By Travis Smola
The Schoolcraft Board of Education recognized the top ten seniors and all-academic athletes at its May meeting.
“This is a great opportunity to celebrate,” said high school Principal Ric Seager. He noted there were 13 students who achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average this year. The board listened to the students’ college plans and then wished them luck in their future endeavors. The board also recognized the achievements of athletes that made the KVA all-academic team. “I wish you luck in your careers of your choosing,” said board President Michael Rochholz. “We’re counting on you guys, as future citizens, to do some great things.”
Eighth grade science teacher Jeff Clark and some of his students made a presentation on the middle school trip to a model bridge building competition in Grand Rapids. “The incentive is to get students interested in science and engineering,” Clark said. It was the first year Schoolcraft students competed in the event. There were 19 students involved.
Clark’s students constructed truss bridges out of wood. The competition was judged on both the bridge’s ability to hold weight and presentation. Additionally, the bridge must also be free of defects. “The bridges were not designed to break to failure,” Clark said. “As soon as there was any defect, it was over.” Schoolcraft’s top group at the event earned a 97.5 out of a possible 100. It wasn’t enough to win, but the trip was a learning experience for Clark and his students. “Our first time up, and I thought we did quite well,” Clark said. “Next year, my hopes are high.”
The board also saw a presentation on the Freshman Focus Academy program. It is geared towards helping middle school students make the difficult transition to high school. The program has juniors and seniors helping to create a culture to bridge the age gap between seniors and freshman. “That’s where we lose kids, the seventh and eighth grade,” Seager said. “It’s really imperative on us as educators to give them a boost.”
The program seeks to create a fun bonding experience for students through mentor training, workshops on values and standards, communication and career exploration. The students held an “amazing race” type of event to build teamwork. To help loosen the younger students up, the older ones did a silly dance for them at one of the early events. “I think they felt more comfortable watching us be weird and goofy,” said senior Kathryn Ingle, who is a mentor with the program.
In other news, the board held a discussion on the subject of boiler replacement at the elementary school. The board ultimately decided outside of the meeting later to not move forward with the replacement of the boilers at this time. The board approved bread and milk bids. The milk bid went to Prairie Farms and the bread bid to Aunt Millie’s Bakery.