- Mancelona Public Schools

Mancelona Public Schools
MEMO
A Quarterly Publication of Mancelona Public Schools
www.mancelonaschools.org
Vol. 24, No.4 • May 2008
Valedictorian
Important Dates
May 13
Board of Education meeting
5:30 p.m.
MS Media Center
May 16
Young Authors Conference
at elementary
May 22
Free Sports Physicals
May 26
No School
Memorial Day
June 1
High School Graduation
2:00 p.m.
June 5
½ day of school
June 6
Last day of school
½ day
June 17
Board of Education meeting
5:30 p.m.
MS Media Center
Election Reminder
School election scheduled for May 6, 2008
This year’s school election will be for:
•2 four-year school board positions (through 6/30/12)
•1 two-year school board position (through 6/30/10)
•One-year 18 mill Non-Homestead millage
Call 231-587-9764 if you have any questions.
A
lisa Scott, the daughter of Brian and Michele
Scott, is the Valedictorian for the Class of
2008 with a grade point average of 3.965.
Alisa participated in basketball and track during high
school, and thoroughly loved her involvement with
drama. A devout Christian, Alisa is active in many
Pathway Church activities, including youth group, and
holds a very strong bond with her family.
This year the Scott’s have hosted Kai Lu, a foreign exchange student from China, and have enjoyed the experience the exchange program has brought to their
family.
Alisa will be attending Cornerstone University in Grand
Rapids this fall, and intends to major in elementary
education. This summer she will be found working at
Papa K’s in Bellaire, and Higgins in Alden.
Salutatorian
M
arion Davenport will graduate as the Salutatorian of the Class of 2008 with a grade point
average of 3.958. Marion is the daughter of
Scott and Barb Davenport, and plans to attend Grand
Valley State University in the fall. Marion enjoys
learning, and plans to take a variety of courses before deciding on a major course of study. Highlights of
Marion’s high school years include a trip to Australia
as a People to People student ambassador, and a trip
to Mexico in the summer of 2007 with fellow Spanish students. In June of 2009, Marion plans to travel
to Ireland and London, and hopes to continue traveling throughout her lifetime. Photography is Marion’s
favorite hobby, and she enjoys enhancing digital pictures. Marion savors time with family and friends, accompanied by a good cup of coffee.
Graduation
Sunday, June 1, 2008
2 p.m.
Join us at the High School
Everyone is invited to celebrate the
achievements of the Class of 2008
Superintendent’s Message
Annual OPIE Awards
Announced
—Ron Nurnberger, Superintendent
T
he 2008-2009 school year will bring key
administrative changes to Mancelona Public Schools. Rarely does a school have three
of its four key leadership positions change within the
same year. Those who have followed my MEMO notes and my
“Superintendent’s Corner” in the Antrim County News
this past year surely will recall how I praise the Mancelona School District. It is evident by all the support this
district receives that Mancelona truly believes it
takes a community to raise a child. Thank you
so much for letting me be part of the most progressive school district in the entire region this
school year.
This past January the Mancelona Board of
Education put in motion the process to hire a
new superintendent. Mike Washburn, former
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Superintendent and
now a consultant for public schools, was hired
to manage this tough assignment. Applications
have been received and public interviews are set
for the first week in May. The goal is to have the
new superintendent named by the end of May
and on the job July 1, 2008.
In the meantime, two of our buildings have
been under the leadership of interim principals.
We want to thank Jamie Oppermann for his direction at the high school and Bob Riemersma
for his service at the middle school. Both these
positions will be posted state-wide April 16 with
the intent to interview the finalists in early June.
This schedule will allow the new superintendent
to be part of these very important decisions. On
July 1, 2008, all three administrative positions
should be filled.
In parting please remember, the more parents are engaged with their students in the educational process,
the better citizens we develop.
On May 8 the 15A Coordinating Council of the Michigan Education Association will celebrate its 33rd annual Outstanding Persons in Education (OPIE) awards
banquet at the Park Place Dome in Traverse City. This
year the Mancelona Education Association selected
Mystena Miller as their OPIE and the Support Staff Association selected Georgia Homan as their OPIE to be
honored along with other area educators selected by
their respective local education association.
