Which summer festival are you looking forward to?
Ann Arbor Art Fairs: 30 percent
Chelsea Summer Fest: 30 percent
Ypsilanti Heritage Festival: 24 percent
Saline Celtic Festival: 16 percent
What are you doing with your tax refund?
Saving it: 44 percent
Using it on household expenses: 37 percent
Spending it on something special: 15 percent
Spending it on vacation: 4 percent
How much do you donate to nonprofits each year?
$1,000 or more: 54 percent
Under $100: 21 percent
$100 to $300: 16 percent
$300 to $500: 9 percent
What do you do when you have an hour of spare time?
Read a book: 36 percent
Read a newspaper: 34 percent
Play online games: 20 percent
Update Facebook page: 9 percent
What do you think should be a priority of WISD consolidates services?
Human resources: 42 percent
Money savings: 33 percent
Students outcome: 18 percent
Service quality: 6 percent
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Manchester grad completes military training
Air National Guard Airman Brent J. Long graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas recently. The airman completed an intensive eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. He is the son of Jayne Long of Herman Road in Manchester. Long graduated in 2006 from Manchester High School and received an associate degree in 2009 from Ferris State University in Big Rapids.
Monday, May 17, 2010
"First for Women" editor looking for embarrassing summer stories
First For Women is a magazine that reaches approximately 1.5 million readers. Inside this magazine is its regular "First Blush" feature story, which focuses on those embarrassing moments that seem too ridiculous to actually be real.
One of its writers, Hallie Potocki, recently sent me an email asking me to let our readers know that they're searching for those stories for the magazine's summer issues. Here's what she said:
It would be awesome if you could give your wonderful membership a heads-up that we are preparing our summer issue now and I’m on the hunt for mortifying warm weather melt-downs to share with our readers.
A couple of paragraphs describing the embarrassing situation, what happened, what was said, what was felt/thought… and how it was resolved, should do it. Some examples might be a swimsuit snafu, perspiration run amuck, vacation vengeance (surprising the guy – not your husband-in the wrong beach cabana with your au naturel self)... and so on... you get the idea.
What she needs in addition to the embarrassing scenario is a name (which can be changed if you prefer), you age, contact information, a brief description of the story, and an electronic photo to match a name with a face.
She's on a tight deadline, so if you have anything useful, email jmiller@heritage.com and I can send your materials on to Hollie.
One of its writers, Hallie Potocki, recently sent me an email asking me to let our readers know that they're searching for those stories for the magazine's summer issues. Here's what she said:
It would be awesome if you could give your wonderful membership a heads-up that we are preparing our summer issue now and I’m on the hunt for mortifying warm weather melt-downs to share with our readers.
A couple of paragraphs describing the embarrassing situation, what happened, what was said, what was felt/thought… and how it was resolved, should do it. Some examples might be a swimsuit snafu, perspiration run amuck, vacation vengeance (surprising the guy – not your husband-in the wrong beach cabana with your au naturel self)... and so on... you get the idea.
What she needs in addition to the embarrassing scenario is a name (which can be changed if you prefer), you age, contact information, a brief description of the story, and an electronic photo to match a name with a face.
She's on a tight deadline, so if you have anything useful, email jmiller@heritage.com and I can send your materials on to Hollie.
Sheriff's Office offers free boating safety course
Whether your interest is in fishing, sailing, canoeing or waterskiing, boating safety education is essential. The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office will be offering the Michigan Department of Natural Resources ‘Boat Michigan’ course. The first one-day course was held on May 1 and another will be held on June 5 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 4135 Washtenaw (LRC Building). This course is free with all materials provided. Upon successful completion, graduates will receive their Michigan Boating Safety Certificate. You must pre-register and can sign up by calling (734) 973-4713. Class size is limited, so reserve your seat early.
