2nd Place Team for Pentwater at Benona Invitational on Friday, 5/16/25, with some impressive scores from our freshmen! Highlighting Gavin Macher locking in his short game dropping some long putts and chipping them close finishing with 3 Pars and a Birdie to place our 4th score (82)! Top of the leaderboard was Bode Powell shooting an impressive (70) with 5 Pars and 2 Birdies to earn 3rd place in the tournament! Edgar Vazquez chipped his way to 4th place overall and 3rd on our team’s score (71) with 8 Pars! Mikey Carlson’s 5 pars and 2 birdies (75) earned him 8th place podium as well! Highlight to Aiden Henry for most improved from last year in this tournament! Dropping 14 strokes finishing (95) with 9 bogies! Great improvement!
2025 Youth Tennis Clinic sponsored by the Pentwater Tennis & PickleBall Club
Class of 2025 Senior Graduate Spotlight: Rolando Salgado is the son of Rolando Salgado and Tamara Alltop. Rolando plans on attending Ferris State University in the fall to study dental hygiene. He plans to get his degree so he can help people.
Class of 2025 Senior Graduate Spotlight: Michael Carlson is the son of Kathy Richards and Jeff Carlson. Michael plans on attending Northwood University in the fall to play basketball with the Timberwolves! Michael will be studying business management.
Community Pride Day 2025! The weather advisory was averted and our 20th annual community pride day took place on a beautiful Friday morning under clear blue skies! Our students are required to accrue 40 community pride hours as a part of their graduation requirements and every spring we schedule a community pride day to give an opportunity to earn some of these hours. You can see PPS students around the village doing various tasks beautifying our village. You can see them at the state park, the historical museum, the VFW hall, the artisan center, the township library, the township office, the Methodist church, various village gardens (water tower, village green, Channel Lane Park, Park Place, North Park garden) as well as some private homes for lawn care assistance. Our 8th grade crew also do some work on the school grounds. The goal of our community pride day requirement is to foster a sense of pride in community! The crew in the village green were given a sweet reward with thirst quenching slushies from HOF!
Class of 2025 Senior Graduate Spotlight: Logan Gehrke is the son of Kristina Steinke and Jason Gehrke. Logan plans to get a job and start working as soon as possible.
Class of 2025 Senior Graduate Spotlight: Kaiden Carter is the son of Josh Carter, Ashley Carter and Kristy Sauden. Kaiden plans on joining the military and being a mechanic. He then plans to have a career in automotive tech after the military.
Class of 2025 Senior Graduate Spotlight: Samantha Reese is the daughter of Patricia and Timothy Reese. Samantha wants to be a singer, standing on stage motivating others to stand up and make a change, to make others smile and have self confidence in music.
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.
