Vol. 4 No. 2January 2019 Every child has a right to be connected. Every child has a right to intellect.

A Mattawan Consolidated School Publication

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A recognition ceremony was held on November 10, 2018 for the newest members of Mattawan Con-solidated School’s Hall of Honor. The Hall of Honor was established in 2017 as a way to recognize alum-ni, staff, volunteers and others who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to society, contribu-tions to MCS, for their exceptional performance in the arts, athletics, academics, or for their military service.

This year nearly all of the 15 recipients were in attendance with the exception of Amber Brooks and Tom Brown who were out of town and Leo Hunt who is deceased. Spencer Lenfield, a 2008 graduate, was present via a live video feed.

Mattawan High School Principal Tim Eastman was the evening’s emcee. Following the introduction

of each recipient, the honored guests stepped up to the podium to say a few words and receive their award. In the audience were current and retired staff members, friends, family and community members.

The Hall of Honor ceremony was held in the high school cafeteria and a variety of desserts and beverages were prepared by David Rose and the Dining Services staff.

The Hall of Honor LCD panel is on display in the high school lobby, serving as a perpetual way to recog-nize all inductees.

Additional information about the Hall of Honor, including sponsorship and nominations, may be found on the District’s web page. The 2019 nomination forms and documentation are due by May 1, 2019.

What a difference a space makes when it comes to teaching and learning. The new Early Elementary School (EES) on Mattawan’s campus is nearly one se-mester old, but staff members are not taking their new environment for granted.

The EES is a state of the art learning center that boasts natural light, commons areas, modern tech-nology and climate control, appropriate furniture and playgrounds, plenty of storage, security features and efficiency. Staff members overwhelmingly express a feeling of positivity and renewed energy when asked to comment on their new workplace.

First grade teacher Whitney Ihrman-Holmes said, “The natural light, climate control and cleanliness make everyone feel better, the technology is great and it all works. Having the whole grade level in one pod is so nice because we can collaborate, eat lunch in our family room each day and have a space to share re-sources.”

Prior to moving into the new EES, staff and stu-dents were split across two buildings and some classes were housed in portables, making collaboration diffi-cult and security less than preferable.

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New Hall of Honor members are recognized at a ceremony on November 10, 2018. Top row, left to right are Noah Her-ron, Aubrey (Williams) Patiño, Colonel Bradley Magrath, Rodney Martin, John Pobutsky and Al Fewless; Front row, left to right are Curtis Bell Sr., Bill Brisky, Bob Brisky, Sara Jane Baker and Larry McKee. Not pictured are Amber Brooks, Tom Brown, Spencer Lenfield and Leo Hunt (deceased).

The kindergarten wing of the Early Elementary School is representative of the well-lit commons areas in each wing.

WILDCAT CONNECTION

2018 Members Inducted Into Hall Of HonorNew School Exceeds Staff Expectations

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So often, when we hear about how successful our students are, intelligence and test scores define success. There is a belief out there called “cognitive hypoth-esis” that says success today depends pri-marily on cognitive skills. It is supported by a report published by Carnegie Corpo-ration back in 1994 called Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children. This report had a powerful ef-fect on public policy and the push to teach complex academics at an even earlier age,

from zero to three years old. It defines success as intellectual achievement.

I do believe academics are so import-ant to opening doors for our students’ next journey. However, success in life is so much more than the top score on the SAT or the highest GPA in the class. In my position, I am fortunate to hear stories of all the oth-er sides of success and to me, these traits are a true measure of life-long success. The stories shared celebrate perseverance, curiosity, optimism, self-control, kindness, thoughtfulness, and taking care of others. In my November SuperNews sent to staff, I shared many of these stories of kindness, respect, appreciation, and taking care of others and I want to share some of those stories with our community.

A Letter of Thanks forGoing The Extra Mile

The following letter was sent to Mattawan High School’s athletic office following the kind gesture of two young men:

To Two Young Men Who Saved The Baby Goats:

I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the two young men who helped corral our goats yesterday, not once, but twice, and made certain all three goats were safe and sound before they left my yard. Yesterday morning before 6:00 a.m., I fed the three goats and failed to open the barn door enough to eliminate the “boys” from escaping their pen. The cross-country team (or who I believe may be the cross-country team), en-countered my three “boys” running around my yard, and trying to join them on their practice run. Two young men specifically took the extra time to put the “boys” back in their pen but sadly the goats

escaped once again before the two gen-tlemen left my yard. The two then put my goats securely in our chicken pen. I arrived home right after they se-cured the goats in the chicken pen and thanked them for their help, but I wanted to follow up with a note not only to you, Sue, ( Jaques)but their coach, and their parents. These two boys were obviously raised right, they saw something out of place and they did something, and if it was not for these two young men I could have potentially been looking for my three goats all evening. With any luck, you can find the two young men who helped me greatly yesterday by be-ing great Samaritans. I cannot thank them enough for their time and efforts. Their coach and parents should be extremely proud of the two of them!Warm regards,Jamie Kneeshaw (proud owner of three baby goats on the farm north of the high school)

A Huge Tip of Thanks

For four years in a row, the Mat-tawan Marching Band trumpet section gathered at Main Street Pub in Mat-tawan to eat a meal before their Satur-day competitions. This four year tradi-tion always included their faithful server, Kara Nicholson. Mattawan senior Em-ily Kraft asked her peers if they’d like to pitch in and honor Nicholson with a final tip of thanks for her four years of service to them. The students gath-ered $340 and gave it to Nicholson in a card, thanking her for everything, at the end of their final meal of the season in October. Their kind gesture prompted Nicholson to write:

Feeling loved! This amazing act of kind-ness happened to me today at work and I had to share. This is why I chose to drive the extra miles to work in the town of Mattawan for the amazing people that live there.

With tears in my eyes, I read the hand-written card that went along with it (the money) and was at a loss for words. These kids have been such a blessing to serve. Hands down the coolest kids I know. Mat-tawan should be so proud to have them rep-resent them. These kids’ love and kindness can truly change the world! I cannot wait to see what their future holds!

