Canada geese flock to Administration field

The new 'green' field behind the Lapeer Community Schools' Administration and Services Center building is apparently on the flight path for migrating Canada geese.

On Wednesday, November 11th, a major flock of geese flew in to visit. The field is also the underground home of the geo thermal system that heats and cools the A&SC.

Zemmer Middle School construction advances

Work on Zemmer Middle School is continuing at a good pace and we have put up some new photos of the construction on the photo gallery.

Please come back often to look over our shoulder and see the ongoing construction work on the school. (Photo: sixth grade classroom wing)

Lapeer East volleyball team wins Regional

The Lapeer East High School varsity volleyball squad won its first Regional title since 2001 in defeating Flushing on Thursday night, November 12th.

Game story.

East will play in the state quarterfinals at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Fenton against Farmington Hills Mercy.

Lapeer East Halloween Concert: Four parts

Part I (or click on the links beneath each video to access the full sized video on SchoolTube.com)



School Tube Link

Part II



School Tube Link

Part III



School Tube Link

Part IV



School Tube Link.


Enjoy!

Mayfield Elementary students honor vets

A long standing tradition at Mayfield Elementary School continued Wednesday with a solemn flag-raising ceremony to honor veterans.

Members of American Legion Post No. 16 of Lapeer were on hand to participate in morning flag raising ceremonies.

Additional photos of the event are on the District's photo gallery.

Website back up

The Lapeer Community Schools website is back up. We are still working to restore some lost information, but most of the links are now active.

Thank you for your patience.

Four officially inducted into the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Honor

With proud family and friends looking on, a former Lapeer high school teacher, a college professor and author, a U.S. Army marksman and a newspaper man and author were inducted into the 2009 Distinguished Alumni Hall of Honor at a ceremony at Lapeer East on Sunday, November 8th.

(Photo caption: Left to right, Mrs. Susan Rydell, daughter of the late John M. Carlisle, Class of 1922; Michael A. White, Class of 1966; Ray Hile, brother of the late Barbara Hile, Class of 1952; and Joe Irgang, nephew of Dr. Frank J. Irgang, Class of 1939.)

The late John M. Carlisle, Class of 1922, a Detroit News reporter; Frank J. Irgang, Class of 1939, a decorated World War II veteran and professor and later chairman of the Industrial Arts Department of San Diego State University; the late Barbara J. Hile, Class of 1952, a distinguished Army sharpshooter and the first, and only, woman member of the United States Army Rifle Team; and Michael A. White, Class of 1966, a retired Lapeer East High School teacher, member of the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Department Marine Division and Emergency Medical Specialist with the Lapeer Area Ambulance Company, were selected this summer for the honor.

The four were honored for their personal achievements and the role models they have provided to young people in their lives.

Photos of the ceremony are at the District's photo gallery.

Two former Lapeer East High School girl sports stars keeping it going in college

Lapeer East 2009 graduate Lauren Kobylik joins former East soccer stand-out Holly Joseph on the Notre Dame College's soccer team in South Euclid, Ohio.

The LA View has a complete wrap-up here.

Website down: Repairs underway

In case you have been unsuccessfully trying to access the District's website it is currently down due to technical difficulties. We are working on the situation and hope to have it back up soon.

Thanks for your patience.

The Lapeer Swim and Dive Team places third at FML meet, qualifies two for State Finals

The combined Lapeer Swim Team finished third at the Flint Metro League meet Saturday. Two Lapeer swim and dive team members qualified to compete at either the regional or State Finals later this month.

Complete Lapeer results are available at Mlive.com.

Lauren Barnes qualified for diving regionals and Emily Shallman qualified for 2 individual events at the State meet (100 fly & 100 Free) based on her times at the FML meet.

Coach Pat Thomas provided the following results from the Flint Metro League meet:

200 medlay relay
4th place 2:13.27 Sarah Crittenden, Gabby Ralston, Lauren Barnes, Lori Noelle

200 free:
5th place 2:17/07 Katherine Baeckeroot 12th grade
8th place 2:21.74 Gabby Ralston 12th grade
12th place 2:27.86 Megan Verbeke 9th grade

200 Individual Medlay:
2nd place 2:19.53 Emily Shallman 9th grade
6th place 2:35.70 Emily Corriveau 10th grade

50 free:
13th place 29.03 Lori Noelle 9th grade

Diving:
6th place 215.05 pts. Lauren Barnes 12th grade (Qualified her for regionals for the third time in 4 years)

100 butterfly:
2nd place 59.78 (state cut time) Emily Shallman 9th grade
7th place 1.13.97 Sarah Crittenden 10th grade

100 free:
9th place 1.02.27 Lori Noelle 9th grade

500 free:
3rd place 6.06.14 Katherine Baeckeroot 12th grade
7th place 6.35.73 Lauren Barnes 12th grade
9th place 6.33.50 Megan Verbeke 9th grade

