Chirp Sheet

DHS, DMS bands earn superior ratings at Festival

It was a successful weekend for our student musicians performing at the Michigan School Band and Orchestra A District III Band Festival March 6 at Oxford High School.

Davison High School's String Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Concert Band and Wind Ensemble earned Division I (Superior) ratings, which is the highest rating that can be awarded at the festival. Because of these results, all four groups have qualified to perform at the MSBOA State Band and Orchestra Festival in April.

Instrumental Music Director Mr. Caleb Goncz said the adjudicators provided very positive feedback about the musicality and preparation of the ensembles and that students represented Davison extremely well.

"I am incredibly proud of the work these students have put in throughout the year, and I am looking forward to their performances at State Festival next month," he said.

Congratulations also go to Davison Middle School's seventh and eighth grade bands, which also received the highest ratings possible at Festival. Out of 20 different categories, each band received 19 As.

"Both of our DMS bands played maturely and were recognized by the adjudicators for their professionalism and mature musical sound," said Davison Middle School Instrumental Music Director Mr. Brad Davis,. "I'm very proud of their work ethic in our rehearsals leading up to Festival. I could feel their energy and that is always motivating and gratifying as a teacher. I really felt like our students wanted to give a great performance; and they did!"

DHS, DMS choirs find success at festival held at home

This was a huge week for our high school and middle school choral students who had the opportunity to participate in the Michigan School Vocal Music Association's (MSVMA) annual Festival hosted by Davison in the new Performing Arts Center.

All three high school choirs performed well, said Vocal Music Director Garth Starr. The Choralaires earned a II, while Varsity Choir and Concert Choir both earned I ratings. The Varsity Choir earned a perfect score in sight reading.

Congratulations also go to the Davison Middle school vocal music groups. Cardinal Men and Music Masters received a rating of I with a score of 116 - just four points away from a perfect score. They did earn a perfect score in sight reading.

The middle school Cardinal Singers and Mezzo Voce, which includes 6th-9th grade students, also received I ratings.

Starr, along with Davison Middle School Choral Director Miss Michelle Wilson, were in charge of running this year's event.

"The students were great as guides and hosts for the event," said Mr. Starr. "Everybody mentioned how professional and helpful they were. So on top of performing for the festival, they took turns working throughout the two days, too. The 38 choirs flowed through the PAC smoothly, and all enjoyed our new facility."

Miss Wilson said the festival judges consisted of seven current and retired music teachers who have been working with MSVMA a long time.

"Some are folks that I really look up to and was a little star-struck to meet," Wilson confessed. "They could not say enough about: our facility, our kind and competent high schoolers, who worked very hard to help run this event guiding choirs around the PAC, assisting judges, setting up and tearing down, our level of organization, our staff and security, and our singers. Even Brian Leduc, the president of MSVMA stopped by and was floored by the beauty of our PAC."

DHS Visual Arts Dept to host Michigan Wildlife Student Art Show at ARTWALK

The Davison High School Visual Arts Department and student artists are partnering with a few local organizations to host the Michigan Wildlife Student Art Show during the April 10 ARTWALK in downtown Flint. The show will take place from 6-9 p.m. in the Dryden Building, 601 Saginaw St.

Davison students will be displaying sculptures, paintings and drawings of Michigan flora and fauna. Several local nature and conservation groups are partnering with Davison High School and will be on site to share information about their programs. Currently, the DHS Environmental Club, Sierra Club, Trout Unlimited, Genesee County Parks, Keep Genesee County Beautiful, Little Forks Conservancy, MDHHS and the Flint River Watershed Coalition plan on attending.

DHS Fine Arts and Design Instructor Mr. Ryan Kelsey said more than 75 works of art from DHS students will be on display. He added that idea for the show came about as a result of connecting with other organizations.

"Last year, the Flint River Watershed Coalition hosted our native species art show in their new headquarters along the Flint River," Mr. Kelsey said. "This year our students have participated in multiple Flint Artwalk events, the most recent ones at the Dryden Building. The Davison Art Department has a goal of building connections in our community, so being a part of the Artwalk and inviting our nature-based local organizations made sense."

Varsity basketball players give an assist to Siple students

Student athletes from the Davison High School Varsity Boys' and Girls' Basketball teams visited Siple Elementary on Wednesday as students wrapped up their basketball unit in gym.

Siple Elementary Teacher Mrs. Evelyn Harig invited the varsity players to her morning classes to shoot some hoops, share some pointers and inspire future players as her students celebrated the skills they learned over the past few weeks.

DHS students compete at Math Field Day

1. If a participant only has 60 seconds to solve each individual problem, what is the total amount of time, in minutes, allocated for 40 problems?

If you answered 40 minutes you are correct.

