Link Crew leaders show the way
North and South upperclassmen help freshmen with the high school transition
The Link Crew program is built on the belief that students can help other students succeed. Each year juniors and seniors at Grosse Pointe North and Grosse Pointe South volunteer to guide freshmen through the transition from middle to high school and remain as mentors throughout the year.
The premise behind Link Crew is that if students have a positive experience their first year in high school, their chances for success increase dramatically.
For Link Crew leader Moira Hix, a senior at South, the connection formed that first day lasted well beyond orientation day.
“The seniors were there all year and I’d see them in the hallways and they’d help out,” she said.
Another benefit of the program, she pointed out, was students who came from different middle schools had an opportunity to meet one another and form new friendships.
South senior Colin Doyle also wanted to help the freshmen get acclimated.
“It’s so fun showing them around the school and being there for them,” Colin said.
Lilli Dalton, also a senior at South, had just moved to the area when she was a freshman and didn’t know anyone. For her, the Link Crew leaders served as role models as well as mentors.
Training took place earlier in the week so the leaders were prepared for the arrival of the younger students for orientation Wednesday morning and afternoon. The freshmen broke into smaller groups with three Link Crew leaders at each. The morning began with name games and other ice-breaker activities.
“As we did more of the games, everyone got more comfortable,” Colin said. “Everyone was stepping up first and not having to be called on. It was really fun.”
Lilli said overall the leaders focused on keeping the day friendly.
“We wanted to create an environment of complete comfort where you didn’t have to worry what other people were thinking and you could say whatever you wanted to say.”
Similar games and activities took place across town at Grosse Pointe North on Thursday. The Link Crew leaders there had similar motivations to volunteer time during the waning days of summer.
For senior Jacob Butler, who came to North from University Prep Science and Math High School, it was about making the transition to high school less challenging than what he experienced.
“Since I’m in a position to help others, I wanted to be a helping hand and make their transition smoother than mine was,” he said.
“I had some great Link Crew leaders so I wanted to be one of those people while I had the chance,” said Areon Swain, who attended middle school at Brownell.
North senior Leela Chitturi also hoped to help create a similar environment Link Crew leaders did when she was a freshman. It was also about helping them navigate the building, which she found particularly difficult her first few weeks in high school.
Fellow Link Crew leader Lauryn Rendzikowski made the transition from Our Lady Star of the Sea.
“I just wanted to help people feel welcome,” she said. “Coming from a small class to a huge class was a little intimidating so I wanted to make other people feel like it will be OK.”
Meet Parcells’ new principal
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for Ken Milch, the new principal at Parcells Middle School. From initial interviews to his appointment during the Board of Education meeting Monday night, to his first official day with the district on Thursday, the experience has been nothing but positive, he said.
“The reception that I have gotten here has been so welcoming and, in some ways, overwhelming,” he said.
Milch welcomes the new leadership opportunity and is prepared for the role. He comes from Hazel Park High School, where he served as principal since 2018. Before that he was an assistant principal at Kettering and Lamphere High Schools. His first teaching job was in Madison Heights and he worked in the Lamphere school district for 18 years — 14 as a teacher and four as an administrator.
Prior to receiving an Education Specialist degree in K-12 administrative leadership from Oakland University, Milch’s educational background was in music. He received a Bachelor of Music Education from Syracuse University and a Master of Music Education from Michigan State University. He has taught elementary and middle school music and was an adjunct faculty member at Oakland University for six years.
While a student at Syracuse and MSU, Milch participated in the marching band. He has performed with multiple orchestras and bands and played bass in jazz, rock and house bands.
It was the tuba that opened the door for the educational opportunities to come due to a generous scholarship at Syracuse.
Milch switched from clarinet to the tuba in sixth grade primarily because his teacher promised to teach him how to play the electric bass and, “like every sixth grader,” he wanted to be a rock star.
While he planned to pursue music education in college, at the back of his mind he dreamed of being a professional musician with a symphony orchestra someday, but quickly discovered he was more interested in education.
“The thing that made me enjoy music so much was having great teachers,” he said. “I continued to have great teachers and so I decided pretty quickly that was really what I wanted to do.”
While he doesn’t play as much anymore, he stays connected to music by judging marching band contests as part of Central States Judging Association. This year he is judging marching band contests in Indiana and Kentucky and previously he judged contests in Ohio and New York.
Milch describes himself first and foremost as a servant leader.
“I really put people first and, at the same time, I understand situations,” he said. “I also really try to build collaboration and build capacity in people. I know I’m not the smartest person in the room and I lean on people for their expertise. I try to build collaboration across the district, across the building, from students to parents to teachers. I’m really a come one, come all type of leader.”
His wife, Carla, is an elementary school Spanish teacher in Waterford. The couple has four children — Cassie, 19, in her sophomore year at MSU; Samantha, 17, a senior at Bloomfield Hills High School; Becca, 14, a freshman also at Bloomfield Hills, and Alan, 12, a seventh grader at East Hills Middle School.
A big baseball fan, the native New Yorker grew up a Mets fan and cut his “baseball teeth” at Shea Stadium.
“When the stadium was closing, I dragged my wife out to New York for one final trip,” he said. “I got to see Shea Stadium before it wasn’t there anymore.”
He warns Grosse Pointe staff and parents that if “you get me talking about baseball, you better sit down and maybe clear your calendar.”
