Schools

Glen Oaks Community College has announced the hiring of its new executive director of communications and marketing. Denise DeVries is joining the college, replacing Valorie Juergens. Juergens is retiring in January after more than 11 years with the school. A Portage resident, DeVries was previously the senior manager of marketing and communications for Special-Lite Inc., a custom commercial-door manufacturer in …

Burr Oak Community Schools taxpayers Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a renewal request centering on a sinking fund. Renewal of a nearly 3-mill amount came in the form of 127 votes in favor to 35 against. Projected to raise about $160,000 annually over the course of its four-year life, the newly approved sinking fund will take effect in 2025. District officials said …

Glen Oaks Community College officials have secured an architect to aid with development of a new, on-campus building. College officials are planning to have a new agriculture building constructed and during last week’s meeting, Glen Oaks Board of Trustees members OK’d the hiring of Design Collaborative of Fort Wayne to handle the task. The college, however, is waiting for approval …

Glen Oaks Community College’s Alpha Alpha Alpha chapter is looking to induct a Glen Oaks graduate into its honor society. Tri-Alpha was founded in 2018 and the Glen Oaks Chapter was established in 2022. It is a national honor society for first-generation college students. A student is considered first generation if neither parents, step-parents or legal guardians ever obtained a …

Sturgis High School’s manufacturing class brought home eight first-place finishes during a recent state competition. The latest Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society, in fact, saw the Sturgis team bring home more award-winners than any other participating school. Led by instructor Jeff Wanamaker, the class bested Sturgis’ six state champions it claimed in 2019. The goal of the MITES competition is …

Plans to name a ballfield complex in honor of a noteworthy graduate were put on hold Monday by the Centreville Public Schools Board of Education. Class of 1995 member Matt Thornton went on to enjoy a 13-year Major League Baseball career as a pitcher with six different MLB teams. While Thornton, a former MLB All-Star, may have seemed a logical …

Michigan will ditch a system that gave A-through-F grades to public schools each year after state education officials called the system overly simplistic and a duplicate of federal requirements. The Michigan School Grades System, which was narrowly passed in 2018 by the Republican-led Legislature, assigned each public school in Michigan letter grades and rankings based on the school’s annual performance in …

Glen Oaks Community College is offering a program that will give incoming students a jump-start on college English and math. “Ready, Set, Go!” is a down-to-basics program being offered 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 31 through Aug. 3. College officials said the first three days will cover English, math, resources and support services. The fourth day will be a …

Glen Oaks Community College President David Devier recognized several individuals during the college’s 55th commencement last week. The awards and their recipients acknowledged Friday were: President’s Award – Madisyn Tulley; Outstanding Service Award – Christopher Dao; part-time Faculty Teaching Excellence Award – Darci Skrzyniarz; E. J. Shaheen Chair for Teaching Excellence – Lori Hatfield; Distinguished Alumni Award – Kelly Bibb; …

Colon High School’s History Club is collecting pet food and pet items in support of its end-of-the-school-year animal drive. Donations of pet food, treats, leashes and collars, toys and pet beds can be dropped off at Colon Jr./Sr. High through May 30. All items will be taken to St. Joseph County Animal Control on May 31.