News at the U! May 2020

Volume 1 | May 2020

Hello U Prep family!

"Teachers encourage minds to think, hands to create and hearts to love." - Anonymous

This month, we celebrated "Teacher Appreciation Week," and across the network, our community thanked our front line Crew members for their ongoing support during this challenging time. We appreciate our teachers for their essential role in helping our scholars grow to become healthy, contributing adults.

While we're appreciating our teachers, thank you to those who shared their love for the U in our new recruiting video. (We are hiring!) It's a strong testament to the exceptional teamwork among our Crew. Watch it here: We Are Crew

Did you know? UPAD Middle and High Schools are revamping their renowned Night of the Arts (NOTA), Detroit’s largest K-12 visual art/design exhibition, to accommodate the limitations of this pandemic. Don't miss the NOTA story below and please support their efforts with a visit to the event website when it goes live.

In this issue of News at the U! we are giving you a look into the different activities that our Crew has created to engage our students in this new-to-us virtual learning environment, along with U Prep fast facts, an invitation to our virtual open houses and more.

Enjoy this edition of News at the U!

With kind regards,

Janice Perzigian

Executive Director of Development & Student Experiences

janice.perzigian@uprepschools.com

Interested in Changing Careers?

Did you know you can become a state-certified teacher in Michigan in as few as 18 months? We are looking for business professionals who are interested in moving into teaching careers and making a difference in the lives of students in Detroit. Contact Shanae Edmond for more information.

Torryin Butler was previously a Juvenille Detention Supervisor before changing careers to become a teacher. He told us he made the change because he was "not seeing a process to help end the pipeline to prison for youth, or enough care to protect the rights of minorities or youth from lower income and educational backgrounds. I’m back where I started as a student, in the city of Detroit. I want to help the students get a better chance at being successful in their studies and in life. A life that many fail to realize is possible coming from an underserved or low income community. I love being part of U Prep, because in all areas of governance, the U shows we care and want what’s best for our scholars."

More About U Prep Careers

U Prep Seniors Reveal College Decisions

College Decision Week took place at all U Prep high schools in May. This week-long event allows our scholars to announce their college choices and each celebrated in their own unique way. You can see images from most of these activities on each school’s Instagram page by clicking on the school names below.

UPA High School held a "Don't Rush" TikTok challenge between teachers and 2020 seniors, a college door decorating contest, an alumni panel to get advice from prior graduates, an Instagram Live announcement with mock elections, and more.

At UPAD High School , seniors were treated to motivational presentations from community partners Latonya Garth and DeAndre Carter, a presentation by representatives at four local colleges about how to transition from high school to college, and a running slide show video of graduating seniors with their college decisions.

At UPSM High School , the class of 2020 participated in a virtual “everything college” scavenger hunt, a TikTok “Don’t Rush” challenge with both student and teacher editions, an Instagram Live celebration with Mr. C and more.

What a fantastic week! Congratulations to the Class of 2020, who will be starting college in the fall. You make us proud!

Meet Tyrone Owens - Class of 2008

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Tyrone Owens attended UPA for grades sixth through twelfth, graduating in 2008. He is currently a graphic designer at MinuteMan Press in Georgia.

Tyrone tells us that his fondest memories are of "playing on the basketball team and completing internships in my future career field of interest." Read Tyrone's story at the link below.

More About Tyrone Owens

Happenings in the Virtual Classrooms at University Prep

Here are a few brief stories about how our scholars and Crew are staying inspired and motivated through the end of the school year. We are so proud!

Emmanuel (aka Mr. E) Smith at UPA Elementary - Ellen Thompson records a weekly “Motivation Monday” video for our U Prep families, filled with tips for working hard and staying on track. Watch one of them here .

At UPAD Middle School, Mr. Caldwell makes weekly videos about Restorative Practices, teaching our scholars how to be more productive and resolve conflict in positive ways. Watch one of Mr. Caldwell’s videos here.

Our Crew at UPSM Middle School created a Champions video, with messages from all of the teachers and Crew members, encouraging our students to continue to be the champions that they are. Watch it here.

UPAD High School celebrated their latest class of National Honor Society inductees with a virtual ceremony and imagery introducing each student with a photo and a quote on Instagram. Check it out here .

LIFT, the Detroit-based national manufacturing innovation institute, distributed kits to Detroit students, including our UPSM High School scholars, to keep them learning and engaged in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) activities as schools remain closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. More info here

Fast Facts About University Prep Schools

Check out our numbers! At U Prep Schools, we have ten schools in three districts, including four elementary schools, three middle schools and three high schools. This school year, we have 4,764 students and 2,182 students will graduate from a U Prep high school. (We love you, Class of 2020!!!) Check out our complete infographic of Fast Facts at the link below.

Get the Facts

It's Open Enrollment Time!

We are currently enrolling for next year. If you are a happy University Prep family, please feel free to forward this month's e-newsletter to a family member or friend who might be interested in the U Prep experience! We have limited openings for scholars in grades K-11.

One UPA parent told us, “I have two children who attend U Prep Schools. I chose U Prep because of the sense of community that I felt. My children are surrounded by a village of people that ensure their confidence, social awareness and academic success.”

Click the link below to get the details about our virtual Open Houses, including Kindergarten Round Up!

Attend a Virtual Open House

Night Of The Arts (NOTA) Moves Online

Did you know? University Prep Art & Design Middle and High schools are known as Detroit's premier art & design schools for Detroit students. Our Night Of The Arts event, a creative annual art exhibit and sale presented by UPAD, has obviously been impacted by this pandemic. Formerly, this one-night event was Detroit’s largest K-12 visual art/design exhibition, with attendees viewing hundreds of pieces of unique artwork from students in our Kindergarten through 12th grade classes, spanning over four floors.

UPAD Art Chair, Manal Kadry, shares, “My favorite thing about NOTA is how our students’ work provides evidence of rigor and showcases the wide array of mediums our school offers. NOTA highlights our students’ personal voices and we can visually see their thoughts, feelings, passions and struggles through their art.”

The NOTA program will launch on Monday, June 8 at www.nightofthearts.com . The art that normally lines the halls of UPAD Middle and High will now be presented online and available for purchase.

Be sure to mark your calendar and check out the online NOTA exhibit and sale after June 8!

Community Service

At U Prep, our high school students in all of our districts are required to participate in 100 hours of community service by May 1 of their graduation year.

This infographic highlights the number of community service hours that were documented this school year by our students and approved by the counseling team through the X2VOL portal. (X2VOL is an app that tracks service hours.)

Sports at the U

It was an exciting year for University Prep Athletics!

In the 2019-2020 school year, UPA Elementary - Ellen Thompson, UPA Elementary - Mark Murray, UPAD - Elementary and UPSM Elementary led the way in the Detroit PAL Elementary School League. They competed at the top of the league in five different sports specifically, soccer, basketball, tennis, cheer and volleyball.

All of our programs continue to grow in size and receive more support from our families every year. Read more about what happened this year in our elementary and middle school sports teams at the link below.