The crystal awards apples Romulus Middle School teacher Sharon Grandell receives are pretty special. A three-time winner of the district Crystal Apple award, she also received the Green Apple Teaching Award from the Michigan State College of Engineering earlier this month.
Grandell was one of nine individuals recognized with the crystal awards during the 8th annual Alumni Awards Banquet in Lansing earlier this month. Her Green Apple Teaching Award is an honor which was established by the college in 2006 to honor a K-12 teacher who has inspired students to study math, science and engineering, according to the college.
Born and raised in the Metro Detroit area, Grandell was inspired by her mother’s love of learning and her father’s strong work ethic. After years of working in the restaurant management business Grandell made the decision to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher.
Kathryn Slyman, who nominated Grandell for the Green Apple Teaching Award, was a student in Grandell’s 8th-grade science class and one of the first students to participate in the Rouge Education Project. Slyman, who graduated from MSU in May and will begin her career in June with Dow Chemical Co., credits Grandell for sparking her interest in engineering.
Grandell received her associate of science degree from Schoolcraft College, where she was a member of Phi Theta Kappa honors society, graduating with a 4.0 grade point average. She earned her bachelor of science degree in education (magna cum laude) in 1998, and her masters degree in education in 2008, both from Wayne State University. She is a member of the National Science Teachers Association, the Michigan Science Teachers Association and the Michigan Earth Science Teachers Association.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Nelson Wines Rated World Class
Nelson wineries continue to shine on the international stage, with both Waimea Estates and Seifried Estate winning gold medals and trophies at the recent Decanter Wine Awards, the world's biggest wine competition. Waimea's sauvignon blanc 2010 won gold and the hotly contested regional trophy for the champion New Zealand sauvignon blanc under 10 (NZ$20), while Seifried did likewise with its 2010 Winemakers Collection Nelson Sweet Agnes riesling.
Seifried also won silver medals for its 2010 sauvignon blanc and 2010 Aotea gewurztraminer in the show, which attracted 12,252 entries from 44 countries. With less than 3 per cent of wines winning a gold or a trophy, both wineries were delighted with their success. Their wines will now be pitted against other regional winners to decide who wins the overall international trophy for each wine style.
Waimea general manager and viticulturalist Ben Bolitho said the winery was "over the moon" to win in a category which a lot of other New Zealand winemakers entered. Since getting the award, it had received some "pretty significant" orders for the wine from British distributors, which boded well for the rest of the year, he said. "Things are definitely looking more promising than the last couple of years and it appears the wine oversupply situation is disappearing."
Waimea made 10,000 cases of its 2010 sauvignon blanc, its most popular wine. With a better growing year it had produced 20,000 cases this year, which was shaping up to be equally as good, Mr Bolitho said. He would be celebrating the award over a few wines when his father Trevor and sales and marketing manager Martin Carrington returned from overseas in a week or two.
It's not the first time Waimea has done well at the Decanter awards – its Spinyback pinot gris won the top white wine under 10 in 2008. In all, the winery had won 36 gold medals and eight trophies in competitions for its white and red wines since 2009 which was an excellent record for a family-owned winery, he said.
Seifried also won silver medals for its 2010 sauvignon blanc and 2010 Aotea gewurztraminer in the show, which attracted 12,252 entries from 44 countries. With less than 3 per cent of wines winning a gold or a trophy, both wineries were delighted with their success. Their wines will now be pitted against other regional winners to decide who wins the overall international trophy for each wine style.
Waimea general manager and viticulturalist Ben Bolitho said the winery was "over the moon" to win in a category which a lot of other New Zealand winemakers entered. Since getting the award, it had received some "pretty significant" orders for the wine from British distributors, which boded well for the rest of the year, he said. "Things are definitely looking more promising than the last couple of years and it appears the wine oversupply situation is disappearing."
Waimea made 10,000 cases of its 2010 sauvignon blanc, its most popular wine. With a better growing year it had produced 20,000 cases this year, which was shaping up to be equally as good, Mr Bolitho said. He would be celebrating the award over a few wines when his father Trevor and sales and marketing manager Martin Carrington returned from overseas in a week or two.
It's not the first time Waimea has done well at the Decanter awards – its Spinyback pinot gris won the top white wine under 10 in 2008. In all, the winery had won 36 gold medals and eight trophies in competitions for its white and red wines since 2009 which was an excellent record for a family-owned winery, he said.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
W-CL-T Memorabilia and Trophies to be Auctioned
Over the past 20 years as a shared school district, the students at Woden-Crystal Lake and Titonka have achieved many milestones that will forever be a part of the school's history. When the era comes to an end in June, years of memories and memorabilia will still remain. Trophies, plaques, banners and even sports uniforms will soon become a bigger part of W-CL-T history.