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From the Desk of the Superintendent

The Wildcat Connection is a quarterlyMattawan Consolidated School publication

MCS District Contacts:

District Telephone: 269-668-3361

Superintendent, Dr. Robin K. Buchlerrbuchler@mattawanschools.org

Board of Education President, Alan Koenigakoenig@mattawanschools.org

Early Elementary Principal, Becky Moorebmoore@mattawanschools.org

Later Elementary Principal, John Berlinjberlin@mattawanschools.org

Middle School Principal, Chip Schumancschuman@mattawanschools.org

High School Principal, Tim Eastmanteastman@mattawanschools.org

Wildcat Connection Editor & Photographer, Carolyn Greer; cgreer@mattawanschools.org Three baby goats belonging to Mattawan resident Jamie Knee-

shaw are safely returned to their pen thanks to two high school students.

From left to right are Lauren Hart, Sam Beeson, Justin Streeter,Maggie Jonker, Mason Berchiatti, Emily Kraft (trumpet sectionmembers), and Kara Nicholson (Main Street Pub server).

What DefinesSuccess?

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A Shout Out to the Football Team

The Mattawan Varsity Football Team competed in district playoffs in October against the Western High School Pan-thers, at Western. The Wildcats lost in overtime to the Panthers, however, the team left such a positive impression on Western’s athletic director, he felt com-pelled to write the following note to Mat-tawan High School:

Good Morning,I am reaching out today to simply say

thank you for the way everyone I interacted with at Mattawan represented themselves and your community with class. Chad Yag-er and Sue Jacques were first class through-out the busy week. What stood out to me and multiple indi-viduals within my community was how respectful your entire football program was. I opened up the lock-er room for the play-ers and held the door open as I do for ev-ery team. Over 90% of your players said “thank you sir” as they entered. Yes, this is a small gesture, but on a busy night for me it was very appreciated. On a normal night, I may have 5 athletes say thank you as they en-ter. Your coaching staff was also the friendliest staff I have ever interacted with. My chain gang crew, which has been doing it together

for years, also commented to me about how pleasant the sidelines were throughout the entire game. You guys should be very proud of your team on and off of the field. Keep up the great work!

Thanks,Ryan Hackworth, Athletic Director,

Western School District

Eighth Grade Girls Volleyball Team Helps The Community

The following is a story of giving, as shared by eighth grade volleyball coach Angela Reiter:

The eighth grade A and B volleyball teams raised just over $600 to donate to a local cause last fall. The teams’ efforts provid-ed Mattawan Food Packs with 17 boxes of cereal cups and both teams also donated their time for one night by packing two weeks of food packs. In addition, the students provid-ed the Mattawan Area Pantry with a cash donation of $326.

I have no doubt that these students are excelling in the classroom. It is heartwarm-ing to witness that they also excel in the traits that are all about kindness, consideration, respect, and giving back. Rest assured, our future is in good hands!

Empowering the Future...With Mattawan Pride,Superintendent Robin K. Buchler, PhDMattawan Consolidated School

Using 2018 technology in a 1937 school sounds about as incompatible as it is and teachers often found them-selves unable to rely upon the technol-ogy needed to educate their children. First grade teacher Nicole Eddy shared, “Our new technology is beyond my ex-pectations. I have a teacher microphone that amplifies my voice throughout my classroom.” Ihrman-Holmes added, “I am using my document camera and

smart board so much more because it works. This has impacted my teaching in such a positive way.

Jason DeLille teaches Fitness for Kindergarten, and noted, “It’s so great to have “my own” side of the gym. I don’t have to share with the breakfast and lunch crowds any longer. Everything is just so much more spacious, and there are no buckets in the hallways collecting rainwater!”

The eighth grade volleyball team and coach Angie Reiter (top left)are pictured above.

Elizabeth Hawkins’ classroom is representative of the space, ample windows, age-appropriate furniture and technology present in the all of the new Early Elementary School classrooms.

Students now have access to a fully equipped gymnasium within the Early Elementary School. Previously, the cafeteria was used for fitness education classes.

What Defines Success? continued from page 2 New School Exceeds StaffExpectations continued from Page 1

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The Mattawan school family re-ceived devastating news on November 3 when they learned their former colleague and friend, David Hinkel, had passed away that morning after succumbing to

cancer.David Hin-

kel retired in 2017 after de-voting twen-ty-one years to Mattawan High School where he built a Junior Achieve-

ment program and taught courses in eco-

nomics and psychology. A portion of his obituary, as printed by Life Story Funeral Homes read, “...David passion-ately gave of himself to the Mattawan community as educator, mentor, lead-er, and friend. He believed his first and most important responsibility was to al-ways remember that he “was a teacher of students” and there was no content more important than the relationships he nurtured with each and every young

person he served. Though an expert in economics, psychology, and sociology, his true mastery was in the school of Life.”

The high school social studies de-partment lovingly referred to Hinkel as Father Time because he always provided words of wisdom to anyone in need of guidance. Friend and colleague Jennifer Bussies said, “Dave preached to me that people will remember how you made them feel, and not whether your email in-box was cleaned out, or whether your room was clean and things like that.”

Matt McNulty shared a light-heart-ed memory of Hinkel saying, “Dave and I were hired into the high school in the same year, 1996. He would always fist bump me for the next 20 years and say ‘96’ers for life, baby!’ We would chuckle every time at the people around us who had no idea what we meant.”

Dave Hinkel was a family man to the core. He married his wife Cindy in 1986 and together they raised four chil-dren - Jay, Elley, Sarah and Claire - all of whom attended Mattawan Schools. Teacher Jennifer Nyberg said, “As Dave witnessed me marry and become

a mom, he frequently reminded me of how he and Cindy took time every eve-ning to sit on the couch and talk. He saw his marriage and children thrive by this manageable step of time and com-mitment.”

“I (Carolyn Greer, the editor of this publication) also began working at Mattawan High School the same year as Dave. His warm smile, kind nature, humor, care for his students (my own son included) and positive outlook on life will not be forgotten.”

