Lapeer East, Lapeer West students win several honors at recent Lansing art show

Lapeer East and Lapeer West students won several honors at the recent Michigan Art Education Association show held in Lansing.

The selections continue a history of success by Lapeer art students at the State art competition.
Lapeer East, Lapeer West and Lapeer Community High School students had art work selected for judging in the Region 10 MAEA and several of those had artwork selected for further judging at the State level in Lansing.

Lapeer West students Cheryse Burns and Rachel Gillotte, students of Mrs. Nancy Barry had art work selected for the State’s Top 18. Cheryse, Rachel and Hillary Davlin, a Lapeer East art student of Mrs. Deb Helbig had art pieces selected for the Governor’s Traveling Show.

As part of the traveling art show, the students’ artwork will be exhibited in at least three high schools in Michigan, the Governor's residence, the Michigan Art Education Association convention and three universities. Lapeer West and Mrs. Barry will host one of the governor's show exhibits next school year.

In addition several East and West art students had artwork selected for the Michigan Youth Arts Festival Art Show.

Selected for the YAFAS were: East students, Ayla Chanakam Asawasathaporn and Hillary Davlin; and West students, Cheryse Burns, Elizabeth Smith and Rachel Gillotte.

The Top 18 artists will be honored at a special luncheon in May at the Michigan YAFAS at Western Michigan University.

“These students are to be congratulated for a terrific job,” said Mr. Jeff Bolzman. “Congratulations to all the students who participated in this show.”

Other students selected for the State judging were: West students, Rhonda Vandercook, Jessica Phelps, and eighth-grader Paula Kelly Greenman; East student, Kayla Miller.

Lapeer West students honored for work at Regional Scholastic Art competition

Two Lapeer West students won Gold Key awards at a recent Regional Scholastic Art competition. (As soon as the art is returned from judging it will be posted online, so come back and check)

A total of 11 students were honored for 17 pieces of art judged at the regional event.
The prestigious Scholastic Art Show has been the most rigorous competition for high school artists in the country for more than 80 years.

Students of Lapeer West art teacher, Mrs. Nancy Barry, have won national honors more than 20 times during her career.

“Schools are honored to have even a single piece in this juried show,” said Mrs. Barry. “The Art Department instructors firmly believe that everyone can benefit from instruction in the visual arts.”

The West art department agrees with author Daniel Pink’s statement that: “Research has shown that instruction in the arts boost test scores in other areas as well as being valuable for teaching creativity, which cannot be outsourced.”

Gold Key awards; Lisa Noelle (two awards, sculpture and ceramics and glass) and Jessica Phelps (ceramics and glass). Noelle also won a College for Creative Studies Special Award for her ceramics and glass art. Both are students of teacher Mr. Jeff Bolzman.

Silver Key awards, Jaclyn Conlon (photography), Jessica Phelps (ceramics and glass), Elizabeth Smith (sculpture), Haileigh Sanders (drawing). Phelps is a student of Mr. Bolzman and Jaclyn, Haileigh and Elizabeth are students of Mrs. Barry.

Students honored with Certificates were: Kaitlyn Becker (drawing), Samantha Case (drawing), Jaclyn Conlon (photography – two photos), Lauren Gates (drawing), Rachel Gillotte (drawing), Jessica Phelps (ceramics and glass), Megan Roberson (drawing), and Sabrina Stryznski (drawing), all students of Mrs. Barry.

Lunch can be educational too! Lapeer Community Schools spices up lunch time

Learning doesn’t always stop when the lunch hour bell rings.

As part of National Nutrition Month, the Lapeer Community Food Service Department is using student lunch time this week to teach students about the flavorful and healthy use of spices in crafting low-fat healthy snacks.

Students around the District will be offered a taste test of four healthy snacks during the month of March.

“Spice Up Your Health. Exploring the benefits of herbs and spices” was the theme of the annual program to teach healthy nutrition to District students. The program was offered by Chartwells, the food service company that supplies meal services to the District.

