Lapeer Community Schools ... Teaching for the Future Today!

News and Events from Lapeer Community Schools April 2012

HighlightsChanges to K-5 program announced Page 3

Distinguished Scholars of the Arts Page 5

Energy Essentials Page 7

Free Breakfast Offered Page 7

High School Drama Club presents ... Page 3

‘Horse Therapy’ Page 6

National Spelling Bee Contestant Page 4

Nominate for Alumni Hall of Honor Page 6

Superintendent’s Column Page 2

Zemmer Middle School’s Rock Club Page 5

‘Bus buddies’ at Murphy Elementary

Check out our LCS blog!You can stay in touch with what’s going on in Lapeer Community Schools all year long by visiting our LCS blog. Just point your browser to LCSblog.com and you will find photos, video, special announcements and feature stories on the great things happening in the District. You will also find a link to our Superintendent’s blog, “Super Scoops.”

Murphy Elementary students Antonio Leandres (left), Zach Hughes and Bethany Gallagher all participate in a “Bus Buddy” program that links students that struggle with independence with other students to allow them to ride general education buses. Randye Clarkson, a teacher at Murphy, said the program has effectively eliminated the need for special transportation arrangements for students. “Some of our proudest moments have been observing our kids getting off the buses holding hands with their LINK buddies smiling as they walk into the school,” Clarkson said.

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News & Views is published by the Lapeer Community Schools Board of Education

and distributed free to the residents of the Lapeer Community School District.

Lapeer Community Schools Board of Education

Lapeer Community Schools 250 Second Street, Lapeer MI 48446

(810) 667-2401

www.lapeerschools.org

Administration and Services Center

office hours: 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Suggestions and comments from community residents are always welcome.

Who to CallElementary Schools

Lynch (810) 667-2448Maple Grove (810) 667-2444 Mayfield (810) 667-2442Murphy (810) 538-2345Schickler (810) 667-2440Seaton (810) 538-2415Turrill (810) 667-2438

Middle SchoolsRolland-Warner (810) 538-2334Zemmer (810) 667-2413

High SchoolsLapeer Community (810) 667-2453Lapeer East (810) 667-2418Lapeer West (810) 667-2423

Administration & Services Center(810) 667-2401

Food Services (810) 538-1648

Kids & Company (810) 667-2454

Transportation (810) 667-2433

Peggy Bush President

Gary Oyster Vice President

John NugentSecretary

Michael Nolan Trustee

Michael Keller Trustee

Denise Becker Trustee

Wendy Byard Trustee

Dealing with new realities in education

Over the last several months, there has been a flurry of activity in Lansing that will, with little doubt, change our approach to public education moving forward. In spite of what you may be hearing, however, the sky is not falling on public education.

In public education, change is truly the only constant.

New realities in education have left school districts across the state scrambling for the next step. Legislative changes will affect foundation allowances, labor relations, virtual learning, enrollment, kindergarten options, teacher tenure and evaluation and many more facets of public education.

What we are left with as public school educators is a choice: do we adapt to these new realities or simply grumble and maintain the status quo?

One of the touchstones of a strong organization is the ability to not only adapt, but to anticipate change and properly prepare. As Superintendent, it’s my job to make sure Lapeer Community Schools is prepared to succeed and grow in the midst of great change.

The directive coming out of Lansing is clear: public schools must be able to compete in the marketplace more than ever before. Take the Flint Community Schools for example; once the largest school district in Genesee County by a large margin, FCS has been struggling with declining enrollment for many years. I recently read that three new public charter schools are expected to open within that district’s boundaries in the coming year. This is a direct response to the state legislature’s phasing out of the cap on charter schools and the promotion of “replica schools” that mimic successful charters.

The Flint case is extreme, but in Lapeer we’re certainly not exempt from increased competition.

