'World class' program coming to Lapeer middle schools

“The Forgotten Middle” will be transformed into a solid bridge to the future in the Lapeer Community Schools.

Timed to launch with the start of the Fall 2010 semester at Rolland-Warner and Zemmer middle schools, the district will debut a new curriculum designed to better integrate grades six through eight into students’ academic and social preparation for graduation and college. The curriculum is designed to be a better bridge between state requirements for curriculum at the elementary and high school levels.

Lapeer Community Schools Superintendent Debbie Thompson called the initiative a “world class” addition to the district’s instructional program.

Members of a district-wide committee helping to shape the curriculum presented highlights of it to the Board of Education and public during a meeting at Schickler Elementary School on Thursday.

The plan focuses on a flexible core block of classes with a team approach. Teachers will share teams of 120-130 students and will work together to develop class schedules and address needs of their students.

The I-Connect component will allow time for students to talk to each other and a trusted adult about issues they might be facing outside of the classroom. It is designed to improve communication between students, teachers and parents.

Committee member and Zemmer at Rolland-Warner Acting Assistant Principal Merideth Collins said for many years middle school has “simply been tagged on” to the elementary and high school programs.

“While students have been taken care of on either side of the middle … we need to focus on what we will do for those kids while they are there in order to bridge that gap between early education and high school reform,” Collins said.

Collins said research has shown that building sustainable relationships with students in the middle school grades makes a significant contribution to their academic and social success.

“It gives them the skills and tools necessary to be successful during their high school years,”she said.

Committee member and Zemmer at Rolland-Warner Assistant Principal Joe Shoopman said it is important to develop strong relationships with students early to help them graduate and be successful in college.

“The path to graduation does not start in high school, it begins in kindergarten,” he said. “Current research suggests that when there are not behavior issues, when students are attending at 95 percent, that their chance of graduating at the end of 12th grade is tremendously improved.”

Turrill Elementary students learn that math is "Awesome"

The Awesome Math Projects and Skills after-school program at Turrill Elementary School helps students get a jump-start on understanding math problems. Turrill teacher Mrs. Pasek teaches the group of fifth- and sixth-graders, who meet on Thursdays at 3:15 p.m.

Video features highlights of Lapeer West High School choir's holiday concert

Lapeer West High School's choir celebrated the holidays with a special concert in December. View the highlights in this new video.

Lapeer East athletes sign letters of intent

Lapeer East High School athletes Payton McCallum (Grand Valley State University) and Ellery Owen (St. Clair Community College) signed their letters of intent at a ceremony on February 3, 2010.

Two of Lapeer East High School’s standout athletes were praised Wednesday for their hard work in the classroom and in their sports when they signed commitment letters to colleges.

During signing ceremonies in the school’s Media Center, family, teammates and friends celebrated with Payton McCallum and Ellery Owen as they made their first steps into their college careers.

Payton, who played offense and defense for the Lapeer East High School varsity football team, signed to play at Grand Valley State University. Ellery accepted an offer to play for St. Clair Community College next year.

“These are two amazing student athletes who have done it in the classroom and on the court and field,” East Athletic director Sharon Miller said of the pair.

Payton said he is eager to begin college but doesn’t know if a career in the pros is in his future.

“But I would love it,” he said.

His East coach praised Payton’s dedication.

It’s a testament to his hard work that he is going there (to GVSU),” Coach Jake Weingartz said. “I’ll be very excited to watch him the next four years.”

Payton was named a First Team offense and defense player in the Flint Metro League and was named co-Most Valuable Player.

Ellery said she believes attending St. Clair Community College will be a good learning experience for her.

“It was my very biggest goal to go to a place like this (SCCC),” she said. “I love volleyball and it will be a great experience for me to meet new people.”

Her East coach said her performance lifted the entire team.

“Just her presence on the court made everyone around her better and made us a better team,” Coach Dan Purvis said. “She’s just a great kid.”

SCCC Coach Chuck Weisner said he is excited to have Ellery join his team.

“We’ve recruited very, very well this year,” Coach Weisner said. “ We’ve gotten the best kids from the area and Ellery is no exception.”

Ellery was a Flint Metro League First Team selection while at East.

Lapeer students to honor longtime teacher and coach David "KP" Kirkpatrick

For 30 years, Coach David “KP” Kirkpatrick was devoted to his students as a teacher, counselor and athletic coach.

Coach Kirkpatrick passed away last March after a battle with cancer, but his students have not forgotten the impact he made on their lives.

On Friday, February 12, the students will honor their friend and mentor with “KP Fight Cancer Night.” The varsity boys’ and girls’ basketball teams from Lapeer East and Lapeer West will dedicate their games to him. All proceeds from concession stand sales and a 50/50 drawing on that night will be donated to Katie’s Wings, a charity named after Mr. Kirkpatrick’s late daughter, Katie , that helps cancer patients. A table will be set up during the varsity games to take donations from people who would like to make additional contributions.

“On behalf of my family, thank you to the basketball teams and their coaches for the dedication of the games to KP, and thank you to those organizing the night who have invested so much of their time and energy,” Niki Kirkpatrick, the coach’s wife and a Murphy Elementary School teacher, said. “Whether in the classroom, in the counseling office or on the court, KP put everything he had into what he did. He approached his fight against cancer with the same determination and would have been so humbled by this honor and also so grateful to those supporting the cause.”

During his three decades with Lapeer Community Schools, Coach Kirkpatrick taught biology at Lapeer West and was a counselor at East and West high schools and at White Junior High School. He coached the varsity boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at Lapeer West and lower level soccer at Lapeer East. He coached junior high track at White Junior High School for years and coached youth soccer for the Lapeer Soccer Club.

Anyone unable to attend the February 12 games can still make a contribution by writing a check payable to Katie’s Wings, P.O. Box 458, Metamora, MI, 48455.

Donations can also be mailed: KP Fight Cancer Night, c/o Bill Kinzer or Andy Roberts, Lapeer West High School, 170 Millville Road, Lapeer, MI 48446

Lapeer West to usher in spring with first annual Spring Fashion Show

They are eager for spring at Lapeer West High School and they want to spread the fever.

Sponsored by the Lapeer West Junior Student Council, the school will host a Spring Fashion Show at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 11. The first annual show will feature 20 senior couples in prom attire and local businesses will have displays with incentives and coupons.

The Lapeer West Jazz Band will perform. For the first time ever, the school will crown a Mr. Lapeer West. To enter for a chance to win that honor, sign up in the Counseling Office before Friday, February 12. First prize is $50!

Other events include raffles for prom tickets and prizes.

