Warrendale students organize trip to Ivy League schools

Screenshopt of GoFundMe campaign

Students from the Warrendale Charter Academy in Detroit have organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds so they can visit Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. All funds raised as part of this campaign will go towards the travel expenses of these 26 middle school students.

Janae Anderson, the middle school dean at the Warrendale Charter Academy, described this campaign as follows:

Warrendale is a k-8 charter school in the heart of Detroit with a little over 750 students currently enrolled. WCA is a Title 1 school that has created a positive climate and culture that focuses heavily on student proficiency and academic growth. Most recently, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy recognized WCA as a top 200 school in the state, a top 50 school in the county, and a top 20 school in the city and gave an A letter grade for academic performance in context.

Part of our school's success comes from providing our students with unique opportunities that foster their thirst for learning and education beyond the classroom. For the past two years, our middle school students have had the opportunity to visit universities and historical landmarks in both Washington D.C. and Atlanta. This year is very special in that students will be taking tours of Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, which are universities that do not have a heavy population of Black students. The goal of the college tour is to not only allow students to see and visit these Universities in person but to also learn what it takes to become a part of the student body.

Currently, there are 26 middle school students who are attending this wonderful experience. The money donated will be added to the funds that students have already raised individually and lower the overall cost of travel fees associated with visiting the schools. By making a donation you are helping our students learn about college early in life and set them on a path of success.

The Warrendale Charter Academy operates from the building that used to house Ss. Peter and Paul Grade School once upon a time. If you are interested in supporting this campaign, please visit its page on GoFundMe by clicking here.

GM announces $6 million donation to support Detroit schools

General Motor headquarters | File photo

Earlier this morning, General Motors announced a $6 million donation to Beyond Basics to support the Be the Solution literacy campaign. This investment will provide nearly 500 Detroit high schoolers the opportunity to participate in the nonprofit’s literacy program. It is also the largest single contribution ever to this program.

“Beyond Basics delivers outstanding results that are real, measurable and impactful,” said Mark Reuss, General Motors president. “At General Motors, we believe investing in Detroit’s children and families is an investment in the future – for them, and for all of us residing in southeast Michigan. Our team is proud to support Beyond Basics’ ambitious mission, and we encourage other companies to do the same as we work together to revitalize the city.”

General Motors’ donation is the largest single investment to Beyond Basics’ Be the Solution literacy campaign, to date, and marks the half-way point of this year’s $11 million goal. The $33 million, three-year campaign launched last summer with the endorsement of the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

This donation also comes on the heels of the $2.2 billion investment in Detroit and Hamtramck that GM announced last month.

Beyond Basics works closely with DPSCD and has already achieved tremendous success with 50 tutors at schools across the city — including Mumford High School, where today’s grant announcement was held. The number of trained, certified tutors is expected to jump to 300 over the next three years.

“This is not about throwing money at another problem. Beyond Basics gets at the heart of the challenges linked to reading below grade level and delivers a strategy that is coherent, comprehensive and truly research-based,” explained Dr. Nikolai P. Vitti, superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District. “With the support and leadership of General Motors and Beyond Basics, we will begin to address, at scale, high school literacy challenges so students can be on a college or career path. Due to the legacy of emergency management, too many of our high school students are behind.”

Today’s donation continues General Motors’ support of Beyond Basics’ results-driven work. In 2018, General Motors helped establish Beyond Basics’ first bricks-and-mortar space in Detroit at the Durfee Innovation Society in Detroit. The Beyond Basics Family Literacy Center provides literacy and workforce development services, including GED and SAT prep, with a large focus on reaching an adult population.

“Most Detroit public high school students are reading below grade level,” said Pamela Good, co-founder and CEO of Beyond Basics. “When students fall behind in literacy, they fall behind in every subject because curriculums assume children can read. With this generous $1 million donation from General Motors, Beyond Basics can pair even more trained tutors with struggling students who are eager to learn and need that extra boost.”

