TSD Weekly Newsletter

Good Afternoon OneTroy,

Our Attendance Area Review Committee has been hard at work over the past month, deeply engaged in data analysis, meaningful discussions, and preliminary reviews of potential adjustments to our school boundary maps. The committee is comprised of community members, staff, building administrators, and central office administrators and is led by demographers from Plante Moran.

The committee's three main goals are to:

1. Analyze enrollment across all four middle school buildings to achieve balanced enrollment.

2. Resolve “double splits” that impact students’ transitions between schools.

3. Ensure that high school attendance boundaries remain unaffected.
   
   

Goal 1 - Currently, our middle schools have unequal enrollment distributions, with two schools serving over 800 students and the other two around 600. With the construction of the new Smith Middle School, followed by renovations at Boulan Park and Larson, we plan to accommodate 700-750 students at each middle school.

Goal 2 - In certain cases, students from schools like Troy Union and Wattles Elementary Schools face “double splits”—meaning they are split to attend different middle schools and then split again when transitioning to high school.

To address this, the committee has analyzed various data, including enrollment trends, population projections, demographic information, and school capacity data. They also considered insights from prior attendance area reviews conducted in 2015 and 2018. The district engages in attendance reviews every 5 – 8 years, given our size. We anticipate that the committee will present a recommendation to the administration in December, with a final recommendation to the Board of Education in January. Opportunities for feedback will be provided once additional analysis has been completed. We will keep you informed as the district progresses and will provide an update in our December 6 newsletter.

Rich Machesky

Superintendent

Students at Barnard Elementary have been enjoying the playground since it opened earlier this month! Thanks to Barnard Parent Anna Kelly for sharing these beautiful photos with us.

First declared a month of recognition in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, this November heritage month celebrates Indigenous Peoples in the United States. If you need a refresher or would like to reframe your understanding of American History through the lens of those who occupied the Americas well before European "discovery," check out An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. This comprehensive account details the indigenous experience and perspective predating European exploration through political and environmental activism to the present day. There is also a young person's text available for K-12 learners that is very accessible.

(Click here to read the entire TSD Inclusive Newsletter.)

While the TSD website is under construction, we want to highlight two features that will help you find the information you need. On the homepage, you’ll see a gold circle. Clicking or tapping this will bring you to the website's main menu, where you can choose from a variety of categories. For more direct access, use the search bar, which appears at the top of the website after you select the menu circle on the homepage. Please see the graphic below for a visual explanation of these features.

You can also visit the My TSD Portal (click here) for a full list of links and district resources.

The Superintendent Student Advisory Board (SSAB) is excited to host a TSD Staff vs. Students basketball game on Wednesday, December 4, as part of its MLK Day of Service fundraising efforts. Join us at 6 p.m. in the Athens High School Gymnasium for a fun event featuring four 10-minute quarters of basketball action. Tickets are only $5, and sales end on November 27. Visit School Pay to purchase your tickets by scanning the QR code in the image above or clicking here. We look forward to seeing you at the game!

The Athens student athletes signing commitments to play in college included:

Alex Beaubien, Lacrosse, Davenport University
Addison Cosgrove Softball, Wayne State University
Ashley Miller Soccer, Polk State College
Addison Pokley Softball, University of Detroit Mercy
Morgan Stamatakis Lacrosse, University of Detroit Mercy

Five student athletes from Troy High committed to playing in college. They are:

Chase Duncan, Lacrosse, Maryville University
Jacob Kondratyev, Bowling, Lawrence Technological University
Trevor Marshall, Baseball, Western Michigan University
Madelyn Miller, Soccer and Track, Kalamazoo College

Anna Rich, Volleyball, Canisius University

The Troy United Varsity Boys Hockey Team kicked off their season with a commanding 9-1 win against Bishop Foley on Wednesday! The team is back in action tomorrow (Saturday) at 5:15 p.m. at Buffalo Wild Wings Arena.

Congratulations to the Troy High Girls Swimming & Diving Team on their victory at the OAA Blue League Meet and for being named co-divisional champions alongside Rochester!