“From observations, it appears the two most popular snacks were the ‘Creamy Cinnamon Vanilla Dip,’ which was served as a dip with apple slices, and the ‘Cheddar Herb Biscuits,” said Jill McLaughlin, administrative assistant and chef at Chartwells, “But students like the other healthy snacks as well.”

Copies of all the recipes were made available to students. Copies of the recipes are posted on the District’s photo gallery at: http://picasaweb.google.com/LapeerCS/SpicingUpLunchAtLCS.

Spices used in the four recipes were cinnamon, vanilla, ground ginger, granulated garlic, oregano, dried rosemary, dried thyme leaves and black pepper.

Brownie Girl Scout beginning ice skaing program at Polar Palace begins March 24

Following is some information that may be of interest to many of our students and parents about a new beginning ice skating program at the Polar Palace. From the Polar Palace:

The Brownie Girl Scout Program is a beginning ice skating class for those Scouts interested in discovering, connecting and taking action on and off the ice.

Trained Skating Instructors will be conducting the 5-week program on Wednesday (Mar 24 - Apr 28 from 4:50-5:50pm) to help Scouts achieve several of the designated outcomes that are essential to strong leadership -- from exploring the sport of ice skating, ice skating etiquette, learning the basics of ice skating, ice skating games and the opportunity to be an inspiration to others.

"We will also have some off-ice time devoted to creating an acrostic poem about ice skating and making a skating mural," stated Lemieux. "It is our hope to provide the Scouts with a unique experience both on and off the ice."

The cost of the 5-week session program is $55 and includes skate rental. Scouts enrolled in the program can take advantage of the Wednesday Public Skate beginning at 3 pm. The designated one hour session includes 1/2-hour group lesson and 1/2-hour practice time. Upon earning their Polar Palace Skating School patch, a $5 discount coupon will also be provided to all Scouts wishing to "first time" enroll in any "Learn-to-Skate or Learn-to-Play" class thereafter.

Reminders, notes from today's e-mail blast

If you are the parent of a high school senior, now is the application time for scholarships. Many are available in both small and large amounts, but every little bit can help. There is plenty of information on the counseling tabs on both high school websites. Deadlines are approaching, some as early as next week, so make sure your senior is not left out of a scholarship. Each year millions of dollars of scholarships are given to graduating seniors at the high schools.

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Canned and boxed foods are being collected at the school offices at Lapeer East and Lapeer West for the Habitat for Humanity Food Drive during the month of March. All donations will remain in Lapeer County.

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High school juniors at Lapeer East and Lapeer West should be aware of several opportunities this spring and summer for leadership and citizenship seminars. These programs are completely funded by our Lapeer American Legion, Legion Auxiliary, Lapeer Rotary and Lapeer Farm Bureau Organizations. Students attend free of charge. Applications for Boys State, Girls State, Rotary Youth Leadership Conference and Young Peoples Citizenship Seminar are now available in the counseling offices and must be returned by this Friday, March 19.

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Deadline for orders for the West Music Boosters Easter Ham Sale is this Friday, March 19. Ham pick-up will be next Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the West band room. Call Tina Conlon (24*) 766-5701 to place an order.

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Reminder: The Mayfield Elementary School PTC Spring Craft Bazaar and Mom 2 Mom Sale is this Saturday, March 20, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the school, 302 Plum Creek Road. It’s a great place to get deals on new or gently used clothing and other items.

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We now have links on the elementary school home pages for the fun Math & Science Connection newsletter. Lots of fun things to do at home with your student.

Advanced Sitter, Youth Golf enrichment classes offered through spring enrichment

Advanced babysitting classes and a youth golf class for boys and girls in grades K -7, are being offered through the Lapeer Community Schools Spring Youth Enrichment Programs.

Young men and young women with at least some babysitting experience are invited to take an Advanced Sitter class on Monday, April 19, that will prepare them for overnight or family travel babysitting jobs. Basic CPR will also be taught. The class is excellent for achieving scout badges or 4-H requirements.

An Advanced Babysitting Certificate will be issued upon successful completion. The two-hour class which begins at 6:30 p.m. will cost $20 a person or 2 registrants can enroll for $30. The class is taught by Mrs. Gloria Sherman and will be held at Rolland-Warner Middle School, 333 DeMille Boulevard in Lapeer.