There also will be the chance to sell your old prom dress. Bring your slightly used dress to be displayed for potential buyers. Dresses will be tagged with the owner’s name, address and phone number along with the size and price. Cost to display a dress will be $5 each or $10 for three, with proceeds going to the student council. Dresses will be accepted for display from 5-6:30 p.m. the day of the fashion show. Dresses that do not sell will be available for pick-up at the end of the show.

Admission to the fashion show is $2 with tickets available at the door.

Video offers highlights of Lapeer East Eighth Grade Band Holiday Concert

The Lapeer East Eighth Grade Band ushered in the holidays with a December concert. See the highlights in this new video.

Relive highlights of the Lapeer East Choir Holiday concert with new video

The Lapeer East Choir celebrated the holidays with a concert. Relive the highlights in this video.

New Zemmer Middle School construction photos

Take a look at some new construction photos from Zemmer Middle School. New steel framing for the main south entry has been installed.

Lapeer West junior Justin Hellebuyck wins design contest

Lapeer West junior Justin Hellebuyck won a statewide SkillsUSA Michigan design contest and will see his winning artwork on the cover of the group’s program for its State Convention.

Justin made the design in his Computer Aided Design class at the Lapeer Education and Technology Center. A total of 133 designs were submitted and Justin’s emerged in the top 3 in the contest.

The son of Frank and Marie Hellebuyck, of Otter Lake, Justin hopes to work with computers as a career.

According to the SkillsUSA website, the group is a “partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce.” The organization has 13,000 school chapters in 54 state and territorial associations.

The convention will be in Lansing in April.

Students find creative ways to raise money for Haitian earthquake relief efforts

Money raised during a concert at Lapeer East High School will be donated to the Haitian relief effort through the Healing Hands International Organization.

The “Helping Haiti Heal Benefit Concert!” which is being organized by East students Katherine Baeckeroot and Rebecca Wright, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, February 5, at the Lapeer East High School Auditorium and will feature East junior Tate Robinson playing the guitar and singing. Lapeer East Social Studies Teacher Al Margrif, who has played guitar since he was 12, will offer his brand of acoustic rock.

Rick Samano, owner of Lapeer Music in downtown Lapeer, is bringing his electric guitar for his part of the concert. Tickets are $5.

“My heart was torn by the images of the devastation on the island of Haiti,” said Mr. Margrif. “When I was asked if I could play a few songs in a fundraiser, I jumped at the chance. I love the students at Lapeer East and I wanted to help them in their effort to raise funds for the people of Haiti.”

Students also plan to host a silent auction during the concert.

At Lapeer West, senior Wei Li Crawford is continuing her effort to raise money for Haiti by selling T-shirts. The shirts are $10 and are available at Lapeer West High School.

Lapeer East students in Mr. Russell Reitz’s Spanish classes raised more than $300 for the Helping Haiti Heal drive. The top class was Mr. Reitz’s third hour class.

Lapeer East cheerleaders travel to Escanaba for competition

Escanaba might be an unusual winter destination, but the Lapeer East Cheerleading squad made the trek there recently for a good reason ­-- to compete in a cheerleading event.

The girls on the squad, their parents and Coach Naomi Peck raised $3,500 to take the 20 girls, coaches and chaperones to the event at Escanaba High School. Money collected from cookie dough sales, car washes, raffles and donations from sponsors made the trip possible.

Crossing the Mackinac Bridge was a first for about half the team, which made the eight-hour trip Friday, January 22.

The team was served a potluck dinner prepared by parents of the Escanaba High School team. The girls attended a boys’ basketball game at Escanaba High School on Saturday, then had a swim outing with the Escanaba cheerleaders at the Super 8 Motel.

Coach Peck learned of the Escanaba Invitational Cheerleading event through a state cheerleading website and from her aunt, who is a cook at Escanaba High School.

The Lapeer East girls’ also were featured in an article in the Escanaba Daily Press newspaper.

“It was a great trip and a great experience for our team,” said Coach Peck.

The Eagles finished in fifth place in the nine-team field.

Lapeer East High School students to sign athletic commitment letters

Two Lapeer East High School athletes will sign commitment letters to colleges at a signing ceremony in the school’s Media Center on Wednesday, February 3, at 2:30 p.m.

Payton McCallum, who played offense and defense for the Lapeer East High School varsity football team, will commit to play college football at Grand Valley State University. He was named a First Team offense and defense player in the Flint Metro League and was co-Most Valuable Player.

Volleyball player Ellery Owen will accept an offer to play for St. Clair Community College next year. Owen was a Flint Metro League First Team selection.

Parents, coaches and teammates of the two students are expected to be at the ceremony.

"An Evening of One Acts" opens at Lapeer East tonight

Lapeer High School Drama Club will present An Evening of One-Act Plays on Thursday, January 28 and Friday, January 29 at 7 p.m. in the Lapeer East Auditorium.

Tickets may be purchased in the Lapeer East Auditorium lobby before the show. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and senior citizens and $7 for adults.

The four one-act plays are: “Don’t Say Macbeth,” a wacky and quick study on the story and curse of the Scottish tragedy; “Scuba Lessons,” a realistic comedy about a double blind date that went wrong; “The Least Offensive Play in the Whole Darn World,” a story of new technology “ScriptCleaner5000” that makes any play suitable for a high school audience; and “The Three Wise Mens’ Dumber Brothers,” a comedic look at the search for the Three Wise Men by their younger less intelligent brothers.

Cast of the “Scuba Lessons,” which is directed by Caitlin York, is Haley Ward, Alex Giddings, Garrett Miller, Bridget Stemm, Kyle Schmude and Justin McCrory. Cast of “Don’t Say Macbeth, which is directed by Matt Schneider, is Nick Lucchesi, Aaron Knowlton, Sarah Sweeney, Kelsey Kolvek, Miranda Sanborn, Nate Scharrer, Paul Eastman, Justin McCrory and Madison Dearing.

Cast of “The Least Offensive Play in the Whole Darn World,” (see photo above) which is directed by Lucas Cosens, is Dylan Dahring, Marcus Sparks, Jesse McKelvie, Leyna Burel, Wei Lei Crawford, Kevin Roach, and Zach Fick. Cast for “The Three Wise Men’s Dumber Younger Brothers,” which is directed by Steven Hoffa, is Janelle VanWagner, Katy Peacock, Jesse McKelvie, Ben Blythe, Brandon Turcott, Vicky Mullins, Monique Morris, Andrew Roark, Alissa Mazur-Batistoni, Jennifer Eskridge and Brittany Walker.

More dress rehearsal photos are available on the District photo gallery.

Lapeer students step up to help Haiti

Lapeer students and staff have opened their hearts, imaginations and wallets in finding creative ways to raise money to help with relief efforts in Haiti since the devastating earthquake on January 12.

Lapeer West Student Council voted to send $1,000 to the American Red Cross and West senior Wei Li Crawford (see photo at left) worked with Assistant Principal/Athletic Director Mary Haslinger to organize Haitian relief collections during basketball games at the school Friday, January 22, and again on February 12.

