Chirp Sheet
Singing the praises of our DCS students and staff 9-15/23
This year, we had seven grant requests totaling nearly $13, 271.64 The DEF Board awarded five winners, totalling more than $8,500 in classroom mini grants.
The winning projects are:
“Duck Diaries,” submitted by Merissa Legant, first grade teacher at Central Elementary. This project consists of raising ducks in the classroom from egg to hatchling. Interacting with animals has been shown to have a positive effect on mental health and well-being. This hands-on learning opportunity will help students understand concepts such as animal life cycles, biology and environmental science in a memorable way. The total of this grant is $595.
“Phonics /PH/un!,” submitted by Thomson Elementary teachers Julie VanEvery and Staci Maule. This $563.47 grant will provide a set of phonics-focused word study activities that align with kindergarten curriculum and state standards. These resources will allow students to work independently during literacy station time.
“Beautifying Community Spaces: Michigan Native Species Tile Wall Installation,” submitted by Davison High School art teacher Erin Sanderson. This $450 grant will allow for the creation of a vibrant tile wall installation for the school garden. This project would repurpose the clay relief tiles that depict Michigan native species that students created for the Flint Art Walk and decorate three mosaic walls in the DHS garden.
“Courtyard Garden” submitted by Gates Elementary staff and led by Teacher Faith Fortune in the amount of $3,500. This project will turn the current courtyard into a garden/reading nook. The goal is to create an area for a small garden plot of flowers, fruits and vegetables that might be expanded over the years that teachers and students may utilize to discuss plant necessities, explore the responsibilities of managing a garden, to investigate the wildlife that these areas will attract and to enjoy a beautiful space for reading activities.
“Cardinal Connection Empowering Self- Regulation Through Peer Support,” submitted by Melissa Jones, Jodee Collick, Stacy Evans, Kelly Fritz, Shelli Hester Hyde, Kathryn Kellogg and Melissa Simpson. This $3,445.45 grant will provide for activities and materials for the elementary “LINKs” program.
Davison High School teacher Mrs. Kristin Kneff has been selected as the Davison Educational Foundation Professional Scholar for 2024.
This is the 15th year for the award. Winners receive up to $1,000 to attend a unique professional development activity.
Kristin, an English Language Arts teacher, will be participating in Kristian Kuhn’s “Teach it Write” 5-week 1:1 Mentorship.” Mr. Kuhn is a lead teacher with the National Writing Project, an established writing consultant, and has presented his ideas at the National Council of Teachers of English. He has taught writing courses, including AP Language and Composition, for over 20 years. He is offering a mentorship program that consists of five 90-minute sessions during which he works with individual teachers on developing their abilities to model and teach writing to secondary students.
Secondary Teacher of the Year
The nominees for Secondary Teacher of the Year included:
- Jodi Aboneaaj
- Matt Ames
- Kristin Baker
- Jody Baldrige
- Rob Belprez
- Amy Cottrill
- Ronald Fray
- Ruth Friske
- Amy Hyrman
- Jennifer Johnson
- Ryan Kelsey
- Kristin Kneff
- Shawn Lewis
- Bobbie McAllister
- Janey McGlashen
- Andy Michalik
- Amanda Mobley
- Pam Ruggiero
- Isabel Salazar
- Anthony Schaaf
- Raven Springsteen
- Jessica Stengel
- Ryan Suchy
- Michele Tibbitt
- Turina Zimmer
And the winner is … Jessica Stengel
Jessica teaches American Sign Language at Davison High School and joined the DCS team just this year. She received several nominations, including this one from a student who wrote:
“She makes everyone feel like her class is a safe space. I have learned so much about ASL. She makes learning easy and fun. I actually get excited to go to school just because of her class. I wish every teacher was like her.”
Congratulations Jessica!
Middle School/Hahn Teacher of the Year
the nominees for Hahn/DMS Teacher of the Year included:
- Jenna Blake
- Laura Ferguson
- Gabrielle Hartley
- Shelli Hester Hyde
- Jason Leach
- Katie Locher
- Julie Pattee
- Shawnna Shorkey
- Julie Simonsen
- Mark Stegal
- Ami Unger
- Janessa Woodrich
And the Middle Level Teacher of the Year is … Laura Ferguson
Laura teaches at Hahn Intermediate. She received several nominations, including this one from a co-worker who wrote:
“In the spirit of putting kids first, Ms. Ferguson has constantly met the needs of her students in order to ensure their learning experience. May it be simply giving out a pencil, taking time to answer a concerning question or offering enthusiastic support and encouragement, on a daily basis Ms. Ferguson's display of calm and tenderness reassures her students that she has their best interests at heart. Presently a class science project of hatching duck and pheasant eggs has brought a high level of excitement to her classroom. Davison Community Schools should be proud to have Ms. Ferguson as an educator.”
