“Our Schools” News Family, Community, Excellence June 2020 alleganps.org
Congratulations to the Allegan High School Top 10 Zebulon DeBacker Aubrey DeBoer Jenna Duursma Noah Festerling DeLaney Heckman Madison Layton Walker Michaels Lucas Myers Maddison Wagner Madison Wilson
(pictured in alphabetical order)
2020 School Bell Award
The highest honor that the administrative staff at Allegan Public Schools can give is the annual School Bell award. Because there were so many deserving recipients this school year (see page 5), this was not an easy decision. The award is typically awarded to an individual or group who goes above and beyond for the Allegan Public Schools District. One nomination came through that rose to the top of the list. The recipients of the 2020 School Bell Award are the students of the “Class of 2020.” The losses that these seniors had to endure are those that cannot be recaptured, and the special moments and rites of passage cannot be fully recreated. Class of 2020: We honor you, and we will miss you. This adversity will prepare you to be positive change-makers as you enter adulthood. Congratulations, Class of 2020.
Pictured above: Alternative High School Principal Laura Feffer (l) and Allegan High School Principal Jim Mallard (r) accept the School Bell Award from Superintendent James Antoine.
Allegan Public Schools
Outstanding People For Education
Telephone Numbers
Administration Office........................... (269) 673-5431 James Antoine (superintendent) Hillary Baker (director of instruction) Amy Christman (director of finance & operations) George Mohr (state and federal programs) Allegan High School ............................ (269) 673-7002 Jim Mallard (principal) Justin Hudson (assistant principal) L.E. White Middle School...................... (269) 673-2241 Erin Hafer (principal) Chris Reeve (assistant principal) Dawson Elementary.............................. (269) 673-6925 Rebecca Shuper (principal) North Ward Elementary........................ (269) 673-6003 Becky Corbett (principal) Pine Trails Elementary.......................... (269) 673-5379 Kari Luckett (principal) West Ward Elementary......................... (269) 673-7000 Melanie Cassar (principal) Allegan Alternative High & Adult Ed..... (269) 673-5433 Laura Feffer (principal) Special Education.................................. (269) 673-5431 Brady Chestnut (director) Athletic Office....................................... (269) 673-7002 Ron Orr (director) Pool/Aquatics........................................ (269) 673-7002 Chris Madill (ext. 5507) Maintenance Department................... (269) 673-2085 Jamie Collier (supervisor) Transportation Department................. (269) 673-2203 Marty Mendell (supervisor) Food Service ....................................... (269) 673-7002 Barb Elenbaas (supervisor) ext. 5517 Allegan Online/Adult Ed ..................... (269) 673-5431 Brenda Nyhof (director) ext. 3022 School Website: alleganps.org
Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual “Outstanding People for Education” sponsored by the Allegan County School Board Association was canceled for this year. Allegan Public Schools had many wonderful staff and community members nominated prior to the cancellation. Thank you for your dedication to APS!
• Jamie Antoine, Social Worker • Rebecca Balkon, Teacher • Alyce Bird, Bus Driver/Maintenance • Doug Beauregard, Teacher • Susan Busfield, IA* • Becky Calvert, Teacher • Melanie Cassar, Principal • Kim Carroll, IA • Paula Chalupa, Teacher • Brady Chestnut, Director of Special Education • Hillary Coffindaffer, IA • Sarah Cooper, Teacher • Allison Dittenbir, IA • Scott Ehrich, Volunteer • Scott Evans, Teacher • Katelynn Fries, Teacher • Brande Gillies, IA • Lynn Greening, Teacher Consultant • Adrian Hall, Bus Driver/Noon Hour Supervisor • Maureen Heileman, Crossing Guard
• Kirsten Hickok, Teacher • Shirley Hopkins, Volunteer • John and Deb Jones, Volunteers • Lori Layman, Teacher • Kim Licavoli, Teacher • Kari Luckett, Principal • Lisa Lugten, Teacher • Jim Mallard, Principal • Ana Marlett, Teacher • Mark Mattox, Teacher • Billy Meade, IA • Michelle Norland, Teacher • Sara Phillips, • Day Care Coordinator • Piper Raab, IA • Amanda Stegink, Science Coach • Cindy Tibbitts, Teacher • Laurie Visser, Secretary • Lara Voglewede, • Speech Pathologist • Abigail Waynick, Teacher • Colin Weber, Teacher • Mick Witzel, Teacher
*Instructional Assistant
Allegan Public Schools Board of Education
2019-20 Board Members
Front l to r: Jennifer Nicholson, Nathon Kelley, Troy Carns, Lane Sturman Back l to r: Vicki Knuckles, Mary Kasprzyk, KD Lake
►Most regular meetings are scheduled for the second Monday of each month. ►Regular meetings during school year are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ►Regular meetings during the summer (June, July, August) begin at 6 p.m. ►Workshops are held the fourth Monday of the month, excluding summer months (May, June, July, August) and begin at 6:30 p.m. ►Special meetings will be posted at the entrance and on the district website. ►All meetings to be held at the Allegan Public Schools’s Administration Building, 550 Fifth Street, Allegan MI 49010, unless otherwise posted. ►Interested citizens are invited to attend meetings. There is an opportunity for public comments of a general nature at the beginning of every board meeting. Persons with disabilities who need special accommodations should contact the Superintendent at (269) 673-5431 or at 550 Fifth Street, Allegan, MI 49010, ten days prior to the meeting. ►For a complete list of dates visit alleganps.org/board-of-education.