Providing a child with the tool of reading can change the trajectory of their life. It opens a world of possibilities that can give them opportunities that would be impossible without literacy. For over twenty years Pamela Good and the Beyond Basics team have been committed to giving children the chance to read and see the potential they have to succeed in the world. It is a mission that has helped thousands, but there are many more in need of help.

Update at 12:38 pm - An earlier version of this story listed GM's donation as $1 million when it's actually $6 million. This story has been corrected to reflect this.

Jones to host Infinite Scholars Fair in Detroit

Council President Brenda Jones at a Warrendale meeting - Photo by Frank Nemecek

On Thursday, October 10, City Council President Brenda Jones will host the 3rd annual Infinite Scholars Fair in Detroit. This event will happen from 4 - 8 p.m. in Shed 3 at Eastern Market (2934 Russell St.) and will feature representatives from more than 40 colleges. Some of these schools will offer on-site acceptance for students as well as an onsite scholarship awards.

At the event last year, Detroit students were awarded more than $11 million is scholarships onsite.

The Infinite Scholars Fair is focused on students who are currently in the 12th grade. Those in the 9th through 11th grades, however, will still be welcomed. Students should bring up to 20 packets with them containing a copy of the transcript, ACT/SAT scores, recommendation letters, an essay on why they want to attend college, and a resume.

There is no cost to attend this event in Detroit. Regardless, interested students are still asked to RSVP online.

Update @ 5:17 p.m.
On the subject of preparing for college, I believe students should consider the question of safety when selecting a collee or university.

It was fortuidous, therefore, that a representative from SafeHome.org reached out to me today. They released a study on the Safest Cities for College Students to determine the safest colleges nationally and in each state. The rankings were determined using the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI, and U.S. Department of Education from colleges with at least 10,000 students in nearly 150 U.S. cities through 2017.

Western Michigan University was ranked as the least safe college or university in the Great Lakes State. In contrast, Lansing Community College was shown to be the safest. The full report is available online here.

Community meeting next Wednesday

Home in Warrendale - Photo by Frank Nemecek

The City of Detroit will host the community meeting for District 7 next Wednesday, October 9. This event will take place in the Adam Butzel Recreation Center (10500 Lyndon St.) from 6 - 8 p.m. District 7, of course, is the section of Detroit that includes Warrendale and its surrounding neighborhoods.

Items on the agenda for this meeting include the Detroit Water & Sewage Department as well as Halloween in the D. Representatives from all of the other departments in city government will also be on hand. This is an excellent opportunity for residents to express any concerns about city city services because the people you need to talk to will be right there.

I look forward to seeing lots of Warrendale residents at this meeting on Wednesday, October 9.

NASA invites students to help name the next Mars rover

Name the Mars 2020 Rover - Image by NASA

Since an impressive number of parents and educators read this blog, I wanted to share that K-12 students in public, private, and home schools across the United States are invited to enter the Mars 2020 Name the Rover essay contest. One grand prize winner will not only name the rover but be invited to see the spacecraft launch in July 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The Name the Rover contest is part of NASA's efforts to engage students in the STEM enterprise behind Mars exploration and inspire interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"This naming contest is a wonderful opportunity for our nation's youth to get involved with NASA's Moon to Mars missions," explained NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "It is an exciting way to engage with a rover that will likely serve as the first leg of a Mars Sample return campaign, collecting and caching core samples from the Martian surface for scientists here on Earth to study for the first time."

The Mars 2020 rover is a 2,300-pound robotic scientist that will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.

"Our Mars 2020 rover has fully taken shape over the past several months, as the project team installed various components onto the chassis: the computer brain and electronics; wheels and mobility system; robotic arm; remote sensing mast; the seven science instruments; and finally, the sample caching system," added George Tahu, Mars 2020 program executive. "All that's missing is a great name!"

