ArtFest 2022
South art department showcases longstanding tradition of artistic excellence
Every art student at Grosse Pointe South High School has at least one piece of artwork in this year’s ArtFest, which opened on Wednesday. The variety of pieces on display, from ceramics and jewelry to paintings, drawings, digital art and photography, is a testament to the range of art classes available. Courses offered include art and design, metals, sculpture, drawing and painting, computer graphics, figurative art and photography, and Advanced Placement classes in drawing, photography, two-dimensional and three-dimensional art.
Preparing for the show “really does drive what we do in the department each year, because students work toward it,” said Tom Szmrecsanyi, who chairs South’s art department. “They know they’re going to show their work. They know community members, other teachers, and their friends are going to see their stuff. And they get excited about it.”
ArtFest has been in existence for over 40 years. Key to its success, according to Tom, is the partnership between the art teachers and parent volunteers. Students, too, step up and contribute, including members of the National Art Honor Society.
“There’s no way we could do this on our own. It’s a big community effort and it’s a big community event that people really love,” Tom said.
This year’s show has special significance to the veteran educator, who has a renewed appreciation for working with students after the period of remote and hybrid instruction last year due to COVID-19.
“I always said my favorite thing about teaching is working with kids, but now I see just how important that is to me and how I feel every day,” he said. “They bring that energy. I get to work with that to help things like this happen. That’s a testament to our facilities, to our community, to the courses we offer, and that’s how this comes into being. Everything really depends on these kids being able to come in and work with us.”
Art teacher Amber Mades, who is ArtFest co-chair along with parent Mary Beth Coffey, believes the show inspires students “to strive to do better in their own work or help them come up with new ideas or goals for their next piece. It’s great to see the students’ artwork grow over the years. I hope it will encourage students to take art classes before their senior year. The sooner they start, the more they will learn, the better they will become and then, by their senior year, perhaps they could have their own board or be able to sell their work!”
Click here to view the winners of the 2022 ArtFest Awards.
Pi Day celebration at Mason
Pi Day was filled with fun activities in Room 202 at Mason Elementary, according to fourth grade teacher Joseph Ratcliff.
However, the highlight was a competition to see which fourth grade scholar could memorize the most digits of the famous irrational number, Pi.
Kudos go to the runner up, Jay Bell, who memorized 53 digits of the number. The winner was Michael Polk, who memorized over 100 digits.
Jay and Michael took full advantage of the reward, which was to “pie” their teachers, Mr. Ratcliff and Mr. Merritt, in the face.
South choirs hit high note in competition
Grosse Pointe South High School Choirs performed at the Churubusco Show Choir Invitational in Indiana on March 5, with impressive results.
The Pointe Singers earned second runner-up overall and the South Singers won third runner-up in the small mixed division against some tough competitors, according to choir director Vince Matia.
At the solo competition held the same day, the six Grosse Pointe representatives placed in the top 12 out of nearly 30 entries. Congratulations to junior Lillian Hunwick, who was named the overall Grand Champion of the solo competition, competing among 65 soloists.
Other awards went to senior Ethan Vernon, best male soloist in a show, and seniors Lilly Geer and Isabel Constand and freshman Jolina Hutchinson, each of whom earned a best performer award.
North DECA students named state champs
Congratulations to all the Grosse Pointe North DECA team members who were recognized at the Michigan DECA State Career Development Conference as state champions.
Earning the right to compete against the rest of the country at the International Career Development Conference in Atlanta next month are Giovanni Cavaliere, Asher Fuchs, Louden Fuchs, Ruta Hailu, Mitchell Mills, Aakash Nagori, Jadon Oberg, Jake Sachs, Benjamin Sheffield and Thomas Sheffield.
“It was a really amazing showing, as 10 of the 19 students competing at states won their competition,” DECA adviser Brian Levinson said. “In total, these students brought 19 medals and plaques back to Grosse Pointe!”
Alumni Through the Decades
Our 100th anniversary series on GPPSS alumni continues
Andy Miele
Grosse Pointe North High School
Class of 2006
Until he put on the Team U.S. hockey jersey, Andy Miele couldn’t believe he would be representing his country in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
“When you’re a kid, you think everyone gets the chance to play in the NHL and the Olympics and live out the dream,” Andy said. “And then reality hits and you realize that’s not really how it happens. So when the opportunity comes, it becomes surreal.”
Ironically, he hated hockey when he first started playing. His parents would force him to get ready to go to the rink, and each time he put up a fight. Then one day, something clicked. His skating and stick handling skills had developed and he felt comfortable on the ice. From then on, he loved the sport and he hasn’t stopped playing since.
His hockey career includes a year on Grosse Pointe North’s varsity team his freshman year, followed by a year of junior hockey with the USHL, four years of college hockey at Miami University in Ohio, and 10 years in the American Hockey League, where he made a few appearances in the NHL for the Arizona Coyotes.
Andy’s love for hockey has taken him around the world, including to Sweden and Russia, where he was playing in the KHL for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod when he got the call informing him he had been selected for the U.S. men’s team.
Not only did Andy participate in the Olympics, he led Team USA as captain to a great start, with wins over China, Canada and Germany in the preliminary round, earning the top overall seed for the elimination bracket.
“The coaching staff and the management did a really great job of finding the guys and doing their research on the players,” Andy said. “We tried to get to know each other and just have fun. It was a good mixture of young guys and old guys. We gelled really quickly, which was evident when we ended up being the number one seed in the quarterfinals.”
While ultimately the U.S. lost to Slovakia in the quarterfinals in a shootout, Andy was pleased the team performed better than expected. Highlights from the experience include wearing the “C” on his jersey, participating in the closing ceremonies — he had to sit out the opening ceremonies due to a false positive COVID test — and having the opportunity to display the memorial American flag honoring his grandfather, a U.S. Navy veteran who passed away last summer, in the locker room where it served as the team flag.
“The whole experience was so awesome. It’s so hard to pick,” Andy said when asked his favorite moments about the experience.
Andy ended up not returning to Russia after the Olympics due to the turmoil in the country following the invasion of Ukraine. He was picked up by the Lausanne Hockey Club team in Switzerland, where he is finishing out the season. Fortunately, he was able to get back to Switzerland to his wife, Hilary, and daughter, Bonnie Louise, within three days of the birth of his second daughter, Margo Grace, on Feb. 24.
After playoffs with the Lausanne Hockey Club, next up for the free agent is returning to Charleston, South Carolina.
“I’m not signed anywhere yet so I’m still trying to figure that out,” Andy said. “I think I will relax a little bit.”
More alumni profiles are available on the Grosse Pointe Alumni & Friends website.
North choirs present ‘Great Works Concert’
Mark your calendar for Grosse Pointe North Choirs’ Great Works Concert on Thursday, March 24, at 7 p.m. at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 21800 Marter Road, St. Clair Shores. The concert features AcaFella, Choraliers, CounterPointe, Norsemen, Pointe Chorale, Treble Choir and student soloists. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Children under 5 are free.
School Pointes is a publication of the Grosse Pointe Public School System. To submit story ideas or Pointes of Pride, email info@gpschools.org.
Any idea why the South DECA finalists are not included here? What happened to One GP?