Schools

Three Rivers High School director of bands Bryan VanToll is appealing to the public in hopes of securing enough funding to purchase new uniforms for the school’s marching band. VanToll said a new design has been considered as part of a plan to replace 12-year-old uniforms. The cost is about $45,000 for 120 uniforms. He said an increase in band …

Several parents are joining a planned lawsuit against Michigan’s School Reform Office over its threats to close low-performing Kalamazoo schools. Kalamazoo Public Schools and nine parents say the state office lacks the legal authority to determine if schools should close. Superintendent Michael Rice tells the Kalamazoo Gazette he plans to file the lawsuit this week in the Michigan Court of …

The Glen Oaks Community College Athletic Hall of Fame will add three new members this weekend. Athletic director Courtney Ivan said Colon residents Mike Miller and Larry Engle will be joined by Mt. Pleasant resident Erin Strang during induction ceremonies this weekend. Miller has manned the school’s basketball scorer’s table for 22 years. Meanwhile, Engle also has worked the scorer’s …

Constantine Public Schools Board of Education voted Monday to allow participation in four years of high school marching band or four seasons of sports to count for physical education credit. Currently, a half-credit of P.E. is required to graduate. Constantine High School Principal Travis Walker said the state has made the practice an acceptable policy that the district discussed last …

Members of Sturgis Public Schools Board of Education last month approved a revised superintendent’s contract to allow Tom Langdon to retire next year. Langdon had approached the board and said he would be willing to retire March 31, 2018, with some consideration from the board to help make that happen. Board president Ann Bird said the new contract details the …

Three Rivers Community Schools has announced the sale of its $9.6 million 2017 refunding bonds. The bonds are being issued for the purpose of refunding the school district’s 2007 refunding bonds and to pay the costs of issuing the bonds, according to the district’s director of business operations, Sara Hermann. This refinancing reduces the district’s payments by more than $1.2 …

Dual enrollment and Career Technical Education classes at Glen Oaks Community College are having an impact on the number of high school seniors enrolling in post-secondary education. Glen Oaks Board of Trustees last month learned that within the past four academic years, 1,007 St. Joseph County high school seniors have attended Glen Oaks as a dual enrollment or CTE student. …

A promotional video showcasing White Pigeon Community Schools appears to be in store for an update. Board of education members last week agreed to look further into the proposal of new footage after fielding two bids for the work. The video and still photos would appear on the district’s webpage and replace content that Superintendent Jon Keyer said is about …

Three Rivers Rotary has announced it is accepting nominees for its annual “Distinguished Educator” award. The civic group since 1994 has been recognizing Three Rivers educators for excellence in the classroom. The award is given to professional educators within Three Rivers Community Schools. Nomination forms are due on or before March 1 at the superintendent’s office. A monetary award of …

Three Rivers Community Schools Superintendent Jean Logan has issued a media statement centering on the termination of former employee Kevin Hamilton. Logan said the district has received notice of pending litigation and it believes, as does its legal representative, that the proper processes were followed in terms of the non-renewal of Hamilton, Logan stated. Termination of employment was based upon …