Rudyard Area Schools

This week's alumni spotlight is Elizabeth (Beth) Davis '66! Some of my favorite memories from high school were being in the band and also working as an accompanist for the chorus. To this day, 58 years since graduating, I value my friendships made at Rudyard Area Schools. For most of my school career, Kincheloe was an active base, so our classes were mixed with Rudyard area students and the Base. Learning of the places many of the Base students had lived really opened up my eyes to the world outside Rudyard. I liked most of my classes at Rudyard, although Band was probably my favorite. Many of my friends were in Band and it was not only a class, but an activity. We marched in the Homecoming Parade and the Memorial Day parade. When the International Bridge to Canada opened, there were two parades we marched in. One was in the Michigan Soo and the other on the Canadian side. I really enjoyed Biology with Mr. Barry. He prepared me well for my college Biology classes. Mr. Tromblay taught me one of my most valuable skills in Typing class. This was long before computers and we learned on manual typewriters and would rotate through the few electric typewriters that had just been purchased. Typing is a life long skill and has served me well I also enjoyed Senior English with Mr. Flanders. I still remember his reading of Beowulf in Old English! Right out of high school, I attended Lake Superior State University when it was still part of Michigan Tech. I attended there for 2 years and then transferred to Northern Michigan University to complete my degree in Elementary Education. I taught for Rudyard Area Schools for six years. Three were at R. J. Wallis on Base and 3 were teaching Kindergarten in Rudyard. At that point, the Base was announced for closure, so through the suggestion of a friend, I applied at the American School Foundation in Mexico City for a teaching job. The school was about 3000 students PreK-12 and was fully bilingual. We had students from Mexico, and the United States as well as students from other countries. The school catered to the very wealthy, as well as to Embassy families and families connected with International businesses. Most of my students had personal body guards and chauffeurs. It was a very unique experience. I taught several different grades at thee Elementary and became the Elementary Assistant Principal. I learned Spanish in Mexico and also traveled extensively. I moved to San Antonio, Texas in 1983 and began teaching there. I became certified as a Bilingual teacher and also obtained my Masters Degree in Bicultural/Bilingual/ESL. I then taught English as a Second Language to Elementary students and also Adults in a night program. I was then moved in to Reading position and became certified as a Reading Recovery teacher and later, obtained My Master Reading Teacher and Reading Specialist certificates. I was teaching students with reading problems and students who had been diagnosed with Dyslexia. IN Texas, Dyslexia is separate from Special Education. I retired in2004 and then worked for the school district for 14 years as a Bilingual Evaluator for Dyslexia and Reading Disorders. I finally completely retired in 2016 with 48 years in education. I currently still reside in the San Antonio area. I have tutored students in Reading since I retired, but I no longer do so. I have traveled throughout the United States, Europe and Mexico. I have enjoyed my life and feel very lucky to have been able to continue to learn, not only formally, not only informally through people I meet, but also through reading and travel. I am grateful for the education that Rudyard Area Schools provided to me. It helped set me on a path to the career I enjoyed and also gave me the curiosity to travel to new places. When I graduated, women were slotted into being teachers, nurses or secretaries pretty much. Students today have a much wider world open to them Take advantage! You may not hit your final career right away, but you will get there. Listen to advice from others and take every chance to learn inside and outside the classroom. Once you have your career, take advantage of any education they offer you. Hospitals, many times, will pay for your RN is you are a CAN working there. Other career fields may offer further education or even pay for your Masters. Take advantage. Above all, fine a career you enjoy, whatever it may be, travel, read and always challenge yourself!

