by Justin Gibson | Feb 25, 2019 | Community, Vicksburg
Sue Smink arranges sample cards to advertise the Card Making Workshop being held at the Vicksburg District Library on February 16.
By Adrianne Schinkai, Head of Circulation and Reference Services, Vicksburg District Library
After the program’s great success and attendance in October, the Vicksburg District Library will once again be holding its Card Making Workshop on Saturday, February 16. October’s program sold out, filling all 20 of the available spaces. In exchange for a small fee, participants were given materials and instruction in how to craft specialty handmade Christmas cards for the holidays.
Hosts and instructors Sue Smink and Linda Adams, both library employees, were thrilled at the praise and requests for more. When asked about the patron desire for more classes, Smink smiled fondly. “A lot of ladies were excited [about learning this craft] and I was really pleased about that. It’s nice to have people excited about the same things as you.”
While the program is open to all and is not wedding-centered, it is a great opportunity for any bride-to-be to get crafty and hands-on with their wedding planning. The techniques learned can be used on any type of greeting card, from birthdays to valentines, and yes, wedding invitations and thank you cards. Cutting, embossing, and layering are just some of the skills Smink and Adams can teach a bride so she can design her cards and make them her own. “Making wedding invitations by hand is ambitious,” Smink warns as she puts together a board of sample cards for the event. “But it’s also quite rewarding. I would recruit help. I use Pinterest for ideas often and think it is a great place to start.”
Smink adds, “Start sooner rather than later.” While the workshop is still weeks away, she works diligently cutting and placing pieces so there are enough materials for each participant in the program. Adams checks in with her occasionally to make sure a run to the store isn’t needed and supplies are ample. When asked about the idea of turning the Card Making Workshop a regular program at the library, Smink’s smile widened. “I would like it,” she says, “because it’s fun. Yes, it is a lot of work, but it is just so much fun!”
The workshop will be held on Saturday, Feb. 16 from 1-4 p.m. in the meeting room of the Library. The cost per seat is $4, which buys the participant material to create five cards. Each additional card can then be purchased for $1 each. Reservations are required ahead of time and can be booked by calling the Circulation Desk at (269) 649-1648.
by Justin Gibson | Feb 24, 2019 | Schools, Vicksburg
Vicksburg Board of Education members listen to a presentation by Adam Brush and Matthew Hawkins about the new AP Capstone program to be initiated at the high school next year. They are from left: Trustee Tina Forsyth, Board Vice-President Carol Lohman, Superintendent Keevin O’Neill, Board President Skip Knowles, Administrative Assistant Amy Manchester, Trustee Dave Schriemer, Trustee Wil Emmert. Missing from the photo are Trustees Deborah Harsha and Rudy Callen.
By Sue Moore
Vicksburg High School has been chosen as an AP Capstone diploma school to provide special courses for advanced placement students, it was announced at the January School Board meeting. The administrative team of Principal Adam Brush and Superintendent Keevin O’Neill have been working on this application to the College Board Association for the last several years. They just received notification of its acceptance. There are only 19 high schools in the state of Michigan that have qualified, including Portage and Hastings.
Eighteen advanced placement courses are currently offered in the high school according to Brush. For AP Capstone, 20 to 25 of the top students will likely qualify to take this project-based learning course for two years. It consists of one year of AP Seminar and one year of AP Research. Instead of teaching specific subject knowledge, the two courses use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the critical thinking, research, collaboration, time management and presentation skills students need for college. The College Board developed the AP Capstone Diploma program at the request of higher education professionals who saw a need for a systematic way for high school students to begin mastering these skills before college, according to the board’s website.
Michigan universities are on board with correlating these courses to what they offer in the way of credits, O’Neill said.
“By taking these individual studies and passing the AP Capstone exam, students are put in elite company when applying to college,” Brush said. Vicksburg’s teachers who oversee the course offerings will have extensive training this summer before the AP Seminar is offered to 11th graders. The training cost is $10,000 to the District and will be funded by the Vicksburg Community Schools Foundation. The goal is to develop elite writers, readers and researchers, Brush said.
In other business, Steve Goss, assistant superintendent for finance, explained the work that his department is doing in facilities planning for future upgrades to buildings and grounds. “We are starting to gather input from stakeholders across the community. There is lots of work to be done in preparation for a ballot issue in 2020, which has been our plan for some time.”
by Justin Gibson | Feb 24, 2019 | Schools, Vicksburg
Demonstrations were scattered among Vicksburg Middle School classrooms on Family Science Night, which teacher Lisa Harbour says could be called a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Night/Career Fair. About a dozen presenters included Vicksburg’s Bridge Organics, the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society, Pfizer and the school district’s own robotics enthusiasts. Above, the youngsters launch gliders.
by Justin Gibson | Feb 24, 2019 | Schoolcraft, Sports, Vicksburg
Schoolcraft’s Olivia Ingle attempts to shoot over Vicksburg’s Chloe Hatridge.
