February 2022

Parents and Guardians-

This February we are fortunate to be able watch the Winter Olympics in Beijing. To me, the Olympics have always been an exciting competition. I remember as a kid when my four brothers and I would watch the many events and go outside and have our own Olympics with the kids in the neighborhood.

Watching the best athletes in the United States compete makes me proud to be from this great country. The Olympics have always brought a form of togetherness to our nation. While we may not all agree on certain topics, I am confident we are pulling for our athletes to succeed. I hope you are all able to take a couple minutes here and there to watch an event or two.

We are in the final stretch of the 2nd trimester and we are beginning our preparation for next school year. On February 22nd, our counseling department will be presenting schedule information to all of our students. Students will fill out a course request form that will assist us as we piece the schedules together.

This time is also very important for our seniors who will be crossing the stage this May. Please help us in reminding your student to stay on top of their work and studies as they make their final push.

At the end of February our students will complete their "A" block exams and "B" block exams will be completed the first week of March.

As always, please let me know if you need anything at all.

Sincerely,

Jordan Ackerman, Ed.S.

Principal

Armada High School

Congratulations to Mitchell Huston, Armada’s Career and Technical Education student of the year. He was nominated to the county level and was one of only three who received a $500 scholarship.

Mitchell has already planned his career as an electrician with an apprenticeship lined up after graduation.

It has been a pleasure having Mitchell as a student. He is hard working, polite, and always helpful around school. Best of luck to Mitchell in his career!

HOSA had their Regional Leadership Conference last week. Every event was done virtually. Our students worked very hard and had a great showing. Of the 12 students competing 6 advanced to the State Leadership Conference in February.

2nd Place Physical Therapy Assistant- Nicole Kavanaugh

Finalist Health Education- Sophia Wolfe, Olivia Hebb, Gabbie Lukowski

The show has been cast and tickets are now on sale for "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." The show is March 4, 5 & 6.

Tickets on sale online at https://ahstheatre.booktix.com/

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have an impressive legacy dating back to 1923. Over the years, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have grown to become the longest-running, most prestigious program for creative teens in the U.S., and the nation’s largest source of scholarships for creative young artists and writers. A noteworthy roster of past winners includes Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King and John Updike.

Students are awarded either a Gold Key, Silver Key or Honorable Mention. Pieces that win Gold Keys are automatically entered into the National competition. Winners are announced at the end of March.

Typically there is a show and an awards ceremony, but the last two years have been virtual.

The students learned all about ice fishing, ice fishing safety, the proper way to use ice fishing equipment and then we went ice fishing to practice using all of those skills on the pond.

The students had a blast. After an hour and a half of fishing the students caught 100 fish.

They also all left with a free ice fishing pole, lure, and ice scoop.

On January 28th, Armada's PAL Leadership Team raised over $2,000 for the American Cancer Society. See the story here: https://www.voicenews.com/2022/02/03/purple-out-raises-2000-for-american-cancer-society/

From the Macomb Daily:

Armada High School students aimed to serve as superheroes to one local food pantry this January, restocking shelves against the archenemy of hunger during the critical post-holiday season.

See the entire story here: https://www.macombdaily.com/2022/01/30/project-care-superhero-squads-restock-food-pantry-shelves-at-armada-church/

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. The deadline for state aid is March 1st, so be sure to not miss the deadline!

Seniors, the Four County Community Foundation Scholarship Portal is now open! 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! These scholarships are due March 1st!

The Armada Common Scholarship is now open! 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! The Armada Common Scholarship is due April 1st. Additionally, other scholarships can be found on the counseling website with hard copies in the library.

Congratulations to the following students for winning the December drawing for #Accepted or FAFSA completion. Each student will receive an Amazon gift card.

Gianna Annoni - FAFSA

Holly Hall - FAFSA

Madison Prieskorn - Accepted

Ellah Zobay - Accepted

The Counseling Department also presented students with #Accepted shirts during their English class. Seniors, please continue to bring in your letters of acceptance and FAFSA completion. These should be turned into the Counseling Office where we will give you your shirt. Currently, we have 50% of our senior class of 2021 with an acceptance for post-graduation programs! Keep up the good work!!

Early College of Macomb - Current Sophomores

The Early College of Macomb (ECM) is an exciting countywide program for high school juniors who want to get a jumpstart on their college education and their careers. In this three-year, career-focused program, students participate in an integrated sequence of high school and college courses with no out-of-pocket cost for books, fees and tuition.

Early College of Macomb consists of:

• Early Entrance – 11th grade students enter a college program while still in high school.

• Early Exit – Students may complete the program with an associate degree in three years (grades 11, 12, and 13) or transfer their credits to a university.

• Early Success – Students completing the program are poised to move ahead of a traditional schedule toward degrees or technical certificates that match the students’ chosen career pathways.

Applications must be submitted in February by application deadline for consideration.

Visit www.ecmacomb.org to learn more!

Applications must be submitted electronically and are available on the ECM website. Applications are due by Friday, February 4, 2022.

Once students submit all requirements to ECM, the district will be notified of the students who have met all qualification benchmarks. If more than four students qualify for the program, Armada will hold a lottery to select four students to attend the program. The lottery typically takes place in early April.

Khan Academy is a great resource for your student to use in preparation for the SAT. Students are able to link their College Board account with Khan Academy for individualized practice. The program will create mini-lessons and quizzes for areas of weakness based on PSAT scores. The best part is the resource is free! Learn more about Khan Academy at khanacademy.org.

Trimester 3 Scheduling

Schedules for Trimester 3 will be opening the first week of March. The schedule change request form will be available until the end of the day March 11.

2022-2023 School Year

Scheduling for the 2022-2023 school year will take place during the later half of February. It is critical that students and parents review what credits are still needed for graduation and take this into consideration when making course selections for the upcoming school year. Please know that the master schedule is determined from student selections, so the more accurately students complete their requests, the better we will be able to serve the students as a whole. Students will need their Unified Classroom log-in in order to submit their requests. Unfortunately, this is oftentimes a different log-in than the app. If your student is having trouble, please have them notify Mrs. Neddermeyer in the counseling office so we can get their account fixed.

We successfully completed the first Wellness Week. There has been some really great feedback from the students and staff on things that went well and what to improve for next year. Thank you all for showing your support and participation.

Armada High School is partnering with Doorway to College to bring you ZAPS SAT Test Prep. The seminar will be held at Armada High School Monday March 7 and Tuesday March 8 from 1:45 - 4:15pm. There is a cost for the seminar. Visit www.doorwaytocollege.org to register or for more information.