Pentwater Public Schools

The weather has canceled Tuesday's (4/15/25) Varsity Track Jamboree at Marion. A makeup date has not yet been determined.

Brad Hurtig shared his inspiring story with our JH/HS as well as our elementary students on Tuesday, 4/15. Brad was a student-athlete in a small town in Northwest Ohio. Only days after finishing his sophomore year of high school, a devastating accident resulted in the amputation of both of Brad's hands. Now Brad is taking his-changing message of Find A Way® to students across the nation. Through hard work and determination, Brad soon rejoined his high school football team. In his senior year, Brad led his team defense, recording 111 tackles and received all-state honors while playing with no hands. How was Brad able to quickly overcome such a devastating obstacle? Even more, to navigate a loss into a win by going from amputee to all-state? Brad's message is centered around an influential story that took place between himself and his football coach. Brad would often rely on others to pick up a water bottle when he was thirsty. At the end of practice, Brad asked his coach for a drink. Instead of picking up the bottle, his coach said something that would ultimately change Brad's life. He said, "If you're thirsty enough, you'll Find A Way." That day Brad successfully got a drink and that challenge became the catalyst in learning what it takes to overcome. Brad would soon learn a powerful strategy that enabled him to move past his fears and reach his goals. He now shows students how to do the same. Brad's story has commanded national attention. He has been featured by media outlets including ESPN and The New York Times. Most recently, he was featured as a TEDx speaker. Now Brad travels the country sharing his message of Find A Way. Musician Kevi Morse is a hip-hop artist, DJ and entrepreneur. His goal is to empower the culture through hip-hop. Kevi's unique sound has lead to hundreds of thousands of streams and devoted fans. A free concert, CVLTIVATE CVLTURE presents the Never Alone tour with Kevi Morse, will be offered on Tuesday, 4/15/25, at 7pm, at the First Baptist Church of Pentwater with special guest, Brad Hurtig (*not a school sponsored event).

Pentwater Varsity Softball thanks you for your donations to the Home Run Derby! Come watch the Home Run Derby on Thursday, April 17 at 3:30 on Pentwater's Softball Field to see who wins the prizes!

The Falcons enjoyed the sunshine at the Hart & Sole meet today hosted by Hart. There were 12 schools in attendance and many large schools including Ludington, Mason County Central, Manistee, Traverse City St. Francis and the Grand Rapids Track Club. We came away with 17 personal records which definitely made the meet a rewarding experience. Rodney Grondsma celebrated a remarkable personal record in the shot put, launching the shot 5 ½ feet farther than his previous best. Ben Roberson also excelled, shaving 16 seconds off his 1600m time and 20 seconds from his 800m! Additionally, Trey Johnson and Logan Fatura brought home medals, with Trey securing 1st place in long jump and Logan clinching 3rd place in shot put. Looking ahead, the Falcons are set to compete in their first Conference Jamboree in Marion on Tuesday. Go Falcons! 1st Place Trey Johnson - Long Jump 19’ 5” 3rd Place Logan Fatura - Shot Put - 42’ 4.5”(PR) 4th place -Logan Fatura - Discus -123’ 4”(PR) -4x800m Relay (Bailey Case, Matilde Pacifico, Michelle Smith, Lily Smith) 12:52.27 -4x100m Relay (Lauren Davis, Aubrie Adams, Lexi Smith, Belle Powers) 58.84 PR -Bailey Case - 800m Run 3:08.37 -Lauren Davis - 300m Hurdles 54.85 -Aubrie Adams - 100m - Dash 15.14 -Lily Smith - 1600m Run 7:12.66 -Michelle Smith - 400m Dash 1:22.81 -Matilde Pacifico - 400m Dash 1:30.34 and 800m Run 3:39.36 -Anthony Acosta - 100m Dash 15.21 and Long Jump 11’ 6” -Ben Roberson - 1600m Run 5:47.46 and 800 m Run 2:29.80 -Chase McGuire-Vangills - 200m Dash 26.22 and Long Jump 16’ 2” -Rodney Grondsma - Shot Put 21’ 9.5” -Sam Gaylard - Shot Put 29’ 5”

Congratulations to all of our 2nd-4th grade elementary spelling bee participants for 2025! The participants for 2nd grade were: Camden Jobbins, Violet Reid, Isla Mitchell, Porter Rinehart, Anika Acuna, Ellis Jaeb, Alona DeVries, Tyler Field and Keaton Bigsby. Participants in 3rd grade were: Eveliina Kainulainen, Lilly Cross, Maci Ford, Alex Hughart, and Harris Powers. Our participants in 4th grade and for the last time in the PPS spelling bee: Amelia Skinner, Kayla Oomen, Grace Powers, Annabelle Smith, Audrey Hughart, Kennedi Haight, Troy Dickenson, Katelyn Slotegraaf, Hadley Clark, Jane VerVelde, Lukas Soltes-Frick, Grace Thurston-Cox, Alek Acevedo and Hadley Swanger! Well done, Falcon spellers! You all did an amazing job and we are all incredibly proud of you! The overall winners for 2nd grade were Anika Acuna in 3rd place, Violet Reid in 2nd place and Porter Rinehart in 1st place! The overall winners in 3rd grade were Lilly Cross in 3rd place, Maci Ford in 2nd place and Eveliina Kainulainen in 1st place! The overall winners in our 4th grade classroom were Kayla Oomen 3rd place, Jane VerVelde 2nd place and Hadley Clark 1st place! Hadley was the overall champion of the 2025 spelling bee!