This week's spotlight is Andrew Meehan '15! There are many good memories, many of which come from basketball. The first that comes to mind is breaking Carlos Molina’s ankles in practice on a drive to the basket. Still my crowing achievement and Carlos was never the same defender after that. My second biggest honor also came from basketball, where I hold the (unofficial) RHS record for most minutes spent on the bench, once held by my older brother. My favorite class was definitely woodshop or CAD with Mr. K and our many college football arguments and discussions. My advice is to enjoy and make the most of the present. Life goes by fast and before you know it 10 years will have gone by. High school and particularly the years soon after certainly have their ups and downs but in the end they are some of the best years of your life. Try your best to enjoy them all, and don’t be afraid to take chances and fail. Apply for the job you don’t think you’ll get, take the difficult class, or learn the difficult skill. There will never be another today! After high school, I attended Central Michigan University where I completed both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Economics. Following that I began a career in Healthcare IT where I have worked for the last 5 years in a data analytics role. I work remotely, so my wife and I spend a portion of the year living in South Carolina and a good chunk of the summer living here in the UP!

This week's alumni spotlight is Deanna (Sutton) Kreski '87! Our class of 1987 was a great group and we continue to get along and we did a lot of things together throughout the years! I loved being a part of my class. One of my favorite memories would most likely be being involved in sports, youth group, drama, just staying active and being a part of the fabric of our school! Being a part of ANY team/group is the best feeling! My favorite classes in high school were Senior English/ Larry Flanders and Business Cap Trombly I also liked any class with Mr. Kantola because he would make boring things fun, and a few of us were teacher pets! Glenn Cornwell, and Rod Kaupilla, we’re not only great teachers, they were great coaches and now great friends. Advice to students today: So many alumni prior to me have hit it on the head! Be kind, Be positive, Be involved, Be a good friend and person! I loved my time at RHS and recently went back for a celebration of life for Larry Flanders. Wow! The school from elementary middle and high school is so amazing. You can tell that the faculty and staff CARE about being there and it feels so much like a great place to work! I loved being there. When I walk into the Harris Kahl gymnasium it still feels like home! 🧡🖤 it is my favorite gym and still smells like home! Right out of high school I went to play college basketball at LSSU/NMU for the next 5 years. I continue to have amazing friendships with a lot of my teammates. I graduated NMU with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Social Work I got my first job out of college at Marquette General Hospital working in the Children’s Psychology Ward. I met my husband at NMU and we both decided to move back near my “home” thinking it would be a “stepping stone” but we have lived and worked in St. Ignace the last 30 years I have worked as a Student Family Advocate , At Risk for the St. Ignace Elementary/ Middle School. This is the start of my 30th year there. I love my job, and always have. I have been married for 27 years and have one child~ Gage Kreski he married his College sweetheart Presley Hudson and they just made me a grandma ~ Journey Mae was born July 28th 2024

Board of Education Agenda Tuesday October 22, 2024 6:30 pm at Rudyard Area Schools I. WELCOME & CALL TO ORDER A. Salute the Flag B. Roll Call C. Motion to Accept the Agenda II. STUDENT/STAFF RECOGNITION III. PUBLIC COMMENT IV. REPORTS/CORRESPONDENCE A. Letter of Resignation: Perkins (Target League Team) B. Letter of Retirement: Langstaff V. ACTION ITEMS A. Consent Agenda 1. Regular Meeting Minutes – September 25, 2024 2. Special Meeting Minutes – September 25, 2024 3. September 2024 Payroll – $ 419,627.99 4. September 2024 Accounts Payable - $ 920,666.27 5. Letter of Resignation: Perkins (Target League Team) 6. Letter of Retirement: Langstaff B. Business a. Beacom Building Removal b. Thrun Policy Conversion c. Business Manager Position d. Hire: Schedule C Groups e. Playground Structures VI. PUBLIC COMMENT VII. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS VIII. SUPERINTENDENT REPORT IX. ADJOURN

This week's alumni spotlight is Eric Manninen '94! Its tough to narrow down good memory from high school as there are many good ones. I do recall my aunt and uncle coming up to visit and they were with my mom in the stands at our football game and I intercepted a pass for a touchdown. Running down the sidelines felt like the whole place was packed with Rudyard fans pushing me into the end zone and it was louder than Michigan Stadium. I loved playing sports in Rudyard. My favorite class was French with Mrs. Barry. Learning a new language was just so cool to me and thinking about someday visiting France, which I eventually was able to do in 2005. My advice for students is to just be nice to others, try to understand their perspective, and give them the benefit of the doubt. Despite personal successes/talent the most important factor sometimes is how you treat people. Right out of high school I went to Hope College and after college graduation joined the Army where I still am active to this day as an internal medicine/critical care physician.

