Troubadours entertain at Lynch Elementary

Lynch Elementary students got a pre-holiday treat on Tuesday, December 21, as the Flint-based Troubadours paid a visit to the school.


The musical tour included a string quartet and storyteller from the Flint Institute of Music who offered up a fun, music-filled half hour “in the round” in the school cafeteria.

With their lively tunes and banter, the Troubadours wove in lessons about geography, writing and social studies in their program: The Places You Can Go: Adventures in Music.

Throughout the program students were transported to different countries, learning about the customs and music of other cultures.


The Lynch audience also got a chance to see and hear stringed instruments in the hands of professional musicians and got an opportunity to interact with the musicians, up close and personal. Students got a chance to get in the act by playing along on traditional instruments, trying out the instruments the Troubadours played.


The Troubadours encouraged Lynch students to participate and use their imaginations, and then get up on their feet to dance to classical, folk and ethnic music. The Lynch visit included a view of Mozart’s Austria, the dragon dance of China and the traditional dances of the Scots who now make their home in Nova Scotia. A rousing chorus of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” brought students back home to the USA.

The Troubadours have been performing in the Lapeer Community Schools for at least a decade, and this is the fifth year the group has entertained at Lynch. The innovative program is funded in part by grants from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Additional photos are available at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/LapeerCS/TroubadoorsAtLynchElementary#

Lynch PTC raises funds with Walk-A-Thon

Sunny skies greeted students at Lynch Elementary as they marched around the school playground throughout the day Monday, Oct. 4, to raise funds for the school’s PTC in the annual Lynch Walk-A-Thon.


The first students to put in their laps were kindergarteners and first graders who hit the “track” at 9 a.m. Students earned funds for the PTC programs for each lap they completed. This year’s theme was “Changing the world with each step we take.”

Parent volunteers and a crew of four helpers from Kohl’s were on hand to help out at the event. The Kohl’s volunteers also came bearing a $500 donation from the retailer.

Students in all grades, from Early-5s through fifth grade, participated in the Walk-A-Thon. The last students finished their laps at around 2 p.m. Grandparents also participated and donated $5 for the chance to put in some laps with their grandkids.
Rain on Sept. 28 postponed the Walk-A-Thon to Oct. 4.

The fundraiser is the biggest of the year at Lynch Elementary, and it helps to provide the bulk of funding for the PTC’s annual programs. The Walk-A-Thon came close to providing half of this year’s $10,000 budget.


Other sponsors of the Lynch Elementary Walk-A-Thon included: Columbiaville Flea Market, Hofman Shoes, Phil’s Tractor Repair, Delynn's Designs, Dinius Trucking, Farm House Family Eatery, Lee's Auto Repair, M3 Graphix, Tattoos At The Red Room, Use It Again Tools, Whispering Pines Adult Foster Care Home, Marz Food Service, Minkler Electric, Alaura's Portrait, Chilly Cow, Kaye Financial, Lapeer Sound Machine DJ Service, Mark Johnson Builder, Michaud Bookeeping, Outback Nails and Tanning, Performance Horses, Side Tracks Bar and Grill, Smith Refrigeration, Thorpe Animal Hospital, Wooden Nickel and Silver Screen.

All of the Lynch PTC funds raised are used in the school for a wide variety of programs, field trips and assemblies for students.

For a look at a photos from the Walk-A-Thon, go to the Lapeer Community Schools photo album at: http://picasaweb.google.com/LapeerCS/LynchElementaryWalkAThon102010#

Lynch students lobby State Representative Kevin Daley for State dragonfly designation

A group of third-graders at Lynch Elementary School received a surprise visit from State Representative Kevin Daley Monday so they could personally lobby him for an issue that has been ‘bugging’ them.

Students in Mrs. Gail Hale’s class wrote letters to Rep. Daley, which they had a chance to present to him in person during his surprise visit, about making the dragonfly the official insect of Michigan.

Last year, Mrs. Hale discovered that Michigan was one of only four states without an official insect. The third-graders were presented with the challenge of researching and then lobbying their State Representative on the issue.

