Agriscience: Elizabeth Swaton, Hanna Hutchinson
Auto: Canyon Godrey, Hailey Brondstetter
Firefighting: Reese Kress
Health Science - CNA: Joseph Sanger, Jake Soto
Health Science - MA: Raegan King, Madison Myers, Trinity Painter, Payton Penner, Marie Richter, Manny Rodriguez, Emma Verhaar
Pre-Engineering: Mateo Castillo
Welding: Nick Prohaska, Ayden Higgins, Cameron Ryckman, Zayden Stevens, Magglio Soto, Elias Oliva, Keith Dargitz.
Congratulations, Panthers!
Random Acts of Kindness week continues! We are proud of our kind and caring students here at APS, so this week we are sharing some of the ways they give back to their community and lead with compassion. Today’s post features the Alma High School Varsity Girls and Boys Basketball teams visiting Arbor Grove Assisted Living Center. We are proud to have these students represent APS!
Throughout the month of February, the class is doing an activity called “Show the Love” for all classrooms from our youngest Panther cubs to 5th grade.
Goal: Fill our halls with hearts and positivity!
How it works:
• Each day in February, classrooms choose a staff member, student or another classroom to recognize.
• Students brainstorm the reason, and the teacher writes it on a paper heart.
• A student (secretly – and sweetly!) tapes the heart to the recipient’s door.
End-of-month recognition:
At the end of February, one classroom per grade level will be recognized for truly exemplifying “Show the Love.”
We have been pleased to see interest in the Alma Public Schools Aquatic Center lately, and we want to ensure it is accessible and engaging to the community. Please take a moment to fill out the APS Pool Interest Survey. The survey is set to close on Monday, March 2. Your feedback is important and appreciated!
Follow this link to complete the survey:
https://forms.gle/eF2zk3MyCxMgati8A
Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 17 is Random Acts of Kindness Day. Here at APS, we know character counts and kindness and compassion are a top priority every day! That’s why this week we are sharing some of the awesome ways our students show kindness in the classroom and in the greater Alma community.
In November, Alma High School National Honors Society raked leaves for community members and peeled potatoes for Alma’s annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner! What an awesome example of Panthers giving back to their community!
Our next APS Staff Spotlight comes from Pine Avenue Elementary... it's awesome 5th grade teacher Donnielle Fornusek!
Congratulations to the Alma High School Big Band and Alma High School Jazz Ensemble for their performances at the CMU Jazz Festival on Friday Feb. 6! Each band performed three selections for a panel of judges and several students were featured as soloists. Bands from over 50 schools across the state come to perform at this festival that takes place over 2 days. Students also have the opportunity to hear performances from CMU bands, CMU faculty, and a guest artist. This year’s guest artist was Andy Hunter who also presented a workshop for students where he discussed some of his philosophy about creating music.
The AHS Jazz Bands competed in class B along with 11 other bands. The Alma High School Jazz Ensemble was selected as 1st runner up for Outstanding Band in Class B. The AHS Trombone section of Luca Lebron, Luke Bonacci, and Bryce Hutchinson was selected as the Most Outstanding Section in Class B. Luca Lebron was selected as the Most Outstanding Soloist in Class B and Zach Thelen was selected as 1st runner up for Outstanding Soloist in Class B.
Congratulations!
APS knows language skills are valuable for a multitude of reasons. That’s why we offer courses and opportunities that teach and challenge our students. Different levels allow students to hone their skills, and our dedicated language teachers make learning enjoyable. APS even offers travel opportunities that really give students the chance to put their skills to the test!
Students in Michigan must have 2 credits of a foreign language to meet graduation requirements. At Alma, there are benefits to going beyond this requirement. Students who take Spanish III and above are eligible to travel abroad on a trip to a Spanish speaking country. Students use their language skills, learn about another cultures and create amazing memories!
Andrea Palmer and Kelsey Hasso are Spanish teachers at Alma High School. Let’s hear what they have to say about the benefits of learning a language:
“Learning another language helps students learn how to study and how to communicate better with others. It opens their eyes to cultures within our own community, within our country, and the world.” - Andrea Palmer
“Learning a language is about far more than mastering vocabulary or grammar. It is an exploration of new traditions, perspectives, and social norms, and a step toward becoming an informed and empathetic global citizen.” - Kelsey Hasso
In addition to in-person Spanish classes, Alma students can take online courses in other languages like France and American Sign Language! With options to choose from, your student is bound to find a language learning opportunity that is right for them! Ask your student how language courses can enhance their education and set them up for success!
Do you want to support the Panthers and see some great live theatre? Come out and see Alma High School Drama Dept.’s production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. You have three opportunities to catch it — February 13th at 7 p.m. or February 14 at 2 p.m. or 7 p.m.! Tickets are $8 and can be purchased from Mr. Murphy or any Drama Dept. student!
But first, let's meet the cast! The Drama Dept. shared some awesome cast intros on their Instagram (@almahighschooldrama if you want to follow them for future updates and behind-the-scenes content!). Take a look before showtime! (Due to image sharing limitations, most of the cast was featured in an earlier post. If you do not see your student here, check out our earlier post!)
Do you want to support the Panthers and see some great live theatre? Come out and see Alma High School Drama Dept.’s production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. You have three opportunities to catch it — February 13th at 7 p.m. or February 14 at 2 p.m. or 7 p.m.! Tickets are $8 and can be purchased from Mr. Murphy or any Drama Dept. student!
But first, let's meet the cast! The Drama Dept. shared some awesome cast intros on their Instagram (@almahighschooldrama if you want to follow them for future updates and behind-the-scenes content!). Take a look before showtime! (The rest of the students involved will be included in a second post due to image sharing limitations. If you don't see your student in this post, check out the follow-up post!)
At Alma, we track attendance by district, building, grade and student. We also look at attendance over the course of the year, trimester and month. These graphs represent the attendance levels for January.
** Regular =Over 95%
At Risk =90-95%
Chronic=Under 90%**
