Cheer at SJHS away opener at Grand Ledge
Work continues on Scott Road
The contractors have been pouring concrete on the south end of the Scott Road project. Progress is being made on the 10 ft. wide pathways that will be connecting our city and making St. Johns a more walkable community.
SJHS alum working on Covid-19 testing
St. Johns High School graduate, Dr. Nathan Grubaugh, is helping lead the way in coronavirus testing. Dr. Grubaugh is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Yale University and helped develop the “SalivaDirect” test for COVID testing. He is a 2001 graduate of SJHS.
Nathan Grubaugh, one of the researchers who developed the test, said he expects labs to charge about $10 per sample.
“If cheap alternatives like SalivaDirect can be implemented across the country, we may finally get a handle on this pandemic, even before a vaccine,” Grubaugh said, according to the Yale news release.
Nathan Grubaugh joined the faculty at Yale School of Public Health in 2018. Before going to graduate school, he spent about 7 years working in the biotech industry doing toxicology studies, monitoring food production lines for pathogens, and developing early phase vaccine candidates. He earned his MS in biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University (2011) while conducting research at the NIH and the US Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (focus on mosquito-borne virus surveillance).
Dr. Grubaugh earned his PhD in microbiology from Colorado State University in 2016 with a focus on West Nile virus evolution, and went on to be a postdoctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Institute to study the 2015-2017 Zika virus epidemic.
Building on these experiences, the Grubaugh Lab uses genomics to determine the emergence risk and to track the spread of mosquito-borne viruses, like Zika, chikungunya, dengue, and West Nile. Specifically, the lab 1) sequences viruses during outbreaks for epidemiological investigations (genomic epidemiology), 2) determines the disease phenotype and transmission fitness of novel virus mutations that occur during outbreaks (functional genomics), and 3) maps the evolutionary pathways that a virus may take to adapt to a new environment (experimental evolution).
To do these studies, which include expertise in field work, computational biology, and laboratory experimentation, the Grubaugh Lab is building a diverse team and collaborates with many groups from around the world. Their goals are to integrate genomic data into surveillance and response programs to better prevent and control future mosquito-borne virus outbreaks.
Read more about their work at grubaughlab.com.
Remember When? – 2018 SJHS Athletic Hall of Fame Induction will be Friday
St. Johns High School congratulates the Hall of Fame Class of 2018 who will be honored on Friday, September 21.
St. Johns High School Athletic Hall Of Fame – Class Of 2018
Jeffrey R. Flermoen (Swimming, Golf): Two-time Individual State Champion in 100-Yard Breaststroke in ’94 and ’95; six-time Central Michigan Swim League Individual Champion who held six of 11 varsity swim records; earned All-American and Academic All-American Honors in ’95; Class of ’95 Co-Valedictorian; four-year varsity letter winner in swimming at the University of Michigan; 1995 SJHS graduate.
Keith Haske (Football, Basketball, Baseball): SJHS Male Athlete of the Year (’76); earned All-Conference Honors in football, basketball and baseball; served as Captain of all three teams and earned All-State Honors in baseball in ’76; four-year baseball player at Alma College; coached varsity basketball at SJHS with teams winning six league championships and an overall record of 164-114; coached at Charlevoix and Traverse City St. Francis winning over 600 career games and inducted into ’14 BCAM Hall of Fame; 1976 SJHS graduate.
Laurie (Rehmann) Hoppough (Basketball, Volleyball): SJHS basketball career scoring leader with 1,451 points; All-State in basketball and ’99 Miss Basketball Candidate; USA Today Top 25 Player; member of ’97 State Semi-Finalist Team; four-year starter at Grand Valley State University scoring over 1,000 points for the Lakers, GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year; 1999 SJHS graduate.
Abby Wiseman (Basketball, Softball): Scored 1,031 career points in three basketball seasons; two-time All-State in basketball; member of ’97 State Semi-Finalist Team; three-time All-League, All-District and All-Region in softball; four-year basketball player at Eastern Michigan University scoring 1,244 career points and two-time All-MAC; 1999 SJHS graduate.
