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Torrance, Calif. – March 27, 2009 – Toyota and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) awarded Farmington Hills’ Steppingstone School for Gifted Education teacher Philip Morse a $10,000 Toyota TAPESTRY grant for excellence and innovation in science education. Morse was honored for his outstanding science project on March 20 at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, La.

Morse’s grant money will go toward the acquisition and maintenance of electronic resonance equipment, data analysis software and laboratory space and materials to create a functional working lab. This facility will provide a place for students to conduct hands-on experiments as they study biochemistry and biophysics.

"Supporting excellent teachers who can excite and energize their students is a great way to make an impact on future generations," said Michael Rouse, Toyota’s vice president of philanthropy and community affairs. "TAPESTRY's reach over the past 19 years has allowed countless numbers of students to be inspired by the possibilities of science education."

Morse has been teaching for 33 years, 25 of those as a university professor in the area of physical biochemistry. He has worked at Steppingstone School for the past eight years.

Sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and administered by NSTA, Toyota TAPESTRY is the largest annual K-12 science teacher grant program in the United States. Award-winning projects are selected from three critical areas for today’s youth: environmental science, physical science, and science applications that promote literacy. Fifty grants of up to $10,000 are awarded each year, along with a minimum of 20 grants of up to $2,500 each. In total, Toyota awarded $550,000 in grants to 82 teachers in 2009. More than $8.5 million has been awarded to 1,064 teams of teachers throughout the program’s 19-year history.

Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants. Toyota directly employs over 36,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $17 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design.

Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed more than $464 million to philanthropic programs in the U.S.

For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit www.toyota.com/community.

The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership includes more than 58,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.

Steppingstone School for Gifted Education announced this week that 21 of its students qualified for the Northwestern University Midwest Academic Talent Search. Students qualify for NUMATS through nationally normed achievement test scores such as the IOWA test scores in Reading, Language, Math, or Core totals. “Qualifying” allows students to take either the EXPLORE, ACT, or SAT test the following year, which in turn qualifies the student for special academic programs the following summer. Students in grades 3rd – 9th grade are eligible for NUMATS. The following students qualified after taking the IOWA exams in February 2009.

Ms. Janele Schultz, Steppingstone teacher for the Intermediate classroom (2nd and 3rd grade) said, “I couldn’t be more proud of my 3rd grade students. These students were taking the IOWA test for the first time, and their performance was outstanding.” Kiyo Morse, Head of School was also excited about the students testing performance this year.

Steppingstone School for Gifted Education announced that fifth grade student; Tommy Collins of Shelby Twp. has qualified to compete in the state level of the National Geographic Bee to be held on Friday, April 3, 2009 at Western Michigan University, in Kalamazoo.

One winner from each state and territory will advance to the national competition, which will be held May 19 and 20 at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. The final round of the 2009 National Geographic Bee, featuring Alex Trebek, will air on the National Geographic Channel on May 20, 2009.

Amanda Thomas, who is Tommy’s teacher at Steppingstone, said, “The entire school will be rooting for Tommy to progress to the national competition.”

Steppingstone School for Gifted Education in Farmington Hills announced today that Kirsten Haglund, Miss America 2008, would be the Honorary Chairperson for the school’s 16th Annual Benefit Auction, "Around The World In 80 Days," held on March 28, 2009.

Kiyo Morse, Head of School, stated that "Steppingstone is excited to welcome the Farmington Hills native to the school’s largest fundraiser and she looks forward to learning more about this accomplished young lady."

Kirsten currently attends the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, majoring in Musical Theatre. Miss Haglund has always valued education and stated that her reason for entering Miss Michigan was to pursue the scholarship opportunities that the Miss America Organization provides. Kirsten chose to help raise awareness of eating disorders as her platform while competing in the Miss America Organization because she struggled with anorexia for several years as an adolescent. Kirsten has continued her advocacy to those struggling with Eating Disorders with the creation of the Kirsten Haglund Foundation for Eating Disorders. Steppingstone is honored to have this terrific role model lend her voice to the cause of gifted children and their education.

Steppingstone School’s 16th Annual Benefit Auction will take place at 6:00 p.m. on March 28, 2009, at St. Mary’s Cultural Center in Livonia, Michigan. To attend this benefit event and have the opportunity to meet Kirsten Haglund, Miss America 2008, call 248-539-1666 to purchase tickets.

