Allen Park High School will celebrate our veterans for the twelfth year in a row Friday, November 10th, Veterans Day (observed). Veterans will be welcomed between noon and 12:30 PM in the Allen Park Center for the Arts.

There will be two formal assemblies for our veterans–to honor them and celebrate their service. The first assembly will be from approximately 12:40 PM to 1:30 PM and the second from about 1:40 PM to 2:30 PM. The Wyandotte Honor Guard will post the colors and provide the gun salute. Students will be participating in the ceremonies and take a lead role in hosting our veterans and current military personnel. The entire school has prepared for this event with various lessons from the Medal of Honor Foundation.

There will be three of the top Voice of Democracy contestants from APHS who will also present speeches to the crowd. A bugler will play Reveille and Taps, and a student will sing The Star Spangled Banner. It will be a very exciting day for all, and most importantly, give the students an opportunity to appreciate the sacrifices of those who have served our country.

In addition to honoring our veterans in the assemblies, APHS has invited those who choose to do so to speak to the classes individually about their experiences. This “Adopt a Vet” program has, in the past, been a highlight of the day for both students and veterans, and builds a great deal of respect between the groups.

All veterans are invited. Please call the high school at 313 827 1200 or email Jacksona@appublicschools.com if you have any questions. Otherwise, please come to the Allen Park Center for the Arts between 12:00 and 12:30 to attend the assemblies.

The Allen Park High School Sports Hall of Fame was created to honor Allen Park alumni who excelled as athletes while in high school and went on to outstanding achievement and recognition in their chosen sport.

Candidates are judged by the Allen Park Pride Committee on performance in their respective sport and achievement in community, state and/or national recognition for their accomplishments.  Nominees must be graduates of Allen Park High School and have been out of school for at least ten years.

This year we are inducting:

Shawn Grant

Class of 1996

Shawn Grant is being recognized for his accomplishments in football and baseball.  While at APHS he earned 6 varsity letters:  3 in baseball, 2 in football, and 1 in basketball.

As a varsity football player in 1994 and 1995 the Jags compiled a 21-2 record.  As a senior Shawn was voted captain and played quarterback leading the 1995 team to a 12-1 record and a trip to the state championship game for the first time in school history.  Shawn finished his career 1st in completions in a season and 3rd in passing yards while accounting for 20 touchdowns.  He was elected to the All-Conference Team, All-Academic Team, and was an Academic All-State special mention.  He was also a national nominee for the Wendy’s Heisman in 1995.  Shawn went on to play at Alma College where he was a four-year starter at punter.  In 1999 the Scots won the MIAA and a playoff berth for the first time in over a decade.  He was awarded Special Teams Player of the Week two times in 1998 and was All-MIAA Honorable Mention in 1999.

In baseball, Shawn was a three-year starter at catcher and pitcher.  In his junior year the Jags were league and district champions with an appearance in the Regional Finals.  In that year he was awarded Academic All-District and Mega Conference All-Academic Team.  He earned the MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award in 1996.  While at Alma College, Shawn was a three-year starter at catcher.  In 1998 he was given the Coaches Award and earned 2nd Team All-MIAA honors.  He was team captain and MVP in 1999 and led the team to a league championship.  He was awarded 2nd Team All-MIAA for a second time.  In his senior season he was captain and was an All-League Honorable Mention.

As a student Shawn was a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, and Peer Assistance Group.  He was awarded the Robert D. Kelly Memorial Scholarship Award, US Army Reserve National Scholar Athlete Award, and the Willie Heston Award for Academic Excellence.  He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise and Health Science from Alma College and a Master’s of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Indianapolis.  Shawn currently works as a physical therapist in Wixom, MI specializing in sports medicine.

Shawn and his wife, Michelle, have three children, Cameron, Nicholas, and Benjamin.

Shawn would like to thank his parents, John and Connie Grant, for their endless support and dedicates this honor to all of his teammates and coaches.

The 2017-2018 Drama season kicks off with the APHS Drama Club’s presentation of “Becoming Juliet” by Dean Dyer. Dyer, a Michigan native, contacted the group in early September to say he’d be attending one of the performances and the club could not be more excited! It isn’t every day that a playwright is able to watch his characters come to life…cast and crew hope they make him proud!

On a daily basis, the club members make friends and family, including directors, Kelly Klug and Alan Demorow proud. The past four years have seen tremendous growth in membership and the directing team strives to choose shows that can accommodate the wide range of skills the students bring as well as having enough roles so that every person gets his or her moment to shine.