All League FInishers (1st place):

200 Medley Relay (also qualified for states)
- Elizabeth Qu (Sophomore)
- Becca Kozlowski (Senior)
- Beya Weslati (Freshman)
- Ellie MacLean (Junior)

200 Free Relay (also qualified for states)
- Beya Weslati (Freshman)
- Ellie MacLean (Junior)
- Vivienne Cremers (Freshman)
- Amber Choong (Junior)

Athens Girls Swim and Dive also wrapped up their season last week. They came in fifth overall at the League Meet, with some top placements and PRs across the team. Congrats to the swimmers!

Congratulations to Bakir Demirovic, DJ Jamison, Jordan Jakupi, and Noah Oury on being named as Academic All State!

High school winter sports tryouts start soon! For more information, see the PDF linked below.

Please remember: All athletes must be registered on Final Forms at https://troy-mi.finalforms.com/ and have an updated physical on file prior to the first day of practice to participate in sports tryouts.

For middle school sports tryout information, please see your school's weekly newsletter.

Athletic Links:

Athens Athletics: https://RedhawkAthletics.org

Troy High Athletics: https://TroyAthletics.org

Facebook Links:

Troy High: https://www.facebook.com/troyhighathleticboosters

Athens: https://www.facebook.com/AthensBoosters

Booster SignUpGenius Links:

Troy High: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4BA4AC29A4F4CF8-troy#/

The U.S. Department of Education's Power Your Future Challenge invites high school students to design action plans that will advance the use of clean energy in local schools and communities. Enter by November 19. You can find more information on the Power Your Future Challenge website (click here).

Congratulations to Boulan Park teacher Erika Berger on being selected to participate in National History Day's newest Silent Heroes program, Untold Stories from the Korean War. Ms. Berger is one of 48 teachers from across the country chosen for this program, which will involve her students partnering with history professors to learn about two underrepresented veterans of the Korean War. The project will culminate this spring when students visit the Great Lakes National Cemetery, where they will read a eulogy at the graves of their selected veterans.

In observance of World Kindness Day, Larson's all-girls robotics team—Girl Botz FTC 22918—collected allergy-safe foods for the Troy Food Pantry, hosted at the Troy Center for Transition. Partnering with the Girl Botz on the food drive were the Rollin Rebels FTC 19787 from Morse Elementary. This initiative is just one of the many service projects the Girl Botz take on each year.

On Wednesday, in celebration of World Kindness Day, Costello Elementary hosted a Unified Bowling Tournament for special needs students from across Troy Schools! Costello students waited outside, ready to welcome the bowlers with signs and cheers. The bowlers then headed to the gym, where the fun began! Select Costello students also helped by resetting pins and returning bowling balls throughout the tournament. A wonderful time was had by all!

This weekend, four Troy High School band alumni will perform with the University of Michigan Marching Band at the Bands of America Grand Nationals held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN! The alumni—Kenny Huang, Trevor Morey, Dennis Yang, and Belle Hom—previously marched in the 135th Rose Bowl Parade, the Rose Bowl Game Halftime, and the College Football Playoff National Championship Game Halftime earlier this year.

Troy Athens alum Poulomi Dey, an Honors College senior at Michigan State University majoring in Computer Engineering, is one of MSU’s two nominees for the Churchill Scholarship. Established in 1959 by the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States, the award offers up to 16 American students of exceptional ability and outstanding achievement the opportunity to pursue graduate degrees in engineering, mathematics, or the sciences at Churchill College.

• Wednesday, November 27 - Friday, November 29 (No School PK-12/Thanksgiving Break)
  
  
• Saturday, May 31, 2025 - Athens and Troy High Graduation at the O'rena on the campus of Oakland University
  
  
• Sunday, June 1, 2025, 4 p.m. - IAE Graduation at Pine Knob
  
  
• Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 6 p.m. - TCCHS Graduation at Troy High

If you are interested in employment in the Troy School District, click here to access our Frontline Recruiting and Hiring System.