Education Newsmakers: 06/30/2009

June 30, 2009 07:10 am

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-- Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools Superintendent Michael Buell recently met with U.S. Senate leaders and experts in Washington, D.C., to discuss promoting healthy eating habits and increasing physical activity in students. Buell shared the key components of GTACS' Life Balance Initiative, featuring healthy school food services that provide unprocessed fresh and whole foods, and a farm-to-school buying structure that supports local producers.

-- The Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District Career-Tech Center had 23 students qualify for competition at the 37th Annual SkillsUSA State Leadership Conference. The following students earned medals at the state level: James Pentland, Elk Rapids High School, Gold Medal Power Equipment Technology Postsecondary; Mike VanderMey, Traverse City Central High School, Silver Medal Firefighting; Nate Musselman, Mancelona High School, Bronze Medal Residential Wiring; Adam VanderMey, Traverse City Central High School, Auto Service New Vehicle Prep fifth place; Amber Gniposky, Benzie High School, Motorcycle Service Technology fourth place; Josh Litwiller, Traverse City Central High School, Gold Medal Power Equipment Technology; and Tyler Larson, home school, Gold Medal Industrial Motor Control.

-- Economics instructor Amjad Khan was named Northwestern Michigan College's 2009 Imogene Wise Faculty Excellence Award winner. Accounting instructor Gary Sanborn is the 2009 Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award winner.

-- Both the Pines Yearbook and the Black & Gold Newspaper of Traverse City Central High School won Spartan awards at the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association's annual spring conference. Yearbook Individual Awards (28): Raffi Appel, Cassandra Barnewold, Samantha Breaux, Spenser Emerson, Tyler Fink, Megan Fischer, Erika Garvin, Alex Lamey, Jillian Randazzo. Newspaper Individual Awards (31): Greg Brown, Duncan Cooper, Anna Frick, Richard Gavitt, Brooke Hagen, Pat Heflin, Maddy Kachadurian, Reece Karbowski, Elise Kaufmann, Emily Mumford, Kirk Rasmussen, Korinne Travis, Forest Walters, Erin Wiggins.

-- James Pratt of Manistee was honored with the Liberal Arts and Sciences Outstanding Graduate Award and The Community Service Award at West Shore Community College's recent Student Awards Convocation.

-- Tiernan McGrew and Molly Peregrine, students at Traverse City East Middle School, were runners-up in Junior Scholastic's "Can You Find the Mapman?" Contest. They each received a Mapman T-shirt.

-- Traverse City Area American Association of University Women awarded the Minnie Votruba Moore Scholarship to Mai Ze Vang of Traverse City, who graduated from Northwestern Michigan College and will continue her education at the University of Michigan in the fall.

-- The following local students recently graduated from Olivet College: Kyle Walkowiak of Traverse City; Madison McKenzie of Charlevoix; Scott Fenech and Amy Johnson, both of Gaylord.

-- Kelsey White of Traverse City participated in the mentoring program at Castleton State College in Vermont. The program organizes volunteers from the college to interact weekly with local elementary school students.

-- The following local students recently graduated from Northern Michigan University in Marquette as undergraduates: Andrew T. Whitley, Mallory H. Mahoney, Stephen H. Andreae, Jayme N. Murray, all of Charlevoix; Richard C. Simmon, Cassidy L. Hart, Nathan P. Mapes, all of Gaylord; Casey S. Wilcox, Benjamin L. Biddick, Emily M. Bochniak, John P. Dowsett, all of Petoskey; Peter A. Richards of Glen Arbor; Clare E. Mullen of Manton; Marie M. Valley of Bellaire; Tyler A. Backlas of Beulah; Amanda L. Jackson of Cedar; Jessica N. Vallance of East Jordan; Benjamin F. Lucey, Jillian M. Seager, Christopher S. Secord, all of Grayling; Jason L. Aldrich of Kalkaska; Michael J. Kmiecik of Onekama; Amanda N. Staley of Pellston. The following recently received graduate degrees: Jessie M. Simmon of Gaylord; Benjamin A. Crockett of Petoskey.