Pentwater Public Schools

Our Pentwater elementary students learned more about how their food is raised when they visited the Michigan Farm Bureau Food, Agriculture & Resources in Motion (FARM) Science Program. Students participated in STEM-based lessons to increase agricultural awareness, through hands-on learning. Classes learned more about careers in agriculture and science through engaging lessons, including Erosion, Insects, and Potato Power, helping them understand how agriculture impacts their daily lives so they grow into informed consumers. Thank you to our local Oceana County Farm Bureau for the generous donation to make the FARM Science Program possible for our students, along with their continued support in education.

"The key to a fulfilling retirement is to embrace each day as an opportunity for adventure and discovery!" - The PPS family says goodbye to Gary Doody, bus driver, and Pete Dumonte, paraprofessional and coach, as they each have made the decision to retire at the end of the 2024-2025 school year! The students and staff honored them on Wednesday, 5/14, with a surprise assembly where they were overwhelmed (don't they look overwhelmed?) with cards and homemade tissue flowers and homemade birdhouses as well as warm good wishes and gratitude! We thank them for their dedication to the district and to the care that they brought each and every day to our students here at PPS, they will definitely be missed. We wish them both adventures in their retirement, they have both earned it! Thank you, gentlemen, it's time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your hard work and dedication!

Class of 2025 Senior Graduate Spotlight: Belle Powers is the daughter of Judy and Tobin Powers. Belle plans to get a part-time job while she pursues an apprenticeship with a senior tattoo artist. Belle will build upon her artistic ability and eventually earn a tattoo license.

Class of 2025 Senior Graduate Spotlight: William Werkema-Grondsma is the son of Melissa Grondsma. Will plans on attending Tiffin University in Ohio as a Tiffin Dragon. He plans on playing basketball while studying sports management and marketing. One day he wants to be able to help other athletes become better and reach their goals.

What an incredible track and field meet! The JH Falcons were on fire at the MCE Medal Meet Tuesday night, 5/13!! We saw 10 PRs, 16 scoring places, 18 Medals awarded, and 2 New Middle School Records!! -1st Place (Medal)- Lauren Macher - High Jump 4’ 4” (PR) Ayla Kokx- 3200m Run 14:52.76 (PR) **New School Record** -2nd Place (Medal)- Silas Jobbins- 70m Dash 11.56 (PR) Xacheriah Davis - Shot 28’ 5” 4x200m Relay (Ben Jorissen, Colton Jorissen, Andersen Oleneack, Jordy Miller) 2:33.16 Ayla Kokx - Pole Vault 6’ 0” (PR) **New School Record** 4x100m Relay (Shyra Bigsby, Janie Hasil, Lauren Macher, Karoline Slotegraaf) 1:10.46 4x200m Relay (Shyra Bigsby, Ayla Kokx, Xaria Davis, Karoline Slotegraaf) 2:40.69 -3rd Place (Medal)- Lauren Macher- 800m Run 3:12.75 (PR) -4th Place- Ben Jorissen - 400m Dash 1:19.50 (PR) 4x100m Relay (Silas Jobbins, Ben Jorissen, Colton Jorissen, Andersen Oleneack) 1:12.05 Karoline Slotegraaf - Long Jump 12’ 4” (PR) -5th Place- Janie Hasil - Shot Put 22’ 11” -6th Place- Jordy Miller - 200m Dash 37.69 (PR) and 800m Run 3:24.14 (PR) Silas Jobbins - Shot Put 24’ 8” (PR) Our next and final meet is next Tuesday, May 20, at the Kent City Invite.

Class of 2025 Senior Graduate Spotlight: Tyler Douglas is the son of Heather Douglas and Dave Douglas. Tyler plans on attending Grand Valley State University and earning a degree in business management. Tyler hopes to take over his dad's Amsoil accounts. He plans on becoming an independent retailer and eventually start his own business.

Class of 2025 Senior Graduate Spotlight: Nick Murphy is the son of Maureen Murphy. NIck plans on attending Grand Valley State University and earning a bachelor's degree in accounting.

Pentwater Varsity softball returned to conference action this Monday, 5/12, with a double header at home against the Mason County Eastern Cardinals. Karina Olivarez led the team at the plate going 2-3 with a pair of singles. Paige Sadenwater, Alazae Acevedo, Charlie Swanger, Emma Werkema-Grondsma and Mandi Sayles all added to the hit total but untimely errors on defense put the Falcons too deep in a hole as we fell in game one, 9 to 4. Karina Olivarez kept her hot hitting going into game two, adding another sharp single. Amelia Barter and Alazae Acevedo collected timely hits but a strong first inning of offense from the Cardinals put the Falcons in a hole. The Falcons were unable to come back from this early deficit and fell 15 to 1.

