Brighton Runner Gears Up to Earn Spot on 2014 Special Olympics Team

Ryan Groves will be competing this month for a spot to represent Michigan in the 2014 Special Olympics USA Summer Games.

Ryan Groves, 26, of Brighton, likes to run and he excels at it. Representing Michigan in the 2010 Special Olympics USA Games track and field events, this young sprinter living with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) won two silver medals in the 4x100m relay and the 400m run. Now, Ryan is getting in gear to participate in the Michigan 2013 State Games later this month. May also happens to be International Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) Awareness Month, a time to celebrate and support those with this rare condition and to learn more about the disease itself. Ryan’s parents, Bob and Kathy Groves, are both active members of the TS Alliance, the primary US advocacy group, and can be seen on the sidelines of Ryan’s Special Olympics sporting …

• Photos (1)

Brighton Resident Honored as Oakland County Teacher of the Year Nominee

Novi High School teacher and Brighton resident Katy Dinkelmann will be recognized during a ceremony Thursday in Waterford.

Oakland Schools will honor a Novi educator and Brighton resident Thursday during the 26th annual Outstanding Teacher of the Year Awards in Waterford. Novi High School teacher Katy Dinkelmann is among 58 nominees from 22 local school districts who will be recognized during National Teacher Appreciation Week for their contributions in the classroom. Outstanding Teacher of the Year Awards are given each year to teachers at the elementary, middle and high school levels who excel in the following areas. The 2013 winners are Berkley resident Angela Church, who teaches at Berkley High School; Clarkston resident Molly Brinker, who teaches at Addams Elementary in Royal Oak; and West Bloomfield resident Hadeel Azzo, who teaches at John Page Middle …

• Photos (1)

Brighton Woman Fired for Being a Lesbian Takes Action

Lauren Jasenak launched a new petition on Change.org, urging her local Boy Scout council to end the ban on gay youth and adult leaders.

A 19-year-old Brighton woman who was fired last summer from a Michigan Boy Scout camp for being a lesbian is taking action against the organization. Lauren Jasenak launched a new petition on Change.org, urging her local Boy Scout council to end the ban on gay youth and adult leaders.  Jasenak, a former Boy Scout camp employee, was fired from the D-bar-A Boy Scout Ranch in Lapeer, a day after the Boy Scouts of America reaffirmed its policy banning gay youth and adult leaders in July, according to a press release from Change.org. Forced to sign a letter stating she was a lesbian and leave her position immediately, Jasenak was without transportation and two hours from home, according to Change.org. “As a 19-year-old, I am still in disbelief …

• Photos (1)

Brighton Dancers Earn Top Spots

Brighton's Academy of Dance takes home three first place finished in latest competition.

By Theresa Mitchell Academy of Dance has returned from our latest competition, and our competition year just keep getting better. This competition was the Applause Regional Dance Championships, and were held at Walled Lake Western High School. We took 33 dances to this competition, and received five Platinum awards, 28 High Gold awards, and had 17 dances place in the Overall awards for their age divisions, with three first place finishes.  Special mention goes to: Many of our individual dancers and groups placed higher this year than they ever have before, which made this competition a fantastic experience for everyone. We're hoping to keep the momentum going for the rest of the year. Thanks, as always, to our fantastic dance moms and dads…

• Photos (3)

Brighton Resident Still in the Running for Next 'Rock Girl'

Lyndsey Coleman of Brighton made it through to the Top 8 in her quest to become WRIF's next "Rock Girl."

A 21-year-old Hartland High School graduate is still in the running to become the 2013 RIFF Rock Girl for 101 WRIF in Detroit. Lyndsey Coleman of Brighton, made it through to the Top 8 of voting for a chance to make it to the final four contestants. "If I make it to Top 4, I get to go to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico," Coleman said. "The winner gets a year on-air contract with WRIF and a $40,000 salary." Coleman began her quest to become the next "Rock Girl" earlier this month. "I'm a small town girl with big plans," Coleman said previously. "This would put me a million steps closer to an amazing future. I'm a writer, I love music and working in radio is my dream." This is a salaried position who will be attending all the concerts and events, …

• Photos (1)

Brighton Track Star is 'On Fire'

Brighton High School senior and captain of the track team, Alex DuBach, has committed to Sienna Heights University.

Patch will regularly spotlight young people in the Brighton community who are successful, talented and just plain awesome. Today we feature a high school student who has plans to attend Siena Heights University next fall on a track scholarship. Alex DuBach Do you know a local young person who deserves applause because he or she shovels the elderly neighbors' driveway? Or perhaps athletic achievements are worth sharing. Everyone deserves attention, and we want to tell these stories. Email nominations to local editor Tatum Ryan at tatum.ryan@patch.com, provide the information shown above and include a photo with names and ages.

•  1 Comment
• Photos (3)

Brighton Woman with Down Syndrome to Speak at Gala Event

Abby Loy of Brighton will be a guest speaker at the eighth annual Starry Night Gala.

Abby Loy, a 22 year-old Brighton woman with Down syndrome will be a guest speaker at the eighth annual Starry Night Gala on April 19 in Birmingham. The gala is hosted by Michigan-based Band of Angels – an organization dedicated to helping individuals with Down syndrome, autism and other cognitive challenges reach their full potential.  This year’s theme is Through the Looking Glass to reflect Band of Angels’ commitment to helping individuals with Down syndrome and other disabilities navigate the joys and challenges from birth through adulthood, with a focus on obtaining greater employment opportunities. The unemployment rate among the disabled population is 72 percent and Band of Angels is committed to reducing that rate. Loy is just one …

• Photos (2)

Brighton Resident Needs Votes to Become Next 'Rock Girl'

Lyndsey Coleman of Brighton is the running to become the next RIFF Rock Girl.

A 21-year-old Brighton resident is in the running to become the 2013 RIFF Rock Girl for 101 WRIF in Detroit. Lyndsey Coleman, a 2009 graduate of Hartland High School, is currently in the running for the Top 32 and needs votes to advance to the next rounds of Sexy 16 and Exotic 8.  "I'm a small town girl with big plans," Coleman said. "This would put me a million steps closer to an amazing future. I'm a writer, I love music and working in radio is my dream." The Top 4 women with enough votes will travel to Puerta Vallarta in Mexico for a photo shoot. The final winner will reign as the 2103 WRIF Rock Girl and become the entertainment reporter for the year.  This is a salaried position who will be attend all the concerts and events, according…

• Photos (2)

Brighton Student to Represent Michigan at Washington Youth Summit on the Environment

Hugo Ruellan will travel to Washington DC as a National Youth Delegate this summer.

Brighton Brothers Author First Children's Book

Blake and Mitchell Brooks are seniors at Brighton High School.

What started out as a mixture of projects from video production and math class has turned a pair of Brighton twins into published authors. Blake and Mitchell Brooks, seniors at Brighton High School, recently released their first children's book, The Monkey and the Star. The boys came about their idea for the book in a convoluted way after listening to commentary on an episode of South Park, by talking to one of their friends about toys lying around in her room and two assignments from classes at school. The rhyming just kind of happened on its own, according to Blake. "We would read it in class," he said. "We never intended it to be a book, it was just for fun." Both Blake and Mitchell began writing the story during their sophomore year in…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)