Young people interested in learning golf are invited to register for a program taught by professional instructors. Students will be taught the fundamentals (grip, stance and swing); long game (drivers and irons); and short game (pitching, chipping and putting).

The course, which will be held in one-hour sessions on Wednesdays, April 14, 21, 28 and May 5 at 6:15 p.m. in the Murphy Elementary School gym, 1100 Pratt Road in Metamora Township, will also teach the finer points of etiquette and rules. Top-of-the-line junior clubs and safe foam balls will be used for this indoor class.

Cost of the four sessions is $55.

Pre-registration is required for both classes. There will be no registration at the door. To register or to obtain a registration form call (810) 538-1622.

Lapeer East High School receives high marks as NCA accreditation approved

Following the visit of a Quality Assurance Review team in December, Lapeer East High was notified it received high marks and a five-year renewal of its accreditation by the North Central Association on Accreditation and School Improvement.

The seven-member team gave Lapeer East high marks in the seven areas of “Standards for Quality Schools.” Those standards are: Vision and purpose, governance and leadership, teaching and learning, documenting and using results, resource and support systems, stakeholder communications and relationships and commitment to continuous improvement.

Among others, the team specifically commended Lapeer East in the following areas:

· “The Advanced Placement (AP) program has seen significant growth, increasing student achievement and skill set of teaching staff. This growth is also diverse in terms of socio-economic background and the teaching staff receiving training in this program.”

· “Stakeholders have a great deal of pride and building staff display a great deal of camaraderie.”

· The building staff has begun to use data to support teaching and curriculum choices.

NCA CASI provides nationally-recognized accreditation, the purpose of which is continuous school improvement focused on increasing student performance. To earn accreditation, schools must meet NCA CASI’s high standards, be evaluated by a team of professionals from outside the school, and implement a continuous process of school improvement.

NCA CASI accreditation is recognized across state lines, which not only eases the transfer process as students move from accredited school to accredited school but also assures parents that the school is meeting nationally accepted standards for quality and successful professional practice.

“We are pleased that the hard work by our students and staff was recognized in such a positive way by the accreditation team,” said East Principal Kelly Paige. “Our goal is to constantly improve our standards and expectations for our students and our staff.”

Lapeer West High School is also an NCA accredited high schools.

Combined Lapeer boys' swim team finishes season well at its final 2010 meet

In the final swim meet of the season, every swimmer on the combined Lapeer East/Lapeer West swimming team improved in at least one individual event and some in more than one.

“The team dropped almost 50 seconds off its total best time for the meet,” said Coach Pat Thomas. “That’s almost as long as the 100 freestyle event being eliminated. The whole team and every member improved all season long but really had some dramatic drops in their times at this final meet.”

The team’s overall record, 2 wins and 6 losses, second place finishes at the Vehicle City Relay and Mt. Morris Invitational and a tenth place finish at the Glen County Invitational is not a full picture of how much the team accomplished and how it sets up for next year.

“Every member of the team made giant strides to become well-rounded swimmers who can swim all the strokes and are prepared to go the distance to be a force to be dealt with in the future,” said Coach Thomas. “I am very proud of what our team has done since the onset of the season on November 23rd.”

At the Flint Metro League meet in Fenton in late February, the swim team finished in sixth place in the seven-team field.

Personal best finishes and scores were posted at the meet by: Patrick Martindale (200 free); Mason Sornson (diving); Alex Hart (100 butterfly – also a school record); Ryan Tuckfield (100 fly); Eric Bevers (100 free); Mark Wells (100 backstroke); John Turner (100 backstroke); John Nestor (100 breaststroke); and Mason Sornson (100 breaststroke).

Season best results were posted in: 200 Medlay relay, Mark Wells, John Nestor, Mason Sornson and Neil Denver; 200 Free relay, Alex Hart (broke school record in lead-off part of relay), Pat Martindale, Ryan Tuckfield and John Nestor; 400 Free relay, Alex Hart, Pat Martindale, Eric Bevers and Ryan Tuckfield.