“Becoming Juliet” takes us to Sibley High, a small town high school amid a budget crisis. Just when the students think all is list, their director, Cindy Andrews, decides to put on the Shakespearian classic, “Romeo and Juliet”. Personal growth, love and friendship abound for all in this heartwarming look at the high school experience from the lens of a close-knit drama club and the adults who love them. Show dates are November 17^th and 18^th at & 7:00 p.m. and November 19^th at 2:00 p.m. Presale tickets will be available in the high school office beginning November 1^st and are priced at $8 for adults/$6 for students and seniors through November 15^th. Get your tickets early to get the early bird pricing and so you can join us for an entertaining evening.

In keeping with the theme of teenager-hood, the Drama Club is excited to announce that they will present “Footloose!” in March 2018. Ren McCormick and friends will have you tapping your feet and singing along to the well-known music in the show! “Let’s Hear it for the Cast!”

Allen Park High School has been selected to be one of Wayne RESA’s initial schools to receive the services of a Career Counselor.  This initiative started about 2 years ago when Wayne RESA Superintendent Dr. Liepa envisioned a program that pooled together all of the workforce resources and opportunities such as apprenticeships, certificates, training, career exploration etc. and put them directly into the hands of all guidance counselors in Wayne County.  The goal is to give as many resources as possible to students who do not plan on attending a 4 year university immediately after graduation.  This evolved into the creation of an inventory website and employment of 2 full time Career Counselors to partner with select high schools on a rotating basis.  The work of the Career Counselors will be to assist students who are looking to pursue a career in professional trades (formally referred to as skilled trades) or students that are still in the exploration phase of what they want to do after high school and directly connect and/or enroll them in the appropriate programs needed in order to be industry ready.  This model is groundbreaking and the first of its kind in the State of Michigan. It will be used down the road sas an example in which other districts can create a similar model and is receiving financial support from Lansing.

Sarah Strohbeck has been assigned as the CAreer Counselor to work with the students and staff of Allen Park High School.  Sarah has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Secondary Education from Wayne State University, Master of Arts in Counseling from Central Michigan University, and holds a Professional Teaching Certificate with English, Political Science, and Guidance & Counseling endorsements.  She also has a Limited Professional Counselor License, and has completed Career Development Facilitator training through Oakland University.  Sarah began her career as a classroom teacher in Macomb County spending 5 years teaching English at the middle, high, and alternative levels.  For the last 10 years of her career she has been a guidance counselor with experience in not only a traditional high school setting, but also working with the Early College of Macomb.  During this experience Sarah managed a caseload of high school students who were enrolled in community college courses as well as created and taught curriculum that focused on workforce development such as: soft skills, effective communication, resume writing, technical writing, career exploration, job shadow placement, and how to select a college major to align with your desired career pathway.  Sarah’s most recent work was as a guidance counselor at Grosse Ile High School.

Sarah will spend a few days a month all school year working with students who are seeking assistance in figuring out what their next steps should be.  Sarah will create action plans with these students and connect them to the right post-secondary programs that will support their transition into the desired professional trade.  This will include job shadowing, career assessments, program enrollment, knowledge of apprenticeship process, classroom presentations, etc.  As this program evolves it will adjust as needed in order to meet the needs of our students and make sure we have a “pipeline” for those wanting a career in the professional trades. 

Allen Park High School, for the seventh consecutive year, hosted a Military Appreciation Night on Friday, October 13, 2017. We paid tribute to all of America’s veterans and active duty personnel and had a special halftime ceremony that included 47 honorees, patriotic music and fireworks. Special military appreciation shirts, visors and hats were sold and all the profit earned through the sale of these items was donated to the Armed Forces Children’s Education Fund. This education fund supports our military and their families by providing merit and need based scholarships to children of fallen military.

For more information go to www.amillionthanks.org.   

On Sunday, October 29 from 4-6 p.m. the Class of 2020 will be hosting the 1st annual Trunk or Treat at APHS.  All kids 5th grade and below are invited to come trick or treat, enjoy the decorated cars, and meet some great students of AP.  Various clubs, sports teams, families and friends will have cars decked out for Halloween.  Wear your best costume and come join the APHS family as we celebrate Halloween and this brand new tradition.  Donations will be graciously accepted at the entrance to help the Class of 2020 fundraise for their class prom.

Trunk or Treat flyer

All veterans and active duty military personnel are invited to attend the 12th Annual Veterans Day Celebration on Friday, November 10, 2017.  Allen Park High School will honor our country’s veterans.  During the morning we will continue with our popular “Adopt a Veteran” program when veterans share their military experience with students in individual classes. In the afternoon there will be two formal assemblies in the AP Center for the Arts to honor our military personnel and their service to our country.  Please see attached for more information.

Calling All Vets- APHS Program on 11.10.2017