Young author is selected for writer's camp

Seaton Elementary 4th grader Morgan Pierce will get a chance to attend a special summer writing camp in August hosted by author Jonathan Rand, writer of the popular Michigan Chillers mysteries for young readers.

Morgan wrote a 100-word essay to be selected for Rand's Author's Quest Writing Camp. She was accepted and will be attending the camp from August 11-14. She will stay with other writers for three nights and four days and share her writing and learn new techniques to improve her already wonderful stories.

In her essay, she expressed a desire to learn more about similes and metaphors, which will help her improve her word choice.

Morgan says she is extremely excited to be given this opportunity. She is looking forward to meeting the special guest and the attending the workshop.

Photo caption:
Morgan Pierce and her 4th grade teacher Cindy Morris.

Robotics teams duke it out at state competition

From the County Press
Teens from the Lapeer area got to mix it up with the big time last weekend, when the country’s most competitive statewide FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics effort held its competition at Eastern Michigan University.

Lapeer County was well-represented with not one, but two, teams at the state competition. Kids from Lapeer East and West High Schools went as members of the Chimeras team, coached by Tony Diodato. Students from Lapeer County Education and Technology Center formed Galak Tech 3535, coached by Jeff Beatley.

It was the first time for either local team to compete at the state level, and Galak Tech’s rookie year as a team.

The Lapeer area teams held their own in the intense competition.

“Both the Chimeras and Galak Tech battled valiantly in their 12 matches sometimes with and sometimes against the powerhouse teams. The 68 teams are randomly mixed in 3 on 3 matches over the 3 day competition,” said Diodato.

Team Galak Tech picked up 79 points overall, placing 56th, and the Chimeras scored 67, placing 62nd.

“There is no doubt that Michigan is the epicenter of high school and professional robotics in the country,” said Diodato. “In no other concurrent regional event in the country could you score 110 points and still lose the match.” He points out that typical scores outside of Michigan are in the 30s.

“The students were very pleased in that they and the robot had done everything possible to win,” said Diodato of the Chimeras.

Although the hometown teams gave it their all and made an impressive showing, the St. Louis national competition remained out of reach this year. A very supportive Grand Blanc team, the Enginerds, placed 11th in the event, racking up the highest score at the state tournament. They’re among the teams headed to the nationals, as are students from Goodrich High School.


The state competitions mark the end of a frenzied season of non-stop thinking and doing that launched in January for the robotics team members.

“Our season has ended but we are ecstatic about our growth and success this year,” said Diodato. “None of it would be possible without the support of the schools, the community, the parents, local business and our generous sponsors.”

Diodato said there are some off-season events in coming months, and that the teams will be launching their fundraising for the next competition right away “in hopes of having the resources to be one of the power-house teams who make it all the way!”

The state competition finals will be broadcast on television on April 16 at 1 p.m. on ABC.

YFU seeks host families

Youth For Understanding (YFU) is looking for Lapeer host families to host high school exchange students for the 2011-2012 school year.

Host families provide a place to live and three meals a day plus the encouragement, advice and love to help their new family member through a semester or year in a new home.

The students bring their own spending money and health insurance plus the willingness to be a good family member, following family rules and helping out with family responsibilities. YFU local representatives support the students and families to make sure it’s a good experience for all involved. All kinds of families host, with and without children of all ages.

Youth For Understanding is a volunteer-based organization, and they are always looking for volunteers who enjoy working with teens and families to promote intercultural understanding. If you, or someone you know, are interested in being a mentor to an exchange student, they have a place for you!

For more information or to request complete profiles and letters of students, contact Jon McQuinn, YFU Field Director, at (989) 777-4420, or email him at jmcquinn@yfu.org. More information is available on the YFU Web site at www.yfu-usa.org.

'Caught You Reading' launches Book Boosters

Lapeer area families love to read.

Kids and their parents flocked to Zemmer Middle School in Lapeer April 12 for the launch of the Caught You Reading program and Rob’s Books at Lapeer Community Schools. Many of the more than 250 people who attended were actually caught in the act of reading during the event, as they eagerly perused an irresistible array of books made available by event sponsors.

