Oxford Schools Supplement Sherman Publications Week of May 12, 2010 1

Oxford Schools: Growing, global, green

2 Week of May 12, 2010 Oxford Schools Supplement Sherman Publications

By Andrew Moser
Oxford Community Schools (OCS) received some high
praise from Michigan State Superintendent Mike Flanagan.
After spending a day touring the district last October,
Flanagan said that OCS was a model school district for pre-
paring students to compete successfully in a global world
and that he wants other school districts pattern themselves
after Oxford.
That kind of acclamation reinforces the ideas and goals
that Oxford Superintendent Dr. William Skilling has for the
district.
One reason for the praise is the new language arts pro-
gram, where beginning in kindergarten, every student in the
district’s five elementary schools and middle school will learn
either Mandarin Chinese or Spanish.
“We created a language proficiency program . . . that by
the end of eighth grade, our students will already be highly
proficient at a world language and have a level of compe-
gun offering a pre-engineering course beginning at the
middle school level. “We have what we believe is the only
pre-engineering program that is required of all sixth, sev-
enth, and eighth-graders,” Skilling said.
His goal for the program is not to have everyone go
into engineering, but to make sure “students have the
awareness how to do problem-solving, work as members
of teams (and) develop technical skills.”
Oxford Community Schools prides itself on being a
family-friendly district.
Students, often when accompanied by adults, do not
have to pay admission fees to attend sporting events,
musicals or plays, nor are they charged to participate in
the schools numerous athletic programs.
“In our district, we value the arts, academics and ath-
letics equally,” Skilling said. “We don’t charge you to take
an English class, so therefore, why would we charge you
to play athletics?”
have undergone a great deal of professional development and
training, which has led to Oxford having some of the highest
MEAP scores in the county.
Skilling boasted that “Oxford Schools spends more time in
professional development than any other district.”
The state average is five days a year whereas Oxford has 12
days for all staff, 18 for teacher leaders, plus others.
“I don’t think you’ll find any district anywhere with that
level of commitment,” he said.
Three of Oxford’s seven schools have been recognized as
Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary Schools. They are Leonard,
Lakeville and Clear Lake elementaries.
“We exist to provide the very best education possible for our
students and opportunities (that allow them to) compete suc-
cessfully in a global world that is changing 24/7,” Skilling noted.
To learn more visit www.oxfordschools.org.

tency that could not be achieved in a traditional four-year
high school program,” Skilling explained.
Another area that is attracting parents is a strong empha-
sis on the arts.
Starting in kindergarten, students are taking lessons in
guitar and classical violin. According to Skilling, Oxford is
the only district in the area to offer this type of instrumental
program.
He added that, “from an academic standpoint, kids that
are involved in a music program from a young age perform
much higher than students that are not involved in a music
program or a program that is not as extensive as ours.”
The reasoning for starting instructing kindergartners in
foreign languages and musical instruments is because chil-
dren at a young age are able to learn up to three languages
just as easily as they can learn one.
“Music is a language, and like any language, the linguis-
tic part of the brain is being developed when you learn mu-
sic, just like the linguistic part of the brain is being devel-
oped when you learn English, Spanish or Chinese,” Skilling
said.
After instituting the programs last year, Skilling saw the
kindergarten class swell by 107 students in one year.
In addition to language and arts, Oxford Schools has be-
Oxford
The school district saw a net increase of 257 students
last year between the two count days on Sept. 30, 2009
and Feb. 11, 2010 due in part to the fact that Oxford has
been increasing the number of student programs as op-
posed to cutting them like so many other districts.
Skilling added that the biggest advantage that the
school district has is the focus on preparing their stu-
dents to compete beyond the borders of the United States.
“One thing that we understand really well at Oxford
Schools –
Community Schools is that the competition we have to Thank you for your
face is not going to be local, state and nationwide as much
as it is going to be global,” he said.
Being global means caring about the environment, tak-
commitment to educating
ing an active role in its preservation and teaching kids to
be good stewards of Mother Nature. the youth of Oxford. We, at
Recently, four schools – Oxford High School and
Lakeville, Clear Lake and Daniel Axford Elementaries – Oxford Bank, are proud of the
earned Evergreen status (the highest level possible) in
the Michigan Green Schools Program.
From recycling and adopting endangered animals to
work you do. Congratulations
solar cooking and establishing native plant gardens, all
four schools have demonstrated superior ecological re- on another outstanding
sponsibility.
Over the last three years, teachers within the district school year!

