LAWTON COMMUNITY SCHOOLS CONNECT APRIL THREE STATE CHAMPIONS!

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1 LAWTON COMMUNITY SCHOOLS CONNECT APRIL 2015 THREE STATE CHAMPIONS! Kyle Barkovich Cole Menck Brody Conner It s been 17 years since a Lawton wrestler has stood atop the medal stand, but at this year s MHSAA State Tournament Lawton wrestlers Kyle Barkovich, Cole Menck, and Brody Conner all claimed state titles to close out their high school careers. In addition to the three state champions, Julian Torres placed fifth. Jared Dekoning, Austin Beach, Jacob Gray, and Christopher O Donnell also qualified to wrestle at the state meet. Julian Torres wrestling in the 119 pound weight class finished a great career placing fifth and earning All State honors. Julian finished his senior season with a record of 54-3 and team-leading 33 pins. Julian placed twice at the state meet finishing fifth his sophomore year, and ends his Lawton wrestling career with a record of 157 wins and 13 losses. In the 135 pound weight class Kyle Barkovich went 4-0 at the state tournament to claim the first of Lawton s three state championships. Kyle had little trouble in his first three matches, but in the finals he found himself trailing 11-4 with a little over a minute left in the match. Kyle knew a big move was needed and used a hip toss to throw his opponent to his back. After a bit of a struggle and tightening the lock, Kyle secured the pin with 42 seconds left in the match. Coach Johnson said, I have coached Barkovich since he was 4 years old, and I have never seen him headlock a kid in a match. The win sent the Lawton crowd into celebration, and the victory set the tone for Menck and Conner s upcoming finals matches. Kyle finishes his senior season with a record of 55-2, and led the team with 102 takedowns and 275 team points. Kyle s high school record was and he holds career records at Lawton High School with 201 wins, 404 takedowns, and 107 pins. In addition, Kyle is the second Lawton wrestler to place all four years at the State Tournament; finishing 6th as a freshman, 4th his sophomore season, 2nd his junior year, and capturing the State Title his senior year. Cole Menck, wrestling at 140 pounds, picked up a big 3-1 win in his semifinal match to set up his finals match against the same opponent he lost to in the MHSAA Regional Finals. Cole s match was a controlled victory which saw him get the initial takedown in the first period. After a couple escapes by his opponent, Menck chose bottom in the third period with the score tied at 2. Menck was able to escape in the third period to take a 3-2 lead, and held off the attempted takedown attempts by his opponent to secure the 3-2 victory. Johnson said, Cole is just a hard working kid that never complains, and when he got that first takedown I knew he was in good shape to win his finals match. Cole ends his senior year with a very impressive record of 53 wins and only 2 losses, and his career record is equally impressive with 177 wins, 27 losses, and 86 pins. Cole is a three time All State Wrestler placing 6th his sophomore year, 3rd his junior year, and obtaining the State Championship title as a senior. Brody Conner was the last of the Lawton wrestlers, competing for the 189 pound state title, and unlike his teammates Brody s opponent was a wrestler he had not wrestled this year. Brody gave up the initial takedown, but mat wrestling and stamina are where Brody excels. Brody was able to wear down his opponent and by the start of the third period Brody s strength and conditioning were the main factors in Brody s 4-2 victory. Brody finished his senior season with an undefeated record of 58 wins and 0 losses with 29 of those victories coming from a pin. Coach Johnson said, Brody is our vocal leader, and he worked out all year to improve his strength, which played a major part in his success this season. Brody s career records are impressive with 193 wins, 24 losses, and 85 pins. Brody s 58 wins this season is a school record for victories in a single season. Brody has placed three years at the State Tournament with a 5th place finish his sophomore season, 3rd place finish his junior year, and claiming the State Championship this season. The Lawton wrestling team finished with a 36-2 dual meet record and repeated as SAC Champions with a 9-0 record in league duals. This year s senior class has played a major role in establishing Lawton among the elite wrestling schools in Michigan, and the eleven graduating seniors will be missed. Thank you to the coaches, parents, classmates, teachers, and community support for making this one of the most successful seasons in Lawton wrestling history.