Class of 2025 Senior Graduate Spotlight: Nathan Macher is the son of Lucy and David Macher. Nathan plans to study business administration at Aquinas College while also playing on their golf team as an Aquinas Saint. He also plans on getting his insurance license to sell insurance.

The Manton Ranger Invite is an annual favorite for our varsity track & field team and this year was no exception! Though the day stretched to a long 13 hours, it was filled with excitement and enjoyment. Extra events added to the fun including the Raft Relay, Throwers Relay (using a shot put as a baton), Pole Vaulters Relay (passing a pole vault pole), Coed 4 x 800, and a Coach/Athlete Relay. Our athletes achieved remarkable results: 16 personal records, 17 placements, 1 school record, and a total of 20 medals! In the small school division, the boys finished in 5th place while the girls secured 8th. A special highlight was Lauren Davis, who excelled in the 100 hurdles, breaking her own school record with an impressive time of 18.37 seconds! Congratulations, Lauren! The Throwers Relay continued their winning streak, clinching 1st place overall across all divisions. Seniors Kaleb Brown and Trey Johnson also had outstanding performances, securing several top finishes in their events. A heartfelt moment was captured by Judy Powers, showcasing the compassion of Kaleb’s competitors as he collapsed at the finish line of the 400. It’s these moments that truly highlight the spirit of track & field. I would also like to extend special recognition to Lexi Smith for her remarkable compassion towards her teammates. She provided invaluable support to several athletes who needed a listening ear. After the 3200 run, she went above and beyond by literally carrying Bailey Case through the infield. Thank you, Judy, for capturing this moment; it’s one thing to witness kindness, but sharing it with others amplifies its impact. The Falcons are gearing up for their next competition in Ludington at the MOM (Mason, Oceana, and Manistee Counties) meet on Monday! Go Falcons! -1st Place (10 points & Medal)- -Kaleb Brown- 400m Dash 52.40 (Overall 1st) -Trey Johnson- Long Jump 18’ 9” -Lauren Davis- 300m Hurdles 51.31 (Overall 2nd) -Coed 4x100m Throws Relay (Logan Fatura, Trey Johnson, Lauren Davis, Aubrie Adams) 55.11 (Overall 1st) -2nd Place (8 points & Medal)- -Kaleb Brown- 100m Dash 11.59 (Overall 3rd) and Long Jump 18’ 8” (T2/7pts) -4x100m Relay (Kaleb Brown, Trey Johnson, Logan Fatura, Chase McGuire-Vangills) 46.76 -3rd Place (6 points & Medal)- -Lily Smith- 1600m Run 6:42.30 -Bailey Case- 3200m Run 13:51.67 (PR) -4th Place (5 points & Medal)- -Logan Fatura- Shot Put 42’ 0” -5th Place (4 points & Medal)- -Chase McGuire-Vangills- 110m Hurdles 19.43 (PR) -Lauren Davis- 100m Hurdles 18.37 **New School Record** (Overall 5th) -6th Place (3 points & Medal)- -Logan Fatura- Discus 105’ 2” -Chase McGuire-Vangills- 300m Hurdles 48.45 -7th Place (2 points)- Coed 4x800m Relay (Ben Roberson, Tyler Zimmer, Bailey Case, Lily Smith) 11:00.19 -Lily Smith- 300m Hurdles 1:00.06 4x400m Relay (Bailey Case, Lexi Smith, Lily Smith, Michelle Smith) 5:23.51 -Personal Records- -Trey Johnson- Shot Put 25’ 5.75” -Anthony Acosta- 200m Dash 30.30 -Rodney Grondsma- Shot Put 22’ 7.5” -Ben Roberson- 400m Dash 1:04.80 -Rolando Salgado- 100m Dash 14.51 -Michael Smith- 200m Dash 29.83 -Chase McGuire-Vangills- Long Jump 16’ 5” -Lauren Davis- Shot Put 20’ 4.75” -Aubrie Adams- Shot Put 14’ 2.5” and 100m Dash 14.52 -JoJo Mannor- 100m Dash 16.37 -Belle Powers- 200m Dash 34.01 -Lexi Smith- 200m Dash 31.11

Junior high students traveled to Grand Rapids today for an interdisciplinary field trip. They visited the Grand Rapids Public Museum where they learned about Michigan history. Then they made artwork and participated in docent-led tours at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Finally, they enjoyed Spanish tapas at San Chez Bistro. Special thanks to Mr. Baker for driving and chaperoning!!

Class of 2025 Senior Graduate Spotlight: Kaleb Brown is the son of Steve Brown and Kirsten Dykema-Alderink. Kaleb plans to go to Grand Valley State University and get a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting. After that, Kaleb would like to find a career working for the government.