Wei Li has collected gift cards and donations from local businesses and put posters up around school. Nearly $200 was raised at the January 22 basketball game.

“It warms my heart,” said Hollie Marcola, staff advisor to West’s Student Council. “There are a lot of good people in this world.”

The sixth-grade class of Ms. Maja Burris and Ms. Shellie Forgione’s third-grade class at Mayfield Elementary School recently began a study of earthquakes and have started a collection of change to donate to the American Red Cross. The students have formed a committee called “Hearts for Haiti”.

Paper hearts will be sold for a $1 and hung in the hallway with the donor’s name. The goal is to raise $500 to donate to the “Save the Children Haiti Emergency Fund.”
Schickler Elementary School has set up a collection jug in the hall for the next month to collect for relief. Students at Schickler are also having a race to Haiti with teachers’ names on a long sheet of paper. Each time a student donates a quarter it will put their teacher’s name on a on sticker closer to Haiti. The winning teacher and class win a prize.

The Student Council at Zemmer Junior High School at Rolland-Warner had a “Hat Day for Haiti” on Friday, January 22 and raised $272.10. Hats are not usually allowed in school, but for a $1 donation students were allowed to have a hat for the day.

Lapeer East students sold bracelets for $2 starting on Wednesday, January 20 and continue through February 5 with all the money going to Healing Hands International to help with Haiti relief. So far more than $450 has been raised.

In addition to the bracelets, Katherine Baeckeroot and Rebecca Wright are organizing a Haiti Relief Concert from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Lapeer East Auditorium on Friday, February 5.

Lynch Elementary School staff and students have already raised more than $100 collecting pennies and loose change. During the week of January 25-29 students can donate 25-cents for the privilege of wearing a hat in school.

Students on the Murphy Elementary School Student Council are having a bake sale on Wednesday, January 27, to raise money for Haiti.

Ms. Elizabeth Gorkowski, a Turrill Elementary School teacher and her third grade class organized a “Hats Off for Haiti” fund raiser. Every Friday in February students will be able to wear a hat at school for 50-cents each week. A bake sale to help the Haitians is scheduled for Wednesday, February 24.

Tim Zeeman named Principal at Lapeer West

Tim Zeeman was named the new Principal of Lapeer West High School on Friday. Mr. Zeeman had been serving as acting principal of Lapeer West High School since August.

“Tim Zeeman has done a wonderful job at Lapeer West and I am pleased to remove the ‘acting’ title from his position,” said Superintendent Debbie Thompson. “Tim has a wealth of experience in the District, in the community and at Lapeer West High School.”

Zeeman joined the District in 1996, taught English at Lapeer East until 2005 when he was appointed assistant principal and athletic director at Lapeer West. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Albion College and a Master’s degree from Marygrove College.

“I am very humbled and honored to be named Principal at Lapeer West High School. I feel very fortunate to be a part of the Lapeer West family, and I look forward to leading our school toward excellence despite the economic turmoil our state is facing. I am very proud to be a Panther.”

2010-2011 Budget cuts subject of discussion at Board of Education meeting Thursday

School budget cuts were once again the focus of a January Board of Education discussion.

A projected State foundation grant cut for school year 2010-2011 of $268 per student, will result in a loss of $1.7 million to the District based on the current student population. That cut is added to a $165 per student reduction, a $1 million loss in the current 2009-2010 school year.

With mandatory increases in retirement and health care costs for 2010-2011, the District is facing a $3.6 million shortfall even without the additional $1.7 million loss. The District faces further cuts if a new All-Day, Every-Day kindergarten program is started. The additional cost for that program is $500,000.

The discussion at the Thursday, January 21, Board meeting was led by Kevin Rose, Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance. Information was presented, that led to questions and a productive dialogue at the meeting.

“While extremely unfortunate, Michigan’s economic woes continue and we are faced again with trimming a budget that frankly is already cut to the bone,” said Mr. Rose. “Our efforts, and I include the many sacrifices made by all our employee groups, have positioned us in many ways better than most, but it still leaves us with some hard decisions this year.”

The District has worked ahead of the downward curve to make cuts and preserve a fund balance of about $6.6 million, or about 13 percent of the District’s $52 million budget. The prospects for Michigan’s economy remain bleak for one or more years in the future and the District must continue to guard those funds, while using them carefully to preserve vital academic programs.

Potential retirements and possible federal stimulus funds could lessen the impact on the budget shortfall, but those decisions have not yet been made.

As in past years, the District will review all expenditures and prioritize all its options to trim as much as possible outside the classroom for the 2010-2011 school year.

“Everything is on the table and we will work together with all our employee groups,” said Board President William Laidlaw. “We are going to do this as a team.”

The administration will again meet with all principals, department heads and union groups, who will then work with their respective staff to decide where belts can be tightened to realize savings.

Lapeer East High School Wrestling Team hosts "Meet and Greet" spaghetti dinner

The Lapeer East High School Wrestling Team will hold its 2nd Annual “Meet and Greet the Wrestlers” spaghetti dinner at 6 p.m. Wednesday, February 3, at the National Guard Armory, 2140 W. Genesee Street.

Tickets for the dinner are $5, which includes chances at prize drawaings. Children 5 and younger are free and families of more than 4 people are a maximum $20.

“We hope to see everyone there,” said Lapeer East Wrestling coach Al Lalonde.

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.

Lapeer East yearbook students help promote new individualized high school yearbooks

Yearbook students at Lapeer East High School will become part of the national face of a new program for personalized high school yearbooks in a commercial that was shot Wednesday, January 20, at the school.

A camera crew begins filmed Ms. Laura Grieco Matthews, Lapeer East teacher and yearbook advisor, and several yearbook students for the commercial.

Jostens, a national yearbook publishing company, chose Lapeer East as one of five schools nationwide currently participating in the "Yearbookthis.com" program.

Photo above: Shelby Saelens waits for her turn to be interviewed about the new yearbook program. For more photos go to the District photo gallery.

Lapeer East Financial Aid night provided college info

About 100 parents and students attended a Financial Aid Workshop presented by Ms. Lori Vedder, Director of Financial Aid at the University of Michigan-Flint Tuesday night, January 19, 2010 in the Lapeer East High School Auditorium. Ms. Vedder is at the far left, an associate from UM-Flint is in the center and Mrs. Susan Wilmers introduced the two women at the opening of the session.

Mayfield Elementary School first-graders turn weather lesson into snowman building

Mayfield Elementary School first-grade teacher Mrs. Debbie Daley turned a weather and science lesson into a little fun.

After learning about winter weather, Mrs. Daley took the students outside for a little snowman building. Only a certain kind of snow works for building find snow figures.