2 Lawton Community Schools Establishes New Partnership By Christopher J. Rice, Superintendent Lawton Community Schools is proud enter into an agreement with the VBISD allowing our students to participate in the newly established Van Buren Middle College. Lawton Community Schools has long been a leader in the utilization of the ISD programs and were the first district in the county to formally express our interest in the Middle College program. This program provides the students of Lawton (and all of Van Buren County) with a tremendous opportunity to pursue a two-year college degree at no cost to the students or their families. VBISD currently offers an Early College program which is popular among LHS students who hold more slots in the program than any other Van Buren County school. Early College involves placement in any of the programs at the Van Buren Technology Center where students spend half their day during their junior year. Their senior year is spent almost entirely on a college campus pursuing credits in their chosen field of study. Lawton High School students return to Page 2 Lawton Community Schools As school budgets get tighter, student groups face more pressure to raise funds to support their programs. These funds typically come directly from the pockets of our community. Lawton has a history of excellent support for the many fundraisers schools conduct. And while we do place limits on the number of fundraisers conducted, we also strive to offer a wide variety of programs creating significant need. Lawton Community Schools is extremely thankful for our tremendous community support. Some of our top donors are local businesses. I encourage our citizens to keep your business local. Whether it is a meal, groceries, hair care, local farm products, pharmacy, fuel, or any other local service, consider spending your hard earned money here in Lawton. Al Lueder of the Paw Paw Area Rotary Club presents a check for $1,000 for the purchase of library books as part of the Rotary Club s Literacy Program. Over the past several years, the Rotary Club has donated a total of $7,300 to Lawton Community Schools. our campus for English 12 and are eligible for all Lawton programs. Middle College is an evolution of Early College and involves the following: Participating students remain enrolled as a student of their local high school for a fifth year. To be eligible for state funding, the local high school must reserve one math credit to be taken during that fifth year. This math credit does not have to be taken at the high school allowing participants to spend their entire school day on the college campus earning college credits. Middle College students would be allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies following their fourth year of high school but would not receive their diploma until completion of the Middle College program a year later. Essentially, they would receive their high school diploma and their Associates Degree (or equivalent) at the same time. Participants are not eligible to participate in extra-curricular activities during the fifth year. All college costs are covered by the Van Buren ISD. Any funds received by the local district for the fifth year of education would be given to the After Prom Bash Appreciates Donors The Lawton High School 2015 After Prom Bash Committee would like to thank the following people and businesses for their generous contributions to its fundraising efforts this year. They provide Lawton High School students and their guests with a safe and fun event to attend after this year s prom. This is at no cost to students who attend prom and a low cost to students who do not attend prom. After Prom Bash is a continuing tradition at Lawton High School and the Committee is happy to provide the event again this year. The event this year will be held at 3 Mile Project in Grand Rapids and provide students with a few hours worth of activities such as an indoor reball (paint ball) arena, video game stations, athletic courts, indoor skate park, pool & foosball tables and theater rooms. They will also enjoy refreshments, goodie bags and prize drawings. We are looking forward to our event and we appreciate the support! Advance Auto Barkovich Family Baugh Family Big T/Zeke's Restaurant Bruce's Truck & Auto Chemical Bank Cronenwett Farms Dave's Concrete D Coy Duck Restaurant Double D's 31 Bags Ewing Accounting and Tax Service Eye Spy Photo Letters Family Nails Fifth Third Bank ISD to pay tuition costs. Successful participants receive their first two years of college at no cost. Participating students will receive on-site college and career counseling through the VBISD. Like the Early College, VBISD will limit the number of students accepted into the Middle College program. Acceptance will be competitive and will consider minimum required test scores and grade point average. Our High School does a great job of counseling our students into the available Van Buren ISD programs and this year, thanks to the leadership of Tammy Wilson, Darcy Munro and Kim Pastol, 27 sophomores applied for the Early College program. Those who are accepted into the program, along with the current juniors in Early College, will have the opportunity to continue as Middle College students. Middle College provides a wonderful opportunity for our students, and we are very excited to get started. School quality can be assessed in many ways. But ultimately it comes down to preparing students for productive adult lives. Lawton Community Schools will continue to make this our core mission. PARTNERS FOR SUCCESS Fit Zone Fresh Perspective Home Health Care Great Lakes Orthodontics Honee Bear Honor Credit Union Hurley & Stewart, LLC Hurley Family Jaspares' Pizza Karasch Family Lawson Oil Company Lawton Athletic Boosters Lawton High School Athletic Department Lawton Parents Group Lawton Ridge Winery Mater-Ralston Funeral Home Mauk Family Paw Paw Cycle Paw Paw Eagles Powell Custom Homes Scott Trucking Service, Inc. Shampoo Hut St. Julian Winery Steensma's Lawn & Power Stermer Family Sugar Bear Tapper Xpress Lube & Wash The Breakfast Place Thornton Insurance Agency Tipz & Clipz U Tan Salon & Spa US Salon We also wish to recognize and thank the Lawton Lions Club for their generous donation of the use of the Lawton Community Center for the LHS Prom, as well as Lawton Food Service Staff for their serving time at the Prom.