Photo by Scott Huller

Photography.

Addison-Oaks Dryden Ortonville

586-752-4555 810-796-2651 248-627-2813
Clarkston Goodrich Oxford
248-625-0011 810-636-6900 248-628-2533
Davison Lake Orion
810-658-1500 248-693-6261
Join the adventure, learn everyone’s value
By C.J. Carnacchio
Leader Editor
When Oxford High School’s Adventure
Club takes its whitewater rafting trip on
Pennsylvania’s Youghiogheny River May
14-16, the students, staff and volunteers will
probably take some time to celebrate the
state award they just won.
The after-school club was one of 27 hon-
orees statewide who won an Educational
Excellence award from the Michigan Asso-
ciation of School Boards and SET SEG
School Insurance Specialists.
“We’re very, very proud of it,” said OHS
teacher Ray Sutherland, who founded the
Adventure Club in 1998. “Yes, it does take a
lot of work, but it is so worth it.”
The Education Excellence awards honor
the top three local school district programs
in each of eight categories and the top three
intermediate school district programs. OHS
will receive a trophy and a metal sheet sign
proclaiming it an “Education Excellence Win-
ner” in the “Before and After School Pro-
grams” category.
Winners will move on to the second round
of judging to determine “Michigan’s Best”
and the recipients of a cash prize to help fur-
ther the goals of each program.
To develop and teach life skills, including
cooperative learning, is the Adventure Club’s
goal. By participating in a number of non-
competitive activities, students learn to de-
vise plans and solutions to problems that
exist outside of their everyday world.
The kids are also given the opportunity
to build friendships, resolve disagreements
and work closely with others of diverse back-
grounds. “Relationship isn’t just a word we
throw up on a sign at Oxford,” Sutherland
said. “We want the relationships between the
kids and the teachers, and the kids and the
kids. Without that, you cannot teach at the
level we want to teach. They have to respect
us. They need to realize that we are human
beings and we want what’s best for them.”
Every year, the Adventure Club takes four,
three-day trips, both in and out of state, that
involve challenging outdoor activities such
Chinese or Spanish? Oxford offers both K-8
By Andrew Moser
Oxford Community Schools’ require-
ment that K-8 students learn either Man-
darin Chinese or Spanish is turning heads
both inside and outside the district.
“You look around our local districts, and
no one is offering what we are offering,”
said Dr. Jim Schwarz, assistant superinten-
dent of curriculum.
Schwarz indicated he gets calls daily
from parents of children outside of the dis-
trict expressing interest in enrolling their
children in Oxford Schools because of the
Fifth Core world language program.
“I think our foreign language program
as rafting, canoeing, kayaking, camping, hik-
ing, rock-climbing, snow-shoeing, skiing and
taking on man-made challenges such as
ropes courses and zip lines.
“It’s amazing to have this much fun with-
out being high, without being drunk, with-
out using cigarettes,” Sutherland said. “Our
trips show you do not have to be high to be
high on living – to really appreciate life.”
The idea for the club was spawned by
Sutherland in Mexico while he was teaching
there from 1994-97. When he returned to Ox-
ford, he decided to start a similar club here at
the high school.
“We’re really the only true Adventure
Club in the United States,” Sutherland said.
“We are doing something that nobody else
is doing.”
Unlike the trips other school districts
take, which usually involve only one group
of kids such as honor students, award win-
ners or at-risk students, Adventure Club
creates a draw for families,” Schwarz said.
“Right now, the way the economy is, par-
ents are looking for ways to give their chil-
dren an edge to compete in jobs they feel are
going to be scarce in the future,” he added.
“So when you have economic times like this,
it creates more parents who are shopping for
schools that have opportunities that they feel
are going to give their children the edge.”
According to the district’s website
www.oxfordschools.org, the goal is to place stu-
dents in the best possible position to compete
for jobs both nationally and internationally.