One of my priorities when I became Superintendent last summer was to pioneer change relative to virtual learning. Once it became clear that

the legislature would lower seat-time requirements for students, we had to start the conversation about the future role of virtual learning in Lapeer. The newly-conceived Lapeer Virtual Learning Center is the outgrowth of that conversation, a new option for families, especially homeschool families, that we are excited to provide. We are poised to offer one of the most innovative and unique virtual learning opportunities in the state.

We’ve also successfully established a Year-Round Focus school for 2012-13. Turrill Elementary will be the site of this new and exciting choice for Lapeer families. We will continue to explore other creative focus concepts giving parents a variety of options from which to choose.

One final example of change and how we respond is centered on the very difficult task of evaluating teacher performance. As demands on educators continue to increase, so too do the requirements for districts to quantify the performance of teachers.

Our recently-constructed Teacher Performance Evaluation Process (TPEP), another proactive step undertaken in the District, is receiving some statewide and regional attention. I’ve recently been asked to share our process with several education think tanks to potentially aid in the development of a statewide evaluation system. It is exciting to think that our process could help shape this very important tool aimed at increasing student achievement statewide.

To become the “District of Choices,” we must continue to adapt to change and foresee new opportunities to continue to provide the best possible experience for students now and into the future.

From the desk of Matt Wandrie, LCS Superintendent

Murphy’s Drive for Education Golf Outing coming June 2On Saturday, June 2, Metamora Golf and Country Club will host Murphy Elementary’s Drive for Education Golf Outing. Registration for the event kicks off at 7:30 a.m. and the shotgun start follows at 8 a.m. The cost is $300 per team of four or $75 per golfer. Included in the cost is 18 holes with cart, coffee and donuts, a hot dog lunch and dinner. There will also be giveaways and team photos.

Golfers will win prize money for finishing in first or second place. There will also be prizes for closest to the pin, long drive and skins. All proceeds will benefit the students of Murphy Elementary School.

For more information, contact Murphy Elementary at (810) 538-2345 or visit LapeerSchools.org/murphy on the Internet.

In public education, change is truly the only constant.

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Mayfield students celebrate March is Reading month with themeMayfield celebrated March is Reading Month with the theme “Books are Treasures Waiting to be Found.” Students read at home to earn clues to solve the mystery of the missing jewels. Throughout the month, students tracked their clues on a game board. Any student who solved the mystery was entered into a drawing to win great prizes. The class with the most minutes read, reaching the underwater treasure first, was Mr. Losinger’s class with a total of 15,480 minutes. This earned them a delicious ice cream party.

Mayfield students, all told, read over 110,000 minutes in the month of March! Other great activities included a book swap, Battle of the Books, Design a Bookmark Contest, Spirit Week, Hats on to Reading, Read with a Relative, and various guest readers.

A dozen Rolland-Warner students participate in ‘Guess My Slope’ competition A dozen seventh and eighth grade students participated in the “Guess My Slope” competition before school on March 27 at Rolland-Warner Middle School.

The students guessed the slope of items from around the school and the District — band instruments, buildings, stop signs, etc.

The winners were:

• Stephen Pake – seventh grade – first place ($10 gift card from NGC)

• Ray Schultz – eighth grade – second place (tie) ($5 gift card from Tim Horton’s)

• Kyle Newsome – eighth grade – second place (tie) ($5 gift card from Tim Horton’s)

• Steven Stryvinski – eighth grade – third place (Timbits from Tim Horton’s)

This is the first of a monthly series of real-life math applications for middle school students.

Lapeer High School Drama Club to present ...

The greatest family musical of all time, The Wizard of Oz, is touching down in Lapeer as the Lapeer High School Drama Club brings this national treasure to the stage May 11-13.

Theater Director Jennifer Geroux and Vocal Director Cheryl Burnside look forward to working with the talented students of both Lapeer East and West High Schools on this classic production at the auditorium at Lapeer East High School.

This magical show, based on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s celebration of the 1939 MGM movie, will sweep audiences away from the moment the tornado twists its way into Kansas. The show will feature beloved songs as composed by Harold Arlen, “Over the Rainbow,” “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” and “If I Only Had A Brain,” along with all the memorable characters.

