Rudyard Area Schools

This week's alumni spotlight is Scott Ehle '98! It is hard to pick a single memory as the best! In retrospect, it was probably all the little moments with friends that I took for granted. We had a lot of fun as a class, and we were close. A big reason for this was that we dealt with loss as a class more than once. Losing Jackie in fifth grade and Becky in ninth grade was beyond difficult, but really helped the class of 1998 appreciate each other and every day as a gift. I always looked forward to Spirit week, and cheering on fellow Bulldogs in every sport. My favorite classes were Mr. Rose's English class, where he brought writing we had already decided was "boring" to life for us. With Shakespeare, he would have to explain some of the jokes (which usually makes them less funny) but Mr. Rose's sharp wit was infectious. I also enjoyed yearbook with Mrs. Talentino. Also, the teacher who had the biggest impact on me was Mr. Fountain in middle school. I appreciate his love of reading and writing, and he introduced me to many authors like Kurt Vonnegut, who I still enjoy today. Advice I would have for students is to practice kindness toward others and yourself. As a minister, I see the pressure that many students are under to achieve. It is a good thing to try your hardest, but if your hardest produces a C, be proud of that C! As Teddy Roosevelt (might have) said, "Comparison is a thief of joy." After High School I attended Northern Michigan University with the intent of becoming a teacher. But during my college years I got involved in Lutheran Campus ministry and was a counselor at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp during the summers. All of a sudden church went from a boring activity that my parents insisted upon to something quite exciting. I changed my major to History, and after receiving my Bachelor's degree, attended Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa where I received a Master's of Divinity in 2007. My first call was at Zion Lutheran in Fairwater, WI, and have been serving Bethel Lutheran in Menominee, MI since 2012. I was a bit of a class clown, so I think some of my classmates were surprised at my career choice, but there are a lot of opportunities for laughter in ministry! I'm married to Stefanie, who I met at Fortune Lake, and we are the proud parents of Mark and Lewis.

This week's alumni spotlight is Lisa (Kangas) Lemmerman '92! What was your best memory from school? I have too many great memories to pick just one! All the goods time with friends that have become lifelong friends. What was your favorite class/activity? My favorite class was with English with Mr. Rose. He was a great teacher and always treated students with respect and kindness. What advice do you have for students? My advice to students is to live in the moment. When you wish time away, you forget to enjoy what’s happening around you. What did you do right out of high school, and what do you do now? After high school I earned my associate degree in Early Childhood Education from LSSU. I worked at a child care center before starting here at Rudyard in the GSRP (Preschool) classroom as the assistant teacher. I have since gone back to school to earn my bachelor’s degree and am now the lead teacher. It’s never too late to further your education!

This weeks alumni spotlight is Travis Johnson '08! What was your best memory from school? I had a ton of great memories from school, playing t ball during cross country meets, being a part of the plays and musicals, all the various dances, pretending to be President Bush while giving a state of the union address for government, the list could go on and on. What was your favorite class/activity? I was involved in so much I don’t know if I can pick a favorite activity, but my favorite classes were drama, art, and any government class with Mr. DeYoung. What advice do you have for students? You don’t need to know what you are doing or where you want to go. Go into every situation with an open mind and make the best of it because you never know when opportunities will knock. During your journey make sure you are learning from everyone and everything, improve from your failures, analyze your successes, don’t let set backs define you or crush you. Even if what you are doing isn’t apart of your ultimate goal do it to the best of your ability because you never know what will be valuable to you in the future or what experiences will help you along the way. I had teacher in high school that use to say “if you get cast as the 7th spear carrier, you be the best darn 7th spear carrier that anyone has ever seen.” And that has been surprising helpful to me throughout my career. What did you do right out of high school, and what do you do now? I graduated from Northern Michigan University with a Degree in criminal justice with a focus in psychology. I got a temporary backroom job at Walmart after I graduated while I tried to find something in my field. But along the way Walmart kept promoting me and giving me more money and I decided see where the company could take me. I am currently a Traveling Remodel Manager and working on remodeling the store in Petoskey.

