Lapeer students to visit grave of Lapeer 'space' hero

A group of students visiting Washington, D.C. next month will pay their respects at the Arlington gravesite of a Lapeer High School alum who died testing high altitude space equipment.

Dr. Victor Prather died following a successful balloon flight that took him and another Navy officer 21-miles above the earth.

Channel 12 in Flint did a story on Dr. Prather and the students' trip on tonight's news broadcast.

Teachers display talent at State art show

Three Lapeer West High School teachers are part of an art exhibition in East Lansing. The County Press did a story on the accomplishments of the three teachers.

Cory Gutenschwager, Steve Hilgendorf and Jeff Bolzman all had art selected for the display.

The Michigan Education Association/Michigan Art Education Association display is being held at the Michigan Education Association's East Lansing headquarters through May 4th.

New Optimist tennis courts dedicated for current, future generations of Lapeer athletes

It's official. The Lapeer East and Lapeer West tennis teams finally have a home court and beautiful ones at that.

On Thursday, April 23rd, under a clear, blue sky Superintendent Debbie Thompson and Lapeer Optimist Club President Andy Shango officially dedicated the new 8-court facility next to Lapeer West High School.

The new courts, which were first used this girls' tennis season, brought an end to four years of nomadic playing for the two teams after the old courts were condemned.

Made possible by a $280,000 gift of the Lapeer Optimist Club, the courts were constructed early in the fall of 2008.

Thursday's ceremony included remarks by Board of Education member Gary Oyster; Superintendent Debbie Thompson; Lapeer Optimist Club President Andy Shango; Lapeer West tennis coach Sue Pittsley and two of her players, Casey Spooner and Jessica Delange; and Lapeer East tennis coach Oscar Rodriguez and three of his players, Ashley Crump, Victoria Snoblen and Janine Widzinski.

For the first time in years, and due to the new courts, both teams had enough people try out to field both varsity and junior varsity squads.

"It's true, build it and they will come," said Mr. Gary Oyster.

Following the ceremony the two teams faced off on the new courts for their first match on the new home courts. Lapeer West won the first ever meeting on the new courts.

The Lapeer Optimist Club has funded a number of major recreation projects for the schools and for the community in the past. Recent Optimist projects include about $435,000 in work on the soccer fields near Lapeer East, including a recent expansion of the fields, which now include a concession stand, restrooms, a playground and a lighted varsity field.

The Optimists also donated about $130,000 to school playground equipment and additional donations that helped with city recreation projects, many of them dating back many years.

Turrill Elementary School students enjoy Earth Day learning in story and song

Earth Day in song and story delighted the second and third grade students and the classroom of Mrs. Kyle Rhein at Turrill Elementary School on Wednesday, April 22nd.

Ms. Evie Boss, a musician listed in the Arts and Humanities Touring Program, brought her own musical compositions and displays to the Turrill classrooms.

Turrill teachers, Mrs. Cheryl Roy and Mrs. Liz Foster, attended a fall Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education Conference and saw Ms. Boss, a retired middle school science teacher from Rochester Schools.

“After seeing her enthusiasm at the conference, we decided to bring her to Turrill Elementary to help build on our outdoor education program,” said Mrs. Foster. “For the past six years, the gardens, wood lot reclamation and plantings have been an integral part of our science education for Turrill students.”

Students enjoyed the music and entertaining way of presenting information on animals and the environment at the daylong programs.

Wednesday’s activity was funded in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Michigan Humanities Council.

Photos are available on the District’s photo gallery.

Lapeer East, Lapeer West math and science students excel at Metro League meet

Individual students from Lapeer East and Lapeer West achieved high honors at a Flint Metro League Math and Science competition held Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at Holly High School.

Three Lapeer high school students, two from Lapeer East and one from Lapeer West took first place in their subjects. Three Lapeer West students achieved second place finishes and one Lapeer East student took second place. Two Lapeer East students took third place in science and math subjects.

The students competed against math and science students from the ten Flint Metro League schools.