Mystena has been teaching in our
high school since 1995. She has been
very involved in the National Honor
Society, Teacher Academy, Professional Learning Communities and mentoring. It is likely you may have seen
her hard at work at the Mancelona
Educational Foundation fundraisers.
Mystena resides in Mancelona with
her husband, Frank Moser, and their
daughter, Emma.
Georgia Homan began at the district in the elementary school office
in 1999 and has been a secretary at
the middle school since 2002. Georgia has been an Odyssey of the Mind
coach for the past two years. Previous endeavors include the elementary
spring carnival, the youth softball program, helping coach soccer and past
secretarial representative in the Association. Georgia and her husband,
Mike, reside in Mancelona along with
their children, Cady and Travis.
Health education update
The Mancelona Public Schools Health Education committee is looking for parents, students, clergy and community members willing to serve on this committee for
2 years. Meetings are held once a month at the middle
school library.
The school board recently appointed Debi Dewey
RN, BSN as the Sex Education Supervisor for the district.
Co-chairs of the committee are Dave VanderPloeg and
Debi Dewey. The committee is in the process of reviewing and approving curriculum for grades 5-12 for
the upcoming school year.
The committee is also working on a parent survey
to find out what parents would like our district to offer
in health education. Once curriculum is approved by
the committee, it will be made available for parents
to review. All classes will require parental notification
and permission for students to attend. Parents will have
the option to opt-out their child if they wish. Please call
Debi (587-4369) or Dave (620-1463) if you are interested in serving on the committee, or have questions.
2
.
MANCELONA ELEMENTARY
Summer school
Elementary Summer School is scheduled for August 422, from 8 a.m. until noon, with an enrichment program from Choose Success lasting until 2 p.m.
Choose
Success
guests
High school football players and cheerleaders join elementary students for lunch.
C
ommunities in Schools, along with Mancelona
Elementary School and students participating
in the Choose Success before and after school
programs, participated in the 6th Annual Read-a-thon,
March 3 – 14. Representative Kevin Elsenheimer, along
with many other guest readers from the community and
school were invited to come and read to the students
during this time. The funds raised during this event
will be used to promote Communities in Schools and
Choose Success sponsored events within the school, as
well as purchasing new Accelerated Reader books and
tests for the students. The event went very well, and the
community participation and support was
greatly appreciated.
Spring book fair
The elementary school
held its “Reading
Road Trip” spring
book fair March 24
- 27. Many students
and parents enjoyed
visiting the fair, as the
book selection offered
many titles for every
person in the family.
Young Authors
On Friday, May 16 the Mancelona Elementary School
will once again be having their Young Authors Conference. Due to construction at Shanty Creek Resort, the
conference will be held at the elementary school this
year. This conference is for all 1st – 5th grade Mancelona students. We are fortunate to have three presenters
in the morning session and a book signing and workshop for the afternoon session.
Howdy Partner!
It was an exciting time on March 14 as the elementary school opened its doors and welcomed students
and the community to the “Wild, Wild West Carnival”.
Many games were played, faces painted, prizes won
and festive food eaten. It was a fun time for all!
3
MANCELONA HIGH SCHOOL
High School Points of Pride
Recently, Mancelona Public Schools
National Technical Honors
competed for and won a grant for
Society at Career-Tech Center $6,874.03 from The Grand Traverse
Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB). Charlene Hoose, parent
and member of the GTB, initiated and
assisted with the application process.
The grant will finance several technology advancements for our schools.
For instance, the schools will share a classroom-response
system that uses classroom remote controls for competitions, testing, or simply making classroom learning fun.
Also, scan converters will be provided for every middle
and high school classroom, allowing teachers to convert
their computer images, including videos, to their classroom televisions for student viewing. In addition, headphones with microphones for creating podcasts will be
purchased. And finally, the high school will receive Manga writing software for students to write stories that include graphics which display the action depicted in their
stories. This grant will allow our students to learn new
skills to keep pace with twenty-first century technology.