Interview opportunities with Kirsten Haglund, Miss America 2008 can be scheduled by contacting Steppingstone School.

EDITORS NOTE: cost-free admission to the 2009 Auction may be arranged for media. Call in advance to reserve a space.

Steppingstone School for Gifted Education in Farmington Hills is busy these days preparing for their 16th Annual Benefit Auction to be held on March 28, 2009. "Fundraising is difficult in the current economy, but what many don’t realize is that benefit auctions are an excellent place to get a good deal on items you need and want," said Patty Giorgio, Director of Development. This year’s theme is a celebration of the cultural diversity of our school population. Giorgio said, "We are encouraging guests to attend in ethnic attire befitting their family heritage." Steppingstone is very excited to have Miss America 2008, Kirsten Haglund, as our Honorary Chair for this year’s event.

Wendy Mayer, 2009 Auction Chairperson and Steppingstone parent, could not be more excited about the items donated by parents and local businesses! For the child who dreams of being a star, there is a basket that includes many Disney goodies plus an opportunity to be a Radio Disney guest DJ and record a commercial to be aired for one week. For the sports enthusiasts there are signed items from members of Detroit sporting teams. For the daredevil, there is a hot air balloon ride or an acrobatic (or scenic) ride aboard a two-seater tail-dragger plane. For those looking to save money on everyday items there are gift certificates for local restaurants, hair salons, legal service, massages and much more.

Want to go on a vacation but not spend a fortune? Enter our raffle to win your choice of 6 days/5 nights in a furnished condominium (sleeps 8) in Puerto Rico, a vacation house on Traverse Bay or a condominium at Disney World.

Giorgio points out that independent, non-profit schools need help now more than ever. Parents are finding it more and more difficult to find and afford appropriate educational programs for their gifted children. "We have complex challenges in our world today, yet we invest the least in these children who are best equipped to provide us with solutions" stated Kiyo Morse, Head of School. Steppingstone provides a school where these gifted students thrive.

The auction is Steppingstone’s largest fundraiser. Steppingstone is a non-profit 501(c)(3) School, which receives no funding from the state. Morse states that in order to keep the Steppingstone education affordable for as many families as possible, it is necessary for the school to sponsor this type of fundraising event.

If interested in attending the Steppingstone Auction you may purchase tickets at (248) 539-1666. Tickets are $65.00, which includes a silent and a live auction, live music, entertainment and dancing, dinner and a raffle.

Steppingstone Summer Music Academy is holding Scholarship Auditions for their 3-week summer academy. Auditions will take place by appointment on Tuesday, March 17, 2009, and Thursday, March 19, 2009. To schedule an audition call: 248-539-1666.

Housed in the Steppingstone School for Gifted Education in Farmington Hills, Michigan, the SSMA provides an immersive summer music experience for pianists and string players. Serving students of all ages, the day camp features weekly performances from faculty and students as well as comprehensive in-depth instruction in all areas of music study. Faculty are professional performers with doctoral degrees in performance.

The SSMA contains two divisions: Suzuki violin and piano for beginners and the Academy for intermediate and advanced players. The Suzuki division is a four week-long session being held from July 6-31, 2009. Students can enroll in this course for one, two, three or all four weeks. The Academy division, which accepts all students able to prepare for a solo and/or ensemble performance, takes place over one three-week course from July 6-24, 2009.

Scholarships are only offered for the Academy program. The following scholarships will be awarded:

• $950.00 to the top performer
• $625.00 to the 2nd place performer
• $300.00 to selected runner ups

Scholarship recipients must register by May 1, 2009 to receive their scholarship. Auditioning students should come prepared with the following for their audition: a prepared piece of music that they feel demonstrates their abilities on their string instrument/piano. Students will also be asked to play up to three scales of their choice along with a small piece of sight-reading. To schedule an Audition, call Steppingstone School at 248-539-1666 between 9 am. & 5 p.m. Audition results will be mailed to applicants by April 17. For more information please visit Steppingstone at www.steppingstoneschool.org.

The current economy has forced many schools to cut back on enrichment programs this academic year. Not so at Steppingstone School for Gifted Education. This year Steppingstone incorporated a Suzuki Violin program as part of the regular music curriculum for students in grades kindergarten through second.. Mary Stolberg, Suzuki Violin Instructor at Steppingstone, was thrilled to expand the program beyond the After-School classes being offered for the past two years. "Exposing students to the violin at this young age will have a significant impact on increasing the students’ Interest in playing an instrument as well as provide them with skills that will improve their performance in all of their subjects," stated Stolberg. Students in grades third through eighth grade study vocal music and are introduced to piano instruction as well.