The Wizard of Oz will have the entire family captivated as they travel down the yellow brick road for an unforgettable evening at the theater.

Tickets are on sale now for $8 for adults and $6 for students/seniors/LCS employees. Please call (810) 667-2418 x3152 for more information about ticket sales.

The Wizard of Oz

This magical show, based on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s celebration of the 1939 MGM movie, will sweep audiences

away from the moment the tornado twists its way into Kansas.

LCS announces changes in K-5 program for 2012-13

“We are excited to add Heather Vance to the District leadership team, and proud to promote someone so dedicated

to Lapeer,” said Matt Wandrie,

LCS Superintendent.

Earlier this month, Lapeer Community Schools Superintendent Matt Wandrie announced several administrative changes in the District’s K-5 program. As part of the District-wide restructuring plan, LCS will support five elementary schools starting this fall (the Board of Education approved the closure of Seaton Elementary and Maple Grove Elementary) and several current principals will transition into new buildings.

H e a t h e r Va n c e , M a y f i e l d Elementary Principal, will be the new Executive Director of Elementary Education starting July 1. This new position is the outgrowth of a consolidation in the District’s Department of Instruction, located in the Administration & District Services Center.

“Heather represented herself and the District well, solidifying her candidacy throughout the process,” Wandrie said. “We are excited to add Heather to the District leadership team, and proud to promote someone so dedicated to Lapeer.”

Traci Chouinard, the current principal of Seaton Elementary, will become the new principal of Mayfield Elementary. Paul Dombrowski, Maple Grove principal, will replace outgoing Schickler Elementary Principal Ken Janczarek, who was tabbed for the principalship of the new Year-Round School at Turrill Elementary.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer the Year-Round option to families in the District,” Wandrie said. “I’m confident that Ken is the right fit to lead Turrill Elementary through this transition.”

Scott Warren, current principal at Turrill, will return to Murphy Elementary where he served in that capacity from 2002 to 2011.

Lynch Elementar y Principal Michelle Bradford will remain in her current position.

For biographical information on each elementary principal, please visit the District website, LapeerSchools.org, and click “District Info.”

continued Page 4

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Madison McKinney is ‘stellar speller’Lynch Elementary School is proud to announce its school spelling bee winner, Madison McKinney, took third place out of 36 contestants in the Lapeer County Spelling Bee held March 28 at North Branch High School. Madison showed nerves of steel through two different spell-downs to earn this outstanding award.

Congratulations Madison for being a stellar speller!

Impressive group of students at Rolland-Warner receives top marks for citizenshipAs part of Rolland-Warner Middle School’s overall school improvement goal, students earn a citizenship grade in each class every trimester in an effort to encourage positive behaviors such as showing respect, contributing in class, being timely with attendance, being prepared, and cooperating with others in the classroom setting.

In the first trimester, 30 students earned the highest mark of “outstanding” in all seven of their classes for the trimester.

For second semester, that number ballooned to 79!

Students received “Rolland-Warner Outstanding Citizen” back packs to recognize their efforts. Jen Taylor, assistant principal at Rolland-Warner, said she was excited about the dramatic increase in the number of students receiving the highest mark for citizenship.

Awesome job!

RWMS student wins red ribbon at math competition

William Kirschner, a sixth grader at Rolland-Warner Middle School, won a red ribbon for finishing in the top 10 in his grade category at the Delta College Middle School Math

competition. The event was held on March 24 at Delta College near Saginaw.

He competed against students from all over Mid-Michigan.

Great job William!

changes in K-5 program for 2012-13 (continued from Page 3)

E-X-T-R-A-V-A-G-A-N-Z-A

In the realm of literature, an extravaganza is a work that is marked by extreme freedom of structure and style – a work you can have a little fun with. Ironically, it was this word, the antithesis of what spelling bees are all about, that earned Marissa Pruitt a chance to compete in the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee next month in Washington D.C.

