December 2012/ January 2013 - Forest Hills Public Schools

The Titanic : History or Hollywood
FHN Students Uncover Details of the Ship’s Tragic Sinking
Even 100 years later, the sinking of the
Titanic remains one of the most researched
and remembered events in history. Currently,
on "Rotten Tomatoes," the film review
website, the movie Titanic still tops the list
of rental domination, with 87 percent of
critics praising it. The original movie,
released in 1997, was re-released in 3-D
and IMAX in April of 2012 to commemorate
the 100th anniversary of the sinking.
After watching Titanic, FHN students in
the History versus Hollywood class
researched the actual event and the characters
that were involved. It was their job to
discover if Hollywood had done an accurate
job portraying the people and events
surrounding this tragedy. The students
watched interviews with survivors, read
library books, did research "scavenger
hunts," and each student did an in-depth
study of one passenger or officer on board
the ship. Subjects were randomly selected
from a list that included first, second, and
third class passengers and officers.
The study culminated in a live museum/
exhibit at Forest Hills Northern High
School on October 12. The students
dressed in period costumes and had displays
about many of the passengers and
officers who were on the ship. Students
had conversation cards with the basic facts
about their characters, such as what they
did prior to sailing on the Titanic, their
ages, genders, nationalities, and whether
or not they survived. Additionally, there
was an informational scavenger hunt.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum heard
about Forest Hills Northern's study and
asked FHN to participate with them as they
prepared to open the nationwide Titanic
exhibit in Grand Rapids in a few months.
On November 13, the Grand Rapids Public
Museum staff and members of the local
media came to FHN to interact with Mrs.
Shotts-Flikkema and the History versus
Hollywood students. They brought actual
artifacts from the Titanic to FHN, and students
had a question/answer session with
experts about the Titanic. This was truly a
remarkable opportunity for students to
bring history alive.
NHMS Teacher Wins History Day Award
Mary Beth McMahon
Students from around
the country, including
Forest Hills Public
Schools, participate
each year in the
National History Day
Contest. This year it
was held June 10-14 in
College Park, Maryland.
Every year two teachers in each state
receive the Pat Behring Award. This year
Mary Beth McMahon from Northern Hills
Middle School received the the award in
Michigan’s junior division. She received a
cash award of $500 in honor of her contributions
to history education through the
National History Day program. Mary Beth
was nominated for this honor by another
Forest Hills teacher, Lea Sevigny.
National History Day in Michigan, known
statewide as Michigan History Day, is a
program of the Historical Society of
Michigan. For more information about
Michigan History Day, please visit their
website, www.hsmichigan.org.
Chartwells Honors FHPS as Be-A-Star Award Recipient
Chartwells School Dining Services has
announced the recipients of its annual “Be-
A-Star” Awards. Amy Larson, food service
director, accepted the award for FHPS. The
district’s food service operation won second
place for National Account of the Year. Over
550 Chartwells school districts compete for
these titles every year and are evaluated
on criteria such as community service,
financial performance, customer and client
satisfaction, wellness, and diversity.
Amy Larson (fourth from left) accepts the district’s
Be-A-Star Award in Orlando last October. She is surrounded
by other winners and Chartwells executives.
6
FHN Football
Benefits Building
Homes for Heroes
The season finale for Northern’s football
team was inspiring to all who were able to
attend the event. In a show of unity and
respect for our country, the Huskies honored
those who serve in our military forces
by presenting Building Homes for Heroes
with a check for over $13,000.
“Every year since 2006, Building Homes
for Heroes continues to build homes for
severely wounded soldiers returning from
Afghanistan and Iraq, and we chose this
organization because 94 percent of every
dollar goes into building Homes for
Heroes,” said Mike Hieshetter, president of
the FHN Football Booster Club.
The game was the culmination of weeks of
fundraising, lunch with local veterans at
the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, a
pep rally, and a tailgate event with many
of the veterans prior to the game. During
the pep rally, the team introduced Sergeant
Brent Hernandez, who suffered life-threatening
injuries in Afghanistan, and Andrew
McClure, representing Building Homes for
Heroes. Building Homes for Heros is currently
completing a new home for Sargeant
Hernandez and his family in Florida. In
addition to relaying his harrowing tale of
being wounded in Afghanistan and ultimate
helicopter rescue, Sergeant
Hernandez expressed his gratitude for the
work being done on behalf of our wounded
veterans.
Varsity Coach Jeff Rapelje said, “I asked
our parents and players to consider doing
a benefit game, mentioned a couple of
ideas, and they just took off and ran with
it. As a former Marine, I am so proud they
chose this very worthwhile organization,
and I hope to make it an annual tradition.”
Correction
The caption under the photo of the
Eastern High golf team in the October/
November issue of Focus included the
name “Anna Palmer.” It should have
been Anne Parlmer. We apologize for
this error.