On the day of his passing, Bussies wrote, “Today, our world lost a great man. David Hinkel exemplified all that is right in the world. He truly cared about his fellow man, all of his students, and anyone that even crossed his path on the street. His enthusiasm for life was unlike anyone I have ever known.”

Dave Hinkel will be remembered by his friends and colleagues at Mattawan High School as someone who truly cared about them and who gave so will-ingly of himself to his students.

The annual Mattawan Middle School Veterans Day breakfast is a highly anticipated November tradition. Each year, students may invite a relative

or special guest, who is either a mili-tary veteran or currently serving, to join them at school for breakfast and a spe-cial program. The celebration marked

the culmina-tion of weeks of planning and preparation by students, staff and parents.

As the hon-ored guests ar-rived, they were greeted with cheers and ap-plause. Students lined the hall-way, many dis-playing hand-made posters of gratitude and support. A good deal of thought

and planning is behind this tradition, with special recognition given to teach-ers Kyle Karsen and Tiffany Stommen, who have co-ordinated this event for sev-eral years.

While the veterans en-joyed break-fast, their young hosts presented a program filled with remarks of grateful-ness and a video trib-ute of warm “thank you” statements.

As stu-dents set off to

classes for the remainder of the day, they took with them memories of the smiles on the faces of their honored guests.

Mattawan High School staff members celebrate their friend and colleague Dave Hinkel during a recent lunchtime by sharing a Coca Cola - Hinkel’s favorite beverage - together.

At the Middle School Veteran’s Day Celebration in November, U.S. Air Force veteran Matt Wittman, right, shares breakfast with children Mason Wittman, left, and Brylie Lincoln.

The Magrath family enjoys the Middle School Veteran’s Day Celebration. Clockwise from left are retired U.S. Army Captain Tom Magrath and his wife Shari Magrath (retired teacher and current school board trustee), Stacey (Magrath) Bates, Andrea Magrath and her husband Brad Magrath, who currently serves as a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps.

David Hinkel in his classroom in 2016.

Beloved Teacher And Colleague Was An Inspiration To All

Veterans Are Honored At Annual Breakfast Celebration

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Descriptive writing is an important concept to learn when composing a sto-ry or an article and authors hope readers will be able to visualize their ideas.

Later Elementary School teachers Kathy Sills and Cheryl VanEngen pre-sented a collaborative exercise to their students last fall called Monster Proj-ect Descriptive Drawing. Each student built a robot/monster and then wrote a description about it. A student from another classroom who had not seen

the robot/monster then tried to draw it based upon the description. The goal of the lesson was to help students under-stand the importance of details in their writing.

“We often tend to assume others will be able to picture what we have in mind, but the kids almost always find out that others interpret their writing differently, especially when details are missing,” said VanEngen.

On Saturday, October 27th, the Mat-tawan LEO Club raised over $400 in cash and collected over $200 in food donations during their annual food drive to benefit

the Mattawan Area Pantry. The Leo Club is the Lions Club youth organization for young people ages 12-18. LEO stands for Leadership – Experience – Opportunity.

Imagine working full time as an ele-mentary school teacher and then offering so much time and dedication as a volun-teer that you receive the Michigan Center of Assisted Living Volunteer of the Year award. Sandy Glasser, a veteran teacher of fifth graders at Mattawan Later Elemen-tary School, was honored during a cere-mony at DeVos Place Convention Center on November 6, 2018, for her dedication to New Friends Memory Care & Assisted Living Facility.

Glasser began volunteering at New Friends when her mother moved there. Initially she planted perennial and veg-etable gardens for the residents to enjoy. Her involvement in activities ranges from reading books aloud to setting up a photo booth for the residents to create fun pho-tos to share with family members. Her own students have written poems and cre-ated pictures for the residents as well.

Glasser noted, “I feel funny about the award because I don’t feel like a volunteer. I just promised my dad when he died, that I would take care of my sweet mom and she happens to live with other people now at New Friends, so they are part of my family too. That’s what families do.”

Glasser says, “The most rewarding part

of all of this is just making lasting memo-ries with my new extended family. Some residents have frequent visitors and some do not, so it does my heart good know-ing that I can always be the one that they know will come and see them. Regardless of where someone is with Alzheimer’s dis-ease or memory loss, everyone deserves to feel respected, valued and loved.”

A pilot program now in its third year has grown considerably and last fall Mattawan Consolidated School became a grant recipient and program partici-pant.

The 10 Cents A Meal For School Kids & Farms is a state pilot program that provides schools with up to 10 cents per meal in match funding to purchase

and serve Michigan-grown fruits, veg-etables, and legumes. Dining Services Director David Rose said, “This grant helped us procure Michigan grown veg-etables, legumes and fruits from four lo-cal vendors. The program is worthwhile, not only for our students, but also for our local farmers and economy.”

Rose has implemented Michigan Mondays as days for students to experi-ence local foods and recipes. December 3, for example, featured items including Michigan apples that were made into apple crisp, red kidney beans, rainbow carrots (fresh cut and cinnamon glazed) and broccoli. A taste test introduced students to multi colored rainbow car-rots. Students had the opportunity to sample rainbow carrots not only in their fresh raw form, but also baked with a cinnamon glaze. Rose said, “The over-whelming response from the students was that they loved them. As part of the sampling, students were offered recipes for the cinnamon glazed carrots, so that they could make them at home.

LEO Club members, left to right, are Sydney Halsted, Romika Shokohi, Dakota Ortiz and Ally Ramlaw. The club held a food drive in October to benefit the Mattawan Area Pantry.

Sandy Glasser is pictured with Michigan Center of Assisted Living (MCAL) Board Chair Mike McElroy after receiving the MCAL Volunteer of the Year award. Photo is courtesy of Mike Quillinan.

Mackenzie Kirkens and Madison Hinckley are pictured with their robot and drawing.

Sam Vought and Aiden Huber are pictured with their robot and drawing.

The Farm To School To You display features multi colored rainbow carrots.

