Criminal Justice students tour Gladwin Jail and State Police Training Academy

Local high school juniors and seniors from the Clare-Gladwin Career Center’s Criminal Justice class, a program of Clare-Gladwin RESD, explored the variety of careers available to them in the law enforcement field through visits to the Gladwin County Jail and the Michigan State Police Training Academy in Lansing.

At the jail, students viewed the construction of the jail, interviewed the corrections officers, and witnessed how the inmates lived day-to-day while incarcerated.

The Michigan State Police Training Academy offered the juniors and seniors an overview of what recruits experience when becoming a trooper, as well as a tour of the firing range, pool, gym, and drive track.  “The students also received a K-9 demonstration,” said Clare-Gladwin Career Center Criminal Justice Instructor DJ Newman. “They watched the dog find cocaine in a training car and learned that the MSP’s cadaver dogs can sniff out corpses that are as deep as 55 feet underwater. It was very neat!”

Criminal Justice is one of nine career and technical education (CTE) programs offered to local high school juniors and seniors at the Clare-Gladwin Career Center, a program of Clare-Gladwin RESD. Students spend half of their regular school day in CTE and the other half at their local high school. For more information, please visit www.cgresd.net.

Clare County Community Baby Shower slated for March 29; Register today!

The Clare County Youth Council (CCYC) and partnering agencies will present the Clare County Community Baby Shower on March 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Brown Corners Church in Clare. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.

The event is free to pregnant women and to those parenting a child under the age of 12 months residing in Clare County. Each registrant may bring one additional guest.

Lunch, door prizes, and educational information will be provided.

To register for the Baby Shower or for more information, contact Brandi Warner at 989-386-8644.  

Local educators participate in poverty simulation

As part of the recent Clare-Gladwin RESD Regional Professional Development Day, approximately 90
teachers, support staff, administrators, and paraprofessionals from Clare and Gladwin County school districts participated in a poverty simulation, provided by Dr. Deborah Bailey and Dr. Norma Bailey of Central Michigan University (CMU).

With the help of more than 30 trained staff and volunteers from CMU conducting and facilitating the workshop, the 2.5 hour experience took place at Harrison Community Schools and was designed to sensitize participants to the realities low-income people face on a daily and monthly basis. In the simulation, participants assumed the roles of different “families” facing poverty with varying circumstances.

“Participants experienced four 15-minute weeks with five-minute weekends as they worked through their month of poverty and tried to accomplish their objectives - feeding their family, paying their bills on time, maintaining housing, and maintaining safety,” said Clare-Gladwin RESD Assistant Superintendent for General Education Deb Snyder. “The simulation was conducted in the gymnasium with ‘families’ seated in groups in the center of the room. Around the perimeter of the room were tables representing community resources and services for the families.”

According to a local teacher, “The poverty simulation was very eye opening for me. In my scenario, I was given the role of a single father who got fired, lost his home, and whose son became ill because of lack of food, and was ultimately taken in by social services. The one-hour experience left me stressed and wanting to cry. It was crazy considering I knew it was all pretend. I can’t imagine what families in these situations go through. I am completely humbled by this experience.”

Snyder thanked Drs. Bailey and their staff for their work in providing the simulation, as well as Harrison Community Schools and Chartwells for providing the venue and food service.

Clare-Gladwin RESD will offer a repeat poverty simulation to local educators in October 2014.

Clare County and Gladwin County Family Literacy Nights scheduled for March

The Clare-Gladwin Great Start Collaborative, Quality Preschool Partnership, and other early childhood partners of Clare and Gladwin counties are pleased to present, “Family Literacy Night,” slated for March 10 at Gladwin High School and March 18 at Harrison High School. Both events will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Open to all children age birth to six and their families, those who attend either Family Literacy Night will enjoy an interactive concert by Paula Doak, the Merry Music Maker. Opportunities to take part in literacy stations and activities, pre-enroll for area preschools, and learn about early childhood services in Clare County will also be available.

Present at the Gladwin County event will be kindergarten registration for Gladwin Elementary School, while kindergarten registration for Larson Elementary School will be at the Clare County event.

Literacy stations, kindergarten registration, and preschool pre-enrollment will take place from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. The concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. Following the concert, every family will receive free books to take home.

To RSVP or for more information, please call 989-386-8641.

“Family Literacy Night,” is funded in part by United Way of Clare and Gladwin Counties, and by Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs through its regranting agency, Art Reach of Mid Michigan.

Clare-Gladwin Graphic Arts students work with Mt. Pleasant Area Technical Center to create notebooks

The Graphic Arts students from the Clare-Gladwin Career Center and the Mt. Pleasant Area Technical Center (MPATC) recently shared supplies and worked together to create notebooks as part of their bindery units. 