200 free relay:
3rd place 1:50.37 Team members were:
Emily Shallman, Sarah Crittenden, Gabby Ralston, Emily Corriveau

100 back stroke:
9th place 1:18.73 Sarah Crittenden 10th grade
13th place 1:23.63 Mariah Brennan 11th grade

100 breast stroke:
3rd place 1:16.62 Emily Corriveau 10th grade
4th Place 1:20.16 Gabby Ralston 12th grade
15th place 1:31.71 Lindsay Kile 10th grade

400 free relay:
2nd place 4:04.53 Team members were:
Emily Shallman (with a lead-off State time cut of 55.83), Lori Noelle, Katherine Baeckeroot, Emily Corriveau

The team totals were:
Fenton 610
Oxford 335
Lapeer 295
Holly 263
Brandon 256
Sw Ck 138
Kearsly/Clio 125

Lapeer East girls cross country team, West runners post good individual scores at State Meet

The Lapeer East High School girls' cross country team, who made the State Finals for the first time ever as a team, finished 27th in Division 2, but posted some good individual scores at the meet.

Two Lapeer West girls cross country runners, who qualified as individuals, also posted good times in the State Finals held Saturday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.

Here are the local runners, times and place of finish:

Lapeer East: Ariana Donahue, 21:39.6, 170; Jamie Caminiti, 21:43.4, 175; Hillary Davlin, 21:44.2, 176; Alexis Whatcott, 21:56.4, 198; Katie Davis, 22:37.1, 220; Dayna McIntyre, 22:57.5, 227; Allyssa Mazur-Batistoni, 23:14.3, 234.

Lapeer West: Tori Peet, 20:35.1, 86; Hayley Schroeder, Lapeer West 21:03.0; 126.

Lapeer East High School volleyball team wins District title in victory over Kearsley High

For the first time since 2005, the Lapeer East High School volleyball team has captured the District volleyball title with a 3-0 win over Flint Kearsley High School on Saturday. Game story.

The East volleyball team will meet Midland Dow in the Regional semi-finals at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10th at Owosso High School.

Lapeer West season ends in second round

In a hard fought game, Lapeer West fell 26-20 to Midland High School in its second round playoff game. Lapeer West finished 9-2, a great season.

Turrill Elementary School family dedicates "Hunter's Field" in memory of Hunter Felton

A new baseball backstop, benches and sign were dedicated Thursday, November 5th, in memory of Hunter Felton, a popular Turrill Elementary School student who passed away in 2007.

The new sign at the baseball diamond at Turrill Elementary School includes a picture of Hunter in his baseball outfit. Baseball was Hunter's passion.

At a presentation before the dedication, Parent Crystal Klebba presented a photo and remembrance album to Hunter's parents from Hunter's classmates. Crystal's son was a friend and classmate of Hunter's.

Local businesses that contributed to the new ball field and dedication ceremony were: Walmart, Kroger, Max’s Doughnuts, Past Tense, and Lapeer Rent All.

Hunter's mother, Sam Felton and Hunter's Dad, Rick Felton, expressed their appreciation for the efforts of many people to make the new baseball field a reality.

Photos: The sign with Hunter's picture and Hunter's parents watching blue and white balloons float into the sky after students released them when a ribbon was cut officially opening the field.

More photos of the dedication can be found on the District's photo gallery.

Lapeer firefighters visit Turrill Elementary bringing a tale of fire safety and escape tips

On Tuesday, November 3rd, several classes of students at Turrill Elementary School had the opportunity to get a fire safety lesson directly from the people who fight them.

In addition to the safety lesson, students had a chance to visit and climb on one of the Lapeer Fire Department's new fire engines.

Lapeer West High School featured on WNEM-TV 5's Cool School segment today

Some early rising Lapeer West students and faculty were featured on the WNEM, Channel 5's weekly "Cool School" segment today.

You can see the combined segments at this link.

More pictures of the event are at the District photo gallery.

Lapeer West's Catherine Benscoter named to First Team, All-State girls' golf squad

For the second straight season, Lapeer West High School’s standout golfer, Catherine Benscoter achieved 1st Team All-State honors in Girls Golf.

Catherine led the West team to an undefeated, first-place finish in the Flint Metro League, a first place at the State Regional Golf Tournament and a 7th place finish at the State Finals.

“I’m proud of Catherine and how hard she works at her game,” said head coach Mike Ogg. “She is a great competitor, a great student and a great person.”

Lapeer East girls' cross country team qualifies for State Finals at Michigan International Speedway

For the first time in the the history of Lapeer East High School, the girls’ cross country team has qualified for the State Meet at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, November 7th.