To be initiated into the National Technical Honors Society, a student must have a B+ or better grade average
at CTC, be in good standing at their home school, have
good attendance and be
recommended by a teacher
or counselor. Congratulations to Brian McDaniel
(Construction Trades), Samantha Johnson (Agri Science), Cassandra Buning
(Agri Science) and Alisha
Navarre (Health Science
Tech), Mancelona’s 20072008 honorees.
Xxx
Olé!
O
n February 13, Ms. Dorr’s Spanish II students
traveled through cyberspace to the Minnesota Shubert Institute of Performing Arts
and Education Center in Minneapolis to learn about
the traditional Spanish dance, the Flamenco. Once the
students arrived to class, they were greeted by a guitar
player who played, with great precision and gusto, his
guitar made especially for Flamenco music. An expert
Flamenco dancer then joined in to explain all the different instruments used in Flamenco music. The dancer
then illustrated the intense, fast-paced dance for the students while the musician kept pace with the dancer’s
feet. The real fun began when the dancer instructed our
group in the twists, turns and clapping involved in the
traditional dance while the students followed along.
Everyone laughed and shouted out an occasional olé
while they connected real Spanish culture to classroom
learning. Olé!
Visiting the Windy City
On March 19th, 51 Mancelona High School students
and chaperones traveled to Chicago to see the famous
Broadway musical Wicked. While in the Windy City
students took in many of Chicago’s finest attractions.
They toured the John G. Shedd Aquarium & Oceanarium, where they got up close and personal with the
beluga whales, dolphins, sharks, and penguins. Students also took a trip 1400 feet in the sky to view the
skyline from the observation deck of the Sears Tower.
After shopping till they dropped on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, they scored front row seats (aptly named the
poncho section)at Blue Man Group. This is the twelfth
year that the Mancelona High School English department has organized a theatre trip for students and was
supported by the Mancelona Education Foundation.
4
MANCELONA HIGH SCHOOL
Notes from the High School
Principal’s Office:
S
• Ten juniors and seniors submitted pieces for the Northwestern Michigan College
High School Art Show. With
over 500 entries from twenty
area schools submitted, 164
pieces were accepted. Collin
Moore, Diane Lee, Sam Watkins and Tiffany Grody were
honored from our school! The artwork may be viewed
at: http://www.nmcart.info/.
• Student Council held a blood drive on St. Patrick’s Day.
The NW Michigan Blood Program set a goal of 20 pints.
We were able to beat that goal by more than 15 pints.
First time donor students were: R. Biehl, R. Bowker, B.
Darrow, S. Elder, S. Elkins, T. Grody, K. Hague, J. Hoffman, T. Hudson, C. Huffman, A. Kincaid, Z. Lauwer,
M. Leader, L. Medaris, A. Porter, S. Pratt, S. Watkins, B.
Wilks and B. Williams. Thanks to all who donated and
to Stephanie Woods who helped run the show!
It truly has been a pleasure to work with your sons
and daughters during the school year. If you have any
comments, questions or concerns, please feel free to
contact me at 587-8551. Thanks!
– Jamie Oppermann, Interim Principal
ince the last memo, a number of
important things have happened
that deserve recognition:
• A great opportunity has been offered to
Mancelona High School students through
Michigan Virtual High School (MVHS)
and a number of students have taken advantage of the opportunity throughout the
school year. MVHS offers a wide variety
of different courses, ranging from algebra to world literature. Kaitlyn VanderPloeg and Melissa Wright have
been studying Latin and Amelia Brancheau has been
studying AP Environmental Science all year long. Terry Sieting has been taking Anatomy/Physiology in the
second semester and Helena Gravelle took Mandarin
Chinese during the first semester. Students who are intersted taking MVHS classes should contact Ms. Powers
in the Guidance Office.
• We had 100% attendance for all three days of the
ACT/MME testing. This is the first time this has ever happened at the high school. We celebrated the achievement with a little get-together. Thanks to Communities
in School and the donations they were able to provide
for the students.
