Lapeer West Washington photos are coming

There has been a small technical glitch (in D.C.) in getting Lapeer West photos back to put up on the website. We anticipate that tonight we will be able to get at least a few West photos up, or at least by early Sunday. Sorry for the delay, but we're working on it. We are assurred from those on the ground in Washington, D.C. that everyone from West is having a great time, however.

Panthers on the prowl in Washington, D.C.

We received word that the West buses have arrived in Washington, D.C. with its precious cargo of 8th graders and that they are having breakfast.

Eagles have landed, in Washington D.C.

Photos updated Saturday, May 8.

The long bus trip is over and the students are in Washington, D.C.

To follow along (as time permits posting) click on this link to the photo gallery as it will be updated throughout the weekend.

East 8th graders head to Washington, D.C.

The first photos are in from the 8th grade students traveling to Washington, D.C. We will post photos through the weekend, as we receive them.

Murphy Elementary students travel to Safetyville for important lessons

Murphy Elementary School first-graders traveled to Safetyville on Thursday, May 6, 2010, and left with lessons on how to stay safe every day.

Students from the classes of Denise Beachum and Elizabeth Kopchick took a field trip to the National Guard Armory in Lapeer to meet with Lapeer County Deputy Stacy Stimson and his team in Safetyville, a realistic, miniature town with streets, sidewalks, traffic lights, railroad

crossings and buildings. Stimson led the students through a series of fun exercises with a serious goal — keeping them safe in a variety of situations they encounter daily.

Stimson taught students to look both ways before crossing streets and to be aware of and observe traffic signals and signs for vehicles and pedestrians. He taught them what to do if a stranger tries to get them into a car, the importance of wearing a helmet when riding a bicycle

and about the dangers of playing with matches.

Safetyville’s lessons also address gun safety, with Stimson giving the children a four-step plan of action: “Stop, don’t touch it, leave the area and tell an adult.”

After the instructions, students got to put some of the advice into action. Climbing on toy tractors, they rode through town while obeying a working traffic light and traffic signs and learning to watch out for pedestrians at intersections. As some of the students rode through

town, others walked along the sidewalks, learning to watch for vehicles that might not be watching out for them.

Stimson said Lapeer County Sheriff Ron Kalanquin implemented the Safetyville program 30 years ago and that it is presented to every district in the county, with about 1,200 first-graders attending every year. Stimson has presented the program for 25 of those years and said he still uses the original equipment and buildings. “These tractors each have 100,000 miles on them,” he jokes.

Deputy Bill Bishop, Reserve Deputy Alex Romig and volunteers Amy Hoffman, Diane Pier, Margaret Smith and Sandy Evach assist Stimson in Safetyville.

“They are all angels,” Pier said of the children visiting Safetyville. “We need to keep them safe.”

Little Shop of Horrors comes to East Stage this weekend

A man-eating plant intent on ruling the world may sound like an old science fiction movie, but it’s actually the star of this Broadway musical, “Little Shop of Horrors.”

To see photos from dress rehearsal visit the photo gallery.

The Lapeer High School Drama Club will present “Little Shop of Horrors” at the Lapeer East Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, May 7th and 8th and 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 9th. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students, seniors, and children.

The Lapeer High School production is directed by Jennifer DeWitt and Bill Spruytte, who have co-directed for the past two years. Student assistant director is Kyle Schmude. “Little Shop of Horrors” features fantastic music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, the same duo that created “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid” for Disney.

However, make no mistake; “Little Shop of Horrors” is not exactly Disney. The Lapeer High School version of this production carries a PG-13 rating.

Timid, Seymour Krelbourn discovers an exotic plant with a strange appetite for blood and brings it to the florist shop where he works. As the plant begins to grow quickly, so does its hunger for human flesh and blood. Seymour, who is secretly in love with his co-worker Audrey, names the plant Audrey II and strikes up a deal to feed the plant (flesh and blood) in exchange for fame and fortune.

The Lapeer High School production features Matt Schneider as Seymour. Audrey is played by Wei Li Crawford. Audrey II is voiced by Kevin Roach. Orin, Audrey’s sadistic boyfriend, is played by Lucas Cosens. Dylan Dahring plays the role of Mushnik, Seymour’s boss. Audrey II’s backup singers are played by Monique Morris, Leyna Burel, and Liz Smith. Rounding out the cast are, Brandon Turcott, Paul Eastman, Victoria Mullins, and Miranda Sanborn as Skid Row residents.

Music Director for the show is Cheryl Burnside, Ben Motter is technical director, and Becky Prohaska is choreographer.

Lapeer East Volleyball standout to sign to play with Lansing Community College

Lapeer East High School senior Samantha Kazor will sign a letter of commitment to attend classes and play volleyball for Lansing Community College at a ceremony in the East Media Center at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, May 7.

Her high school coach, Dan Purvis and her new college coach are scheduled to attend.
Samantha was an All-Flint Metro Honorable Mention selection this fall.

Her scholarship is the second for a member of the team in 2009-2010. East’s Ellery Owen previously accepted an offer to play for St. Clair Community College next year.

Lapeer East collects more than 40,000 pounds of food for Food Bank of Eastern Michigan

Cash donations of about $4,000 and non-perishable food donations of 3,000 pounds for the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan at a Channel 12 School Spirit event Friday, April 30, put Lapeer East High School in the running for the “Spirit Cup.”

Each Friday, the television station sends a crew to an area high school to feature on the morning newscast. As part of the program students are asked to bring a donation of food or cash to the event for the Food Bank.

More than 400 students, including a few who camped out overnight, attended the 4 a.m. event in the Lapeer East High School gym.

“I’m proud of our students and the effort they put behind making this food drive a success,” said East Principal Kelly Paige. “We had a lot of fun and helped meet a tremendous need at this time in our community.”

Each $1 raised buys 9 pounds of food at the Food Bank, making the total poundage of the East event about 41,000 pounds. The total was more than double what the school collected in 2009, said Marc Jacobson, Channel 12 reporter.

The winner of the “Spirit Cup” event will be announced later in May. See previous post for photos and link to Channel 12 video.