Rob’s Books is the brainchild of Robert and Tami Erickson. It’s a foundation they established to fund books for the schools’ libraries. They are working with area organizations and partnering with Lapeer Community Schools to make it happen.

The foundation is named in memory of Tami’s son, Spc. Rob Hornbeck, who was tragically killed in an accident after returning from Iraq almost five years ago. Rob was a 2001 Lapeer East graduate, and an avid reader. Stepdad Bob Erickson describes Rob, “A really bright kid — just loved to read.”

The Ericksons hope that through Rob’s Books, “fun, new, relevant to the curriculum, fiction books” will be available to kids.

The Caught You Reading event also kicked off an exciting new program at Lapeer Community Schools to help “grow” our stock of classroom and library books.

It’s an innovative online fundraising program called Book Boosters. In partnership with Perma-Bound Books, the District has created a list of titles our libraries need. Many school districts such as ours have been forced to cut back even on essential purchases such as new books. Book Boosters is one way we can fill that gap, helping to improve reading scores and literacy while fostering the joy of reading!

In contrast to other programs, with Book Boosters, 100% of contributions go toward buying books and other materials from Perma-Bound. Many of these books are in Perma-Bound’s patented binding, guaranteed to last over a lifetime of rough use, with an unconditional replacement guarantee.

Giving is easy. Simply log on to http://www.book-boosters.com/caughtyoureading and contribute any amount (of $10 or greater) to the Caught You Reading campaign (in conjunction with Rob’s Books) through Perma-Bound's secure system by Visa® or MasterCard®.

All proceeds will go directly toward the Book Boosters goal. As an added bonus, you can keep track of our fundraising progress in real time using the Book-O-Meter; the stack of books that gets filled in higher and higher as we get closer to our goal—on the web page.

SPECIAL NOTE: MAKE SURE YOUR STUDENT’S NAME AND SCHOOL IS LISTED IN THE COMMENTS/SPECIAL REQUESTS SECTION AS PART OF EACH ELECTRONIC DONATION. THIS WILL MAKE YOUR CHILD ELIGIBLE FOR PRIZES AND SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR THEIR PROGRAM PARTICIPATION.

There are no phone calls to make, no items to buy, and no forms for you or your child to fill out. And you can rest easy knowing that ALL of your contribution goes toward books and educational material for Lapeer Community Schools. Please join us to make Book Boosters a success!

Photo courtesy The County Press
Photo captions:
Top: Marilee Greene of Perma-Bound was one of the sponsoring hosts at the April 12 Caught You Reading event at Zemmer Middle School. Kids and adults checked out the books and posters, and many took one home with them.

Bottom: Sixth and seventh graders under the direction of theater arts teacher Amber Dillard entertained students and their parents with dramatic storytelling, including such favorites as “The Tortoise and the Hare.”

Zemmer hosts county spelling bee

Zemmer Middle School played host for this year's Lapeer County Spelling Bee on March 30 as a total of 32 students from elementary and middle schools across the county competed for the title of spelling bee champion.

The competition lasted for 27 rounds before Almont seventh grader Emily Levy took first place. Niquole Caringi from North Branch Middle School took second place. The two girls went 17 rounds just between the two of them before Levy finally won. The winning word that clenched the title for Levy was “belligerent.”

Other winners were third place Alexis Caringi from Ruth Fox Elementary, fourth place Brittany Gray from North Branch Middle School and fifth place Cole Silva from Maple Grove Elementary. All five winning students received medals in honor of their achievement.

Photo by JACOB HUNSANGER
Photo caption:
Winners of the Lapeer County Spelling Bee were (left to right): first place Emily Levy of Almont Middle School, second place Niquole Caringi of North Branch Middle School, third place Alexis Caringi of Ruth Fox Elementary, fourth place Brittany Gray of North Branch Middle School and fifth place Cole Silva of Maple Grove Elementary.

School year extended

The school year will be extended for all students at Lapeer Community Schools because the number of school days that were cancelled this year, for reasons beyond the school district control, exceeded the six days allowed by the state.

The number of days of cancelled instruction were not consistent throughout our 12 buildings and the last day of school for students will not be the same across the district.