Pruitt, an eighth grade student at Rolland-Warner Midd le School , hadn’t expected to win the Lapeer County Spelling Bee, held at North Branch High School on March 28. She had put in the hard work to compete in her school’s bee, but didn’t expect to make it beyond that.

“I was nervous at first because I was first up … but after that I wasn’t nervous,” she said.

When she encountered her final word, the one that officially punched her ticket to the nation’s capital, she was relieved.

RWMS student Marissa Pruitt rides big word to national spelling bee

She had seen it, studied it and didn’t waste any time spelling it.

“I was really surprised it was that easy,” she said. “I thought (the final word) would be harder.”

Certainly the words will get more difficult (last year’s winning word was cymotrichous), but Marissa has a knack for spelling and the poise to go with it.

L a s t w e e k , L C S S upe r in t enden t Mat t Wandrie congratulated

Marissa in person for her accomplishment and encouraged her to do her very best to represent Rolland-Warner and the entire district.

“We’re proud to have Marissa carrying the banner of our d i s t r i c t i n the na t i ona l spelling bee,” he said. “Her success is a testament to her personal dedication and to the commitment of her family and teachers.”

Marissa Pruitt, an eighth grader at Rolland-Warner Middle School, will compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee next month in Washington D.C.

Scripps National Spelling Bee

2012 SchedulePreliminaries

May 30, 8am - 5:30pmLive on ESPN3.com

SemifinalsMay 31, 10am - 1pm

Live on ESPN2

Championship FinalsMay 31, 8pm - 10pm

Live on ESPN

New K-5 attendance boundaries announced

In order to accommodate the District’s new elementary structure, attendance boundaries had to be redrawn and communicated to parents across the District. Letters were sent out March 13.

The new boundar ies are the culmination of a tremendous amount of effort on the part of the Elementary Boundaries Task Force (made up of parents and staff members). A multitude of factors had to be weighed in order to achieve a workable outcome.

The following criteria, identified by the Task Force, were considered and studied as a part of the process: minimization of student movement/disruption;

building capacity; road conditions and maximum length of bus ride; current and future middle school boundaries; socioeconomic balance; special education balance; and keeping students most recently redistricted in current location where possible.

To view the new boundaries map, visit LapeerSchools.org.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer the Year-Round option

to families in the District. I’m confident that Ken

Janczarek is the right fit to lead Turrill Elementary

through this transition,” said Matt Wandrie,

LCS Superintendent.

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Superintendent Matt Wandrie uses his personal blog, “Super Scoops,” to applaud the great work of students and staff members of Lapeer Community Schools. Here’s an example of one such blog entry from March:

At the end of a long day of teaching on Wednesday, Brent Pearson was on the verge of a breakdown — only it’s not what you think.

Brent ’s breakdown on Wednesday afternoon came between the second verse and the chorus of Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll” during a jam session with Zemmer Middle School’s Rock Club.

Brent, who is in his second year of teaching Social Studies, is a tremendous musician — an accomplished guitarist and drummer — who has a passion for rock music. Brent is a perfect example of

what can happen when we put our passions to good use in the classroom. Brent’s love of music will filter through to his students, inspiring them to want to learn even more.

Here’s what Matt Olson, Zemmer Principal and fellow rocker, said about Brent:

Brent is still a relatively new teacher here at Zemmer, and while he is a Social Studies teacher by trade, he has a particular talent for music. This year, he has taken on our “Introduction to Guitar” class for seventh graders and has gone further to establish our first ever “Zemmer Rock Club”. Alongside one of our best volunteers, Deb Barber, Brent is working with a committed group of kids every Wednesday after school on learning various rock songs from different

eras. It’s a full band experience with several vocalists, drummers, keyboards, and lots of electric guitars. It’s awesome to see teachers take their passions and use them to enrich the lives of our students!

