The Pulse Fall 2022

From the Superintendent

It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome everyone back to school for the 2022-2023 school year. We are eager to begin the new year with optimism and excitement for what lies ahead for our students, staff, and families as we embark on a year of renewed expectations for rigorous and engaged learning. Hazel Park Schools provides innovative and engaging learning experiences to ensure that all students are well prepared for success in the 21st Century. We help each and every student reach their highest academic, social, emotional, intellectual, and physical potential. Along the way they become problem solvers, critical thinkers, risk-takers, designers, collaborators, and innovators. We’re developing them into contributing, empathic citizens and leaders who are responsible stewards of their world and care about equity and justice, both locally and worldwide.

Our theme this school year is “Literacy For All”. Literacy is the ability to use language and images in rich and varied forms to read, write, listen, speak, view, represent, discuss, and think critically about ideas. It enables us to share information and to interact with others and is an essential tool for personal growth and active participation as a contributing member of society.

Reading is the first pillar of literacy. Please encourage our young learners to immerse themselves in it frequently. This should involve exposure to a broad variety of different genres, such as newspapers, novels, comics, magazines, films, reference material, and websites.

Think of how often you use your own reading skills in everyday life. But beyond the functional level, literacy plays a vital role in transforming students into socially engaged citizens. Being able to read and write means being able to keep up with current events, communicate effectively, and understand the issues that are shaping our world.

Our schools and classrooms welcome our community with compassion and sensitivity to support inclusive school cultures and environments that build connections and seek input. Everyone’s voice is important, especially when it comes from a place of heart, resolution, and respect. The beginning of a new school year is always an exciting time. I wish you and your family all the best for a successful start!

If I can be of assistance to your family, please do not hesitate to call me at 248-658-5221 or send me an email at amy. kruppe@myhpsd.org.

With Students In Mind,

Dr. Amy Kruppe Superintendent, Hazel Park Schools

Promise zone offers life changing opportunities for Hazel Park resideNts HPS wants all students to realize their full potential

The Hazel Park Promise is perhaps best known for providing college scholarships to graduates of Hazel Park High School. Students who live in the district and attend Hazel Park Schools benefit from scholarship funding for all or part of their college tuition.

The Hazel Park Promise and College Access Network are committed to revitalizing the Hazel Park community by increasing its educational attainment and making it an attractive destination for families.

They do this by offering a tuition-free path to an associate’s degree to resident graduates of Hazel Park Schools and by recruiting and providing college and career preparatory programs to support Hazel Park students.

Student Support College Advising

Every HP Senior receives oneon-one support from our College Advisor to navigate college exploration, trade school, admissions, and financial aid processes.

College Coaching

Every HP graduate receives one-on-one support from our College Coach by supporting students navigating college or trade school.

Mentoring Program

Every HP graduate is eligible to participate in our community Mentoring Program. Students are paired with a near-peer mentor to support them in college or trade school.

SAT Support

Every 11th grader participates in CollegeSpring test preparation during school.

Scholarship Assistance

Tuition-free pathway to obtain an Associate’s Degree or summer tuition scholarship.

Resident Grads of HPS Receive

• College Advisor

• College Success Coach

• Community Mentoring Program

• Scholarship - Last Dollar*

• Tuition-free pathway to obtain an Associate’s Degree at Oakland Community College or Apprenticeship Certificate (or its equivalent at a 4-year university, must meet certain eligibility requirements.)

• University-bound students are welcome to take summer courses at OCC (up to 6 credits per summer.)

*State law imposes a residency requirement for publicly funded scholarships.

*A last-dollar scholarship is a form of student financial aid in which a student draws from other funding sources before being awarded the last-dollar scholarship.

Unique Program helps HPS students succeed in school, life, and work

There’s a program that is offered at Hazel Park High School that is so unique that it’s only piloted in one school district in the State of Michigan – the UAW Chrysler School-to-Work Program.

“The best thing about this program for students is that it helps them become the best employee for any type of job they’re going into,” said HPS’s Christopher Benedetto, who has been the lead for this program since it began in 2015. “And it’s for kids interested in going into skilled trades. Instead of having to commit to schooling in one skilled trade they get to explore six or seven different skilled trades. They’ll get a little taste of what each trade is about and then they can decide on what they want to pursue it.”

This two-year program begins as sophomores when students are able to apply to get into the program. From there, 20 applicants are chosen to participate.

