It’s that time of year again. Children across the country will soon be returning to school for another year of education, sports, and more.
The Ticker I reached out to the superintendents of every school district in the county to hear what’s new, from grade level breakdowns to the Comet Club and lots of new faces.
Suttons Bay Public Schools (Casey Petz, Superintendent)
The Operations and Maintenance team has been especially busy this summer making improvements throughout campus. We have completed improvements to the auditorium, our athletic fields, and upper school classrooms, and added instructional technology for all K-12 teachers. We are confident that our students and families will return to a school they are incredibly proud of on September 3.
In addition to improvements on our campus, the district leadership team took some time to reflect on what is working well at SBPS while setting some goals for the upcoming school year. We agreed on three areas of focus that will have a tremendous, positive impact on all of our students. Our goals for the 2024-2025 school year are to create joyful learning experiences at school with highly engaging lessons and programs, build strong connections and trust with all students, staff, and families, and create and communicate a clear and consistent plan for student accountability.
We invite all SBPS families to attend our annual Open House on August 29th from 4:30pm-6pm to meet our amazing new staff, tour classrooms, and prepare for the upcoming school year.
Leland Public School (Stephanie Long, superintendent)
Staff and administration have been busy this summer preparing for another great year at Leland. We are excited to welcome many new staff members. Shelagh Fehrenbach has joined our team as the new Principal for grades K-12, and we have created a new position at LPS this year: that of Assistant Principal. Jeremy Peplinski, a long-time science teacher at LPS, has stepped into that role. Also joining us are Kevin Sams as Physical Education and Health Teacher for grades K-12, Lisa Migazzi in our multi-grade first/second grade, Alayna Neilly as Middle School Science Teacher, Justin Lazar as Middle School Social Studies Teacher, and Jennifer McDanial in Kindergarten.
We also upgraded our HVAC system with four new rooftop units and a modern air conditioning system in our performing arts center. We added a new classroom for an additional special education teacher we are still looking to hire. Since it is difficult to find bus drivers, a new 10-passenger minibus helps us transport smaller groups of students and athletes. We also upgraded teacher technology to provide students and staff with up-to-date and high-quality instructional materials.
We are also excited to launch our new Comet Club, which will provide personalized academic intervention and remediation in math and reading for our students in grades K-5 before and after school, in addition to expanding our middle school academic intervention program. We look forward to welcoming our students and families back to school for our Farm to Table Dinner and Open House on August 29 to kick off the 2024-2025 school year.
Glen Lake Schools (Jason Misner, Superintendent)
Over the summer, we replaced classroom windows with upgraded, energy-efficient models, constructed an entirely new septic tank, and built secure vestibules at both entrances to the building to increase safety. All of these necessary facility improvements are aimed at providing students with the opportunity to excel in a quality learning environment. They were funded through county general fund money and are part of our school board’s ten-year plans.
This school year, we look forward to continuing the great strides we have made in student academic growth and achievement. We remain true to our mission of developing learners and graduates into leaders. To fulfill this mission, we are committed to continuing to strengthen our partnerships with families and the community so that the children we serve can achieve excellence.
Northport Public School (Neil Weatherbee, superintendent)
For the 2024-25 school year, Northport Public School will break down grading. The middle and high schools will join the elementary school in standards-based grading. Students’ academic grades will reflect how well they mastered their academic standards, while their non-academic “grade” will measure how well they participated in school – turned in homework, participated in class, been a positive role model, etc. This will allow us to meet the needs of our students both academically and in our efforts to help them develop into quality adult human beings.
This change has been years in the making and will certainly present some difficulties along the way. However, we are excited to introduce this honest and transparent assessment system. Change can be difficult, but without it, progress is impossible. It should be a year of learning and we look forward to it.
Leelanau School (Rob Hansen, Principal)
The Leelanau School is expanding its programs to support today’s youth and their future goals through a renewed strategic plan, new offerings, staff and investments in professional development.
The school recently dedicated the Charles E. Scripps Jr. Creativity Center on its campus, which houses a ceramics studio, a newly donated woodworking shop, and a laser engraving program. The center is in keeping with the school’s tradition of hands-on and entrepreneurial learning. These applied arts programs teach creativity, design, and the discipline needed to turn ideas into reality.
In addition to expanding its applied arts program, Leelanau has invested in professional development to improve social-emotional support for students and staff. For the 2024-25 school year, Leelanau welcomes several new staff members to serve our students, including Mr. Kiernan Dean-Hall, Mr. Nathan Rogers, Mr. Michael Gaden, Ms. Avery Kostrzewa, and Ms. Meagen Kopacki.
St. Mary School (Megan Glynn, Headteacher)
Located on the beautiful shores of Lake Leelanau, St. Mary School is the only Catholic school on the Leelanau Peninsula. Soon the hallways will be filled with students in preschool through 12th grade as teachers and staff welcome them back to the 7-acre campus. Students will experience a comprehensive curriculum with core subjects, electives, dual enrollment opportunities and continuing education opportunities. Continuing education offerings include art, music, physical education, Spanish and technical/business courses.
Fall is the start of MHSAA sports for St. Mary’s athletes, including cross country and volleyball. Other fall co-op sports include boys soccer, football, and tennis. Winter sports include boys and girls basketball and co-op skiing, while spring brings baseball, softball, and track and field. Spring co-op sports include girls soccer and boys golf.
When students return to campus, they expect many improvements. Grants will allow the school to purchase new STEM resources for the library and additional playground equipment such as a sandbox, spring bouncer, musical instruments, picnic tables and a storage shed. Grants also paid for new lockers and furniture, as well as technology upgrades for equipment, servers, laptops and desktop computers. Walls are freshly painted in the cafeteria, hallways, library and administrative offices. New underground storage tanks have also been installed and a new boiler has been purchased thanks to generous donors and patrons.
St. Mary is still accepting applications from new students.
NOTE: Some answers have been edited for space.
