Education

Ann Arbor area rings in new year with regionalism

By Newsroom

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January 13, 2010

Budgets are tighter in 2010 and that means more people from different places are playing nicer. It also means more regional cooperation."Clearly, we're in times where there is great pressure to be using your resources in an appropriate manner," says Mark Ouimet, a Washtenaw County Commissioner and chair of the Ypsilanti Chamber of Commerce.In that spirit, the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor chambers of commerce are joining forces, creating the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber. The new regional chamber is expected to expand its programs and benefits for members, create cost savings, increase networking opportunities and a form stronger voice for the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area. Ouimet also believes this could serve as an example for more regionalism in the county."This is an opportunity for the organizations to look at what they do and how they do it," he says.More regional cooperation is also being broached just north of Ann Arbor in Livingston County. There, according to a story in The Detroit News, four of the county's five school districts are considering consolidating their bus service as a way of saving money. There the Livingston Educational Service Agency would manage the bus fleets for Brighton, Hartland, Howell and Pinckney public schools (which transport about 15,000 students), saving the districts an estimated $1 million.Source: Mark Ouimet, chair of the Ypsilanti Chamber of CommerceWriter: Jon Zemke

Latest in Education

Mackinac Center: Ann Arbor leads in school insurance cost containment

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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January 13, 2010

Where money goes in regards to public education is always a hot topic. The libertarian-based Mackinac Center says Ann Arbor Public Schools is sending some of it in a great direction.Excerpt:Van Beek noted that AAPS "is on the forefront of having employees contribute. That kind of system is what a lot of schools would benefit from."Read the rest of the story here.

Greenhills School breaks ground on $3M expansion

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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December 9, 2009

Starting today, Greenhills School is going for the gold when it comes to the greener-than-thou game with its latest renovation/expansion project. The prestigious school is going for LEED Gold Certification, the second highest ranking in the system. Chief among its green attributes are a geothermal heating-and-cooling system."What better place to do that than in a school," Peter Fayorian, head of Greenhills School. "We prepare people to make the world a better place."The private school near Geddes Road and U.S. 23 is adding about 10,000 square feet of new classroom and lab space to the rear of the main building. It will also renovate about 40 percent of the existing school. The whole project is expected to cost about $6 million with the first phase costing $3 million.Phase I will provide two new biology labs, a greenhouse, a college counseling center and three new classrooms. The second and third phases will include new space for the school's chemistry, physics and middle school science programs, along with other renovations and additions.Construction is expected to wrap up by December. The remaining phases will be completed as the funding is raised. The school was founded in 1968 as an independent, co-ed, non-denomination college preparatory school. It serves students in grades 6-12 from the Ann Arbor area. Enrollment is set at about 539 students. The addition will allow for an increase in enrollment of up to almost 100 students.Source: Peter Fayorian, head of Greenhills SchoolWriter: Jon Zemke

Chelsea’s Pierce Creek Elementary rehabs wetland, trail

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 18, 2009

A small group of people did what they do best at Chelsea's Pierce Creek Elementary School. They made it better.A group of school staff, students and parents helped bring new life to a seven-acre wetland behind the school at Old U.S. 12 and Freer Road. They rebuilt the 500-yard walking path, added some infrastructure for recreation and education, and helped refresh the marshland around it.The school was built in 1997, leaving the wetland behind. Then school volunteers created the walking trail and took measures to preserve the wetland around it. Unfortunately it fell into disrepair until a group of volunteers reclaimed it this year."Over time there hasn't been a lot of development of it," says Lucy Stieber, principal of Pierce Creek Elementary School.The group added a platform for the school's 380 students to take water samples and installed a few benches and bird boxes along the trail. A $5,000 grant from Lowe's made the project possible.Source: Lucy Stieber, principal of Pierce Creek Elementary SchoolWriter: Jon Zemke

