GHS Yellow Jacket Theatre & GARCC Present...SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK 2024 - Twelfth Night! This event is FREE to the public on July 12 & 13 at 7:00pm at Tower Riverside Park. Bring your own blanket & chair.
Introducing our 2024 Cedar Crest Elementary Support Staff of the Year, Ashley Steffes!
Ashley is the librarian at Cedar Crest. She has been there for 7 years and absolutely loves her job! She's been married to her husband Ben for 8 years and they have four beautiful children: Calob is 13, LucyAnn is 6, and twins Jayce and Harper are 5. Camping, bike riding, and Lake Michigan are a few of the things they love to do as a family.
Ashley loves working for GPS! Working with the kids and getting them excited about reading has been the highlight of her career. Reading is such an important piece of kids' development and learning, and she loves to be a part of it.
We asked Ashley which song she would pick if she were forced to sing karaoke. She answered: "If I had to do karaoke (which I would never!), the song choice would have to be between Tooty Ta Dance Song, only because my littles at home love that one (and yes you would have to dance) and the other is Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar because it's a classic!"
Introducing our 2024 Cedar Crest Elementary Teacher of the Year, Pam Ingles!
Pam has been teaching for 23 years! Besides teaching kindergarten, she co-chairs the school leadership team, participates with the district leadership team, and is a union representative for the school. She mentors new teachers and loves being a part of the building cheer committee. She and her husband Dave, along with their daughter Marleigh, and two dogs Wrigley and Stitch, enjoy spending time together. Pam also loves to shop, garden, and read!
The highlight of Pam's GPS career has been working with the amazing staff at Cedar Crest. The entire staff has helped her to become a better teacher. Her and the kindergarten team enjoy finding ways to help all of their students reach and exceed expectations.
We asked Pam what she would do if she found a penguin walking around her school building. She answered, "I laughed when I read this question! When I go to a zoo, I love to watch the penguins. If I saw a penguin walking around, I would be quite shocked. I would try to get the penguin into a classroom to keep it safe and protected. Then, what an amazing experience this could provide for our kids! I would pull all of my penguin books out and we would gather more information. We would learn as much as we could about penguins while we had the penguin in our presence. The excitement and learning that all of us would encounter would be a once in a lifetime experience!"
There will be a regular/organizational Board of Education Meeting will be held on Monday, July 8, 2024, at 7:00pm at the Central Services Facility (1414 Chase Street, Greenville). For more information, please visit https://www.gpsjackets.org/page/board-of-education
GPS wishes everyone a safe & enjoyable 4th of July!
Introducing our 2024 Lincoln Heights Elementary Support Staff of the Year, Amanda Johnston!
Amanda has worked at Lincoln Heights for 11 years. She started on a year that had 17 snow days! She has worked in many roles, including 1:1 paraprofessional, behavior paraprofessional, office health assistant, supervision paraprofessional, math interventionist, and now a reading interventionist. She has been married to her husband Brian for 25 years, and they have 3 kids that all went to Lincoln Heights and GPS. They love to watch and play soccer, go camping, fishing, and be together. Amanda loves to craft!
The highlight of her career at GPS has been helping and watching the students grow in their learning, and being able to grow and learn herself with all of the different hats she has worn!
We asked Amanda which actress would play her in the movie of her life. She answered: "Melissa McCarthy would be the actress to play me in a movie about my life. She is funny but can be serious when needed to be, we both have strong work ethics, love to read and do crafts that we give to friends and family for gifts. She is passionate about cooking different recipes for others to try. We both have a distinctive laugh that makes us stand out, we are approachable, others tend to come to us for advice if we need anything. Fearless when it comes to work, go out and get it done and nothing will come in our way to stop us. And lastly, we love to challenge ourselves, to do better, to work harder, or whatever the case may be."
Introducing our 2024 Lincoln Heights Elementary Teacher of the Year, Sarah Shook!
Sarah is a 1st grade teacher at Lincoln Heights. She has 4 kids, aged 10, 9, 7, and 8 months. Three of them attend GPS and the other will when she is old enough! Her family loves the outdoors, and is big on sports. They also like to swim, fish, and hunt.
Sarah has loved her time with GPS working with all of the wonderful families. A highlight of her year has been taking a field trip to the movie theater to watch The Polar Express - it was a magical experience!
We asked Sarah whether she would rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses. She answered: "I would rather fight a horse-sized duck because ducks are slower than horses. We have ducks! I love their cute waddle, but I am definitely faster than they are!"
Greenville Public Schools is asking voters to consider a 10-year, 1.5-mill sinking fund millage proposal on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. If approved by voters, this proposal would enhance our schools' safety, comfort, and functionality for the benefit of the thousands of students, staff, and community members who use them daily by allowing GPS to address school security improvements, infrastructure replacement & updates, and technology & transportation replacements. This proposal will NOT increase your millage rate but rather hold it steady at 4.7 mills. For more information, please visit https://www.gpsjackets.org/page/sinking-fund-august-2024
Introducing our 2024 Walnut Hills Elementary Support Staff of the Year, Nik Iverson!
Nik loves doing anything outside and hanging with his family. He likes hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, and playing and watching sports. He enjoys activities like skiing, wakeboarding, water tubing, and has even been skydiving!
The highlight of his career so far is getting to know the staff and building relationships with the students at Walnut Hills.
We asked Nik if he'd rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses. He answered: "100 duck-sized horses. Because at least they would be cuter than a horse-sized duck and I might be able to take a couple down before the rest took me out!"
Introducing our 2024 Walnut Hills Elementary Teacher of the Year, Alicia Zank!
Alicia is a teacher through and through! She has taught for 14 years and has called Walnut Hills home for all of those years. 5th grade is her absolute favorite! When she's not at school, she stays busy with her husband and daughter going on adventures up north, snowmobiling, golfing, golfing, boating, and cruising. She is always reading a book or listening to a podcast!
