December 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians-

Happy Holidays from Armada High School! While the holiday season can be a very joyous time for many families, we recognize this time of year can also create many challenges for some students and families. Please know that we are here for you. Please do not hesitate to reach out should you need anything at all. I want to praise the work of our counselors, Kate Felcyn, Shannon Mazey, and counseling department secretary Andrea Neddermeyer who have gone above and beyond in assisting many families this holiday season.

I would also like to extend our deepest thoughts and condolences to the Oxford Community as they begin the healing process after the senseless tragedy last week. We have reached out to many Oxford School District representatives and offered help and support. This week, our high school students dressed in blue and gold to show their support for Oxford High School. They are also creating banners with positive messages for their students.

Our staff and students are working very hard as we close out 2021. Please continue to stay up-to-date with all of your child's progress through Powerschool. Now is a good time to sit down with your student and discuss their current status. If you and your student need support, please reach out and let me know.

I would like to give a loud shout out to our students for their fantastic work on the school musical. The production of High School Musical was a hit in the community. If you were at the musical, you would have noticed the art show taking place outside our theater doors. With each individual piece of art you could see how much heart and passion our students put into their work. Our choir also did a phenomenal job with their holiday concert. We are excited for the holiday band concert on December 16th!

We will be starting "B" block next week (12/13) and will wrap up 2021 on Wednesday, Dec. 22. We will make our return on Tuesday, January 4, 2022 (B block). I hope you are all able to enjoy a much needed break.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,

Jordan Ackerman, Principal

Armada High School

"Why Should We Honor and Respect Our Veterans?" was the theme for the essay written by these Armada High School students who were selected as the winners in their respective classes:

9th Grade: Grace Ropes

10th Grade: Evan Cooper

11th Grade: Parker Westfall

12th Grade: Anika Prisby

Our students were outstanding in their production of High School Musical. From the tech crew to the pit band to the choreography, the show was excellent! Thank you to the leadership of Ms. Caporuscio, Mr. Bobek, and Ms. Ulinski.

Under the direction of Art teacher, Micki Cecil, our art students created many pieces that were on display during the musical. The work was also for sale! Great work by our students!

Ms. Ulinski and her choir decorated the stage prior to their performance to help those in attendance get into the holiday spirit. The students provided a fantastic performance.

Students’ and families’ social and emotional health is important to us. Please know our school counselors are available to assist families in need and can be a great resource for locating providers within our local area. In addition, our counselors keep an updated list of community resources on their website: http://ahscounseling.weebly.com/community-resources.html

Should your student ever wish to meet with a counselor, he/she can sign up in the counseling office or request an appointment online. Links to appointments can be found on the main page of the counseling department’s website under each counselor’s name.

If you have not completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) yet, you should do so as soon as possible! The FAFSA is often required to qualify for different scholarships.

Seniors, the Four County Community Foundation Scholarship Portal opened December 1st! This is a two-step process that includes you making an account, and then applying for the specific scholarships that you qualify for. Historically, Armada students have had great success with Four County! We highly recommend that you create your account early so that you can spend time writing your essays over holiday break.

The Armada Common Scholarship will open up when we return from holiday break. This is one application that puts you in the running for 10-15 different scholarships! Most seniors will write the essay for the scholarship in their English class. This is a great opportunity because you are only competing against other Armada students! Additionally, other scholarships can be found on the counseling website with links posted in the library.

Congratulations!

We are excited to share the winners of our first round of drawings for #Accepted and FAFSA completion.

October Winners

Ashlee Fleming - FAFSA Meg Kubik - Accepted

Alexis Hauss - FAFSA Sarah Michal - Accepted

Ava Prysazniuk - FAFSA Ryan Sutherland - Accepted

Grace Raicevich - FAFSA Ethan VanSteenkiste - Accepted

The Counseling Department also presented students with #Accepted shirts during their English class. We plan to celebrate again, at the end of November, with t-shirt presentations and more drawings. Seniors, please continue to bring in your letters of acceptance and FAFSA completion. These should be turned into the Counseling Office. Currently, we have 38% of our senior class of 2022 with an acceptance for post-graduation programs! Keep up the good work!!

The Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth (MiPHY) is an online student health survey offered by the Michigan Departments of Education and Health and Human Services to support local and regional needs assessment. The MiPHY provides student results on health risk behaviors including substance use, violence, physical activity, nutrition, sexual behavior, and emotional health in grades 7, 9, and 11. The survey also measures risk and protective factors most predictive of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and violence. MiPHY results, along with other school-reported data, will help schools make data-driven decisions to improve prevention and health promotion programming. All 9th and 11th grade students will be taking the MiPHY survey in the coming months. Linked here is a denial of permission slip in the event that you do not want your child to participate.

This month, the Counseling Department will virtually host a representative from Saginaw Valley at Armada High School who will present valuable information to our freshman class. Students will receive a general presentation on the importance of doing well in high school. The presentation focuses on getting involved, career exploration, taking a challenging curriculum, maintaining good grades, taking the SAT, and visiting college campuses. With our freshmen just completing their first trimester of high school, the counselors will provide each student with a copy of their first official transcript for personal review. We will discuss the various portions of a transcript and what the students can expect future colleges and employers to see.

Congratulations to Bobby Elliott and Ava Perry for being selected as December’s Student of the Month. Bobby was recognized for his willingness to learn from his mistakes, for always trying and for being an active participant in class. Ava was recognized for being a friend to someone who needed one.