Once accepted, students start attending the off-site training facility as juniors. That first year of the program is tied around soft skills such as problem solving, public speaking, conflict resolution, and resume writing. They also start a carpentry project using only hand tools.

As seniors, they get into using power tools to help finish the carpentry project. They will

also learn pipe fitting, industrial plumbing, welding, metal cutting, sheet metal work for HVHC and get into robotics and robotics programming.

“We want to give these kids an opportunity to focus on that they can take it through all the way to graduation,” said Stellantis’ Nancy Neikirk,” who helps run the program. “If they come back and work for us that’s a huge benefit because they’ll know how to work and build as a team. We’re not only teaching trades we’re teaching life skills.”

A number of HPS students that have gone through the program have applied and gotten jobs with Chrysler, which changed its name to Stellantis in 2020.

“I signed up because I heard it’s a good program and it makes you a better person,” said Omarrion Gray, who’s a senior this year. “This program helps make us all better people. They teach you so much from public speaking and learning how communicate with others. Learning these skills are a bonus, but learning how to communicate with others and work as a team is the best part of this program.”

“This is just such a great opportunity for me to explore different things career wise,” said Cienna Sealy, another senior. You’re learning social skills and skills you can learn later on in life that you’re not really getting taught in school.”

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• Students are welcome to take summer courses at their in-district community college (up to 4 credits per summer.)

The Promise Zone strives to make resources as equitable as possible and are able to provide scholarships using privately fundraised resources

For the students of Hazel Park schools, the

future is now brighter thanks to the Hazel Park Promise. Our community’s commitment to help students and families plan, prepare and pay for continuing education after high school - and to enhance the growth, stability and economic development of the Hazel Park community.

A number of HPS students that have gone through the program have applied and gotten jobs with Chrysler, which changed its name to Stellantis in 2020.

“This program helps make us all better people,” student says

Davis receives ‘golden ticket’ to continue research

Srah Davis (Class of 2012) had an interest in chemistry when she was a student at Hazel Park High School.

That interest will soon blossom into a career as a professor at a university.

Davis just received her “golden ticket” when she was awarded funding from the National Institute of Health.

“I’ll be doing research for three to five years in a lab and once it’s completed then I can become a professor,” Davis said. “This was a highly competitive pre-doctoral fellowship that had a very long application process. This will pay for the rest of my Ph.D.

Davis does neuroscience research, studying how HIV and methamphetamine together affect dopamine signaling in the brain.

“People are living longer now because we have better drugs to treat HIV so these drugs can’t enter the brain to clear the virus out of the brain,” Davis said “These HIV proteins build up and what happens is about 50 percent of the people living with HIV end up with these different neurocognitive impairments which cause symptoms like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and in the worst forms it becomes HIV associated dementia. This causes an inability to function in everyday life.

“Because of this, people who have HIV are much more susceptible to becoming addicted to methamphetamine,” Davis added. “We’re trying to understand why that is. We know some of the ways HIV messes with dopamine in the brain. We’ve known for a long time how meth messes with dopamine in the brain. We’re checking to see if there are separate mechanisms acting synergistically or additively and that’s why they’re more susceptible.”

Davis’ love for chemistry began in high school thanks to a former teacher, Ms. Zitzelberger.

She’s 100 percent why I studied chemistry and why I got interested in it,” Davis said. “She didn’t teach like normal teachers. She spoke like a professor, very energetic. She made complicated things seem rather easy to understand. After taking AP chem I told myself I needed to do something chemistry related. Chemical engineering sounded scary but biochemistry, that sounded like a fancy form of chemistry, so let’s see what that’s about.”

Davis graduated from the University of Michigan, where she also played clarinet in the marching band all four years, with a biochemistry degree. She then got her master’s degree from Grand Valley State University.

“Sarah was a reflective, talented

and hard-working student,” Ms. Zitzelberger said. “Her Ph.D. represents her determination to expand human knowledge through rigorous application of scientific methodology.

“Hazel Park teachers have a deep personal commitment to preparing students for higher education, and Sarah’s success is proof that we are achieving our goal,” Zitzelberger continued. “Her perseverance through the long journey to a Ph.D is a testament to Sarah’s character, and I am grateful to be part of a profession that has allowed me to know her and other future scientists. Young women like Sarah are our best hope for the future.”

Upon receiving her master’s

degree, she enrolled at the University of South Carolina where she began working on a chemistry tool that was used to measure dopamine in the brain. Her work was to make the tool better and more sensitive to measure dopamine in the brain.

But she truly wanted to use the tool to conduct her own research.