3 Volume Volume XLII, XLIII,No. No.23 Lawton Elementary Celebrates Reading Month By Amanda Merriman for each week earned a FREE ticket to a Kalamazoo Growler s game on Sunday, June 14. Festivities continued throughout the entire month of March. In honor of reading month, several community members and school staff members volunteered their time to read to Lawton Elementary students. Some of the guest readers included Superintendent Chris Rice, Miss Kristen Cody (Lawton s own Miss Heart of Blossomtime), Mr. Aric Nesbitt, Ms. Tonya Schuitmaker, Ms. Webster, Ms. Horak, and Ms. Kathy Drew. In addition to guest readers, local author Leslie Helakoski will be visiting Lawton Elementary on April 20th. She will discuss the writing process and how a story eventually ends up as a book. Lawton Elementary kicked off Reading Month on March 2nd, and this year s theme for Reading Month was Pump Up for Reading. Students were invited to a kick off assembly where they were greeted by Hanz and Franz, Mrs. Brown, Sportacus, and representatives from the Kalamazoo Growlers baseball team. At the kick off assembly, Hanz, Franz, and Mrs. Brown encouraged the kids to read, read, read. After the visit from Hanz and Franz, students were surprised with a special visit from Sportacus who continued to pump the kids up for Reading Month. Sportacus led a movement activity and explained the importance of having a healthy body and mind. The kick off assembly wrapped up with visitors from the Kalamazoo Growlers. This year we partnered with the Kalamazoo Growlers and the Kalamazoo Public Library to participate in their reading incentive program. Students that met their reading goal Tonya Schuitmaker, State Senator Aric Nesbitt, State Representative Reading Buddies Christopher Rice, Superintendent Page 3 Sportacus Jamie Horak, Retired Teacher Kathy Drew, President, Board of Education Kristen Cody, Miss Heart of Blossomtime

4 Volume Lawton Community XLII, No. 2 Schools Lawton Elementary School By Stephanie Brown, Elementary School Principal We are so excited the weather has warmed and our students have been able to get outside! As you may have expected, students who are able to get outside and get some energy out are better able to focus and perform in the classroom. We have had a spring full of events. Slappy from the K-Wings came to visit us as a followup from the game we attended, which the students enjoyed. On Presidents Day we unveiled a beautiful replica of Rembrandt Peale s Porthole Portrait of George Washington, which is now hanging in our library. This portrait was gifted to us from the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. At the unveiling, students from various grade levels presented information they had been studying in regards to George Washington. On March 2, we kicked off our March is Reading Month with a fabulous fun-filled assembly. The students are very excited to earn tickets for a Kalamazoo Growlers Game, along with other incentive prizes. Having children read each night is so beneficial for them. Please encourage your child to spend THE K-WINGS GAME By Maria Long & Addison Modderman Lawton Elementary has an incentive day every trimester. The incentive day is a reward for the kids that make good choices. This year for our first incentive day, we went to the K- Wings vs. Kolts hockey game. We asked some kids what they liked about the K-Wings game. One of the things they liked was when Slappy came to our school. Another thing people liked was when Ms. Brayman and Mrs. Brown did competitions at the game and won. Mrs. Brown did a hula-hoop competition to see who could hula-hoop the longest. Ms. Brayman did a flying rocket contest dressed up as an airplane. The goal was to see who could some time reading to themselves, to you, or maybe to a sibling. This spring our students will participate in the new state assessment, Michigan Student Test of Education Progress, M-Step. English language arts and mathematics will be assessed in grades 3 8, science in grades 4 and 7, and social studies in grades 5 and 8. This assessment is aligned with the common core and students will take this assessment on the computer or ipad. The testing window is different for each grade level. Please note each grade s testing window is as follows: fifth graders test Tuesday, April 14 - Friday, May 1, fourth graders test Tuesday, April 28 - Friday, May 15, and third grade students test Tuesday, May 19 - Friday, June 5. Although each group has a three week window our testing schedule has our students testing for six to seven days in the mornings. We will send more information home with specific testing days to help you with planning as attendance on these days will be very important for students. Some of the tests build upon the others, therefore if students miss one day, they may not be able to proceed until they make up that first day. In addition to being present at school, ensuring your child is eating healthy and getting plenty of sleep will help them as they take these assessments. We appreciate your help and efforts with this. shoot the rocket the farthest. Everyone had a blast. Kindergarten, GSRP, Head Start, and Private Preschool Roundup will be Wednesday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. If you know someone who has children in this age range, please share this date with them or have them call the elementary office at We look forward to meeting all of our new students and families! As always, I thank you for your partnership in helping our children receive the best education possible. We just love our students and are so grateful that you send them to us to learn and grow. Page 4

5 Lawton Volume Community XLIII, No. 3 Schools CONNECT April 2015 Preschool - Welcome Spring & Registration Time Lines By Kim Emmert Preschool is very excited to welcome spring! We had fun this winter learning so many new skills and enjoyed the days we could get outside to play. Our classes loved the snow; however, we are not sad to see the frigid temperatures go! This season we will be practicing rhyming and having guest readers join our class, too. Mr. Rice, Ms. Webster, and Kristen Cody to name a few. Ms. Raedy visited us to play her ukulele for the letter U, and we enjoyed singing with her too. As the end of the school year approaches, we begin to prepare for registration for the school year. Intake forms can be found in the elementary office for children turning 3 and 4 by September 1st. Preschool Enrollment Time Line: April, May, June, July, and August Intake forms for The Great Start Readiness Program, Head Start, and Lawton Preschool Tuition program collected. Head Start (Federal programming) and Great Start Readiness (State programming) are free programs based on income and risk factors. Intake forms and income verification are required for Head Start and Great Start. Lawton Preschool Tuition is a privately owned business and enrollment begins after spring break. Mid/Late August-Head