Ferndale looking ahead to new future

A faculty enchancment bond supplies a brand new basis for the Ferndale college district.

Greater than 70% of Ferndale voters authorised a $114.8 million, 30-year college enchancment bond in Could 2025.

Now Superintendent Camille Hibbler needs to reimagine what the district may be for college students and employees.

Step one is to renovate and reconfigure the highschool constructing constructed on Pinecrest Avenue 67 years in the past.

The three-story constructing has greater than 1,200 enrolled college students and can bear vital enhancements, together with a brand new highschool workplace and constructing entrances.

“We all know we are able to deliver an id to the center college and highschool in a approach that can elevate teachers and improve our collective satisfaction in Ferndale,” Hibbler stated. “It’s thrilling to know that with this bond venture we are able to ship on the promise we made to our neighborhood.”

The $114 million is a major monetary funding for a district that 5 years in the past budgeted $36 million in income and an enrollment of simply over 3,100 college students, rating twenty third out of 28 districts in Oakland County. However Ferndale was one among solely 4 college districts to realize college students final yr.

Ferndale-based architectural agency Fanning Howey will oversee the venture, which can break floor in 2027, with employees and college students having enter on preliminary adjustments to the constructing’s educational areas.

“It is nice to have an organization of individuals with youngsters in our college who’re working to alter their future by engaged on this constructing,” stated Hibbler.

Hibbler has labored to develop partnerships inside and outdoors the neighborhood to work on points similar to lowering power absenteeism and rising take a look at scores.

Ferndale companions with the Black Male Educators Alliance, a nationwide nonprofit based in 2017, to create equitable academic environments the place Black male educators and college students can thrive.

“They prepare our younger males in highschool to be mentors for Ferndale Higher (Elementary) college students,” Hibbler stated. “They’re academics and mentors and discuss real-life actions. It actually means lots to our youthful college students.”

In addition they need to improve take a look at scores.

Final yr, Ferndale third and 4th graders earned 48.4% and 43% superior/proficient scores on the English portion of the state’s MSTEP assessments, placing them in the midst of the pack when it got here to county college district rankings.

“We give attention to efficiency and figuring out the place our weaknesses are, similar to state take a look at scores in areas like MSTEP take a look at scores for our third and fourth graders,” the superintendent stated. “Our partnerships assist us within the classroom and we’ve seen nice educational progress in our MSTEP information, particularly amongst our third and fourth graders.”

One other instance of their continued progress is the rise of the Giggle Pickles fifth-grade robotics group, which went undefeated in 12 video games through the 2024-2025 season to turn into Michigan state champions.

In 2024, lead mentor, Nick Kokotovich, received the Compass Award as ‘Mentor of the 12 months’.

On the 2025 FIRST Robotics World Championship in Houston, Texas, they completed 14th out of 64 groups of their division with a 7-3 document and can return as state champions in April. The 2025-2026 season will probably be their third yr as a group.

Ferndale faculties have additionally entered the world of unmanned aerial drones by partnerships, which started final yr with the nationwide Drone Apprenticeship and Drone Workforce Improvement Packages obtainable to all college students within the district.

“These packages are actually taking off. The curiosity from our youngsters is unbelievable,” Hibbler stated. “I like the way in which our future seems right here in Ferndale and I am excited to see every part come collectively over the following 5 or 10 years.”