Mold Remediation in Royal Oak, MI

ROYAL OAK, MI — The Royal Oak Schools Board of Education has begun the search for a new leader after superintendent Mary Fitzpatrick said she'll retire in July.

As part of this process of finding a new superintendent, school officials want to hear from the Royal Oak Schools community, including residents, staff, and administrators. Officials said their feedback will help shape the ideal candidate profile and guide the selection process. They hope the process will be completed by July 1.

The Board will publicly review the feedback and use it to develop a candidate profile, which will serve as a foundation for recruiting and selecting candidates for public interviews.

"The selection of a superintendent is one of the most important responsibilities of a Board of Education," Board President Tim Ciechorski said. "We want to ensure that our next leader reflects our community's values, priorities, and goals. We encourage everyone to participate in this process by providing their input."

The Board has partnered with the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB), an organization that supports school boards across the state, to help with the search.

Find out what's happening in Royal Oakfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

An online survey is available to gather insights from the community. You can find the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RoyalOakSuptSearch.

The responses will be sent directly to MASB for analysis.

Related — Royal Oak Superintendent Retires After Nearly 40 Years In Education

Apr 18 – Great Marshmallow Drop in Royal Oak

Royal Oak, MI – There is a lot to look forward to this spring as Oakland County Parks (OCP) presents two family-friendly events in April.

The Great Marshmallow Drop is up first and is definitely a fan favorite. Children of all ages are sure to watch in amazement as it “rains” marshmallows over a designated area of Worden Park in Royal Oak beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, April 18 thanks to a helicopter that will drop more than 15,000 fluffy marshmallows.

There will be four drop zone groups. Three will begin at 10 a.m.: Ages 4 and younger; ages 5-7; and ages 8-12. A drop for individuals with disabilities of all ages will begin at 11 a.m. An American Sign Language interpreter will be available and the Quiet Zone tent – a sensory inclusive space where sensory regulation tools, such as noise reducing headphones and fidget tools, are available – will be on site.

The Great Marshmallow Drop’s Presenting Sponsor is Zeal Credit Union. The event is also sponsored by Goldfish Swim School-Birmingham, Goldfish Swim School-West Bloomfield and ITC Holdings Corp.

“There is always much anticipation with this event,” Recreation Program Supervisor Melissa Nawrocki said. “Children are eager to see the helicopter approach and then secure the one marshmallow they need to collect a prize. This free event creates lots of fun memories for participants and their loved ones.”

The event is not a competition; all participants ages 12 and younger and individuals with disabilities will receive a prize.

Staff and volunteers will be on site to assist with parking, provide a safe boundary for kids to run in, distribute prizes and take care of other activities that support the program. This is a popular event, so participants are encouraged to arrive early for parking. No preregistration is required. Worden Park is located at the intersection of Lexington Boulevard and Crooks Road in Royal Oak.

The second event planned for this spring is Whimsical Woodlands from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. April 27 at Johnson Nature Center in Bloomfield Hills. OCP is the presenting sponsor of this event, where participants can enjoy magical experiences as they follow a whimsical woodland path sprinkled with fairy houses and gnome homes. Crafts, storytelling, activities, face painting, animals, a climbing tower, vendors and treats are also included. For more information, visit JohnsonNatureCenter.org/whimsicalwoodlands.

Both events require volunteer participation to be successful. Volunteer shifts for the Great Marshmallow Drop are available from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Register at VolunteerMatch.com. For more information, email Volunteer@oakgov.com or call 248-975-9717.

Whimsical Woodlands volunteers are needed to assist with activity tables, vendor support, trail map guidance, set-up, clean-up and trail maintenance. Interested persons can learn more at JohnsonNatureCenter.org/whimsicalwoodlands.