Ypsilanti Lincoln Schools capture big energy savings

By Newsroom

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Development News

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October 21, 2009

Ypsilanti's Lincoln Consolidated School District is seeing some big returns through energy efficiency. The school district hired Energy Education (a consulting firm founded by a former teacher) at $22,000 a year for a seven-year contract. Lincoln Schools have saved $978,000 in the last 37 months, earning it an Environmental Excellence Award from the consulting firm. The school district didn't have to install solar panels or wind turbines to achieve these savings. It all came down to changing staff and student behavior."It's more of a conservation by change of habit," says Lynn Cleary, superintendent of Lincoln Consolidated Schools. "People would leave their computers on all night or have one bottle of pop in a refrigerator."Energy Education went through Lincoln School's seven buildings (five elementary schools, one middle school and one high school) looking for low-hanging-energy-saving fruit. It also focused on educating the school districts 4,800 students and 600 employees. "It's a concerted effort," Cleary says. "We call him the Guru of Energy because he is diligent about making sure things are shut down. It's great because it's habit now."Source: Lynn Cleary, superintendent of Lincoln Consolidated SchoolsWriter: Jon Zemke

Local libraries see uptick in popularity with down economy

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 21, 2009

Dexter and Saline's libraries are watching more and more people take advantage of their services these days. Those free DVD rentals are an obvious hook, but could it mean we'll see an uptick in literary appreciation?Excerpt:Library directors across the area are reporting increases in usage, in part, they say because of the economy, and in some cases because of new or expanded buildings.Computer usage is at an all-time high in area libraries with people job hunting or applying for unemployment benefits.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor’s Commie High newspaper up for Pulitzer of High School journalism

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 14, 2009

Community High School's student newspaper, The Communicator, is up for a big award from the National Scholastic Press Association. It's up for News Magazine of the Year Award, which is the equivalent of the Pulitzer for high school newspapers. Community High School is located in Kerrytown and commonly referred to as Commie High. It's known for its academic excellence and the academic flexibility it gives its students. More about the award and Commie High's chances can be found here.

Video A2Success

By Keith Jefferies

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Community Development

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September 16, 2009

Entrepreneurship. Education. Mass Transit. Regional Cooperation. A2Success has gathered together more than 70 community leaders to help secure smart and successful growth for the Ann Arbor region. See what they're planning and how you can get involved.

Backyard Brains aims to bring cerebral education to schools

By Newsroom

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Entrepreneurship

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September 2, 2009

The brain might seem like one big mystery to some folks, but it's pretty simple to Greg Gage and Tim Marzullo.The neuroscientists and co-founders of Backyard Brains are taking advantage of this, creating cheap kits than can show grade-school students how the brain works in real time. "We call ourselves Johnny Appleseeds," Gage says. "Instead of seeds, we're planting knowledge about neurons."The duo teach how the brain works in local schools, and about a year ago decided there had to be an easier (and cheaper) way to do this while reaching more people. So they decided to take on a $100 laptop-style project focusing on creating a kit to show how the brain's neurons work with simple parts purchased at a local Radio Shack. "Can you record neurons for less than $100?" Gage posits. "We spent last summer trying to figure this out and now we're able to do it."That led to the "Spiker Box," a $100 kit that students can put together to measure the brain waves of insects commonly found in one's backyard. Gage points out that an insect's brain is remarkably similar to that of a human. Right now the company, based in the TechArb in downtown Ann Arbor, is self-funding a small manufacturing run of its prototype. The two-person-plus-interns firm plans to double in size within the next year, as it expects to reach mass manufacturing of its products. It's also looking at developing an iPhone application.Source: Greg Gage, co-founder of Backyard BrainsWriter: Jon Zemke

Video Ann Arbor’s Robot Repair Superstore (And Really Cool Non-profit)

By Keith Jefferies

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Community Development

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August 12, 2009

Robots. Creative writing. Dave Eggers. After school tutoring. 826Michigan is the hippest non-profit organization in Ann Arbor. Offering writing workshops and tutoring to kids for free, and channeling the energy and enthusiasm of nearly 200 voluteers, author Dave Egger's brainchild has resulted in the kind of experience that changes both lives and minds.