To enter the contest, students must submit their proposed rover name and a short essay, no more than 150 words, explaining why their proposed name should be chosen. The essays will be divided into three groups, by grade level - K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 - and judged on the appropriateness, significance and originality of their proposed name, and the originality and quality of their essay, and/or finalist interview presentation. The deadline for all submissions is November 1.

52 semifinalists will be selected per group, each representing Michigan and the other states and territories. Three finalists then will be selected from each group to advance to the final round.

As part of the final selection process, the public will have an opportunity to vote online on the nine finalists in January 2020. NASA plans to announce the selected name on February 18, 2020, which is exactly one year before the rover will land on the surface of Mars.

For complete contest and prize details, visit https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/participate/name-the-rover/.

Detroit is the most stressed city in USA

Alone - Image by Grae Dickason/Pixabay

According to a report that was released earlier today by WalletHub, Detroit is the most stressed city in the United States. The three key driving factors in our stress levels according to their research is our poverty and divorce rates as well as Detroiters not getting enough sleep. A below average amount of job security in the Detroit area also plays a role in our stress as does traffic congestion in the region.

As part of my Tip of the Week feature, therefore, I would like to pass along some advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on healthy ways one can better deal with stress.

• Take care of yourself. This includes eating healthy, well-balanced meals, exercising on a regular basis, and getting plenty of sleep.
• Talk to others. The CDC recommends sharing your problems and how you are feeling and coping with a parent, friend, counselor, doctor, or pastor.
• Avoid drugs and alcohol. These may seem like they are helping with stress. However, in the long run, they are creating more problems and increase the stress you are already feeling.
• Take a break. If news events are causing your stress then take a break from listening or watching the news.

Readers may find additional advice on dealing with stress in a healthy manner - including advice specifically for parents, young people, and school personnel by visiting their website here.

With this advice, I can only hope that Detroit will not be the most stressed city in the United States in 2020.

These tips are brought to you by the Warrendale (Detroit) Blog as part of our semi-regular Tip of the Week feature. Please check back every Monday for more advice on your home, money, and life.

Also, be sure to follow the author, Frank Nemecek, on Twitter and Instagram as @fnemecek for more great information.

Cody High: A Life Remodeled Project

I watched Cody High last night. This is a documentary about the Detroit public high school that people from the Warrendale neighborhood would attend. The film itself focused on what happened when students there went through the Life Remodeled Project a few years ago.

The Life Remodeled Project was an ambitious philanthropic project that was conducted in the area. It attempted to identify challenges and opportunities in every aspect of a students life at Cody High; not just those that directly impact their academic performance. For example, if a student is experiencing serious problems at home then it's inevitable that those problems will bleed over into their schoolwork regardless of how much teachers may try to isolate them.

The Life Remodeled Project sought to address the challenges that these students face on a holistic level. Moreover, since this was shot during some of Detroit's darkest days, there were a lot of problems for them to work with.

A lot of problems.

I like that this documentary had enough grittiness in it to be authentic yet still captured the hope that permeates Detroit. I highly recommend watching it.

I found Cody High on Amazon Prime. However, it is probably available elsewhere as well.

FBI warns about cyber risk to students

Cyber-threats - Stock image by Pete Linforth/Pixabay

The Federal Bureau of Investigation released a statement recently encouraging public awareness of cyber threat concerns related to K-12 students. The US school systems’ rapid growth of education technologies, which is also known as EdTech. This technology has led to the widespread collection of student data could have privacy and safety implications if compromised or exploited.

EdTech can provide services for adaptive, personalized learning experiences, and unique opportunities for student collaboration. Additionally, administrative platforms for tracking academics, disciplinary issues, student information systems, and classroom management programs, are commonly served through EdTech services.

The types of data that are collected can include personally identifiable information as well as:

• biometric data;
• academic progress;
• behavioral, disciplinary, and medical information;
• Web browsing history;
• students’ geolocation;
• IP addresses used by students; and
• classroom activities.

