First Congregational to host Seder – Thursday, March 24
Join us for a Christian interpretation of the traditional Jewish festival celebrated for more than 3,000 years. The evening will include all the elements of the Seder; singing, story telling, praying, and eating.
Please join the people of the First Congregational Church in their Seder family dinner on Maundy Thursday, March 24 at 6 p.m.
Children are most welcome. A full dinner will be served along with the elements of the ceremonial meal.
Call ahead or email to help us estimate a head count at church office, 224-2636,
first.congregational.church.sj@gmail.com.
Downtown St. Johns at First Congregational Church, 100 Maple Street.
Briggs Library survey update
We would like to provide an updated link to the survey we posted last week.
If you haven’t had a chance to fill it out, please take a few minutes to do so now.
We are seeking input from the entire St. Johns community, those who use the Library, as well as those who do not, so please feel free to share the link.
https://app.e2ma.net/app2/survey/1767188/213068099/d72eecc6b1/
LAFCU offers scholarships to high school seniors
LAFCU is accepting applications for its 2016 “Write to Educate Essay Contest” that awards two $2,500 college scholarships to high school seniors and allows them to each select a local charity to receive a $500 donation from LAFCU.
The application deadline is Friday, April 22. Applications are available online at www.LAFCUMyWay.com.
One scholarship is for a student who will attend Baker College of Owosso; the other is for a student who will attend Lansing Community College.
“We are again looking forward to helping make the financial entry into college easier for two students and to make a meaningful contribution to their charities of choice; two things that support our mission of ‘people helping people,'” said Kelli A. Ellsworth Etchison, LAFCU senior vice president of marketing.
Winners will be chosen based on responses to a one-page essay about an improvement the applicant could implement at their high school before they graduate that would also benefit the community.
Each winner will select one of the following charities to receive a $500 donation from LAFCU:
· Allen Street Farmers Market
· Greater Lansing Food Bank
· The Salvation Army Owosso for its food and nutrition programs
· YMCA of Metropolitan Lansing’s Healthy Living Mobile Kitchen
“We’re asking the applicants to engage in thinking how one person can make a difference and about the role of charities in our community,” Ellsworth Etchison said. “This type of leadership development is what makes the LAFCU ‘Write to Educate Essay Contest’ unique.”
Eligible applicants attend high school in the LAFCU service territory, which includes the counties of Barry, Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Livingston, Montcalm and Shiawassee. They do not need to be members of LAFCU to apply.
Entries may be uploaded via www.LAFCUMyWay.com or mailed to LAFCU, P.O. Box 26188, Lansing, Michigan, 48909-6188. For more information, visit www.LAFCUMyWay.com.
Mark Your Calendar
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Welcome veterans home – Saturday, April 2
It’s that time again; please invite your favorite veteran.
Come spend an afternoon honoring our veterans. Please join St. Johns American Legion Post 153 in welcoming veterans home on Saturday, April 2 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
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Cooking Matters/Parenting Matters
Tuesdays, March 15 – April 26, 2016 (no class on April 5) from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Smith Hall on the Clinton County Fairgrounds. Space is limited so call 989-224-5241 to register. There is no cost to participate.
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The Friends of the Fred Meijer CIS Trail to hold Annual Membership Meeting – March 17
Get your green on this St. Patrick’s Day to support your local greenway. The Friends of the Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail will hold their annual membership meeting in the auditorium of the Memorial Healthcare Hospital at 826 W. King Street in Owosso on Thursday evening, March 17, 2016 at 7 pm.
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Kindergarten Registration – March 15 – 17
St. Johns Public Schools offers all day, everyday kindergarten. Children who will be 5 years old on or by September 1, 2016 are eligible to attend school in the fall.
Please visit the web page www.sjredwings.org to get school updates and information.
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Feast and Raffle – March 19
The 2nd annual St Joseph Feast and Raffle Dinner is March 19. For more information check out their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/St.josephfeastandraffle99/
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Annual Spring Wetlands Conservation Banquet – April 15, 2016
The Clinton County Chapter of Ducks Unlimited (DU) will host it’s 35th Annual Wetlands Conservation
banquet on Friday April 15, 2016. The event will once again be held at Smith Hall on the 4-H Fairgrounds in St Johns.
Spring Arbor University Dean’s List for the Fall 2015 Semester
Saint Johns: Amy Babinski, Junior, Special Education, Daughter of Edward and Tammy Babinski
Baker College initiative gives high school students “Running Start”
A new Baker College initiative is increasing emphasis on giving Michigan high school students a running start on their college education. The students earn college credit, at no cost to them, and graduate high school ready for college, careers and community.
The new initiative, Running Start, bundles the state-sanctioned programs that allow high school students to earn college credit – early/middle college, direct credit, dual enrollment and articulation – under one umbrella.
“This change is in response to the considerable increase in the number of secondary school administrators interested in college-credit programs for their students,” said Bart Daig, Ph.D., Baker College System president and CEO. “Our goal with Running Start is to make it easy for administrators to sign up and implement the programs they select.
“As a private, not-for-profit organization, Baker College can be highly flexible. We can quickly adapt and tailor a program to meet the need of an individual school district.”
Baker College has eight early/middle school colleges operational through its campuses in Auburn Hills, Cadillac, Flint, Jackson and Owosso. That number will likely double during the next few months.
Enrollment in Baker College’s direct credit program is also increasing. An example is the program through Baker College of Cadillac. In 2011, approximately 200 students were participating; today nearly 1,100 in the same area are earning college credit in high school.
The students save hundreds of dollars in tuition and other college costs in Running Start programs because the courses are subsidized by the sponsoring school districts. Credits earned through the programs may also shorten the time required to complete the students’ college education beyond high school.
Another benefit is increasing college readiness, according to Peni Aldrich, Ph.D., director of Running Start.
“High school students introduced to the challenges of college have the support of high school and college resources,” she said. “They will be better prepared to succeed in college after high school.”
The Running Start programs are:
· Early/middle college is a five-year high school program in which students can earn a high school diploma and substantial college credit – up to 60 credit hours, even an associate degree.
· Direct credit offers Baker College courses at a high school, technical center or site other than a Baker College campus. These courses may count for high school or college credit, or both.
· Dual enrollment allows students to take high school courses at their school and college courses at a Baker College campus.
· Articulation provides college credit for students who demonstrate skills and competencies learned in designated high school courses in which they received a grade B or better at participating schools and enter Baker College within two years of course completion.
“Secondary school administrators are interested in these programs because they understand that earning a postsecondary credential, whether it’s a certificate or doctorate or anything in between, is required in today’s knowledge-based economy,” Aldrich said. “Our Running Start programs provide higher education that’s definitely affordable for more students. When the students gain confidence that they can succeed in college, they will more likely pursue higher education following high school.”
Aldrich said that a big part of the success of these programs lies in choosing students capable of meeting the challenges.
“Selecting students who can handle college curricula is key,” she said. “It is rigorous; these are college courses.”
For more information about Baker College programs that offer high school students a running start on their college education, visit www.baker.edu/runningstart. Students should contact their high school counselor.
School district administrators interested in partnering with Baker College should contact the Running Start coordinator for the Baker College campus nearest their district:
· Flint, Jackson and Owosso – Jodi Cuneaz, Running Start coordinator, 810.766.4008 or jodi.cuneaz@baker.edu.