For information on other events, visit OaklandCountyParks.com. Join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

OCHN Highlights National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week

OCHN Highlights National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Suzanne Weinert • weinerts@oaklandchn.org • 248-758-1991OAKLAND COUNTY, MI (March 17, 2025) – Oakland Community Health Network (OCHN) highlights March 17-23, 2025, as National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW). NDAFW is an annual observance that encourages dialogue about the science of drug use and addiction among youth. The week gives teens an opportunity to ask questions about drugs and alcohol and receive scientific answers from experts. This health and wellness observance is organized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). To learn more about NDAFW, click here.The Monitoring the Future (MTF) study is an ongoing national study that surveys trends in legal and illicit drug use among adolescents. The MTF, conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan and funded by NIDA, has completed its 50th year of data collection in 2024. The same year, they released data that indicated drug abstention among students reaching records high. This includes use of alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine vaping. However, while drug and alcohol use were down, the use of nicotine patches significantly increased. According to the survey, substance use education, when started as early as eighth grade discouraged youth from initial drug experimentation. The survey collected data from over 22,000 students, from eighth to 12th grades, spanning across 235 public and private schools in the U.S. The survey also gathered the student’s perception of harm, disapproval of use, and perceived risk to drugs. Some of the latest findings showed alcohol use decreased for 8th and 12th graders, with 12.9% and 41.7% reporting use in the past year respectively, and the largest decline for 10th graders, with 26.1% reporting use in the past year (compared to 30.6% in the previous year).In addition, data was collected on various substances which included marijuana, nicotine vaping, narcotics, and abstaining. To learn more about MTF, click here. "OCHN is committed to partnering with our national allies to raise awareness and provide accurate information about drugs, alcohol, and addiction among teens in our community. This important work extends beyond March and continues throughout the year," says Dana Lasenby, CEO and Executive Director of OCHN.For more information about OCHN, visit www.oaklandchn.org. Non-emergency Access services can be reached at (248) 464-6363. If you or someone you know needs immediate assistance, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988

File photo by Donna Dalziel

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ROYAL OAK — Earth Day is coming up fast, and to help spread the word on sustainability and environmental awareness, Oakland County will be hosting a Climate March, Rally and Fair from 3 to 7 p.m. April 26 at the Royal Oak Farmers Market, 316 E. 11 Mile Road.

According to Amanda Costello, organizer for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Earth Day 2025 is more important than ever.

“It’s not going to be a regular Earth Day,” Costello said, “because if you look at a lot of the things coming from Washington that aren’t friendly to addressing climate change, and are in fact trying to reverse a lot of the efforts that have been made to address climate change.”

The event will feature a rally, a march through downtown Royal Oak and a fair including a new specialized kids section.

“This event has always been something that families can come to, but we’re trying to make sure that it’s as accessible to children and families as possible,” Costello said. “We’re introducing a children’s section, so that it will have hands-on activities so that young people can start to build a relationship with their environment and understand why taking care of it is so important.”

The climate rally and march will begin at 3 p.m. and go until 4:30 p.m. The Earth fair will be from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

Also new this year is the theme of “Journey to Climate Action,” which plays into the fair in the form of passports.

Each attendee will receive a passport and use that passport to “travel” to each vendor. Vendors will be giving out information, sustainability products and more.

“The passport essentially guides them throughout the fair to talk to someone who has an environmentally friendly product and to learn about the product,” Costello said. “Or to take action at one of our action stations, to learn about an environmental effort that’s going on and figure out how to join that.”

Woody Gontina, planning commissioner and chair of the Royal Oak environmental advisory board, said that the event will be showcasing some important speakers and vendors at the event.

“We typically have some pretty big-name relevant speakers that come to talk about sustainability and get the crowd sort of revved up before going on the march to help raise awareness for climate issues,” Gontina said. “This year we have Mayor Michael Fournier from Royal Oak; Jim Nash, who is the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner; Dave Coulter, Oakland County executive; and (state) Representative Natalie Price.”

Gontina said there are still a few invitations outstanding, so more speakers are yet to be announced.

The vendors will be sorted into different categories. According to Gontina, the categories are: advocacy, education, sustainable services, and products and technology.

“Of course we have advocacy groups like EDF Action and (Michigan League of Conservation Voters),” Gontina said. “Our board will have a table there, like the environmental advisory board, so we have a wide variety of sustainability-related vendors for people to come and check out.”

Costello believes that this event is an opportunity to learn more about environmental issues.

“We know people are seeing what’s going on and are going to see what’s going on in the future, and they’re going to want to do something,” Costello said. “They are going to want to have a place where they can come together and show that they care about the environment, and so that’s what we want to do is offer a space for them to go on that journey and actually take action.”

“Everyone is welcome to this event, whether you’re 5 or your 70, there’s something for you at this event and a way to come together and take action and show that we care about this so our leaders actually know they need to listen to us,” Costello said.

For more information, visit turnoaklandcountygreen.com/oakland-county-march.