April 21, 2016
Contact: Jill Moberley, Public Information Officer
Jmoberle@dps.k12.oh.us
For Immediate Release

• Former NFL star to tout “Healthy Parks Healthy People”

Former NFL player, Darryl Haley, will visit with students at Kiser PreK-8 School, 1401 Leo St., Friday, April 22, at 10 a.m. Haley is the ambassador for the National Park Service’s “Healthy Parks Healthy People” program. He will talk about the importance of our park system and urge students to visit their local parks for outdoor fun and exercise. Haley will also help launch the Dayton Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Group bike tour as part of the park service’s centennial celebration. For more information, call Joy Kinard, Ph.D., with the National Parks Service, at 937-366-9524.

• DPS Book Fair to promote literacy and combat homelessness

A Dayton Public Schools Book Fair will be held Saturday, April 23, at Barnes & Noble, 2619 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, at 11 a.m. A percentage of every purchase made that day will benefit the DPS school of your choice and its Title 1 Parent Resource Room or high school literacy class. While you’re there, donate a book at the “Max Project” table that will benefit the DPS McKinney-Vento homeless education program. The book fair is a joint venture between DPS, Homefull and Barnes & Noble. For more information, contact Anthony Newton at 542-3307.

• NAACP to hold town hall meeting on state of the schools

The NAACP will host a Dayton Public Schools Town Hall Meeting Monday, April 25, at the Dayton Boys Preparatory Academy, 1923 W. Third St., at 6:30 p.m. Meeting participants will discuss the state of the schools. The public is invited and encouraged to take part in the exchange. For more information, call the Office of Family and Community Engagement at 542-3013.

• New date, time for Medal of Honor recipient’s visit

Medal of Honor recipient, Melvin Morris, will now visit DPS Tuesday, April 26. He will talk with students at Valerie PreK-6 School, 4020 Bradwood Dr., from 11:15 a.m. until 12:15 p.m., and then visit Stivers School for the Arts, 1313 East Fifth St., from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. Sgt. Morris is an Army veteran of the Vietnam War. He was bestowed the military’s highest honor by President Obama in 2014, 44 years after his service. Morris received the Distinguished Service Cross in 1970. This is a change from the original date. For more information, contact Bridget Federspiel at 542-7441.

• Trivia night to benefit Stivers theater department

Stivers School for the Arts is hosting a trivia night Tuesday, April 26, at the America’s Packard Museum, 420 S. Ludlow St., at 7 p.m., to benefit the theater department. The proceeds will help five theater students attend and compete in the National Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska, June 19-26. They are: Taylor Abreu, Samar Diouf, Malon Hood, Zharia Mallory, and Kiama Wa-Tenza. The troupe received a double superior rating at the Ohio Thespian Conference in March for a group performance of “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.” For more information, contact Aaron Eechaute-Lopez at 542-7471. (Photo attached: clockwise from bottom left: Zharia Mallory, Taylor Abreu, Samar Diouf, Kiama Wa-Tenza, Melon Hood)

• Poetry grand slam event at Victoria Theatre

Student poets will speak their minds at the 2016 Spoken Word Competition at 6 p.m., Thursday, April 28, at the Victoria Theatre. Three students from each DPS high school were selected to perform at the citywide event after individual poetry slams at their schools. The event celebrates their artistic expressions while conveying a message of non-violence and peace. The students are encouraged to think critically and express themselves about issues they find important. The poetry slam is a collaboration between DPS, the city of Dayton Human Relations Council, Metaphorically Speaking, and the Victoria Theatre Association. For more information, contact Traci Davis at 542-6641.

• Stivers trio receive Governor’s Award of Excellence for artworks

Three Stivers School for the Arts students were honored with the Governor’s Award of Excellence for their artworks that were selected for inclusion in the top 25 at the 2016 Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition in Columbus. They were the works of Shyra Benson, MaKara Blake and Mia Heidenreich. There were more than 12,000 entries from 15 regions. Their work will be on display in the Rhodes Tower, 30 East Broad St., through May 19, weekdays from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.