Lapeer West secretary Chris Sierakowski brings her EMT expertise to the radio

Lapeer West secretary Chris Sierakowski brought her emergency medical technician knowledge and experience to the radio program Friday. With St. Patrick’s Day, spring vacation and the prom season approaching, Lapeer County Prosecutor Byron Konschuh invited Mrs. Sierakowski to talk about a range of safety issues.

Drunk driving, supervision for high school students on spring vacation and sudden infant death syndrome were all areas touched on during the program.

Mrs. Sierakowski sometimes mixes safety lessons in with the daily announcements to students at Lapeer West High School.

Lapeer East, West and Community High School students honored for art at show

A recent show at Gallery 194 in downtown Lapeer recognized the artwork of a number of Lapeer East and Lapeer West art students who had work selected for the Region 10 Michigan Art Education Association show.

A number of those students were selected for State judging in Lansing. (With the artwork all in Lansing, no photos were available for this article, but we will be putting up high school artwork next week).

At Lapeer West students from Mrs. Nancy Barry’s class were Elizabeth Smith (senior), Cheryse Burns (junior) and Rachel Gillotte (junior). Students from Mr. Jeff Bolzman’s class were Rhonda Vandercook (senior), Cheryse Burns (junior) and Jessica Phelps (senior). Kelly Greenman was selected from Mrs. Julie Fernandez’s eighth grade art class.

Three students of Lapeer East teacher Mrs. Deb Helbig, Kayla Miller (senior), Hillary Davlin (junior) and Ayla Asawasathaporn (senior – two pieces) also had artwork selected for further judging in Lansing.

The 2010 Michigan Art Education Association Region 10 Art Show is a juried art show of student art from Genesee and Lapeer counties.

Other students who had work chosen for the region show were:

Lapeer West: Karley Bauroth (sophomore); Kami Carpenter (freshman); Samantha Chouinard (8th grade); Lisa Noelle (senior); Alexandra Norton (sophomore); Haileigh Sanders (senior); Madison Dearing (8th grade); Abrianna DeBono (freshman); Lauren Gates (senior); Kaylee Hammerstein (freshman); Danielle Holmes (freshman).

Lapeer East: Sharon McCully (senior); Dawn Wesley (senior).

Lapeer Community High School students in Ms. Kelly Wagner’s class: Kayla Bowman (senior); Amanda Ramirez (senior); Sonja Dietz (senior); Magan Hadley (senior); Amanda Swain (senior).

Lapeer East graduate Ray Stover, now head of Gladwin's MidMichigan Medical Center

Raymond Stover said he was “very quiet and very shy” while growing up and attending Lapeer Community Schools, so much that it was painfully difficult to talk to people.

But now, that quiet kid is President and Chief Executive Officer of MidMichigan Medical Center in Gladwin. He said one of his main duties is seeking out the more than 200 employees, as well as medical center patients, to boost morale, inform them about current issues and solicit their concerns and ideas.

How did the 1984 Lapeer East High School graduate overcome his fear to become the communications heart of a thriving medical center? It started, he said, with mentoring from his family, teachers and coaches in Lapeer.

“It surprises me and my family that I would be in this job,” Stover said. “My dad (Sherwin Stover) and I were just talking about that the other day.”

Stover said his mother, Charlene, who passed away in 1993, was the first to help him overcome his shyness by enrolling him in a variety of activities. His sister, Ruth Stover-Lange, his opposite in many ways, was very outgoing and he said he watched and learned from her. He had a co-op job while in high school and said his father taught him a strong work ethic.

His opportunities while a student in Lapeer schools also played a role, he said. He became close to several teachers who encouraged him, starting in elementary school in Attica. Most of his elementary school friends went to Zemmer Junior High, but because of where he lived, he went to the former White Junior High School.

“I met a lot of new people at White and that was a good experience for me,” he said.

Along the way, Stover discovered he was a talented baseball player. That led him to join the Lapeer East team and meet Coach Brad Gerlach. The two became close – Gerlach gave him the nickname “Razor, because he was a real sharp kid,” which sticks to this day – and helped him get a baseball scholarship to Saginaw Valley State University.

