Seven students graduate from Clare-Gladwin Area School

Seven local students graduated from the Clare-Gladwin Area School earlier this month during the annual End of the Year Celebration program. It was standing room only as students Nicole Blaga, Alyssa Dumont, Wayne Hochstetler, Jessica Husted, Vincient Lago, Dustin Newman, and Andrew Ogg ceremoniously entered the school’s gymnasium in their caps and gowns to the tune of, “Pomp and Circumstance.”

Following the processional, each Area School class entertained the audience with performances that reflected the event’s “Dance to the Music” theme.

The program concluded with Clare-Gladwin RESD Superintendent Sheryl Presler, Area School Principal Mike Simon, and Assistant Superintendent for Special Education Jan Weckstein presenting the 2014 graduates with Certificates of Completion. Gladwin High School Assistant Principal Linda Stodolak also assisted in handing out the awards to the students from Gladwin.

“The Area School had a wonderful graduation,” said Presler. “The program was as spectacular as ever, and the graduates were beaming! It was a fitting conclusion to another successful school year for CGRESD.”                   

Four of this year’s graduates have secured jobs with the Arnold Center and Mid-Michigan Industries.

For more information on the Clare-Gladwin Area School and the Clare-Gladwin RESD, please visit www.cgresd.net.  

Clare County students collect more than $1,000 in change for Clare County Youth Council

Children from Hillside Elementary and Clare Primary schools recently collected more than $1,000 in change for the Clare County Youth Council (CCYC); the county’s local child abuse and neglect prevention council.

The classes that collected the most change included Mrs. Azelton-Lee’s class at Clare Primary and Mrs. Jensen’s class at Hillside Elementary. Both classes were awarded with a pizza party. The CCYC also gave every student in each school a popsicle in appreciation for their participation. The change was then rolled by students in the Clare-Gladwin Transition Class, a program of Clare-Gladwin RESD.

The CCYC would like to thank all of the students and schools involved for their efforts in preventing child abuse and neglect in Clare County. 

Criminal Justice students compete against peers at Delta College Skill Day

The Criminal Justice students of the Clare-Gladwin Career Center, a program of Clare-Gladwin RESD, recently placed fifth overall in the 9^th annual Delta College Criminal Justice Skill Day.

During the event, students competed against their peers from around the state in a physical agility contest in which they had to complete a ½ mile shuttle run, a vertical jump, and as many as push-ups and sit-ups as possible in one minute.

The Clare-Gladwin high school juniors and seniors also revealed their understanding of the criminal justice field by taking part in multiple knowledge-based games.  

Criminal Justice is one of nine career and technical education (CTE) programs offered to high school juniors and seniors at the Clare-Gladwin Career Center. The students spend half of their day at their CTE program and the other half at their local high school. 

Graphic Arts students place at 2014 MITES state competition

Students from the Clare-Gladwin Career Center’s Graphic Arts program recently submitted projects showcasing their skills developed in the classroom to the 2014 Michigan Industrial and Technology Education Society (MITES) State Convention and Student Competition held at Saginaw Valley State University’s Ryder Center last month. In order to qualify for the state competition, projects needed to place fourth or better at the previously held MITES Regional Student Competition. Of the 24 projects entered into the regional competition by Clare-Gladwin students, 12 advanced to the state event.

With a mission to encourage and recognize fine craftsmanship in the field of industrial technology and career technical education, the annual MITES student competition allows kids of all grade levels to compete against hundreds of  their peers in a variety of divisions, including graphic arts, mechanical drawing, machine shop, plastics, and more.

The local high school juniors and seniors from the Clare-Gladwin Career Center who participated in the 2014 MITES State Student Competition with at least one project included Toni Boyd, Laurissa Brushaber, Shyla Cassidy, Kaitlyn Corell, Allyssa Haag, Chasity Haight, Malinda Hershberger, Mercedez Hisey, Katie Loesel, Calie Nixon, Cassie Reid, Jacob Schlaack, and Tristan Shimmons.

Nine of the 12 student projects featured at the state competition placed in their categories. Loesel placed sixth, Shimmons was awarded seventh, Boyd and Haag earned eighth place standings, and Brushaber, Corell, Hershberger, and Schlaack each finished in ninth. Additionally, a group project submitted by Loesel, Nixon, and Hisey finished fourth.

“MITES gave me an opportunity to compete against graphic design students from all over the state,” said Harrison High School student Allyssa Haag.

Andrea Boettner, Clare-Gladwin Career Center Graphic Arts instructor, said she was very pleased with the students’ placements at the competition. “To have so many students participate and place at regionals and states is a great accomplishment, especially with this year being just the second time we’ve taken part in the MITES competition."

The MITES convention not only provides students with the chance to better their abilities through competition, but it also affords high school graphic arts students and instructors funding opportunities to better their programs and their futures. Boettner was awarded a $500 grant to invest in screen printing equipment for the high school students in her Clare-Gladwin Career Center program. Student Jacob Schlaack also earned a scholarship valued at $500 as a result of his short essay that illustrated his plan to become a graphic arts instructor. Schlaak intends to receive his associate’s degree at Mid Michigan Community College in graphic design and then transfer to Central Michigan University where he will graduate with a teaching degree in fine arts.