“I joined a lab there and was able to build the tool from the ground up,” Davis said. “That’s exactly what I wanted to do. I want to continue to study abused substances and try to develop pharmacotherapies for people because we don’t have a lot of good drugs to combat it. The most popular is Narcan for opioid overdoses but that’s the only good thing we have for substance abuse disorders.”

Davis added she also might want to “dip her toes” in Covid and how it affects the brain.

“Early studies show that dopamine signaling could be an issue with people that have the long Covid.”

After her fellowship, Davis, who recently gave birth to her and her husband’s first child, would like to work at a university in the Midwest where she can continue her work with neurotransmitter signaling, how your brain cells talk to each other.

Sarah Davis was the keynote student speaker at the Promise Zone dinner in 2022. She recently received a pre-doctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Health to continue her neuroscience research on how HIV and methamphetamine together affect dopamine signaling in the brain. She was also a member of the University of Michigan marching band where she played the clarinet.

“Hazel Park teachers have a deep personal commitment to prepare students for higher education.”

-- Amy Zitzelberger former chemistry teacher at Hazel Park High School

‘Young women like Sarah are our best hope for the future,’ former teacher says

storywalk goes in at united oaks

Hazel Park Schools has its first StoryWalk and it’s located over at United Oaks Elementary.

“This is a great way to share a book and exercise with their family, and share the love of reading,” HPS Superintendent Dr. Amy Kruppe said. “It’s just a great community connection. It’s really fun to see people out there with their kids, walking and reading. We really hope this inspires more people to get out and walk and read.”

The inaugural book is “Eat Pete,” by Michael Rex, and the pages on the signposts also feature interactive prompts which include hopping like a frog from one station to the next or closing your eyes while sniffing the air for monsters hiding nearby.

Boy Scouts of America Troop 1589 in Madison Heights, led by scoutmasters Dawn Haggart and Chad Langdon, researched the project and assembled the boards. A grant from the United Way funded the path.

A sensory garden, which will be designed with a variety of elements meant to stimulate the five basic senses, is scheduled to go in this spring.

New curriculum benefits Young learners starting this school year

TEACHERS CAN GUIDE STUDENTS IN REAL TIME

The theme for the 2022-23 school year at Hazel Park Schools is “Literacy for All”.

And this summer the Board of Education voted unanimously to implement the American Reading Company’s ARC Core for kids in kindergarten through eighth grades.

The ARC Core is a comprehensive curriculum that includes knowledge-building units that integrates reading, writing, science, and social studies content in a student-centered learning environment.

“This came out from the work of building administrators, teachers and instructional coaches looking for a new resource that would positively impact student learning and student growth as well as aligning with some of the principles of the science of reading,” said Dr. Stephanie Dulmage, the Executive Director of Teaching, Learning and Assessment at Hazel Park Schools. “Through an extensive of process of research and analysis the district determined that the ARC Core aligned with the goals of HPS as well as the needs for our students learning foundational skills.”

This new curriculum earned

the highest rating as a Level 1 program demonstrating “Strong Evidence” of efficacy under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

It was found to have a profound impact on a students’ reading comprehension, letter-naming fluency, and motivation to read.

“The science of reading really speaks to explicit and direct instruction in those areas,” Dulmage said. “The ARC Core has that as well as opportunities for students to routinely engage in volumes of reading high quality text.

“The materials are also dedicated to speaking to equity and inclusion,” Dulmage added. “That was a main drive in our analysis. We feel this will have a significant impact on our students’ foundational skills. We know that’s an area we’ve need to show an increase and help our students grow in and we’re also very excited for our students to have text that really speaks to equity and inclusion.”

Texts with which students engage are appropriately rigorous and rich and are accompanied by cohesive writing and speaking questions and tasks. The materials

provide practice and production opportunities for students to grow their foundational literacy skills in multiple areas as they build knowledge as well.

There are multiple opportunities for students to synthesize information by working with varied tasks and in growing research and critical thinking abilities. Materials are organized to support vocabulary development, writing instruction in multiple modes, and independent reading of complex texts over the course of the year.

The materials also include support for educators to plan, implement, and differentiate the standards-based materials.

“The ARC Core is really focused on student engagement, the ownership and joy of reading,” Dulmage said. “There is such great structure to it and a more interactive type of reading.

“It’s a very strong student driven piece,” Dulmage added. “The kids are doing research all the time. When you get to different

Students at United Oaks Elementary have enjoyed the newest curriculum introduced this school year.