By Travis Smola
The Vicksburg varsity girls’ basketball team gave the undefeated Schoolcraft Eagles a real scare in a showdown between the two South County teams.
The Lady Bulldogs and Eagles traded the lead back and forth multiple times throughout the game before Schoolcraft ultimately pulled away to victory by a score of 43-33. It didn’t accurately reflect how close the game was.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game. I can’t fault my girls’ effort,” Head Coach Tim Kirby said. “I told them tonight was an effort game and they really gave it their all.
Hannah Vallier led the scoring charge with 11 points. Kelsey Diekman had eight points and Madeline Geiger put up six. Brady Brown had four points and Nicola Hosner and Mia Mulhearn added two of their own.
Ultimately the Eagles were able to pull away on the strength of their free throws down the stretch. “Schoolcraft is a really good team. They’ve got a couple of really good players and they’re undefeated for a reason,” Kirby said. “Tonight’s a tough one. We really wanted to win this one.”
Even the team’s losses against the likes of Plainwell, Comstock and Otsego have been pretty competitive games. The team had a recent blowout loss, 58-28 against undefeated conference foe Edwardsburg. But the team is still greatly improved from last season.
Right before winter break, the Lady Bulldogs won three contests in a row against Allegan, Portage Northern and Sturgis. In one of the last games of January, the Lady Bulldogs trounced the Allegan Tigers 51-37 to put the team in good position as the season goes into the final stretch with a 6-5 record, 2-1 in conference.
The team has some tough tests in that stretch including Three Rivers and Edwardsburg again. But so far, Kirby likes what he is seeing this season.
“We’re winning the games we feel like we should win and competing in the games we know should be close, if that makes sense,” Kirby said.
by Justin Gibson | Feb 24, 2019 | Sports, Vicksburg
Anna Schriemer returns a serve while playing for Calvin College’s volleyball team.
Anna Schriemer, captain of Vicksburg’s volleyball team in 2017, just ended her first season playing for Calvin College. She is a setter on a team that went all the way to the NCAA Division III national championship game, losing to Emory College.
The team did very well with just two losses. Schriemer’s teammate, Sarah Devries, was the national Division III volleyball player of the year.
Schriemer missed a few games due to a concussion. She returned in the regional championship match against Wittenberg College. Calvin won 16-14 and proceeded to the national tournament in Pittsburgh.
In the last four years, the team won one national title, took three trips to the NCAA Tournament semifinals, had 126 victories, four MIAA regular season titles, three MIAA tournament titles and a perfect 56-0 record in MIAA play. The senior class is the first in MIAA history to go undefeated and win the MIAA outright all four years.
It was a great season with great teammates and a wonderful start to college, according to Anna’s mother, Paula Schriemer.
by Justin Gibson | Feb 24, 2019 | Schoolcraft, Sports, Vicksburg
Trevor DeGroote, #34, goes up for a dunk against Vicksburg’s Shane Earl. Schoolcraft’s Chris Cooper is blocking out.
By Travis Smola
The end of January brought about a new challenge for the Vicksburg’s basketball team when it was announced that Head Coach Jeff Lovell had resigned for unspecified personal reasons. In a press release, Athletic Director Mike Roy thanked Lovell for his service to the team and announced he would take over as interim head coach for the season’s remaining games. The Bulldogs lost 56-48 against Allegan in their first game with Roy as interim head coach.
Roy said in a phone interview that the team is handling the transition well despite the difficulty of the situation. The press release also states the District briefly considered forfeiting the rest of the season, but decided against that option.
“With eight games remaining in the regular season, we did not believe forfeiting the remainder of the season would be in the best interest of Vicksburg Community Schools, the athletic department and most importantly the young men on the basketball team,” Roy said in the press release.
The Vicksburg varsity basketball team has been scrappy, but the team’s youth has definitely shown this season in its earlier game against Schoolcraft.
“I thought we battled, the effort was there,” assistant coach Josh Summerfield said after a 50-38 loss to neighboring Schoolcraft. “We didn’t shoot the ball real well. We kind of started settling a bit for shots from the outside instead of trying to get to the hoop.”
The Bulldogs did a good job shutting down the Eagles from the outside defensively, but struggled in getting offensive rebounds. It ultimately made a huge difference. While the team has had some struggles, it has also had some more of the signature nail-biter games they’ve become known for in recent years.
One such contest took place against Plainwell in the first game back from winter break. The Bulldogs ultimately won that game in overtime 55-48. The Bulldogs spread the ball around with Jacob Conklin putting up a team high 15 points. He went 4 for 5 on free throws and sunk three 3-pointers. Shane Earl and Tyler Kienbaum both added 10 points. Dillon Shook scored nine. Kyle Rose scored eight points and Lucas Hatridge sunk a single 3-pointer to round out the scoring against the Trojans.
“We’ve definitely had our ups and downs,” Summerfield said. “We’re still a pretty young team that’s learning a lot. There are only a couple guys on this team who have played more than a couple minutes a game last year at the varsity level.”
