Woodward Talk | Published May 24, 2023
Ferndale honors teachers, support staff and bus drivers
FERNDALE — Ferndale Public Schools honored educators throughout its district with Teacher of the Year and Support Staff of the Year awards.
The Ferndale Early Childhood Center Teacher of the Year was Shelby Martin, and its Support Staff of the Year Award went to Jennifer Krycian; The Ferndale Lower Elementary Teacher of the Year was Glynis Tyler, and its Support Staff of the Year Award went to Megan Meloche (pictured); the Ferndale Upper Elementary Teacher of the Year was Anton Gjonaj, and the Support Staff of the Year Award went to Raequan Allen; the Ferndale Middle School Teacher of the Year was Bridget Guerra, the Special Education Teacher of the Year was Brad Tanguay and the Support Staff of the Year Award went to Geraldine Perry and Katelyn O’Bear; the Ferndale High School Teacher of the Year Award went to Michael Hand and Kandis Pagonas, and the Support Staff of the Year Award went to Sharon Stone; the University High School Teacher of the Year was Lauren Thomas, and the Support Staff of the Year Award went to Flaudia Quaker; the Tri-County Education Center Teacher of the Year was Ellie Kotulis, and the TCEC Support Staff of the Year Award went to Roger Hunt.
The district also named Tammy Foster its Central Office Support Staff of the Year Award winner and honored three employees as its Bus Driver of the Year: Wendy Gambill, Erricka Thomas and Nikki Anderson.
Stagecrafters to perform ‘Singin’ in the Rain’
ROYAL OAK — Stagecrafters will be presenting “Singin’ in the Rain” throughout the month of June.
The musical will be onstage June 2-25 at the Baldwin Theatre, located at 415 S. Lafayette Ave. The show is an adaptation of the 1952 movie of the same name.
The show features an onstage rain shower, which Director Tony Battle is excited to show the audience, according to a news release.
“Our rain system includes an entirely new stage floor decking to enable rain to ‘fall from the sky’ and collect on the stage so that ‘dancing in the rain’ becomes a reality,” he said. “It’s a closed-circuit design that allows us to store water until the appropriate moment, then deliver the rain to our entire stage deck — after which, it’s pumped (to) a containment system, treated and heated for the next time around — a feat rarely accomplished in musical theater.”
Tickets cost $35 for Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances and $25 for Thursday night performances. There is a $3 ticket fee that is applied to each ticket. Show times are at 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets can be purchased online at stagecrafters.org or by phone at (248) 541-6430.
Men’s club raises big money for Huntington Woods
HUNTINGTON WOODS — The Huntington Woods Men’s Club held its 42nd annual auction and was able to raise more than $136,000.
The Men’s Club Auction had 540 attendees who came together to raise funds to improve the inline skate rink at Val Jones Park on 11 Mile Road. According to a news release, the club will be allocating up to $15,000 to resurface the rink, repair the boards and fencing around the rink, and plant some trees for sound reduction. The club also will be allocating up to $35,000 for the removal and replacement of the play structure at Elgin Park.
“These projects are significant undertakings and are not in the budget for the City of HW Parks and Recreation. The Huntington Woods Men’s Club is proud to be able to fund a large portion of this community improvement project and make it a reality,” the release states.
Lane shifts scheduled for Coolidge Highway
BERKLEY — Lane shifts and traffic delays were projected for Coolidge Highway from 11 Mile to 12 Mile roads May 23-26. Contractors were scheduled to perform pavement repairs that would require intermittent lane shifts, but one lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained. The construction work might cause temporary driveway restrictions.
The city said it expected the work to be done in the afternoon May 26 in time for the evening rush hour.
Vehicle auction
HUNTINGTON WOODS — The city of Huntington Woods will be holding its abandoned vehicle auction at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 25.
The auction will be held at Monaghan’s Towing, which is located at 21680 Fern St. in Oak Park. The city will be putting five vehicles up for auction for people to bid on. The vehicles include a 2013 Dodge Dart, 2003 Ford Ranger, 2008 Mercury Mariner, 2004 Cadillac CRX and 2011 Chevrolet Malibu.