Math educator and author Kelly Darke shares her passion for mathematics through teaching and writing. Her debut book, “The Geometree” is a math picture book for children in kindergarten through second grade which launched in August. “I hope my book inspires children, parents and teachers of the wonders and joy of math and the infinite variety of geometric shapes,” she explained. “I also hope they are inspired to notice and marvel at the wonderful leaf shapes they see when the

As members of the Friends of the Birmingham Museum, history buffs Linda Buchanan and George Getschman are bringing local history to life in an unlikely place – the Greenwood Cemetery. ”My brother and I began doing the Greenwood Cemetery tours twenty years ago, and during that time George joined us, helping to bring these history tours to the community,” said Buchanan, a lifelong Birmingham resident and former elementary history teacher. “The cemetery on Oak Avenue, founded in

Elle Hartje was just two-years-old when she strapped on her first pair of ice skates; today she is a forward for the New York Sirens in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. “As a kid, I was always, always on the go,” she said. “I grew up in a family with four kids and we played every sport you can think of. You name it, we did it.” At just three-years-old, Hartje joined her first hockey league. She spent much of her childhood at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hil

Bloomfield Hills natives, Giulia Pincetti (pictured here) and Natalia Pataq, met earlier this year as students at the University of Michigan. They initially bonded over a class project as well as growing up in the same area, and were inspired to start an information services company called Verum Technologies with a fellow student, David Vargas. The Latin word “verum” translates to “truth” in English. “Our project was connected to UCLA’s Initiative to Study Hate. It involved m

At just 16-years-old, Lillian Tang, Bloomfield Hills High School student, has achieved the honor of outstanding performer in a leading role at the 14th annual Sutton Foster Awards Showcase. The young thespian has been interested in performing since she was a small child. “I definitely always loved being center stage,” she said. “Whenever I had the opportunity to perform, I would. And, my love of theater has only grown.” Tang’s first major performance was “Les Miserables.” “I

Kirk Ambrose, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, recently embarked on an 800-mile pilgrimage to conduct research for his upcoming book. “I’m in the process of writing it and I intend to complete it next year,” he said. “It’s about art in the age of doubt.” Ambrose crossed through France, Spain and Switzerland during his pilgrimage. He met some fascinating people along the way. “I was really interested in the people who were helping us,” he said. “From folks cl

Birmingham City Clerk Alexandria Bingham recently received the recognition of Oakland County Executive’s Oakland Together 40 Under 40 program, spotlighting top leaders in business and the community under 40 years of age. She was selected from 300 local applicants. “I am delighted to be recognized,” said 35-year-old Bingham. “Public service is a huge part of my family. My grandpa was a Milford police officer and my mom introduced me to municipal work in Commerce Township by en

Bloomfield Hills resident Ryan Walker was motivated to create the Pine Lake Ultraman, a local 320-mile endurance event not only for the extreme physical and emotional athletic challenge but also for deeply personal reasons. Growing up outside of Pittsburgh as the oldest child of teen parents, Walker admitted, “I had a complicated childhood. While my parents tried to make it work and do their best…I ended up having various parental figures through the years.” His maternal gra

Award-winning artist Lauren Levato Coyne was an exceptionally curious child who began creating when she was just six-years-old. “I was curious to the point of annoying everyone around me,” she joked. “And I’m still a very curious person. The very first thing I remember making was text and image-based. I did a drawing of a newspaper. I drew a picture of what the lead story was, which was the dust bunnies taking over the bedroom. I was interested in the arts from day one. At th

Bloomfield Hills High School students and award-winning fencing champions Lucas Senic and Luao Yang began their journey as young boys at the Renaissance Fencing Club. “I started at (Renaissance Fencing Club) when I was eight-years-old,” said Yang. “I thought (fencing) was interesting. It was like a puzzle or a game to see who would make the next right decision.” Senic, a 15-year-old sophomore at Bloomfield Hills, was a sports enthusiast from an early age. “I was six-years-