Several photos are available on the District's photo gallery.

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.

Frosty makes lawn appearance at Lapeer West

This 7-foot-tall Frosty showed up on the lawn near the north parking lot of Lapeer West High School today. The creators of this fine example of frozen art remain unknown. To see larger photos of the snowman head to the photo gallery.

African Drum and Dance performs for Lapeer East and Lapeer West students

Kevin Collins, of Flint, brought his African Drum group and two dancers to the Lapeer East High School auditorium stage last week to perform for Lapeer East and Lapeer West High School students.
Mr. Collins and his drum group and dancers will be heading to perform in Washington, D.C. this spring.

African drums are used for communications between villages in remote parts of Africa and students from both schools had the opportunity to experience playing the drums. A number of female students had the chance to learn an African dance.

Several photos are available at the District's photo gallery.

Walk-in Census job testing slated for tomorrow

All-day, walk-in testing is available on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, for census jobs. There are a number of sites available for that testing, including Lapeer.

Lapeer's testing site is at the Mott Community College campus, 550 Lake Drive, in Lapeer.

Tests will be given at 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and the final test will be at 4 p.m. No appointments are necessary, but tests will start exactly on time.

There are several jobs that are open. Enumerators, those who will follow-up on residents who didn't send in Census forms, will make in the range of $10.75 to $16.50 per hour. Crew leaders will make from $12.25 - $18 an hour, Crew Leader Assistants will make $10.75-$16.50 an hour and Field Operations Supervisors will make $13.75 - $19.50 an hour.

Not exactly school related, but we understand that many people are looking for jobs and we want to help get the word out.

Lapeer East High School Travel Club plans Mexican dinner fundraiser for Valentine's Day

A Valentine’s Day Mexican dinner, a fundraiser for the Lapeer East High School Travel Club trip to France and Spain during spring break 2010, will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 13, in the Lapeer East cafeteria.

Tickets are $10 a person and include a taco dinner, coffee or punch, dessert and entertainment provided by the Lapeer High School Drama Club and Lapeer East Jazz Band. A prize drawing will also be held.

To purchase tickets see Mr. Duane Machesney or Miss Jennifer DeWitt at Lapeer East.

Walking Program off for two nights next week

The Walking Program at Lapeer West will not be held on Monday, January 18th, due to employee in-service training and again on Thursday, January 21st, due to Parent-Teacher conferences at the school that night.

Letter to elementary parents on suspicious incident

The following letter is being sent home to parents today with elementary school students.

January 13, 2010

Dear Parent/Guardian:

Today the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Department made us aware of a suspicious incident involving students shortly after they were dropped off by their bus at Pratt Lane and Five Lakes Road in Attica Township about 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, January 12th.

After the children got off the bus, a medium-sized turquoise pick-up truck, possibly a Ford F150, with one white man about 40 years old, approached the children as they walked down Pratt Lane and yelled, “Hey, come here.” After their attention was drawn to the truck, the children took off running and the truck left.

If you have information regarding this incident, or any other suspicious event, contact the Lapeer County Central Dispatch Center at (810) 667-0292.

We are committed to protecting our students and know that you, as parents, will continue to teach your children how to best protect themselves and seek assistance if necessary. Please reinforce with your children the lessons about interacting with strangers and, of course, immediately notify the police or sheriff’s deputies if you see or hear anything out of the ordinary.

Sincerely,

Debbie Thompson
Superintendent

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 Boys' and Girls' Basketball games versus Oxford High School tonight are cancelled

The Lapeer East High School Boys' and Girls' basketball games (all levels, varsity, freshman and junior varsity) scheduled for tonight at both schools have been cancelled at the request of Oxford High School.

Lapeer East freshman takes first place in regional art poster contest, second in State

Lapeer East freshman Colin Robertson, who took first place in the 7th to 9th grade division for his “Dig It!, The Secrets of Soil” poster in November, won second place in Statewide judging by the Michigan Conservation Districts state organization.

Several other Lapeer students were honored for their work at the District level.

Turrill first-grader Hannah Hundt, who entered the kindergarten to first grade category and Maple Grove fifth-grader Mason Wnuk also won first place prizes in the contest at the local level.

The first place posters all went to the State judging, with Colin receiving his second place award.

Student artists were required to use the “Dig It! The Secrets of Soil” and design artwork around the subject for the poster.

Lapeer East students recognized for their artwork were Julian Hicks (10th grade, Honorable Mention); Payton Holden (8th grade, Honorable Mention); Whitney Lee (10th grade, Honorable Mention); Jennifer Mausolf (9th grade, Honorable Mention); Colin Robertson (9th grade, First Place); and Ryan Shoults (12th grade, Third Place).

Also honored were six District elementary students. In addition to Hannah Hundt at Turrill, other Turrill students honored were: First-grader Auston Kornacki, Second Place; first-grader Morgan Putnam, Third Place and third-grader Marshall Umsted, Third Place; in addition to Mason Wnuk at Maple Grove, sixth-grader Clay Smith, Second Place, was honored.

Judging was based on the conservation message, visual effectiveness, originality and universal appeal.

Custodians and Maintenance employees agree to wage concession to help District

At the request of the Lapeer Community Schools Board of Education, the AFSCME Unit, which represents the District’s 35 custodial and maintenance employees, reopened their current Master Agreement and agreed to wage concessions that will save the District $31,000 this school year.

The revised agreement was ratified by the union on December 22 and approved by the Board of Education at a meeting Thursday, January 7.

The Unit agreed to a two percent wage reduction applied retroactive to July 1, 2009. The agreement also extends the current contract through June 30, 2011. The contract was set to expire this June.

A formula in the contract addresses any potential wage adjustments for the next school year, but most likely will result in a pay freeze due to Michigan’s current economic climate.

“Once again, one of our bargaining units has stepped up and made a sacrifice during these difficult economic times,” said Superintendent Debbie Thompson. “The AFSCME Unit had a choice whether or not to reopen the contract, but did so to help the District and the children serves. This is another positive step in helping us address this year’s tough budget.”

Board of Education passes "Intent," but final decision on 'Race To The Top' is Monday

With several open questions about the local impact of approving a Memorandum of Understanding with the State on new Race ToThe Top legislation, Lapeer Board of Education members Thursday night, January 7, decided to wait on voting on the issue.

Instead, as allowed by the State, Board members approved a motion to signal the “intent” to approve the Memorandum of Understanding at a special meeting next Monday. The “intent” motion will be sent to the Lapeer County Intermediate School District today, Friday, January 8th.

“It’s still a moving target,” said Superintendent Debbie Thompson.

Recent legal opinions received by the District indicate that approving the Memorandum of Understanding could encumber the District with additional, long term financial commitments.