Four LCS art students named Distinguished Scholars of the Arts Congratulations are in order for three Lapeer West students, Courtney Gilbert, Aleena Dababneh and Laura Stack, for being selected as Distinguished Scholars of the Arts through the Michigan Art Education Association. Trista Foster, of Lapeer East, was also selected for the honor.

Their artwork will be on display at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival at Western Michigan University May 10-12.

Over 250,000 students across the State enter this competition and approximately 1,000 are invited to be a part of the festival. An additional congratulation goes out to Courtney Gilbert for placing in the top 18 artists. Her art work will be part of the Governor’s Traveling Art Show that will be on display around Michigan and also at West next school year.

Great job LCS artists!

Yes we ‘can’:Turrill students raise money for field trip to Henry Ford MuseumThe third grade classes (with teachers Jennifer Christian and Nichole Hayden) at Turrill Elementary have been raising money through a pop can drive for a field trip to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.

The trip was going to cost $16 per student for a total cost of around $1,000. In less than two weeks in March, the students raised all the money needed to cover the trip. They also did a “goodie” sale during lunch to raise additional funds.

Kudos to everyone involved. Way to make it happen!

Kudos:Brent Pearson brings passion for guitar to Zemmer Middle School’s Rock Club

Brent Pearson, right, jams with members of the Zemmer Middle School “Rock Club” after school. The club was practicing the Bob Seger classic “Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll” with full vocals.

“It’s awesome to see teachers take their passions and use them to enrich the lives of our students!”

Matt Olson, Zemmer Principal

“From one guitar player to another, keep on rockin’ Brent!” Superintendent Matt Wandrie

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Mayfield Elementary and Zemmer Middle School ‘Team Up for Technology’If you suddenly hear the Rocky theme song and spot a crazy lady with balloons walking toward you, watch out! There is a good possibility you have been officially challenged to a Road Rally Duel. Challenges in the local area are spreading.

Mayfield Elementary and Zemmer Middle School are hosting an adult night out April 21 at the Center Building in Lapeer to benefit mobile technology upgrades. The first activity of the night is the road rally. Teams of 4-6 will receive a bag of clues and scour the Lapeer area for treasures in our miniature version of the Great Race.

To make it more interesting, teams are able to issue a challenge to another individual or business. Everyone will get to see who won the challenges on the scoreboard that evening. Early registration is only $10 per person. On-site check-in is $75 per team beginning at 4:15 p.m. The top team wins a cash prize.

Additional evening events offered include a pasta dinner, silent/live auction, improv comedy show by Laffing Gas, and a Euchre Tournament. The auction includes over 70 items including: a 2 week resident summer camp experience for a boy 7-14, hotel stays, zoo tickets, museum tickets, baseball tickets, custom designed motorcycle helmet, signed memorabilia, and much more. More donations are being added each day.

Registrations can be picked up at Mayfield Elementary, Zemmer Middle School, or Cummings Chiropractic in Lapeer. Forms are also available online at teamupfortechnologyfundraiser.weebly.com. The first five teams registered get a head start. Gather your team and issue a challenge before someone targets you first!

Class of 1957 ReunionThe Lapeer High School Class of 1957 will host its 55th class reunion August 11, 2012 at the Lapeer Country Club. The event starts at 6 p.m. For details, contact Murwin King (810) 247-3249, Madelein Jens (810) 964-0218 or Shirley Braxton (810) 664-4598.

Lapeer Community Schools Distinguished Alumni Hall of Honor now accepting nominationsThe Distinguished Alumni Award program is a joint program cooperatively sponsored by Lapeer Community Schools and the Lapeer High School Alumni Association. The award was created to recognize the accomplishments of the outstanding graduates of Lapeer Community Schools. By celebrating these role models, we inspire today’s students to move forward in their own pursuit of excellence.

The Distinguished Alumni Award annually honors Lapeer Community Schools’ students who have graduated at least ten years ago. Candidates may be living or deceased, should be noted in their field of endeavor or recognized for their expertise and good works. He or she must be considered a role model for youth and have demonstrated positive leadership and outstanding achievement, service, or contributions to society.