2. How many moves are required to solve the Tower of Hanoi with 8 rings "Magnetic Variation?"

Not feeling so confident on this one, huh? We will leave questions like this to the five student mathematicians who participated in the Math Field Day competition held Friday, March 6, at the University of Michigan-Flint. Students Luke Francis, Kyle Haynes, Jaxson Kaszyca, Ben Lange and Jake Williams were accompanied by Davison High School Math Teacher Mr. James Wilcox.

Davison scored two silver medals, one by Kyle Haynes in the Mad Hatter B competition and another by Ben Lange in the Mad Hatter A. Mad Hatter is a competition where contestants have to solve 40 problems in 40 minutes, with one problem every 60 seconds exactly. Kyle got 10 right and Ben got nine correct.

"These problems are not easy," said Mr. Wilcox.

For an example, look at the picture to the upper right.

Congratulations to all on their efforts and achievements!

Kyle Haynes (center).

Ben Lange (center).

DMS Quiz Bowl makes impressive debut

The inaugural Davison Middle School Quiz Bowl season is officially in the books and what a debut it was! Facing a competitive field of 14 established teams, our students proved that Davison has the knowledge and the nerve to compete with the best.

"I am incredibly proud of how our teams navigated the high-pressure environment of toss-ups, bonuses and lightning-fast buzzer rounds," said team sponsor, Mrs. Mary Ann Stedry.

Here is how our teams landed in the final standings:

Davison Team C: Secured a fantastic 7th-place finish, landing right in the top half of the overall bracket. (Charles Titsworth, Zachary Wenzel, Xyler Scott and Maxen Remillard)
Davison Team B: Followed closely behind with a solid 9th-place finish, showing great consistency and teamwork. (Brady Strauel, Theo Malmstrom, Maddox (John) Ross and Zander Malmstrom)

Great job!

Last week, 21 Davison Early College students read to each classroom at Hill Elementary for Reading Month.

High school swimmer to compete at state this weekend

Congrats to Davison High School student athlete Lucas Cummings who has qualified to swim at the D1 State meet at Oakland University March 13 and 14.

Lucas can only swim two events, but he's qualified in three: 200 IM, 500 free and 100 back. He'll be swimming IM and back at the state meet. Good luck Lucas!

Coming up in the Performance Arts Center

Upcoming events scheduled in the PAC:

March 13: TIA Tour Competition (rental)
March 14: TIA Tour Competition (rental)
March 15: TIA Tour Competition (rental)
March 16: Central Elementary 1st Grade Concert
March 17: Hill Elementary 3rd/4th Grade Concert, 7 p.m.
March 18: Davison Middle School Honors Night
March 19: Hahn Intermediate Third Marking Period Choir Concert, 7 p.m.
March 21: Michigan Music Education Association Honors Choir
March 22: Michigan Music Education Association Honors Choir

Sign up now for Spring Youth Soccer League

Davison Community Enrichment and Recreation is now accepting registration for the Davison Youth Soccer League. Eligible students are those born from 2014 to 2020.

Games will be played on April 11, 18, 25, May 2, 5 and 16. Cost is $75 per participant.

Register by calling DCER or online.

Early Release Day planned for Wednesday, March 18

Wednesday, March 18, is an Early Release Day for all students in order for staff to participate in professional development activities.

Students will be dismissed two hours earlier than normal. There is no delayed start on this day; Davison High School and Davison Alternative Education students are to report by 7:30 a.m.

Here are the dismissal times for each school building:

Davison High School/Davison Alt. Education: 12:36 p.m.
Davison Middle School: 12:19 p.m.
Hahn Intermediate School: 12:19 p.m.
Central Elementary: 1:28 p.m.
Gates Elementary: 1:43 p.m.
Hill Elementary: 1:28 p.m.
Siple Elementary: 1:43 p.m.
Thomson Elementary: 1:28 p.m.
GSRP and Cardinal's Nest: AM Classes attend; No PM Classes
GSRP Full Day and AM Students: Bus riders dismissed at 11:15 a.m.; parent pick-up dismissed at 11:40 a.m.

Deadline is nearing for seniors to complete applications for local scholarships

We are very fortunate to have so many generous community service groups and individuals who offer thousands of dollars in local scholarships to deserving seniors every year. Below is a list of scholarships available to the Class of 2026.

Deadline for all scholarships is March 25, 2026.

2026 Davison Band & Orchestra Scholarship

2026 DEA Cardinal Scholarship

2026 DEA Family Member Scholarship

2026 The Hugh Greene Memorial Scholarship

2026 Crongeyer Family Scholarship

2026 M & M Frazee Scholarship

2026 Ralph & Mary Diehl Memorial Scholarship

2026 DHS Student Council Scholarship

2026 DEA Future Educators Scholarship

2026 Davison Area Chamber of Commerce Scholarship

2026 Harris Eye Care Scholarship