‘Boat Michigan’ is a fun and comprehensive boating safety course for those age 12 and older that covers topics such as: Know Your Boat, Before You Get Underway, Navigating the Waterways, Operating Your Boat/PWC Safely, Legal Requirements, Boating Emergencies, and Enjoying Water Sports with Your Boat.
Many insurance companies will offer discounts on boat insurance for taking and passing this course. In addition, successful completion of the course, which has been approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, satisfies the prerequisite to obtain a boating safety certificate from the Michigan DNR.
Michigan legislators passed Law that went into effect in June 2000 regarding the operation of personal watercraft (JetSki’s, WaveRunners, Ect.). This law requires that anyone born after December 31, 1978 who operates a personal watercraft on Michigan waterways must possess, on the vessel, a boating safety certificate.
For more information about this course, additional dates available or other services provided by the Washtenaw County Sheriff Marine Division, call (734) 973-4713 or visit us online at www.ewashtenaw.org.
‘Boat Michigan’ is a fun and comprehensive boating safety course for those age 12 and older that covers topics such as: Know Your Boat, Before You Get Underway, Navigating the Waterways, Operating Your Boat/PWC Safely, Legal Requirements, Boating Emergencies, and Enjoying Water Sports with Your Boat.
Many insurance companies will offer discounts on boat insurance for taking and passing this course. In addition, successful completion of the course, which has been approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, satisfies the prerequisite to obtain a boating safety certificate from the Michigan DNR.
Michigan legislators passed Law that went into effect in June 2000 regarding the operation of personal watercraft (JetSki’s, WaveRunners, Ect.). This law requires that anyone born after December 31, 1978 who operates a personal watercraft on Michigan waterways must possess, on the vessel, a boating safety certificate.
For more information about this course, additional dates available or other services provided by the Washtenaw County Sheriff Marine Division, call (734) 973-4713 or visit us online at www.ewashtenaw.org.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Optimist Club Student of the Month: May
The Optimist Club’s Student of the Month for May is Matthew Johnson, the son of John and Nancy Johnson of Manchester. He is currently a senior at Manchester High School.
Matthew is a member of Boy Scout Troop 426 of Manchester. He is a double gold palm Eagle Scout and Junior Assistant Scoutmaster. He is also the drum major of the Manchester Marching Band and a member of the Key Club, varsity quiz bowl, Drama Club, and National Honor Society. He is an altar server and choir singer at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
Matthew has participated on the varsity track team for four years and the cross country team for three years. He was a scholar athlete in both every years. He was the captain of the track and cross country teams his senior year. In cross country he was honorary All Conference and received the sportsmanship and coaches award. In the fall
Matthew is attending the University of Michigan to study mathematics and actuarial sciences.
This week's column: Lunch Bunch controversy teaches lessons
Our society has struggled with racial debates for decades. It doesn’t matter what the specifics are. If race is involved there often is no right or wrong answer.
The same was the case this week for Ann Arbor’s Dicken Elementary School. Its administrators learned the hard way that racial tensions overshadow all good intentions and that the legality of equalizing measures is still—and probably always will be—a heated debate.
I know that this is a Manchester column and I know that Dicken Elementary is an Ann Arbor school. I still think it is a worthy topic, because what school doesn’t deal with race issues? What school doesn’t have outsiders or minorities or certain groups that perform differently?
The answer is none. Affirmative action within public institutions may have recently been made illegal in the state of Michigan, but the test score disparity between the poor and the rich is still there. In many districts in Washtenaw County, the test score disparity among races is still there too.
In Ann Arbor the MEAP results reveal a stronger performance average in white students compared to black students. The trend apparently has been there for several years in Ann Arbor, so the district went about trying to close that gap.
One of the results of those discussions was the formation of the African American Lunch Bunch. It was a club meant to close the achievement gap before students headed off to middle school.
Well those kids went on a field trip, and they went to see a powerful and successful black physicist at the University of Michigan. When the club’s students got back, their peers were unhappy and jealous. They wanted to go too, so they booed their classmates and told their parents, who in turn wrote angry letters and called media outlets.
