Friday, March 18, 2011

Seaton Elementary remains open for 2011-12

The Lapeer Community Schools Board of Education has decided to continue to operate Seaton Elementary School for the 2011-12 school year.

The Board voted Thursday evening to keep the school open during the next school year, 2011-12.

In its resolution, the board stated the building will close at the end of the 2011-12 school year unless the enrollment at Seaton is at least 300 students as of February 2012, or the district-wide K-5 enrollment on February 1, 2012 is at least 2,400, or a revised facility master plan is developed for the District.

The school, located on Coldwater Road in Oregon Township, has a current enrollment of 288 students in grades Early 5 through 5th grade.

Wandrie is finalist for Superintendent

The Lapeer Community Schools Board of Education on Thursday evening voted unanimously to advance Matthew Wandrie as a candidate for superintendent.

The board will schedule a visit to his home district, the Dearborn Public Schools, and has authorized the Personnel Committee to pursue a contract with him.

Wandrie was among more than 40 applicants for the superintendent position. He lives in the Oxford area and is currently the director of human resources at Dearborn Public Schools.

Superintendent Debbie Thompson will be retiring at the end of the current school year in June, after serving as LCS Superintendent for the last six years.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Second graders help save endangered rhinos

From the County Press
Nancy Lamphere’s second grade class at Mayfield Elementary School presented $175 to Ruth Ann Prey, a retired school teacher, Monday morning (March 14). The money, raised entirely by the students, will be sent to an animal sanctuary in Africa that helps rescue endangered black rhinoceroses.

Prey gave a guest lecture to the second grade class in late February about the black rhinoceros, whose population has decreased dramatically in the past few decades. While tens of thousands of black rhinos thrived as recently as 1970, recent research suggests that as few as approximately 4,000 lack rhinos are alive today.

The rapid decline in population is mostly due to poachers who hunt the rhinos for their horns, which are then sold as trophies or ground into a powder used in pseudo-medical practices as a cure-all. Black rhinos are currently classified as “critically endangered” by the IUCN.

After the presentation, the second grade students decided they wanted to do something to help. In particular, second grader Ella Coulter took the cause to heart. Her parents said she spent an entire snow day making posters, writing a letter to other students and their parents and making a collection jar for spare change. “She did it all herself,” said her parents.

Thanks to Ella and the rest of the students at Mayfield Elementary, a total of $175 was raised. Prey returned to the school Monday to accept the money and thank the students for their efforts. “I think it’s really important.... I love animals,” said Ella.

Photos by JACOB HUNSANGER
Photo captions:
Above, Ruth Ann Prey, a retired Lapeer teacher, talks to the second grade class at Mayfield Elementary School and applauds them for their hard work raising money. To the left, student Ella Coulter shows off the collection jar she made. The students used the jar to collect spare change from parents and students in other classrooms. On the right is the letter Ella wrote to help with the fundraising efforts.

East's Burke signs to play at Concordia

From the County Press
A Lapeer East Eagle will become a Cardinal in the fall as senior Jacob Burke signed his national letter of intent to play football at Concordia University.

Burke will play wide receiver at the next level in the Pistol Spread Option offense, which has four wide receivers on the field at all times. Though the offense is relatively new, the coaching staff at Concordia believes they can put Burke in position to make plays with the ball in his hands and believes he is a perfect fit for a student-athlete at Concordia.

The senior also played in the defensive backfield for the Eagles on defense and was a part of the basketball team. Burke chose Concordia over other schools that included Albion College, Adrian College and Siena Heights University.

He selected Concordia over the other schools because he liked the campus. He believes his biggest challenge as he moves on to college athletics will be preparing for the better competition he will face and how much time football will consume in college.

The intended communications major is excited about meeting his new teammates and facing new competition at his position in a bid for playing time.

Lapeer East coach Jake Weingartz said he believes Burke will have no problems translating his game to the collegiate level. “Jake has great athleticism and he is an overall playmaker on the field. He made a lot of plays for us this season. He was a big reason we were as successful as we were this season,” Weingartz said.

“He will be a very productive wide receiver in college,” Weingartz added. “He will have to get in the weight room and continue to get bigger, faster and stronger, but there is no reason he won’t have a successful four years.”

Photo by Eric Hohenthaner

Photo Caption:
Lapeer East senior Jacob Burke signs his letter of intent with Concordia University as he is surrounded by his parents and Concordia coaches.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Mayfield 2nd graders perform "Ugly Duckling"

Mrs. Lamphere’s 2nd grade class at Mayfield Elementary will perform "Ugly Duckling" (a mini musical) for students March 16th at 2:00 p.m. and for the public March 17th at 6:00 p.m. at Mayfield Elementary located at 302 Plum Creek Road, Lapeer.

Mrs. Lamphere’s annual play is always a treat for the students and their audience. Come enjoy a delightful cast of singing second graders.