This week's alumni spotlight is Bryan Strong '82! I cannot narrow it down to one best memory. I truly enjoyed my time at RHS, including classes, sports, and music. I had a blast doing all of these activities, whether it was learning from great teachers like Dennis Zyskowski (chemistry), Larry Flanders (English), Stan Powers (physics), Leonard Tromblay (typing), Max Cottrell & Terry Gough (math), and Dave Erfourth (band & chorus), or playing football, basketball, and running track with coaches like Ken Bickel (football), Gary McDonald (basketball), and Roy Hamilton & Dave Bourgeault (track). These wonderful teachers & coaches expected discipline, and allowed us to celebrate successes. All of these activities helped cement life-long friendships with many classmates including: Mark Sprague (brother-in-law), John Jeffreys, Keith Jarvie, Al VanSloten, Ken Salo, and Carrie Mills to name a few. The largest activity that the Class of 1982 accomplished, primarily with the effort of our class advisor Dennis Zyskowski and our efforts with many fund raisers, was our senior class trip to the Bahamas; what a thrill! I felt my teachers and coaches prepared me well for my future endeavors while allowing my classmates/teammates and I to have fun. The best relationship that happened to me in high school was that I started dating my future wife, Beth Sprague, RHS Class of 1984 (it took a while, but we got there! 36 years & still going). Rudyard High School provided me a solid foundation for adult life. Advice for students: Embrace any opportunity in which you might have a remote interest. Have the courage to try, and possibly not succeed, and expect nay-sayers to discourage you. You just never know what will "click" with you for a successful career; however you define "successful". What I did right out high school & what I do now: Immediately after high school I was fortunate enough to be nominated to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Upon graduation in 1986, I spent 8+ years as an active duty U.S. Army officer (I thought this was my career). I felt a change was needed and decided to pursue a career in corporate America with Walmart logistics and then Frito-Lay logistics, which were great jobs but didn't agree with what I was looking for in a career (time to embrace another opportunity). I finally found my career/passion in finance, and have been a financial advisor with Edward Jones for 21+ years in Alpena, Michigan. I was fortunate enough to marry Beth (Sprague) early in my Army career, and she has been a wonderful partner & supporter through everything. We have three grown children: Jacob, Emma, and Benjamin, and Jacob and his wife have provided us with two wonderful grandsons. Emma and Benjamin are each getting married this October, so Beth and I are hoping there are more grandchildren on the way soon.

This week's spotlight is Tom Piippo '74! My best memory has to be all the friends and people I would hang out with, many still lifelong friendships. We just had our 50th class reunion and we had a great time catching up with friends we hadn't seen in years. I recall we all had our "spot" in the hall where we would hang before school or during lunch. If you wanted to talk to someone, you just had to go to their 'spot' to find them. Some people didn't have a 'spot'. They just roamed the halls. If you wanted to talk to them, you just waited until they passed by. I was a hands-on kind of guy. I liked all the shop classes, science and math was kind of cool too! We did some crazy experiments in Mr. Downy's physics class. We had the school's first electronic calculator in 1972, costing hundreds of dollars. A similar model today would be less than $10! We would measure the wavelength of an oscillating slinky stretched 30 feet in the hallway, and then measure the wavelength of a laser beam. My advice to students is to never stop learning. One of my favorite expressions is "You don't know what you don't know." I have always had a hunger to learn so this phrase might not apply to me, but I know it applies to everyone. It doesn't mean that someone might know more than you, but you had better accept that they just might know some DIFFERENT things! Graduation was June 7, 1974. I started classes at Ferris State University (College then) on Monday, June 10. I earned an Associates degree in Automotive Service Technology, graduating in November 1975. I also tested and passed my ASE (National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence) certifications and have been a Master Certified Automotive Technician since I was 19 years old. I have since earned many more certifications and now ASE hires me to help with test content development (I write the test questions). I married Kris in November 1977 and opened Tri-County Motors on May 22, 1978! I was 21 years old with a pregnant wife and I jumped into the business world with both feet! I didn't know what I didn't know, but after a few struggles, we figured it out and business was successful. We were able to raise two children (Tim and Becca) both graduating from Rudyard, now married with families of their own. 46 years later I still work for the same person... ME (and Kris)! Thinking back to high school, I had signed up for "Small Business" my senior year, but dropped it the first week. I probably shouldn't have done that!