I’m not writing about this story to debate whether this group breaks state law. I’m not a lawyer. I’m also not writing this to debate whether affirmative action is good or bad. I’ll save that little token for a separate blog post.
I’m here to point out that this situation is a very real reminder that we don’t have it all figured out. We’ve come a long way, to be sure, but we have a long way to go.
The club was disbanded, but the disparity still exists. So what should the various school districts do? Why is the disparity there? What can teachers do differently? What can counselors and parents do differently?
I still think we need to find ways to accomplish what the Dicken school administrators were trying to accomplish. They might not have done it in a way that is popular (or even legal, arguably), but that did something nonetheless.
My worry is always that blowups like this one will discourage districts from continuing to seek that progress and improvement. Whether we like it or not, those disparities still exist. And whether we like it or not, many of us do grow up with certain privileges.
For example, every year when I went back to school I knew a majority of my classmates would have the same skin color. I could guarantee that my teachers would look at me with a blank slate and that strangers wouldn’t judge me. That isn’t the case for all children, whether they’re Asian, African American, Latin, Middle Eastern, South American, and the list goes on.
Those are comforts that cannot be ignored and that require acknowledgement to level the playing field. Dickens Elementary is on the right track theoretically. Clearly these students need something that they’re missing.
That to me is the real cause for concern, not the field trip and not the angry parents.
Jana Miller is the editor of the Manchester Enterprise. She can be reached at (734) 429-7380 or jmiller@heritage.com. Follow the Enterprise blog at www.wireenterprise.blogspot.com.
The same was the case this week for Ann Arbor’s Dicken Elementary School. Its administrators learned the hard way that racial tensions overshadow all good intentions and that the legality of equalizing measures is still—and probably always will be—a heated debate.
I know that this is a Manchester column and I know that Dicken Elementary is an Ann Arbor school. I still think it is a worthy topic, because what school doesn’t deal with race issues? What school doesn’t have outsiders or minorities or certain groups that perform differently?
The answer is none. Affirmative action within public institutions may have recently been made illegal in the state of Michigan, but the test score disparity between the poor and the rich is still there. In many districts in Washtenaw County, the test score disparity among races is still there too.
In Ann Arbor the MEAP results reveal a stronger performance average in white students compared to black students. The trend apparently has been there for several years in Ann Arbor, so the district went about trying to close that gap.
One of the results of those discussions was the formation of the African American Lunch Bunch. It was a club meant to close the achievement gap before students headed off to middle school.
Well those kids went on a field trip, and they went to see a powerful and successful black physicist at the University of Michigan. When the club’s students got back, their peers were unhappy and jealous. They wanted to go too, so they booed their classmates and told their parents, who in turn wrote angry letters and called media outlets.
I’m not writing about this story to debate whether this group breaks state law. I’m not a lawyer. I’m also not writing this to debate whether affirmative action is good or bad. I’ll save that little token for a separate blog post.
I’m here to point out that this situation is a very real reminder that we don’t have it all figured out. We’ve come a long way, to be sure, but we have a long way to go.
The club was disbanded, but the disparity still exists. So what should the various school districts do? Why is the disparity there? What can teachers do differently? What can counselors and parents do differently?
I still think we need to find ways to accomplish what the Dicken school administrators were trying to accomplish. They might not have done it in a way that is popular (or even legal, arguably), but that did something nonetheless.
My worry is always that blowups like this one will discourage districts from continuing to seek that progress and improvement. Whether we like it or not, those disparities still exist. And whether we like it or not, many of us do grow up with certain privileges.
For example, every year when I went back to school I knew a majority of my classmates would have the same skin color. I could guarantee that my teachers would look at me with a blank slate and that strangers wouldn’t judge me. That isn’t the case for all children, whether they’re Asian, African American, Latin, Middle Eastern, South American, and the list goes on.