Start Enrollment begins Late August/Early September- Great Start Readiness Program Enrollment Begins Mid-September/Late September- Preschool Begins If you know of any children turning 3 or 4 by September 1st, please encourage families to contact the school for registration and enrollment information. Movement By Jessica Morse & Andrea Oswald The third grade turned their focus to movement in the classroom, which was very helpful for our students during the cold winter days. Two of the classes, participated in a dance-off in order to promote healthy bodies and healthy minds. With all of our inside recesses because of the cold, all classes were being very creative to get the students moving throughout the day. These third grade students practiced their routines for a week and were able to show off their moves to the other class. The students really enjoyed watching and cheering each other on. They even thought that the other team won. Leadership Club By Allayna Cramer, Justine Steinke, and Annika Steinke In Lawton Elementary there is a leadership club for 4th and 5th graders. Every 4th and 5th grade teacher picks two students from their class to be in the club. The goal of the club is to promote student leaders throughout our school. The students in the club are Justine Steinke, Brady Triemstra, Annika Steinke, Samantha Gorenchan, Allayna Cramer, Evan Kovach, Maria Long, Ethan O Donnell, Lily Grear, Sarah Dekoning, Addison Modderman, and Seth Barr. The leadership students participate in school wide activities. On certain days of the week the leadership students go to lower (K-3) classrooms. The students in the club participate in incentive days and other activities. The leaders in the club get a bracelet that says Lawton Elementary leaders. They will also get a t-shirt to wear at special events. This spring, the leaders will also participate in a community service project. Page 5

6 Lawton Community Schools CONNECT April 2015 School Initiatives By Tim Cerven, Middle School Principal The warm weather of spring is finally here which means that some middle school students who enjoy the outdoors have a tendency to schedule school activities i.e. homework and other school projects as the least important. This mentality can lead to extreme difficulty when it comes to the success of the school year and promotion to the next grade. Middle school students sometimes simply don t understand what is necessary for advancement or what it takes to move to the next level, similar to musicians or athletes who do not understand what is necessary to become better at their skill or talent. It is extremely important that parents engage and monitor their middle school student during the last trimester encouraging them to put forth their best effort and cheering them on 8th Grade LMS Essay Contest Winners By Shelley Klotz Batty for Books Lawton Middle School students arrived at school to find a bat infestation. Batty for books! Students, staff, faculty and parents can all vote on the best door decorated with extra change. The class that raises the most money wins a Three students have been named winners in the 46th annual America and Me Essay Contest sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance. The three students, who earned first, second, and third place awards (left to right in picture) are Isabella Rowlinson first place, Dylan Kalas second place, and Kaitlyn Houston third place.. Isabella Rowlinson s first place essay now advances to the state level competition, from which the top ten essays in Michigan will be selected. The topic of the contest was My Personal Michigan Hero. Competitions Leah Miller is LMS Spelling Bee Champion The final four spellers competed fiercely for spelling bee top honors and a trophy. Spellers are given a list of words to study from for the school bee. For the first time, the remaining four spellers spelled all of the selected words from the list and had to go off the list, spelling words they had not seen before. The competition continued until Ethan Jones went out as a fourth place medalist and Kaitlyn Emmert took a third place trophy. Leah Miller won the bee after a spell off with Jordyn Gibbs. popcorn party. The money goes to buy more books/resources for the school. Also included was K.I.S.S. day, Kids Invite Someone Special to come to the book fair with them. when they are successful. Parents need to regularly observe the on-line grading system called Synergy and if you notice your son or daughter struggling, contact their teacher(s) and discuss the necessary steps that will help your child succeed. The middle school standards for promotion requires that the students must receive a yearend grade of 60% or better in three of the four core subjects. The core subjects are mathematics, science, social studies/history, and language arts. Students who do not meet this standard and have a year-end grade of 52%- 59% will qualify for summer school which will be held at the middle school beginning on June 15th (information will be mailed to those students who qualify). Students who do not qualify for summer school are subject to being retained at their current grade level and with that being said, the third trimester can be the tipping point for some students. Parents, it is vital that you monitor the grades of your son/daughter and maintain communication with your child s teachers. Three LMS Students Compete in Cloverleaf Spelling Competition Students from 19 schools gathered at Lake Michigan College in February for the annual Cloverleaf Spelling Competition. Kaitlyn Emmert, Leah Miller and Jordyn Gibbs competed in the contest. Leah Miller earned a tenth place finish and an award of $25. Jordyn Gibbs took eleventh place. Page 6

7 Volume XLII, No. 2 Volume XLIII, No. 3 From The Desk of the Principal By Tammy Wilson, High School Principal It is hard to believe that it is already April and we have completed two full trimesters. Winter sports wrapped up with much excitement and success for our outstanding wrestling program that produced three State Champions in Kyle Barkovich, Brody Conner, and Cole Menck. What is equally impressive is these talented young men along with Chris O Donnell, were also named individually as Academic All-State. The entire Varsity Wrestling Team was also awarded All State Academic. This truly demonstrates STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) jobs are on the rise and the U.S. is not producing enough individuals to fill these positions. Lawton High School continues to empower and educate students within our new STEM program in hopes of positively impact the future of our nation. We have continued our project-based learning with our biggest encounter yet; the Puzzle Cube Challenge. This challenge required students to design, model, and physically create a 3D puzzle made out of 27 wooden blocks. The dilemma was how to glue those 27 pieces together to form five parts for a challenging cube. Students were