In accordance with state regulations, the last day of school for students will be as follows:

Friday, June 10, 2011 – Community High School, East High School

Monday, June 13, 2011 – All Elementary buildings, West High School, Zemmer Middle School

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 – Rolland-Warner Middle School

Please be sure to note these dates and plan accordingly. In order for the district to avoid financial penalties, daily attendance rates in each of the buildings must be maintained.

We appreciate your cooperation as we make adjustments to comply with state mandates regarding student attendance.

Laidlaw to leave school board

Lapeer Community Schools Board President Bill Laidlaw will resign his school board seat April 21 because he has taken a new job in Nashville, Tenn.

Laidlaw has served on the board since July 2004 and has been the board president since July 2006.

In a letter to the board, Laidlaw said, “It is with a heavy heart that I leave the LCS family … Although I am very excited to begin a new chapter in my life, it is extremely difficult to say farewell to a wonderful group of people that I have worked so closely with.”

“It has indeed been a tremendous honor to serve as your board president, and I am very proud of the level of service we have been able to provide to our students and community through difficult economic times. More challenges lie ahead, but I am confident LCS will provide the very best educational opportunities to its students with the resources it has available.”

The board will begin the process later this month of naming a replacement to fill Laidlaw’s board seat. The new board trustee will be appointed in May to serve the remainder of Laidlaw’s term, which expires in 2012.

2011 Distinguished Educator, Distinguished Service and Outstanding Contributor Awards

Six employees of the Lapeer Community Schools have been honored for their exemplary service to students and the District with Distinguished Service, Outstanding Contributor and Distinguished Educator awards.

The award winners were announced throughout the District March 31 and the school board acknowledged the awards during its March 31 meeting at Murphy Elementary School.
The Distinguished Service Award recognizes a recipient’s relationship with students and staff, exemplary representation of the District within the community, consistently excellent work performance and integrity and concern for fellow employees.

Distinguished Service Award winner Debbie Thompson began her career in the Lapeer Community Schools in 1974 as a third and fourth grade teacher at Schickler Elementary and for the last six years has served as the Superintendent of the District. In between she has served the district as a Chapter I reading teacher, administrative assistant for staff development, curriculum coordinator, director of curriculum and assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

The Outstanding Contributor Award is for those who have demonstrated creativity, innovation and outstanding accomplishments through the development and use of ideas that contribute to improved instruction and/or improved operation and management of the District.

The 2011 Outstanding Contributor Award recipient is Cindy Gillaspy a paraprofessional at Maple Grove Elementary. She was honored for the work she has done for the last six years as a reading coach for first and second graders.

The District also honored four teachers with Distinguished Educator Awards. These awards honor the recipients for their ability to relate and to inspire students, creativity in teaching, genuine concern for students and exemplary dedication and integrity. The recipients of these awards are:

• Cathy Frazee has been a Speech Pathologist with the District for the last 18 years. Prior to that she was a speech pathologist for the Lapeer Intermediate School District for 15 years.

• Mary Ellen Quaine is a Speech Pathologist in the Rolland-Warner Early Childhood wing and is the District’s Project Find Coordinator. She has been with the District for 19 years and has been in education for 31 years.

• Pam Siivola is a second-grade teacher at Elva Lynch Elementary. She has been a teacher at Lynch for 22 years.

• Steve Stearns has been a business teacher at Lapeer East for the last six years and has also taught math, science and physical education classes during his 27 years in the District. He is currently the East boys and girls golf coach and has coached JV and freshman football and baseball and junior high football and basketball. He also taught and coached for five years at Zemmer Junior High School


A committee comprised of one member each from the AFSCME, Central Office Administration, LESP, LSDAA, LTA and SEIU – Cafeteria selects recipients of the Distinguished Service Award and the Outstanding Contributor Award. A committee of eight teachers and three administrators selects recipients of the Distinguished Educator Award. Recipients are selected from nominations made by District staff.

Schickler celebrates student authors

Each month Schickler Elementary honors 36 students, 6 per grade, as Authors of the Month.