Those are comforts that cannot be ignored and that require acknowledgement to level the playing field. Dickens Elementary is on the right track theoretically. Clearly these students need something that they’re missing.
That to me is the real cause for concern, not the field trip and not the angry parents.
Jana Miller is the editor of the Manchester Enterprise. She can be reached at (734) 429-7380 or jmiller@heritage.com. Follow the Enterprise blog at www.wireenterprise.blogspot.com.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
High school alumni banquet set for June 19
The annual Manchester High School Alumni Banquet will be held Saturday, June 19 at the American Legion Hall. All alumni are wel-come to attend the banquet.
Invitations to the banquet have been mailed to alumni. However, if you do not receive an invitation, please send your reservation by June 3 to the Manchester Alumni Association, P.O. Box 254, Manchester, MI 48158. The cost is $17 per person. Please make your reservation check payable to Manchester High School Alumni Association.
This year marks the 139th anniver-sary of Manchester High School’s first graduating class and the 133rd anniversary of the Alumni Associa-tion Reunion. This is a once a year opportunity for graduates to meet and mingle with some very special people, classmates and friends who have been privileged to graduate from Manchester High School. Special recognition will be given to the classes of 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, and 2010.
The alumni association is pleased to inform the community that it was able to award five graduating sen-iors with a scholarship in 2009. With help from fellow graduates, the association plans to award five more scholarships this year.
Donations to the very worthwhile scholarship fund from alumni and others can also be sent to the Man-chester Alumni Association. The support of alumni and the commu-nity has been very much appreciated by Manchester’s young men and women graduates.
Come and join classmates and oth-ers on June 19 and enjoy an evening of good food and reminiscing about wonderful high school experiences. The social hour begins at 5 p.m. and dinner will follow at 6:30 p.m.
Invitations to the banquet have been mailed to alumni. However, if you do not receive an invitation, please send your reservation by June 3 to the Manchester Alumni Association, P.O. Box 254, Manchester, MI 48158. The cost is $17 per person. Please make your reservation check payable to Manchester High School Alumni Association.
This year marks the 139th anniver-sary of Manchester High School’s first graduating class and the 133rd anniversary of the Alumni Associa-tion Reunion. This is a once a year opportunity for graduates to meet and mingle with some very special people, classmates and friends who have been privileged to graduate from Manchester High School. Special recognition will be given to the classes of 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, and 2010.
The alumni association is pleased to inform the community that it was able to award five graduating sen-iors with a scholarship in 2009. With help from fellow graduates, the association plans to award five more scholarships this year.
Donations to the very worthwhile scholarship fund from alumni and others can also be sent to the Man-chester Alumni Association. The support of alumni and the commu-nity has been very much appreciated by Manchester’s young men and women graduates.
Come and join classmates and oth-ers on June 19 and enjoy an evening of good food and reminiscing about wonderful high school experiences. The social hour begins at 5 p.m. and dinner will follow at 6:30 p.m.
Wolverine commencement had plenty of good/bad surprises
This week there were two big topics that I chose to consider for my column this week. Those subjects were the statewide smoking ban that takes affect this week in local bars and restaurants and President Barack Obama’s visit to the University of Michigan spring commencement.
President Obama won.
I had the rare opportunity to cover the event for our newspapers. Chelsea and Dexter editor Daniel Lai (remember Danny boy?) and myself were commissioned to cover the event for our company. He was the writer and I was the photographer.
Leading up to the day I was pretty excited. I knew this was a big deal and a great opportunity.
I arrived promptly at 5 a.m. to gather my press credentials and start waiting in line for entry to the stadium. At about 6:11 a.m. it started pouring rain on me. Since there was still a massive thunderstorm looming over the Big House, they did not let us in at 6:30 a.m. when they were supposed to because apparently metal detectors don’t work during thunderstorms.
The thunder and rain lasted until a little after 7 a.m. But surprise, surprise! Someone lost the key to the media’s gate!