motivated to create the most perplexing puzzle and thus put a lot of time into developing potential parts to include in what is meant by the term student-athlete. Congratulations on a great season! We now look forward to our spring season and hope the weather cooperates so our teams can again shine bright as top competitors in the SAC. The first two-thirds of the year have given us much excitement and I look forward to finishing the year with the success we have become accustomed to as Blue Devils. During the first week of March, our juniors took the state-required and very important Michigan Merit Exam which includes the ACT on day one. We had 100% attendance and our students put forth their best effort on both days of the exam. Because of their effort and STEM PROGRAM: Design and Modeling Tomorrow s Technologies, Learned Today By Jenny Karsen their design. Once students chose their winning puzzle design they had to learn how to model it in our CAD software, Autodesk Inventor Pro. While modeling in CAD, students were required to show the full assembly of their parts and prove that it would all fit together before being allowed to glue their wooden block pieces together. Those glued pieces became the parts to the 3D puzzle cube. Students tested (and sometimes stumped) their friends, family, and teachers with their amazing creations. Our next project will allow us to explore the importance of reverse engineering. Students will work cooperatively in small groups to sketch, measure, model, and assemble various parts of an Automoblox vehicle. This will be a perfect attendance, these students were rewarded with a pizza party at the conclusion of the final testing day. Those same juniors will be taking, for the first time ever, the M-Step Test in April. This is the newest test put out by the Michigan Department of Education and is completed entirely on-line. I expect to see the same excellent effort and positive results after the completion of this six hour testing cycle. It has been a long winter but the positive energy of our students and staff continues to make Lawton High School a quality environment with student achievement and personal growth at the heart of all we do. Keep up the Blue Devil Pride! huge challenge to not only fully model a preexisting vehicle, but also to make sure each team member s vehicle parts will fit together in CAD; a feat that will only be accomplished through constant collaboration and profound team work. ~The STEM class of would like to thank Mr. Rice, Ms. Wilson, and the Board of Education for bringing this class to Lawton High School. It is truly amazing, and we feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of this program. Also, we would like to thank the Hedges family for their generous donation! If you have questions, would like to visit the STEM classroom, or would like to help support this class, please contact Jenny Karsen at jkarsen@lawtoncs.org. Clara Hedges and Meredith Somerville proudly displaying their efforts. Zach Grear shows off his well-designed cube. Joel Maynard enjoying the completion of his master-piece. Page 7

8 Volume XLII, No. 2 Schools Lawton Community Lawton Powerlifting: Setting the Bar High By Mitch Nycum In its third year as a club sport, Lawton Power-lifters have indeed set the bar high while living out the team s motto to, Start the tradition; develop the legacy. The Lawton High School football staff and the students have truly been the catalysts for the amazing success that we ve had. The table below shows a great representation of the development of this program. Every lifter set new personal bests for themselves in at least one lift, and all of the athletes contributed to the two 2nd place regional team trophies (1st in school history) that were earned. Individual accolades for the ladies go to Hope Potgiesser (3rd place regional meet, state qualifier, 570 lbs. total), Taylor Papesh (2nd place regional meet, state qualifier, 550 lbs. total), and Emma Stephayn (2nd place regional meet, 9th place state meet, 605 lbs. total). Individual accolades for the men go to Trever Lull (2nd & 3rd place regional meets, 4th place state meet, 735 lbs. total), Josue Bugarin (665 lbs. total, 6th place state meet), Aric Specht (2nd & 3rd place regional meets, state qualifier, 825 lbs. total), Tyler Mann (state qualifier, 875 lbs. total), Jose Martinez (3rd place regional meet, state qualifier, 850 lbs. total), Jason Craig (1st & 3rd place regional meets, 4th place state meet, 1105 lbs. total), Silviano Mata (3rd place regional meet, state qualifier, 820 lbs. total), Zack Weston (3rd place regional meet, state qualifier, 670 lbs. total). The men s team also included; Drew Dailey (705 lbs. total), Chris Williams (485 lbs. total), Jesse Emmons (570 lbs. total) Joel Maynard (725 lbs. total), Emilio Gonzalez (640 lbs. total), Hazen Switzer (775 lbs. total), Derek Leighton (state qualifier, 875 lbs. total), Wesley Wokeck (575 lbs. total), Casey Worthington (690 lbs. total), DJ Brown (750 lbs. total) and Austin Maynard (875 lbs. total). Lawton Varsity Competitive Cheer By Holly James This year, the competitive cheer team made a name for themselves, setting new records and coming in just shy of attending state finals. The team made the Top Ten Best list on the MHSAA website that records record high scores in all three rounds. Lawton made the list this past season for their round three high score in December. At regionals, Lawton s round three score was among the top for state qualifying teams. The competitive team also managed a first place win at Bronson this year, outscoring division 2 and 3 teams. In addition, they achieved their highest score of 685, beating one of last year s state contenders at the Deltaplex competition on February 14th. They placed second at districts, then went on to regionals, defeating the district champs and coming within two places of going to state finals. The list of achievements this past season was long, and the girls have a lot to be proud of. This is the competitive team s second year, so the cheer program has a lot to be excited about. The team has their sights set on a state qualifying season next year, and the girls work extremely hard year-round getting ready for their season. It requires a great deal of strength, endurance, and gymnastic ability in order to be this successful in competitive cheer. Both the sideline and competitive cheer coaches are working hard to help the girls get to state. In addition, the middle school added a compage 8 petitive cheer team this past season, helping to prepare girls for competing in high school. There is also a strong rocket cheer program in place each fall, and tumbling has been offered for students in grades prek through 6th to help prepare them for the gymnastics that are necessary to build a strong and successful program. For more information on tumbling for kids in grades pre-k-6th, please contact Holly James at or hjames@lawtoncs.org.

