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Wylie students raise money for St. Jude. Page 3-A

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Lady Dreads knock off Manchester. Page 1-C

VOL. 142, NO. 51

DEXTER LEADER
75
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2012
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Make sure to click on www.heritage.com around the clock for the most in-depth coverage of Washtenaw County. Our Most Viewed story this week is Cornerstones Craig McCalla named Principal of the Year.

THE

Village will have a holiday glow

hristmas Eve will see the streets of Dexter aglow with luminaria, part of the lasting legacy of the late Doris Waggoner and the late Betty Steinaway. The Dexter Area Chamber of Commerce said Waggoner and Steinaway were inspired by the traditions of the American West in towns along the Rio Grande where small votive candles are placed in bags and set out by New Mexico residents. The flames are to offer a welcome to the newborn Christ child. This is a tradition that dates back to the Spanish settlers. Waggoner and Steinaway adopted the tradition and brought it to Dexter in 1985. The chamber said the ladies started with five streets: Central, Fourth, Ann Aror, Broad and Baker. Today, the luminaria cover the entire village. Theyve been placed out on Christmas Eve, every year since, with the exception of 1998, according to the chamber. Dexter chamber members took over the luminaria in 2003 to keep the tradition going. To that end on Dec. 8, chamber volunteers gathered at the Dexter DPW on Central Street to assemble the luminaria. The materials came from donations from community members and businesses, that include Fink Law, Cartridge World of Ann Arbor and callyourhelpdesk.com.

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Photo courtesy of the Dexter Area Chamber of Commerce

A young volunteer stands near assembled luminaria at the Dexter DPW building.

The ames are to offer a welcome to the newborn Christ child. This is a tradition that dates back to the Spanish settlers.

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Schools cope in aftermath of killings

By Erica McClain
Heritage Media

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Dexter reaches out to families, students

intendent, in a Bates Elementary prerecorded phone Schools entryway. call sent out to Wylie Elementary parents and staff. School has a Marshall said security system she wants to reasupgrade that sure parents that could be ready as the Dexter school soon as Monday. district is safe. The school disThe districts bond trict also practices renovations have Marshall security drills allowed them to regularly. upgrade security at all We know that its importhe schools, most recently tant to be prepared for whatever might come our way, she said. There are also several factors Marshall would like to remind parents. First, as traumatic as the experience is for us, we have to stay calm, Marshall said, adding that children read adults body language and determine their safety based upon it. Marshall also advised adults to be careful about

Dexter Community Schools sent out materials via email this past weekend to help local families and children cope with the news of the Newtown school shooting. We know that many of you may have concerns about how to support your children if they have worries regarding this tragedy, said Mary Marshall, the school districts super-

watching the news if children are within earshot. If any children do hear the news, reassure them they are safe and live within a safe community. Our hearts all go out to the community of Newtown, Marshall said. ... Please take care of those kids this weekend. Give them some hugs. Erica McClain can be reached at emcclain@heritage.com, 734-429-7380 or on Twitter @eamcclain.

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Sandy Hook tragedy causes districts review security procedures

By Danny Shaw
Heritage Media

INDEX
Editorial Calendar Page 4-A Page 18-A

In the wake of a shooting in Connecticut that claimed the lives of 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, local school districts are offering counseling services for students and insight into security protocols for parents and community members. Several districts, including Milan, Saline, Manchester and Ann Arbor, sent emails to parents and staff members regarding school security measures and addressed last weeks tragic event. These types of events are just impossible to explain, wrote Liz Margolis, director of communications for Ann Arbor Public Schools,

in an email sent district-wide. Our condolences are with the families at Sandy Hook Elementary School and the whole Newtown, Connecticut community. According to the email, AAPS is very well prepared for a wide variety of emergencies through its safety plans, which have been professionally reviewed thanks to two federal Readiness Emergency Management for Schools grants. The emergency plans have also been coordinated and reviewed with the Ann Arbor Police Department, Margolis wrote. AAPS works closely with the Ann Arbor Police Department, she wrote. Police have reviewed and contributed to the district

safety plans and participate with us in the training exercises. Saline Area Schools Superintendent Scot Graden also sent a similar email to parents and staff within the district. Just as AAPS, Saline has partnered in the past with local police departments to help craft safety plans and participate in training exercises. The district also had a lockdown drill scheduled for this week that will be postponed until after the holidays. We didnt want to alarm the students so close to the tragedy, Graden said. Counselors are also available to speak with students and staff.

Graden said one of the responsibilities of the staff within the district is to recognize signs of emotional trauma of a student or fellow teacher. We have several counselors in place, in terms of supporting them, he said. The staff is taking it particularly hard. Its so tragic. Willow Run Community Schools parents and staff received an Alert Now message referring them to the districts website, where Superintendent Laura Lisiscki posted a letter regarding student safety. The letter breaks down students by age group and gives parents tips on how to explain safety situations
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