Malicious use of this sensitive data could result in social engineering, bullying, tracking, identity theft, or other means for targeting children. Therefore, the FBI is providing awareness to schools and parents of the important role cybersecurity plays in the securing of student information and devices.

Sensitive Student Data
The widespread collection of sensitive information by EdTech could present unique exploitation opportunities for criminals. For example, in late 2017, cyber-actors exploited school information technology systems by hacking into multiple school district servers across the United States. They accessed student contact information, education plans, homework assignments, medical records, and counselor reports, and then used that information to contact, extort, and threaten students with physical violence and release of their personal information. The actors sent text messages to parents and local law enforcement, publicized students’ private information, posted student PII on social media, and stated how the release of such information could help child predators identify new targets. In response to the incidents, the U.S. Department of Education released a Cyber Advisory alert in October 2017 stating cybercriminals were targeting school districts with weak data security or well-known vulnerabilities to access sensitive data from student records to shame, bully, and threaten children.

Cybersecurity issues were discovered in 2017 for two large EdTech companies, resulting in public access to millions of students’ data. According to security researchers, one company exposed internal data by storing it on a public-facing server. The other company suffered a breach and student data was posted for sale on the Dark Web.

Inter-connected Networks and Devices
EdTech connected to networked devices or directly to the Internet could increase opportunities for cyber actors to access devices collecting data and monitoring children within educational or home environments. Improperly secured take-home devices (e.g. tablets, laptops) or monitoring devices (e.g. in-school surveillance cameras or microphones), particularly those with remote-access capabilities, could be exploitable through cyber intrusions or other unauthorized means and present vulnerabilities for students.

Recommendations
The increased use of connected digital tools in the learning environment and widespread data collection introduces cybersecurity risks of which parents should be aware.

The FBI recognizes there are districts across the United States who are working hard to address cybersecurity matters in their schools to protect students and their data. For districts seeking assistance, there are numerous online resources, consortiums, and organizations available that can provide support on data protection matters and cybersecurity best practices.

The FBI encourages parents and families to research existing student and child privacy protections of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and state laws as they apply to EdTech services.
Discuss with their local districts about what and how EdTech technologies and programs are used in their schools.

Families should also research parent coalition and information-sharing organizations that are available online for those looking for support and additional resources as well as school-related cyber breaches which can further inform families of student data vulnerabilities. The FBI also recommends that families consider credit or identity theft monitoring to check for any fraudulent use of their children’s identity. Parents should also regularly search the Internet for their children’s information to help identify the exposure and stop it from spreading.

If you have evidence your child’s data may have been compromised, or if you have experienced any of the Internet crimes described in this PSA, please file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

Protecting your children from the latest EdTech cyber-risks is your Tip of the Week for the week of September 17.

These tips are brought to you by the Warrendale (Detroit) Blog as part of our semi-regular Tip of the Week feature. Please check back every Monday for more advice on your home, money, and life. In the meantime, please feel free to check out the author, Frank Nemecek, on Twitter and Instagram for more great content as @fnemecek.

Miss Michigan is my new hero

Emily Sioma, Miss Michigan 2019 - Photo by Yachin Parham/Miss America Foundation

Nia Franklin of New York was crowned Miss America at the pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. However, it was Miss Michigan Emily Sioma whose introduction caused the most stir and excitement.

At the beginning of the Miss America pageant, each of the 51 contestants took center stage to introduce herself briefly to the audience. "From the state with 89% of the U.S. freshwater but none for its residents to drink," she began, "I am Miss Michigan Emily Sioma."

To say that the internet exploded with comments regarding Emily Sioma and her comments at the Miss America pageant is an understatement. Everyone seemed to understand that she was referring to the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Unfortunately, though, her comments could also apply to Detroit public school students and others around the Great Lakes State who lack a reliable source of clean drinking water.