Part of the third grade curriculum includes an outdoor education visit to Skinner Lake where water samples are collected and examined for various life forms. One of the most common underwater findings are dragonfly nymphs which soon climb out of the water to shed their exoskeleton and fly away. (Photo above is Rep. Daleyand students Chase DeLong and Brittany Beck)

Students peppered Rep. Daley with dragonfly facts during his visit. Photos are available on the District photo gallery.

As adults the dragonflies lay eggs in the water and their life cycle is repeated. The third graders from Lynch brought back samples of the dragonfly nymphs to the classroom where they observed this process before releasing the dragonflies outdoors. The experience with this event made the dragonfly their perfect choice for Michigan’s state insect.

This is the second year that the Lynch third graders have written to Representative Daley and now they may have the opportunity to actually visit Lansing to formally present their request.

“The students are excited about this prospect and look forward to learning more about how they can play an active role in our government’s procedures,” said Mrs. Hale.

Lynch, Seaton Elementary Problem Solving competitors head for MSU event April 17

Two teams of students from Lynch Elementary and four teams from Seaton Elementary School and several alternates have been invited to participate in the annual Michigan Future Problem Solving Program State Bowl at Michigan State University in East Lansing on Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18.

The Lapeer elementary school team will compete with members of 92 of the top teams Michigan.

Lynch team members, Alicia Birkenhauer, Alexis Mosher, Trey Lubonski, Jacob Schlaud, Allison Johnson, Anastasia Mausolf, Rachel Compton Megan Bopra, with alternates, Abby Horning, Steven Romolino, Paul Ankley, and Shelby Metzger, and Seaton team members, Sam Boddy, James Felton, Sierra Wineman, Brittney Potter, Nicole Tomczyk, Carley Heathcock, Sarah Ridenour, Kara Daniels, Hannah Somerville, Jocelyn Jones, Matthew Brey, Zachary Fritz, Brooklyn Withey, Olivia Card, Greg Schabel, and Katie Sinka, with alternate, Lauren Barber, and their coach, Stephen Larzelere-Kellermann travel to MSU.

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. An estimated 1,000 Michigan students worked on three problems during the 2009-2010 school year – Invasive Species, Sensory Overload, and Orphaned Children, which were scored and critiqued by trained evaluators.

Based on the third problem, 92 of Michigan FPSP’s teams across three grade divisions (4-6, 7-9, and 10-12) have been invited to participate in the State Bowl. While teams know the general topic of this year’s Bowl – Food Distribution – they will not know the specific nature of the problem they will attempt to solve until the Bowl begins.

Solutions will be evaluated on clearly established criteria, and the top five teams from each division will receive trophies. State Champions will also be invited to represent Michigan at the 2010 International FPS Conference at the University of Wisconsin in LaCross in May. In the past years, Michigan participants have won 25 championships at the International Conference.

"Greatest Art Show on Earth" to be held at Lynch Elementary on March 19 (free root beer floats too!)

“The Greatest Art Show on Earth” will be held at Lynch Elementary School from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 19.

Each student at the school will have a piece of art or sculpture on display at the show.

Student tour guides will offer tours through the sculpture park that will have more than 400 pieces of art.

Every student will also display a two-dimensional piece of art in the show.

If seeing “The Greatest Art Show on Earth” isn’t enough of an incentive to come, parents will be serving free root beer floats at the show.

“The students have worked very hard on their creations and we are hope many people will turn out to see them,” said art teacher Karen Milito.

Lapeer's top spellers heading to county bee

Three more elementary schools found their best spellers in contests Tuesday, February 16, and Wednesday, February 17. Now those students will begin preparing for the countywide spelling bee.

At Schickler Elementary, fifth-grader Kylee Roberts won the bee Tuesday when she correctly spelled “enfranchise.” Second place went to fifth-grader Paul Gregor. Both will represent their school at the county level. Sixth-grader Kaylee Fenslau was third and will compete if Kylee or Paul are unable to attend.

Jocelyn Jones was named top speller at Elba-Seaton Elementary School after she correctly spelled “suburban” in a competition with 11 of her classmates. Fifth-grader Alex Craig was named alternate for Elba-Seaton.

Jocelyn said she studied the word list provided by her teacher to prepare for the bee. While she felt ready for the competition, she said she was still nervous, especially about spelling in front of an audience of other students.

“It’s harder for me to spell out loud than it is to write it down,” she said. “So I wasn’t sure what letters were coming out of my mouth.”