1953-54 Boys Basketball Team: Won the West Central League Championship with a 7-1 record and ended the regular season with a 12-2 record; won District and Regional Championships; lost 57-48 in State Semi-Final Game at Michigan State University’s Jenison Field House to Holland Christian; finished season with a 17-3 record; only St. Johns boys team in school history to advance to State Semi-Finals. Team was coached by Dwane Wirick.
Seniors: Doug Knight, Ward Pifer, Jerry Barnes, David Gasser, Lynn Smith
Juniors: Karlis Dakers, Jack Richards, William Lynam, William Weseman, Bruce Williams, Jack Willis, Tom Wilson, David Anderson, Tom Beechler
Maralyn’s Pet Corner – What Are the Benefits of Fish Oil for Dogs and Cats?
Fish oils are nutritional supplements with many reported health benefits. For people, fish oils can help reduce the risk of heart attacks, manage high blood pressure and relieve arthritis pain.
With such health benefits for people, you may ask, what are the benefits of fish oil for dogs and cats? In fact, fish oil supplements are one of the most commonly used supplements for pets. Before going through the benefits of fish oil for dogs and cats, let’s first learn about some fish oil basics.
What Are Fish Oil Supplements?
Fish oil supplements contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are fats that have many important functions in the body, such as providing structure to cell membranes and providing energy for the body. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids, meaning that the body cannot produce them; they must be obtained from the diet.
Fish oil supplements, which come in pill or liquid form, have two types of omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These fatty acids are primarily found in cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna, pollock and trout.
What Are the Benefits of Fish Oil?
Using fish oil for cats and dogs offers several key health benefits:
Reduction of Inflammation
Fish oil supplements are well known for their anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, EPA and DHA act as cellular signals to reduce inflammation. Therefore, fish oil supplements help manage inflammatory diseases like arthritis and heart disease. Fish oil can also ease the inflammation from skin allergies, helping your pet to feel less itchy.
If your pet has severe arthritis, fish oil supplements can be used along with traditional pet pain medication to maximize pain relief.
Improved Brain Development and Cognitive Function
DHA, in particular, plays a very important role in how the brain develops and functions. In puppies, DHA supplementation can help with learning and retaining various skills.
In older dogs, DHA can reduce the effects of cognitive dysfunction, which is similar to dementia in people. For example, using DHA dog supplements can help an older dog better recognize its family members and not feel so easily disoriented.
Slowed Tumor Growth
Interestingly, fish oils can inhibit tumor growth by stimulating the cancer cells to differentiate (turn into specific cell types). When cells differentiate, they have a limited ability to divide and ultimately survive. DHA has been shown to promote cancer cell differentiation, meaning that the cells cannot continue to divide, and the tumor cannot continue to grow.
Other Benefits
Fish oil supplements have also been shown to reduce abnormal heart rhythms and seizure frequency, as well as reduce levels of triglycerides, which are fats that can be harmful in high amounts.
Giving Fish Oil to Your Pet
There are so many fish oil supplements to choose from, but your veterinarian can help you determine which fish oil is best for your pet. They can recommend high-quality brands and advise you on how much fish oil supplement to give your pet.
Fish oil supplements come in liquid or capsule form. If your pet does not want to swallow a capsule, you can use a small knife to open the capsule, and then pour the contents onto your pet’s food.
Most commercial pet food formulas contain omega-3 fatty acids. However, EPA and DHA can become rancid quickly, so pet food that contains omega-3 needs a proper dog food storage container to prevent the food from going bad.
Also, these pet foods may contain other omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseed or canola oil) that do not provide the same benefits as EPA and DHA.
Fish oil supplements are not toxic to dogs and cats, but they do have side effects. The most common is fishy odor on the breath or skin. Other side effects include gastrointestinal discomfort and oily, flaky skin. Contact your veterinarian if your dog or cat experiences these side effects with fish oil supplements.