I am incredibly proud of Emily Sioma for using her platform at the Miss America pageant to keep the problems of clean drinking water in Michigan in the public consciousness. There are a lot of people in this state, particularly in Lansing, who would like the issues associated with our water to go away so they can go back to cutting taxes and regulations. However, when people like her keep water at the forefront of everyone's mind, it makes it hard to impossible for this issue to die a quiet death without someone finally fixing the problem.

I feel like I should mention a few other things about Emily Sioma to put her life thus far into perspective. She was born and raised in Grass Lake, Michigan, which is along the I-94 corridor between Ann Arbor and Jackson, but closer to Jackson. She is also a graduate of the University of Michigan where she received a degree in women's studies.

Emily Sioma is a survivor of a sexual assault. She used her personal experiences and her education to further the "I Believe You" initiative as part of her reign as Miss Michigan. Its mission is to support those who also survived a sexual assault.

It is for all of these reasons that Emily Sioma, Miss Michigan 2019, is my hero.

One of the things that I normally do on this blog is to publish a Tip of the Week feature; something to make someone's life a little easier or better. This Monday, my tip of the week is simple: be more like Emily Sioma.

I want to be more like her. I want everyone in Michigan to be more like Emily Sioma. That's why it gives me great pleasure to make "be more like Emily Sioma" this blog's Tip of the Week for September 10, 2018.

These tips are brought to you by the Warrendale (Detroit) Blog as part of our semi-regular Tip of the Week feature. Please check back every Monday for more advice on your home, money, and life. In the meantime, please feel free to check out the author, Frank Nemecek, on Twitter and Instagram for more great content as @fnemecek.

Training opportunity for the construction industry

Wayne State University is organizing an OSHA-approved training for those interested in obtaining certification for a Respirable Crystalline Silica Training. Spanish-speaking students will receive a $25 gift certificate to Honey Bee Market La Colmena at the end of the training.

This training will happen on Saturday, September 9 and Saturday, September 16 at La Sed Page Senior Center (7150 W. Vernor) in Southwest Detroit.

For any questions about this training opportunity in the construction industry for Detroiters, please contact Mary Carmen Muñoz at (313) 554-2015 or mcmunoz@lased.inc. One may also contact
Roberto Muñoz at (313) 815-3146 or munozrd@udmercy.edu with any questions.

What is next for the Dixon site?

The site of Dixon Elementary | Photo by Frank Nemecek

This is what the site of the former Dixon Elementary School in Detroit looked like this afternoon. The remaining debris is being cleared away. Soon all that remains will be a large vacant parcel of land where neighborhood children used to go to school.

While the ending of one chapter can be painful for many, I would like to start a conversation about what should happen to this site next. What do you think should happen to this parcel of land next?

Please feel free to leave your thoughts in a comment below or on Facebook.

Dixon is demolished

Remnants of Dixon Elementary School - Photo by Frank Nemecek

All that is left of the long-shuttered Dixon Elementary School is a large pile of rubble and overgrown grass. The building itself has been demolished.

The demolition crews will remove the remaining rubble in the coming days. Hopefully, the grass will also get cut sooner rather than later.

The bigger question is: what will happen to this property once demolition is completed?

Whatever happens, it will be covered in this blog.

Additional photos of the site are below.

Some of the remnants of Dixon Elementary - Photo by Frank Nemecek

Tall grass at the site of Dixon Elementary - Photo by Frank Nemecek

Demolition begins on Dixon Elementary

Demolition work on the former Dixon Elementary School
Photo by Frank Nemecek

Demolition work has begun on the former Dixon Elementary School on Tireman at Minock Street in the Warrendale neighborhood in Detroit. The long-vacant school building will be entirely gone in the coming days.

As of right now, it's not clear what will happen to the underlying land once the vacant school is removed.

2,500 GM employees to help Detroit's neighborhoods

teamGM Cares - File photo

It’ll be all hands (and arms and legs) on deck when 2,500 General Motors employees return to Detroit’s Cody Rouge community, which includes much of Warrendale. They will volunteer the week of August 15. Employees will donate their time and talent to board up vacant homes, clean empty lots, spruce up streets, and tackle other neighborhood and school improvements.