This week's alumni spotlight is Kelly Golladay McGraw '97! My favorite memories from school was lunch time because it was the only time to socialize with your friends. My favorite activity was cross country! I enjoyed running in the mud with my friends. My advice for students today is to never let anyone tell you what you are capable of achieving. You are responsible for your own success. After high school I went LSSU and now I am a detective with the Bloomfield Township Police Department.

This week's alumni spotlight is Kenneth Siddall '66! We transferred to Kincheloe from Germany in July 1961, living initially in Sault Ste. Marie until October when on base housing became available. I have many great memories of my time at Rudyard H.S.. The old High School with worn stair treads from decades of students going up and down them. The log cabin community center where P.E., dances and basketball games were played. And moving into the new, modern High School. But most of all I cherish my memories of the teachers, the students and community that welcomed us and made me feel as though I’d found a home away from home. Our teachers, most in their first teaching job, weren’t much older than we were. They’ve attended our class reunions and we are grateful for their attendance, the stories they shared, and the continued interest they’ve shown in us. Many classmates maintain regular contact and I appreciate their continued friendship. My favorite classes were those that were hands-on. While I thoroughly enjoyed the hands-on labs in Mr. Barry’s Biology class, the results of our dissections weren’t exactly something you could frame and hang on the wall. Therefore, the classes I enjoyed most were Mr. Cooper’s wood shop and welding classes. I still have my ducks displayed on the wall and my waste basket in my study. When I graduated I didn’t have any idea what career path I wanted to follow but I knew I was equipped with a good education, a solid work ethic and ambition. With the draft ever present I joined the Air Force where I had my initial exposure to Computer Systems and their capabilities. That’s when I decided what I wanted my career to be. You may be undecided on what career path you want to follow like I was, or you may have chosen a career and changed to another and that’s OK. What’s most important is that you’re happy with your choice. Shortly after graduation my father retired and we moved to Indiana. After a year I enlisted in the Air Force and with high entrance test scores I was placed in the Air Force Security Service, the Intelligence branch of the Air Force. My duty assignments were at Misawa, Japan and at the National Security Agency at Ft. Meade, Md where I was discharged after 6 years service. To pursue a career in Information Systems I enrolled in the University of Maryland while working part-time at the Social Security Administration. After receiving my degree, I went to work at the Goddard Space Flight Center where I learned skills that served me well throughout my career. After a series of jobs with increasing responsibility, I retired from the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. As a Computer Scientist I was responsible for Storage Management, Computer Performance, and Disaster Recovery on large IBM mainframe systems. Today my wife and I are retired and living in a small town, about the size of Rudyard, in East Tennessee. Several of our class remain active planning and coordinating class activities. Most recently we attended the Celebration of Life for Coach Hamilton and Mr. Flanders. God willing we’ll be back for the 60th Reunion in 2026.

