Welcome to Alpena High School

Change of venue to Alpena High School Wildcat Den
Streaming link Click HERE

 APS BOARD OF EDUCATION

Workshop Meeting  Monday, May 12, 2025 5:30 p.m. 

Alpena High School Wildcat Den 3303 S. Third Ave. Alpena, MI  49707

Enter by the AHS Main Office off Garden Street

May 7, 2025

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Ice Storm and Forgiven Days

We are still awaiting a final decision from the state legislature regarding the additional school days we missed due to the recent ice storm. I remain optimistic that forgiveness will be granted.

Representative Cam Cavitt has introduced House Bill 4345, which would provide flexibility by waiving the minimum required school days and hours for affected districts. This bill has passed with unanimous support of the House of Representatives, and is now headed to the Senate. Upon final passage local school boards will then be able to adopt resolutions to officially forgive the missed days. We will keep you informed as soon as we know more.

Strategic Planning and Facility Study

At its April 28 meeting, the Alpena Public Schools Board of Education approved a partnership with Kingscott (a firm specializing in architecture, engineering, and design) and Clark Construction to begin a comprehensive long-term facility study. This important work aligns with our Strategic Plan’s Stewardship goal area.

While our district is currently in sound financial health, we continue to face long-term challenges, including declining enrollment and a reduced number of operational buildings. Now is the right time to thoughtfully and creatively plan for the future. We’re asking questions like: What will education look like in Alpena in the coming decades? How can we operate more efficiently while still providing a top-quality experience for students and staff?

Your voice will play a vital role in shaping these decisions. Over the next several months, we will be gathering input from students, staff, families, and community members, with the goal of finalizing the study and developing options by November. Together, we will build a vision for the future of Alpena Public Schools.

Looking Ahead: End-of-Year Celebrations

It’s hard to believe we’re already in the final stretch of the school year! With just over a month to go, this is a joyful time filled with celebrations of student growth and staff achievements. Be sure to check your school's weekly updates and our district website for important dates, ceremonies, and end-of-year events.

There is so much to be proud of in Alpena Public Schools. Whether you're a parent, a student, an employee, or a community member, your involvement helps make this a thriving place to learn, work, and grow. Thank you for being part of our APS family—this is truly a great place to be!

APS Board Meeting April 28, 2025 

5:30 PM 2373 Gordon Rd Alpena MI 49707

Streaming Link

https://youtube.com/live/WHCjmTlV9ao?feature=share

Dear APS Families and Community,

Thank you to everyone who was able to respond to our recent survey regarding the return to school. We received 1,316 responses—your feedback has been invaluable as we continue to assess our readiness. We also recognize that many in our community are still without power and may not have been able to respond. Of those who did, 36% reported still being without power, and we understand that many more may be facing similar challenges.

Here’s a quick summary of what we learned:

• 45% of respondents indicated they were ready to return to school on Monday.

• 27% shared some concerns but felt they could return.

• 29% said they were not ready to return.

Not surprisingly, 60% of those without power said they were not ready, while 88% of those with power indicated they were ready to return.

We’ve been reviewing all of your input, including the suggestions for how we can support our students and staff. Much of the support mentioned—such as restoring power and water—remains outside of our control. Still, we are doing everything we can within our buildings to ensure a safe, supportive, and smooth return.

APS has been partnering with our local emergency management agencies.  You may have noticed that APS has been using social media to communicate important information to the community.  APS also loaned a commercial-grade generator to the county as support for their operations at the fairgrounds.  Once our buildings had power restored, we were prepared to support the recovery efforts by opening some as warming facilities.  Thankfully, many other organizations had opened their doors as warming shelters, and as we came online, warming shelters were being consolidated due to declining utilization.

While our facilities team has been hard at work preparing our buildings, we also need time for our staff to return, reconnect, and make final preparations before welcoming students back. That time is essential to creating the learning environment our kids deserve.

There are also a few logistical issues we need to resolve:

• Food Deliveries – We’ve placed emergency orders to replace the food lost during the outages. While we’ve been guaranteed delivery on Monday, we have not been given a specific time. This creates uncertainty around our ability to provide lunch on Monday, though we will be able to serve breakfast.

• Bus Routes – Although roads appear to be clear, our drivers will run their routes without students on Monday to assess actual road conditions and report back.

Should food deliveries be delayed or road conditions prove unacceptable, we will adjust our plan accordingly.

Given these circumstances, staff have been informed that they will return to work on Monday, April 7, to reconnect and prepare. Students will return to school on Tuesday, April 8. High school students enrolled in classes at ACC should expect to receive communication from the college regarding their schedule.

A heartfelt thank you to our incredible staff who have already been working tirelessly this past week to get us to this point. Your dedication does not go unnoticed.

As we return, let’s do so with a deep sense of grace and understanding—for ourselves and for one another. Everyone in our community has experienced this storm differently, and we will need patience and empathy as we work our way back into routine.

For those of you who remain without power, I understand how you might be feeling at this time as my family is still without power as well.

Our goal is to provide a sense of normalcy for our students, staff, and families, but we know many are still facing significant challenges. Parents are empowered to make the best decision for their students based on their individual circumstances.

We look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday, April 8th.