Students receive recognition at our monthly assembly with a certificate and also have their writing piece hung in the hallway outside the office.

When you visit Schickler, please take a moment and read our wonderful authors' writing.

Photo caption:
Schickler Kindergarten student, James Racknor, celebrates his author of the month award by posing for a picture with his mother Tamara Racknor. James and his family are very proud of the award and James’s writing.

Rolland-Warner hosts successful Fine Arts Night

A crowd of about 250 art lovers were on hand as Rolland-Warner Middle School hosted its annual Fine Arts Night on March 29.

Students offered an evening of band performances, theater performances, art displays and working artists. Continuing a six-year tradition that began at Zemmer Junior High, and now at Rolland-Warner Middle School, students also hosted the Empty Bowls community service event.

Attendees were asked to make a donation of at least $5 for a meal of hot soup served up in 190 bowls crafted by Rolland-Warner art students. A record $1,435 was raised to help the soup kitchen at First Presbyterian Church in Lapeer.

More than 100 students were involved in the Fine Arts Night, including performers in the drama “Sorry, Wrong Number,” musicians in the 6th and 7th grade solo and ensemble, and visual arts students who demonstrated their work as part of the “Art Walk.” Another 40 students volunteered to help out before, during, and after the event.

For a look at photos from the event, visit the District Picasa photo albums at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/LapeerCS/RollandWarnerFineArtsNight#

Parent & Child Playgroup

Free Playgroup
This popular activity for parents/caregivers and children from birth to 5 years old is fun and educational. Children will participate in a story-time, developmentally appropriate games, learn new skills, and enjoy a snack and social time with other children!

Plagroups are scheduled from 10 am to 11:30 am
on Monday, April 11, 18 & May 2, 9, 16, 23.
(Runs for six weeks, no playgroup on April 25)
Mayfield Elementary School
302 Plum Creek Road

If you are interested, please call the Family Literacy Center at 810-664-2737 or email us at ican@readlapeer.org to register for this playgroup as soon as possible.

Robotics team snares a silver medal

Excerpted from The County Press
The combined Lapeer East and Lapeer West robotics team earned a silver medal as second place district finalists in the March 4-5 FIRST district competition at Kettering University in Flint.

The combined Lapeer East and Lapeer West team, named “The Chimeras” snagged the silver medal as second place district finalists. The Lapeer County Education and Technology Center’s rookie team, GalakTech 3535, battled their way successfully to the semi-final round of the competition, making its mark as a serious contender.

“It was our first competition we ever made it that far,” said Chimeras team mentor Jon Uren of their second place prize. “It was really cool ... to walk out there and get that award.”

Uren confirmed that impressive performance, saying, “They did phenomenal ... They just excelled beyond belief.”

The scene at Kettering University’s field house was chaotic and spirited as 38 teams of teens, their mentors and their robots filled the pit areas. The teams spent the last six weeks designing and building robots that could tote inflatables and place them on pegs high up in the air. They also built mini-bots that could race up a pole.
Team spirit was evident everywhere. The Chimeras wore matching team shirts and sported black and white face paint. The Lapeer West Panther was spotted roaming the stands as well.

Team members were in a constant state of motion as they tweaked their robots in the pits before delivering them to the field of play. Rock music pulsed through building adding to the intense atmosphere. As they took their entries to compete, shouts of “Robot! Robot!” could be heard above the din so people could make way in the crowded pit area.

For each match, robots were placed into competition with robot operators lined up at each end of the field behind a plexiglass wall. The robots then battled it out, placing the inflatables on pegs to form the FIRST logo.

There was no shortage of team spirit as kids, parents and mentors cheered, jumping and up and down, noisily rooting for their robots during the matches. Post-event interviews made it apparent that two days of yelling took its toll.

The Chimeras are barely taking a breath as they prepare to compete again at Skyline High School in Ann Arbor Mar. 25-26 in another district competition, as they vie for a spot in the state and national championships. They are tweaking and upgrading their ‘bots.

“The kids are extremely excited. They really want first. They’re putting all their effort into it. They’re pumped,” said Uren. “We have a good robot with a good strategy. We’re pretty dangerous.” He said he thinks The Chimeras have a good shot at the nationals this year.