W-CL Superintendent of Schools Dwight Widen said the district has formed a committee of community and board members to decide what to do with the items when the districts no longer share a high school. The two districts will begin whole-grade sharing agreements with other districts this fall. "We have a committee, and once we complete the softball and baseball seasons we plan to hold a silent auction in August," said Widen. The auction will feature a variety of items from the school's past, and the committee is working to determine what items should be sold and what should remain.
Many uniforms have changed over the decades, and those, including ones most recently worn by W-CL-T athletes, will also be up for auction.
"All of our students have turned in their uniforms," Widen said. "They are not the only ones who have worn their number; we have 20 years of alumni who might be interested in purchasing a jersey.We have been very grateful for the support of our booster club over the years and their hard work and generosity to purchase all of these uniforms," Widen said.
Trophies and awards from more recent years are on display at the school in Crystal Lake, but Widen said there are many more in storage that may also be available for auction. Newer, more notable items such as trophies and banners from the 2007 and 2008 Girls' State Basketball Tournament will likely remain in the building on display for years to come."The state things will be around for a while," Widen said. "We do share a public library with the town, so we will be able to display some of our history for the community to see."
At the end of the year, when Woden-Crystal Lake and Titonka Community Schools part ways, the high school will no longer exist, but both communities will continue to operate elementary schools.
W-CL Superintendent of Schools Dwight Widen said the district has formed a committee of community and board members to decide what to do with the items when the districts no longer share a high school. The two districts will begin whole-grade sharing agreements with other districts this fall. "We have a committee, and once we complete the softball and baseball seasons we plan to hold a silent auction in August," said Widen. The auction will feature a variety of items from the school's past, and the committee is working to determine what items should be sold and what should remain.
Many uniforms have changed over the decades, and those, including ones most recently worn by W-CL-T athletes, will also be up for auction.
"All of our students have turned in their uniforms," Widen said. "They are not the only ones who have worn their number; we have 20 years of alumni who might be interested in purchasing a jersey.We have been very grateful for the support of our booster club over the years and their hard work and generosity to purchase all of these uniforms," Widen said.
Trophies and awards from more recent years are on display at the school in Crystal Lake, but Widen said there are many more in storage that may also be available for auction. Newer, more notable items such as trophies and banners from the 2007 and 2008 Girls' State Basketball Tournament will likely remain in the building on display for years to come."The state things will be around for a while," Widen said. "We do share a public library with the town, so we will be able to display some of our history for the community to see."
At the end of the year, when Woden-Crystal Lake and Titonka Community Schools part ways, the high school will no longer exist, but both communities will continue to operate elementary schools.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Perspective Magazine Crystal Awards, GNEX 2011
No less than 34 crystal awards – in the form of beautiful crystal trophies - were awarded to the winning companies and individuals at the first ever GNEX 2011 event held at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas recently. The winners were presented with their trophies at the Perspective Magazine Awards on 12th May during a lavish gala dinner at the legendary luxury resort. 150 nominees were put forward for the awards, and were voted for by industry professionals and judged by a panel of experts.
The crystal awards demonstrated the caliber of resorts, products and services that define both today’s timeshare and fractional industries, and focused on the quality, innovation, diversity and high standards shown across all sectors of the shared ownership market.
Paul Mattimoe, president and CEO, Perspective Magazine, said: “From the feedback we have received, we certainly succeeded and the demand for information on GNEX 2012 is tremendous. We are in the final stages of confirming our next conference and are very much looking forward to continuing to mould GNEX into exactly what delegates want from a modern event format.”
The crystal awards demonstrated the caliber of resorts, products and services that define both today’s timeshare and fractional industries, and focused on the quality, innovation, diversity and high standards shown across all sectors of the shared ownership market.
Paul Mattimoe, president and CEO, Perspective Magazine, said: “From the feedback we have received, we certainly succeeded and the demand for information on GNEX 2012 is tremendous. We are in the final stages of confirming our next conference and are very much looking forward to continuing to mould GNEX into exactly what delegates want from a modern event format.”
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Manchester Celebrates as the City Wins Two Trophies
The two clubs have endured decades of intense rivalry but Manchester was a city united yesterday. Ear-to-ear grins and more than a few hangovers were much in evidence on both sides of the city’s football divide as the celebrations for the historic double trophies day showed no sign of coming to an end.
Reds fans started their party on Saturday afternoon outside Old Trafford after a Wayne Rooney equalizer secured United the point they needed to win their record-breaking 19th league title. Blues fans gathered two hours later at their Eastlands home after midfielder Yaya Toure helped City to a 1-0 win over Stoke in the FA Cup Final at Wembley. For City it ended a 35-year wait for a trophy and meant both major domestic trophies competitions were taken by England’s north-west metropolis.