From Descriptions To Drawings LEO Club Hosts Food Drive

Teacher Honored With Award For VolunteerismPilot Program Offers Nutritious

Foods And Recipes To Kids

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Mattawan High School offers courses for students with an interest in engineering. Teacher Jarrod DeGroff finds it important for students to see firsthand how the lessons they are learn-ing in the classroom directly apply to the actual field.

In the fall, DeGroff took his second year Principles of Engineering students on a tour of the Western Michigan University power plant to learn about and actually see how energy is produced.

In addition to that trip, DeGroff took all of his engineering classes to Tri-Mation Industries for the purpose of touring a manufacturing facility.

DeGroff believes on-site visits like these are important because, “Students can connect what they are learning in the classroom with what is happening in the real world.” Students do not always understand how they will be able to ap-ply their skills and knowledge learned in school to a career, but DeGroff says, “It really motivates them to focus on their studies and understand that the things we are learning in class are the founda-tions of actual careers for them in the future. These trips also give them an idea of the paths they may be able to take and understand that there are multiple ways they can proceed and be successful, contributing members to society with meaningful careers.”

These most recent tours helped stu-dents understand the importance of post-secondary training while also real-izing such training does not necessarily mean earning a four-year college degree. For some, a two-year associates degree combined with field experience, or an apprenticeship program to learn specific skills, will be adequate to start a career in an engineering related field.

The Michigan Department of Ed-ucation (MDE) re-sponded to the Dis-trict regarding their waiver to begin the school year two weeks

earlier to allow for more balanced breaks throughout the school year. MDE has now scheduled a January date for the required hearing before approval can be considered.

The waiver was written to begin the 2019 school year on the week of August 19, 2019. These two weeks would then be spread into October and February providing a more balanced school cal-

endar in terms of learning at the rigor and richness levels Mattawan students have come to expect, and then taking a break to refresh and prepare for the next learning period.

Beginning the school year two weeks early is a schedule that some of Mat-tawan’s neighboring school districts are also adopting. Otsego Public Schools will move to an August 19 start date be-ginning with the 2019-2020 school year.

Mattawan is working in partnership with the Van Buren Technology Center to offer an Early Middle College expe-rience beginning with the 2019-2020 class of sophomores. By starting the school year two weeks early, students

would be able to finish first semester ex-ams prior to the holiday break, follow-ing community college and university schedules.

An early start schedule supports the District’s data of needing to get students back to school sooner than September, as well as the need for more balanced breaks throughout the year. October and February are the two months where the District shows a decrease in atten-dance by both students and staff.Stu-dent achievement takes a dip during these two-time periods and student dis-cipline referrals increase, often resulting in missed days of learning. During the month of August, over 500 students are

already on campus beginning fall sports programs and band practices.

The goal of an early start to school would be to increase student achieve-ment by increasing attendance during the challenging months of October and February, to provide balanced breaks and to open the doors to conversations of exciting learning opportunities that this schedule would allow.

The MDE meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 10, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Mattawan High School cafeteria. The meeting is a requirement from the Michigan Department of Education and their representatives will join the session via a conference call.

The Mattawan Public Education Foundation has kicked off the High School Media Center Renovation Proj-ect by designating $25,000 to bring the high school media center into the 21st century.

The renovation will provide a flexi-ble space to foster collaboration as well

as independent study.To achieve the $50,000 goal, MPEF

is seeking community support. In order to learn how to partner with MPEF and join in preparing Mattawan students for adult life and higher education, readers are encouraged to visit the website of www.mpef.org/25K-campaign.

The above image illustrates possible renovations to the current High School Media Center which is nearing 30 years of age. The left images are current views while the right images show possible changes. (Photo illustration provided by Kingscott)

Jarrod DeGroff and his engineering stu-dents recently toured the WMU power plant (top) and Tri-Mation Industries.

Students See School and Work Parallels Through Field Trips

District Is One Step Closer To Early Start Calendar Consideration

MPEF Seeks Support for 2019 High School Media CenterRenovations

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Students learn in a plethora of ways, but due to limited funding, getting cre-ative in the classroom can be a challenge. Mattawan Public Education Founda-tion (MPEF) recognizes that teachers desire to make lessons meaningful and know that students benefit when they experience a myriad of educational ac-tivities (both traditional and non-tradi-tional), so MPEF provides grants that financially support these opportunities.

This year, 64 grants were applied for and MPEF was able to fund 48 of them directly, and worked with the adminis-tration to find alternate funding sources for three others. MPEF strives to work with teachers and administrators to continue to enhance education at Mat-tawan.

High School special education teach-er Melia Phelps was awarded a MPEF grant last fall. While co-teaching in an English 9 block classroom, Phelps rec-ognized the need for her students to utilize their creative side in order to gain further understanding, deeper thinking, and to make meaning out of classroom novel themes. In late September Phelps

applied for a grant that would allow her students to paint wood plaques with a word and picture that represented one of the many themes that their class would be discussing through-out the school year. MPEF recognized how beneficial this multi-sensory op-portunity would be for the students and determined that MPEF would fund this grant request. Phelps explained, “Our

students are not traditional learners, so anytime that we can utilize out-of-the-box thinking through different mediums, our students benefit immensely. Without MPEF, this project would not be pos-sible and I’m so grateful.”

Teachers throughout each of Mattawan’s four schools were awarded grants of all different sizes that will allow their students to “experience” learning in different ways over the course of this year. MPEF

continues to invest in the lives of stu-dents by providing the Brain Strong grants to classroom teachers.

MPEF i n v i t e s the com-munity to learn more a b o u t their ef-fort to s u p p o r t t e a c h e r s by visit-ing their website at MPEF.org.

Student Government at Mattawan High School has sponsored a traditional food drive for as long as anyone can remember. And this year was no different... except that it was, because this year, the school collected more items than ever before.

In the end, 4,515 items and $5,553 were donated, all of which will be given to the Mattawan Area Pantry.

