Brandon School District - Brandon School District - At the Forefront of Educational Excellence

Future Problem Solvers

The Future Problem Solvers (FPS) team from Harvey-Swanson Elementary School recently competed in the State Bowl at Michigan State University. FPS is an international academic competition for young adolescents. This is the first year for FPS in Brandon and both teams qualified for the State Bowl.

Students participating in FPS learn to identify problems, analyze situations, brainstorm solutions and come up with futuristic creative action plans. They learn to work as a team with other students who think differently from them. Time management is emphasized as well as honing writing skills. One of our teams won 2^nd place in two categories: booklet writing, and their action plan. Congratulations to all participants!

Brandon STEM Pathways Academy Perform Well at MDOT State Bridge Challenge

The Brandon Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Pathways Academy attended the Michigan Department of Transportation’s State Bridge Building Challenge on Tuesday, April 16, 2013. Brandon High School was represented by 21 students on seven teams in the 9th and 10th grade division. Students were to give a seven to ten minute presentation to MDOT Civil Engineers as well as design and build a bascule bridge which was tested for its strength to weight ratio. Students from the Academy were able to bring home 3rd and 4th place finishes in the Bascule Bridge Challenge. Finishing in Fourth place was Team Duke consisting of students Mackenzie Bolton, Hannah Sample, and Andrew Hayduk. Coming in 3rd Place was Team SSR consisting of students Sara Heines, Sandra Peters and Randi Jannette. Over 400 teams from all over the state of Michigan participated in the challenge this year in Lansing at the Lansing Center. This is the fourth year the Academy has participated in the competition and looks forward to sending more successful teams in the future. The Brandon STEM pathways Academy is a highly focused program that begins in 9th grade at Brandon High School. The program is for learners who are highly motivated and are looking to enter careers in areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM is key to today's global economy. In order for America to compete in today's world market, learners must be prepared to enter the workforce with the necessary skills to compete for tomorrow's jobs.

Robotics Team wins Chairman's Award

On Saturday, March 2, 2013, Truck Town Thunder FIRST Robotics Team 68, exhibited tremendous professionalism at the Kettering FIRST Robotics District Competition. The team made it to the Semi-Finals. At the end of the day, the team was recognized with the Underwriters Laboratories Industrial Safety Award as well as the coveted District Chairman’s Award. It is the most prestigious award a team can win at a regional competition. The Chairman's Award was created to recognize teams that demonstrate the greatest commitment to spreading passion about science and technology into their communities and schools. For more details, see our press release.