His sister said their family was poor when they were growing up and Gerlach’s assistance was a big factor in helping her brother go to college.

Ruth Stover-Lange, a 1982 graduate named Most Outstanding Graduating Senior, is a teacher in the North Branch School District. She said until she began working with students, she did not realize just how great an influence teachers and school had on her and her brother.

“He had a lot of encouragement from teachers,” she said. “Baseball also was very important. Having a team full of friends supporting you is huge, and his coach was very instrumental in helping Ray get the SVSU scholarship.”

Gerlach said he always recognized Stover’s potential.

“He was an outstanding baseball player and outstanding human being,” Gerlach said. “He was someone you’d want working for you or even better, running something. His senior year, he just blossomed.”

Gerlach downplays his role in helping Stover get to college, saying it was his student’s talent and hard work that propelled him forward.

“I just made the connections and the talent spoke for itself,” he said.

Raymond Stover said he was very good in math while in Lapeer schools and decided on a career as a certified public accountant. After graduating from SVSU with a bachelor of science degree in business administration, he got an accounting job with the Blue Care Network, starting him in health care.

He joined Midland-based MidMichigan Health in 1990, starting in Midland and then moving to the organization’s medical center in Clare, where he rose to vice president and chief financial officer. He was promoted to his current job at the 20-bed primary care Gladwin medical center in January 2008.

“One of my most challenging duties is recruiting doctors to come to a rural hospital,” he said. “And then there is keeping up with what is happening with the economy and its impact on health insurance, declining reimbursements and keeping people in their jobs.”

He continues to seek mentors, saying he met several people at MidMichigan who helped him grow and now relies on the advice of many people as he learns his new job.

Stover also has served on the boards of several civic groups.

He lives in Midland with his wife, Rose, and their four daughters – Jessica, 21, a student at Lansing Community College, Samantha, 17, a Midland High School senior, and 16-year-old twins Jalynn and Taylor, high school juniors. He returns to the area a few times a year to visit his father, who now lives in Otter Lake, and Ruth, who still lives in Lapeer. He said he is very proud to call Lapeer his hometown and hopes students will take advantage of all the community and school district have to offer.

“Take your education very seriously,” he advised, “especially as hard as it is to get into college these days. Soak up as much as you can. Build relationships with teachers because you’ll be surprised at how often you need to return to them for advice.

“And get involved in the community. Offer some time back because it helps you and because Michigan really needs it now.”

High School Robotics teams compete at Kettering, Lapeer East moves on to Ann Arbor

In an atmosphere not unlike a major high school sporting contest, the Lapeer East High School Robotics teams competed at the FIRST Robotics competition at Kettering University this past weekend.

The 22-member Lapeer East Robotics team, led by teacher and advisor George Mavis, placed 14th out of 40 teams after the two-day event. The East team will now take its robot to Ann Arbor this weekend for another meet.

Sponsored by CCS Robotics on Imlay City Road and PNC Bank, the East robot played soccer, scoring points by robotically kicking a ball into a goal and scored bonus points by successfully hanging the robot from a metal stand, one of the few teams to do so.

“This is a great experience for our robotics club members,” said Principal Kelly Paige. “It is great to see 22 students who are ‘geeked’ about math and science and a bleacher full of supportive adults, friends and family watching as referees, a timer and the competition unfolds.”

The Lapeer West Robotics Team also passed inspection and participated in the Kettering competition.

Lapeer East, Lapeer West High School wrestlers compete at State Finals

Lapeer West High School wrestlers and a wrestler from Lapeer East High School represented themselves well at the recent State Wrestling Individual Finals at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

West wrestler Dean Somers, took fifth place in the State in the 103 weight division.

Other members of the West team who wrestled at the State Finals were Adam Nichols (103), Dakota Carie (112), and Nate Irelan (135). Dakota and Adam each won matches in their weight divisions at the meet.

“I’m proud of the work these young men put into the sport during the recent season,” said West Coach Matt Nowak. “It takes a lot of dedication to end up in the State Finals.”

