Traverse City Record-Eagle

Education

October 27, 2009

Education Newsmakers: 10/27/2009

-- Jennifer Bassett-Payne, a 2005 graduate of Traverse City St. Francis High School, recently graduated from Alma College. She is currently studying for a master's degree in Exercise Science at Oakland University. She is also a certified Athletic Trainer by the Board of Certification, Inc. Jennifer is the daughter of Tim and Barbara Bassett-Payne.

-- Cody Aiken of Traverse City was recently awarded a $1,500 scholarship from the Carrier & Bryant Distributors' Education Foundation. Cody attends Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City.

-- TBA-ISD Career-Tech Center culinary arts facility, staff and students, along with some Traverse City Sam's Club employees, recently baked, boxed and sent over 4,000 cookies for our military troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, as part of Gaylord resident Connie Turner's "Treat the Troops" campaign.

-- Baker College of Cadillac received a $90,000 Major Impact Grant from the Jewell Education Fund. The annual grant is awarded for projects that will significantly improve the quality of education on a Baker College campus. Baker College of Cadillac will use the grant to construct a high-fidelity simulation center for health care training.

-- Central Michigan University junior and Rapid City native Sarah Riegler has received the Grant G. Skomski and Mary Jane Flanagan Award from CMU's School of Music. Riegler, who is majoring in music and religion, is the daughter of Sue and Tim Riegler. She is a graduate of Kalkaska High School.

-- Elk Rapids Schools recently celebrated the completion of four tennis courts with an official ribbon cutting ceremony. Major donors included Traverse City Rotary Charities, Rotary Club of Elk Rapids, Dave and Lin Meeker and the Regional Community Foundation ER Area Community Fund.

-- Life Teen Underground youth group, the Give it Away Now food drive and the parishes of St. Francis and St. Joseph donated 6,725 pounds of food to the Father Fred Foundation food pantry.

-- Tri-County Coalition for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect and the Board of Directors for the Traverse Bay Children's Advocacy Center recently received a donation of $1000 from the Women's Fellowship of the First Congregational Church, to help open the new Traverse Bay Children's Advocacy Center.

-- Habitat for Humanity of Benzie County began a partnership with the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District Career Tech Center at the start of the 2009-10 school year to construct a Habitat for Humanity home on Day Street in Thompsonville. This home will be completed by the students of the Career Tech Center by May 2010. Ron Gray is the lead instructor, with assistance on-site by Jay Lamerson.

-- From September to October 2009, The Kiwanis Club of Traverse City distributed over 1,200 dictionaries to local third grade elementary students. Over 20 Kiwanis Club members personally distributed the books to the schools, including Eastern, Interlochen, Montessori at Glen Loomis, Westwoods, Old Mission, Cherry Knoll, Silver Lake, Courtade, Blair, Traverse Heights, Central, Long Lake, Willow Hill, Buckley, Pathfinder, Grand Traverse Academy, Woodland, Kingsley, Traverse Bay Christian, Children's House, and Immaculate Conception. This is the third year the Kiwanis Club of Traverse City has handed out dictionaries to students, made possible through generous assistance from Front Street Investment Management, The Anderson Family Foundation, Fred and Tina Tank and The Bank of Northern Michigan.

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