Coffee House Poetry Night coming to Hadley

First-graders at the Hadley campus of Hadley-Murphy Elementary School will read their poetry at the Annual Coffeehouse Poetry Night from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 26th.

Students have been working on their poetry to share that night with the help of their teachers Karen Allmen, Gayle Budzynski, Jodee Collick and Emily Miles.

Three classrooms will be turned into a coffeehouse atmosphere for the presentations to the students’ parents and staff.

Hadley-Murphy to collect books for literacy groups

Donations of new or gently used books will be collected at either campus of Hadley-Murphy Elementary School between March 16th and March 23rd as a school project to help two literacy groups.

Books collected during the drive will be donated to the Family Literacy Center of Lapeer and Ethiopia Reads. The Family Literacy Center is a local non-profit organization that helps adults learn or improve their reading and assists school-age children and their parents to improve reading and literacy.

Ethiopia Reads is a non-profit organization focused on improving the lives of Ethiopian children by fostering a love of education through the use of books.

The books can be for children or adults, fiction or non-fiction, but should be in good condition, said Lisa Schultz, a parent volunteer who is coordinating the drive. Cash donations will also be accepted and used for the cost of shipping books as necessary.

“We invite the community to support this worthy cause and drop your spare books off at either school during the week of March 16th to March 23rd,” Schultz said.

For further information click on the links to the Family Literacy Center or Ethiopia Reads to learn more about each organization. Additional information on the book drive can be obtained by calling Schultz at (810) 797-5537.

Michigan firms win in Lapeer West gym construction

Bids to build an auxiliary gymnasium addition to the Lapeer West High School campus were approved Thursday, March 05, 2009, at the Board of Education meeting.

Michigan construction firms were the winners of a dozen bids totaling $1,001,807.77. The bids were approved for the construction and finishing touches to the new gymnasium at West. Construction on the gymnasium is scheduled to start in late April with completion at the start of classes in September 2009.

The 12 successful low bidders were all from the southeast Michigan region.

Money for the gymnasium came from the sale of the former Administration & Services Center and Attica Elementary School. At the time of the sale of those two buildings the Board of Education committed to using the majority of those funds to enhance the District’s high school facility needs.

Winning bidders were: Johnson & Sons Excavating, concrete and site work, Goodrich, $157,725.77; HMC Mason Contractors, masonry, Shelby Township, $308,200; Men of Steel, steel work, Marlette, $65,995; J. Perez, general trades, Flint, $87,300; Royal Roofing, roofing, Utica, $72,900; Glasco Corporation, glass, Detroit, $37,880; Foster Specialty Floors, wood gym floor, Wixom, $54,700; Artistic Installations, floor work, Warren, $7,277; Duncan Painting, painting, Lapeer, $13,030; Foster Specialty Floors, gym equipment, Wixom, $38,000; Dickerson Mechanical, mechanical, Davison, $86,800; Great Lakes Power & Lighting, electrical, Marine City, $72,000.

Lapeer East, Lapeer West choirs perform well at Festival

Choirs from Lapeer East and Lapeer West High Schools represented their schools and themselves in an exemplary manner at the Michigan Schools Vocal Music Association festival at the Flint Institute of Music on Tuesday, March 3, 2009.

Two choirs from each school participated in the festival and the Lapeer East Concert Choir was one of nine choirs, out of 43 participating, that was selected for further judging at the State Festival in April.

The East Concert and Treble Choirs received “Excellent” ratings. The Lapeer West Concert Choir received an “Excellent” rating and the West Treble Choir received a “Good.”

Lapeer West’s Concert Choir missed going to the State Festival by just a few points, said West Choir Director Thomas Kaiser.

“They represented themselves and our school very well through not only their performances but their behavior as well,” said East Choir Director Cheryl Burnside.

A virtual tour of Rolland-Warner Middle School

Join with Zemmer Junior High School Principal J.W. Dunlop for a virtual tour of the construction of Rolland-Warner Middle School. Put your mouse over the screen and click on the "Play" button and enjoy!

Tony Strump named as new Rolland-Warner Middle School Principal

A veteran Lapeer Community Schools administrator, Tony Strump, was selected to be the first principal of the new Rolland-Warner Middle School set to open in the fall of 2010. It is a return trip for him to the place he began his career in 1988.

Mr. Strump has been assistant principal at Zemmer Junior High School for eight years and will continue in that job until the end of the 2009-2010 school year.

A graduate of Kalamazoo College, Mr. Strump began his career as a lead teacher and principal for the alternative education program at the Woodside School, the site of the ongoing renovations of Rolland-Warner Middle School.