The annual food drive al-ways becomes a spirited com-petion with classrooms vying to collect the largest amount of donations. Digital Media teacher Matt Boven decided to take on the en-tire school this year - his classes against all of the rest - and that dare helped cause a record amount of donations to pour in, both for Boven and for the rest of the school. Boven’s Digital Media students launched a video campaign to garner support and their creativity paid

off. Students gained further video pro-duction knowledge while also being an important part of the giving process.

Boven and his students earned a close second place to the entire rest of the high school, but Student Government adviser Jenn Bussies said, “Regardless of the winner, it has been an amazing few weeks with the ultimate “winners” being families in need over the holidays.”

What began as a friendly challenge between the Mattawan Middle School bands and choirs nearly a decade ago, has developed into an all-school chari-table campaign.

The Change War is a popular event centered on the idea of giving during the holiday season. For one week this past Decem-ber, Middle School teach-ers greeted students as they arrived to school each morning and ultimately collected over $5,500.

The funds were divided up as follows: Mattawan Pantry received $2,000, while Supplies for Success and Mattawan Food Packs each received $1,787.84.

Middle School coun-

selor Kristin Kay remarked, “Our stu-dents did an amazing job and deserve so much credit for their hard work and effort to help families who need some support at the holidays.”

The Middle School Bee- Inspired Bee-keeping Club wrapped their bee hives for winter last fall and will leave

them at the apiary until spring. Club adviser Eric Hayner said the club sold honey made from their hives and he hopes to be able to sell beeswax next, in order to help fund the club. The Mat-tawan Public Education Foundation has also been instrumental in providing grants to Hayner for his club.

MPEF board member Jen Hoffman, right, presents Melia Phelps with her grant.

Teacher Matt Boven, center, is pictured with several Digi-tal Media students. His classes collected money and near-ly 2,000 items for the food drive. The photo was taken on Pajama Day during the week before winter break.

Mattawan Middle School staff and students (back row) present the Change War donations to, front row from left, Beth Griffin (Mattawan Area Pantry), Andrea Lippert (Supplies for Success) and Kristi Friend and Nina Hamil-ton (Mattawan Food Packs).

Kindergarten teacher Miranda Frisbie and her students are pictured receiving her MPEF grant.

A Beekeeping Club member wraps the hives for winter.

Experiences Are Made Possible With MPEF Grants

High School Food Drive Is Most Successful One To Date

Middle School Collects Money For Local Charities

Beekeeping Club Awaits Spring

Guitar in hand, Mattawan Early Elementary School Music Teacher Tara Fletcher accompanied her second grade students as they sang holiday songs during the Barnes & Noble Book Fair in December.

The fair was spon-sored by the Mattawan Early Elementary Par-ent Association and dozens of students par-ticipated in the concert, as proud parents and shoppers listened. A portion of sales were

donated to the EES when shoppers pre-sented a specific book fair code for their purchases.

A Mattawan senior has earned first chair in the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association’s 2019 All-State Band. The announcement followed a rigorous audition for which Lin per-formed two etudes, multiple scales and a sight reading piece.

Lin will rehearse and perform along-side other top high school musicians

from Michigan as part of the All-State Band. This ensemble will be featured during a showcase concert of the Janu-ary 2019 Michigan Music Conference.

Lin has been under the direction of Mattawan’s band directors, Bill Boswell and Beth Jonker, since 6th grade. Jonker praised Lin by saying, “Chris is internal-ly motivated to pursue the technical and physical demands of being a performer. His passion for performing and humble approach working alongside his peers has made this a remarkable year for our entire program.” Boswell added, “What is important to know is that Chris is tal-ented, but he also put in a lot of practice time when he was younger and he still works hard to be where he is today.”

Outside of school band, Lin holds the principal trombone chair of the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orches-tra and was a member of the Legends Drum and Bugle Corps. He hopes to earn a spot next summer with the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps. Following high school, Lin would like to pursue a degree in music performance.

Mattawan High School students Eddie Ferran and Eric Waters partic-ipated in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Michigan chapter auditions in November on the campus of Eastern Michigan University.

Ferran was awarded first place and Waters was awarded third place for their performances in the high school men’s category. Both are members of the Mattawan choral program under the direction of David Hook.

Lindsey Mroczek returned to Mat-tawan this fall as the newly hired Lat-er Elementary School music teacher. Mroczek graduated from Mattawan in 2012 and was active in the Mattawan Band program throughout school.

Mroczek earned a bachelor’s degree in music education with an instrumen-tal emphasis from Western Michigan University in 2017. Mroczek is highly proficient on violin, piano and flute and her skills are evident in the classroom as she teaches her students to understand, enjoy and play music.

To sum up her feelings about her new job, Mroczek said, “I am absolutely loving my job here and I love being back at Mattawan!”

The December holiday concert gave Mattawan sixth grade choir and band students their first opportunity to per-form in the auditorium much to the de-

light of parents and families. The Mid-dle School choirs are directed by Liz Townsend and the bands are directed by Bill Boswell and Beth Jonker.

Chris Lin plays the euphonium in the Mat-tawan Symphonic Band

Second graders give a holiday concert on December 11 at the Portage Barnes & Noble store during the book fair.

Lindsey Mroczek gives a percussion lesson to Ayden and his third grade classmates.

The band (left) warms up in the band room as the choir performs in the auditorium.

8

Chris Lin Earns Top Seat In All-State Band Choir Students Place At Competition

Mattawan Makes Music!

Former Band Student Returns To Teach Elementary Music

Second Graders Sing At Book Fair

Sixth Graders Present Holiday Concert

Midway through her eighth grade year of school at Mattawan Middle School, Izzy Hoffman wondered if she would ever play basketball again. For months she had been getting sicker and sicker with no diagnosis in sight. Izzy spent most of her eighth grade spring semester at home, sleeping 22 hours per day and barely functioning.

After five months of tests and a journey that would take her from an infectious disease specialist to Bronson Methodist Hospital to Cincinnati Chil-dren’s Hospital Medical Center to the University of Michigan Hospital, the mystery was solved. Izzy had Wilson disease. The disease is a rare genetic dis-order that causes the body to retain ex-cess copper in various tissues. If left un-treated, Wilson disease is fatal. In Izzy’s

case, her liver was affected and became dangerously close to failure.

