Dear Families,
It has been an incredible two weeks in Highlander Nation filled with holiday fun, extraordinary honors, and a couple of snow days.
In this edition of MacGregor's Message:
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David Cherry Named MEMSPA Principal of the Year
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Howell Groups Selected for WILX A Mid-Michigan Christmas Show
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Elementary Robotics Festival
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Bobby Kanka Earns State Champs Sports Network Anvil Award
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Food Service Holiday Meal
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Superintendent's Holiday Card Contest
Last Thursday, Mr. David Cherry, principal of Challenger Elementary, was named the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association 2024 Principal of the Year. With more than 2,500 elementary schools in the State of Michigan, to say this is a huge honor would be an understatement. Mr. Cherry empowers his staff to take risks and find creative ways to support each student on their academic journey. Outside of Challenger, he supports numerous community organizations. We are fortunate to have Mr. Cherry as a leader here in Highlander Nation. To read more about Mr. Cherry and this honor, please visit https://bit.ly/4f9dTpa.
Four of our talented vocal and instrumental music groups have been selected to participate in WILX Channel 10's A Mid-Michigan Christmas show. This special program will air multiple times on Christmas Day and will also be available for online streaming. The groups selected were:
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Highlander Way Middle School seventh-grade choir
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Parker Middle School eighth-grade band
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Parker Middle School eighth-grade choir
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Howell High School A capella Choir
The show will air from 4:30-7:00 a.m., 5:00-6:30 p.m., and 11:00-11:30 p.m. Each group had the exciting opportunity to record their selected song with a professional videographer for submission to the station. Thank you to Mr. Stimson, Ms. Falls, Ms. Meinka, and Mr. Funaro for their dedication and for going the extra mile during the busy holiday season to provide this wonderful experience for our students.
This past weekend, the Three Fires Robotics Festival showcased the talents of the 153 students that make up our 29 FIRST Lego League Discover teams as they competed in exciting STEM challenges. The event celebrated the hard work and teamwork of every participant, with each team earning a trophy and every student receiving a medal. Our middle and high school robotics students organized and ran five engaging STEM challenges with the support of dedicated staff and robotics families who served as judges. It was a fantastic display of collaboration, innovation, and our One Howell spirit.
The State Champs Sports Network has named Bobby Kanka as the 2024 Anvil Award winner. This prestigious award recognizes the top lineman in the state, honoring players based on their performance throughout the season, level of competition, online votes, big-game impact, and team success. The Anvil Award symbolizes the player who does the hard work and "lifts the heavy things" when the team needs it most, a true testament to Bobby's dedication and skill.
Bobby recently signed his letter of intent to continue his football career at the University of Michigan. He plans to graduate early from Howell High School and enroll at U of M this January.
Congratulations, Bobby, on this well-deserved honor and an exciting future ahead.
Our Food Service Department has planned another special holiday meal for our students! On Thursday, December 19, each school will be serving shredded roast turkey, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes with turkey gravy, cornbread stuffing, and sides such as green beans, sliced apples, and cranberry sauce. This meal is free for all students thanks to Howell's participation in the MI Schools Meals program, which provides all Pre-K through twelfth-grade public school students with one breakfast and one lunch each day at no cost to families.
Each year, selecting the artwork for our annual holiday card becomes more challenging. This year, we received nearly 50 entries, each unique and special. After careful consideration, the selection committee narrowed it down to three outstanding pieces of art, which are featured on this year's card. Congratulations to Leah H. from Hutchings Elementary, Ivy H. from Three Fires Elementary, and Ariana T. from Northwest Elementary for their beautiful artwork. A big thank you to every student who took the time to create and submit their artwork for the holiday card contest. Your creativity and effort truly brighten the season.
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While we still have one week of school before our Holiday Break, this is the last MacGregor's Message before the break. I would like to wish each of you a joyous holiday season.
Sincerely,
Erin J. MacGregor, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Howell Public Schools