The action provides the District more time to get further opinions on the full impact of the Memorandum of Understanding before taking a final vote at the special meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, January 11, at the Administration & Services Center, 250 Second Street in Lapeer.

Elementary realignment plan approved by Lapeer Board of Education

New elementary school boundaries were approved by the Lapeer Board of Education at its regular meeting Thursday night.

Board members, as they did when the plan was presented in December, praised the administration for designing a plan that affected only three percent of the District’s 2,900 elementary school students.

State funding cuts, the previous closings of Attica, Irwin and Hadley Elementary Schools, and the upcoming closing of Elba Elementary School in June, coupled with the opening of two new sixth, seventh and eighth grade middles schools made the realignment a necessity.

The plan includes the option for parents of the small number of students scheduled for new schools to remain in their current building through the In-District Schools of Choice program. There also will be room for Out-of-District Schools of Choice. Both In-District and Out-of-District Schools of Choice parents must provide their own transportation.

Re-balancing the student populations, closing a building and designing more efficient bus routes all save money for the District which can be used for academics.

With the board’s approval Thursday night, all elementary parents will receive a letter about the changes and will be invited to meetings where the changes will be discussed. The In-District Schools of Choice will open in February and close in March. Staffing for each school will be determined in March and tentative teaching assignments announced in April.

Two Lapeer Board of Education members announce plans to run for re-election

Two Board members with expiring terms announced Thursday night that they would seek re-election to new four-year terms on Tuesday, May 4.

Mrs. Peggy Bush and Mr. John Nugent are completing terms on the Lapeer Board of Education and made the announcement at Thursday night’s regular Board meeting.

Mrs. Bush, a 14-year veteran of the Board, currently serves on two Board committees; Finance and Operation, and Teaching, Learning & Technology, and is a partner with Turrill and Schickler Elementary Schools. Mr. Nugent is Board secretary and serves on two Board committees; Teaching, Learning and Technology and Policy and Strategic Planning, and is a partner with Lapeer West High School.

Both members cited the good working relationships on the current Board and a desire to continue to see the District move forward.

State Representative Kevin Daley presents "Tribute" to Lapeer Board of Education

Each member of the Lapeer Board of Education was honored with a Tribute of Recognition by State Representative Kevin Daley, R-Lapeer County, at its regular board meeting Thursday night.

In presenting each member with a Tribute of Recognition, Representative Daley praised the commitment, work and dedication of the Board members.

January is School Board Appreciation Month in Michigan. In this photo Rep. Daley presents the Tribute to Board member Michael Keller.

Lapeer East vs. Lapeer West High School basketball Girls'/Boys' doubleheader will be played

The Lapeer East/Lapeer West basketball doubleheader at Lapeer East High School will be played tonight.

The Girls’ team tips off at 6 p.m. and the Boys’ game begins at 7:30 p.m.

Some athletic practices may be held today, but coaches will contact their team members individually. Also any athletic practices on a snow day is not mandatory.

Schools closed today

Due to winter weather Lapeer Community Schools will be closed today, Friday, January 8, 2009.

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.

Lapeer East's Alex Hart attends National Youth Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C.

Alex Hart, a Lapeer East High School senior with a career goal of being involved in National Security, was selected to participate in an elite six-day national student forum in Washington, D.C. in October.

Hart was selected as a junior in high school to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security from October 13-18.

Only 300 students from around the country were selected for this inside look at the country’s current fight against foreign and domestic threats.

The conference included lectures, small groups and even one-on-ones with senior CIA, FBI Department of Defense, and National Security Administration officials.

“We were busy from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on different topics from different services,” Alex said.

On the last day of the forum, the students came together for a simulation of a real world crisis and the need to coordinate a plan of action and the writing of national policy.

“I applied for and received the position of Director of the CIA and head of National Intelligence,” Alex said. “This provided me the opportunity to grow as a leader and established my decision to pursue a career in National Security.”

As part of the exercise, students had to make decisions on troop movements and sensitive foreign relations issues.

During the week, students took field trips to many embassies and other national sites of interest.
After graduation, Alex is applying to attend the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He has already spent a “Day with a Cadet” at the academy which solidified his goal of attending.

Statement on an incident at Lapeer East

Statement from Superintendent Debbie Thompson:

On Friday, December 18th, we became aware of an incident at Lapeer East High School that occurred at the school on Thursday night, December 17th. We immediately began an internal investigation. The nature of the incident caused us to promptly request an investigation by the State Police and the police immediately responded and began their investigation.

The safety of our students is our primary concern and the students involved in the incident were immediately suspended from school pending the outcome of our internal investigation.

Our first choice is to keep students and parents informed. However, the State Police has asked us to make no statements in reference to the specific details of the incident because it could hinder their investigation.

Holiday concerts from Lapeer East/Lapeer West

Lapeer West with guest conducter, retired band director Mr. Steve Burns.



Or for the full sized video click here for YouTube site.




For full-size version of this Lapeer West video click this link.

A portion of the Lapeer East concert in which students and Meijer surprise band director Mrs. Lyniece Fenner.



For the full-size video at School Tube, click this link.

Lapeer East's Cameron Myers highlighted in FJ column

The Flint Journal's Mark Spezia has written a nice column on Lapeer East wrestler, Cameron Myers.

New headlines about former Lapeer athletes

Lapeer East graduate Jake Long honored on All-Decade sports teams.

Lapeer West graduated Chuck Voss, a 2006 Distinguished Hall of Honor inductee, was honored as "Coach of the Year." For more on Chuck Voss go here.

All-State Athletes from East/West announced

So far four Lapeer high school athletes have been named to All-State athletic teams.

Lapeer West golfer Catherine Benscoter was a Division II First-Team All-State selection.

Lapeer East football player Payton McCallum and Lapeer West football player Preston Haggadone were honorable mention All-State into Division 1-2.

Lapeer East soccer player Ethan Konschuh was an All-State honorable mention player.

We'll keep you posted on additional selections.

2009 fall Scholar Athletes from Lapeer East, West announced by Flint Metro League

The following students from Lapeer East and Lapeer West were named as 2009 fall scholar athletes by The Flint Metro League.

Lapeer East: Swim/Dive team, Katherine Baeckeroot*, Hannah Hastings; Boys/Girls Cross Country, Jamie Caminiti, Katelyn Davis, Hillary Davlin*, Ariana Donahue*, Amy Gaylor, Daniel Gildner, Kyle Griffin, Ryan Johnson, Anna Kluck, Aaron Knowlton, Allyssa Mazur-Batistoni, Dayno McIntyre, Stephanie Morris, Michael Puskar, Riley Sackett (also soccer), Tiffany Turner; volleyball, Casey Donovan*, Caressa Graves, Kayla Ortega, Ginger Pearson, Samantha Rubick, Jenna Vierk, Lindsey Weisler; football, Eric Dougherty, Neil Kuisell, Bryn Ludlow*, Alec Mihm, Zachary Nolan*, Eric Rieves, Adam Schroeder, Bradley Whittaker; soccer, Alexander Henson*, Nathaniel Herr*, Nathan Kolvek, Clayton Tomczyk*; golf, Emily Hilgendorf*; tennis, Nicholas Karava, Ian Komisak, Aaron Marietta, Bradley McCully, Henry Peabody, Jeffrey Tencza, Justin Townsend, Anthony Wagner. *Denotes All-League in sport played.