Attention Senior Parents: The University of Michigan U.P. Scholars Program will be hosting a meeting on Sept 19 at the Sault Country Club. Please see the flyer for information. Or the following link to register: https://enrollmentconnect.umich.edu/portal/bbty

This week's alumni spotlight is Kristy (Wallis) Currie '00! One of my best memories from high school was the week of Homecoming when we would get together and make our class floats. So many fun nights and great times! My favorite subjects were definitely History and English. I loved Mr. Taylors class and being a part of the drama clubs production of Grease. My advice for students: we were all created for greatness, success, and opportunities. Never let self doubt creep in and allow you to believe that “you can’t.” You CAN and even more, you WILL. Dream bold. Speak bold. Be fearless. l I went to Alma College right out of High school and then transferred to Lake State where I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in History and Psychology. I currently am a Licensed Esthetician and work for Prim Aesthetics. I also own the Lake Superior Woolen and Apostrophe’ Fit storefront in Mackinaw City where my roots as a farm girl and my love of fitness have come to fruition.

Can't wait to see everyone on Tuesday (9/3). A reminder the first day of school is a 1/2 day, school will release at 12:00 PM. Grades 7-12 now start at 8:12 AM Grades K-6 still start at 8:15 AM No Regional CTE class on the first day.

Can't wait to see everyone tonight (8/28) at our Open House from 5-7 PM! Open to the public.

7th Grade Orientation and New Students in Grades 8-12 IS TODAY from 11:00 - 3:30 PM. Students and/or Parent can drop in any time during the event to take part in the activities and learn about your new building. Haven't enrolled yet, there is still time and you can enroll during this time too if you like!

7th Grade Orientation and New Students in Grades 8-12 will take place this year on Aug 27th from 11:00 - 3:30 PM. Students and/or Parent can drop in any time during the event to take part in the activities and learn about your new building. Haven't enrolled yet, there is still time and you can enroll during this time too if you like!

Attention Parents in Grades 7-12, please see the welcome back letter for the 24-25 school year!

7th Grade Orientation and New Students in Grades 8-12 will take place this year on Aug 27th from 11:00 - 3:30 PM. Students and/or Parent can drop in any time during the event to take part in the activities and learn about your new building. Haven't enrolled yet, there is still time and you can enroll during this time too if you like!

Classes will start in just a few weeks for students taking dual enrollment college classes through our partnering schools. If you have any questions about your college classes, students should contact Mrs. Edington for help.

Don't Forget our Homeschool Night Event is tonight! Are you a homeschooling parent considering the possibility of enrolling your child in a traditional school setting for junior high or high school? We understand that making decisions about your child’s education is crucial and often challenging. To support you in exploring all available options, we are hosting an informative meeting tailored specifically for homeschooling families. What to Expect: Comprehensive Overview: Learn about the academic programs, extracurricular activities, and unique opportunities offered at Rudyard Jr/Sr High School. Personalized Discussions: Engage in one-on-one conversations with our dedicated faculty and staff to address your specific concerns and questions. Student Support Services: Discover the range of support services available, including academic counseling, special education resources, and mental health support. Parent Testimonials: Hear from parents who have transitioned their children from homeschooling to traditional schooling and gain insights from their experiences. Campus Tour: Take a guided tour of our facilities, classrooms, and specialized areas such as science labs, art studios, and athletic facilities. Why Attend? Informed Decision-Making: Gather all the necessary information to make the best choice for your child’s educational journey. Community Connection: Meet other homeschooling families considering the same transition and build a supportive network. Tailored Support: Understand how our school can cater to your child’s unique needs and help them thrive academically and socially. We believe in providing a nurturing and inclusive environment where every student can excel. Whether your child is passionate about the arts, sciences, sports, or career tech, college prep/duel enrollment, and technology, Rudyard Jr/Sr High School has something to offer. Join us to explore how we can partner with you in shaping a bright and successful future for your child on August 8, at 6 PM. Please enter through the high school office and follow the signs.

School is just around the corner, check out the links for suggested school supplies based on age range . Elementary: https://www.rudyardbulldogs.org/page/supply-list Jr/Sr High School: https://rudyard.eupschools.org/page/jrsr-high-school-school-supplies