Alex said she has a trick for calming her nerves: “When I get nervous, I just go to my happy place.”

At Murphy Elementary at Rolland-Warner Middle School, sixth-grader Jessica Pantone won her school’s bee Wednesday when she correctly spelled “patience.” She and fifth-grader Lydia Bontrager will represent their school at the county bee. Fifth-grader Isabella Mirza was named alternate.

Jessica said she studied for the bee by writing words from a study sheet onto index cards. Her plan to prepare for the county bee? “More index cards.”

Lydia said she also studied, but spelling wasn’t the difficult part of the contest — speaking in front of an audience was. “If you look at the crowd it makes you even more nervous,” she said, adding she focused on the judges instead.

The students join those already selected at other schools to attend the countywide bee. Sixth-grader Cody Cruce and fifth-grader Hope O’Neill will represent Mayfield Elementary. Allison Vestbjerg will represent Lynch Elementary. Maple Grove holds its bee today, February 17.

The countywide competition will be Thursday, March 18 at Rolland-Warner Middle School.

The spelling bees, occurring in schools across the country, eventually will determine the competitors for the National Spelling Bee to be held in June in Washington, D.C.

Daddy-Daughter Dance at Lynch Elementary a big hit

The Daddy-Daughter Dance on Friday, February 12, at Lynch Elementary School was a sparkling affair with lights and balloons and lots of beautiful dresses.

Pistons assembly at Lynch Elementary gets students fired up

A Pistons assembly at Lynch Elementary School taught the students about integrity, passion and success followed by a lot of fun when staff members were made to do push-ups after losing a game of free throw to a couple of students.

Allison Vestbjerg is top speller in bee at Lynch Elementary

Allison Vestbjerg “monopolized" the Lapeer Community Schools spelling bee at Lynch Elementary on Monday, February 8 when she emerged as top speller despite tough competition from 23 other students.

Allison correctly spelled “monopolize” to take the honor and will now go on to compete against students from other Lapeer County school district. If the Lynch Elementary student wins there, she would advance to a competition against students from across the state.

The spelling bees, occurring in schools across the country, eventually will determine the competitors for the National Spelling Bee to be held in June in Washington, D.C.

Allison and the other spellers from the fourth, fifth and sixth grades competed at Lynch in front of an audience of their classmates. After her win, Allison said she is excited to move on to the next round of competition and said she always has been a good speller.

After Allison’s win, Riley Case and Samantha Schlaud, both Lynch students, challenged each other for second place by attempting to spell increasingly difficult words. Riley and Samantha battled for several rounds before Riley won by correctly spelling “ineffable” and “labyrinth” in back-to-back turns at the podium. Their competition for second place excited the audience, which erupted in applause and cheers after each round as the two students continued to challenge each other.

As runner-up, Riley would compete in upcoming bees if Allison is unable to attend.

Lynch Elementary fourth-graders visit Suncrest

Lynch Elementary School fourth-graders in Mrs. Jewett's class paid a visit Thursday, January 21st, to residents at Lapeer County Medical Care Facility. The students sang songs and played games with the residents.

Rolling art makes debut at GLTA bus garage

Two Lapeer Community Schools students, Cameron Myers, a Lapeer East student, and Mya Bates, a Lynch Elementary School student, won a Greater Lapeer Transportation Authority art contest.

The students’ designs were chosen as two of the four designs that will be painted on four new GLTA buses due for delivery this month. This is the second year Lapeer students have had winning designs in the contest.

Last week the two students posed with their rolling handiwork at the GLTA bus garage.

Lynch Elementary student Scott Hilgendorf selected for leadership forum

A Lynch Elementary School sixth-grader , Scott Hilgendorf, was accepted into the People to People World Leadership Forum that will be held from June 21-26, 2010 in Washington, D.C.

Scott is one of a select group of students nationwide to be accepted to participate in the program that was conceived by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 when he founded People to People International.

Students will visit area historic sites that include Gettysburg, the National Museum of American History and Capitol Hill. Students will also examine the characteristics of American leadership during times of national challenge and prosperity.

Small group discussions and hands-on exercises will provide examples of how successful leaders develop strategies, make decisions, build consensus and foster change.

Scott was selected based on his outstanding scholastic merit, civic involvement and leadership potential.

