waiting to sit for her board exams 2012 GBHS grad, Hailey Fisher, Speech Language Pathologist student entering grad school for Audiology 2014 GBHS grad, Alex Cesal, Chiropractic Medicine Student Shelley Swander Zavatsky, the mother of a student, also shared her experience as a Privacy (HIPAA) and Compliance Officer at Hurley Medical Center. GBHS graduate Alex Cesal is working on becoming a chiropractor. Having received his bachelor's degree from CMU, he's currently pursuing his master's degree. He was able to share what his course schedule looked like in undergrad and contrast it with the coursework in which he's now enroll

AP courses are plentiful at GBHS, but a relatively new one is being piloted to a select number of schools in the country, including Grand Blanc, and feedback has been positive. A class of about 14 students has almost completed their two-year commitment with teacher Mrs. Bleicher. AP Seminar is a prerequisite for AP Research and the two together make up AP Capstone. This year Mrs. Endicott has joined Bleicher to co-teach the two courses. According to their website, the College Board says AP Capstone "equips students with the independent research, collaborative teamwork, and communication skills that are increasingly valued by colleges." It's designed to complement study in other AP courses, and Grand Blanc students agree, this course has helped them in many other areas with time management, presentation, writing and identifying trustworthy sources of information. Grand Blanc AP Seminar student, Blake Spencer said after his final presentation for the year, "It prepares

Grand Blanc Schools’ Children’s Garden Preschool participated in "Make a Difference Day" on March 6th, 2019 by hosting a book drive. "Make a Difference Day" was created in honor of Grand Blanc student McKenna Schummer who lost her battle with cancer in 2018. The book drive was inspired by Children’s Garden Preschool student Charlie Paraschos, who has been battling leukemia with the help and support of Hurley Hospital. Children’s Garden Preschool families were asked for donations of gently used books that were then sold for .50 each, raising $600.00. They were able to purchase 480 BRAND NEW books with the proceeds that were then donated to the children at Hurley Hospital. The books will be used for Hurley Hospital’s Child Life Service Program that supports children and their families when a child is admitted to the hospital. The staff of the Child Life Service Program work closely with the doctors and staff to help explain medical procedures to the children, offering

Grand Blanc Community Schools has been awarded $243,838 through the Michigan State Police School Safety Initiative. The money is part of a total of $25 million recently announced for distribution to schools by the State of Michigan. The money granted to Grand Blanc Community Schools will partially fund the installation of barricade locks for all classroom doors in the district. The remainder of the money necessary will come from the district’s Sinking Fund. Legacy Barricades, Inc. manufactures this barricade device in Michigan. It was developed by a military and police veteran and has been approved for use by both fire and police. The product has already been installed on a pilot basis at Reid Elementary and the 1st floor of Perry Innovation Center, which houses Great Start Readiness and Children’s Garden Preschool and Latchkey. Lockdown drill procedures for school buildings will remain exactly the same as in the past, with the addition of activating the barricade device, which on

Indian Hill Elementary Principal, Jeremy Mitchell helped arrange for Grand Blanc Community Schools to host a Positivity Project board meeting on April 11, 2019. The board members observed Positivity Project lessons at an elementary, middle and high school level, and then came together with GB students, teachers and administrators to talk about the P2 implementation at Grand Blanc Schools. The rest of the afternoon, the board held their meeting at Grand Blanc East Middle School The board members attending included: • P2 Founders, Mike Erwin and Jeff Bryan • Colonel Rich Morales, Professor and Head, Department of Systems Engineering, US Military Academy • David Van Rooy, Ph.D., Vice President, Talent and Org Capability at Walmart • Kate Fagan, author and columnist/feature writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine and on-air talent for ESPN • Rebecca Otto, State of Minnesota Auditor, former teacher, Minnesota state representative, and business owner Thank you to the P2 organ

The Genesee Intermediate School District (GISD) recently announced the winners of the 2019 Countywide Spelling Bee Championship. 226 students participated from across the county resulting in first, second and third place winners in each grade level competition. Two top competitors from each grade then faced off in the 5th-8th Grade or 9th-12th Grade Championship. Grand Blanc Community Schools is proud to announce that Aurora Akinpeloye of Grand Blanc East Middle School (EMS) won first place in the 6th-grade and went on to win first place in the 5th-8th-grade Championship! Joshua Tewolde of Grand Blanc West Middle School (WMS) placed second in both the 6th-grade division and 5th-8th-grade Championship! Brendan Lavery of WMS took first place in the 7th-grade division and Edward Huang, also of WMS, placed first in the 8th-grade division. Congratulations to these winners, and to all our Bobcat spellers for the bravery and love of learning they display by participating in spelling competit

Turf pieces that now fit together on the west campus gym floor. The remodeled gym in the west campus building of Grand Blanc High School will officially be opened in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 10 at 3:30pm . The near 10,000 sq. ft. gym was underutilized as it stood and now allows for teams, clubs and physical education classes to practice and train indoors in inclement weather. The project was identified as part of the Strategic Plan, which calls for underused areas of school buildings to be repurposed. The Grand Blanc Athletic Foundation (GBAF) and the Sinking Fund funded the project. In the past, athletic teams have had to rent space in off-campus facilities in the winter and spring. GBHS Athletic Director & Asst. Principal, Jerrod Dohm stated, “The facility will save our sports programs and booster clubs thousands of dollars in rental fees.” The gym was completed last month and has already been a popular place for spring practices. “The turf material was purchase

Grand Blanc Community Schools has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. The district was also chosen for the designation in 2018. Now in its 20th year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. To qualify for the Best Communities designation, Grand Blanc Community Schools’ Music Program answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, and support for the music programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas. This award recognizes that Grand Blanc Community Schools is leading the way with learning opportunities as outlined in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The legislat