The girls placed third at the Regional competition on Saturday, October 31st at Delta College. (Regional photos - East girls are in the center front - taken by Colleen Davlin)

Conditions at the Regional were less than ideal with high winds and rain, but the team fought through those conditions and worked towards the team focus of achieving a personal record at each race.

Although the sport often recognizes those who finish at the head of the pack, often forgotten is the contribution of those who also run and accumulate team points.

“We are proud of this team not only for its accomplishments on the course, but in school and in practice,” said head coach Duane Machesney.

Members of the team are: Jamie Caminiti, Hillary Davlin, Ariana Donahue, Allyssa Mazur-Batistoni, Dayna McIntyre, Jenni Putz and Alexis Whatcott. Mr. Machesney is assisted in his coaching duties by Ms. Noelle Grignani and Mr. Manny Schmitt.

Jenni Putz also qualified individually for the State Finals.

This from an anonymous parent about the girls' team:

"Lapeer East Girls Cross Country Team qualified to compete at the state meet, the first in the history of school. The team has had little press coverage, as there is no single runner on which the spotlight has shone. Yet, amid gale force winds and sputtering of rain, each girl ran her own race, as they have been trained to do. The focus of this unique set of coaches was to encourage each runner to achieve a PR (personal record) at each and every race. On Saturday Oct. 31, at Delta College, it paid off, as collectively the team qualified to compete at the State meet on Nov. 07 at Michigan Speedway.

The sole runner that qualified individually was not running at a varsity level, until the season was half over. The runner, who was the team’s first place runner in September, did not place first for the team, but she runs her own race every day. She runs a race against Cystic Fibrosis and on Saturday, she beat it again. You may recognize a face or two on this team, but it is not for their work on the trails, but for other sports that they are highly acclaimed for. They hold the team’s middle together and are willing to run mile after mile, in races and training, even if they don’t have the glory of scoring the winning goal.

Cross County may only be known for the individual competition at each race and the attention given to the few gazelles that that cross the finish line first. What may not be known is how the individual runners accumulate points for the team. Even less is known is the role that those runners who do not emerge in the front of the pack play for the team. This is a sport that fellow team mates encourage each other to never give up, as the last runner is cheered in and provide the statistics that they have also won, “a PR”. Cheers come from cross town rivals Lapeer West, as they all just keep running their own best race.

Good Luck to the team! Regardless of the outcome, they will take away a valuable life lesson that they have learn from their coaches. Life, like mile two of the race, can fill you with despair but if you keep running toward that PR, collectively you may be part of a greater accomplishment."

Flu information sent home to parents

The following letter will be sent home with students today:

Dear Parent/Guardian:

In the past week there has been extensive news coverage on the flu outbreak in Michigan and across the country. The district continues to work closely with the Lapeer County Health Department and I want to make you aware of what we are seeing here in Lapeer. Today we were notified that we do have an elementary student who is a confirmed case of H1N1.

While we have noted an increase in daily absences, the numbers remain well within the range that allows us to keep school buildings open. The health department reports that closing schools for short periods has done little to reduce the spread of the virus. According to the health department, almost all the cases reported have been relatively mild in nature and not unlike a normal flu season. In rare cases the flu does become serious. In most of these cases there have been other underlying health conditions, such as Asthma. If your child exhibits signs of the flu and has other underlying health conditions, you should consult with your doctor for advice.

Our custodians and staff have regularly been using disinfectants and other measures designed to prevent, as much as possible, the spread of the flu virus.

We continue to urge our staff and students to frequently wash hands, use hand sanitizers, and cough and sneeze in a way that minimizes the spread of the virus. It is important that students exhibiting signs of the flu, such as acute respiratory illness, a fever greater than 100 degrees and a cough or sore throat be kept home from school. Other symptoms may include a runny nose, overly tired, loss of appetite and in rare occasions, vomiting and diarrhea.

As we notified the public on August 20th, we have been asked by the Lapeer County Health Department to ask specific questions of parents when a student is called in absent due to illness. Students should not return to school until they have gone 24 hours without a fever and without taking any fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol (Do not give aspirin to children).

When you call to report a child’s absence you will be asked the following questions:

· Does the child have a fever? How high?
· Is the child sick to their stomach, in the bathroom a lot?
· Is the child congested, achy, feeling and acting droopy or sick?
· Has the child been around others with the same symptoms?

Sincerely,


Debbie Thompson
Superintendent

Lapeer West to host Midland in second round high school football playoff game

This information has been updated from a previous posting.

Following its convincing 14-0 victory over Bay City Western Friday, October 30th, Lapeer West will host Midland High School as its second round opponent on Friday, November 6th at 7 p.m.

Due to unplayable conditions at Lapeer West's home field the game will be played at the Davison High School football field, 1250 N. Oak Street in Davison (across from Davison High School).