After another 20 minutes of waiting for someone to find the right key (which they never did, forcing us to enter through the gate next to us), we set our equipment next to the security area and made our way through the security lines. Once through, we stood next to our equipment to the side of the lines and waited for the bomb dog.
This is where security was disappointing. You would assume that when the President of the United States comes to town that people are going to take security pretty seriously. I definitely assumed that. Well, we all know what happens when people assume.
The most disappointing detail was that no one asked me for identification that day. The lady in the media trailer didn’t ask for ID when I told her my name for credentials and the people at the gate didn’t ask to see it either.
Secondly, the security lines that the press went through were so busy that no one was keeping track of which press members had actually been through the detectors and which were dropping off equipment. At one point, a security guard asked the woman next to me if she had been through the line yet. She said yes, and the man took her word for it.
I thought, really? Is that it? He’s just going to take her word for it? There was no way to identify which members of the media had been through the security check and which were standing around.
I was also not convinced by the aptitude of the so-called bomb dog. Frankly, he looked more like a sad, wet puppy looking for treats in his leader’s hand than a well-trained canine sniffing out traces of explosives. He didn’t sniff much, and the things that he did sniff looked more like potential places to urinate on.
Of course, all of these security weaknesses had nothing to do with secret service personnel. The individuals at the entrance were enlisted to help out with the 90,000 or more individuals that had to be ushered inside.
By stark contrast, the secret service man that I met that day was everything I imagined him to be. He was serious and never flinching, like the Buckingham Palace guards. His eyes were on a swivel while he took in every detail around him.
He’s the reason I couldn’t get into the graduate seating area to take pictures from different angles. He’s the one who banished me to the press bleachers for trying to take candid photos of students from within the crowd.
Good for him. He did his job. I felt safer knowing that he was standing next to me.
As for the rest of the day, it was everything I thought it would be. The student speaker was engaging and funny, and President Obama’s keynote address made me reminisce about his campaign.
For me it was a useful way to come full circle. I was a Wolverine student myself when Obama first went on the campaign trail. That was back in the day when Hillary Clinton stood a shot and Obama was “that senator in the primary from Illinois.” So it felt right to be in the Big House when he came to Ann Arbor for graduation.
When I was still a college student, his words moved people. When he gave speeches, I often saved them on YouTube. Now he is our leader, and the very same students that helped to vote him into office heard him speak of change once more.
Those were some lucky Wolverines.
President Obama won.
I had the rare opportunity to cover the event for our newspapers. Chelsea and Dexter editor Daniel Lai (remember Danny boy?) and myself were commissioned to cover the event for our company. He was the writer and I was the photographer.
Leading up to the day I was pretty excited. I knew this was a big deal and a great opportunity.
I arrived promptly at 5 a.m. to gather my press credentials and start waiting in line for entry to the stadium. At about 6:11 a.m. it started pouring rain on me. Since there was still a massive thunderstorm looming over the Big House, they did not let us in at 6:30 a.m. when they were supposed to because apparently metal detectors don’t work during thunderstorms.
The thunder and rain lasted until a little after 7 a.m. But surprise, surprise! Someone lost the key to the media’s gate!
After another 20 minutes of waiting for someone to find the right key (which they never did, forcing us to enter through the gate next to us), we set our equipment next to the security area and made our way through the security lines. Once through, we stood next to our equipment to the side of the lines and waited for the bomb dog.
This is where security was disappointing. You would assume that when the President of the United States comes to town that people are going to take security pretty seriously. I definitely assumed that. Well, we all know what happens when people assume.
The most disappointing detail was that no one asked me for identification that day. The lady in the media trailer didn’t ask for ID when I told her my name for credentials and the people at the gate didn’t ask to see it either.
Secondly, the security lines that the press went through were so busy that no one was keeping track of which press members had actually been through the detectors and which were dropping off equipment. At one point, a security guard asked the woman next to me if she had been through the line yet. She said yes, and the man took her word for it.