Congratulations Laura.
Elementary Teacher of the Year
Nominees for Elementary Teacher of the Year included:
- Mariah Bailey
- Jacqueline Brisbin
- Ellen Brubaker
- Jacqueline Campbell
- Jennifer Carnell
- Sarah Covert
- Stacy Evans
- Marie Glenn
- Michaela Graham
- Tracy Griggs
- Crystal Hoganson
- Nicole Illig
- Christen Kopp
- Lindsay Lane
- Rachel Lewandowski
- Gwen Lindsay
- Wendy Lockrey
- Chelsea Long
- Monica Martin
- Andrea McDunnah
- Rachel McKinnon
- Ben Montgomery
- Mary Naranjo
- Katherine Owen
- Mindy Parrott
- Carol Pyland
- Lauren Rhoads
- Angie Rogers
- Megan Romanik
- Ashley Romine
- Becky Romzek
- Karla Ruzicka
- Alexis Schaepkens
- Brian Seymour
- Brenda Smith
- Teri Steinhaus
- Julia Tober
- Julie Van Every
- Rachel Wheaton
- Kristine White
- Joe Whitman
- Emily Williams
- Carol Wilson
Ellen teaches third grade at Central Elementary. She received several nominations including one from a parent who wrote:
“Mrs. Brubaker isn’t just an incredible person, but a teacher as well. My daughter has always had a hard time opening up and connecting to teachers and Mrs. Brubaker is one that she just fell in love with. She always goes the extra mile with her students to make sure they get all the support they need. She pays attention to each and every detail about her students and their family. I LOVE how Mrs. Brubaker sent out weekly newsletters that were very detailed to keep parents up to date and involved in their students' day-to-day activities. She also still checks in with my child and our family every time she sees us! I truly couldn’t have asked for a better teacher when my daughter was in 3rd grade. She will forever hold a place in our hearts solely based on how she treated us, our daughter, and because she’s just a kind and caring human. Every child that has the opportunity to have Mrs. Brubaker as a teacher will be a better person because of it.”
Congratulations Ellen.
Support Person of the Year
Nominees for the Support Person of the Year Award included:
- Shanna Brittain
- Taylor Brooks
- Jake Brown
- Fay Carmona
- Brooklyn Claxton
- Amber Creech
- Jennifer Darbee
- Sue Dorman
- Sam Foster
- Joe Francis
- Jamie Giampa
- Jamie Hobbs
- Tammy Hoffa
- Becky Holt
- Steve Howe
- Lisa Hughes
- June Hulverson
- Jenni Leask
- Jerome Leflore
- Sylvester Lockhart
- Tracy Loomis
- Miles Luebke
- Jake Martin
- Stephen Maule
- Anne McDonald
- Kim O’Donnell
- Pam Osgood
- Kelly Porter
- Marty Quertermous
- David Quintanilla
- Heather Richards
- Tonya Rosa
- Tiffany Sayles
- Melissa Schiestel
- Tammy Shewmaker
- Ashley Shuart
- Peggy Sparks
- Rachael Suchy
- Delta Thompson
- Connie Trombley
- Michelle Upper
- Amy Walker
And the winner is ... Sue Dorman
Sue is the Secretary to the Principal at Thomson Elementary. Sue received many nominations from her co-workers at Thomson, one of whom wrote:
“Sue Dorman exemplifies the spirit of excellence through her commitment to Thomson. Despite working in a short-handed environment all year, she has consistently stepped up to fill in the gaps and was able to adapt to any situation. She has gone above and beyond for staff and Thomson families. She has played a pivotal role in facilitating smooth communication, embodies teamwork, and shows compassion. Sue's resilience, tireless efforts and attitude make her a shining example of what it means to be Support Person of the Year!
Congratulations, Sue!
Paul Clolinger - 13. 5 years
Paul began his second career at DCS on November 22, 2010, following an esteemed career in law enforcement, serving as a police officer for Mt. Morris Township and the City of Davison police departments.
Paul said he is looking forward to having more time to spend with his family, which includes his beautiful wife, Amy, two grown children, a son-in-law and a 2-year-old grandson.
Paul’s advice to his successor is pretty straightforward: “Protect our children and staff.”
Wendy Doucette - 18 years
Wendy joined the District on November 6, 2006, as a cook at Davison High School. In 2019 she moved to Siple Elementary.
Wendy said her retirement plans include spending time camping with her husband, enjoying her four grandchildren and maybe even relaxing.
Wendy and her husband, Dean, have been married for 37 years. They have two daughters and those four beautiful grandchildren.