Yesterday our CTE Education students were able to meet with Alan Mather who is the President of the The Golden Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching; to talk about the GA Scholars Program. The Golden Apple Scholars Program is launching in Michigan in January 2024. This is an undergraduate teacher preparation program that recruits and supports students who commit to earning an education degree and teaching license from a Michigan EPP and teaching for five years in a school-of-need. Scholars receive: financial assistance undergraduate academic & social emotional supports extensive classroom teaching experience instruction from award-winning educators and expert partners job placement assistance upon graduation mentoring in the first years of teaching Seniors who are interested in becoming teachers are encouraged to apply to be a scholar with the program! Thank you to Mr. Mather for coming from New Mexico to share with our students!

Rudyard Jr/Sr High School is proud to announce that Cameron Peterson is the class of 2024 Valedictorian and Aiden Bickel is the class of 2024 Salutatorian! Both students have over a 4.0 GPA, excelled in both high school and dual enrollment college classes over their time at Rudyard. Each of them are also are EUP Principal Award Recipients. Cameron and Aiden are often know by the community for excelling in athletics, but their academic success is a testament of what it means to be a student-athlete. Congratulations to both of you!

This weeks alumni spotlight is Jesse Carter-Powell '18! It's hard to choose just one memory. From being late to Spanish every morning because ol' Johnny Folkersma and I needed our coffee from the library, the countless pranks on Mr. Dugan or the never-ending track and cross country memories. If I had to pick one, it would have to be making the paper in the SAC conference track meet in the Sault after chasing down another team that had a 50-75m lead and winning the race. My favorite class: obvious answer would have to be P.E. but they all had their own place in my favorites list. Definitely NOT for the classwork, but for the fun environment the teachers allowed us to make most days fun in their own ways and allowed me to be a constant class clown. The advice I can give for students now and anyone who will come through in the future is, it's never that deep. By that I mean you can't take what people think of you too personally and deeply, and don't ever let anyone tell you that you aren't enough/not doing enough. Only YOU know what giving your 100% is and never forget to have fun with whatever your doing at the same time. I enlisted into the U.S. Marine Corps straight out of high school. (I mean that literally. I arrived at bootcamp the day before I was supposed to walk at graduation). I signed a contract to be a part of a job called "Combat Camera," (now called Communication Strategies and Operations) and I love it. During my 5 and a half years in the Corps so far I have done primarily Graphic Design and Photography (you can find my images by searching my name on DVIDShub.net). After two years in North Carolina, and deploying to Norway for about 6 months during that time, and spending two years working with the Recruiting Station in Michigan. I am currently stationed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California (had to get back away from the cold).

The 7th grade also had an end of quarter celebration today! The students were treated to hot coco, s'mores, and a bonfire! The weather was good enough for some fun in the snow too! Thank you to Mrs Hammer, Mrs Pearsall, Mrs DeWitt, Mrs, Morley, Mr VanSloten and Mr Garries for helping make it a success!

In an effort to ensure our students' safety and comfort, we have added another bus route! Please check your child's backpacks for his/her new bus times. If you do not see any notes, assume the time has not changed. If you have any questions, please call the office and leave a message. We will get back to you!

The Rudyard CTE Allied Health - EMT class will be hosting a blood drive on January 30th from 11-2 PM at Rudyard High School. The community is welcome to come and donate. Community members should enter the school from the Football parking lot to the Tech Wing. (Signs will be posted) This event is in partnership with the Upper Peninsula Regional Blood Center.

This week's alumni spotlight is Taylor (Bitner) Casey '17! My best memory from high school is all of my days spent in the gym for basketball. Practices, games, and open gym. I miss the atmosphere, music and nerves I felt before a game! I also miss playing in Pep band. My favorite class was definitely wood shop! Shout out to Mr. K! My advice for students is to keep it real, stay focused, and be present. Be realistic about your future decisions. If you want to head to college you need to start thinking and working for that immediately. But, it’s not just about grades, you also have to be involved and take leadership positions because at the end of the day in the real world that’s what makes you stand out. Stay focused. Keep your focus on the future, especially if you feel like your high school experience might not be the best. Drama and problems with other students are so common, and even though it’s easier said than done, you have to ignore it. High school isn’t all about making friends or “who’s cool” it’s about making a name for yourself and being focused on working on yourself to become the best version of you that you can be. Although you need to focus on your future, also be present. Live in the moment. Before you know it, high school is over, and there are no re-dos. Make connections, but stay true to yourself. Right out of high school I left home, at 17. Attended Northern Michigan University, where I worked on receiving my Masters in Athletic Training and Bachelors in Science. I pushed myself and received two degrees in 5 years. I graduated in May 2022. Right out of college I started two jobs, one in my Athletic Training field, with UPRehab, and my other job working in Hospice at Trillium House. For my Athletic Training job I specialize in preventing, assessing, diagnosing, and treating musculoskeletal injuries and illnesses. For my Hospice job I am the Lead Care Aide, where I help create a peaceful, homelike environment for individuals who are at the end of their journey here on earth

Reminder: Rudyard Area Schools is scheduled to have a 1/2 day of school on both 1/18 & 1/19.

