11-14-2019 Tri-Cities blasted with first major snow of the season; 6-18 inches close schools; Water

BREAKFAST SALUTE… Veterans of all branches of American Services answered the 44th annual call to breakfast with Coloma school students on Veterans Day morning followed by a program featuring students in 4th grade. Pictured are the many Veterans who were in attendance, CHS National Honor Society students that served breakfast and Superintendent Dave Ehlers. (Photo courtesy of Coloma Community Schools)

Tri-Cities blasted with first major snow of the season; 6-18 inches close schools

By Jon Bisnett Monday, November 11, 2019 was not only Veterans Day, but was also the beginning of a powerful one-two punch Mother Nature dished out all across Southwestern Lower Michigan. We Michiganders usually prefer to ease into the inevitable winter. But that was not to be the case as unheard of overnight lows in the lower 20s combined with an initial shot of 2-4 inches of system snow compounded by a second wave of inch an hour pace lake effect snowfall fell overnight Tuesday.

All four local schools were closed on Tuesday, along with all of Van Buren County and most Berrien schools along the lakeshore. All this comes while most of us hadn’t even gotten out the shovels or given the snow blower a preliminary test pull! Keeler Township reported in with a whopping 18 inches of snowfall in 48 hours, while most of the area saw anywhere from 6 to 12 inches.

Tri-City Area residents find themselves among some 200-plus million Americans that will experience record lows for this early November arctic blast says the Associated Press. From Pierre to Poughkeepsie, Pittsburg to Panama City; records are being smashed across the majority of the nation. Hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, while a United Airlines passenger jet slid off an icy runway without injury at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport Monday. Tuesday’s overnight low is expected to be below 10 degrees with a high of not even reaching 30. A bit of a warming trend will push the thermometers back up a touch on Friday and Saturday, with what might seem like a full-blown Hawaiian shirts & Bermuda shorts heat wave as the weatherman promises high temps in the 40s for the upcoming weekend! In any case, winter has most certainly arrived with a vengeance. Above all, stay warm, allow additional travel time, check on the elderly and be sure to load up on those precious commodities – milk, eggs & bread! That’s Pure Michigan!

Gordon Banasik turns 90!

Watervliet School Board announces First Panther Pride Award

By Annette Christie The inaugural Panther Pride Award was given at the November 11, 2019 Watervliet School Board meeting. Superintendent Ric Seager just last month announced that the Panther Pride Individual and Group Award program was developed to recognize businesses, service groups, community members, parents, faculty, staff, and students who have provided exemplary leadership and service.

EXEMPLARY SERVICE RECOGNIZED… The first Panther Pride Award was given at the Watervliet School Board meeting held Monday night. The recipient Joanne Scheid (center) received a certificate of appreciation for her many years of dedication to the Watervliet School District and Community. Making the presentation is (from the left): School Board member John Oliphant; School Board President Bill Spaulding; Joanne Scheid; School Board members Andy DeHaven and Ted Tees; and School Superintendent Ric Seager. (TCR photo by Annette Christie)

Seager said they received several nominations this first go around. Accomplishments worthy of a Panther Pride nomination should reflect outstanding leadership and/or service and reflect actions that go beyond or above normal work, reflecting a deep sense of pride, ownership, and responsibility to the school community. “Panther Pride recipients should embody the values we hold dear at Watervliet Public Schools,” Seager said. Seager announced that the first recipient of the Panther Pride Award would be Joanne Scheid to recognize all that she does for the school and the school community. Seager told the board, “Joanne has done wonderful things for our school district for a long, long, time. When you have a business manager on medical leave and you bring in a new superintendent, that can set a school district back. We have a couple of wonderful people that stepped up and got us through this trying time. One of them is Joanne and the other is Diane Moker.” Scheid and Moker are former central office staff that came back to assist as needed. Reading Now Network The board approved a renewed commitment to the Reading Now Network. This is the third year that the district is a part of the program shared by many area county school districts. The program works to improve reading instruction, practices, and achievement, to reach an overall improvement in the numbers of third grade students that can read at that level. Seager said that school leaders understand that one in six students who do not read with proficiency at the 3rd Grade level tend not to graduate. Other business The School Board also approved the annual middle school Student Council Trip. The field trip is scheduled for May 26, 2020 to Gurnee, Illinois for a visit to Six Flags Great America. Seager told the board that they will rent a 40-passenger bus for approximately 37 students and three chaperones. It is expected that most of the students will raise enough for the trip with their annual wreath fundraiser. Seager would only give some details regarding the annual student count report. He estimates that the district will be down about 12 students. He expects to have the final count by the December meeting. “Despite the numbers, it shouldn’t be problematic with the budget,” Seager said. H.S. principal search With an update on the high school principal search, Seager said that they received 14 applicants for the position. The administrative team expects to pair that down to 6-8 and eventually 4-6 that will go through the formal interview process. The second round of interviews it will be a panel interview and presentation. Seager told the board that he was very impressed with the candidate pool. “People want to be a part of us,” Seager said adding, “We will be very pleased with our next high school principal.” While they are shooting for a January start date, he was adamant about not wanting to lose a good candidate due to timing. Board member Ted Tees commented that this is an awesome reflection on the school district, drawing in highly qualified candidates. “This is a positive reflection on our district,” Tees said.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE… The Coloma Public Library celebrated Veterans Day with “Lest We Forget,” a display dedicated to all veterans in thanks for their service in foreign and domestic conflicts. In attendance was area veteran Corporal Gust Anton, a Korean War vet who served from 1952–1954 as part of the United States Army’s 84th Construction Battalion. Gust is pictured with Library Director Mary Harrison. “Mr. Gust suggested we contact the Lest We Forget organization to set up the display and we were happy to do it. Mr. Gust comes into the library every day and is one our very favorite patrons!” “Lest We Forget” will be at the library through December 5. (Photo courtesy of Coloma Public Library Facebook page)

HARTFORD VETERANS DAY OBSERVANCE… Commander Ruben Mireles of American Legion Post #533 assembles over a dozen local vets to the stage as a surprising and enthusiastic crowd braved more than four inches of snow and 27-degree temperatures to salute area veterans at Hartford’s Ely Park Monday evening. Boy Scout Troop 196 joined the Post by presenting a moving flag retirement ceremony. Plenty of piping hot coffee, cocoa and chili was appreciated by all in attendance. (TCR photo by Jon Bisnett)