First-graders make annual visits to Safetyville

In what is a first-grade right of passage in Lapeer County, first-grade students are making their visits to Safetyville this spring.

Sponsored by the Lapeer County Sheriff's Department and a number of local businesses, Safetyville is a fun way for children to learn safety tips and techniques.

Sheriff's deputy Stacey Stimson talks to the children about bike and water safety, the importance of not touching guns they may find, avoiding the advances of strangers and the meaning and importance of traffic signs.

The children then have a chance to drive a course that is fitted with signs and traffic signals where they learn to stop, look both ways and then proceed when they have the green light.

Also students are taught how to cross roads and railroad tracks, if they happen upon them.

To see photos of a Lynch and Mayfield class visiting Safetyville go to the District's photo gallery.

Future Problem Solvers teams competed in Statewide competition last weekend

Four teams of students, two from Lynch Elementary School and two teams from the Seaton campus of Elba-Seaton Elementary School, were invited to participate in the annual Michigan Future Problem Solving State Bowl last weekend, April 25th and 26,th at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

“The State Bowl is the culmination of a yearlong program where students are taught to creatively seek, attack, and solve problems related to projections into the future,” said Coach Stephen Larzelere-Kellermann. “An estimated 1,000 Michigan students worked on three problems during the 2008-2009 school year – The Olympics, Cyber Conflict, and Space Junk, which were scored and critiqued by trained evaluators.”

Based on the third problem, 99 of the Michigan Future Problem Solving Program teams across three grade divisions (4-6, 7-9 and 10-12) were invited to participate in the competition. While teams know the general topic of this year’s bowl – The Counterfeit Economy – they will not know the specific nature of the problem they will attempt to solve until the Bowl begins.

Students from Lynch were: Samantha Goodnow, Allison Johnson, Allison Vestbjerg, Jacob Perry, Alycia Mausolf, Alicia Birkenhauer, Celeste Lareau, and Trey Lubonski. Students from Seaton were: Terra Bray, Brendan Jones, Rachel Metter, Katie Sinka, Alexa Hill, Taylor White, Joseph Dennis, and Nicole Tomczyk.

The following eight students went as alternates: Lynch students: Jacob Dam, Dylan Neebes, Alexis Mosher, and Sydney Maggs; Seaton’s alternates: Sarah Brownrigg, Billy Irvine, Amy Lindblom, and Samantha Boddy.

The Seaton team of Joseph Dennis, Alexa Hill, Taylor White and Nicole Tomczyk reached the semifinal round and a team from Lynch consisting of Alicia Birkenhauer, Alycia Mausolf, Trey Lubonski and Celeste Lareau also reached the semifinal round. The Lynch team also took third place in their group of teams in the presentation of their best solution.

“I am quite proud of them all and I believe they all had a terrific weekend,” said Mr. Stephen Larzelere-Kellermann.

For more information, contact Stephen Larzelere-Kellermann at (810) 667-2448 or a Michigan Future Problem Solving Program director at (810) 923-2484. More information about the program is also available at www. MichiganFPS.com or at

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).