1st Place PENTWATER FALCONS!! WoW what a Battle all day long on Thursday, 5/8! Hesperia Panthers Invitational at the lovely Northwood Traditions Golf Course was a nail biter both individually and as a team. Mikey Carlson started the day with an incredible lead with Birdie Par EAGLE! But the competition from Ravenna, North Muskegon, Muskegon Catholic & Hesperia quickly tied up the leaderboard. It wasn’t until the very last putt that dropped that Mikey Carlson earned low score of the day! (79) with 2 Birdies, 4 Pars and that incredible Eagle! (2nd place with handicap hole) Even as the last scores were coming in, these top schools were battling shot for shot for a podium finish. Coming in clutch for the team was our 4th position, Edgar Vazquez!! His Par Birdie finish pushed Falcons over the top for the 1st Palace WiN! Edgar shot an incredible (80) with 7 Pars and that fabulous Winning Birdie! He placed 2nd lowest score of the tournament & tied for 3rd place! Nathan Macher had a steady streak of 7 pars and a Birdie on #1 ending with (86) and 9th place medal! Bode Powell’s (87) with 4 pars secured 11th place podium! Gavin Macher (98) & Aiden Henry (102) with 3 pars would have helped secure our WiN if needed for a tie breaker. Keep up the Great Work Falcons!!!

It was a beautiful day Thursday, 5/8, for our last JH conference track meet at MCE! We saw 15 PR's, 10 scoring finishes, and two new school records! These kids work so hard and show tremendous team work. 2nd Place Ayla Kokx - 3200m Run 14:58.71 (PR) **New School Record** 3rd Place Lauren Macher - High Jump 4’ 2" Ayla Kokx - Pole Vault 5’ 6” (PR) **New School Record ** 4th Place Xacheriah Davis - Shot Put 27’ 2.5" Janie Hasil - Shot Put 23’ 8” Lauren Macher - 800m Run 3:16.23 5th Place 4x100m Relay (Brennen Cory, Silas Jobbins, Colton Jorissen, Andersen Oleneack) 1:13.71 4x100m Relay (Shyra Bigsby, Xaria Davis, Janie Hasil, Ayla Kokx) 1:16.11 6th Place Ben Jorissen - 400m Dash 1:20.03 (PR) Lauren Macher - 70m Dash 10.86 (PR) Personal Record Brennen Cory - Long Jump 7’ 3” Jordy Miller - 400m Dash 1:28.81 and 800m Run 3:26.32 Silas Jobbins - 70m Dash 11.63 Corbin Tiles - 70m Dash 15.43 Colton Jorissen - 70m Dash 12.95 Xaria Davis - Long Jump 8’ 9” and Shot Put 17’ 9.5” Shyra Bigsby - 100m Dash 16.91 Karoline Slotegraaf - 70m Dash 11.91 and 400m Dash 1:31.30 We run at MCE again on Tuesday, May 13, for their medal meet.

Congratulations to 6th grader Ayla Kokx for setting a new JH track and field school record in pole vault at at 5' 6"!

3rd graders became experts on sea creatures. They spent many hours researching, creating google slides, and making sea creature models. The 2nd graders enjoyed the presentations!

JH Dance will be May 16, 6-8 pm!

The Pentwater Falcons, playing short-handed, struggled to find their rhythm in the first game against Frankfort, falling 18-2. Offensive momentum did not come until the fourth inning, when Mandi Sayles delivered an RBI double and Aubrie Adams followed up with an RBI single to put Pentwater on the board. Despite the late spark, it wasn’t enough to overcome Frankfort’s early lead. In Game 2, the Falcons improved their defense, but Frankfort’s strong bats continued to control the game, handing Pentwater a 14-0 loss in five innings. Paige Sadenwater collected a sharp single, and Sayles added another hit to her day, but the offense couldn’t get rolling against a tough Frankfort squad. The Falcons look to regroup and bounce back when they face MCE this coming Monday at home.

Members of the Pentwater Green Schools Club went to the Lake Michigan Camp to plant dune grass this week. In addition, they put up fencing to protect the dune and picked up trash along the lakeshore. It was a fantastic experience! The message we received from Greg Anderson, the supervisor of the project, was very heartwarming. It read… "I didn't get a chance to say it before you guys left, but I just wanted to tell you and the kids, thank you! It seems like a small thing, but I think it makes a difference, and I think making a difference in a small way is usually the best we all can do!”

Class of 2025 Senior Graduate Spotlight: Mandi Sayles is the daughter of Melanie Sayles and the late John Sayles. Mandi plans on working in agriculture and traveling. Well done, Mandi!