Odyssey of the Mind
After four months of practice and hard
work, Mancelona’s seven Odyssey of
the Mind teams competed at the regional competition in Traverse City on March
8. Every team represented our school in
a positive way. At the end of the competition, the high school team placed high
enough to go on to the state competition
on April 19.
Team members, coached by Mrs.
Homan, include Amelia Brancheau,
Cady Homan, Kaylee Moore, Maggie
Shanahan and Ariel Stieers.
Congratulations to all our teams for
a job well done!
5
MANCELONA MIDDLE SCHOOL
Festival button
K
imber Windish was
the winner of the
2008 Bass Festival
button design contest. Each
year, 7th grade art students
have the opportunity to participate in this contest for a chance to
have their original work used as the
logo for the festival. Congratulations Kimber!
S
tudents at the middle school are anxious to
begin painting a 75 foot mural that will give
honor to decades of Mancelona’s unique history. Patricia Innis, an environmental artist & member of
Michigan Legacy Art Park, has taken the time to collect
more than 50 photographs that she thinks best represents
our town. Images of logging, ironworks and local commerce are only some of the images you will see. Photographs have been sketched onto an organized grid and
numbered according to their
color value (the entire project
will be painted in sepia tones).
All students will begin a paint
by number process just after
the spring recess. The project
is expected to take several
weeks to complete but is expected to be a true masterpiece for students, staff and
community to enjoy for many
years to come.
Middle school band students perform for the community.
State art exhibit
In the previous issue of the Mancelona Memo we shared
that 15 of our middle & high school students had been
nominated for the Michigan Art Education Association
State Art Exhibit. We are proud to announce that seven
of our students’ artwork moved on in the competition.
Two of the pieces, by Kayla Bennett and Natasha Bunning, will have their work on display at the Michigan
Department of Education for one year. Five others, Tiffany Hiatt, Sara Cowles, Journey Jones, Kathryn Fletcher and Taylor Hart, will have their work showcased at
the Lansing Historical Library at the MARA state show.
We would also like to congratulate 5th grader, Journey
Jones for receiving a special honor at the state level.
His drawing of an eagle’s head placed in the top 15 and
will be set in a special display! Congratulations to all
of our artists.
Class of 2012
Do not miss the second annual eighth grade family picnic and orientation, beginning at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday,
May 14 at the high school commons. Meet the staff,
tour the building and get the answers to your questions
about your upcoming year as a freshman.
Middle School Summer School is scheduled for August
4-22, daily from 8 am until noon, with an enrichment
program from Choose Success lasting until 2 pm.
6
MONDAY
May 2008
TUESDAY
Please note:
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
May 22, 2008*
FREE SPORTS PHYSICALS
6 p.m. at the Mancelona Family Practice,
419 W. State Street in Mancelona
5
V BB/SB East
Jordan (A) 4:00
12
19
V BB/SB Inland Lks
(H) 4:30
GOLF Kalkaska
(H) 4:30
No School
Memorial Day
School Board
Election
GOLF McBain
(A) 4:30
JV BB/SB E. Jordan
(H) 4:00
V BB/SB Boyne
City (H) 4:30
TRACK Jo’Burg
Invite (A) 4:00
6
26
Board of Ed Mtg 13
MS TRACK
Jo’Burg Invite (H) 3:00
JV BB/SB TC East
(H) 4:00
GOLF Alanson
(A) 4:00
TRACK
Ski Valley Invite 20
(A) 2:00
JV BB/SB E Jordan
(A) 4:00
GOLF Boyne City
(H) 4:30
V BB/SB Districts
TBA
27
7
MS TRACK
(H) 4:30
TRACK Mancelona
Invite (H) 4:00
JV BB/SB Lake City
(H) 4:00
GOLF Kingsley
(H) 4:30
V BB/SB Pellston
(H) 4:30
TRACK Manton
Invite
(A) TBA
8
GOLF Elk Rapids
(A) 4:30
14
8th Grade Orientation
5:30 p, HS Commons
GOLF Lake City
(A) 4:30
JV BB/SB Onaway
(A) 4:00
21
FRIDAY
V BB/SB Gaylord St. 1
Mary’s (A) 4:30
MS TRACK
Inland Lakes Invite
(A) 4:00
GOLF East Jordan
(A) 3:30
2
9
JV BB/SB Boyne City
(H) 4:00
15
V BB/SB Elk
Rapids (A) 4:00
JV BB/SB Elk Rapids
(H) 4:00
MS TRACK Ski Valley
Invite (A) TBA
16
Young Authors
Conference
SATURDAY
MS TRACK
Ellsworth Invite
(A) 10:00
3
All meetings are held in the Middle
School Media Center,
and begin at 5:30 p.m.*
10
V BB/SB Lake City
(A) 9:00
MS TRACK
Central Lk Invite
(A) 10:00
17
TRACK Regionals
(A) TBA
GOLF St. Ignace
(A) 4:00
23
22
*Free sports physicals
6 p.m. @ Mancelona
Family Practice
Mancelona Public
Schools
Board of Education
Meeting Dates
24
May 13, 2008
June 17, 2008
*Unless notice is posted with different starting time.