The highlight of her career so far has been having a part in the educational growth of students. Celebrating their successes at 5th grade graduation and then watching those students return as high school graduates is so rewarding! She's also felt privileged to work with many amazing individuals over the years.
We asked Alicia which actress would play her in the movie of her life. She answered: "I don't have a specific actress in mind to play me in the movie of my life, but I would want Lin-Manuel Miranda to be the one to write the script and soundtrack. I'm a huge Hamilton fan and would be honored to have him lend his lyrical genius to describe the highs and lows of my life."
Introducing our 2024 Greenville Middle School Support Staff of the Year, Krista Wood!
Krista was born and raised in Greenville. She and her husband Ben have two children who both attend GHS. They enjoy spending time together as a family, and go to the UP to camp on Keweenaw Bay every summer.
Krista started at GPS working with preschoolers and elementary students, so watching those kids grow into their teens and turn into big kids has been the highlight of her career!
We asked Krista what she would do if she found a penguin walking around the school building. She answered: "I've always said that someday, I would write a book with all the funny, crazy, off the wall conversations, requests, or events that have taken place over the years as a school secretary. I would certainly add this scenario into my book, as nothing surprises me at the Middle School." 🐧
Introducing our 2024 Greenville Middle School Teacher of the Year, Kristin Mier!
Kristin has been married to her husband Casey for 15 years and has two children, Eleanor and Sawyer. Kristin is in her fourteenth year of teaching, and taught at Baldwin Heights, Lincoln Heights, and Walnut Hills before she landed at GMS teaching 6th grade language arts. She co-advises the student council and NJHS, facilitates the EmpowHer program for 6th grade girls, and created the Jacket Market event for budding entrepreneurs.
Kristin has had many highlights in her career at GPS. Seeing students she taught as kindergarteners and again as sixth graders is a unique privilege in her eyes. She was honored to be the first western teacher in the Chinese Immersion program at Walnut Hills. Kristin is immensely grateful for all of the colleagues-turned-friends she's made over the years, as they understand exactly what it's like to juggle the struggles, victories, and life moments that happen as a teacher.
We would never force Kristin to sing karaoke, but if we did, this would be her reply: "If I was singing karaoke, it would definitely be forced - as singing is not a talent I possess. However, I'm fairly confident I'd be "all in" for a Shania Twain song, likely "That Don't Impress Me Much," or a 90s country song of some sort. I would select one of these because I grew up on them, and know them by heart. And who doesn't love Shania?"
Introducing our 2024 Greenville High School Support Staff of the Year, Sara Gunderson!
Sara is in her 10th year at GPS and loves where she works. She loves kids and "moms" the heck out of them as they grow and mature into young adults! When she's not at GHS, you can find her selling shoes at a sensational place or hanging out with her family: Jeremy, Layna, and Mackenna. You might also catch her being a passenger princess on the back of the Harley!
The highlight of her time at GPS has been getting to work with amazing educators, administrators, secretaries, and support staff.
We asked Sara if she could turn each of her five fingers into a drinking fountain, which drinks she would choose. She answered: coffee, Mountain Dew, iced tea, peanut butter malt, and water! Yum!
Join our team!
Introducing our 2024 Greenville High School Teacher of the Year, Mike Radcliffe!
Mr. Radcliffe has 31 years of teaching social studies at the high school level, 23 of which have been in Greenville. He has been married to his wife Mary for 33 years. They have three children and two grandchildren! Mr. Radcliffe loves to mountain bike, hike, and entertain us all with his bad dad jokes and puns.
The highlight of his time with GPS has been all the great years of building relationships with students and watching them have their own families and careers - and having THEIR children as students! He is also thankful for the great colleagues who have made teaching fun and memorable.
When asked how long he would survive in a zombie apocalypse, he stated: "I think I would fare well, as I am a very dead-icated teacher with dead-pan humor that could really enliven up the apocalypse. Afterall, the opportunity to work with zombies is a no-brainer. I would open up a school in order to reform the state of deaducation. Zombies are regularly the victims of misunderstanding--Often, they are simply looking for some body to hang out with. Many of them have dead-end lives. Sure, their killer instincts could use some redirection, but in many cases the living dead are simply needing some help getting their lives back together. I could undertake that task, perhaps even open up a funeral home with my wife, called His and Hearse. After all, we are mourning people. Our motto could be, "We will be the last to let you down." In a worst case scenario, I suppose I could open up a cafe called Bone Appetite. . . or, I could open up a music hall to attract the dead beats. Then again, I might just take shelter in the living room."
A regular Board of Education Meeting will be held on Monday, June 10, 2024, at 7:00pm at the Central Services Facility (1414 Chase Street, Greenville). For more information, please visit https://www.gpsjackets.org/page/board-of-education
If you forgot to pick up your student's medications before the last day of school, they are available for pick up today (Thursday, June 6) from 11:00am-2:00pm & 3:00-5:00pm at the GHS Auditorium/Gym Lobby (regardless of what school your student attends). Any prescription or nonprescription medications not picked up will be discarded/destroyed; medications cannot be stored at the schools for the following year.
If you forgot to pick up your student's medications, they will be available for pick up on Thursday, June 6, from 11:00am-2:00pm & 3:00-5:00pm at the GHS Auditorium/Gym Lobby (regardless of what school your student attends). Any prescription or nonprescription medications not picked up will be discarded/destroyed; medications cannot be stored at the schools for the following year.
You made it! Have a great summer ☀
Today (Friday, May 31) is a HALF DAY & the LAST DAY for ALL GPS students! GMS releases at 10:30am, GHS releases at 10:35am & Elementary releases at 11:50am.
