Schools

Six area football teams, including four from St. Joseph County, qualified for the 2013 state playoffs. Pairings were announced Sunday and starting with Division 3, Sturgis managed to make the cut despite not reaching the six-win level. The 5-and-4 Trojans will play at 8-and-1 St. Joseph. In Division 6, Constantine kept its playoff streak alive, as the 5-and-4 Falcons travel …

Annette Smitley has been named the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District employee of the year. An educational consultant, Smitley plays a key role in professional development for new teachers as well as mentor training. Other nominees for the award were school nurse Kim Robertson, speech therapist Lynelle Garvey, assistant instructor Karrie Frederick and office assistant Mandy Dodson.

Rob Kuhlman is one of four finalists for the position of superintendent of Paw Paw Community Schools. Currently superintendent of Mendon Community Schools and Centreville Public Schools, the 57-year-old Kuhlman was the first of the four finalists to be interviewed, as he met with district officials Wednesday evening. An interview with another candidate followed, and the other two finalists will …

Student Count Day in Michigan took place earlier this month, and figures from St. Joseph County show only one of its nine districts realized a student increase from last year’s October count. Colon Community Schools grew from 638 students to 640 between the October 2012 count and this year’s count, conducted Oct. 2. Proportionate to size, the biggest decreases were …

The Substance Abuse Task Force of St. Joseph County is hosting a Frontline Luncheon on prescription drug abuse in St. Joseph County from noon to 1 Oct. 30 in the Dresser Business Auditorium of Glen Oaks Community College. Dr. John Robertson, of Sturgis Health and Wellness, and a representative from the Michigan State Police, will be presenting at the event. …

What was expected to be a major decision by members of the Mendon Community Schools Board of Education turned out to be an opportunity to further mull a proposed millage-increase request. During its regularly scheduled monthly meeting Monday, the board learned from its attorney that the Nov. 6 date by which it would have to decide whether to authorize the …

Members of the Mendon Community Schools Board of Education may be in position to decide whether to pursue a 1-mill increase request. Following a public forum Wednesday regarding the proposal, the board may act on the small amount of feedback it has received about the idea when it meets for its regularly scheduled meeting Monday. Superintendent Rob Kuhlman gave an …

Leonidas School has been recognized by the state as a Reward School for the 2013-14 academic year. One of 347 schools in the state to earn the honor, Leonidas School received the claim as part of the state’s Elementary and Secondary Education Flexibility Act. Reward School recipients are recognized by falling into one or more of the categories High Performance, …

About 150 adults participated in “Take Your Parent to Lunch” day at Mendon Elementary School Wednesday. The idea was proposed by Darci Kirby, food service director for the district. She said the concept was a way to recognize National Food Service Week and also a way of promoting an event that would bring parents into the school for a rare …

A summer-long project in the village of Centreville finished last week. Thanks to a state grant of more than $400,000 awarded last fall, the installation of sidewalks along the village’s busiest streets leading to Centreville Elementary and Centreville Jr./Sr. High schools has been completed. The $416,000 Michigan Department of Transportation grant was one of six issued to Michigan communities as …