Within the Fifth Core program, students
will not only learn how to speak either Man-
Oxford Schools Supplement Sherman Publications
trips include students from all backgrounds
and social groups.
“What’s unique about us is we take from
the honor roll to the at-risk, from the hacky-
sacker to the football player,” Sutherland ex-
plained. “Everybody comes together with no-
body having a large group that could domi-
nate or intimidate another group. Everybody
Join Oxford’s Adventure
Club and you could find
yourself rafting down a
raging river.
must blend in.”
“When they find out they don’t have this
network that they’re used to, this clique, what
happens is they blend and they find out that
all people have value,” he noted. “Everybody
is generally nice, if you give them a chance
and if you’re nice to them.”
Sutherland recalled how a relationship
developed between an at-risk kid and an
Honor Society student during one trip.
“They didn’t get along at all (prior to the
trip). By the second day, they were playing
spoons (a card game) together and having
the greatest time,” he said. “It takes 30 to 36
darin Chinese or Spanish, they will also de-
velop a greater understanding of the Chinese
and Spanish cultures in order to better work
and socialize in other countries.
Beginning with the 2009-10 school year,
students in kindergarten had everyday ex-
posure to either Spanish or Chinese, while
students in fourth and fifth-grades took two
30-minute sessions of foreign language a
week.
Schwarz said there is a plan in place to
begin to phase in foreign language instruc-
tion five days a week.
“Next year, the kindergarten, first and third
grade classes (will) have foreign language
Week of May 12, 2010 3
hours for the kids to meld.”
One would think taking large groups of
diverse students on overnight trips would
result in a lot of problems. But Sutherland
insisted that’s not the case.
“We have over 200 kids participate in a
year and I don’t think we’ve had an argu-
ment in three years,” he said, noting there
have only been two instances in the club’s
12-year history in which the OHS office had
to be informed of problems.
Sutherland recalled the club once took 102
people on a trip to the Pine River.
“We sent 42 canoes down the river and
had a great time – no problems,” he said.
Sutherland freely admits he couldn’t do this
without the support of his fellow teachers like
Joe Swoyer, Dan Sargent, Molly Darnell, Scott
Couch and Kelly Bowman along with parents.
“It wouldn’t work if we didn’t have all the
teachers and parents who volunteer their time,”
he said. “Everybody has their own little niche
and everybody takes ownership of it.”
“They donate the equivalent of six 40-
hour weeks free, no payment, because they
want to work with the kids,” Sutherland
noted. “Can you imagine someone working
six weeks for nothing?”
The individual cost to participate in Ad-
venture Club varies from trip to trip, but
Sutherland noted the most expensive trip is
the river rafting trip to Pennsylvania, which
costs $185. For those students who can’t af-
ford to pay the entire cost, scholarships are
offered and families pay what they can af-
ford. This school year alone more than $5,000
in scholarships have been awarded.
“We have no rules on it. It’s a total honor
system,” Sutherland said. “I can honestly say
if we’ve been taken advantage of one or two
times, that might be the limit. People have
been so honest and so fair.”
Nobody in the club’s history has ever
been denied the opportunity to go on a trip
due to financial reasons. “We have a firm
belief – the day we have to tell somebody
they cannot do it because of money is the
day I am done,” Sutherland said.
everyday. We are also making it manda-
tory for all six and seventh graders to have
either Spanish or Chinese.”
Grades four and five will also have lan-
guage everyday.
He added that at the elementary level,
the ratio of students taking Chinese to
Spanish is 60/40 because three
elementaries, Oxford, Daniel Axford and
Clear Lake are teaching Mandarin, while
Lakeville and Leonard elementaries are
teaching Spanish.
In middle school, students will continue
to study the language they had during their
Please See LANGUAGE on Page 4
Oxford is alive with the sound of music
4 Week of May 12, 2010 Oxford Schools Supplement Sherman Publications