Congratulations to our April 2025 elementary students of the month, pictured with Assistant Principal Oleneack: Grant Hughart (KG); Grace Chandonnet (1st Grade); Tyler Field (2nd Grade); Rorrick Case (3rd Grade); Cooper Roberts (4th Grade); and Charlotte Cook (5th Grade)! Well done, Falcon learners!

Congratulations to our 2024-2025 boys varsity basketball team for earning All State Academic Team honors from the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan for Class D; Pentwater was ranked 8th in Class D! Well done, Falcon men! BCAM also recognizes Senior Kaleb Brown as a Team First Award Recipient. A Team First Award Recipient is an athlete that exemplifies putting team before self as well as exemplifying teamwork, commitment, service and sacrifice. Kaleb has demonstrated these characteristics in his time here at PPS and we know he will carry them forward upon graduation! BCAM also recognizes Senior Nathan Macher with an Outstanding Senior Student Athlete Award. The award is given to high school seniors who have played basketball all four years of high school and have a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher. Well done, Nathan, we are incredibly proud of your accomplishments on the court and in the classroom! We are proud of all of our Falcon athletes and we acknowledge all of the incredibly dedicated PPS coaching staff and we know that we cannot thank them enough for the many hours that they sacrificially pour into the lives of our young people. We know that they do what they do because they passionately believe in the ability of athletics to build discipline and responsibility in young people's lives. Our boys' basketball team is coached by Ashley Lubera and Pete Dumonte.

On Wednesday, the Pentwater Education Association was pleased to present Administrative Assistant, Mrs. Shelly Hugo, with the "Friend of Education" (FOE) Award. “Shelly is the beating heart of our school! She keeps us all organized and enables us all to be our best because we don't have to worry about daily operations. She always knows what's going on and what needs to happen. She's positive, friendly, professional, and just awesome!” Thank you Mrs. Hugo!

What an incredible meet for the Falcons today at our season opener in Custer at the MCE Invitational. In total we had 20 personal records and took home 16 medals! A big shout out to Lauren Davis for breaking her own school record in the 100 hurdles with a time of 18.87! It's truly inspiring to kick off the season with such strength and determination. We simply asked our team to give their best effort, and they delivered spectacularly. We are incredibly proud of their performances, the spirit of teamwork, and the positive attitudes displayed today. Go Falcons! 1st Place -Logan Fatura - Discus 117’ 4” (PR) -Logan Fatura - Shot Put 40’ 8” -Trey Johnson - Long Jump 20’ 9.75” (PR-Jumped out of the pit!) -Trey Johnson - 300m Hurdles 49.71 (PR) -Lauren Davis - 200m Dash 30.54 2nd Place -4x100m Relay (Lauren Davis, Belle Powers, Karina Olivarez, Matilde Pacifico) 1:03.51 3rd Place -Trey Johnson - High Jump 5’ 4” -4x200m Relay (Alden Grondsma, Michael Smith, Anthony Acosta, Rolie Salgado) 2:11.76 -Lexi Smith - High Jump 4’ 2” -Karina Olivarez - Discus 59’ 1” 4th Place -Logan Fatura - 100m Dash 11.93 (PR) -Chase McGuire-Vangills - 300m Hurdles 52.16 (PR) -4x100m Relay (Logan Fatura, Alden Grondsma, Michael Smith, Rolie Salgado) 57.82 -4x400m Relay (Anthony Acosta, Alden Grondsma, Ben Roberson, Tyler Zimmer) 4:54.02 -Belle Powers - High Jump 4’ (PR) -Lauren Davis - 100m Hurdle 18.87 (PR and ***NEW SCHOOL RECORD***) -Lauren Davis - 300m Hurdles 56.95 (PR) -Matilde Pacifico - 800m Run 3:45.57 (PR) -4x400m Relay (Bailey Case, Anaviolet Jeruzal, Matilda Pacifico, Karina Olivarez) 5:49.16 5th Place -Trey Johnson - 100m Dash 12.05 (PR) 6th Place -Ben Roberson - 2:49.47 (PR) -Belle Powers - 100m Dash 16.46 (PR) -Anaviolet Jeruzal - 800m Run 4:11.90 PR -Rolando Salgado - Shot Put 26’ 1” -Rolando Salgado - Long Jump 13’ -Sam Gaylard - Discus 75’ 8” -Rodney Grondsma - Discus 59’ 7” -Chase McGuire-Vangills - 100m Dash 12.30 -Ben Roberson - 1600m Run 6:04.84 -Tyler Zimmer - 1600m Run 5:43.47 -Anthony Acosta - 200 meter 32.53