“We are proud of Scott’s accomplishments and enjoy having him as a student at Lynch,” said Mr. William Slater, Lynch principal.

He is the son of Kristin Colpetzer, a teacher at Lynch. Kristen and her husband, Mike Colpetzer, live in Mayfield Township. Scott’s father is Jeff Hilgendorf.

Lapeer East student, Lynch Elementary student win GLTA bus design contest

Two Lapeer Community Schools students, Cameron Myers, a Lapeer East student, and Mya Bates, a Lynch Elementary School student, won a Greater Lapeer Transportation Authority art contest.

The students’ designs were chosen as two of the four designs that will be painted on four new GLTA buses due for delivery this month. This is the second year Lapeer students have had winning designs in the contest.

Congratulations to these two talented students who will now see their art traveling daily around the community.

To see the bus drawings go the District's photo gallery.

Lynch students present "Snow Day"

Parents and friends of Lynch Elementary School students were treated to a musical event called "Snow Day" Thursday, December 3, 2009. For more photos of the event go to the District's photo gallery.

Lynch Elementary thanks businesses for help with Walk-A-Thon fund raiser

Building the Future, One Step at a Time…

That was the theme for our 3rd annual Walk‐a‐thon and that’s certainly what the Lynch students did. The entire school had a wonderful time and walked 2‐4 miles in a 45 minute time frame.

Thank you to all of the families who were able to donate to the school, during these hard economic times. We would also like to thank all of our local businesses for their generous donations and/or pledges. Please support these local businesses, as they have supported our school and community!

GOLD donors: Kohl’s; Elite Feet; Ulmanis Veterinary Clinic P.C; Kohl, Harris, Nolan, McCarthy, Turkelson & Ogden Attorneys at Law and MFT Sports.

SILVER donors: The Farmhouse Family Restaurant; Delynn’s Designs; Castaways; Dance Street Studio; K’s Auto & Truck Service; M3 Graphix; Hofman’s Shoes; Marz Food Service; Burke’s Flowers and McDonald’s (M‐21).

BRONZE donors: Diversified Telecom Solutions; Louie’s Sports Tavern; Starbucks; Springer’s Pizza; Michael Murphy D.D.S.; Wendy’s; Use It Again Tools; Lapeer County Bank & Trust; Tattoos at the Red Room; Smith Refrigeration Inc.; Lapeer Family Dental; Masters of Masonry; Whispering Pines Adult Foster Care Home; The Alley Hair Design; Beckwiths Body Shop; Walmart; Keith Byrd‐State Farm; The Dawg Haus and Thorpe Animal Hospital.

OTHER donors: Boomerang’s Splash‐n‐Bath and Apple Tree Family Dining.

More photos of the event at the District photo gallery.

Lynch Elementary School first-graders visit Outdoor Center at Skinner Lake

With the completion of fifth-grade trips to the R. Michael Supernault Outdoor Education Center at Skinner Lake the first-grade classes from around the District have been taking their turns at the beautiful outdoor classroom.

On Wednesday, students in Mrs. Katherine Ruhlman's class made their way to the center and spent the afternoon studying habitats.

Students also got a chance to stand on a beaver lodge on Skinner Lake. Back at the Outdoor Center classroom, students got an up close and personal look at snakes and other displays.

On Wednesday, students had a special treat when wild turkeys showed up around the classroom. More pictures are available on the District's photo gallery.

Lynch Elementary draws crowd to Meet the Teacher night September 10

Parents and students check out Lynch Elementary School during the Meet the Teacher night and enjoy an ice cream social.

Lapeer West 8th Grade Band, with appearances by combined members of a number of 6th grade bands

Enjoy the edited version of the 2009 Spring Concert of the Lapeer West 8th Grade Concert Band and combined 6th grade elementary bands of Bishop Kelly, Mayfield, Seaton and Lynch.

Turtles, chincillas, birds, frogs and snakes. Oh My! at Lynch Elementary School

Science Alive! brought its collection of interesting animals to visit the students at Lynch Elementary School on Thursday, May 21.

Photos were taken in Mrs. Talia Leonard's class.

Students had an opportunity learn about reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals during the classroom presentations.

Also, the students had a chance to gently handle or pet the animals, if they wanted. The critters return to Lynch on Friday.