And the good times soon spread all over the city as fans partied. United supporter John Corless, 44, from New Moston, said: “There has always been fierce rivalry but it is great for the city. Manchester is the world’s football capital.” And lifelong City fan Bill Edwards, 60, said: “We’ve waited a long, long time but this is just the start of greater things.”
City supporter rock singer Liam Gallagher said after the Cup Final: “It was a great day out, I was very nervous but it’s all come good again. I’ve supported them for 35 years of my life. Come on, City!” And Johnny Marr, former guitarist for The Smiths, took to Twitter to say: “Good times at Wembley. Congratulations to all Mancunians today.”
Reds fans started their party on Saturday afternoon outside Old Trafford after a Wayne Rooney equalizer secured United the point they needed to win their record-breaking 19th league title. Blues fans gathered two hours later at their Eastlands home after midfielder Yaya Toure helped City to a 1-0 win over Stoke in the FA Cup Final at Wembley. For City it ended a 35-year wait for a trophy and meant both major domestic trophies competitions were taken by England’s north-west metropolis.
And the good times soon spread all over the city as fans partied. United supporter John Corless, 44, from New Moston, said: “There has always been fierce rivalry but it is great for the city. Manchester is the world’s football capital.” And lifelong City fan Bill Edwards, 60, said: “We’ve waited a long, long time but this is just the start of greater things.”
City supporter rock singer Liam Gallagher said after the Cup Final: “It was a great day out, I was very nervous but it’s all come good again. I’ve supported them for 35 years of my life. Come on, City!” And Johnny Marr, former guitarist for The Smiths, took to Twitter to say: “Good times at Wembley. Congratulations to all Mancunians today.”
Monday, May 16, 2011
Saturday is PSA Awards Night
Suzanne Harrison loves being the mistress of ceremonies for the Paralympic Sports Association awards banquet. That’s because Harrison, the PSA program co-ordinator, gets to call out names of athletes who had a great year in their sport and award the trophies.
Maybe it’s sledge hockey or golf or swimming or tae kwan do or floor hockey or any of the many programs PSA offers people with disabilities from ages five to 60. Harrison will be handing out the hardware -14 trophies for athletes and eight volunteer recognition awards -when PSA hosts its annual banquet and family dance Saturday evening at the Continental Inn.
PSA has upward of 300 members with varying disabilities, including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, spinal cord injuries, and visual impairments. Harrison also said there’s a growing of number of athletes with autism.
Maybe it’s sledge hockey or golf or swimming or tae kwan do or floor hockey or any of the many programs PSA offers people with disabilities from ages five to 60. Harrison will be handing out the hardware -14 trophies for athletes and eight volunteer recognition awards -when PSA hosts its annual banquet and family dance Saturday evening at the Continental Inn.
PSA has upward of 300 members with varying disabilities, including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, spinal cord injuries, and visual impairments. Harrison also said there’s a growing of number of athletes with autism.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Lalita Patipaksiri Bound for Golf Stardom
For Lalita Patipaksiri, convenience has paid off. It was one of the reasons why she was named Orange County Player of the Year in 2005 and 2007. It was responsible for a spot on the second-team All-Big West as a sophomore. And now, as a junior, convenience has led Patipaksiri to the NCAA All-Star Team.
Golf is an expensive sport – a set of irons can range up to $3,000. When Patipaksiri began to golf, she became the third member of her family to play the sport. Her father, not wanting his daughter’s gift to go to waste, decided he would quit because the cost for three people playing golf would eventually add up, and he wanted to give his daughter an opportunity to play.
Patipaksiri’s decision to stick with golf, combined with her father’s decision to give up the sport, has resulted in much success for the third-year sociology major. From her time in elementary school to junior high, Patipaksiri collected over 100 trophies and awards. Although the competition has stiffened as the years progressed, Patipaksiri garnered about 50 CIF plaques and awards during her time at Cypress High School.
Among all of her trophies and awards, golf’s grueling time commitment has made her question her willingness to stick with the sport. An 18-hole round of golf typically ranges between four and six hours to complete.
However, the enjoyment Patipaksiri has for the game overrides the 5 a.m. wake-up calls for 6 a.m. practice, the time commitment that she devotes to the sport and the little time she gets to herself.
Patipaksiri’s ability to find enjoyment in golf’s long grind has led her to even more success. She has become the first Anteater to be named to the NCAA All-Star Team and will travel to Asia this summer, making stops in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and China to compete in 16 tournaments over the course of 28 days.
This tournament presents a whole new set of challenges for Patipaksiri. She admits that she chose UC Irvine because it is only a few minutes away from her home in Cypress where she goes every weekend for private golf lessons. The longest and farthest she has been away from home was three weeks when she traveled to Maryland, but traveling to Japan, South Korea and China – places she has never visited before – will provide a whole new experience.