The “Our Schools News” is a publication of Allegan Public Schools. It is published at least four times annually and mailed to all residents of the Allegan area. If you know of someone who is not receiving this publication that would benefit from receiving it, please contact Laura Sullivan, editor, at (269) 673-5431 or email lsullivan@alleganps.org.
Page 2
From the Desk of the Superintendent “All in for Allegan” When I accepted the position of Superintendent last spring, I had no idea what was in store for Allegan Public Schools, the state, the nation, or the world. Had I known what was to come, I absolutely would have still accepted the position. The reason for that is despite the chaos of the year, the things that made me want to lead this district were the Allegan Public Schools staff and the community of Allegan that I know so well.
Superintendent Antoine
What our staff and community have accomplished this year has been nothing short of exceptional under circumstances that no one could have predicted. We had EEE in the fall, canceled events for both homecoming and C.O.D.E. Orange due to weather, an elementary reconfiguration, only one snow day, and a global pandemic impacting every aspect of life, causing our kids to lose out on important activities and rites of passage–and our staff to shift on a dime to providing emergency remote learning. This will undoubtedly have educational and social impacts for years to come. If you recall from an earlier letter that I wrote, educationally, the closure was only about 2.5% of a child’s K-12 education but emotionally, it is difficult to measure the lasting impact on our staff, students and families. And if that were not enough, we are now bracing for an economic crisis in education, the likes of which no one has seen before. Now more than ever is when we need to stick together as a community for the sake of our children. One way we can stick together is by asking our families to stay with Allegan Public Schools. Many of you know that a large part of our funding is based on the number of students that we serve. With fall being uncertain coupled with the normal and perfectly understandable fear and anxiety about returning to school, families might start looking at options that best fit their needs. You need not look further than Allegan Public. We aim to provide families with the flexibility to meet the requirements of the law while also offering options. To that end, we are expanding the well-established and successful Allegan Online program down to 3rd grade for the 2020-2021 school year. While we consider face-to-face instruction with Allegan Public Schools teachers the best option that we can provide, we also need to be thoughtful and understand that, even if allowable, some families may not be comfortable returning to school. Other families may want to start online and then shift over to face to face instruction as things improve. I know that many of you have seen other districts publish their plan for the fall, but the truth is that schools have not been provided guidance as to what is allowable. We are preparing to be face to face, we are preparing to take what we have learned from this spring and be able to move to a stronger remote learning plan, we are exploring what a hybrid of remote learning and face to face learning might look like, and, as stated earlier, we are expanding our Allegan Online program. We are doing our best to be able to flexibly meet the needs of our community and all I ask is that you communicate with us and consider our offerings before looking elsewhere. I also would encourage you to contact your state and federal legislators and tell them that cutting funding to schools at a time that education is more important than ever before is not acceptable. Schools are first and foremost institutions of education but what this pandemic has made strikingly clear is that schools are child care, mental health services, providers of food and safety, and truly beacons of hope for a better future for all of our children. It has never been more clear how vitally important schools are to a functioning society. Now is not the time to take resources away when we are most in need. That being said, the likelihood that we will be forced to make very difficult decisions due to state budget cuts is high. We commit to making those decisions with the children of our community in our hearts and minds and try our very best to limit the impact on our kids under very difficult circumstances. Thank you staff, students, and families for a very memorable first year. Please stay connected with us over the summer as we will be planning and sharing information about the fall as soon as we are provided guidance from the state. Stay well, Allegan. I can’t wait to see you, and have a wonderful summer. Page 3
Welcome to APS!
