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The First Bell, The First Sigh
A Farmington Hills mother breathes a sigh of relief
with the start of the school year.
JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER
School
Bond...004
Voters in the Walled Lake
school district are being asked again
to fund new schools and renovate
existing ones.
JULIE EDGAR STAFF WRITER\
E
ach year, it comes right before the
leaves burst into warm hues, and
it promises to bring a smile to the
lips of nearly every parent of
school-age children.
"It" is not the opening of the Franklin
Cider Mill nor is it the Rosh Hashanah
break.
It is the first day of school. This
week, hundreds of local children re-
turned to the classroom after a long,
temperate slimmer sojourn. Following
Labor Day, thousands more will join
them.
And just as many parents will
breathe freely once more.
Vivian Honig knows the feeling. As
the parent of a high-schooler and an el-
ementary-age student, she has seen
many of these first days come and go.
"You are supposed to cry, but I sigh
from relief," she said Wednesday morn-
ing, shortly after dropping off her
daughter Jennifer at Hillel Day School
for her first day as a second-grader.
Ms. Honig, also the parent of North
Farmington High School 10th-grader
Daniel, wrapped up weeks of careful
preparation for the school year when
she kissed Jennifer good-bye and head-
ed home to crack a book of her own.
In the weeks before this decadent
moment occurred, the Farmington books, pencil cases, brands of markers,
Hills single mother spent her time in crayons, rulers and a host of other good-
seemingly endless preparation for The ies before waiting for their turn in the
Big Day. First, she waited for the list check-out lines that stretched a little
of required supplies to come from fill- further than they normally do.
The store had everything. Every-
lel. Then she planned an outing for her
thing, that is, except the pencil sharp-
children.
"This is sort of a campaign and you ener.
`This year was the year of the pen-
have to plan your strategy," she said.
Ms. Honig believes in letting her chil- cil sharpener," Ms. Honig said. "Jen-
nifer could not find one that
dren pick and choose the
she liked."
supplies they will use Vivian Honig breathes a
Two days before the first
throughout the year.
sigh of relief a fter dropping
"Would it be easier if I Jennifer off fo r the first day bell, there still was no pen-
just went out and bought of school. She had to wait, cil sharpener to pack into
it? Of course it would," she however, to g et out of the the brand new school bag.
"So I said to her, 'You
said. "But this is as im- stack-parked parking lot.
will either go to school
portant to the child as pick-
without a pencil sharpener or you will
ing out shoes would be to you."
She reasons that her daughter may go with one that will do,' " Ms. Honig
be in a "purple mood" this year. If she said. "You have to give your child choic-
were to return from the outing with es, even simple ones, or they will nev-
yellow and green notebooks, Jennifer er be able to make choices."
Jennifer caved. She went to school
would not be as happy going to school.
"You have to set the tone early," she with one that wasn't exactly what she
said. 'They are going to have to be hap- wanted but it worked and that was
py with what they are going to use for what was important.
On Tuesday night, after a last-
the rest of the school year."
So, with list in hand, the Honigs minute shopping excursion, Ms. Honig
headed to Office Max, already in the made banana nut muffins, a time-con-
throes of its annual "Back To School" suming luxury she doesn't usually in-
sale. The family carefully selected note- RELIEF page 14
I
f at first you don't succeed, try again and
again — and again.
Voters in the Walled Lake Consolidated
School District will be asked for a fourth time
next month to approve the sale of $108 million
in bonds to build new schools and renovate ex-
isting ones.
Individuals on both sides of the issue view
the upcoming election as a referendum on the
future of the district's education: One active
supporter says passage of the proposal will lead
to higher property values, com-
munity stability, and ulti- Dr. Bill Hamilton:
mately a better school system.
Assistant
An equally vigorous detractor superintendent
believes passage would be tan- for curriculum.
tamount to supporting a deeply
flawed system of education.
The special vote is scheduled for Saturday,
Sept. 28. The ballot proposals request $108 mil-
lion for projects that include the construction
of an elementary school and two middle schools
and $6 million for a new community pool at
Walled Lake Central High School.
The elementary school would be located at
13 Mile Road and Meadowbrook; one middle
school would be built at Charms and Wixom
roads in Wixom; and the second middle school
would be located somewhere in the east part of
the district.
"The need for new space is overwhelming,"
SCHOOL BOND page 15