By Andrew Moser
The music programs offered at Oxford
High School and Middle School strive to give
students the best possible experience in all
areas of instrumental and vocal endeavors.
Each of the three main components of the
music department – band, choir and orchestra
– is experiencing a growth in both numbers
and varying degrees of success.
“I try and give these kids the opportunity
in all aspects of instrumental music. They can
play in concert band, jazz band, marching band,
pit band for musicals and attend solo and en-
semble festivals,” said Jim Gibbons, who is
the director of the band program at Oxford
High School.
“I’m really about making sure that the kids
learn music and (develop) an appreciation and
understanding of music that will benefit them
for the rest of their lives.
The band program gives students at Ox-
ford High School three different opportuni-
ties for musical success, each with their own
unique opportunities.
According to Gibbons, the concert band
plays four concerts a year in addition to at-
tending a band festival.
Gibbons stated that while they play tradi-
tional band music, he also likes to expose his
band members to a wide variety of genres.
“We will play orchestral transcriptions,
music that is specifically written for bands and
we’ll do music that is written for movies and
other pop type music,” he added.
Students in the jazz band will learn tradi-
tional jazz, but also study improvisation tech-
niques and the overall jazz style.
Students will go to Jazz festival and do sev-
eral concerts and performances throughout
the school year.
Members of the marching band will not only
wow the crowds at halftime during football
games, but they will also participate in the
Michigan Competing Band Association,
which OHS began participating in this past
year.
“We learned a great deal (this year) and
when we go forward into next year, we’re con-
tinuing to make improvements in the structure
of how we deliver our instruction to give the
kids a better opportunity to improve,” said
Gibbons.
Gibbons thinks that the variety of the pro-
gram is the driving force behind it’s attractive-
ness.
“It’s a very diverse program. We work to
give kids lots of experiences and lots of expo-
sure to different types of music, and at the
same time we work hard to try and make it fun
and rewarding for them,” he said.
One of the rewards is going on a year-end
trip to either New York City or Disney World.
Currently the band is preparing for its
Spring Concert May 17.
Another area that has seen success this
past school year has been the choir program,
which is under the direction of Chris Card.
As reported in earlier issues of the Oxford
Leader, the choir program sent all six of their
choirs to the state festival after each received
superior ratings at the district festival in March.
“The road we are on is just exciting as far
as how we are doing and what we are doing.
Just about every day you see kids working so
hard without excuse,” said Card.
Within the choir program at OHS are sev-
eral vocal ensembles, which is the most the
choir program has had since Card took over
three years ago.
“The program has grown by 30-50 percent
in the last three years. We are at the point
where we have a large concert choir with 65
girls and a women’s choir made up of 40 up-
perclassmen girls. We have a men’s choir with
30 men in the choir and an advanced women’s
ensemble, Caritas, that got superior ratings at
both festivals they went to,” said Card.
He noted that there are two choirs that meet
outside of school hours: men’s ensemble and
a mixed chorale. “Kids come in before school
to do that,” Card said.
Card added that having success at the dis-
trict level was great, but he wants the program
to continue and have success at the state and
national levels on a consistent basis.
“At the state level, we’re building that tra-
dition in order to build a framework for a na-
tional standard (that allows us to) sing with
any other choir program around the country
and relate to them,” he explained.
Card noted that one of the things that makes
the OHS choir program special is that every-
thing they put on is for the community.
“When parents put students in our choir,
they are representing the school and the com-
munity, and they get this exposure and par-
ents love that,” said Card.
“The parents are proud of their kids to be-
gin with, but to see them in a professional
setting, they are really fulfilled by that and it
makes them want to see their kid stay with it,”
he added.
Not only are there opportunities for suc-
cess in music at the high school, but the or-
chestra program at the middle school is taking
off just as well.
“It’s a brand new program that started last
year and it has done very well as far as the
recruitment of students,” said Nady
Benyamine, who teaches orchestra at Oxford
Middle School along with Lakeville and
Leonard elementaries.
Oxford High School’s
Symphonic Band is the
gem of the district’s
music program.
Currently, teaching orchestra at OHS is Jui-
Chao Wang.
Three different orchestra classes are of-
fered at OMS – a concert orchestra, varsity
orchestra and a symphony orchestra.
While in the classroom, Benyamine is
teaching the students not only classical mu-
sic, but also “rock, jazz, fiddling or world mu-
sic.” He wants to “get the students exposed
to all sorts of multi-cultural, multi-stylistic
sounds from all over the world.”
OMS students recently participated in the
Michigan Band and Orchestra Association
District Festival, where they received excep-
tional ratings and comments from the judges.
According to Benyamine, the current num-
bers at the elementary and middle school level
suggest that the future is bright for the or-
chestra program at the high school.
There are 130-140 students participating in
either the first or second-year groups at the
fourth and fifth-grade levels.
Benyamine said that one of the great fac-
tors about the orchestra program is the flex-
ibility where you can take band, choir and or-
chestra at the same time, any time you want.
“Oxford is definitely a great place to have
an orchestra program, especially since pro-
grams are getting cut everywhere in Michi-
gan. To have a new orchestra program in a
district is something very rare to find and I am
lucky to be part of it,” he noted.