The Juggernauts of Pontiac, Killer Bees from Auburn Hills and T.O.R.C. from Oxford won the district competition. Metal & Soul of Capac won the Chairman’s Award, qualifying the team for state finals. Along with The Chimeras, the Martians of Goodrich and the Dragons of Swartz Creek earned silver medals as second place district finalists.

Photos by Nancy Elliott
Photo caption
Chimeras coach Tony Diodato and team members from Lapeer East and Lapeer West tweak their robot during pit time.

East's Tomczyk signs with Siena Heights

Lapeer East Senior Clayton Tomczyk has signed a letter of intent to play soccer at Siena Heights University in Adrian this fall.

Tomczyk is a 1st Team All-State, 1st Team All-League, and 1st Team All-District Player at Lapeer East. The 6-foot, 170-pound midfielder also plays for the TNT dynamite U18 club team. Clayton's sister, Kristen Tomczyk, a 2009 East grad, is also playing college soccer at Saginaw Valley State University.

“I chose Siena Heights for numerous reason, Tomczyk said. “First, the school has a solid Liberal Arts program that will allow me to study pre-pharmacy. Second, I was looking for a soccer program that felt right for me. I liked the family atmosphere, and the coaches and players were very friendly and welcoming.

“I hope to come in and contribute to the team right away. I would like to send out a special thanks to my family and coaches Joe Allen, Mark Burke, and Chad Kenny who have helped me develop as a player and person over the years.”

Siena Hieghts Coach Aldo Zid said, “The men’s soccer program at SHU is very excited to have a student-athlete of Clayton’s caliber join our soccer family. His ability in class and on the field will draw attention from our staff and faculty as well as our opponents.”

Spring Break -- April 4-8, 2011

Schools will be closed from April 4-8 for Spring Break.

Office hours for the Lapeer Community Schools Administraiton and Services Center during the spring break period will be 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

School will resume on Monday, April 11, 2011.

Talented students focus on movie-making

The theme this year is “Lights, Camera, Action!” for more than 50 Talented and Gifted (TAG) students in 2nd through fifth grades in Lapeer Community Schools.

The group gathered for its second outing of the year in the Media Center at Zemmer Middle School in late February for a day of movie-making. TAG students are selected based on exceptional strengths in academic areas and teacher recommendation. The District TAG Advisory Board puts together an all-day event each trimester.

The goal behind these all-day events is to allow these students to collaborate
and socialize with like-minded peers. The TAG Advisory Board is made up of interested teachers from each building, as well as an Art teacher, some Technology teachers and some District administrative staffers.

In the first trimester session in November, students learned documentary film-making. They conducted their interviews and made a mini-documentary using Windows Movie Maker. The students then saved the documentaries on “Flash Drives” purchased with TAG funds.

The second trimester project in February involved short, animated fantasy films. Students scripted, created background sets and shot their animated films using digital cameras. They then edited the movies on computers in the Zemmer Middle School media center.

The third trimester activities will include a premiere of all of the student films.

For a look at photos from the most recent movie-making session, visit https://picasaweb.google.com/LapeerCS/TalentedMovieMakersGatherAtZemmer#

Future Problem Solvers bring back trophies

Students from 14 teams from Lapeer Community Schools qualified 53 students for the Michigan Future Problem Solving State Bowl, March 26 and 27 at Clarkston Junior High School.

The teams represented Lapeer East High School, Zemmer and Rolland-Warner middle schools and Seaton, Lynch and Turrill elementary schools.

Five of those teams took home trophies for their presentations at the State Bowl, which is the culmination of a year-long program where students are taught to creatively seek, attack, and solve problems related to projections into the future.

These students had been hard at work on their problem-solving skills since the beginning of October, meeting after school once a week. An estimated 1,000 Michigan students worked on three problems during the 2010 - 2011 school year – Healthy Living, Air Transportation, and Genetic Testing – which were scored and critiqued by trained evaluators.