Lapeer West: Swim/Dive team, Lauren Barnes, Lindsey Buzzell; golf, Catherine Benscoter*, Lindsay Yateman; tennis, Eric Birkle, Jarrett Peplinski, Brian Stover; Boys/Girls Cross Country, Gina Cavanaugh, Megan Hurst, Patrick Martindale, Emily Nugent, Victoria Peet*, Haley Schroeder*, Aidan Smith; soccer, Matt Cox*, Brad Deane*, Scott Essenmacher, Johnny Kovalick, Nate Richards; football, Josh Francis, Dan Holbrook*, Kevin Roach*, Ken Smith, Nate Smith*, Brandon Szczesny*; volleyball, Elizabeth Gupton, Marisa Liburdi, Michelle Miller, Maddison Smith, Lindsay Thams*, Janelle VanWagoner. *Denotes All-League in sport played.

Flint Metro League announces All-League selections, many from Lapeer East, Lapeer West

Flint Metro League – All League selections

Lapeer East

Boys’ soccer: First team, Ethan Konschuh; second team, Clayton Tomczyk, Nate Herr, Alex Zavislak; honorable mention, Alex Henson, Phil Smith.

Football: First team offense, Sebashton Sullivan, Payton McCallum; first team defense, Anthony Hunt, Payton McCallum, Mike Sawchuk; second team offense, Bryn Ludlow, Anthony Hunt; second team defense, Isaac Joseph; honorable mention, Justin Hanson, Isaac Joseph (kicker), Zach Nolan.

Girls Cross Country: First team, Jenni Putz; honorable mention, Hillary Davlin, Alexis Whatcott, Arian Donahue.

Girls Golf: First team, Kelsey Robinson, Keely Turczyn; honorable mention, Emily Hilgendorf.

Volleyball: First team, Casey Donovan, Ellery Owen; second team, Devon Benner; honorable mention, Lisa Dinsmore, Sam Kazor.

Lapeer West

Boys’ soccer: Honorable mention, Josh Cebelak, Matt Cox, Brad Deane, Zach O’Brien.

Football: First team offense, Nate Smith, Tyler Andrews, Cody Ellsworth, Kevin Roach; first team defense, Kyle Bannister, Brandon Szczesny, Preston Haggadone, Jake Fenslau, second team offense, Jake Fenslau, Landon Warren; second team defense, David Price, Justin Slater; honorable mention, Dan Holbrook, Lance Machiniak, Dustin Masha, David Price, Dan Raymond, Aaron Seacrest, Nate Smith(defensive back).

Girls’ cross country: First team, Tori Peet; second team, Hayley Schroeder.

Girls’ Golf: Catherine Benscoter, Kim Brown; honorable mention, Elizabeth Rodela, Lauren Weeks.

Volleyball: Second team, Lindsay Thams; honorable mention, Jessica Eckel.

Combined Lapeer East/Lapeer West Swim/Dive Team

Second team: 200IM, Emily Shallman (East); 100 Butterfly, Emily Shallman; 400-yard freestyle relay, Emily Shallman, Lori Noelle (West), Katherine Baeckeroot (East), and Emily Corriveau (East); third team, 500-yard freestyle, Katherine Baeckeroot; 200-yard freestyle relay, Emily Shallman, Sarah Crittenden (East), Gabby Ralston (East), and Emily Corriveau; 100-yard breaststroke, Emily Corriveau.

Congratulations to all these fine athletes

Lapeer West's Mike Ogg named "Girls' Golf Coach of the Year" by The Flint Journal

Lapeer West teacher and coach Mike Ogg was named Girls’ Golf Coach of the Year by the Flint Journal on December 6th.

Ogg led the Lapeer West girls’ golf team to an undefeated, first place finish in the Metro League and to the State Finals and a 7th place finish there in 2009.

In 1978, Ogg began teaching in New Lothrop and coached football, volleyball, basketball and baseball at New Lothrop until 1985. From 1985 to 1998 Ogg worked at General Motors, but still coached 8th grade softball for three years during that period.

In 1998, Ogg resumed his teaching career at Lapeer Community Schools. He also coached freshman volleyball at Powers Catholic for one year.

In his coaching career at Lapeer Community Schools, Ogg has coached 8th grade girls’ basketball (5 years); girls’ softball (4 years); and varsity girls’ golf (7 years).

In total, Ogg has coached 55 teams in seven sports, including 40 teams from 8th grade to seniors in high school.

“Lapeer West is very proud to have Mike as part of our coaching staff,” said assistant principal and athletic director Mary Haslinger. “He is a dedicated coach who is able to bring out the best in his athletes.”

Lapeer staff, students and families chip in to make holidays brighter for many local residents

Lapeer County families in need were the recipients of thousands of food, gift and clothing donations this holiday season from the Lapeer Community Schools family.

Schools throughout the District sponsored Goodfellows food drives in November and early December. Not all kept exact records of donations, but a few examples show the generosity of the students, the students’ families and staff.

Most of the Goodfellows non-perishable food and paper products come from donations from the Lapeer schools and this year’s result was larger than the 2008 drive, said Karen Rykhus, Goodfellows president.

“We were able to help more than 200 Lapeer County families,” Mrs. Rykhus said. “They did an awesome job. They came through like gangbusters.”

Lapeer East and Lapeer West each collected more than 2,800 individual food donations for a total of more than 5,700 donations.

Students and staff at Lapeer West also helped a number of families with gifts through a “Giving Tree” effort.

A Toys for Tots effort at Lapeer East collected more than 650 toys, the best in the school’s history. All are destined for Lapeer County children. East National Honor Society students also helped with the packing of the food for distribution.

In addition to the Goodfellows food drive, Zemmer Junior High School staff, students, parents and general contractor Barton Malow employees at the Rolland-Warner Middle School site, donated $2,200 through a “Penny War” to make Christmas a happy one for 11 children from four families. Student council shopped for the children and each family also received a gift card from Meijer.

Murphy Elementary School students collected 2,163 cans of food and the Murphy staff adopted several families.

The Murphy community also donated nearly 100 new and gently used coats. Students in one Murphy class made scarves for special needs students at the Lapeer County Intermediate School District Education and Technology Center.