You can pick up a nomination form at any school building, the Administration & Services Center or online at LapeerSchools.org.

The nomination deadline is Friday, June 1.

‘Horse therapy’ provides unique opportunityAbout a dozen special needs students from Turrill Elementary are participating in a “horse therapy” program at Banbury Cross Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Oxford, learning the fundamentals of horseback riding from professional riders.

Lapeer Community Schools began participating in the program last school year with Murphy Elementary students. The program, which has demonstrated positive breakthroughs among non-verbal students, is among only a few of its type in Michigan. Students have the opportunity to participate in the program, grant-funded and underwritten by Lapeer Community Foundation, in both spring and fall.

Roxann Johnson, Elementary Resource Room teacher at Turrill, said the benefits of the program are wide-ranging.

“Through this experience students have made progress academically, and socially,” Johnson sa id . “ The i r riding lessons have helped improve their confidence and their ability to face challenges, awareness of their body in space, and sensory integration. The time the students spend with their school peers socially while waiting for their lesson has facilitated support in developing social emotional skil ls such as cooperation, and interpersonal relationships.”

Turril l Principal Scott Warren, who got involved

in the program while he was principal at Murphy, has seen firsthand how students respond to the experience.

“Our students are very fortunate to have this opportunity,” Warren said. “In addition to the sheer excitement of going horseback riding, I have really noticed how the program has increased the confidence of our student participants.”

Johnson said interactions with riding instructor Jan Nierzwick, and her corps of volunteers, has improved the ability of many students to follow instructions and show respect for others.

“Watching these students overcome their disabilities and be successful with horseback riding is an uplifting and heart-warming experience,” she said. “Seeing them strengthen their interpersonal relationships, and their confidence within the school setting through

this experience, reaffirms my belief that educating students with disabilities goes beyond the classroom setting and academics.”

Visit LCSblog.com and click on the Flickr icon to see photos of the students in action. To learn more about Banbury Cross, visit BanburyCrossTEC.com.

Wyatt Miteen, a Kindergartener at Turrill Elementary, cracks a smile during a recent session at Banbury Cross Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Oxford. He is one of 12 Turrill students participating in a “horse therapy” program.

Candidate Guidelines• Lapeer Community Schools graduate• Minimum of ten years since graduation• May be living or deceased• Noted in his/her field of endeavor, or recognized

for his/her expertise and good works• Demonstrated positive leadership and out-

standing achievement, service or contributions to society

• Inductee must be able to attend the Distinguished Alumni Induction Ceremony

• If Inductee is deceased, a family member must be able to attend Ceremony

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Free breakfast offered to students in needLapeer Community Schools is proud to offer students in need a free breakfast before the start of classes each morning. Last school year, LCS provided 380,000 breakfasts to students across all grade levels. Currently 35% of students take advantage of the program aimed at ensuring every student is well nourished and ready to learn.

Breakfast is served for 15 minutes before the start of school at all schools-daily and is free to all students as part of the Universal Free Breakfast Program. All schools offer a variety of hot and cold items.

Breakfast in the Cafeteria - April 2012Lynch, Maple Grove, Murphy, Schickler, Seaton & Turrill

Free Breakfast to all Students

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Kellogg’s Eggo Maple or Blueberry

Mini Pancakes In a Bag

OR WG Bagel w/cream cheese

Apple OR Orange Juice or Fresh Fruit

PlusChilled 1% White

Milk

Breakfast Pizza

OR WG Bagel w/cream cheese

Apple OR Orange Juice or Fresh Fruit

PlusChilled 1% White

Milk

Pancake/Sausage on a Stick OR WG

Bagel w/cream cheese

Apple OR Orange Juice or Fresh Fruit

Plus

Chilled 1% White Milk

Cinnamon or Maple Waffle In a Bag

OR WG Bagel w/cream cheese

Apple OR Orange Juice or Fresh Fruit

Plus

Chilled 1% White Milk

Egg, Cheese, Sausage Bagel or English Muffin

OR WG Bagel w/cream cheese

Apple OR Orange Juice or Fresh Fruit

Plus

Chilled 1% White Milk

Other Daily choices that could be available:

Hot: French Toast Sticks, Mini Pancake Wraps, Breakfast Hot Pockets, Mini Pancakes, Texas Cinnamon Toast, Bagel Stick w/cream cheese, and Mini Bagels

Cold: Assorted Cereals, Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Squares, Giant Goldfish WG Graham, Banana or Blueberry Loaves, WG Banana or Blueberry Muffins, Fruit Yogurt Variety, Go-gurt, PB&J Graham Wafer, Power Ally Bars, Breakfast Granola Bar, Cinnamon Apple Stick, Cinnamon Iced Bar, and String Cheese.

Coming Saturday: Laps for LINKSOn Saturday, April 21, you can participate in the inaugural Laps for LINKS 5K run/walk in Downtown Lapeer. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Lapeer Community Schools LINKS program.

LINKS is a peer-to-peer support system designed to aid students with autism. Participants will gather on the lawn at the historic courthouse. Day of the race registration will be held from 8-9 a.m. with the run/walk beginning at 9:30 a.m.

The cost to participate is $15 or $25 with t-shirt. Shirts are available in sizes for adults and children.

You can find more information and register for the race online at lapsforlinks.com or by contacting Heidi Leadley at (810) 667-2444 or hleadley@lapeerschools.org. Please join us for this amazing community event.

Pizza Party for LINKS studentsOn March 20 Turrill Elementary School hosted a pizza party for students involved in the LINKS program. More than 120 students packed into the gym for some grub and the opportunity to design their own LINKS visor (like the one pictured above).

LINKS is a great program than connects isolated students who need special care with students who can help them with school work, social interaction, etc. It’s great to see so many students, at different stages in life, interacting with and looking out for one another.

To see a photo gallery from the party, visit LCSblog.com and click on the Flickr icon.

As more of our schools get plugged in to energy conservation, it’s important that we highlight some of the efforts being made to get our buildings on track to saving 10 percent in energy costs.

The science staff at East High School has started keeping the lights out in storage areas. The lights are now only turned on when a teacher retrieves materials and turned off when leaving. In the past, they had always tried to make sure the lights were turned off in these areas at the end of the day, but often these lights were left on during the school day.

Deb Ligeski, a chemistry teacher at East, has also suggested to other staff members that they turn off lights when they leave the staff restrooms, noting that there’s no need to light an empty room all day.

At Zemmer Middle School, Lisa Yderstad’s

Energy Essentials:

CILC program has done a nice job in putting together an “Energy Savings Checklist” for each room in the building. They put them on colorful paper and laminated

them. This is a student-led effort that can be replicated in all our schools.

Zemmer’s sixth grade LC6A has also been thinking about energy. They have plugged things into power strips, making them easier to turn off at night. Two teachers, Kevin Wenzel and Luanne VanAllsburg, have been keeping lights either completely

turned off or with only the middle strip on in recent days, taking greater advantage of

natural light.

VanAllsburg has also been encouraging her students to wear long-sleeved shirts in order to keep her thermostat at a lower setting.

As a school community, we know that every little bit counts.

East, Zemmer conserving energy in race to 10 percent

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To the next level:Five Lapeer East seniors receive athletic scholarshipsFive student-athletes from Lapeer East High School were honored late last month for earning athletic scholarships for college. East Athletic Director Sharon Miller congratulated the students for their hard work and dedication throughout their high school careers.

“I want to especially thank all the parents for being supportive of our program … I appreciate all your support throughout the years,” Miller said. “I want to thank you for raising such great kids.”

