12-06-2018 Hartford & Coloma schools among 72 to receive academic improvement grants; Two inte

THEY’VE MOVED… Coloma Watervliet Area Chamber of Commerce helped celebrate the official ribbon cutting of the new location of B&B Grocery at 337 E. St. Joseph St. in Watervliet. With ample and convenient parking at this new location, there is even more reason to shop and save in your hometown. The Chamber wishes owners Beth and Ben Wagner all the best as this family business makes the transition and continues to offer a wonderful selection of food and other items at bargain prices. Follow them on Facebook or call for more information at 463-5293. Pictured are (from the left): Linda Jackson, Debbie Cowgill, Tyler Dotson, Beth Wagner, Karla Smothers, Ben Wagner, Debbie Wilson and Rochelle Ulleg.

Hartford & Coloma schools among 72 to

receive academic improvement grants

By Jon Bisnett Seventy-two school districts statewide are receiving the proceeds of some $4.5 million in grants to increase academic achievement through high-quality educator instruction and administrator leadership, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) announced Monday, December 3. Under the Teacher and Leader Instruction Support Competitive Grant Program, $4,482,842 in federal Title II, Part A funding is being dispersed to 72 districts across Michigan. “I’m very pleased that this funding will help improve the skills of our state’s teachers and administrators and support our plan to make Michigan a Top 10 education state in 10 years,” Interim State Superintendent Sheila Alles said. According to MDE’s Office of Educator Excellence, the 72 grant-receiving districts were chosen in three rounds from a pool of 182 applicants. The grant review protocol was based on an application rubric resulting in scores of 0-63, with the first round was exclusively prioritized for academically-struggling districts. Title II, Part A allows grant recipients to use the federal funds creatively to address challenges to teacher quality, whether they concern teacher preparation and qualifications of new teachers; recruitment and hiring; professional development; teacher retention; or the need for more capable principals and assistant principals to serve as effective school leaders. In return, the districts are expected to see improvements in student academic achievement. “High-quality professional development” meets the criteria contained in the definition of professional development in Title IX, Section 9101(34) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Professional development includes activities that: Improve and increase teachers’ knowledge of academic subjects and enable teachers to become highly qualified; are an integral part of broad, schoolwide and district educational improvement plans; give teachers and principals the knowledge and skills to help students meet challenging state academic standards; improve classroom management skills; are sustained, intensive, and classroom-focused and are not one-day or short-term workshops; advance teacher understanding of effective instruction strategies that are based on scientifically-based research; and are developed with extensive participation of teachers, principal, parents, and administrators. Recipients in Round 1 are: David Ellis Academy West, Detroit Henry Ford Academy, School for Creative Studies –Detroit, Detroit Leadership Academy, Kalamazoo Public Schools, Detroit Public Schools Community District, Mildred C. Wells Preparatory Academy – Benton Harbor, Eastpointe Community Schools, Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System, Ecorse Public Schools, Saginaw Preparatory Academy, Grand Rapids Public Schools, William C. Abney Academy – Grand Rapids. Recipients in Round 2 are: Caniff Liberty Academy – Hamtramck, Hartford Public Schools, Coloma Community Schools, Johannesburg-Lewiston Public Schools, Dryden Community Schools, Manton Consolidated Schools, Eau Claire Public Schools, Mayville Community School District, Essexville-Hampton Public Schools, North Branch Area Schools, Freeland Community School District, Petoskey Public Schools, George Crockett Academy Detroit, Schoolcraft Community Schools, Gibraltar School District, Summit Academy North, Romulus. Hartford and Coloma plans for use Hartford Public Schools plans to use their funds to bring in an elite Professional Development Team from Michigan State University targeting all new teachers and those whose recent evaluations showed room for improvement. MSU will provide a multi-phase service including breakout training sessions and follow-up classroom monitoring of improvement techniques in action, according to Superintendent Andy Hubbard. Coloma Schools’ Director of State & Federal Programs, Peter Olsen, reports the district plans to implement their funds with a program known as Excellence in Education. With a focus on staff in grades 6-12, the program seeks to empower teachers with a method of “distributed leadership” with the intention to help lift the daily burden from building principals through implementation of teacher focus teams. Ongoing instructional sessions and classroom observation are included in the comprehensive package.

Two interview for Interim Superintendent position at Watervliet Public Schools

By Kristy Noack The Watervliet Public Schools Board of Education interviewed two candidates Wednesday for the position of Interim Superintendent. John Jarpe was interviewed at 6:30 p.m., and Dave Waaso followed at 7:30 p.m. Deliberations by the board were held in a closed session following the two interview periods. Both candidates are former superintendents and have extensive educational experience. Jarpe graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in history. He then earned his master’s degree in education from Wayne State University. Jarpe also earned his doctorate degree in educational leadership from Western Michigan University. He retired from Brandywine Community Schools in 2017 after 10 years in the district. Waaso graduated from River Valley High School and completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology & Physical Education, Health, and Recreation from Hillsdale College. He then obtained his master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Western Michigan University. Waaso previously worked at South Haven Public Schools for 10 years and, more recently, was the superintendent of the Mackinac Island Public Schools, beginning in 2010. Interviews were open to the public. The interviews were necessitated following the announcement that current superintendent Kevin Schooley would be leaving the district. Schooley has been selected as the new superintendent of South Haven Area Schools. Schooley’s contract negotiations are complete; however, a departure date from Watervliet has not yet been determined.

Lakeland awards $150,000 to help start recovery services organization

Lakeland Health Foundations recently donated a $150,000 grant to fund the establishment of Carol’s Hope – an engagement center in Southwest Michigan focused on helping people suffering from substance use disorder navigate local resources. As an alternative to emergency room care, the center, to be located at 4032 M-139 in St. Joseph will provide clients a supervised, safe, and supportive environment where they can develop a recovery plan and connect to services that will lead them to a better way of life. All services are available at no cost to the client or their family. “Lakeland Health Foundations felt compelled to support our friends and neighbors impacted by misuse of drugs and/or alcohol,” said Brandi Smith-Gordon, Vice President of Philanthropy and President, Lakeland Health Foundations. “Engagement centers have been used for years across the country in an effort to support clients experiencing an alcohol or drug problem and get them the help they need. Carol’s Hope will help people in their current stage of change, tailoring options and services to best meet the need of the individual. We are pleased to be part of this important work right here in Berrien County.” Community Healing Centers will handle day-to-day operations of the organization with oversight from a local advisory board consisting of representatives from Spectrum Health Lakeland, Voice Change Hope Alliance, Michigan State Police, YMCA of Southwest Michigan, and the Berrien County Health Department. A grand opening event is scheduled for noon to 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12 at Carol’s Hope.