In addition, Steppingstone added an 8-week ice skating program to go along with the 8-week swimming program students have enjoyed for many years. Steppingstone’s philosophy regarding physical education is to expose students to recreational sports that have the potential to become life-long physical activities. In past years students would participate in swimming lessons every Thursday from January through March at the Costick Center in Farmington Hills. This year Steppingstone added ice-skating lessons at the Farmington Ice Arena to its physical education curriculum. Now, one-half of the Steppingstone students attend ice-skating while other half attends swimming.

In the area of foreign language, Steppingstone has added Mandarin Chinese to its curriculum for students in Kindergarten through third grade. Students in fourth and fifth grade study Spanish while students in sixth though eighth grade study Japanese.

Kiyo Morse, Head of School, stated that she is excited about the additions to the Steppingstone curriculum and that the school is in the process of completing plans for new additions in the area of science curriculum as well. Stay tuned for some exciting announcements in the near future.

Steppingstone School for Gifted Education announces the receipt of a donation of 18 used laptop computers from Nissan North America. Steppingstone had made a request to Nissan for assistance in acquiring laptop computers to be used in the school's curriculum as well as in an After-School Sumo-Bot Program. Patty Giorgio, Director of Development, stated that she was very grateful to receive word from Nissan North America that they had 18 laptops that they could donate to the school. "It is wonderful to know that even in these tough economic times, business leaders such as Nissan North America continue to lend a helping hand to the community," stated Giorgio. "Steppingstone students will receive many benefits from this donation and we are grateful for the generosity of Nissan North America."

Steppingstone School for Gifted Education announces the receipt of a grant from the Japan Business Society of Detroit Foundation for their Steppingstone Second Saturday SPARKler Science Series. Steppingstone, along with many other worthy organizations, received their JBSD grant at an award ceremony on December 3, 2008, at the Novi Sheraton. "We are honored to be selected by this fine organization and appreciate the investment that they have made in our students," said Patty Giorgio, Director of Development.

The Steppingstone Second Saturday SPARClers Science Series provides interested students of all ages the opportunity to learn more about a specific scientific topic each month. Sherelyn Kahn, Treasurer of the Steppingstone Parent Advocacy Resource Coalition (SPARC), added "The grant money awarded to us by the Japan Business Society of Detroit Foundation will be used to bring in guest speakers for this program."

The next session will be held on December 13, 2008, at 6:00 p.m. at Steppingstone School, 28555 Middlebelt Rd., Farmington Hills, MI 48334 (Steppingstone shares a facility with The International School) and will feature the Ford Amateur Astronomy Club for a discussion and some hands-on activities about astronomy. These events are open to the public and free of charge.

The Steppingstone Parent Advocacy Resource Coalition (SPARC) recently announced that they would begin hosting a new science series for kids of all ages. The Second Saturday SPARCler Series will feature speakers in various scientific disciplines on the second Saturday of each month. "We find that at Steppingstone many of our students have a strong interest in science and are eager to learn more about a wide range of topics," explains Kiyo Morse, Head of School for Steppingstone School for Gifted Education. Morse continued, "the United States is falling further behind in educating our children in the areas of science and math, and our parents have found a creative way to help address this issue."

Sherelyn Kahn, Treasurer of SPARC, hopes that children from all over the area will take advantage of this program and sees this as an opportunity for Steppingstone to give back to the community.

The first event in the series will be held at Steppingstone School For Gifted Education at 28555 Middlebelt Rd., Farmington Hills, MI 48334 (Steppingstone shares a building with The International School) on Saturday, November 8, 2008. The event will begin at 6:00 p.m. and end at 9:30 p.m. For more information visit www.steppingstoneschool.org.

The speaker for the first event in the series will be John Zawiskie. John is an educator and geologist at Cranbrook Institute of Science. In addition to teaching programs, John creates special events and completes research projects at the institute. He also teaches at Wayne State University and has published numerous articles on his research.

The event is free to the public and is open to both children and adults. Hot dogs, chips, and drinks will be sold at the event.