Several high school and college coaches, numerous teachers and at least 50 students were in attendance to honor the following student-athletes:

• Chad Carson, baseball, Wabash College• Thomas McCarter, baseball, Siena Heights• JT Pillars, football, Wayne State University• Alexis Nichols, soccer, Olivet College• Hannah Schmidt, soccer, Rochester College

C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s o n t h i s t r e m e n d o u s accomplishment!

Zemmer Middle School math project adds touch of scienceSeventh graders at Zemmer Middle School are growing Zinnia flowers for a math project. Students planted seeds into cups and are measuring their growth over the next few weeks. They will plot their points on a graph and find the line of best fit to write the slope-intercept linear equation that matches their plant’s growth (remember y = mx + b).

When the students are all finished, and the likelihood of overnight frost passes, they will plant their flowers out in front of the school to add a splash of color at Zemmer’s entrance.

Great job students and staff!

West grad wins national JUCO basketball championship

Anthony Sisson, a 2010 graduate of Lapeer West High School, passed up at least one opportunity to move on to an NCAA Division III school last summer. The decision to stay at Mott Community College for his sophomore year after his team lost in the national championship game last year surprised some people; but, the chance to win a national championship was just too good to pass up.

Risk rewarded.

Mott won the national Junior College championship last month in Danville, Illinois and finished with an all-time best 35-1 record. Now Sisson will move on to a four-year school and finish out his career as a student-athlete armed with the memory of an experience he will never forget.

“It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Sisson said. “I just love the fact that I was a part of the best junior college program in the nation for two years, and to top it all off I’m graduating Mott with a ring. Only three other teams in Mott history can say that.”

Sisson spent two years with Mott’s hall of fame coach, Steve Schmidt. He’s a legend in the junior college ranks and was recently a finalist for the top job at Central Michigan University. Schmidt has won four national championships with Mott and has a record that is unparalleled at the college level.

Schmidt, who just finished his 21st season at Mott , was impressed by Sisson’s work ethic throughout.

“Anthony was a consummate team player,” Schmidt said. “He would do whatever needed to be done for our team to be successful. He worked extremely hard every day.”

Sisson’s role on the

team didn’t change much during his sophomore season; he remained a reserve guard on the bench, but none of that mattered. He knew he would have to sacrifice playing time in order to play in an elite program.

“If I would’ve played anywhere else, I could’ve played more, sure; but, I wouldn’t have gotten as good as I feel I am right now,” he said. “I have no regrets; I pushed myself every practice, put in extra work in the gym when I could and got my school mostly paid for.”

Sisson came to Mott as a walk-on and eventually earned a scholarship thanks, in large part, to his diligence on the court and in the classroom.

“I feel he made the most of the limited opportunities he got during games – but, the real impact he made for our program is what he did in practice,” Schmidt said.

“I could always count on Anthony and I’m proud that he was a big part of our national championship team.”

Sisson and his sophomore counterparts, including a trio of players from Memphis, Tennessee, amassed a school record 68 wins in two seasons.

“This was the best team I’ve been a part of, not just on the court but off the court too,” Sisson said. “Sometimes after practice we’d hang around in the locker room for a couple hours just clowning around … this team was so special, we all liked being around each other every day.”

Sisson has a couple next-level options he is currently pursuing and will make up his mind in the near future. His strong academic standing (3.5 grade p o i n t a v e r a g e ) should also open up more doors for him during the summer recruiting season.

“I just have to keep working, but I’ll be playing somewhere next season,” he said.

These five Lapeer East seniors were honored last month for earning athletic scholarships. From Left to right: Chad Carson, Thomas McCarter, Alexis Nichols, JT Pillars and Hannah Schmidt.

Anthony Sisson celebrates with his Mott teammates after the Bears won the National Junior College Championship last month in Illinois.

Anthony Sisson has ‘once in a lifetime’ experience at Mott

“It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I just love the fact that I was a

part of the best junior college program in the nation for two years, and to top it all off I’m graduating Mott with a ring. Only three other teams in Mott history can say that.”