Treatment was slow to produce re-sults and is still ongoing. Medicines, a restricted diet, extra sleep and a modi-fied schedule are all part of Izzy’s life now. Support from her family, her med-ical teams, her school and her basketball coaches, helped Izzy accept her diagno-sis and move forward.

Izzy is now a senior and captain of the girl’s varsity basketball team. With sister Tori, a junior, at her side on the team, and younger brother Max cheering her on, one can see that Izzy has clearly moved on. Tori said, “I love playing bas-ketball with Izzy and I’m thankful for the time we have together. “She’s a great leader and very focused. She’s inspired me and I’m so proud of her.” Izzy said basketball was there for her when she was at her lowest point. “I started falling in love with basketball before I got sick, and it gave me an outlet and a reason to be active again.”

Off the court, this inspiring young lady is Mattawan High School’s class president and hopes to graduate Sum-ma Cum Laude in May. Izzy will at-tend Hope College next fall and apply her love of science and math toward a science major, as well as play basketball.

Regarding her determination, Izzy said, “Thank goodness I haven’t let Wil-son disease ruin my life. Instead, I think it’s made other things possible.” Her

mother, Jen Hoffman, agrees. “We talk about finding the positives from Izzy’s ordeal. For instance, Izzy was invited to become a member of Bronson Hospi-tal’s Patient Advisory Council - she’s the youngest member. Izzy has always talked about going into medicine and this door opened because of Wilson disease.”

Last November, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted Izzy’s wish and pro-vided Izzy and her family with an ex-perience to remember. Izzy’s story also recently grabbed the attention of Fox Sports Detroit and a special segment will run on their network this month.

Regarding Mattawan School’s role in Izzy’s recovery, her parents, Jen and Pete Hoffman are most thankful. Izzy’s mother noted, “If I could put a positive spin on this, it would be about the part-nership we have formed with the school. Izzy’s teachers and administrators have shown such compassion and her success story is due in large part to the entire high school staff. If we didn’t have the backing of the coaches, teachers and administrators, high school could have looked a lot different for Izzy.”

In terms of perseverance, Izzy said, “I didn’t have a choice - I had to overcome this. I decided that Wilson disease won’t define me; I will define Wilson disease.” With tears in her eyes, Izzy added, “I play like I do now because I’ve experi-enced knowing that a game could be my last. Determination pays off.”

The Mattawan Band Boosters have launched the Mattawan Legacy Walk campaign to raise funds for new march-ing band uniforms. Currently the band does not have enough uniforms and siz-es to outfit the approximately 180 mem-ber band, and the current uniforms are showing their wear.

The Legacy Walk will be comprised of personalized engraved bricks that will

be on permanent display outside the walkway into Mattawan High School.

Donors will be leaving a lasting im-pression of their own and for the com-munity. Bricks can be purchased “in honor” or “in memory” of friends and family. By purchasing a brick, individu-als, families, organizations or companies will be building a legacy at Mattawan Consolidated School.

Two brick sizes are available for purchase. The 4” x 8” brick is $150 and includes two lines of personalized text, while the larger 8” x 8” brick is $300 and includes three lines of personalized text.

To learn how to be an instrumen-

tal part of the Mattawan Legacy Walk, please contact the Legacy Walk at mat-tawanlegacywalk@gmail.com.

Izzy Hoffman warms up before a game.

Enormous change has evolved with-in Mattawan Consolidated School over the past few years. Voter approval has made it possible for the District’s tech-nology to keep pace with the latest in-dustry standards and to be prepared for technology trends as well as instruction-al and testing requirements.

“The only constant in thetechnology industry is change.”

- Marc Benioff -In recent years, MCS has been able

to update the networking electronics, classroom and hallway presentation systems, video surveillance, door access, phone system, and Wi-Fi connectivity. The two new elementary schools con-tain these systems and more. Voters supported the passing of a bond pro-posal last summer which will further enhance technology as follows:• The old Later Elementary School

will be refurbished and updated with the same technologies as in other buildings, including new net-work electronics, PA/clocks/bells, door access, security cameras, and classroom and office systems.

• New athletic team rooms will have door access, video surveillance, Wi-Fi, and phone systems.

• The press box will be updated with Wi-Fi, video surveillance and the addition of phones.

• Building front door secure vesti-bules will be configured to be con-sistent and adhere to latest safety recommendations.

• Over 2,000 Instructional technolo-gy devices will be updated providing students and staff with reliable tools.

• Additional card access doors will be installed providing more control over building access.

• Security film, which helps keep shattered glass in place and slows down an intruder, will be installed in all schools.

Voters have made it possible for MCS students to learn with the latest technology and in a safer environment.

The Mattawan Marching Band is pictured above during the 2017 Mattawan home-coming parade.

9

Life-Threatening Illness Does Not Define Teen

What’s New In Technology

Legacy Walk Proceeds Benefit Mattawan Bands

From Dr. Robin Buchler:Mattawan Consolidated School

continues to be a thriving, engaging, and exciting place to teach and learn. Our community has been supportive of the staff and students and is becoming an even more integral part of the education and experiences of Mattawan students. Opening the doors to more parent vol-unteers, community business partner-ships, presenters and community experts who share in the teaching of, and oppor-tunities for, our students has become a natural part of the learning experience.

Funding for public schools in gen-eral has been a challenge since 2011. Now there is language in our legislation that talks about dipping into the School Aid Fund (SAF) to support the private schools. “Our constitution could not be clearer on this issue: public money should only be spent on public schools,” said Dan Korobkin, ACLU of Michigan Deputy Legal Director. “State lawmak-ers must not be allowed to use our public school dollars to fund private interests. To divert tax dollars to private schools is an attack on public education and the children who attend public schools,” said Steve Norton, with Michigan Par-ents for Schools, which the ACLU of Michigan represents along with the Detroit-based community organization 482Forward.