East wrestler Isaac Joseph (145), a junior, also won one of his matches in his weight division, but missed placing in the top eight by one point in his last match, said East Coach Al Lalonde.

Health Department announces vaccination help for parents with financial challenges

The Lapeer County Health Department asked us to provide information to parents/guardians who need help in obtaining required vaccinations for school.

Federal stimulus funds will be available for Tdap, meningitis, and varicella vaccines.

A clinic date has been set for Thursday, April 8th by appointment only.

Besides vaccinating children with Medicaid, uninsured, underinsured, and Alaskan Native or American Indian, this vaccine allows us to expand that eligibility to children who have copays or deductibles that would hinder them from receiving vaccines from their Healthcare Provider.

The only vaccines we will be able to provide to school-age children with insurance that covers part of vaccine costs are Tdap, Meningitis, and varicella vaccines.

To set up an appointment, to determine eligibility or to ask questions, parents should call (810)-667-0448.

"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.

A month of reading is the month of March, the celebration starts with a hat-on-a-cat

Food, drinks, guest readers and “Cat-in-the-Hat” pins highlight the “March is Reading Month” celebration at Lapeer West High School on Wednesday, March 31, during the school day.

Students will belatedly celebrate the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as “Dr. Seuss,” on that day. The celebration could not be held on Dr. Seuss’s real birthday – March 2 – because of the crush of tests and the end of the trimester.

On that day, Student Council will provide food and drink to all students and special dispensation will be made for the wearing of hats and pajama pants for students who purchase “Cat-in-the-Hat” pins. Funds raised from the event will benefit the Family Literacy Center of Lapeer.

Teachers are invited to participate by devoting 15 minutes of class time to reading to students if the teaching schedule allows. Other staff will be invited to be guest readers and teachers will also be invited to participate in a bookmark activity.

The West media staff has purchased bookmarks to distribute to students and is sponsoring a book review contest with signed copies of books as prizes. “READ” temporary tattoos will also be sold as a fund raiser.

Special decorations will adorn the Book Club display. The Book Club will sell tattoos, Cat-in-the-Hat pins and Cat-in-the-Hat cookies during lunches.

“Students at Lapeer West are great readers and this day celebrates the atmosphere of reading that is so prevalent at our school,” said teacher Mrs. Daryl Debano, the club sponsor.

Lapeer West Clothing Construction students provide comfort to kids with quilts

A Lapeer West High School class project in the Clothing Construction class of Ms. Charlotte Cornell yielded more learning than just the skills needed to make a quilt.

Photo caption: Some McLaren employee names are not known. Second from left (standing) Ms. Charlotte Cornell, teacher; West student Whitney Avenall (next to Ms. Cornell), students Tabitha Barber and Jane Craemer (far right standing next to Dr. Dr. Ed Gullekson, and student Morgan Burgess (front, center). Additional photos are at the District's photo gallery.

Students in the class made baby and child quilts and then donated them to Hurley Medical Center and the Child Evaluation Center at McLaren Regional Medical Center in Flint in February.

Four students and Ms. Cornell drove to Hurley and McLaren to deliver the completed quilts and received a warm reception at both hospitals.

At McLaren, Dr. Ed Gullekson and a social worker at the CEC, talked to the students about the medical profession and gave them a tour of the facility and clinic which deals with children who have been abused.

“The doctor told us that the kids at the center who receive the blankets will have the comfort of them for the rest of their lives,” said Ms. Cornell. “When the four students returned, they shared the information with the rest of the class. It had a trickle down effect.”

In the next trimester class which began this week, Ms. Cornell said she is planning to have the next class create teddy bears for the CEC at McLaren.

Students sometimes need a little financial help in buying the material needed for the class and Ms. Cornell said donations of material are accepted at school. Donations of money or material can be made by calling Ms. Cornell at Lapeer West at (810) 667-2423.

'Farm-ol-o-gy' event to highlight local agriculture is Thursday, March 18

We received the following press release about a Lapeer County Farm Bureau event - "Farm-ol-o-gy" that may be of interest to our parents and students.

