Local families invited to 2nd annual 'Day of Play'

Children and their families are encouraged to run, dance, skate, create, and explore at the second annual Worldwide Day of Play on Sept. 26 from 4 - 7 p.m. on the shared campus of the Isabella Community Sportsplex and the Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum.  

Organized by the Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum with help from representatives from the Clare-Gladwin and Gratiot-Isabella Great Start Collaboratives, EightCap, the ICE Arena, Morey Courts, MidMichigan Health, My104.3 WCZY, Staples, and MSU Extension, the Worldwide Day of Play will feature free activities for parents and kids to enjoy together, including ice skating with free rentals, and hands-on fun at the museum. Morey Courts will use a portion of their facilities to host family recreation opportunities. A multitude of community partners and local public service agencies will also be in attendance to share in the night’s activities.

Emulating Nickelodeon’s annual Worldwide Day of Play which shuts down television programming for a day to encourage kids to get off the couch and get active, the September evening of action will emphasize the many benefits that play provides in the lives of children.

“Play changes kids’ lives,” said Jennifer Fields, co-founder of the Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum. “It inspires parents and educators and can transform communities. So come out and play!”

CTE Health Occupations students explore future professions at MMCC Doan Center and Morey Courts

The Health Occupations program from the Clare-Gladwin Career Center visited the Doan Center of Mid Michigan Community College (MMCC) in Mount Pleasant last month to view the facilities available for health professions degree programs.  

During a tour lead by MMCC Physical Therapy Assistant Program Director Amanda Wismer, students explored the nursing labs, physical therapy assistant labs, and medical assisting and pharmacy technician classrooms. Following the tour, the class received an introduction to preventative medicine through exercise at Morey Courts Recreation Center.

“Students heard from the Morey Courts staff about the history of the facility, and then broke into groups to try various types of exercise,” said Erin Lenhart, Clare-Gladwin Career Center Health Occupations instructor. “Each group sampled high intensity interval training (HIIT), TRX suspension training, and had a brief nutrition class. Before leaving, students also heard from fitness professionals at Morey Courts Recreation Center about how they started their careers in fitness and where they plan to go in the future. A huge thank you to Amanda Wismer of MMCC, Morey Courts Fitness Director Kelvin Bolar Jr., and Clare-Gladwin Career Center Counselor Margie Dill for coordinating the trip for us.”

Health Occupation is one of nine career and technical education programs offered to local high school juniors and seniors through the Clare-Gladwin Career Center, a program of Clare-Gladwin RESD. Students spend half of their school day at their CTE class and the other half at their local high school.