By Shelby Stewart-Soldan
ssoldan@mihomepaper.com
Brandon — On Feb. 19, Brandon Schools hosted their first-ever school-wide enrollment fair.
“I would say we had over 200 folks come through,” said superintendent Carly Stone. “They all varied from preschool to soon-to-be high school families. We are just super thankful for all the participation.”
Despite a delay due to the snow, as the event was originally scheduled for Feb. 12 but was rescheduled due to incoming snow, Stone said they had plenty of families attend and a lot of community organizations.
“The Department of Health and Human Services, Brandon Groveland Youth Assistance, Brandon Prevention Coalition, Oakland County Health Department, they were all here to provide resources to families,” she said. “Sports boosters, Parks and Recreation, local sports organizations such at Brandon Junior Blackhawks.”
There was also free dinner for attendees, a demonstration from the robotics team, and showcases of the metal shop and wood shop, as well as presentations on each school.
“We also had an instrument petting zoo,” she said. “Students going from elementary to middle school that were interested in joining band could try out different instruments to see what they might like to play in middle school.”
There were also staff members in attendance so attendees could ask questions of teachers, building administrators, and program directors.
“We had a parent who had a student with a particular allergy, and she was able to talk to the food service director directly about it,” said Stone. “Overall it was a very positive event. We saw some newer families to the district, they’re looking forward to getting into the schools for kindergarten round-up.”
10 a.m.-1 p.m., on March 1, Brandon will host their preschool open house. Following that, there will be kindergarten round-up for Harvey-Swanson on March 4, 5:30-7 p.m., and Oakwood on March 5:30-7 p.m.
“We’re really excited to do this again next year,” said Stone. “We worked hard with the local community to bring all of this together. It felt more like highlighting the Brandon community, not just the school, which is what makes this district really special.”