Another challenge to our public schools is the proposal to eliminate the sales tax on gasoline, which will result in a cut to schools of at least $700 million. This proposal would result in a $725 million reduction in School Aid Fund dollars - or nearly $475 per pupil. This type of cut would be devastating to dis-tricts who are just now starting to recov-er from cuts in 2011.

According to the Michigan League for Public Policy, recent increases to per-pupil funding, when adjusted for inflation, leave schools well below fund-ing levels of 2012. Michigan schools can hardly absorb another three quarters of a billion-dollar cut,” (November 16, 2018 Government Relations, 2018 Mich-igan Association of Superintendents and Administrators). While all of this

is going on in our legislature, children continue to come to school to learn and teachers continue to come to school to teach. So how are we able to continue to provide a quality education for our stu-dents and families who deserve nothing less? The financial support comes to us in four different buckets. These buckets are described below.

Teachers write various grants to gain extra funding for classroom needs and experienc-es for their students. During the 2017-2018 school year, our teachers wrote over 40

grants to enhance the learning of, and opportunities for, their students. (See October 2018 edition of the Mattawan Connection).

Brick and Mortar projects are possi-ble by the passing of bonds. We have been so fortunate to pass two bonds that have supported our need for improved facili-

ties, increased safety, and updated tech-nology.

School groups, such as the Mattawan Athlet-ic Boosters, seek do-nations and run fund-raisers to raise money for the various needs of our athletes and other student activi-ties (e.g., new score-

boards, improved fields, replacement of leaky roofs on dugouts).

On May 7, 2019, vot-ers in each of the 12 Van Buren Interme-diate School Districts will be asked to con-sider an Enhancement Millage proposal of .5 mill for 5 years. A ma-jority of the voters in

Van Buren County will need to approve this proposal for it to be implemented. Van Buren ISD will serve as the fiducia-ry of the funds, which will be distributed to each local school district. Each school district will use these additional funds to fill gaps in their district needs.

What would this mean for Mat-tawan Schools? Mattawan will use these funds, if approved, to support two needs that directly impact our students:

1. To add another School Resource Deputy to increase protection and well-being of students and staff during the school day and at school events.

2. To support the programs and ser-vices for our special education popu-lation. Over the past 10 years, special education staffing has increased to meet the needs of our students, as well as the requirements mandated by the Michi-gan Department of Education and US Department of Education. The cost of special education programming has increased over the past 5 years from $2,263,207 to $2,750,588, an increase of $487,361. This is such a deserving group of young people who have needs many others do not. We want to do all we can to provide the very best educa-tion and life-long opportunities through our K-12 efforts.

Having these additional funds to add a school safety officer and help fund the programs and services for our spe-cial education population, the money in the General Fund will then be available for other programs, services, and proj-ects that impact our entire school pop-ulation.

Thank you so very much for your belief in us as a school system and for your continual support in keeping our students and staff safe, as well as being a part of our strong tradition of providing a quality educational experience for all students! The opportunity to help raise the next generation is a great honor!

Empowering the Future...With Mattawan Pride,Superintendent Robin K. Buchler, PhDMattawan Consolidated School

10

A few years ago Matt Boven found himself teaching his first Digital Me-dia course. Boven, a Mattawan High School English teacher, was unsure of his new assignment, but like most things he does, he decided to give it his all.

The course has since grown in pop-ularity and Boven currently devotes his entire class schedule to Digital Media. He said kids enjoy the class because, “Students have independence and an opportunity to be creative and make something memorable. Students uti-lize their strengths to work on passion projects, school projects and community projects.”

For those who want to delve into professional photography and learn to master an advanced camera, Digi-tal Media provides that education. “By learning to control a DSLR (digital sin-gle lens reflex) camera’s manual settings, students are then able to take the best photos possible,” noted Boven.

Boven schedules field trips through-out the year for students to practice ar-chitectural and nature photography. In addition to photography, students are exposed to the field of video production. Students have created (for themselves as well as classes and organizations across Mattawan’s campus) public service an-nouncements, commercials, Mattawan Ed Talks and promotional videos, to name a few.

A Digital Media Mastery class will soon be added to Boven’s schedule. This projects-based class will provide hands-on learning opportunities and the chance for students to investigate careers in digital media.

GRANTS

BONDS

CAPITAL PROJECTS

COUNTY-WIDE

ENHANCE-MENTS

Digital Media student Seth Johnson cap-tures a creek’s water flow using his camera’s manual and advanced settings.

Four Buckets Of Financial Support For Students And Teachers - A Superintendent’s Perspective

Digital Media Course Grows In Popularity

11

Looking to build skills and forge new bonds, Alan Blanchard took the Mattawan High School yearbook class on a field trip to the Kalamazoo Nature Center (KNC) last fall. One of the most

important skill sets used by yearbook students is photography. The main goal of the field trip was to allow students to learn by exploring.

While at the KNC, the students learned to use digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras that have a wide range of settings and ca-pabilities. Experimenting with options such as shutter speed and focus, the yearbook staff mem-bers familiarized themselves with the equipment they would use throughout the year. No matter their experience level, students on this field trip were able to ex-pand their knowledge thanks to

the KNC’s wide range of landscapes, terrains, plants, animals, and dynamic lighting.

Blanchard also hoped his students would sow new friendships, since they will work closely with one anoth-er throughout the school year.

The Portman Nature Preserve continues to offer an outdoor classroom setting for students of all ages. Cheryl VanEngen and her class visited the Portman to do some geocaching last fall. “We learned more about latitude and longitude as well as geography

concepts such as place and location. Geocaching offers “hide and seek” fun while we make observations about how the seasons and animal migrations affect a location over time,” noted VanEngen.