At Lynch Elementary, 1,305 items were donated to the Goodfellows drive and three families were adopted. Student council also held a returnable can drive for another family and raised $52.

Students in one Lynch sixth grade classroom donated $5 each and purchased items off the giving tree. A retired teacher who now lives in a nursing home was also adopted by the Lynch staff and will enjoy a happy Christmas.

“This has been a very tough year for so many of our families,” said Superintendent Debbie Thompson. “Once again the generosity of our staff, students and their families astounds me.”

Mayfield Elementary students and staff collected 1,099 items of food for Goodfellows and adopted a large family for donations of Christmas gifts.

Turrill Elementary students collected 1,745 cans of nonperishable items for the Goodfellows drive. The school has also started a fund, patterned after a similar one at Maple Grove Elementary School that helps families all year round.

Students at Elba-Seaton, Maple Grove and Schickler Elementary Schools also had successful Goodfellows drives, but totals were not available.

Staff at the Administration & Services Center adopted a family with a “Giving Tree” effort and supplied them with gifts, food and gift cards to brighten their season.

A couple of school support groups also kicked in with help for the community.

At the November luncheon, members of the Lapeer High School Alumni Association donated $540 to Goodfellows, $89 to Holiday Depot, donated six large black plastic bags full of toys, 43 grocery bags full of food and three large boxes and three large bags of new and gently used winter clothing, such as coats, hats, blankets, scarves, mittens and leggings.

A Craft Fair at Lapeer East in early December included a food drive for Kids In New Directions and visitors brought nearly ten boxes of donated food.

Transportation employees agree to wage concession, thanked by Superintendent

At the request of the Lapeer Community Schools Board of Education, the Lapeer Transportation Association, which represents the District’s 59 bus drivers, reopened their current Master Agreement and agreed to wage concessions that will save the District $37,000 this school year.

The revised agreement was ratified by the Association on Thursday, December 17 and approved by the Board of Education at a meeting also on Thursday, December 17.

The LTA agreed to a two percent wage reduction applied retroactive to July 1, 2009. The agreement also extends the current contract through June 30, 2011. The contract was set to expire this June.

A formula in the contract addresses any potential wage adjustments for the next school year, but most likely will result in a pay freeze due to Michigan’s current economic climate.

“We appreciate the LTA working with us during these difficult economic times,” said Superintendent Debbie Thompson. “The union did not have to re-open the contract, but did so in the best interests of our District and the children it serves. It is a significant step that helps us address this year’s difficult budget.”

Elementary realignment, new boundaries discussed at Board of Education meeting

Only three percent of the District’s 2,900 elementary school students will be impacted by a proposed realignment of the District’s elementary schools boundaries for 2010.

With continued State funding cuts, the previous closings of Attica, Irwin and Hadley Elementary Schools, the future closing of Elba Elementary School in June and the opening of two new sixth, seventh and eighth grade middle schools, the need to realign and rebalance student population among the remaining buildings was a necessity.

In designing new bus routes and boundaries, the District’s elementary principals, central office administration and transportation department were able to keep all but 101 students within their current school boundaries.

Even with the realignment, there will be room for In-District Schools of Choice that will allow parents flexibility in keeping their students in a particular school even if it is outside the particular boundary for their children. In those cases parents will have to provide transportation to the selected school. There will also be room for Out-of-District Schools of Choice.

“We expect every student will be able to remain in his or her current school if parents choose Schools of Choice,” said Superintendent Debbie Thompson.

“Our administration and transportation department should be commended for proposing boundaries that affect only three percent of our elementary population. Through Schools of Choice, all of our students have the opportunity to remain at the schools they now attend for the 2010-2011 school year,” said Board of Education President William Laidlaw. “This decision illustrates the District’s commitment to providing a stable learning environment for our students and families within the community.”

In January, all elementary parents will receive a letter about the changes and be invited to meetings where the changes will be discussed. The In-District Schools of Choice will open in February and close in March. Staffing for each school will be determined in March and tentative teaching assignments announced in April.

Lapeer East grad, Rebecca Spalding hits the 'big leagues' with new management position

A part-time college job at Chicago’s Soldier Field has led Rebecca Spalding, a 2003 Lapeer East High School graduate, into a big league stadium management career.

The daughter of Wanda and Rodger Spalding of Mayfield Township, Spalding went to the University of Illinois in Chicago after graduation. An English major with a Chemistry minor, Spalding was headed to a pre-med program when she started working part-time at Soldier Field in May 2006.

Her job then was in the suites department and involved stocking, cleaning and serving in two of the luxury boxes at the stadium during events and training new employees.

Ms. Spalding’s timing was pretty good as the Chicago Bears headed to two home playoff games and eventually went to the Super Bowl that year.

After her manager transferred to a different department, Ms. Spalding approached her general manager at Delaware North Companies Sportservice and was promoted to Suites coordinator at Soldier Field with the responsibility of overseeing the luxury boxes.

Sports and entertainment venues subcontract with Delaware North Companies Sportservice for their concessions, fine dining, Suite and retail operations. The company handles concession and food service for the Chicago White Sox, Comerica Park, the Milwaukee Brewers, Soldier Field, the Buffalo Bills and a number of national parks, among others.

As the Suites coordinator, Ms. Spalding was responsible for satisfying the special requests of 133 suite holders and gathering their game day food, beverage and retail orders. Some of those requests involve avoiding peanuts or other foods that suite holders have allergies to or accommodating high profile executives and celebrities.

Her performance at Soldier Field led to a promotion as Suites assistant manager and last July, she was promoted to Suites Manager at the New Target Field in Minneapolis, the new home of the Minnesota Twins.

“The strong relationships I made at Soldier Field definitely led me to where I am today,” said Ms. Spalding.

At the age of 24, Spalding is now the youngest Suites manager in the company and is responsible for creating the experience that the new Suite holders will have at the new field, which is currently under construction. The stadium officially opens for business with the 2010 Minnesota Twins baseball season.

“This is a great opportunity to work hard and excel. I’m really excited,” said Ms. Spalding. “I’m part of a fantastic organization, and I am able to build the entire Suites department by implementing ideas that I had while with the Bears.”

Creating the experience means she is responsible for hiring the 75-person staff, creating the menu, designing and buying uniforms, serving utensils, platters and more.

Ms. Spalding started her education in Lapeer at Lynch Elementary School in the second grade. She attended Zemmer Junior High School and then East.

Her love of sports comes naturally. At East she participated in tennis, competitive cheerleading, softball and track.

At East, she was a High Honors student and participated in the National Honor Society. She said her Advanced Placement courses and teachers at East well prepared her for her college courses.

East Assistant principal Joe Shoopman, who was one of Ms. Spalding’s English teachers when she was at East, Spanish teacher Duane Machesney and West principal Tim Zeeman, who also taught English at East, and Mrs. Sharon Namenye, who taught math, were among her favorite instructors.

