Ferndale Schools' Meet-and-Greet Gives Parents Something to Talk About

It used to be that when your precious baby turned 5, schooling boiled down to two main options: public and private. Public school, usually the cheaper route, won out handily. For the next 13 years little Bobby worked his way from naptime to AP English.

Today, when it comes to school options, it's not as easy. Now you have schools of choice, magnet programs, standard programs, charter schools and even home schooling.

For prospective parents looking at the Ferndale Public School system, the Ferndale District Ambassadors look to help navigate these waters.

"When I went to school, it was just public school," said Ann Kelly, one of the founders of the Ambassadors and a mother of two children in the district. "Now you have a lot more choices."

The group consists of about two dozen parents. They formed two years ago to share their experiences with parents considering Ferndale schools. Last year they held a "" inviting prospective families and representatives from each school in the district. It was successful.

The Ambassadors held another one last Saturday in the media center at the . About 25 families attended the event, and 50 volunteers consisting of parents, teachers, students and administrators helped out. The media center was filled with parents and questions. Each school had an information table as well as parents there to answer questions.

"This is one of the best events of the year," Ferndale Schools Superintendent Gary Meier said. "Parents get to talk to parents."

Molly Bascom-Keller has four children in the district. They range from 5 to 14 years old, from to the . She's part of the Ambassadors.

"Parents want to know where they should send their kids," Bascom-Keller said. "It helps to talk to other parents. And we've had good experiences here and we want to share that."

Bascom-Keller said she had talked with a parent of a 3-year-old who was contemplating Ferndale Public Schools.

"She told me her mother-in-law was pressuring her into private school," Bascom-Keller said. "She said, 'I pay taxes here and should at least check out the public schools.' I pulled her aside and said, 'Well let me tell you about it!' "

Bascom-Keller said she told the mother about all the honors programs Ferndale High Schools offers, as well as the programs offered at the (CASA).

"She couldn't believe it," Bascom-Keller added.

Gigi VanderWeele, a Pleasant Ridge resident and mother of two in the district, said that Ferndale schools have sometimes gotten a bad rap. VanderWeele said parents hear misinformation about schools all the time.

"We're here to showcase our great schools in a positive light," she said.

"Parents listen to other parents," added Kelly. "We're enthusiastic about our district and want other parents to know what we have here."

For example the won a state championship for a flight III school Nov. 6 from the Michigan Competing Band Association at Ford Field;  it was the band's sixth title in the past seven years. VanderWeele also points out the school's extensive fine arts program (as seen last weekend through the high school's fall production of ) and that kids don't have to pay to play sports, as some do in other districts.

"Ferndale has a strong sense of community and we watch over our children," Kelly said. "You can't quantify that in test scores."

A Ferndale parent went to the meet-and-greet. Read her opinion piece .

The Ferndale District Ambassadors are looking to hold another meet-and-greet in the winter. We'll have the details when they are released.