We hope you find lots of time for relaxing, Wendy!
Ann Ruscitto - 20 years
Ann is retiring as the Head Cook at Davison Middle School.
Her career began as a substitute cook in August 2004 where she filled in at multiple buildings throughout the District. In May 2005, Ann became full time as a cook at Davison Middle School.
Ann's retirement plan is to move to Grand Rapids to be closer to her daughter. She also plans to spend more time traveling and looks forward to spending time with her grandchild in Texas.
Ann said she met her best friend when she started working at the middle school and they have remained friends ever since. She will miss her daily talks with Kay Tessner, who currently serves as Head Cook at Thomson Elementary.
Ann and her husband, Tony, have been married for 36 years. They are the parents of Anthony, Elizabeth and Nicholas, have a daughter-in-law, Emily, and granddaughter, Charlotte.
Ann's advice to her successor is "enjoy the job - it goes by way too fast."
Debbie Bobchik - 20.5 years
Debbie was hired in August 2003 as a fourth grade teacher at Siple Elementary. Other than an almost one-year assignment at Central, the remainder of her teaching career has been instructing second and third graders at Siple. This is Debbie’s second career; prior to teaching she worked 20 years in the healthcare field in medical billing, X-ray and working in the ER and admitting for both Beaumont and McLaren hospitals.
Debbie’s retirement plans include traveling and taking that dream vacation to Hawaii, spending time with her family and grandchildren, getting more involved in her church, not waking up to an alarm - just sleeping in, reading and doing her own thing.
One of the most memorable experiences in Debbie’s career involved some horseplay. Several years ago, she was serving as the Head Teacher when her then principal - Pam Chedister - was at a meeting at the administration building. Debbie was walking back to her classroom - located at the front of the building - when she noticed her class running toward the front entrance of the school. She thought, well, that’s weird since she had just taken them to gym about 10 minutes ago. And then she saw what all the commotion was about. A horse was chasing the students. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and ran for the office where the kids were being let into the building by a staff member,” Debbie recalled. Debbie instructed the secretary to call administration while she dialed 911. While on the phone with the 911 operator - who was questioning whether Debbie was telling them the truth - the horse continued to “stalk” the front doors, trying to find a way to get into the school. After a few minutes of this, then Head Custodian Tom Masters was able to use his belt to “harness” the horse and walked with the animal until the police and the horse’s owner, who lived next door, showed up.
Debbie and her husband, Bill, have been married for 41 years. Both of their children are DHS graduates. Oldest son Joe is an engineer for Caterpillar and lives in Peoria, Illinois, with his wife Jodi. They have two boys, Ben, 14, and Jacob, 12. Daughter Cindy works for a vascular surgeon and is married to Aaron. They live in Fenton and have three children, Emma, 5, Brooks, who will begin preschool this year, and Hank, who just turned 1.
Debbie’s advice includes:
Begin by building positive relationships with your students and their families. Get to know them and the things they love.
Find something special about each of your students, even the tough ones. They need to know that they are valuable to you in some way and YOU need that special something to hold onto on the tough days.
Know that you are working with an amazing team that will support you and help you with anything you need. Go to lunch and know that you are working with the best colleagues you could ever work with.
Ron Fray - 21 years
Ron is retiring as a World Studies teacher at Davison High School. He began with the district in 2003.
While he doesn’t have any immediate plans for retirement, Ron said somewhere down the road he would consider connecting with kids and public education once again by subbing.
Ron says his time here in Davison has been amazing and he is so blessed to have had the opportunities to make a difference in the lives of our Davison students. He said he will never forget the amazing kids and the staff he was able to not only learn from, but connect with along the way.
“I have been blessed to work with many incredible people over the years and will cherish the memories forever!” Ron said. “I will always be proud to call myself a DAVISON CARDINAL!”
Ron is the proud father of two daughters, both of whom are nurses in the area. He also has a new granddaughter, Zoey, and he said being a grandfather is an “amazing feeling.”
His advice to his successor is to connect with the kids and build relationships.
Robert Konzman - 21 years
Robert has worked as a CI teacher at Hahn since joining the district in August 2003. He previously taught eight years in Flint Community Schools at Civic Park and Durant Turri Mott.
Robert is looking forward to traveling in his fifth wheel. Their first trip will be a three-month-long adventure in Alaska.
The most memorable part of his time here at DCS is meeting his wife Shelly.
He and Shelly share five children together: Nathan, Tyler, Joe, Luke and Grace, and three grandchildren: Danny, Lottie and Ella.
Bob’s advice to his successor is: "have your IEPs done on time, handle the behaviors and make those positive connections with the kids and parents. Above all, have fun - it’s going to be a heck of a ride!"