“The embedded incentive component encourages our students to want to read more.”

-- Erika Resh Literacy coach at Hazel Park Schools

Smith loves the opportunity to mentor students

You ask Kendal Smith what he enjoys most about being a principal at Hazel Park Schools and he doesn’t hesitate with his answer.

“I love the opportunity to mentor students and help them become successful,” Smith said. “It’s extremely gratifying because I know a lot of the back stories and struggles many of these kids overcome just to graduate. It’s not easy. They face a lot on a day-today basis. Helping students attain their goals brings me the utmost satisfaction.”

Smith has been the principal at Advantage Alternative School since 2018.

“I get the opportunity to see kids grow,” Smith said.

Smith has been with HPS for 20 years, starting off as a substitute teacher before transitioning to a fulltime teaching position at Advantage Middle School. In 2011, he moved to an English teaching position at the High School.

Something you might not know about Smith is one of the reasons why he’s so good at what he does.

Smith has been officiating sports since he was 17 years old.

“You get exposed to so many different people through so many different walks of life,” Smith said. “It teaches you how to manage situations and treat people. Officiating has had the most impact on my life and personality. It makes me look at things from both sides.

“I’m very humbled by the opportunities I’ve had,” Smith

LITERACY

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modules every grade level has a different focus that aligns with our science and social studies standards.”

Everything will revolve around a topic. As an example, endangered species. There will be core text around endangered species as

Kendal Smith Advantage Alternative School Principal 20 years at Hazel Park Schools

Kendal Smith Advantage

Alternative School principal

he became a registered Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) official.

In 2000, he started officiating college basketball. Four years later he began officiating college football and now you can see Smith working on some of the biggest stages in the sport.

added. “You have to have a special personality. You have to be able to believe you’re right above all else when the time comes. You have to stand up for what you believe in when you know you’re right and when you know you’re wrong you have to be able to take the heat and eat some humble pie.”

Smith’s father had a huge influence on him becoming an official while his mother was his inspiration to get into education.

Smith has been very innovative when it comes to trying to deter behavioral issues. He’s had parents

come in to sit with their students for an entire day in order to return from suspension and he’s had students do reflective journaling as a way to get the students to understand their behaviors.

“Some of these kids you see for three or four years and you see them mature over time,” Smith said. “It’s seeing that light turn on for them. That’s what I appreciate the most.”

Smith began officiating when he was just 17 years old, working baseball games in the Detroit Police Athletic League. A year later

In 2015, he worked an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) national semifinal. In 2019, he worked the Mid-American Conference Championship.

In 2021, he received his first bowl game assignment – the Frisco Bowl.

“Initially I said I would be disappointed if I didn’t get a bowl game but I decided there’s no point in being disappointed because the only person that impacts is me,” Smith said. “If I didn’t get one I would just need to work harder.

“I was elated when I got the call,” Smith continued. “It just shows that hard work and dedication pays off.”

you learn about reading and writing. Then all off the books focused on that topic at all different reading levels. No matter where you’re at, if there is a research question and you’re not at the same reading level as others there are books in the classroom for you.

“The reading atmosphere at our school has drastically changed

since implementing this program,” said Erika Resh, Literacy coach at Hazel Park Schools. “We read everywhere. Kids are excited about reading. The two most important pieces are the amount of time that students spend reading and the conferencing that takes place between teachers and students.

“Struggling readers are expe-

riencing success since they were able to self-select books at their ‘just right’ level,” she added. “The embedded incentive component encourages our students to want to read more and move levels. It is so exciting to hear students discuss books. They are actually recommending book titles to each other.”

Kendal Smith (third from right) has been with Hazel Park Schools for 20 years. He also has been a college football official since 2004. Last year he got to officiate his first bowl game.

“I’m very humbled by the opportunities I’ve had.”

--

High School buddy program quite a self-esteem builder for students

‘These kids shine when they go over to Webb,’ teacher says

Breanna Cunningham was a shy and a bit nervous freshman.

Thanks to the high school buddy program organized by two Hazel Park Schools teachers – Karen Converse and Deborah Schwegler – Breanna has lost her shyness and nervousness.

“I just love helping the kids,” Breanna said. “I love reading with them and doing math with them so they can understand it better when they get older and become adults.”

The high school buddy program consists of students from the high school cognitively impaired (CI) classroom coming over to Webb Elementary three days a week to assist the 3rd through 5th graders in the CI class.