Later, he worked in the District’s central office as a supervisor for at-risk students until becoming assistant principal at Zemmer.

In addition to his bachelor’s degree from Kalamazoo College, Mr. Strump has two master’s degrees from Michigan State University, one in curriculum and teaching and the other in adult and continuing education. He is currently working at Oakland University on an Education Specialist Program.

“We want to provide Lapeer Community Schools with a true middle school program at Rolland-Warner and Zemmer and have it be the focus of the community,” he said. “We are putting together this program for our community so that it will become well known throughout the State. That starts at home with the community taking ownership and moving forward with it and doing what is right for kids.”

Mr. Strump lives in Lapeer with his wife, Susan, who is a counselor at North Branch Community Schools.

Mariah Wallace: Lapeer East singer hits the high notes

From the time she started talking as a toddler, Lapeer East High School junior Mariah Wallace said she has also been singing.

In recent months, her singing voice has gotten her noticed in a lot of great ways.

Last year, a performance at a Detroit Habitat for Humanity event brought her an invitation from the executive producer of Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels fame, to do back up vocals for Ryder.

“That was so fun,” Mariah said.

Last summer, Mariah took part in radio station’s CK105.5 singing competition and made it to the final 8. Marshall Block, sponsor and judge of the competition, invited her to a Fenton recording studio where she worked on a song co-written by Dick Wagner and Steve Perry.

Wagner is the lead guitarist and songwriter for Alice Cooper and Perry was the lead singer for the group, Journey. After she fell in love with the song she was asked to do a whole CD. Mariah is working with songwriters, Jimmy Henterley and Katrina Hawkins, and the band, Zen, to fill out the 10-track CD called “Coming Clear.”

Mariah said laying down the tracks has been fun, but also business.

“It’s really hard work,” Mariah said. “I practice on my own every day, I practice with the band once a week and two Saturdays ago I spent all day in the studio.”

With some good fortune, Mariah, 17, said she hopes the CD will be released sometime in the spring.

Since eighth grade, students at East have been treated to Mariah’s voice at talent shows and as the National Anthem singer at many athletic events, something that has caught the attention of folks outside the school. Mariah has also performed at numerous local festivals, fairs and charity events.

At Lapeer East, Mariah works with and sings in the choir taught by Ms. Cheryl Burnside.

“Ms. Burnside is awesome, I love Ms. Burnside,” Mariah said.

On Thursday, February 19, 2009, Mariah received a letter inviting her to sing the National Anthem at the 2009 Class C Boys Basketball Finals on March 28, 2009 at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center at Michigan State University.

After high school, Mariah plans on majoring in music at college and hopes to have a music career.

“It’s the only thing I see myself doing,” Mariah said. “My parents have been extremely, extremely supportive.”

In her off hours she works at her father’s pizzeria, The Parlor, in Hadley.

Her parents are John and Jackie Wallace and she has a sister, Olivia, 14, and a brother JonPaul, 10.

Aaron Moskal: Lapeer East student goes Hollywood

A chance visit to Royal Oak last summer may have infected Lapeer East High School junior Aaron Moskal, with the movie bug.

Moskal, 17, of Metamora Township has made a number of appearances as an extra in movies being shot in Michigan. Coincidentally, he is currently a student in Bill Spruytte’s American Film Studies elective class at East.

Last summer, Moskal accompanied his father to work in Royal Oak and while visiting in Royal Oak stumbled across the filming of a Lifetime movie “Prayers for Bobby” and was asked to be an extra.

“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Moskal said. “In my first scene there was a crane camera, a huge machine aimed at you, and they said ‘don’t look at the camera, pretend it’s not there’”

Before that, Moskal’s closest movie encounter was a trip to Flint to watch the filming of “Semi-Pro” from a distance behind barricades.

That volunteer spot, one that ended with a scene where it was Moskal and movie star Sigourney Weaver in the same shot, ignited an interest in moviemaking for Moskal.

Since that time, he has been an extra hired for a Drew Barrymore movie, “Whip It,” along with other feature films, “High School,” “All’s Faire In Love,” and “Youth in Revolt.” Some of those feature films will soon be in theaters.

Moskal has worked with a number of high profile movie types, including Sigourney Weaver, Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page, Jimmy Fallon, Kirsten Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Ray Liotta, Christina Ricci, Ann-Margret and Adrien Brody.