Karen Cardimen - 23 years
Karen is retiring as the 6th grade Challenging Academic Potential (CAP) teacher at Hahn Intermediate. She began working for DCS in August of 2001.
Karen plans to travel during her retirement years.
Some of Karen's most memorable moments from her career have occurred when former students come back to see her and share that she inspired them to learn, pushed them to achieve and that they were well prepared for advanced classes and AP courses.
Karen is married to Michael, who works for Rochester Schools. She is a mom to three, daughter Parker graduated this year from Rochester Adams High School and sons, Drake and Dane, are working and trying to live their best lives.
Karen's advice to her successor is to provide lots of opportunities for students to apply the knowledge that they have learned to other subjects.
Julie Malenich – 24 years.
Julie is retiring as the Assistant Principal at Davison High School. She began her career as a math teacher at Fulton High School, where she worked from August 1994 to June of 2000. She taught math at Davison High School from August 2000 to June of 2006 when she was appointed as assistant principal at the high school. Julie also served as the Assistant Principal at Davison Middle School from June 2010 to June 2014 before returning to the high school.
Julie’s retirement plans include enjoying the lake on which they live and spending time with family.
One memory that Julie recalls happened when she was teaching Honors Geometry at the high school. One day a male student came up to her after lunch one day with a very confused and troubled look on his face. He said, "Mrs. Malenich, why do you go to lunch every day with Mr. Alderson and not your husband?" I said, "Oh that is so sweet! It is ok though because Mr. Alderson is my brother!" The look of relief on his face was priceless!
Julie and Matt, who is a middle school teacher for Genesee Schools, have two sons. Mitchell, 24, lives in Grand Rapids and works in construction, and Luke, 22, is a plumbing apprentice living in Allendale.
Julie’s advice to her successor is this: “Just remember, when dealing with any situation, students need to feel safe and be safe to learn at their best ability.”
Ernie Sipley - 24.5 years
Ernie is retiring as the physical education teacher at Siple Elementary. During his time at Davison, he also taught PE at Hill Elementary.
Ernie’s retirement plans include spending time with his family, traveling and golfing. A lot of golfing.
Ernie is married to Angie and his children include son, Spencer, and daughters, Savannah and Brooke.
Ernie’s advice to his successor is profound: “The smallest things that you do for these kids can end up being the biggest thing to them.” Well said, Ernie!
Shelly Konzman - 29 years
Shelly started her career in July 1996 teaching physical education to sixth, seventh and eighth graders at Davison Middle School. She moved to Hahn Intermediate when it opened in 1997 and has been there ever since.
Shelly, who is married to Bob, said they are going to start their retirement with a camping trip to Alaska. They plan to travel more after that, spend time with family and enjoy the great outdoors.
Shelly said starting the Hahn Fishing and Outdoor Club and the Hahn Community Garden made for countless great memories with students, their families and people in our community. She also looks back fondly on her days coaching softball, volleyball and track.
Shelly’s mom and dad, Karen and Steve Selesky, both retired from Davison Community Schools. Together, she and Robert have five kids and three grandchildren.
Shelly’s advice to her successor is to start fresh each day and know it will be a great one! At the end of the day, all that matters is how you make people feel.
Kimber Griffiths - 32 years
Kimber began her career with DCS in August of 1992 after teaching one year in South Carolina. Of her 32 years with Davison, all but one have been spent at Siple Elementary; she did teach one year at Gates.
Kimber teaches second through fourth grade cognitively impaired students.
Kimber’s retirement plans include spending more time with her family and enjoying longer weekend trips to see her sister, brother-in-law, nephew and niece.
Among the more memorable moments throughout her career, Kimber listed the following:
Watching students master something they thought was way too hard for them
Super Science Day - there is nothing like watching students learn while having fun and making messes
Kimber’s family includes her mom, Nancy; sister, Keri; brother-in-law, David; nephew, Benjamin, and niece, Isabelle.
Kimber’s advice to her successor includes the following:
Write it down! You won't believe what you have to say or do to help a student be successful.
Trust your team.
Leave your room at lunch time and spend time with your coworkers, you need them more than you know.
Find the humor in every situation, remember to laugh!
Sandy Pifher – 34 years
Sandy began her career as a paraprofessional on September 10, 1990. Her first two years were at Gates Elementary and the remainder of her career has been spent at Hill Elementary.
Sandy said she doesn’t really have any retirement plans other than starting to enjoy summers in Indian River with family, catching up on books and going to three weddings.
Some of the most memorable events in Sandy’s career have been the opportunities to work with the children of former students.
Sandy’s advice to her successor is to work as a team with your co-workers.