I thought, really? Is that it? He’s just going to take her word for it? There was no way to identify which members of the media had been through the security check and which were standing around.
I was also not convinced by the aptitude of the so-called bomb dog. Frankly, he looked more like a sad, wet puppy looking for treats in his leader’s hand than a well-trained canine sniffing out traces of explosives. He didn’t sniff much, and the things that he did sniff looked more like potential places to urinate on.
Of course, all of these security weaknesses had nothing to do with secret service personnel. The individuals at the entrance were enlisted to help out with the 90,000 or more individuals that had to be ushered inside.
By stark contrast, the secret service man that I met that day was everything I imagined him to be. He was serious and never flinching, like the Buckingham Palace guards. His eyes were on a swivel while he took in every detail around him.
He’s the reason I couldn’t get into the graduate seating area to take pictures from different angles. He’s the one who banished me to the press bleachers for trying to take candid photos of students from within the crowd.
Good for him. He did his job. I felt safer knowing that he was standing next to me.
As for the rest of the day, it was everything I thought it would be. The student speaker was engaging and funny, and President Obama’s keynote address made me reminisce about his campaign.
For me it was a useful way to come full circle. I was a Wolverine student myself when Obama first went on the campaign trail. That was back in the day when Hillary Clinton stood a shot and Obama was “that senator in the primary from Illinois.” So it felt right to be in the Big House when he came to Ann Arbor for graduation.
When I was still a college student, his words moved people. When he gave speeches, I often saved them on YouTube. Now he is our leader, and the very same students that helped to vote him into office heard him speak of change once more.
Those were some lucky Wolverines.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Deputy Jeff Saren reminds Manchester of ordinance
Deputy Jeff Saren is a nice guy. I've spoken with him several times and so far he has seemed to maintain a decent level of interaction with village and township residents via the new WCSO email list. The latest blast on that list was about spring cleaning and staying up to code with the village ordinance. See below.
On April 30, Jeff Saren wrote: "It appears that spring is finally here, and with that comes spring cleaning. Let’s not forget the outside of our homes as well as the inside. The Village of Manchester has an ordinance in reference to Blight. Below is a section of the ordinance, so let’s keep our village clean.
The storage or accumulation of junk, trash, rubbish, or refuse of any kind, except domestic refuse stored in such a manner as not to create a nuisance for a period not to exceed 30 days. The term JUNK shall include parts of machinery or motor vehicles, unused stoves or other appliances stored in the open, remnants of wood, metal, or other material or other castoff material of any kind whether or not the same could be put to any reasonable use; (B)(1) the term JUNK VEHICLES shall include any motor vehicle which is not licensed for use upon the highways of the State of Michigan for a period in excess of 30 days and shall also include, whether so licensed or not, any motor vehicle which is inoperative for any reason for a period in excess of 30 days."
Deputy Jeff, Saren
Washtenaw County Office of the Sheriff
On April 30, Jeff Saren wrote: "It appears that spring is finally here, and with that comes spring cleaning. Let’s not forget the outside of our homes as well as the inside. The Village of Manchester has an ordinance in reference to Blight. Below is a section of the ordinance, so let’s keep our village clean.
The storage or accumulation of junk, trash, rubbish, or refuse of any kind, except domestic refuse stored in such a manner as not to create a nuisance for a period not to exceed 30 days. The term JUNK shall include parts of machinery or motor vehicles, unused stoves or other appliances stored in the open, remnants of wood, metal, or other material or other castoff material of any kind whether or not the same could be put to any reasonable use; (B)(1) the term JUNK VEHICLES shall include any motor vehicle which is not licensed for use upon the highways of the State of Michigan for a period in excess of 30 days and shall also include, whether so licensed or not, any motor vehicle which is inoperative for any reason for a period in excess of 30 days."
Deputy Jeff, Saren
Washtenaw County Office of the Sheriff
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