In February, he was invited to and flew out to California for the premiere of “Friday the 13th.” His new acting connections have also landed him an invitation to the Saturday, February 28th, opening of “America,” at the Charles H. Wright Museum. Moskal was asked to be an extra in that movie, but was unable to do so. Cast and crew from “High School” garnered him the invite. It was his first trip to Hollywood, but not likely his last, Moskal said.

While he loves acting, and is only a few more appearances away from his Screen Actor’s Guild card, Moskal really wants to work behind the camera in the production and direction. Moskal is hoping for a starting job as a production assistant.

While acting may seem glamorous, Moskal said it is mostly hard work.

“It’s not very glamorous,” Moskal said. “You work very long hours, you get up early and work until late at night. Sometimes you do the same thing over and over again and spend a whole day doing one scene.

In addition to Mr. Spruytte’s class, Moskal said he appreciates the support of East teacher Mrs. Jan McKeachie.

Also supporting Moskal’s acting is his parents, Alan and Cheryl Moskal.

Tim Bradley - A Hall of Fame High School Coach

Tim Bradley, Lapeer West High School’s baseball coach, was named to the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame this week.

In a sport where statistics rule, Coach Bradley thinks more about the great players and great memories of a 29-year baseball coaching career, 27 years at the varsity high school level, than the numbers.

But still the stats are good. A career total record of 556 wins, 315 losses and two ties along with Bradley’s teams that won eight Flint Metro League titles, eight District titles, six Regional titles, one trip that ended in the Semi-Finals and two appearances in the State Finals, both losses.

A fierce competitor, Bradley said he remembers the tough losses more than the big wins.

Quoting tennis great Jimmy Connors, Bradley said: “I hated to lose more than I liked to win.”

But he has memories of great teams, whose pictures and trophies adorn the walls and cabinets of his classroom. Bradley has taught at Lapeer Community Schools for 32 years.

“Our teams went far very often, we expected to win and the losses were tough,” Bradley said. “I wanted my teams to battle, be competitive and play the game the right way, the way it is supposed to be played. We put Lapeer on the baseball map.”

In past years, Bradley coached both boys’ golf and baseball, but when the boys’ golf season was moved to the spring, Bradley had to make the difficult choice last year to put his baseball coaching behind him.

“It was a very tough decision,” Bradley said. He has also coached freshmen football for five years and junior high football for the past two years. He has coached boys’ golf for 26 years. He has also coached Metamora Little League teams.

One of the highlights of his career was coaching his two sons in baseball. Scott, now an engineer in Phoenix played golf and baseball and Nick, who attends medical school in the Caribbean, played golf, baseball and basketball during his time at West. Daughter Jill, who is a junior at Michigan State University, played basketball, tennis and softball at Lapeer West.

Another highlight was coaching the high school All-Star game at Comerica Park.

One of his players, Brandon Reed, made it to AAA farm teams of the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees, the closest Bradley came to having a former player make the major leagues. Another player, Steve Bradshaw, had a great college baseball career.

Bradley said his coaching kept him out of the house often, but his wife, Quinn, was always supportive and often came to watch his games.

“I treated everyone tough, but I hope I treated everyone fairly,” Bradley said. “You could say I was an ‘old school’ coach. I wanted things a certain way.”

Bradley credited his father with instilling a passion for the sport, taking him to games, listening to games on the radio and keeping score.

“The neighborhood kids played baseball everyday. “we made our own fields and could hardly wait to get to the ballpark,” Bradley said. In high school, Bradley was a good player and was going to try out for the Michigan State University team when he broke his hand just before tryouts.

He coached the varsity softball team at Monroe Jefferson High School during his first year of teaching. Coaching was a part of the reason he went into teaching and when the freshman baseball team at West needed a coach, he jumped at the chance. When the opening for the varsity baseball position opened two years later he took that job.

A career that ends in a hall of fame selection means a lot to Bradley, but he hopes it means a lot to another group of people as well.

“I hope my players feel good about this because they are the reason I’m getting this honor,” Bradley said. “We always emphasized team. I always taught attitude, hustle and giving it your best. I used to say, when we’re done with the season if you looked into a mirror ‘did you do everything you could to make us a better team?”

Over the years he made a lot of friends in the coaching fraternity and enjoyed the friendly rivalries with Fenton, Davison and Lapeer East. Even after he retires someday, Bradley plans to continue coaching.

“I think other teams knew we played good baseball and people knew whether we won or lost that we always gave it our best,” Bradley said. “We provided a lot of good public relations for Lapeer.”

A date has not been set for the Hall of Fame induction, but it will coincide with the High School All-Star game in June at Comerica Park. Bradley is one of four coaches selected for induction in 2009.