For the second year in a row Ni-cole Eddy organized the Holiday Book Drive. The idea came to this second grade teacher last year after learning that her aunt and a group of volunteers had donated books to a local women’s shel-ter, thereby giving the shelter’s women and children access to a “library.” Eddy decided she could share that same spirit

by creating the Holiday Book Drive.Eddy contacted Mattawan Food

Packs Coordinator Kristi Friend to see about giving books to the weekly food packs recipients during the month of December. Eddy said, “Kristi was excit-ed to help me get books into the food packs and my Holiday Book Drive was a huge success.”

The mission of Mattawan Food Packs is to pro-vide nutritious, kid-friendly food packs for the week-end, to qualifying students. Eddy said, “We packed nearly 200 bags with like-new books specifi-cally chosen by grade level and gender for each student. Ele-mentary students took home 10 books each.” The books were donated from families in Eddy’s classroom and col-leagues supported the drive from their own children’s col-lections.

A student’s success begins at home and at times families need a little help to ensure a child’s basic needs are met. Supplies For Success is a volunteer or-ganization whose purpose is to help the children at all of Mattawan’s schools by providing appropriate school clothing and supplies. The goal is to give children the confidence they need to succeed and to relieve economic stress on their par-ents by providing clean and weather ap-propriate clothing, shoes that fit, back-packs and school supplies.

Supplies for Success determines needs through school staff. If a staff member sees a need, and has permission from the parent/family/guardian, then a request is sent to Supplies for Success.

Founder and president Andrea Lip-pert said, “Our success is only possible through the generosity of our commu-nity.”

Second grade teacher Deb Milka en-couraged her children to donate much needed mittens and gloves through her “Snowvember” drive as part of her “Be Kind” initiative. Her class collected 28 pairs. Joanna Hall’s high school students took part in a competition by class hour and collected gloves, hats, socks, under-wear and headphones.

Residents of the school district may find out what clothing sizes and supplies

are needed at any given time by contact-ing Supplies for Success at supplies-forsuccessorg@gmail.com. The list of needed items currently includes: school clothing, new socks and underwear, ten-nis shoes, snow gear, boots, jackets and school supplies.

Donations may be made at the Ed-ward Jones Investment office at 8109 Vineyard Pkwy, Kalamazoo, or by send-ing a message to suppliesforsuccessorg@gmail.com to coordinate a drop-off on the campus of Mattawan Schools.

Nicole Eddy organized the Holiday Book Drive and is pictured here with her second grade students.

Mattawan High School yearbook students visit the Kalamazoo Nature Center.

Cheryl VanEngen and her fourth graders are ready for geocaching at the Portman Nature Preserve.

Deb Milka, top, and her second graders show off their “Snowvember” donations.

Andrea Lippert, top left, collects donations from Joanna Hall’s class in November.

Outdoor Projects Spur Creativity And Exploration

Book Drive Fills December Food Packs With Special Treats

Kids Need Supplies To Be Successful All Year

Mattawan Consolidated School269-668-3361

www.mattawanschools.org

56720 Murray StreetMattawan, Michigan 49071

12

Alumni & Community NewsOn a chilly night in October, the Mattawan foot-

ball field became the site of a movie set. Mattawan alum and aspiring filmmaker Kyle Misak, along with his production crew, filmed scenes for Misak’s latest project, Sullivan. Misak’s call for volunteers was an-swered in the form of exuberant students and families, marching band members, cheerleaders and football players. Additional scenes were captured throughout the week on the campus of Mattawan Schools.

Misak, a 2012 Mattawan High School graduate, began making short movies in school. He has since directed over a dozen films and worked with many ac-claimed actors, but his dream of making a football film was always on his horizon. The inspiration for Sullivan came from Misak’s own childhood fantasy of being the greatest football player of all time. Misak describes the film as being a comedy about that kid’s wild imagina-tion and the false persona he takes on.

Filming took a good deal of planning and coordi-nation. Misak contacted his alma mater and ultimate-

ly pitched his idea to the administration. Misak said, “Coach Ryan Brown, Athletic Director Chad Yager, Principal Tim Eastman and Superintendent Robin Buchler were extremely supportive and enthusiastic and they gave me the green light. They were all very involved in the process leading up to shooting and I couldn’t have done any of it without their help.” Teacher Matt McNulty, who was Misak’s high school football coach, also became involved in the project and assisted Misak with making sure the football scenes were realistic. In addition Misak sought help from the choir, band and cheer leading staff to make the game sequences come to life and feel authentic.

When asked if his Mattawan education prepared him for his current career path, Misak said, “Yes, defi-nitely. I learned so much about writing and storytell-ing through my English classes. I especially grew a lot in those areas through the Writing Center where I first began to write scripts and dream up ideas and stories that I thought I might want to tell. I had the

best teachers all through school, and so I have them to thank for not only giving me a great education, but also for being such great role models in my life.”

A cast and crew of dozens worked alongside Misak during the entire shoot. In addition to featuring the 2018 Wildcat football team, the film stars Nicholas Van Zyl, Lester Speight, Tyler Cassidy, Jesse Charles, Brit MacRae, Gary D. Marshall and Denny Doyle. Co-producer and production designer Don Chase, cinematographer Erin Hughes and music composer Greg De lulio, along with a full production crew, col-laborated with Misak to make the project possible.

As of now, Misak is deep into the editing process which will be followed by the final post production process. His hope is to complete the project by the end of this month and then submit it to film festivals, in-cluding his biggest target, the Sundance Film Festival. Misak said, “My goal is just to be able to get the right person’s attention and potentially have the opportunity to do something bigger and better in the near future.”

The Mattawan Board of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, age, disability, height, weight, or marital status, or any other legally pro-tected characteristic in its programs and activities, including em-ployment opportunities. Please contact the Director of Compliance, 56720 Murray Street, Mattawan, MI 49071, (269) 668-3361 with inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies.

Kyle Misak directs a scene during the filming of Sullivan at the Mattawan High School football field. Photo provided by Daniel Vasta/MLive.com

Members of the Mattawan Football team celebrate with Nicholas Van Zyl, who portrays Sullivan, during a scene.

Nicholas Van Zyl, left, and Kyle Misak take a break to pose for a photo.

Mattawan Graduate Returns To Film Movie At His Alma Mater