The transformation is part of teamGM Cares, a company-wide volunteerism initiative that is partnering with the Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance (CRCAA), Cody High School and additional corporations. Several of GM’s senior executives will join employees throughout the week.

The CRCAA and residents have been working with GM and The Skillman Foundation since early 2016 to determine the community’s needs and develop plans. “Our organization has been working for 10 years to create a strong, sustainable community for residents and businesses,” says Kenyetta Campbell, CRCAA executive director. “We are excited to partner with GM to help amplify our work.”

GM’s improvements to Cody High will include a concession stand, fitness park, dugout, soccer field, pavilion and a complete field cleaning.

“GM’s employees made great progress two years ago and now we are returning to work with residents and community leaders to create a safer, sustainable neighborhood where families and businesses can thrive,” added Heidi Magyar, director of GM Community Outreach.

Other partners working with GM in Cody Rouge include Quicken Loans, DTE Energy, The Skillman Foundation, PwC, Roncelli, Inc., and Oak Pointe Church. Their projects will include:

• Employee volunteers from Quicken Loans will clean and paint boarded-up vacant structures and renovate the walking path at Rouge Park;
• DTE Care Force employee volunteers to support board-up efforts by clearing trees, assessing utilities and service reliability and by planting new trees in the neighborhood;
• The Skillman Foundation will provide logistical support to all employee volunteers;
• PwC will do cleaning and painting at Cody High School;
• Roncelli, Inc. will provide project management oversight; and
• Oak Pointe Church will provide onsite support at Cody High School.

The week of sweat equity concludes with an Employee and Community Family Fun Day on August 20, where residents and employee volunteers will relax over food and music. GM employees will distribute backpacks filled with school supplies to neighborhood students at the Fun Day. GM employees stuffed 5,000 backpacks at Cobo Center in June alongside attendees at Points of Light, the world’s largest volunteering and service conference.

Santana scares teens straight

For all the haters out there this special message is for you. Several months ago myself and my homie Raphael B. Johnson...
Posted by Harvey Santana on Tuesday, July 21, 2015

State Representative Harvey Santana posted this story to his Facebook page the other day. Please click "see more" to see the rest of this story. I think it is a great example of the power that we have to help teens turn their lives around.

My thanks go out to Santana and Johnson for doing their part.

Volunteers needed for Rouge Park water quality testing

The Friends of Rouge Park are looking for volunteers to assist in leading 4th-8th-grade students. No experience is necessary; all information will be provided.

The Greening of Detroit's Our LAND Program will take 10 Detroit Public School classes, grades 4th - 8th, to test water quality at Rouge Park.  

Field trips are from 9:30 am-1:30 pm for the dates below.  The first groups are a high priority because more help is needed. However, any and all dates that volunteers are available for will be extremely helpful.

The priority dates, with the highest need for volunteers, are:

• Friday, March 27;
• Monday, March 30;
• Tuesday, March 31; and
• Wednesday, April 1.

Volunteers are also needed on:

• Thursday, March 19;
• Friday, March 20;
• Tuesday, March 24;
• Wednesday, March 25; and
• Thursday, March 26.

Volunteers will need to be able to pass a background check.  Interested volunteers can contact Jac by emailing Jentringer [at] greeningofdetroit [dot] com. One may also leave a message at (313) 285-2253.

Truck knocks out pedestrian bridge

A truck from TLC Waste Disposal in Romulus, Michigan struck a pedestrian bridge over the Southfield Freeway at Cathedral Street, which is just north of the Warrendale neighborhood. This collision caused the bridge to collapse onto the freeway and killed the truck driver. According to published news reports, no one was on the bridge at the time of the collapse.

The Southfield Freeway is currently closed from Ford Road to I-96. However, the Detroit Free Press reports that the Michigan Department of Transportation hopes to have it re-opened later today.

