Schools

A Sturgis Middle School math teacher has been named the winner of the 2013 John E. Oster Award. Cynthia Sprowl, a district employee of more than 30 years, was announced as the recipient during a recent luncheon sponsored by the Sturgis Rotary Club. The award is presented on behalf of the John Oster Memorial Fund, established in 1981 by Jo …

Mike Doe has been named president of the Glen Oaks Community College Foundation. The foundation is a not-for-profit organization that supports educational services and programs at the Centreville-area school. Doe, vice president of sales and public relations at LTI Printing of Sturgis, will oversee the board responsible for providing more than 55 scholarships annually to Glen Oaks students. Doe replaces …

Members of the Colon Community Schools Board of Education awoke extra early Thursday to thank its staff members. A breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and fresh fruit was offered to the district’s staff members. Prepared by food-service director Barb Yearling and her staff, the breakfast was made to feed 110 people, though only about three quarters of that many people …

A successor to President Gary Wheeler at Glen Oaks Community College has been identified. The school’s board of trustees on Tuesday announced it would begin negotiations with David Devier  after the new year. Devier retired in October as vice president of academic and student affairs at Clark State Community College in Springfield, Ohio. Devier was one of three finalists for …

Members of the Mendon Community Schools Board of Education unanimously agreed Monday to seek approval of a 1-mill, $9.3 million request. If the measure is endorsed, it would allow the 635-student district to make major improvements to Mendon Middle School/High School and Mendon Elementary School, according to board president Roger Cupp. The request will appear before voters Feb. 25. Cupp …

Starting next month, Colon Community Schools will be issuing to most of its students Google Chromebook notebooks. More than 600 of the notebooks were purchased with money left over from the $15.1 million millage request approved by district residents a few years ago. Interim Superintendent Jay Newman said the Samsung-made personal computers will be distributed starting in January from the …

Officials say a southwestern Michigan high school gymnasium that lost part of its roof in a windstorm is expected to be unusable for about two more months.  Workers have been trying to repair damage to Mattawan High School in Van Buren County. The Nov. 17 storm blew off part of the roof, sending water into the gym and cafeteria. Superintendent …

Ann Bird has been appointed to head the Sturgis Public Schools Board of Education. Bird will serve as board president, filling the void left by Tom Robertson. Robertson resigned last month after accepting a job as juvenile court director, a position Robertson said could create a conflict of interest. With Bird sworn in as president, Ray Sterling was appointed vice …

Sturgis Public Schools officials this week decided to keep its transportation services in-house rather than contract bus-driving services. During Monday’s board of education meeting, members acted on a recommendation of a committee to retain its own staff and employees. The measure was a relief to several bus drivers who attended the meeting, according to Superintendent Tom Langdon. Committee members studied …

Glen Oaks Community College is continuing public forums for its presidential candidates today and Thursday. The second of three sessions takes place today, when Phil Gasparro will be involved in a question-answer forum 10 to 11 a.m., and again 1:30-2:30 p.m. Gasparro is an administrator with Student Success Initiatives at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. On Thursday, Douglas Brauer will …