Tonight's Varsity Girls Basketball game at Cheboygan has been cancelled due to weather.

At 1:45PM, the school was made aware of a verbal threat. The school went into secure mode and an investigation began. At 2:50PM the investigation concluded that no one was in any danger. The resource officer removed the suspect from school grounds and there will be consequences.

A great opportunity for our students to have an evening with friends to play games and watch some football. Football game start at 8:00PM, Cornhole tournament starts at 6:00PM. Parents are welcome to pick up their students at anytime, but please have plans to pick them up immediately after the game.

Rudyard Area Schools will be on a 2 hour delay today, Wednesday January 10, 2024. All bus pick ups will be 2 hours later than the normal times and school will begin at 10:18 (3rd hour).

We are asking all parents of a Rudyard Area School Student(s) and all Community Members to please fill out a quick survey. Parents will choose the parent survey and community members will choose the community survey. Your input helps with our District Improvement Process. Thank you for supporting our school and students Parents Survey - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdOox5yfnGcI2PpTtBy6wsukcCdSp2FzT-KxB0SJfFo4TSGIg/viewform?usp=sf_link Community Survey - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhavtHmIaMjoJrMHWxQ-SApct8USM0TjO7tS96IO-Tt7nX6A/viewform?usp=sf_link

This weeks Alumni Spotlight is Mackenzie Knutsen '17 What was your best memory from school? I had a lot of great memories from school, most of them involving sports. I think my favorite is breaking two records my senior year in volleyball and going to UP finals for track. What was your favorite class/activity? Honestly, I think my favorite classes were all the college math classes I took with Ms. Verdoni. I learned more in those classes about real life situations, finances, credit cards, etc. than I have in the rest of my education. My other favorite would definitely be science classes with Mr. Peterson and his great sense of humor. What advice do you have for students? It's ok to not know what you want to do right out of high school or to change your plan later on, but always stay true to yourself. You want to be happy with your career and what you choose to do, so it may take time to find the right thing for you. I never thought I would end up as a lawyer, but it is something that makes me genuinely happy. Always remember where you come from, being from a small town in the UP gives you a lot of insight and values that others do not have. Don't feel like you have to go to college either, there are plenty of careers out there where you do not need an education. Don't be afraid to step out of the box or do something different! Also, get involved with different groups while you’re in high school and as an adult. If you're into sports, join adult leagues, or look into other activities. It gives you a chance to still build a community even if you are no longer home by your childhood friends. What did you do right out of high school, and what do you do now? Right out of high school, I attended Grand Valley State University with the intentions of becoming an Athletic Trainer. I earned my bachelor's in Exercise Science in 2021. During my last semester of undergrad, I worked at the courthouse and absolutely fell in love with the criminal justice system. I went back to GVSU and got a second bachelor’s in legal studies. After my legal studies classes, I decided to apply to law school at Michigan State University. I graduated from GVSU a second time in 2022, then started law school at MSU Fall of 2022. After my first year, I completed an internship at the Kent County Office of the Defender in Grand Rapids and decided to stay working there for the start of my second year. I have now accepted an internship at the Marquette Public Defender's Office beginning May 2023, once I finish my second year of law school. Once I graduate, I plan to continue working in the criminal defense world.

Exciting opportunity for our elementary students to get some basketball experience! Link to register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18MH8N8MTSBYg2E8eIurKcrV808uvPrRTCHX1L3FOgiY/prefill

Please see the attached info for those individuals & businesses that would like to register for Career Day 2024. Thank you so much, we are excited to host the event again! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6b7v-QrBbbYU4HlK2idKaH_gcjNfwZzBBcRlISb06d9dizg/viewform

February 9, 2024 our Boys Basketball team will be playing Pickford at home. This event will be a fundraiser, "Hooping for a Cure" with money raised staying locally for the Road to Recovery. Please consider donating to this great cause if you are able.