Language
Continued from Page 3
elementary years.
Upon entering high school, it will be up to the students
to choose if they want to continue studying the language.
Schwarz indicated that the student instruction in the
program is not just a lecture format, it’s activity-based in-
struction as well.
“The teachers are doing activities with food, art projects
and things like that, so children are learning the language
through those types of projects,” said Schwarz.
In the Chinese classrooms, students are able to gain ac-
cess to Zon (created by the Confucius Institute), a virtual
role-playing game that supplements the instruction in the
classroom. Students get to create a character and have to
navigate theat character around different settings and places
like an everyday tourist would do.
“It helps to learn or reinforce the language or culture you
are learning,” he explained.
Schwarz said the main reason for choosing the Chinese
and Spanish languages was that economists are predict-
ing that China, Brazil, Panama and many other Spanish-
speaking countries are on the rise on the world stage as
economic powers. These are the countries the kids of to-
day will be doing business with as the adults of tomorrow.
“Whether right or wrong, those are major economies
that are going to exist in this generation of children’s fu-
ture,” Schwarz said.
 Oxford Schools Supplement Sherman Publications Week of May 12, 2010 5

Adding Chocolate to Milk

Doesn’t Take Away Its
Nine Essential Nutrients
All milk contains a unique combination of nutrients important for growth and
development - including three of the five “nutrients of concern” for which children
have inadequate intakes. And, flavored milk accounts for less than 3.5% of added
sugar intake in children ages 6-12 and less than 2% in teens.

Reasons Why
Flavored Milk Matters
KIDS LOVE THE TASTE!
Milk provides nutrients essential for good health and kids will
drink more when it’s flavored.

NINE ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS!

Flavored milk contains the same nine essential nutrients as
white milk - calcium, potassium, phosphorous, protein,
vitamins A, D and B12, riboflavin and niacin (niacin equivalents) -
and is a healthful alternative to soft drinks.

HELPS KIDS ACHIEVE 3 SERVINGS!

Drinking low-fat or fat-free white or flavored milk helps
kids get the 3 daily servings* of milk recommended by the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

BETTER DIET QUALITY!

Children who drink flavored milk meet more of their nutrient
needs; do not consume more added sugar, fat or calories; and are
not heavier than non-milk drinkers.

TOP CHOICE IN SCHOOLS!

Low-fat chocolate milk is the most popular milk choice in schools
and kids drink less milk (and get fewer nutrients) if it’s taken away.