9 Volume XLII, XLIII, No. No. 23 MSBOA Concert Band Festival & State Band Solo & Ensemble By Laura Tremblay Wonderland By Laura Maury Audiences made a trip to Wonderland as the LHS Drama Club presented Wonderland. The show was spent with a modern-day Alice as she ventured down the rabbit hole into that strange, unique world known as Wonderland. On her quest to find the Queen s croquet game, Alice met a myriad of unusual characters. With her smart phone in hand, Alice was sure she had the world s knowledge at her disposal. Unfortunately, she encountered the ever-challenging Our Middle School 7/8th Grade Band and our High School Concert Band put on outstanding performances at MSBOA Concert Band Festival! They represented the Lawton Band Program, as well as the entire Lawton community and schools at a very high level. The bands are evaluated in two areas one is their stage performance where they play three pieces of music that have been prepared prior to the festival. The second area is sight reading where students are given a piece of music they have never seen before and provided only five minutes to discuss the music (they can t practice playing a single note during this time). After the five minutes are up, students must perform the piece of music beginning to end without stopping and make it sound beautiful! A tall order for any group. The Middle School Band performed first, and earned a very strong Division II rating with their stage performance, and a Division I rating in the sight-reading room! This equaled out to an overall Division II rating. This is their first time attending festival and participating in the sight-reading process in almost 20 years! This was a great start on their pathway to excellence. I can t wait to see how our judge comments impact our playing for next year! The High School Concert Band performed next, and they were truly amazing. They earned the highest rating possible of a Division I all judges granting them a Division I on stage and in the sight-reading room four I s in all! It was an absolutely wonderful moment to be a part of, and it ended with us receiving our first Division I rating at Concert Festival in quite some time. Eight of our HS band students took on State level MSBOA Solo & Ensemble. They had to earn this right by receiving a Division I rating at District Festival. After receiving the Division I, students had to continue working on their music and really fine-tuning it to bring it up to the extremely high standards of State. Four of our students performed as soloists, which means they also had to memorize nine different scales as well as perform a miniature sight-reading piece for the judge (with only 60 seconds to look things over!) Receiving a Division I for the day was Lydia McDaniel with her clarinet solo. Receiving very strong Division II s (mere points away from a Division I) were: Dane Maxwell trumpet solo, Patrick Riley horn solo, and our brass quintet (Max Northrop, Dane Maxwell, Patrick Wokeck, Patrick Riley, and Travis Craighead). Receiving honorable mentions and very positive comments for future growth and learning (and again, mere points away from a Division II) were Brianna Borowiak trumpet solo and Jacob Emmert tuba solo. Please be sure to congratulate these fine musicians on their success! They all worked hard and put a lot of effort into memorizing scales, perfecting their music, and putting in the extra time and dedication that is required to succeed at State. low battery and dead zone. This, of course meant that she had to communicate the old-fashioned way; by speaking directly to these strange characters! What she discovered along the way was that her modern world is very different from the make-believe world of her dreams. Along her journey, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts helped teach her a thing or two about how to interact with the world around her. Quickly she discovered herself in a bit of trouble, but the music, dancing, and laughs carried both Alice and the audience along a mad, magical journey through Wonderland! Thank you to all of the sponsors, community members, audience, and especially the great cast for making the 2015 LHS Drama season a huge success! Page 9