A total of 93 of Michigan FPS teams across three grade divisions (4-6, 7-9, and 10-12) were invited to participate in the State Bowl. While teams knew the general topic of this year’s Bowl – Water Quality – they did not know the specific nature of the problem they attempted to solve until the Bowl began.

One junior team which included Sarah Ridenour (Rolland-Warner MS 6th grade), Jacob Schlaud (Zemmer MS 6th grade), Ben Mitchell and Nathan Carr (Seaton ES 5th grade) took 4th place in the state in writing their 11-page booklet. That was just two places away from qualifying for the International Bowl in the junior division.

Two teams made it to the semi-final round, a junior team of 5th graders from Turrill, including Jullian Felton, Nathan Jasper, Kane Sweet, and Zach Bergstrom, and a middle team that included East 9th grader Nicole Romolino, Rolland-Warner 7th grader Zach Fritz, Zemmer 8th grader Alycia Mausolf and Zemmer 7th grader Alexis Mosher.

Two junior teams also had success in the presentation of their action plan. Taking a second in their presentation were Zemmer 6th graders Greg Schabel, James Felton and Steven Romolino and Seaton 5th grader Leah Bentley. Taking a third place were Zemmer 6th graders Olivia Card and Brooklyn Withey and Seaton 5th graders Pierce Logan and Chad Buike.

The Lapeer teams’ coach, Steve Larzelere-Kellermann, was named state FPS coach of the year.

Lapeer Community Schools can be proud of the showing our students had at the event.

Art Meets Science at Lapeer's Gallery 194

Gallery 194 in downtown Lapeer brings together both sides of the brain with BioArtography: Where art meets science opening March 30 and running through April. This unique exhibit features the dramatic and beautiful mages of cell structures in the body provided by lab research of the University of Michigan’s Center for Organogenesis.

On Wednesday, April 13, at 6 pm Deborah L. Gumucio, U of M Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology and Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, will provide an exhibit tour with anecdotes about the artwork and research, which is free and open to the public.

University researchers united from a variety of disciplines at the center use cutting-edge advances in microscopic imaging technology to analyze cellular activity by viewing transparent tissue samples stained to identify specific cellular components. Gumucio says imaging is always in the forefront in order to observe the morphology of the cells, which come to life in vibrant color by being exposed to these stains. Gumucio explains that through this process “…right away we start seeing the artistic side of things. If you look closely at any tissue you cannot help but be thrilled by the way the cell looks. It’s so symmetric and colorful. The forms and shapes are beautiful.”

Over sixty million people are affected by organ damage and organ related diseases each year. The mission of the Center for Organogenesis is to design new and effective strategies to treat disease and repair damaged organs by studying organ formation, function and disease. The artistic inspiration that Gumucio described brought about BioArtography, a fundraiser for their graduate and post-graduate training program juried by professors from the Biology and Art Departments annually. Contributors submit artwork along with narratives in lay language explaining form, function and application of their research from labs across the United States and proceeds go directly to the center’s training program.

“I believe this is BioArtography’s first gallery exhibit, and we are happy to host. We hope to make information about scientific advances accessible through these compelling abstract images here in Lapeer County by exposing the art behind science,” says Gallery 194 Director Carolyn Manley McCarter. “This artwork encourages interaction; it makes biological research inviting to those of us who might otherwise be intimidated by it.”

Gallery 194, located at the corner of Court and West Nepessing Streets in downtown Lapeer next to the historic Pix Theater, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm. Admission is always free and open to the public. For more information log onto www.gallery194.com or call 810-667-1495.

County Spelling Bee rescheduled

Bad weather and roads have pushed back the date for the 2011 Lapeer County Spelling Bee.

The new date is Wednesday, March 30, at 6:30 p.m. at Zemmer Middle School, 1920 Oregon Street, Lapeer.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. for registration of students.

For further information contact Dawn Mosher at dmosher@lcisd.k12.mi.us or Julie Rogers jrogers@lcisd.k12.mi.us.

Vandalism to buses closes schools

Lapeer Community Schools are closed today, Monday, March 28, because of vandalism of the school bus fleet.

To provide some further information about the vandalism to the buses, here are the facts at this time:

The valve stems were loosened and the air was let out of both front tires of more than 50 school buses.