These health and nutrition organizations support 3-A-Day of Dairy, a science-based nutrition education program encouraging Americans to
consume the recommended three daily servings of nutrient-rich low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products to improve overall health.

www.nationaldairycouncil.org/childnutrition ©National Dairy Council 2009®

REFERENCES:
1. NPD Nutrient Intake Database; 2 years ending Feb. 2009.
2. Johnson RK, Frary C, Wang MQ. The nutritional consequences of flavored milk consumption by school-aged children and 8. United States Dept. of Health and Human Services, United States Dept. of Agriculture and United States Dietary Guidelines
adolescents in the United States. J Am Diet Assoc. 2002;102(6):853-856. Advisory Committee, 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. (6th ed. HHS publications, 2005, Washington D.C.)
3. National Dairy Council and School Nutrition Association. The School Milk Pilot Test. Beverage Marketing Corporation for 9. Greer FR, Krebs NF and the Committee on Nutrition. Optimizing bone health and calcium intakes of infants, children and
National Dairy Council and School Nutrition Association. 2002. http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/sfs/schoolmilk_pilottest. adolescents. Pediatrics 2006; 117:578-585.
asp (Accessed January 4, 2009). 10. Murphy MM, Douglas JS, Johnson RK, Spence LA. Drinking flavored or plain milk is positively associated with nutrient intake and
4. NICHD. For Stronger Bones….for Lifelong Health…Milk Matters! Accessed Sept 7, 2009 via http://www.nichd.nih.gov/ is not associated with adverse effects on weight status in U.S. children and adolescents. J Am Diet Assoc 2008; 108:631-639.
publications/pubs/upload/strong_bones_lifelong_health_mm1.pdf 11. Johnson RK, et al. Dietary Sugars Intake and Cardiovascular Health. A Scientific Statement From the American Heart
5. HHS, Best Bones Forever. Accessed Sept 7, 2009 via http://www.bestbonesforever.gov/ Association. Circulation. 2009; 120:1011-1020.
6. Frary CD, Johnson RK, Wang MQ. Children and adolescents’ choices of foods and beverages high in added sugars are associated 12. ENVIRON International Corporation. School Milk: Fat Content Has Declined Dramatically since the Early 1990s. 2008.
with intakes of key nutrients and food groups. J Adolesc Health 2004;34(1):56-63. 13. Patterson J, Saidel M. The Removal of Flavored Milk in Schools Results in a Reduction in Total Milk Purchases in All Grades, K-12.
7. American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on School Health. Soft drinks in schools. Pediatrics 2005; 113152-154. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009; 109,(9): A97.

* DAILY RECOMMENDATIONS - 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk or equivalent milk products for those 9 years of age and older and 2 cups
of low-fat and fat-free milk or equivalent milk products for children 2-8 years old.

1-800-241-MILK (6455)
Visit our website at www.udim.org
6 Week of May 12, 2010 Oxford Schools Supplement Sherman Publications

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OXFORD COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