State Representative Harvey Santana posted on his Facebook page that he has asked Governor Rick Snyder for emergency funds to replace the bridge. Students at Cody High School who live east of the freeway use that bridge to get to school every day.

Gabe Leland kicks off literacy initiative

There's an old adage in politics that elected officials and candidates should avoid wearing goofy hats. However, I'm pretty sure one can make an Detroit City Councilman Gabe Leland, who represents the 7th District, which includes the Warrendale neighborhood.

Leland kicked off a literacy initiative earlier this week at Ann Arbor Trail Magnet Middle School to encourage children to read more. As part of the effort, he read The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss to them and wore a distinctive Seuss hat for the occasion.

"When I was a kid my favorite book was Cat in the Hat, which made reading fun," he explained. "Today, reading continues to be fun because it's meaningful."

As someone who has published two novels, I applaud anyone who encourages children to read more. The hat just makes it that much more awesome.

DTE Energy accepting applications for interns

DTE Energy is currently accepting applications for its popular 2014 Summer Student Employment Program Feb. 10 to Feb. 23. This program is an important part of the company 's efforts to develop future talent for our company. It provides full-time, temporary employment opportunities for students who are either college undergraduates or high school seniors who will attend college in the fall.

Students wishing to apply for an internship must complete an electronic Summer Student Questionnaire at dteenergy.com under Careers between Feb. 10 and Feb. 23. No paper applications will be accepted. When a student accepts an offer, he/she will receive instructions on how to complete the application packet from the recruiter with a specified completion date.

Applicants also should know:

• Students MUST provide a copy of their official transcript in order to be considered;
• Employee referrals are not required; and
• Leaders may request the rehire of former students on the "Summer Student Employment Requisition" eForm.

Reporting relationships must not violate DTE Energy Policy EM18, Personal Relationships. Consistent with policy EM18, summer students should not be placed in an area where they are in a reporting relationship (either directly or indirectly) to employees with whom they have a familial relationship.

Students will be hired and participate in orientation on predetermined dates in May and June.

Former Detroit Public Schools Accountant Indicted on Corruption Charges

Sandra Campbell, a former Detroit Public Schools contract accountant and school board candidate, as well as her daughter, Domonique Campbell, a Detroit Public Schools teacher, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Detroit on charges of program fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and tax charges, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced yesterday.

Ms. McQuade was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Andrew Arena of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Special Agent in Charge Erick Martinez of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.

The nine-count indictment charges that between 2004 and 2008, Sandra Campbell, 56, and Domonique Campbell, 37, obtained in excess of $530,000 from the Detroit Public Schools through a fraudulent scheme in which orders were placed with the Campbells’ sham company for books and educational materials never provided to the schools. The indictment further alleges that Sandra Campbell and Domonique Campbell conspired to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and failed to report the money they fraudulently obtained from the Detroit Public Schools as income on their tax returns.

Sandra Campbell is also charged in the indictment with wire fraud. This count alleges that Ms. Campbell obtained a $40,000 discount payoff of a $250,000 mortgage on her home through a fraudulent “short sale” of the property to her mother.

U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade said in a prepared statement, “Anyone who considers stealing from our school children should take note that we are scrutinizing records and conduct, and will prosecute wrongdoers. “

Agent Arena added, “The FBI would like to thank all of our partners who continue to assist us in battling corruption. In particular, I would like to note the continued support of DPS Inspector General Van Marsh and his team, The alleged actions of these subjects do nothing more than steal the opportunity for quality education from our children. Such actions can not be tolerated and will be pursued by the FBI and it’s partners.”

Agent Martinez also stated, “Those who profit at the expense of our children and steal from our community will be held accountable for their greedy actions.”

The case was investigated by special agents of the FBI, IRS, and Department of Education, Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of Detroit Public Schools, Office of Inspector General. The case is being investigated and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Michael Buckley and Pamela Thompson of the Public Corruption Unit.