“Our kids are always used to being the ones getting help, but now our high school buddies are the ones helping out,” said Converse, who’s the CI Teacher at Webb. “They get to be the leaders, the ones that are in charge that know more. It’s really a confidence booster for the high schoolers. My kids love when their high school buddies come over.”

The program has been a huge success since its inception.

“My kids love it,” Converse said. “It’s someone that’s older, cooler, not an adult, that has taken a vested interest in them. They listen to them and they get excited to be with their high school buddy.

“I love seeing kids that are used to being helped become the leaders,” Converse added. “When they first come here sometimes they’re really shy. They’re more observers. Then you see them gain confidence. For the high schoolers, they love it because they are useful, they feel needed, they are helpful and take care of things.”

Schwegler said this is quite a self-esteem builder for everyone

Therapy dog program introduced

Hazel Park Schools has started a therapy dog program. Therapy dogs are not the same thing as service animals. Therapy dogs are trained with their owner to provide emotional support for staff and students alike. Research has shown that therapy dogs support psychological and academic growth while increasing social skills and self-esteem in adolescents.

involved.

“These kids shine when they go over to Webb,” Schwegler said. “They’re stars. Their morale is higher. They’re excited to come to school. Their attendance has improved. They’re more motivated which helps keep them on track to graduating. I am just so proud of them. They all have a purpose.”

An added bonus is when the high schoolers graduate and go to Jardon they’ve built a relationship already so when they come to the classroom it’s not new to them.

“We’re building a continuity between elementary all the way through to the high school and

then Jardon,” Converse said. One of those transitioning to Jardon this school year is Brandon Wright.

“I might go to college to be a teacher,” he said. “I was a high school buddy since ninth grade. I always looked forward to coming and helping out.”

Breanna admittedly couldn’t wait for the summer to be over so she could be back in the high school buddy program.

“I’m sad when the school year ends because we don’t get to see our buddies over the summer,” Breanna said. “I always look forward to coming here.”

Dr. Amy Kruppe and her German Shepherd, Rocky, will be our first therapy dog to join our team. Dr. Kruppe and Rocky have gone through extensive training to prepare Rocky to be a therapy dog. Rocky is also up-to-date on all of his shots and will stay with Dr. Kruppe the entire time he is on campus and accompany her on visits to classrooms on a regular basis to promote social-emotional wellness and communication skills.

Therapy dogs provide students with a friend and a safe place to come to every day. They create a comfortable, happy, and judgment-free environment. Studies show that children’s reading abilities improve with the use of therapy dogs. Changes in attitudes toward reading, reading skill levels, schoolwork, attitudes toward homework, attendance, and changes in self-esteem and self-confidence can be seen by involving a therapy dog in a school. Therapy dogs have also been known to decrease levels of anxiety.

(Top) Breanna Cunningham helps a student with an assignment.

(Bottom) Brandon Wright helps a student count.

Hazel Park Schools

1620 E. Elza

Hazel Park, MI 48030

building relationships with families

Elementary starts doing home visits to connect

United Oaks Elementary has begun thinking outside of the box when it comes to building relationships with families, now doing home visits to their students.

“We wanted to reach out to community instead of having families always coming in,” UO principal Karla Graessley said. “We just want to come by and give a hello to show them we’re there for them. It’s really just really building that home school social-emotional connection with the kids.”

UO started by reaching out to kindergarten and first grade families.

“We’re making a friendly visit,” Graessley said. “Call it a driveway talk.”

The staff brings a bag of books and other items for the student as well as a special gift for the parents. They also hand them a note telling each family how glad they are to have them at United Oaks Elementary.

“We also ask the parents what they’re most proud of their child and if there is

United Oaks Elementary staff members began doing home visits to their kindergarten through first grade families as a way building relationships instead of always having families come to the school to meet.

anything as a staff we should be looking for or working on with their child,” Graessley said.

The team also takes a sel-

Board of Education

Laura Adkins, President

Melissa Baldwin, Vice President

Beverly Hinton, Secretary

Heidi Fortress, Treasurer

Rick Nagy, Trustee

Rachel Noth, Trustee

Dawn Rice, Trustee

Dr. Amy Kruppe, Superintendent

fie with the family to share with them afterwards.

“It’s just such a great way of connecting,” Graessley said. “The families love it.”

What an incredible turnout for the 65th Anniversary Performance at this year’s Homecoming game. We had Vikettes from all across the United States and from so many different graduating years return to take part in the pre-game and halftime performances at the game.