We hope you'll review this week's District Update filled with news and notes from across the Walled Lake Consolidated School District. Stay up to date with the district by visiting www.wlcsd.org and connecting with the district on social media.

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• April 18: Board of Education special meeting - 6 p.m. at the Educational Services Center
• April 23: Half Day for Students | Professional Development for Staff

• May 2: Board of Education regular meeting - 7 p.m. at the Educational Services Center
• May 7: Election Day - Remember to Vote
• May 9: Half Day for Students. Staff Professional Development
• May 13: PTSA Installation and Awards - 6:30 p.m. at Sarah G. Banks Middle School
• May 24: Half Day for Students and Staff

Visit www.wlcsd.org/calendar for a complete list of events with details.

The Walled Lake Performance Ensemble shined on Sunday at the Michigan Alliance for Performing Arts (MAPA) State Championships at Eastern Michigan University taking home its 14th consecutive state title.

The ensemble is made of students from all three high schools as members of the Walled Lake Percussion and Color Guard. They claimed their 15th overall state championship by scoring an 88.45 in the Percussion Scholastic World Class.

The Walled Lake Performance Ensemble will now get set to compete at the Winter Guard International (WGI) World Championships on April 18 in Dayton, Ohio, where it finished 18th in the nation a year ago. Walled Lake heads to the World Championships as the highest ranked high school from Michigan and 17th in the nation.

Walled Lake Central senior Kylie Seabridge is taking over our Instagram story to give a behind the scenes look during today's prelims at the WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio!

You can follow along with Kylie and the Walled Lake Performance Ensemble by checking out our story right on the Instagram.

Glengary Elementary second grade teacher, Julie Stout, is in the running for America’s Favorite Teacher presented by Reader’s Digest.

A public vote will determine the Top 10 teachers, which closes on Thursday, April 18, at 10 p.m. You are allowed to vote for free once every 24 hours.

“The biggest part of being an educator is forming long lasting relationships with each student and seeing them grow as a learner,” said Stout on her favorite part of being an educator. “I would say the most memorable teaching experience is when all my students came to my wedding.”

The winner of America’s Favorite Teacher will be featured in Reader’s Digest, win a trip to Hawaii, and take home a $25,000 grand prize.

If selected, Stout said she will use the prize money to help her son pay for his first year of college in the fall.

You can vote for Mrs. Stout here.

Walled Lake Northern sophomore Sofie Chernyak took home the grand prize for the second-straight year at the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools’ 9th annual Hack-A-Thon.

The annual Hack-A-Thon is a coding competition, where students create and build innovative programs or applications to add value or solve a consumer’s need. The students are judged on innovation value, application design, code quality, and presentation quality.

This year featured the largest field the competition has ever seen. Ten teams competed for a cash prize purse of $2,625.

Chernyak’s physical training-based subway surfer style game called The Ascension earned a final average score of 19 out of 20 possible points, which is the highest mark in the history of the competition.

Walled Lake Western junior Vidya Vuyyuru and Walled Lake Northern’s team the Pizza Kids, made up of juniors Gabriel Finsilver and Noah Nicholson, tied for second place. Vuyyuru designed a web-based application to virtually assist anyone in properly saving for anything, while Finsilver and Nicholson created a YouTube Chromebook plug-in with the sole purpose of removing YouTube advertisements.

Maya Prep sponsored the competition for the 8th consecutive year donating dinner to the contestants, gift cards to all participants, as well as the very generous cash prize. Cherynak earned the top prize of $1,000 and the two second place finishers won $400 per team.

This year’s best team name award, which is voted on by everyone in attendance, was given to team McRib made up of Walled Lake Northern freshman David Devany and Ethan Mann.

Walled Lake Central junior Cayden Brown will be recognized by the Michigan Center for Youth Justice with the Youth Justice Advocate Award on May 17, 2024 in Ann Arbor at its Advocacy in Action Fundraising Gala.

“'Award-winning Activist’; I never imagined this would be in my bio at 17,” said Brown, who’s the youngest person to ever win the award. “I’ve been pushing for change for over half of my lifetime, and being recognized for the efforts I began upon entering Walled Lake Consolidated Schools is not only full circle but a fulfillment of prophecy.”

Brown is not your average 17-year-old. He currently advocates for juvenile justice in Michigan as a youth criminal defense attorney, has spoken on various platforms and at multiple public events, and created his own non-profit, The Trespass Project. The Trespass Project’s mission is to advance legal literacy among minority youth.

“I approach my work with reverence and humility,” said Brown. “It both humbles me in my calling and empowers me to continue onward.”

Help us celebrate the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools' Class of 2024!