10 Lawton Lawton Community Community Schools Schools CONNECT April 2015 Page 10 SPRING 2015 ATHLETIC SCHEDULE Varsity Softball Varsity Baseball TH 3/19 Martin A 4:30 TH 3/19 Martin A 4:30 TU 3/24 Paw Paw A 4:30 TU 3/24 Paw Paw A 4:30 TH 3/26 Bangor H 4:30 TH 3/26 Bangor H 4:30 M 3/30 Fennville A 4:30 M 3/30 Fennville A 4:30 M 4/13 Gobles H 4:30 M 4/13 Gobles H 4:30 TH 4/16 Saugatuck H 4:30 W 4/15 Kalamazoo Christian H 4:30 M 4/20 Decatur (DH) A 4:30 TH 4/16 Saugatuck H 4:30 TH 4/23 Hartford (DH) H 4:30 M 4/20 Decatur (DH) A 4:30 M 4/27 Watervliet (DH) H 4:30 TH 4/23 Hartford (DH) H 4:30 TH 4/30 Lawrence (DH) A 4:30 M 4/27 Watervliet (DH) H 4:30 M 5/4 Marcellus (DH) H 4:30 TH 4/30 Lawrence (DH) A 4:30 TU 5/5 Watervliet Grace Christian (DH) H 4:30 M 5/4 Marcellus (DH) H 4:30 TH 5/7 Rain Date TH 5/7 Rain Date S 5/9 Lawton Inv. H 9:30 M 5/11 Bloomingdale A 4:30 M 5/11 Bloomingdale A 4:30 TH 5/14 Crossover A 4:30 TH 5/14 Crossover A 4:30 F 5/15 River Valley (DH) A 4:30 F 5/15 River Valley (DH) A 4:30 M 5/18 Schoolcraft (DH) A 4:00 M 5/18 Schoolcraft (DH) A 4:00 S 5/23 New Buffalo (DH) A 10:00 S 5/23 New Buffalo (DH) A 10:00 TU 5/26 Pre-District TU 5/26 Pre-District S 5/31 Districts A S 5/31 Districts A JV Softball JV Baseball TH 3/19 Martin H 4:30 TH 3/19 Martin H 4:30 TU 3/24 Paw Paw H 4:30 TU 3/24 Paw Paw H 4:30 TH 3/26 Bangor A 4:30 TH 3/26 Bangor A 4:30 M 3/30 Fennville H 4:30 M 3/30 Fennville H 4:30 M 4/13 Gobles A 4:30 M 4/13 Gobles A 4:30 TH 4/16 Saugatuck A 4:30 TH 4/16 Saugatuck A 4:30 M 4/20 Decatur (DH) H 4:30 M 4/20 Decatur (DH) H 4:30 TH 4/23 Hartford (DH) A 4:30 TH 4/23 Hartford (DH) A 4:30 M 4/27 Watervliet (DH) A 4:30 M 4/27 Watervliet (DH) A 4:30 TH 4/30 Lawrence (DH) H 4:30 TH 4/30 Lawrence (DH) H 4:30 M 5/4 Marcellus (DH) A 4:30 M 5/4 Marcellus (DH) A 4:30 M 5/7 Rain Date 4:30 TH 5/7 Rain Date 4:30 M 5/11 Bloomingdale H 4:30 M 5/11 Bloomingdale H 4:30 TH 5/14 Crossover H 4:30 TH 5/14 Crossover H 4:30 M 5/18 Schoolcraft (DH) H 4:30 M 5/18 Schoolcraft (DH) H 4:30 Track MS Track W 3/25 Polar Marcellus A 4:30 TU 3/31 Hartford/Martin H 4:30 TU 3/31 Portage Central A TH 4/2 Decatur A 4:30 TH 4/2 SAC Marcellus A 4:00 TU 4/14 Gobles Co-Ed Relay A 4:30 W 4/15 Lawrence/Hartford H 4:30 TH 4/16 Watervliet A 4:30 S 4/18 Paw Paw Inv. A 9:00 Mon 4/20 Gobles Invite A 4:30 W 4/22 Watervliet A 4:30 TH 4/23 Bloomingdale/Gobles H 4:30 F 4/24 Schoolcraft Invitational A 3:00 TU 4/28 Bangor/Decatur H 4:30 W 4/29 Marcellus H 4:30 TH 4/30 Fennville A 4:30 F 5/1 Bangor Inv. A 4:00 TU 5/5 SAC MS Track Saugatuck A 4:30 W 5/6 Decatur A 4:30 S 5/9 Mendon Inv. A 10:00 TH/F 5/15 Regionals A TBA W 5/20 SAC Saugatuck A 2:00 Girls Soccer TU 5/26 Make Up Date M 3/23 Lake Michigan Catholic A 5:00 S 5/24 MITCA A TH 3/26 Berrien Springs A 5:00 S 5/31 MHSAA State A TBA TH 4/2 Delton Kellogg H 5:30 Golf M 4/13 Saugatuck A 5:00 W 4/15 Pine View 9 4:30 TH 4/16 Hackett Catholic Central H 5:30 TH 4/16 Lake Cora SAC 9 4:30 TU 4/21 Fennville A 6:00 S 4/18 Spring Preview Lake Cora 18 9:00 F 4/24 Parchment A 6:00 W 4/22 The Ravines SAC 9 4:30 M 4/27 Hartford H 5:30 TH 4/30 The Beeches SAC 9 4:30 TH 4/30 Kalamazoo Christian H 5:30 F 5/1 Paw Paw Lake SAC 9 4:30 M 5/4 Bangor H 5:30 M 5/11 Cheshire SAC 9 4:30 F 5/8 Schoolcraft A 5:00 W 5/13 Klinger Lake CC 9:00 M 5/11 Watervliet H 5:30 TH 5/14 Lake Cora SAC 9 4:30 TH 5/14 Comstock H 4:00 S 5/16 Blue Devil Inv. 18 9:00 M 5/18 Delton Kellogg A 6:00 M 5/18 SAC Championship@ Hawkshead 9:00 TH 5/21 Bridgman H 5:30 TH 5/21 Districts (Lake Cora CC) 9:00 5/26-5/30 5/26-5/30 Lawton H W 5/28 Regionals (Klinger Lake CC) 9:00 Subject to change - Revised /5 State Finals 9:00

11 Lawton Volume Community XLIII, No. 3 Schools CONNECT April 2015 By Gary Oegema Lawton Choirs saw lots of activity in February and March. On March 6, the middle school and high school choirs joined with the Lawton bands for the 6th annual Lawton Music Department Collage Concert. Over a hundred and twenty students performed on the Lawton High School Auditorium stage in both large and small ensembles, providing a variety of music ranging from folk tunes to traditional marches. The concert concluded with an arrangement of Christina Aguilera and A Great Big World s hit, Say Something, with a 90 voice choir and high school band. On March 19, the high school choir went to WMU to sing with the Southwest Michigan Vocal Festival choir, a mass choir made up of students from some 20 West Michigan high schools. Additionally, five Lawton High School students were selected by audition to sing with the SWMVF Honors Choir. Students receiving that honor were Katelyn Baldwin, Salvador Bugarin, Kasey Lyon, Lauren Maxam and Ashley Snowden. The 7th and 8th grade choir traveled to St. Joseph to sing in the MSVMA District 6 Choir festival on Feb. 24. This was the first time in many years Lawton has sent a choir to this event, and they gave a very strong performance. Students came away with a real appreciation for honing their skills in