Lapeer City Police are investigating.

No further damage was done to the buses.

It will take most of the day to reset the valve stems and inflate the tires on the 50 buses. It is anticiapted that all buses will be repaired in time for school to take place tomorrow, Tuesday, March 29.

The District bus fleet totals 73 buses. School was canceled today for the more than 6,000 students who attend the three high schools, two middle schools and seven elementaries in the District.

Zemmer holds first honor society induction

Zemmer Middle School held its first National Junior Honor Society induction ceremony for grades 6-8 on Tuesday, March 22. It was an honor for the 71 students who were recognized before their friends, parents, school staff and administration.

The presentation was conducted in the school’s cafetorium, followed by cake and refreshments for the students and guests.

“We are proud to announce the founding of the Deborah L. Thompson Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society at Zemmer Middle School. The NJHS has a proud tradition behind it, and we are pleased to be able to offer a chapter at our school. Being a member of the NJHS is a privilege for all students that meet the criteria for membership,” said Laurie Solack, a sixth grade science teacher and chapter adviser of the Zemmer NJHS.

The local chapter at Zemmer was named in honor of Lapeer Community Schools Superintendent Debbie Thompson, who is retiring at the conclusion of this school year. Present at the ceremony, Thompson addressed the students.

“These are the kind of honors that are fun to attend,” said Thompson. “This is a great day for all the students and their families. It’s an honor to be here and to have the chapter named after me.”

Membership in the chapter is an honor bestowed upon deserving students by the faculty, and is based on the criteria of scholarship, service, leadership, citizenship, and character.

To be considered for the Zemmer NJHS, students need to have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher out of 4.0. All seventh and eighth grade students and second trimester sixth grade students are eligible.

Scholastic achievement alone does not automatically guarantee acceptance as a member.
“We are very excited and honored to be able to offer this opportunity to our students. We look forward to all the continued service and leadership that NJHS students will bring to both Zemmer Middle School and the community of Lapeer,” said Solack.

NJHS officers for 2011 at Zemmer are: Scott Hilgendorf, president; Victoria Roush, vice president; Randy Frack, treasurer; Shawn Deverell, secretary; and Whitney Roemer, historian.

The 2011 Zemmer Middle School inductees included:
Sixth Grade: Lauren Barber, Bradley Birkle, Levi Bleau, Megan Bopra, Derek Buike, Victoria Carbone, Olivia Card, Brendan Dunavant, Carson Ellis, James Felton, Allyssa Fenslau, Matthew Garcia, Paul Gregor, Abigail Horning, Ariana Iloncai, Kaytlin Kabelman, Kimberly Kuligowski, Alyssa Laidler, Emily Lewis, Anna Lowe, Shelby Metzger, Logan Morys, Kendra Newman, Caitlin Nykamp, Hope O’Neill, Gregory Orth, Ryan Rogers, Steven Romolino, Drew Rubick, Greggory Schabel, Joseph Schunk, Destyni Stone, Baylee Thompson, Isabella Tindall, Victoria Tripp, Alicia Wagner and Brooklyn Withey.
Seventh Grade: Hannah Anderson, Noah Bindschatel, Alicia Birkenhauer, Mallory Brooks, Trevor Bruce, Allison Ciak, Megan Clemens, Mickey Coulter, Ginger Eastman, Scott Hilgendorf, Allison Johnson, Sydnie Jostock, Kayla Koryciak, Faith Kruger, Emily Lass, Rylei McAllister, Manon McCullough, Victoria Roush, Matthew Schneider, Hannah Sornig.
Eighth Grade: Amie Barker, Julia Borowicz, Hunter Conzelmann, Shawn Deverell, Randy Frack, Alexa Hill, Alycia Kigar, Garrett Knowlton, Leah Komisak, Sydney Maggs, MacKenzie Putnam, Meriah Putnam, Whitney Roemer and Shelby Smith.

Photo by Jeff Hogan
Photo caption:
Superintendent Debbie Thompson, for whom the Zemmer Middle School’s new National Junior Honor Society chapter is named, addressed the 2010-2011 inductees at a ceremony Tuesday evening.