248-969-5000 ‡ www.oxfordschools.org
Drumming to the global rhythm
By C.J. Carnacchio
Long before Oxford Schools decided its
mission was to provide a global education,
teacher Jan Flynn was bringing the world to
students via the universal language of music.
Using drums, marimbas, bells and rattles
of Latin and African origin, Flynn has been
leading the World Music Drumming En-
sembles at the middle school since she es-
tablished the program in 2002-03 as a way to
expand the general music curriculum.
“It is accessible (to all students) because
it’s percussion,” she explained. “We’re not
involving pitch so much, it’s more rhythms.”
Within the program, there are three groups
of drum/marimba ensembles – Wildcat Drum-
mers (six-grade beginners), Drumfire Drum-
mers (seventh-grade intermediate), and Thun-
der Drummers (eight-grade advanced).
All three groups perform “authentic mu-
sic from African and Caribbean traditions,”
according to Flynn.
“There are some pieces that I teach that I
learned from a master drummer from Ghana,”
she noted. “A lot of this music is from Ghana,
which is considered West Africa.”
Most of the students play cylindrical-
shaped tubano drums ranging in diameter
from 10 to 14 inches.
“They all have a purpose in an ensemble,”
Flynn said. “Each drum has a specific rhythm
and they blend in layers, one on top of the
other.”
Future web designers at work
The program also has a Ngoma drum
By C.J. Carnacchio
While many teens are busy using the
internet to watch videos on YouTube and
update their Facebook pages, some tech
savvy students at Oxford High School are
creating web sites for local businesses and
non-profit groups.
“People hear that we do design work, so
they contact us,” said Maria Wolbert, who
teaches beginning, intermediate and
advanced web design classes at OHS. “We
have more requests than we can actually
fulfill. There’s so much need; so many people
contact us.”
Wolbert’s students have designed web
sites for companies like the Lapeer-based
Creative Asphalt (www.creativeasphalt.com)
and non-profits such as the Northeast Oakland
Historical Museum (www.orion.lib.mi.us/
nohm) in downtown Oxford.
“The students used a number of different
skill sets to create the (Creative Asphalt) site.
It’s very professionally done,” she said.
Her students have been working on a site
for the K-9 Stray Rescue League, an Oxford
group that rescues dogs and finds adoptive
homes for them.
Meet the Thunder Drummers – Eric Giese (seated from left), Lewis Marshall, Hannah Ex
and Lily Dickens. Rachel Mantel (standing from left), Elizabeth Schonfeld, Rachel Tiska,
Zack Woloszyk, Kimi Matsumoto and teacher Jan Flynn.
that’s 48 inches high with a 16-inch diameter
and a Djembe drum, which is goblet-shaped
and used for solo work. The Ngoma drum
“I want to help students understand the
benefit of giving back,” said Wolbert, who’s
been with the district since 1997.
The web design program started
approximately six years ago with a class for
beginners and grew from there based on
rising student demand.
Now, OHS offers Web Design I and II
along with a Webmasters class for advanced
students. Wolbert wrote the curriculum for
all three courses.
In Web Design I, students gain an
understanding of web design concepts and
techniques that are essential to planning,
creating, testing, publishing and maintaining
web sites.
Web Design II teaches students how to
create professional quality web sites and
business documents utilizing effective web
design principles, planning and practices.
Students in the Webmasters course
interact with actual clients at all stages of
web production in order to develop
professional, quality sites for them.
The knowledge and skills garnered from
taking all three classes are a definite benefit
for students who wish to attend college and
Oxford Schools Supplement Sherman Publications
was donated by the Rotary Club of Oxford.
In addition to drums, the students play
marimbas – a type of xylophone from south-
pursue a career in web design.
“It sets the stage nicely for them,”
Wolbert said. “They definitely have a leg up.”
Those who successfully complete the
Webmasters class receive four credits for it
at Oakland Community College.
“Even if a student isn’t looking to be a
web designer, these classes teach them so
much about the internet and computers and
copyright laws and basic design principles,”
Wolbert noted. “It teaches students how to
think analytically.”
These days technical knowledge is
becoming more and more essential for college
students as traditional term papers are
replaced by web-based assignments and
cavernous lecture halls give way to on-line