Thank you!
When the state-mandated closure occured in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no one knew what the future held. The support the APS community provided for our students and staff was phenomenal. As mentioned on page 1 for the School Bell Award, because of the support, there were so many deserving recipients for the School Bell Award this school year. It was not an easy decision. There were an overwhelming number of Allegan Public Schools staff members that went above and beyond this spring making and delivering food (over 45,000 meals delivered), creating remote lessons, and connecting with students and families in any way possible.
Rene Martin Principal Allegan High School
There was also an outpouring of community support from many local businesses (see list right). Thank you for your continued support of APS!
Allegan Bible Church Allegan Fire District Allegan City Police Department Allegan County Community Foundation Allegan County Sheriff’s Office Allegan Homeless Solutions Aunt Millie’s Camp Beechpoint Corner Bible Church Dee Dee Hanson Dunningville Reformed Church Ed Spicer First Baptist Church Judi Graff Life EMS Merson Church Perrigo Positive Options Sassy Olive Subway of Allegan The Place: 412 The River United Way Vitale’s
Saying goodbye to our APS Retirees
Teacher
Mary Johnson Bus Driver
High School 20 years
APS 26 years
Wally Brennan
Brenda Clifford
Dawn Hoyer
APS 31 years
Middle School 32 years
Maintenance
Custodian
Jim Mallard
Craig Pennock
Eric Pokornowski
Robin Pokornowski
High School 22 years
High School 34 years
Middle School 25 years
Middle School 34 years
Principal
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
ALLEGAN
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Page 5
Allegan Tiger Athletics By: Ron Orr, Athletic Director alleganps.org/athletics It was an unfortunate end to the 2019-20 sports season. Student-Athletes are hopeful to return to playing in the fall. Scholarships and awards were recently announced for the Class of 2020. Alison Bishop and Jayden Smith - Allegan Athletic Scholarship winners. Alison Bishop and David Roark - Wolverine Conference ScholarAthletes
DON'T DELAY, ENROLL TODAY!
Congratulations to Blake Houser for being named 2020 Ackerman Award winner for the class of 2020. The Ackerman Award is presented to a male and female senior athlete who has shown great sportsmanship and teamwork during their high school career. Blake played basketball and baseball at Allegan High School. Blake volunteered many hours helping at youth camps and also helping at many activities during his years at AHS. Great Job, Blake! Jessica Lytle was named the female Ackerman Award winner. Jessica played volleyball and basketball during her career at Allegan High School. Jessica also helped with volunteering at youth camps and clinics. Way to go, Jessica! Congratulations to Alison Bishop who has been named Allegan High School Senior Award winner for the 2020 Senior class. The Allegan County News Senior award is presented to the female athlete who is recognized for coachability, dependability, athletic ability, leadership, participation, and sportsmanship for Allegan High School Seniors. Alison was a 4-year varsity letter winner in volleyball, basketball, and soccer. Over her career, Alison was named All-Conference, All-Region, and All-State multiple times and was also named team captain of all three sports. Alison will continue her academic and athletic career at Lake Michigan College in the fall where she plans to study Education to become a teacher. Alison will play soccer for the Red Hawks next year. Congrats on a great career at Allegan High School. Congratulations to Jayden Smith for being selected as the VanMelle Award winner for the class of 2020. Jayden was a threesport athlete at Allegan High School competing in football, basketball, and baseball. Jayden earned eight varsity letters while competing at AHS and was honored as an All-Conference athlete during his career. Jayden was active in community service and helping support youth programs while an athlete at Allegan High School. Jayden will continue his athletic and academic career at Lake Michigan College where he will study business and sports management and play baseball. Go Tigers!