Patipaksiri will also experience a different level of competition. Besides playing alongside top women’s golfers representing Stanford University, University of Arizona and Yale, she will also be competing with international golfers.
So far, the 5-foot-1 golfer has used her short game to excel at the collegiate level and make up for her lack of size and power. Although she may not be as tall as Michelle Wie or have Lorena Ochoa’s combination of power and finesse, Patipaksiri knows that she has a chance to compete with the top women’s golfers of the Ladies of the Professional Golf Association, because her idol and inspiration Ai Miyazato, a 5-foot-2 golfer, has had success at the professional level.
Golf is an expensive sport – a set of irons can range up to $3,000. When Patipaksiri began to golf, she became the third member of her family to play the sport. Her father, not wanting his daughter’s gift to go to waste, decided he would quit because the cost for three people playing golf would eventually add up, and he wanted to give his daughter an opportunity to play.
Patipaksiri’s decision to stick with golf, combined with her father’s decision to give up the sport, has resulted in much success for the third-year sociology major. From her time in elementary school to junior high, Patipaksiri collected over 100 trophies and awards. Although the competition has stiffened as the years progressed, Patipaksiri garnered about 50 CIF plaques and awards during her time at Cypress High School.
Among all of her trophies and awards, golf’s grueling time commitment has made her question her willingness to stick with the sport. An 18-hole round of golf typically ranges between four and six hours to complete.
However, the enjoyment Patipaksiri has for the game overrides the 5 a.m. wake-up calls for 6 a.m. practice, the time commitment that she devotes to the sport and the little time she gets to herself.
Patipaksiri’s ability to find enjoyment in golf’s long grind has led her to even more success. She has become the first Anteater to be named to the NCAA All-Star Team and will travel to Asia this summer, making stops in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and China to compete in 16 tournaments over the course of 28 days.
This tournament presents a whole new set of challenges for Patipaksiri. She admits that she chose UC Irvine because it is only a few minutes away from her home in Cypress where she goes every weekend for private golf lessons. The longest and farthest she has been away from home was three weeks when she traveled to Maryland, but traveling to Japan, South Korea and China – places she has never visited before – will provide a whole new experience.
Patipaksiri will also experience a different level of competition. Besides playing alongside top women’s golfers representing Stanford University, University of Arizona and Yale, she will also be competing with international golfers.
So far, the 5-foot-1 golfer has used her short game to excel at the collegiate level and make up for her lack of size and power. Although she may not be as tall as Michelle Wie or have Lorena Ochoa’s combination of power and finesse, Patipaksiri knows that she has a chance to compete with the top women’s golfers of the Ladies of the Professional Golf Association, because her idol and inspiration Ai Miyazato, a 5-foot-2 golfer, has had success at the professional level.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Packers Pick Sherrod - An All Around Star
Harriet Sherrod's fireplace mantel is a treasure trove of matte gold-finish trophies. Etched glass plaques bear the engraved Sherrod name. There are as many awards for academic honors as there are for sports achievements. And every time she would squeeze in a new award - no easy task with so little room - Harriet and the rest of the family would look over at youngest son Derek and tease him a little. "Your brother just got another one," they'd say. "You'd better catch up!"
That's how it is with this close Mississippi family of college graduates and soldiers. Derek Sherrod grew up knowing nothing but support and success. What he didn't get from the family genes at 6 feet 5 1/2, 315 pounds to help his football career as an offensive tackle, he learned from his father, Louis, a Navy man, his three high-achieving older siblings and his mother, Harriet.
"Nothing is given in life," she told him again and again. "You have to work for it. You have to earn it." Sherrod's selection in the first round, 32nd overall, of the NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers late Thursday night was no accident. And no stroke of luck. He worked his way through Caledonia (Miss.) High School to become one of the most coveted recruits in the nation. He became an All-American at Mississippi State, graduated in three years on the honor roll and started pursuing his master's degree in 2010.
That's how it is with this close Mississippi family of college graduates and soldiers. Derek Sherrod grew up knowing nothing but support and success. What he didn't get from the family genes at 6 feet 5 1/2, 315 pounds to help his football career as an offensive tackle, he learned from his father, Louis, a Navy man, his three high-achieving older siblings and his mother, Harriet.
"Nothing is given in life," she told him again and again. "You have to work for it. You have to earn it." Sherrod's selection in the first round, 32nd overall, of the NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers late Thursday night was no accident. And no stroke of luck. He worked his way through Caledonia (Miss.) High School to become one of the most coveted recruits in the nation. He became an All-American at Mississippi State, graduated in three years on the honor roll and started pursuing his master's degree in 2010.
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