2019-2020 Calendar
Below is a link to the calendar for the upcoming school year. The big change? We are starting before Labor Day. I understand letting parents know this late in the year is upsetting to some. I do apologize for not getting the completed calendar out to all our stakeholders sooner.
Why change? WLPS has partnerships with area schools who have been phasing in pre-Labor Day starts over the past two years. (Michigan’s Department of Education does allow for waivers to the “Labor Day” law, which approximately one-third of all districts in Michigan utilize.) In order to give our students who are participating in these programs a fair and equitable learning environment and to allow WLPS to consider them full-time students, the calendars have to line up as closely as possible.
Because most of our partner schools are in Livingston County and WLPS is in Washtenaw County, our calendars have been growing further and further apart. A pre-Labor Day start brings it closer together. This is the reason I recommended a change be made as soon as possible. If you have specific concerns regarding the calendar, please feel free to contact me via email (tom.dekeyser@wlps.net) or by phone 734-839-6300.
Find a printable version of the 2019/2020 academic calendar HERE.
#AlwaysATrojan
This Sunday at 2 p.m., the Class of 2019 will celebrate its commencement. This fine group of young men and women have certainly left their mark on WLHS. I am proud of all of them. and their accomplishments are too many to list. However, I have to highlight a few. They are too exciting to keep from you:
- Quiz bowl – This team advanced to the state tournament and just missed winning it all. However, the runner up effort was one of the highlights of my year. The team was led by seniors Matt Schwennesen, Christina Smith, and Marissa Kyle.
- Robotics – Matt Schwennesen also helped lead the robotics team, the TroBots, to another year of greatness. The team just missed a shot at going to the World Championships in Detroit. This group of gear heads has been together a long time with departing seniors Matt Schwennesen, Nathan Shew, Jordan Craven, and Owen Styrk leaving a legacy for another generation to follow.
- Golf – We don’t talk much about this spring sport. However, it has “quietly” (because you’re supposed to be quiet when you play golf) become one of the most successful sports at WLHS. The team has won multiple conference championships and is loaded with talented student-athletes. One of them is Ezra Dreffs. Dreffs is a four-year letter winner in golf, earning All-Conference, All-Academic, and Sportsmanship honors.
- Future College Athletes – Spring sports are still wrapping up, but the Class of 2019 did see its share of competitive athletes. Four members of the class have signed a National Letter of Intent to further their careers at the collegiate level. Rachel Speck will play volleyball at Valparaiso University, Simeon Sechrist will play football at Wheaton College, Kevin LaMont will run Cross Country at Adrian College, and Jordan Craven will be a member of Michigan Tech’s Track and Field team.
Thanks for letting me share a few highlights. My staff is going to miss the Class of 2019. We are confident, though, that this independent collection of bright minds will enter the next chapter of their lives with the same level of commitment and effort demonstrated at WLHS! And, we are pleased and forever grateful to have been a part of their experience.
Shout Outs to Retirees
Last week, at Senior Awards Night, The WLPS BOE surprised longtime volunteer and former staff member, Barb Huang, by announcing the naming our high school media center in her honor: The Barb Huang Media Center.
When staff retire from WLPS, they often times immediately begin giving back as a volunteer. Barb Huang was certainly leading this charge as longtime president of the Community Scholarship Fund board. The following staff members have announced their retirement from WLPS:
- Nancy Magnani – WLES/ECC Speech and Language Therapist
- Jane Hill – WLES/ ECC Special Education Teacher
- Mike Kirby – MS/HS Band Teacher
- Su Theibert – MS/HS Paraprofessional
- Diane Tomakowski – WLPS Director of Food Services
I appreciate getting to know these individuals and respect their dedication to the students of WLPS. I hope I continue to see them interacting with our schools for years to come. But, for now, I will let them rest for a month or so with the reminder that they did, indeed, make a difference in the lives of many children. In fact, they helped make today a great day to be a Trojan!