Winners were: Josh Francis (West) first place in Calculus; Daniel Pierce (East) first place in biology; Michael Puskar (East) first place in biology lab; Dan Barker (West) second place in Physics; Brad Deane (West) second place in statistics; Kaleb Elwert (East) second in pre-Calculus; Kevin Roach (West) second place for Chemistry lab; Nick McHardy (East) third place in statistics; and Mark Stefani (East) third place in Physics lab.

“We are proud of the hard work and skill exhibited by our students at West,” said West teacher Kristen Wilcox.

“The students have worked hard to prepare and compete and we are duly proud of their accomplishments,” said East teacher Mary Boomer.

Important security information for Lapeer East High School parents and students

The following message was announced to Lapeer East High School students this afternoon about 2 p.m.

“May I have your attention please.

We have become aware of an anonymous security situation in the building that we are working to resolve. In light of this, please note the following information related to building security.

All athletic events will be held as scheduled. Parent-teacher conferences will be held as scheduled. All students need to exit the building as soon as school dismisses at 2:07. There will be no after-school tutoring today; detention will be cancelled tonight. NJHS and drama rehearsal are also cancelled.

Following conferences tonight the building will be searched and secured by local police. Once we determine that East is safe and secure, school tomorrow is scheduled to begin at the normal time. Entrance tomorrow morning will be at cafeteria and auditorium doors only. No backpacks and no bags or purses larger that 8 by 11 will be allowed in the building tomorrow. All items entering the building will be subject to search.

Your cooperation is important to us. We ask all students who may have information about anyone making such a threat to contact a teacher or administration.”

Additional information:

Parents will be given another letter about the situation at parent-teacher conferences at the school tonight. A copy of that letter will be sent to all parents of students at Lapeer East High School.

Here is the current text of that letter:

Dear Parents:

This afternoon we became aware of an anonymous security threat focused on the school day at Lapeer East High School tomorrow, Friday, April 24th.

We immediately began putting our safety procedures in place. Some of those are in place now and others will be completed after the building is secured tonight following conferences. We are working with local law enforcement to ensure the safety of our students and staff tomorrow.

We believe the extra measures we are taking will ensure a safe school day on Friday for our students and staff.

Your help is important by making sure that your student(s) assist us by not bringing back packs or large bags to school. All items brought to school will be subject to search by police, who will be on hand.

Although threats seemed timed to take advantage of fair weather days in the spring, be assured that we take whatever threats we receive seriously. That is why we would also encourage you to talk to your child or children about the importance of notifying a teacher or administrator if they are aware of anyone making a threat for any reason.

As always we are committed to the safety of our students and staff and appreciate your help in this.

Kelly Paige
PrincipalLapeer East High School

Lapeer Optimist Community Tennis Court dedication Thursday, April 23rd 4 p.m.

Just a reminder that the formal grand opening of the Lapeer Optimist Community Tennis Courts will be held at 4 p.m. today, April 23rd at the courts, next to Lapeer West High School, 170 Millville Road.

The ceremony will take place just before the Lapeer East vs. Lapeer West High Schools girls' tennis match and the public is invited.

In the event of bad weather, the ceremony will be held at the same time and place the next day, Friday, April 24th.

Talented and Gifted students learn and play mathematics games at Maple Grove

Lapeer Community Schools' Talented and Gifted program ventured to Maple Grove Elementary School on Wednesday, April 22, for a day of fun and games focused around math and technology.

More than 70 students from all the District's elementary schools and Zemmer Junior High School, were involved in "Math Day."

Centered around space, the students had a chance to build launchers and then working with angles and tension got points for calculating the precise angle and strength to hit a "planet" target halfway across the gymnasium.

In another game, students measured how far they could jump from a standing start. With the measurement of their longest jump, they used a formula to calculate how far they would have jumped on each of the solar system's other planets.

The variations in gravity mean that the lengths would vary greatly from planet to planet. Using computers in the Maple Grove computer laboratory, the students made an Excel spread sheet showing their individual distances.

Photos from the event are at the District photo gallery here.