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI— Steppingstone School for Gifted Education announced today that they will host nine (9) violin students from Thailand to their 2nd annual Steppingstone Summer Music Academy (SSMA). Tami Morse, Co-Director, Steppingstone Music Academy, who is completing her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University in New York stated that the students are between the ages of 11 and 19 and will be accompanied by their instructor, Lin Wang. Morse, working with colleague Zheng Jennifer Huang, was able to arrange for the students to travel to the United States to attend the Academy. The group plans on performing at various venues featuring performances of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, among other repertoire. During their time at the SSMA the students will receive private lessons, chamber music coaching, classes in music history and theory as well as play in a small orchestra where Plymouth Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Canton conductor Nan Washburn will visit them for a guest coaching. According to Morse the students are excited to experience the United States and get the opportunity to get to know their American peers. The trip will conclude with a performance at the Steppingstone School on Friday July 25 at 7 p.m. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. The Steppingstone School for Gifted Education is located at 28555 Middlebelt Rd., Farmington Hills, MI 48334.

Steppingstone Summer Music Academy provides an immersive summer music experience for pianists and string players. Serving students of all ages, the day camp features weekly performances from faculty and students as well as comprehensive in-depth instruction in all areas of music study. The SSMA contains two divisions: the Suzuki program, which accepts all beginning students in a one-, two-, or three week course and the Academy, which accepts all students able to prepare for a solo and /or ensemble performance. The Academy starts on July 7 and concludes on July 25th. SSMA is still accepting students. For application information please call (248) 539-1666 or visit the website at www.steppingstoneschool.org.

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI—Two members of the Association of Independent Michigan Schools (AIMS) will begin a cooperative effort fall term, conjoining their educational programs under one roof.

Steppingstone School for Gifted Education and The International School will share the facilities at 28555 Middlebelt Road in Farmington Hills.

In December 2007, the donors of Steppingstone’s present campus withdrew their support, citing difficult economic conditions, and announced their decision to sell the property.

Necessitating a move on short notice, the Steppingstone board of trustees and Kiyo Morse, Steppingstone founder and Head of School, began exploring various options for a new location and enlisted the aid of AIMS executive director Dick Halsey.

When Dick explained the situation to me," said AIMS member Jack Faxon, Headmaster, The International School, "I was very empathetic to their situation. I thought we could put our extra space to good use and benefit another school at the same time."

We look forward to this increase in our schools use and to a promising association," Faxon stated.

During their meetings, Faxon and Morse discovered that, although the missions of their schools differed, they had similar educational philosophies.

There is a good fit here," said Morse, "our programs are complementary. We’ll share our strengths and combine our experience for the mutual benefit of our students and families."

Our combined student body opens up many interesting possibilities and ideas," Morse continued, "the synergy is there."

The International School will maintain its program of foreign language immersion while offering cultural and language diversity, a rounded physical education program, a gymnasium, a state-of-the-art science lab and a dedicated computer room.

Steppingstone will preserve its gifted child academic and personal development curriculum and bring with it a diverse student body, a Suzuki music program, expert computer technology instruction and equipment as well as the unique SMART (Steppingstone Magnetic Resonance Training) center.

Steppingstone Summer Music Academy is scheduling appointments for Scholarship Auditions to their 3 week summer academy. Auditions will take place on Saturday, April 26, 2008 from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Housed in the Steppingstone School for Gifted Education in Farmington Hills, Michigan the SSMA provides an immersive summer music experience for pianists and string players. Serving students of all ages, the day camp features weekly performances from faculty and students as well as comprehensive in-depth instruction in all areas of music study. The SSMA contains two divisions: the Suzuki program, which accepts all beginning students in a one-, two-, or three-week course and the Academy, which accepts all students able to prepare for a solo and/or ensemble performance. The Academy program takes place over one three-week course. This year the camp will be held from July 7 – July 25, 2008. A 25% tuition discount will be awarded to the top 20% of auditioning students who register by May 1, 2008 says, Mary Stolberg, Director of the Suzuki Violin Camp. Stolberg who will be one of the audition judges said that students should come prepared with the following for their audition. A solo of the student’s choice, 2 three-octave scales and 3 two-octave scales of the student’s choice. To schedule an Audition appointment, call Steppingstone School at 248-324-0692 between 9 am. & 5 p.m. Audition results will be available on April 28, 2008.For more information please visit Steppingstone at www.steppingstoneschool.org.