Grosse Pointe Board of Education
starts year with new alliances

A new superintendent, and a new board, took their seats Monday night (Jan. 23) at the Grosse Pointe Board of Education meeting. And if anyone doubts the landscape is a different one, following the retirement of Superintendent Suzanne Klein and the election of two new board members last November, the actions at Monday's meeting were a reminder. read more...

St. Paul Catholic School's
Forensics Team takes 1st place

St. Paul Catholic School's Forensics Team achieved top honors and walked away with many individual awards in a competition Dec. 10 at St. Thecla School in Clinton Township. read more...

Our Lady Star of the Sea teacher
nominated for national history prize

Paul Ignagni, 7th-grade teacher at Our Lady Star of the Sea School, has been nominated for the 2012 National History Teacher of the Year Award, sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in New York.

The award recognizes teachers of grades 7 through 12 who demonstrate a commitment to American history with creativity and imagination in the classroom while effectively using documents, artifacts, historic sites, oral histories and other resources to energize students. read more...

Falling aid may trigger pay cuts
for Grosse Pointe teachers by 2013

When members of the Grosse Pointe Education Association ended a long labor impasse with their approval of a new contract last year, one that linked their compensation to state aid to the district, all were aware that teachers could face pay cuts somewhere down the road.

Few expected it to be so soon. read more...

In run for Grosse Pointe school board, Roeske says he's a 'Boy Scout'

Dan Roeske, 49, says he hopes to bring a “Boy Scout demeanor” to the Grosse Pointe Board of Education. Roeske, left, who has lived in Grosse Pointe for just over 20 years and has three children in the public schools, enjoys racing sailboats, skiing with his family and giving back to the community through participation in Boy Scouts and PTOs.

What do you think is your most important qualification for the school board?

I think that the biggest thing I would bring to the board is a sense of working collaboratively. I’ve been a board observer, and I think that the board can work without being divisive. And I hope that the ability to be collaborative and work together in a cohesive manner – to make sure that we’re all kind of lining up our arrows pointing the right way – is what I’ll bring. read more...

Lois Valente touts corporate skills
as assets for school-board post

Grosse Pointe Board of Education candidate Lois Valente, left, hopes to use her background in strategic planning to better integrate technology into the school curriculum, focus on setting annual goals and increase communication among individual schools. A 24-year resident of Grosse Pointe with three teenagers in Grosse Pointe schools, Valente has been a frequent observer of school board meetings and involved with parent organizations. 

Why should voters elect you to the school board?

I’ve been active with the board for many years. I have three children in the district. One of my children has special needs, so I’ve been involved with the Partnership for Different Learners, which is a special-needs parent group that a lot of people don’t know exists. So I’ve been participating at that level for quite a while as well as at my children’s other schools. read more...

Karabetsos making a second run
at Grosse Pointe school board

GrossePointeToday.com starts a series of profiles of various candidates for contested offices in the November election. Today: Grosse Pointe Board of Education contender Diane Karabetsos, left. She answered questions via email.

This is your second try for a board seat. What's different this time?

Although I'm not running against an incumbent, my platform remains the same. I continue to advocate against open enrollment from outside the district and for residency checks. I want to bring back the board discussion meetings and dialogue with the community. All the candidates agree on fighting School of Choice. But no one else is talking about a plan of action if Senate Bill 624 is forced on he schools. We still have issues about local residency. (This year a report has not been generated.) read more...

Star of the Sea school to collect
food during Halloween party

Students at Our Lady Star of the Sea School will make their Halloween celebration a benefit for the needy when they celebrate the SpookFest Carnival from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the school gymnasium Oct. 31 (Monday).

Children in kindergarten through 5th grade will wear Halloween costumes and be treated to several carnival games hosted by the middle school students.

Each student will bring a can or box of nonperishable food that will be distributed throughout the area before Thanksgiving.

Grosse Pointe North's radio astronomers
keep an electronic ear cocked to space

Most high school students aren’t allowed to handle power tools on school property. Most aren’t permitted to walk on the roof. Most don’t have access to high-tech electronics and sensing equipment.

The students in Grosse Pointe North High School’s astronomy club aren’t most students. read more...

Grosse Pointe school board members
not warm to retiree in HR seat

With Tom Harwood's ascension from human resources chief to superintendent of the Grosse Pointe public school system, Harwood wants to bring back a familiar face – Larry Lobert, who held the HR job in the district from 2002 to 2007, when he retired to take a similar position in suburban Chicago. Harwood asked the Board of Education at its Monday (Oct. 24) meeting to consider hiring Lobert as his replacement. read more...