'Empty Bowls' fund raiser at Zemmer "Fine Arts Night" nets $1,232 for soup kitchen

An evening of band and theater arts performances by Zemmer Junior High School students, as well as student art displays, and an “Empty Bowls” fundraiser, collected more than $1,232 for a local soup kitchen, Thursday, April 16th.

Participants purchased a student-crafted bowl and then chose from a variety of homemade soups at the fundraiser.

Students in the Theater Arts program under the direction of Mrs. Karen Hale, presented a play in the theater arts room and band students under the direction of Mrs. JoAnn Royce, presented selected musical pieces in the gymnasium.

All donations from the event will go to the soup kitchen at Grace Episcopal Church.
Photos are available on the District photo gallery here.

A hop, skip and a jump to raising $23,272 for the American Heart Association

Lapeer Community Schools’ elementary students jump roped and shot basketballs on their way to raising $23,272 for the American Heart Association in the past two months.

“Hoops for Heart” and “Jump Rope for Heart” events were held at all District elementary schools. Students accepted pledges and then participated in the athletic events during a specified physical education time.

Students jumped individually and in groups in raising the money. Physical education teachers involved in the programs were: Ken Baginski, Deb Cooper, Jane Darin, and Sandy Mroz.

“Students have learned an important exercise skill as well as helping out a very worthy cause,” said Jane Darin, a District physical education teacher.

On May 7th, Cindie DeWolf, youth director for the American Heart Association, will present certificates to the District’s elementary physical education teachers for their work in promoting the healthy heart events.

“All of your elementary physical education teachers do a great job,” DeWolf said. “Your technology teachers also participated by bringing the physical education lessons into the technology classes.”

“In Lapeer, every single school participates and every single student gets a chance to do the activities whether they are raising money or not,” DeWolf said. “It’s not just about raising the money, it’s about eating healthy stuff, moving around and being tobacco free and then having the students share that information with family and friends. The students really get it. Lapeer does a phenomenal job.”

Here are the totals for the schools: Elba ($2,900); Hadley ($1,600); Lynch ($5,000); Maple Grove ($2,700); Mayfield ($2,591); Murphy ($2,581); Schickler ($2,100); Seaton ($1,400); and Turrill ($2,400).

Turrill's second-graders make nostalgic journey to Crossroads Village and the Stanley School

Turrill Elementary School second-graders have traveled to Crossroads Village to take a journey back in time to spend a few hours studying as their great grandparents might have studied.

Students dressed in period clothing (see photos of Ms. Luann Roberson's class) and spent three hours studying in the old school house on the grounds of Crossroads Village in Genesee Township near Flint, on Wednesday, April 22.

Students met in class at the Stanley School House at Crossroads Village.

The program is part of the Crossroads Village School Days offering.

To make it even more realistic, many students packed their lunches into an old-fashioned metal bucket, or pail.

All the children had a wonderful and educational time. Previously students in Mrs. Diana Carr's class made the trip.

Zemmer Junior High School debuts new band website with "Fine Arts Night" pictures

The link to the new Zemmer Junior High School band website is on the link list to the right.

If you get a chance stop over and take a look! There are pictures from the recent "Fine Arts Night" as well as practice information for students and parents.

Lapeer West's Alyssa Marino in the news

In case you missed the front page story in The County Press this past Sunday, April 19, 2009, here's a link to the story about Lapeer West senior Alyssa Marino and her coming chance to win a national cooking competition and an appearance on the Food Network.

Last month, Alyssa whipped up a chicken, rice pilaf and broccoli dish so great it won her a first place medal at a local “Best Teen Chef” competition at the Art Institute of Novi.

Marino also won a $3,000 scholarship for her efforts.

Next up is the national competition.

Marino, who is a second-year culinary arts student at the Lapeer County Intermediate School District’s Education and Technology Center, will compete with 40 other teens from around the country on May 9th in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The top winner of the competition will win a full-ride scholarship to one of the more than 30 Art Institutes in the country that offer a culinary arts program. Other winners will receive partial scholarships.