making fine choral music. Finally, the 6th -8th grade choirs favored the crowds at the annual Lawton Education Foundation fundraiser dinner at the Lawton Community Center on March 18. They sang their rendition of Simple Gifts and the touching ballad, Don t Laugh at Me. They were glad to be a part of the effort to raise money for the Follow Your Dreams scholarship program. Inductions On February 28th, the arts department at the high school initiated our very first National Art Honor Society induction ceremony. Members previously voted on their cabinet members prior to the induction concluding Harley Bean (president), Brianna Borowiak (vicepresident), Dalton Craighead (secretary), and AJ Knapp (treasurer). Our members were delighted to have Mrs. Jodi Tucker be our guest speaker. In the near future the National Art Honor Society would like to use our artistic ability to enhance the community. Feel free to contact Mrs. Wardell at lwardell@lawtoncs.org with any ideas. Girls on the Run & Girls on Track If you would like to help support the awesome girls in your community, we have two possibilities for you! Van Buren/Cass Girls on the Run is looking for volunteers and community runners for our 5K Celebration Event the morning of Saturday, May 30, at Lawton High School Packer Stadium. Online registration is required at the following links: To volunteer, please register at: gotr-van-buren-spring k-volunteers To run in the 5K, please register at: 1st Place Spaghetti Bridge Competition Our Spaghetti Bridge Building Team took first place in competition at Ferris State University. This is the first time that Lawton High School has won the top award. The team won by doing well in the various subcategories. In fact, they won the oral and written presentations and took second place in the authentic bridge category. Congratulations to Lydia McDaniel, Denver Debeor, Patrick Riley, Dane Maxwell, Brianna Borowiak, Jaeyln Geib, and Amelia Guerra. gotr-van-buren-spring k Please contact Julie Bos, Director, at , ext or julie.bos@girlsontherun.org with any questions. Page 11

12 Lawton Community Schools Office of the Superintendent 101 Primary Way Lawton, MI To: Current Resident Newsletter Residents: The newsletter is published three times per year by Lawton Community Schools. The Lawton Community School District complies with all federal laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, sex, age, height, weight, color, national origin, religion, marital status, political belief, or physical or mental handicap or disability in all of its programs and in employment. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Superintendent of Schools, 101 Primary Way, Lawton, MI Lawton Parent Teacher Organization Activities, events, community service, teacher requests, fundraising have you wondered how you could volunteer a little bit? We have a few upcoming activities that we need lots of helpful hands for: Elementary Bookfair/Special Person Week: April Work a cash register (fun), check in special family and friends (lots of smiles), help with set up or tear down in the library. Teacher and Staff Appreciation: First week in May Stay tuned for more details on ways to appreciate all those that help educate our children in big and small ways! Carnival for Elementary: May 29 Can you think of a more fun way to end the year? We need lots of helpers to make popcorn, sno-cones, manage the games, man the inflatables, etc. Please let Shawn know if you d like to help at Shawn@marr-family.net or LawtonPTO1@gmail.com. Relay for Life: June 6 Middle School is sponsoring a R.O.A.R. team for Relay for Life at Lawton High School. If you would like to walk/run/ contribute or man the booth, please let us know. Volunteer in the Classrooms! Elementary and Middle School teachers would love to have parents spend an hour or two listening to students read, doing math facts (flash cards), or other types of help. Please contact your student s teacher, Mrs. Brown or Mr. Cerven if you have an hour or two that you can give to assist LCS students! Free Money: We love your Box Tops and collect them in the Elementary, Middle School, Wagoner's, and library. If you have a Meijer card or Target, you can designate Lawton Schools to benefit! It costs nothing to sign up or participate. Use Goodsearch.com as search engine when you are shopping or surfing the net. We get some pennies from this each time too. A little bit goes a long way. If you have any questions or would like more info on helping out for any PTO related function, please us at LawtonPTO1@gmail.com and be sure to us on Facebook.