Milk a cow, drive a combine, and talk to a farmer at Lapeer County Farm Bureau’s farm-ol-o-gy event

LAPEER — In recognition of National Agriculture Week, the Lapeer County Farm Bureau is hosting Farm●ol●o●gy at the Lapeer Center Building, Thursday, March 18, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Farm-ol-o-gy attendees can chat with local farmers “over the fence” and learn some science behind farming, what it takes to be a farmer, the advantages of buying locally grown foods, and why farmers make good neighbors. Over 20 local farmers representing organic, cash crops, livestock, fruit, maple syrup, honey, and specialty farming will be available to answer questions.

Hands-on attractions include a combine simulator where you can try your hand at harvesting; Urlene the cow offers the chance to experience milking a cow and Lapeer Master Gardeners will teach you how to make paper pot plant starters. Lapeer County’s FFA, under the guidance of Tammy Hyatt, Ed Tech’s horticulture and agriculture instructor, will demonstrate ice cream production, embryo transfer in cattle and how to raise alpaca.

The evening also brings a 100-mile-meal to the Center Building.

“Six times a year we cater a meal to raise funds toward the restoration of the Center Building,” remarks Cathy Carter, manager of the Center Buildings. “We were presented with the opportunity to regain sight of where our food comes from by creating a meal using foods grown within 100 miles.

We did our research and found many local farmers and growers we weren’t aware of,” she notes.

“Our biggest challenge has been the time of year; there is not much growing outside right now, but we have been able to put together a premium meal featuring pulled pork, roasted vegetables, biscuits, slaw, with apple crisp for desert. We are sticking with the 100 mile theme right down to the butter,” says Jackson.

Farm-ol-o-gy is a free event sponsored by Lapeer County Farm Bureau, Michigan Thumb Works and the Lapeer Center Building. Doors open at 4:00 p.m. The 100-mile-meal starts at 4:00 p.m. in the west wing of the Center Building.

Tickets are $8.00 and can be reserved by calling Cathy Carter at 810-664-2109 or Gloria Ginell at 810-664-9712.

Project R.E.D., Rural Education Day, hosted by Farm Bureau, inspired this collaboration.

Kelly Lewis, Farm Bureau’s Promotion and Education chairperson, explains, “Research suggests that the general public is eager to know more about the food they eat, where and how it is produced, and the connection farming has to their community.”

“Bringing the public and local farmers together at a single venue has been an idea I’ve had brewing for a couple of years. As the county coordinator for Project R.E.D., I have seen the positive reaction Lapeer County’s third graders have toward farmers and agriculture and I want to bring that to all the people of our community,” added Lewis.

For more information regarding Farm-ol-o-gy, please call Teresa Fick at 810-441-0911.

Lapeer West's Project Graduation hosts Schwan's fund-raising event Saturday, March 13

Project Graduation of Lapeer West is conducting a Schwan's Truckload Sales Event this Saturday, March 13, 2010 from 10 am until 4 pm. The pickup location will be in the parking lot of Sleep Doctor Mattress store, 700 S. Main St, Lapeer ( across the street from Kroger Gas as well as Meijer Gas).

Project Graduation of Lapeer West will earn a percentage of the sales made on Saturday to help offset the cost of providing an all night, chaperoned, fun, substance-free Graduation Party for the entire Lapeer West Graduating class of 2010, to be held on Graduation night June 6, 2010.

Community support of this fundraiser requires only that our friends stop by the yellow Schwan's trucks and purchase an item of their choice. Project Graduation of Lapeer West thanks you, our community for all the wonderful support of our organization and our mission.

Lapeer West hosts First Annual Spring Fashion Show

The First Annual Spring Fashion Show will be at Lapeer West High School on Thursday, March 11th. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. to view and shop vendor booths. The fashion show will begin at 7:00 p.m. with our Jazz Band providing the entertainment before the event!

Also during the fashion show, West will host the first ever MR. LAPEER WEST Contest! Winners will be chosen by audience response so come and cheer on your favorite!

Vendor booths will offer coupons, appointments & incentives. Used prom dresses will also be for sale and entry is only $2.00.