The top winner also wins an appearance in a short feature of the Best Teen Chef competition on the Food Network. The Best Teen Chef competition has a partnership with the Food Network.
The 2009 Best Teen Chef will be an “Intern for a Day” in the Food Network kitchens in New York City and receive a studio tour, dinner for two at a Food Network chef’s restaurant and a library of Food Network cookbooks.

Michigan's Electronic Library - explained for free at Lapeer East Thursday evening

A free presentation and demonstration of "MeL" - Michigan's Electronic Library - will be offered to the public on Thursday, April 23rd at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. or 7 p.m.

The demonstration will be held in the Lapeer East Media Center.

"MeL offers a wealth of on-line resources free to Michigan residents," said Terrie Hazard, Lapeer East Library Media Specialist. "It covers topics such as job searching, homework help, test preparation and even auto repair."

"We hope people will join us to learn more," Hazard said.

Author Michael P. Spradlin to visit Lapeer West twice, Friday's visit open to the public

A popular author of books for children and young adults is making two visits to Lapeer West High School this week.

Students, parents, staff and the community are invited to meet Michael P. Spradlin from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, April 24th at the high school media center at 170 Millville Road in Lapeer.

Spradlin has written a number of books, including the popular “Spy Goddess” series. The books will be on sale at the event and Mr. Spradlin will autograph them for the buyers.

The author will also be at the school during the day Tuesday, April 21st.

For more information on the author go to his website.

Dinner at E.G. Nick's on May 3rd to benefit Hadley-Murphy Elementary School

A dinner at E.G. Nick’s on May 3rd will raise money for special programs at the Hadley-Murphy Elementary School.

The dinner out at E.G. Nick’s at 825 S. Main Street in Lapeer will be held Sunday, May 3rd from noon to 9 p.m. Diners who present a coupon from Hadley-Murphy will have 20 percent of their purchase go to the school.

For information or to get a coupon, call (810) 797-4274 or (810) 678-2201 or check out the school’s website for a coupon here.

Hadley-Murphy sets 8th Annual Tee-Off for Technology Golf Scramble for May 9th

A golf outing on May 9th has been scheduled to help raise money for technology at Hadley-Murphy Elementary School.

On Saturday, May 9th the Hadley-Murphy 8th Annual Tee-Off for Technology Golf Scramble will tee off at the Lapeer Country Club at 3786 Hunt Road in Lapeer. Registration is at 7:30 a.m. and a shotgun start will be a 8:30 a.m.

For teams who register by April 24th, the cost is $70 per person or $280 per team for the 4-person scramble. After April 24th the cost will by $75 per person and $300 per team. The cost includes 18-holes of golf with cart, coffee and donuts, steak dinner, a gift bag and t-shirt.

There will be lots of great prizes both during and after the golf outing, including first and second place prize money and various on course skill contests, closest to the pin, longest drives a Vegas hole and more.

For information or registration call (810) 797-4274 or (810) 678-2201 or get a flier and registration form here.

Zemmer Empty Bowls and Fine Arts Night raises more than $1,200 for soup kitchen

An evening of band and theater arts performances by Zemmer Junior High School students as well as student art displays, helped raised more than $1,200 for the Grace Episcopal Church soup kitchen Thursday night.

Students crafted ceramic bowls, which were purchased with a donation and participants got to pick from dozens of homemade soups at this year’s “Fine Arts Night!” at Zemmer Junior High School.

Theater arts students performed a play and band musicians under the direction of Joann Royce performed a number of excellent musical pieces in the gymnasium.

Students honor "Someone Special" at 2009 ceremony at Murphy Elementary School

It was a pretty "special" day at the Murphy campus of Hadley-Murphy Elementary School on Friday, April 17, 2009.

Students in Mrs. Rachel Pake and Mrs. Stephanie Giroux Phillips' class each invited a very special person to enjoy a day of honor and pampering.

Poems written by each student in honor of the "special" person were read and presented to the honorees. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings and two aunts were invited to the "Hollywood" treatment that included a red carpet lined with adoring fans.

There were plenty of hugs and tears as the poems were read and presented to the special guests.

Following the ceremony, the students and their special person were treated to refreshments and other activities.

Photos of the event are here.