Click on the picture on the right to complete the form and have your senior recognized for their hard work and achievements! We'll be honoring seniors through June across district social media accounts.

During the February 2 Board of Education meeting, the Board of Education voted unanimously to move forward with a $250 million bond election on May 7, 2024.

The 2024 bond proposal is focused on student safety, educational opportunities, technology, and facilities; the millage rates associated with this proposal will provide a tax decrease for residents. Over the past two decades, our community has supported bond proposals in 2019, 2013, and 2004. As a result of this past investment, the school district and our students have been able to thrive.

A list of the 2024 bond projects, by school, will be published on the District’s website, as well as the bond language, frequently asked questions, videos, and other information. To help inform our community, the District will host a series of informational bond meetings over the next several months. Meeting dates, locations, and times will also be on the bond webpage.

In an effort to celebrate our staff, the WLCSD Community Relations department requests that families fill out the form below to nominate staff who are rock stars in their classrooms and school communities.

A sample of what these shout outs will look like on social media and in our district newsletters is on the right.

Walled Lake Consolidated Schools has partnered with GoFan for digital ticketing starting this spring for all home athletic events.

Fans can purchase tickets online through each schools’ GoFan page or by presenting a card or mobile payment option at the ticket gate. All major credit cards, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, will be accepted.

Fans are encouraged to buy tickets online before arriving at the event. For your convenience, signage will be set up at the venue to help fans make an online purchase quickly and easily.

As the district launches its new partnership with GoFan, cash payments will be accepted as well throughout the remainder of the spring athletic season. No cash options will be available starting in the Fall of 2024.

To purchase tickets, please visit each schools’ GoFan page:

• Walled Lake Central: https://gofan.co/app/school/MI10112
• Walled Lake Northern: https://gofan.co/app/school/MI10113
• Walled Lake Western: https://gofan.co/app/school/MI10114

Spring flowers are back! Place your orders online. Flowers will be delivered to the school on Sunday, May 19.

The Hickory Woods Elementary School PTA will award a $250 scholarship to the applicant who best suits these qualifications:

• A completed education
• Must be a senior at Walled Lake Western, Central or Northern
• Must have attended Hickory Woods 4 years +
• Must have a GPA of 3.00 or better (attach most recent report card or transcript).
• Must provide 1 letter of recommendation from a teacher, coach, counselor, employer, or other non-family member
• Must provide proof of acceptance to an accredited college, vocational, or technical school
• Must write an essay of no more 500 Words. Please refrain from using names in the essay as we would like the winner to be chosen based off the words in their essay.

Application deadline: Friday, April 19.

Information regarding spring testing for the secondary level is listed below. Schools will be following up directly with families regarding any adjusted time schedules as part of these testing days:

High School

• PSAT Makeup - April 23
  
• SAT Makeup - April 24
• Workkeys Makeup - April 25
• PSAT Makeup - April 25

Middle School

• M-Step - April 22-25 | GMS, SMBS, WCMS
  
• M-Step - April 30 - May 3 | Clifford Smart

Preschool registration is now open for the 2024-25 school year. To register, please visit the preschool website. We invite your child to come grow with us!

Year-end presents a great opportunity to celebrate our top senior student athletes and their opportunity to continue their athletic careers in college.

Please provide the following information on SENIOR athletes that have either:

- received a scholarship to play college athletics

- have a spot guaranteed to them on a college roster as a "preferred walk-on."

Please complete the following form in order to be considered for the Graduate Spotlight section of the WLCSD quarterly Learning newsletter. The nominated student needs to be a 2016 graduate or before. Please contact pamelacole@wlcsd.org with any questions.

The Maintenance Department is seeking State of Michigan licensed individuals in the following trades: HVAC, Plumbing or Electrical. The Building Engineer position is tasked with maintaining district mechanical systems, and is full time, full year employment. Contact Dave Watkins, Maintenance Supervisor for additional job details at (248) 956-3074.

The WLN PE department is teaming up with DETROIT HANDBALL on Saturday, April 27th.

There will be a game at 1pm and 5pm, and a clinic for 4th-12th graders at 3:30pm.

Any student who signs up ($10) will get a shirt and free entry into the games.

Admission is $5/person otherwise.

REGISTRATION FORM: HANDBALL CLINC REGISTRATION

Our mission, in partnership with parents and the community, is to become the best educational system in America so all students demonstrate they are caring, responsible, and knowledgeable citizens.

Email: danieldurkin@wlcsd.org
Website: www.wlcsd.org
Location: 850 Ladd Road, Walled Lake, MI, USA
Phone: (248) 956-2000
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wlcsd/
Twitter: @WalledLkSchools