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Eastpointe Community Schools honors retirees
EASTPOINTE — At the June 12 Eastpointe Community Schools Board of Education meeting, the school board honored the seven employees who retired at the end of the 2022-23 school year. The educators each received a school bell in recognition of their retirements.
Present at the meeting, pictured from left, were Julie Kaler, Sandra Young, Elaine Achs and Laurie Hillebrand.
Kaler, who worked in the district for 36 years, most recently taught at Crescentwood Elementary School.
After 29 years teaching in the district, Young retired from Bellview Elementary School.
Achs retired as a Pleasantview Elementary School teacher and was with the district for 26 years.
Hillebrand, Pleasantview Elementary’s principal, retired after 32 years with Eastpointe Community Schools.
Also honored but not present at the meeting were: Lisa Kopitz, a Pleasantview Elementary teacher with 26 years of service; Richard MacDonald, an Eastpointe Middle School teacher with 26 years in the district; and Suzan Toth, an Eastpointe High School teacher with 31 years in the district.
Eastpointe police chief update
EASTPOINTE — The story “New Eastpointe police chief is no stranger to policing, community,” published in the June 21 edition, should have said that Matthew Hambright had been promoted to deputy chief of the Eastpointe Police Department.
George Rouhib, who was hired as Eastpointe’s director of public safety in 2018, was recently named chief of police in Rochester. His last official day with Eastpointe was scheduled to be June 25. At press time, the city had signed former Madison Heights Police Chief Corey Haines to a provisional appointment, which will begin June 30 and will last for 120 days, Eastpointe City Manager Mariah Walton said. Following the civil service charter, the permanent position of chief will be posted internally to seek qualified applicants, and if needed, it will be posted externally following that, she said.
Walton said that if Haines is interested in remaining in the position, he will be able to apply for it if it gets posted externally.
Click here for the full, corrected version of the June 21 story.
Operation Backpack is underway
METRO DETROIT — Volunteers of America Michigan has already started planning for its 14th annual Operation Backpack for the 2023-24 school year.
The back-to-school drive, which began June 19, collects and distributes new backpacks full of grade-specific supplies to children from low-income households.
Community members are encouraged to sign up to host a drive and begin collecting school supplies including pencils, notebooks, backpacks, folders, pens, crayons and more. The supplies will be used to fill children’s backpacks.
The community can help in the following ways: hosting a donation drive; sponsorships, shopping the organization’s Amazon wish list or its online store, donating directly, becoming a sponsor or becoming a Backpack Buddy.
For more information, including links to the online store and wish list, visit voami.org/backpack or call (248) 945-0101.
Roseville Middle School teacher receives grant
WARREN/ROSEVILLE — Roseville Middle School teacher Megan Baranski was recognized at the June 20 Extra Credit Union annual Excellence Awards Luncheon in Warren. Baranski received a $500 school employee grant to purchase various games for students to use during indoor lunch.
Literacy ambassadors named
MACOMB COUNTY — On June 19, the Macomb Intermediate School District announced the Macomb County schools 2023 literacy ambassadors. The ambassadors are chosen based upon their dedication to support literacy in their districts.
Teacher Brooke VanRhee was chosen in Eastpointe Community Schools. Roseville Community Schools Board of Education President Theresa Genest and Trustee Michelle Williams-Ward were chosen for Roseville.
In 2019, the MISD began a countywide, comprehensive campaign to promote literacy in Macomb County. Literacy ambassadors will be invited to promote and participate in upcoming countywide events that encourage reading.
