Photographs from my time serving as the Marketing Coordinator for the Berkley School District in Berkley, MI. 

Videos from my time serving as the Marketing Coordinator for the Berkley School District in Berkley, MI.

During the week of February 27, every Berkley 6th grade student had the opportunity to explore Oakland Schools’ STEMi. STEMi is a 1,000 square foot mobile innovation station (located within a semi truck) containing high tech, industry grade, interactive STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) experiences. Students rotated through four stations on the STEMi.

The goal of STEMi is to demonstrate to students connections between classroom instruction, current industry applications and future careers for students. The experience was facilitated by the Oakland Schools STEM consultants and Career Readiness consultant.

Anderson Middle School participated in Start with Hello Week from September 19-23, 2022. Start with Hello Week is a national call-to-action week dedicated to making new social connections and creating a sense of belonging among youth. Anderson Middle School Assistant Principal Carman Smith and the National Junior Honors Society implemented a week of activities in support of the initiative, including students being greeted at the door Monday morning, an Anderson Spirit day, conversation starters at lunch and more.

Norup Elementary Music Teacher Carol Hoste provided her 3rd grade classes with the unique opportunity of visiting Tempermill Music Studio in Ferndale to record a song together. The sound engineers at Tempermill studio have worked with many artists and labels such as Third Man Records, Atlantic, V2 and Warner Brothers. During their visit, students received a tour of the studio which included the recording booth and sound editing studio and experimented with a variety of instruments such as the drums, guitar and piano.

The students also came prepared to record an arrangement of “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong that they have been rehearsing in Ms. Hoste’s class this semester. Each class sang their version of the song which was then compiled by Tempermill engineer, Erik Maluchnik.

Watch a behind the scenes look at the field trip below which features the final version of “What a Wonderful World” by the Norup 3rd grade classes!

Anderson Middle School’s long awaited new cafeteria opened for students on Monday, December 6, 2021. Students were eager to check out the new space and many exclaimed joy and surprise when walking through the doors for the first time. Check out the video below for an inside look of the new cafeteria and to hear thoughts from students and principal Michael Ross.

Thank you to the Berkley School District voters for approving the 2018 Sinking Fund initiative which funded this addition at Anderson.

Anderson Middle School’s Gay, Straight Alliance (GSA) group rebooted in the 2021-22 school year, after taking a pause during the pandemic, joining GSA clubs at both Norup and Berkley High School. Visual Arts Teacher Crystal Reid volunteered to coordinate the GSA with the help of paraeducator, Brian Ball. They renamed Anderson’s GSA to The Rainbow Room and joined a variety of clubs offered at AMS such as Dungeons and Dragons, Anime, Art, Gaming, Homework and Ski Club.

The Rainbow Room gathered weekly in the AMS Art Room to socialize, share music, make crafts and more. Check out the video below for an inside look at Rainbow Room and to learn the history of the Rainbow Room poster, painted by AMS 7th grader, Kira Moritz.

Sources of Strength, a suicide prevention program that uses peer leaders to share the importance of mental wellness, launched at Berkley High School in 2017. Sources of Strength started as a club at BHS and has shaped student perspectives about mental health and wellbeing. The goal of the program is to make students aware of their own Sources of Strength, including the eight pillars of the program: Mental Health, Physical Health, Mentors, Healthy Activities, Positive Friends, Family Support, Generosity and Spirituality. These pillars are illustrated in the Sources of Strength color wheel, which is posted around the school.

Robyn Weiss, a counselor at BHS, has wanted to expand the Sources of Strength club into a dedicated class ever since its launch. Ms. Weiss shared that a class would allow students to develop in-depth school wide initiatives and campaigns. This year, Ms. Weiss’ wishes came true. Under the direction of BHS teacher Susie Sims, Sources of Strength is now an elective course at BHS. Watch our video below to learn more about the class and the impact it has on the BHS community.

Pattengill Art Teacher Alyson Carr is empowering 5th grade students to create a mural highlighting the “7 Habits of Healthy Kids” part of the Leader in Me curriculum. 5th grade students who volunteered to participate in creating the mural take turns painting twice a week during their lunch break.

Using the imagery of a tree, the mural will highlight the idea of students developing a strong “personal root system,” building character and becoming more independent. Each of the seven habits will be incorporated into the mural design. These habits are common language at Pattengill and are part of the Leader In Me program.

Berkley High School class of 2013 alum Austen Brantley is a professional sculptor. He got his start in ceramics while attending Berkley High School and his love for clay has continued to grow. He currently is based out of Detroit and has had his work featured all over the country. The Communications Department sat down with Austen recently to hear his story, what he is passionate about and how his time in the District influenced and inspired him.

In addition to watching and learning about Austen’s story, viewers will see a glimpse of the new sculpture Austen is working on for the Berkley School District, City of Berkley and Berkley Downtown Development Authority.