classrooms.
Students who learn computer and internet
skills in high school will “be that much farther
ahead” in college, according to Wolbert.
In addition to the web design classes,
Wolbert also teaches a course in Animation
& Digital imaging, which is dedicated to
manipulating images and creating web
animations, and a class called Digitools,
which exposes students to a variety of
Week of May 12, 2010 7
ern Africa and Central America – and various
ethnic bells and rattles, each with its own
exotic name and unique sound. “When we
can, we add a vocal,” Flynn said.
Over the years, the program has been very
successful in teaching students all the ba-
sics of musicianship. “We talk about blend,
balance, how to incorporate melodies and
harmonies,” Flynn said. “They’re solving
musical problems as they work with the piece
and as they learn how to play it.”
By the time students reach the Thunder
Drummer level as eighth-graders, they are “a
committed group who is really devoted to
musicianship.”
“The energy that comes from this is sig-
nificant,” Flynn said. “They are able to work
together as teams, but they are also able to
do solo work. It’s a growing process.”
The program also teaches students how
to focus whether they’re playing in the en-
semble or learning in the classroom.
“They learn how to focus on what they’re
doing at the time; to tune out the extraneous
noise behind them and around them, so they
can concentrate on their work,” Flynn said.
Whenever they get the opportunity, the
drummers love to “spread some sunshine”
by playing at various events, like the annual
Relay for Life, and performing for different
groups such as scouts and the Rotary Club.
“Over the years we’ve had a lot of sup-
port from the community,” Flynn said. “People
really enjoy it.”
OHS teacher Maria Wolbert shows senior
Shelby Stockard a thing or two about
designing a web page.
emerging mediums such as voice recognition
software, hand-held computers, vector image
development and video creation software.
To learn more about Wolbert’s classes and
view examples of student-designed web
pages, please visit www.ohspress.com/
wolbert/index.html.
8 Week of May 12, 2010 Oxford Schools Supplement Sherman Publications
I
Love
Oxford!
MADISON HEIGHTS
$39,500
• Cute, remodeled bungalow
• Only a few blocks from Royal Oak
• Newer roof, windows, siding, furnace
electrical and plumbing
• MLS #29124590 Ask For Lee
LAKE ORION
U CED
RED
$169,900
• 1.8 acres of wooded property
• Almost 1600 sq. ft. • Oxford Schools
• 3 bedrooms, 2 baths
• Fireplace and woodstove
• MLS #27215170 Ask For Lee
OXFORD
LIGHT INDUSTRIAL • $99,900
• Rectangular light industrial V/L
• Sewer, water, gas & electric at paved rd.
• Office has staked survey
• Land contract terms available
• MLS #210003132 & 210003148 Ask For Lee
AUBURN HILLS
U CED
RED
$50,900
• Cute ranch style home
• 2½ car detached garage
• Unfinished basement
• Avondale schools
• MLS #210045946 Ask For Lee
BRANDON
$297,900
• Newer Oxford Colonial
• On over 6 acres plus, In-ground pool
• Geo-thermal heating and cooling
• Heated 32x48 pole barn • Oxford Schools
• MLS #29004302 Ask For Lee
ORION
COMMERCIAL • $184,900
• Commercial property w/132’ of frontage
• Almost 2 acres of land
• 25’x25’ buidling built in 1980’s
• Zoned OP-1, ideal for office space
• MLS #29087854 & 29087879 Ask For Lee
LAPEER TWP.
$79,500
• 8 acres plus 1800 sq. ft. modular
• Lapeer Schools
• Easy access to I-69
• Built in 2002
• MLS #29121545 Ask For Lee
LAKE ORION
ALL SPORTS LAKE • $309,000
• Lakefront on all-sports Lake Orion
• Almost 3000 sq. ft. & on double lot
• Finished walkout bsmt • Lake Orion Schools
• In-law apartment and much more!
• MLS #210012725 Ask For Lee
FOREST HILLS LOTS
Boulders at Forest Hills is a 23 unit develop-
ment in the Oxford School District. All lots have
been perked and surveyed. Roads are paved
with gas and electric underground. Lots vary
from flat with some trees to hilltop setting with
60% trees.Some lots are perfect for walkout
bsmts! Beautiful development! A definite must
see! Prices from $89,000. Land Contract terms
available.
HADLEY
$145,000
• Centennial farmhouse
• Hardwood floors, natural fireplace
• Beautiful 15 acres w/storage shed
• Lapeer Schools
• MLS #210039528 Ask For Lee
ADDISON
U CED
RED
$495,000
• Over 56 acres with horse farm!
• Also with a 2nd guest home
• Addison Twp. & Oxford Schools
• Close to Polly Ann Trail
• MLS #28179134 & 28179154 Ask For Lee
GOODRICH
$574,000
• 2 Large buildings, 9800 sq. ft. & 8400 sq.ft.
• Several pole barn style buildings w/heat
• Loc at north end of Village of Goodrich
• Special financing available
• MLS #210050659 Ask For Lee