Other experiences that shaped him were growing up with a father who was a Holocaust survivor and left Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 at age 21. While his father authored parts of different books about his experiences surviving the Holocaust and communism and having to restart his life as an immigrant — eventually earning a Ph.D. in biology and working in pharmaceutical research — he rarely talked about those experiences, Milch said.
“Toward the end of his life, the last seven or eight years, was the first time he was really willing to talk about it,” Milch said. “I learned that he had a breaking point where after a while the conversation had to be over. There was only so much he could talk about for so long.”
Milch said he felt fortunate to be able to share his father’s story with his students over the years.
Another experience that shaped him was doing a tandem jump at 13,500 feet with the U.S. Army Golden Knights out of Selfridge Airforce Base, an opportunity afforded him due to the relationship he built with recruiters as an administrator.
“It was a life-changing experience and the most incredible thing I have ever done, bar none,” he said.
Graduate spotlight: CeMiyah Coleman
Spelman College wasn’t CeMiyah Coleman’s first choice, as she wasn’t sold on the idea of attending an all-women’s college.
Once she did more research and watched a few videos, she realized the historically Black college offered a lot of opportunities for Black women.
“There’s a sisterhood and everyone wants you to succeed. Everyone is rooting you on here,” she said. “Now that I’m here, I know that it’s the right fit for me.”
Spelman fit several of her criteria. In addition to a HBC, she sought an urban setting in the south; Spelman is located in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia and is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium.
After her first full week of classes, the Grosse Pointe North graduate already is settling into campus life. Her schedule includes African Diaspora, math, music history, English, and First Year Experience, a required class for first-year students. She plans to major in psychology and later pursue a career in clinical psychology, child psychology or psychiatric nursing.
CeMiyah began her educational journey in kindergarten and first grade in Detroit Public Schools, then attended second grade in Sterling Heights before her family relocated to Harper Woods. She went to Mason Elementary and Parcells Middle School and graduated from Grosse Pointe North last spring.
The teacher who had the greatest impact on her was her freshman year English teacher, Alyssa Sandoval.
“She was really empowering,” CeMiyah said. “We had a great bond. She always pushed me to be my better self. Whenever she felt I was getting off track she would talk to me and get me back on track. She would ask me how life was going. She was always there for me, not just for school but personally as well.”
Another class she enjoyed her freshman year was AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination.
“That helped a lot with keeping organized and the transition from middle school to high school,” she said. “It was a good class to have.”
In her free time, CeMiyah enjoys working out — she ran the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter relays on North’s track team for two years — and making YouTube lifestyle videos.
At Spelman, having had a chance to check out the offerings at an activities fair earlier in the week, CeMiyah plans to join the Girls Going Global club, which focuses on travel and learning other cultures.
Her advice to next year’s seniors is to apply for scholarships, write college essays ahead of time, and get applications in as soon as possible.
“Don’t stress it, but just make sure you stay on top of grades because senior year does matter as well,” she added.
She admits she experienced homesickness early on, but learned to cope with it by talking to her mom every day or so and staying in touch with her friends from home.
“Whenever I feel sad, I just make sure I go to the gym or outside because being cooped up in your dorm isn’t going to help,” she said.
“Voices” video podcast: Summer Connection
Check out the district’s latest Voices podcast on Summer Connection, an eight-week summer program that ended on Aug. 12. Co-directors Katie Parent and Kevin Shubnell reflect on the goals and highlights of the program, the variety of courses — all custom designed and taught by GPPSS teachers with a focus on recharging and engaging students while reinforcing essential skills — and rave reviews they received from students, parents and staff. Watch till the end to see a slideshow!
The purpose of this video podcast is to give voice to teachers, administrators, parents and students about topics of interest to the school community.
That’s Entertainment! Tickets available for tonight’s show
Grosse Pointe South choir director Christopher Pratt, who is leaving the district to take a position with the Michigan Education Association, may be taking a final bow tonight as a district employee, but he promises to continue with summer workshops in the future. This is his eighth summer leading the district’s summer show choir workshop, That’s Entertainment.
“Even though I’m leaving Grosse Pointe, it’s not as though I’m giving up music altogether,” he said.
Pratt looks forward to seeing the program come to fruition this evening after a week of rehearsals.
“They knew nothing when they came in on Saturday afternoon so it’s always a cool thing to see the growth throughout,” he said.
In addition to Pratt, the staff of clinicians includes Duane Davis, vocal jazz director; Nick Kuhl, director of South’s a cappella ensemble The Suspensions; and choreographers Annette Layman and Jason Johnson.
The Grand Finale Show begins at 7 p.m. The venue has been changed to Brownell Middle School’s multipurpose room. Tickets are still available at GPSouthChoir.org. Tickets purchased previously will be honored for general seating. Parking is at a premium so guests are encouraged to arrive early. Contact ThatsEntertainment@gpsouthchoir.org with questions.
NOTE: Due to a power outage at Brownell, That’s Entertainment has been postponed until Saturday, Aug. 28, at 4 p.m. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Summer 2021 bond projects: Crossing the finish line
This summer’s bond projects are nearing completion in time for the start of the school year. Boxes are being moved back into the classrooms, thorough cleaning is underway and final details are being checked off the punch lists.
Many of the projects completed as part of this bond aren’t visible, like pipes and boilers, but they all contribute to a safe, warm, dry, connected — and welcoming —school environment.
Check out our progress! Photos tell the story of projects from June to late August.
School Pointes is a publication of the Grosse Pointe Public School System. To submit story ideas or Pointes of Pride, email info@gpschools.org.