At the end of each regular Board of Education Meeting, board members take a moment to share some of the great things they see in the district while serving on the Board. Here are this month's points of Pride & Progress:
“I would like to recognize our two new leaders there: Karen Bitzer, our interim principal, and our new incoming principal, Carolyn Murray. I’ve heard all great things, and welcome to both of you! On another note, one of the things I am most proud of is the passion I see in this district. While there are times when we can’t always agree, there is never a shortage of passion. This individual’s retirement was listed under the consent agenda items, but I wanted to take a moment to point out and acknowledge the passion with which Corey Harbaugh approached all his years in education and recognize him for a lot of great years in Paw Paw!” Brent McNitt
“I’d like to thank our Veterans, as well, on Veterans Day for their service. I’d also like to thank Principal Jerry McDaniel for his work at the middle school with our Veterans. I’ve been a part of this program in the past, and it’s awesome! At the Cedar Street Campus, I’d like to recognize the Rotary Student of the Month Rowan Angell-Dongus. Under the Core Value of Innovation, Cedar Street is partnering with MDE (Michigan Department of Education), and they are integrating real-world content into classes today, which helps students see the relevance of their studies. One area where this is being implemented, for instance, is when mathematics is brought into the shop class curriculum to highlight the real-world applications. This is very cool, and a great way to highlight our Core Value of Innovation!” Dale Pease
“The PPHS Marching Band earned a Division I rating (the highest rating) at the Marching Band Festival, which we hosted as a district. The night went very well, and I heard a great deal of praise for our parent volunteers and for the kids who worked at the event. On Halloween, as part of their Professional Learning Community (PLC) activities, the high school staff visited the Spanish, Digital Media, and PE Classes to see and participate in sample activities and discuss grading practices. Learning from each other is one of the best practices they can utilize to make adjustments and improvements. Lastly, I’d like to recognize our Paw Paw High School Student of the Month Darrin Strey.” Ray Martin
“Thank you to Ms. Erin Emery-Dumas at Paw Paw Early Elementary for her role in making “A Spooky Night” a success for the second-grade students. It’s always great to have the opportunity to attend events at the early elementary.” Nate Mitchell
“I’d like to express my appreciation to Jeremy Davison in his new role as superintendent. I’d also like to reiterate my praise for Kara Corniel and her team for the work they put into our audit. It was great to hear from our auditors that Kara and her team were easy to work with and very kind, quickly responding to any requests. These qualities make her a great ambassador for our district. In an update from Food Service Director Korrie Perkins, I learned that we are feeding more and more students through our school meal programs, which is fantastic. Great job, Korrie and staff, for making sure our kids have the best!” Sarah Thomas
“I attended the Veterans Day program at Paw Paw Middle School, which was beautiful! It was great to see the students interacting with the Veterans. In addition to a breakfast held in their honor, there was a schoolwide parade where staff and students lined the halls to recognize, honor, and applaud our Veterans for their service. I also learned from Principal Jerry McDaniel that Veterans had the opportunity to accompany students to classes. In some classes, teachers even invited them to share their stories. It is a wonderful way to show respect to the Veterans in our community!” Lindsay Clark