Page 6
Friday Night Lights was put on in a group effort with the Sports Boosters and Mr. Orr and Mr. Mallard. Each Friday the Tiger Stadium field lights, were lit at 8:20 p.m. [2020 military time] for 20 minutes 20 seconds to honor the class of 2020. Many seniors came to enjoy the lights, visit with each other while safely social distancing in their vehicles, and were treated each week to something special - pizza, popcorn and Powerade, donuts, cookies, etc., and won prizes for different contests that were held. The All-Sports Boosters are thankful for the time and effort that Mr. Orr and Mr. Mallard put in to helping provide this event. The Allegan Fire District was there each week to show their support to our kids as well and we are extremely grateful.
Allegan Alternative High School Allegan Alternative High School has been named the 2020 Michigan Alternative School of the Year!
Pictured above (l to r): Leo Brower, Darell Williams, and Jackson Fillmore Pictured right (l to r): AAHS Principal Laura Feffer and Kass McElwee
The Educational Foundation of APS Awards 2020-21 Mini-Grants
The Educational Foundation of Allegan Public Schools works hard to raise funds for the mini-grants and two senior scholarships. For the 2020-21 school year, the Ed Foundation eceived grant requests in the amount of $28,446. Thanks to support from staff and the community, the Ed Foundation was able to fund 98% of the grants requested. In addition, they awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Alison Bishop and DeLaney Heckman.
Allegan Alternative High School has been named the 2020 Michigan Alternative School of the Year. The Michigan Alternative Education Organization (MAEO) honored AAHS with this award and recognized the efforts the staff give to the young people in our community who need “Another Choice” and “Another Chance” to earn their diploma in a small, family atmosphere committed to the mind, body, and spirit of each student. Congratulations, Eagles! The staff at the Little Tigers Learning Center (LTLC) in the North Ward Early Childhood Center have been busy getting ready for opening day. LTLC opened June 15. They are open Monday - Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for children 6 weeks to 12 years old. Visit littletigersallegan.com to enroll or for more information.
ALLEGAN ONLINE is
EXPANDING!
The goal of the Ed Foundation is to fully fund every grant request. You can help! Purchase a C.O.D.E. Orange t-shirt (available late July). Attend the 2nd annual Murder Mystery 11/1 & 11/2. Purchase a ticket to the annual Cash Party (date TBA). Thank you for your support!
In order to provide familes with another educational option during these challenging times, Allegan Online is expanding its program to offer classes for 3rd- through12th-grade students.
Allegan Online offers:
The Allegan Online and Adult Education staff wish the 26 graduates all the best. Congratulations!
· Instruction directed by Allegan Public Schools state-certiied teachers · A self-paced online program that meets students at their level · A state- and district-approved curriculum · A school experience that provides exibility for students and families
For additional information or to enroll your student, visit alleganps.org/aoae or call (269) 673-5431 x3022
ALLEGAN
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Allegan Online is part of the Allegan Public Schools district.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR IMPORTANT APS DATES
JUNE 25* AAHS Graduation *Rain date 29
JULY 30* AHS Graduation
*Rain dates July 31 and August 1
Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Allegan MI PERMIT 192
FROM: Allegan Public Schools 550 Fifth Street Allegan, MI 49010
ECRWSS TO: Current Resident
The Allegan Public School District complies with all federal laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sex, age, height, weight, familial status, marital status, political belief, disability, handicap, or any other legally protected characteristic —in all of its programs and in employment. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Superintendent of Schools, 550 Fifth Street, Allegan MI (phone (269) 673-5431).
Around the District
With the state-mandated closure, activities within the regular calendar were limited. But our APS staff rose to the occasion. They quickly transferred from classroom teaching to remote/online learning. They held virtual meetings, read stories and posted them online, encouraged reading and school spirit, participated in drivethrough graduations and registrations, distributed and delivered meals to families, and so much more. We are thankful for our staff that continue to go above and beyond!
The AHS boys’ state tennis championship sign was revealed coming into town.
Flat Mrs. Marlett “hung out” with her students and shared many adventures along the way.
The AHS Class of 2020 enjoyed a parade around town.
The future class of 2024 left L.E. White Middle School in style!
Many buildings social distanced for 5th-grade salutes, a middle school send-off, and kindergarten graduation.