In college, she saved her Spanish notes from Mr. Machesney and used them instead of the college materials she received to complete her Spanish courses at the University of Illinois.
“Mr. Machesney was a fantastic teacher,” Ms. Spalding said. “The teachers absolutely make a huge difference. The AP courses get you in the mindset for college.”

Her teachers remember her as well.

“Rebecca was always kind to her classmates and made East a better place with her smile and friendly nature,” said Mr. Shoopman. “Combine that with the fact that she worked incredibly hard, and the pieces were all in place. I know everyone at East is proud of her accomplishments, but I don’t think they come as a surprise. With some young people, you just know they have the right qualities to take them as far as they aspire. She’s definitely in that group.”

Although she loved Lapeer, she is a “City girl at heart,” she said.

Ms. Spalding has a sister, Melissa, who graduated from Lapeer East in 2002.

Handmade scarves, a gift from Murphy students to Lapeer Count ISD students

Second and third-graders in Mrs. Traci Chouinard's Murphy Elementary School classroom worked on scarves for special needs students at the Lapeer Intermediate School District's Education and Technology Center on Friday, December 11th.

Material for the hand made scarves were obtained by Mrs. Luann Best, who also volunteered to help students make them.

"We thank Mrs. Best very much," Said Mrs. Chouinard.

Additional photos are available at the District's photo gallery.

Suspicious incident prompts letter to elementary parents

The following letter is being sent home to parents with elementary school students. The information is also being provided to the high schools and junior high school.

December 16, 2009

Dear Parents,

The Lapeer County Sheriff’s Department has made us aware of a suspicious incident involving a Lynch Elementary School student waiting for a bus this morning, Wednesday, December 16, 2009, on Vernor Road.

A man driving a green Chevrolet four-wheel drive pick up truck with running lights on the roof and a long bed parked in the middle of the road and began talking to the girl about being out of fuel. When the father of the girl yelled at her to come back to the house the man jumped back in the truck and drove off west on Vernor Road.

The only other description of the man was that he was wearing a black baseball cap. The police were notified immediately.

In addition to a warning to children about the incident, we are asking if you have any information regarding this man or the vehicle that you contact Lapeer County Dispatch at (810) 667-0292.

We are committed to protecting our students and know that you, as parents, will continue to teach your children how to best protect themselves and seek assistance if necessary. Please reinforce with your children the lessons about interacting with strangers and, of course, immediately notify the police or sheriff’s deputies if you see or hear anything out of the ordinary.

Sincerely,

Debbie Thompson
Superintendent

Holiday hours set for Administration & Services Center

Holiday office hours for the Administration & Services Center, 250 Second Street, will be from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday December 21, Tuesday, December 22; and Wednesday, December 23. The offices will be closed on Thursday, December 24 and Friday, December 25.

The same hours will be in place for Monday, December 28, Tuesday, December 29 and Wednesday, December 30. The administration offices will be closed on Thursday, December 31 and Friday, January 1, 2010.

Regular office hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. will resume on Monday, January 4, 2010, the same day classes resume in the District from the holiday break.

Murphy students 'light up' Hadley

Murphy Elementary School students traveled to the Village of Hadley to help light up the Christmas tree at the old town hall. More photos are available at the photo gallery.

2005 Lapeer East grad, returns to help with East wrestling program as assistant coach

When Erik Hohenthaner graduated from Lapeer East in 2005 he left behind four school wrestling records. One of those records still stands.

As a high school athlete Hohenthaner lettered in four varsity sports; wrestling, football, baseball and tennis. He was recruited by more than 20 Division II schools for wrestling, but left high school feeling he had not accomplished all his goals. He was a State qualifier in wrestling.

As the new Lapeer East assistant wrestling coach Hohenthaner wants to make sure that doesn’t happen to other athletes.

“I wanted to come back and coach to help the kids get where they need to be and realize the potential that they have,” Hohenthaner said. “I didn’t accomplish the goals I set in high school, so I want to help these kids reach their goals and not feel unfulfilled like I do.”

Hohenthaner attended Lapeer Community Schools for his entire K-12 education, starting at Lynch Elementary School. He began wrestling at the age of seven.

Despite all the scholarship offers, Hohenthaner decided to wrestle at Mott Community College, but stopped after his freshman year. At Mott he was a qualifier for the National Collegiate Wrestling Association.

He left Mott to attend Michigan State University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He currently is a sports writer for the View Newspapers in Lapeer.

Lapeer East, Lapeer West Choir members perform at Regionals, David Smith heads to State Honors Choir

Two Lapeer East choir members and two Lapeer West choir members competed at the Regional Honors Choir Concert in Grant, Michigan last weekend. One of the students, David Smith, a Lapeer West High School senior who sings with the Lapeer East High School choir, was selected as one of four tenors to sing in the Soprano/Alto/Tenor/Bass (SATB) Choir for State Honors Choir.

The State Honors Choir will perform at the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids in January. The two Lapeer West choir members who sang at the Regional competition were juniors Taylor Weir and Megan Fritz. In addition to David Smith from the Lapeer East choir, junior Haley Smith, David’s sister, also sang at the Regional event.

Lapeer East Concert Choir brightens annual LRMC volunteer luncheon

The Lapeer East Concert Choir performed at the Lapeer Regional Medical Center's Annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon on Thursday, December 10, 2009. The choir gave the volunteers a preview of their holiday concert that will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, December 14th in the Lapeer East Auditorium. Click on photo to enlarge.

Maple Grove first-graders' creations to brighten holidays for hospital patients at LRMC

Students in Ms. Rose Rinke's first grade class at Maple Grove Elementary School get instructions on making special placemats for patients at Lapeer Regional Medical Center for the holidays. More photos are at the photo gallery.

Santa makes visit to Schickler fund raising dinner

Santa Claus showed up at the Lapeer Burger King to talk to children during the fund raising dinner there Tuesday, December 8, 2009. A portion of the proceeds from the dinner were donated back to Schickler. More pictures of the event are at the photo gallery.

Schickler singers present "Spotlight on Schickler"

A great holiday event was presented Monday, December 7, 2009 at Schickler Elementary School. Students entertained parents and friends with "Spotlight on Schickler." Plenty of singing and dancing kept everyone entertained. More photos at the photo gallery.

Lapeer East Craft Fair and food drive a success

The Lapeer East Althletic Boosters enjoyed a successful Craft Fair and Food Drive. Free raffle tickets were given to visitors who brought a non-perishable item with them to the event. More pictures are available at the 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.

Murphy Students light up Metamora tree

On Friday, December 4, students from Murphy Elementary School traveled to the Village of Metamora to sing and celebrate the lighting of the Christmas tree. More photos can be found on at the photo gallery.