Each class then donated the books produced to a local group of their choice.  

The Clare-Gladwin Career Center gifted 20 books to Ms. Kemmer’s second grade class at Larson Elementary to be used for the Young Authors program this month. Forty books were given by the MPATC students to Central Michigan Community Mental Health.

“While book binding posed some challenges, like running out of glue, the classes had a great time,” said Clare-Gladwin Career Center Instructor Andrea Boettner.

According to MPATC Instructor Karen Lee, “Collaborating with a neighboring career center was a get experience and opportunity for my students.” 

Area School principal and teacher take the Polar Plunge

Clare-Gladwin Area School teacher Mike Simon and Teacher Melissa Kleiman braved the frigid temperatures as they leaped into the Central Michigan University Rose Ponds on Feb. 15 for the 2014 Polar Plunge. An event made possible by the Law Enforcement Torch Run, the Polar Plunge raises funds and awareness for the Special Olympics of Michigan. Simon and Kleiman raised $480 for the cause.

“The best part of the plunge is seeing how everyone, including the plungers, medical personnel, spectators and volunteers, came together with a positive attitude to support all that Special Olympics stands for,” said Kleiman. “The atmosphere surrounding the plunge was a happy, proud, and uplifting one that seemed to make everyone involved feel accomplished and warm despite the cold temperatures!”

Harrison Women’s Club celebrates Valentine’s Day at the Clare-Gladwin Area School

The Harrison Women’s Club held their annual Valentine’s Day party for the students at the Clare-Gladwin Area School on Feb. 14. They brought candy, punch, and homemade cupcakes to share with the students and staff.

“The Harrison Women’s Club celebrates Valentine’s Day at the Area School every year and provide enough treats and supplies for each classroom to have a party,” said Area School Principal Mike Simon. “They are a great group of people!”

Surrey Township Library hosts Infant-Toddler opportunities; Monthly Infant-Toddler events offered in Clare and Gladwin counties

Surrey Township Public Library in Farwell recently hosted Infant-Toddler Story Time, presented by Great Parents Great Start of Clare and Gladwin counties.

Librarian Gina Hamilton read, "Memoirs of a Goldfish," to the toddlers and their families as they enjoyed goldfish crackers as a snack.

Great Parents Great Start offers monthly community playgroups to local families with infants and toddlers in Farwell, Gladwin, and Harrison. The free events offer parents and children age 0-4 the opportunity to socialize with one another through activities, stories, snack time, and more! For more information or to RSVP, please contact Brandi at 386-8644.

FARWELL:

Infant-Toddler Story Time

Second Thursday of each month

11 a.m. - Noon

Surrey Township Public Library

GLADWIN:

Infant-Toddler Socialization

First and Third Monday of each month

9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Mid Michigan Community Action Agency - Gladwin

HARRISON:

Infant-Toddler Playgroup

Third Thursday of each month

10 a.m.

Hillside Elementary School

CTE students earn ServSafe Food Safety Certification

Fifteen students from the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Culinary Arts class have earned the ServSafe Food Safety Certification from the National Restaurant Association.

In order to obtain the certification, students must pass an exam administered by the National Restaurant Association, testing their knowledge on topics covering foodborne illness, contamination prevention, and proper food serving techniques.  

In the state of Michigan, every food service operation is required by law to have at least one person on staff with the ServSafe Food Safety Certification.

CTE Culinary Arts Instructor Heidi Rocha is an approved ServSafe Food Safety instructor through the National Restaurant Association. Students in her class can take the test free of charge by participating in fundraising activities. Typically, individuals pursuing ServSafe Food Safety Certification on their own will pay up to $1,000 for both the training and the exam.

Culinary Arts is one of nine Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs offered at the Clare-Gladwin Career Center, a program of the Clare-Gladwin RESD. Students spend half of their regular school day in CTE and the other half at their local high school. For more information, please visit www.cgresd.net. 

Graphic Arts purchases cameras with MITES grant funds

The Clare-Gladwin Career Center’s Graphic Arts class recently purchased six Nikon Coolpix L28 cameras with grant funds instructor Andrea Boettner received last spring from the Michigan Industrial and Technology Education Society (MITES).

The high school juniors and seniors have been using the cameras to document their projects and field trips, and later in the semester, the students will learn about lighting, close-up photography, and more during the class’s photography unit.

“First and foremost, we need to thank MITES for the grant that allowed us to get the cameras,” said Boettner. “The students are already enjoying using them on a regular basis and I’m looking forward to seeing their knowledge and creativity grow during our upcoming photography unit.”

Graphic Arts is one of nine career and technical education (CTE) programs offered by the Clare-Gladwin Career Center, a program of Clare-Gladwin RESD. Students spend half of their school day in their CTE program and the other half at their local high school.