🌟 Staff Spotlight: Ms. Sisung! 🌟 This week, we're shining the spotlight on Ms. Sisung, who is our Social Studies and Computers teacher at Pentwater Public Schools! Ms. Sisung is celebrating her eighth year at Pentwater. We appreciate everything she does and are so grateful to have her on our team. #GoFalcons#

🌟 April is Autism Awareness Month! 💙 Let’s come together to raise awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), spread understanding and acceptance, and stand up for the needs of individuals with autism. 🤝✨ 👀 Check out the link below for a quick and informative presentation on Myths vs. Facts about Autism — you might be surprised by what you learn! 🧠✅ #AutismAwareness #CelebrateDifferences #MythsVsFacts #InclusionMatters https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRrjrXhVCoMDyU7t7IHUN7DbhGBNQYQ_2XAnYKtCdHBBKY70cqp7mAHLkuZrkgxK2z72NBCwWQzNKgu/pub?start=true&loop=true&delayms=10000

Help support the Pentwater Varsity Softball team! Donate $10 per softball. We hit the softballs, you win the prizes. Prizes include: $100 Amazon gift card to the furthest hit ball $50 Amazon gift card to second furthest hit ball $20 Amazon gift card to third furthest hit ball Fundraiser runs Monday April 7 through Tuesday April 15. Find a softball player or contact Maddy Holstad (mholstad@pentwater.k12.mi.us) to donate. More information attached.

Congratulations to our JH/HS Students of the Month for March 2025 - Xacheriah Davis (8th Grade); Silas Jobbins (8th Grade); Logan Fatura (11th Grade); and, Michelle Smith (11th Grade)! Well done, Falcons!

Seniors Nathan Macher and Trey Johnson, along with Mrs. Fatura, dazzled Mrs. Lubera's 4th class this week with an engaging "Science is Magic" show. This exciting new activity brought such joy to everyone involved! The heartfelt thank-you cards written by the students afterward served as a wonderful reminder of the incredible opportunities we have within our school district.

It takes a Village…and we are proud to be part of this one! We would like to thank the following people who helped to make our March is Reading Month, “Camp Read S’more” a great success: -Mr. Barter and Mrs. O for providing entertainment today and for purchasing several items that made this month complete. -Mrs. Lubera and Mrs. Fleming for being on the Reading Month Committee -Teachers, staff and students for decorating fun camp-themed doors. -Mr. Paul, Ms. Michelle and Ms. Lisa for the lunchtime s’mores. -Mr. Holstad for being a guest speaker about summer camp. -DNR interpreters: Elizabeth, Brandon, and Sophie for their presentations on Michigan animals, local legends and fungi. -Jill and Rick Plummer from the Clutch, for free pizza gift cards for students who reached their reading goals. -Sara Jeruzal and Justine Aultman, at the WSESD GSC, for sharing goodies for the “Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping” Bookwalk goody bags. -Several Pentwater families and community members who donated books for our Book Swap. -Kelsey West, from the WSESD, for driving the Book Bus to our PTCO carnival and sharing her love for books with us. -Mr. Steve and Mr. Anthony for helping set up for the assemblies. Let’s keep children reading ALL year round, not just in March.

☀️ School's out soon... now what?! 😅 No worries, WestShore Community College has your little Falcons 🐥 covered with awesome summer fun! 🎨⚽🧪🎭 Check out their cool camps and activities — it’s gonna be a blast! 🚀💥👇

🌟 Staff Spotlight: Mrs.Kreilick! 🌟 This week, we're shining the spotlight on Mrs.Kreilick, who is celebrating her first year at Pentwater Public Schools! Julie is a paraprofessional in our elementary. We appreciate everything she does and are so grateful to have her on our team. #GoFalcons#

Fitness Center Spring Break Hours! Our Fitness Center will be available during spring break - our days and hours will be as follows: Friday, 3/28, 6am - 12pm; Monday, 3/31, thru Friday, April 4, 6am - 12pm. The fitness center will open for regular hours on Monday, 4/7/25. Thank you!

Our School Resource Officer, Darwin Mitchell, worked with students in Mrs. Fatura's forensic science class on field sobriety tests and how the breathalyzer test works. Students used mouthwash to see how it affected the test and investigated the different durations of time to see the progressive lowering of the results. The class is currently studying forensic toxicology and it was very interesting to have Officer Mitchell share his knowledge with the class.

Thank you to all of our students and community members who donated so many amazing books to our Book Swap! Today 143 books were exchanged at our Camp Read S'more Book Swap. That means 143 books went to new homes and were "recycled." Enjoy your new books, students. Happy reading!