Mancelona Public Schools
Board of Education
Tom Ross, President
Amy Derrer, Vice President
Kim Musselman, Secretary
Bill Avery, Treasurer
Frank E. Moser, Trustee
Gerald Cook, Trustee
Catherine Harden, Trustee
V BB/SB Kalkaska
(A) 4:00
28
30
29
MEF Senior Awards
7p
V BB/SB Districts
TBA
TRACK State
Finals (A) TBA
31
Dates & Times subject to change
MONDAY
2
Underclass Awards,
8:20 am, HS gym
June 2008
TUESDAY
Spring Sports
Award Banquet,
6:30 p, HS commons
3
WEDNESDAY
4
THURSDAY
½ day of School
5
FRIDAY
½ day students,
Last Day of
School
6
10
11
12
13
17
18
19
20
23
24
25
26
27
29
30
9
16
Board of Ed Mtg
Dates & Times subject to change
7
SATURDAY
Food Service News
7 If you have internet access, you
can now see your student’s
food service balance and make
payments online. Create your
secure account at:
14 www.lunchdeposit.com
or find the link at:
www.mancelonaschools.org.
Then click “sign up” to create
your account. You will need
21 your student’s ID number which
is known by MS/HS students, or
you may call your child’s school
office and the number will be
mailed or sent home with your
28 child. Please call 587-9764 ext.
214 with questions.
In order to speed up the
food lines and eliminate errors,
no payment will be accepted
in the secondary schools’ food
service lines. In additional to
the on-line payment system,
payment boxes are available
outside of the middle and high
school offices.
Kids eat FREE this summer
Free breakfast and lunch will be available for children
18 years of age and under. Preschoolers must be accompanied and supervised by an adult. Meals will be
served M-F at the MS cafeteria beginning Monday, June
9 through August 29, 2008. Breakfast will be from 8:30
am – 9:15 am and lunch will from 11:45 am – 12:45 pm.
All food must be consumed at the meal site. Adults are
also welcome. An adult breakfast will be $1.25, lunch
will cost $2.50.
NHS students painting at the Ironmen Health Center.
Summer office hours
Central office summer hours begin June 9. The office
will be open Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m.- 4 p.m., and
will be closed on Fridays. Regular hours will resume
September 2.
Administration
Superintendent
High School Principal
Middle School Principal
Elementary Principal
Ron Nurnberger, (231) 587-9764
James Oppermann, (231) 587-8551
Bob Riemersma, (231) 587-9869
Trent Naumcheff, (231) 587-8661
Mancelona Memo, Vol. 24, No. 4, May 2008. The newsletter is published quarterly
by the Mancelona Board of Education.
Newsletter editing and layout is provided by the Information Services Department, Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District. Printing of this newsletter
is provided by Mancelona Public Schools.
Comments and inquiries about the newsletter should be directed to the Superintendent, Mancelona Public Schools, (231) 587-9764.
Mancelona Public Schools
112 St. Johns Street
Mancelona, MI 49659
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