TCS News to Know

Spring is in the air, and there is a lot happening at Tekonsha Community Schools! Elementary Girls on the Run are preparing for their 5K, middle school and high school spring sports are in full swing, band classes are preparing for their spring concerts, preparations are happening for elementary summer programming, we are in the midst of state testing, and students continue to learn daily!

We are a small school, but look around on any given day, and you will see a variety of experiences available to students that help prepare them for life. We are a small school, but we still have a diverse selection of extracurricular options available to meet different students' interests. We are a small school that knows how to maximize its resources so that our students get the same opportunities that they would anywhere else. We have students doing dual enrollment, early college, and being recognized at the state level for their career performance in their own programs through the CACC. We are a small school and we are proud of what we can do for and with our students! We are a small school with BIG opportunities!

Kindergarten Round Up is this week, on Wednesday, April 16 at 6:00 pm. If you know of a family looking for a school to enroll their children, encourage them to come check out Tekonsha. The best advertising is word of mouth from current families! Thank you for your support of our special small school!

We are excited to begin our planning for the 2025-26 school year with kindergarten registration for the Class of 2038! This year, we will again hold registration in a large group program format, with an informational presentation on what to expect in kindergarten, time to complete all of the required enrollment forms, an opportunity for us to make copies of the important student and parent papers, a tour of the building, and time for the student to spend time in the classroom with the teacher. If you cannot attend on the scheduled date and time, please still complete the form to show interest in enrolling and someone will contact you with enrollment information!

For parents interested in registering for the Community Unlimited preschool - Great Start Readiness Program offered in Tekonsha Elementary, information on enrollment for next year will be released later in April! We will be sure to share when it is provided to us!

The 2025 Tekonsha Prom is just around the corner! A Royal Ball is the theme for this year's prom, which will be held on Saturday, May 10 from 8 pm to 11:00 pm at the Wagner Ballroom in downtown Marshall (143 W Michigan Ave., Marshall, MI). The prom will be for only sophomores, juniors and seniors. All guests that are not a Tekonsha student must have an approved guest pass on file in the office by Friday, May 3. Tickets are $25 each. Ticket sales will begin soon!

On Saturday, April 12th, the baseball and softball teams, coaches, and volunteers spent time cleaning and prepping both of the fields to get them in great shape for the season. The Tekonsha Athletic Boosters were on hand to provide donuts to the workers in the morning and hot dogs and chips at lunch. The Boosters were also able to rehang the fence signs from last year for all of our local sponsors! Thank you to all that showed up to help!

Students in Mrs. Chloe Butler's 6th grade class just finished reading the novel Esperanza Rising, and to celebrate, they had a fiesta trying some of the different foods that were featured in the novel that might not be familiar to the students. They enjoyed a sampling of papayas, guavas, avocados, figs, plums, grapes, cantaloupe, nectarines, almonds, and hibiscus tea. One student commented that his favorite was the guava!

Before Spring Break, students also had the chance to learn to crochet as an extension activity for the same novel. Throughout the story, crocheting is used as a symbol of the ups and downs of life's journey, as well as a symbol of the comfort and connection between generations. As a fun extension project to their learning, Mrs. Aryn Henry came in and taught all of the 6th graders the art of crocheting!

We are in the final months of school for our seniors, so we want to honor them! We will be featuring a handful of seniors each week to recognize and celebrate all of their accomplishments!

Kimi Nill is the daughter of Ed and Jackie Costine. Her siblings are Kylie, Cody, Collin, Karly, William, and Jack. This is Kimi’s second year at Tekonsha Schools. She selected Ms. Trisha Blashfield as her most influential staff member, sharing, “She has been there for me on my hardest days and always made me feel comfortable being at Tekonsha.” During her years at Tekonsha, Kimi has been an active member of the volleyball, softball, and track teams. She is also a Class of 2025 Honor Student. After graduation, Kimi plans to get her associates degree from KCC and then transfer to a four year school for NICU nursing. After having success with dual enrollment in high school, Kimi shares this advice to underclassmen, “Start college classes as early as you can. It makes life after high school so much easier.”

Jake Toole is the son of Lisa Toole. He has attended Tekonsha Schools for four years. While in high school, he previously participated in football for one year and baseball for three years. His most influential teacher was Mrs. Vickie Runyon. Jake shared that she “always encouraged me to keep my head up and do a great job.” Jake is a Class of 2025 Honor Student. After graduation, Jake plans to enter the work force and pursue the trades. His advice to underclassmen is, “Work hard. Study harder.”

Hailey Owens is the daughter of Jennifer Stephens and David Owens. Her siblings are Hannah Owens, Dakota Owens, and Madison Diaz. She has attended Tekonsha Schools for all 13 years of her educational journey. In high school, she has played on the varsity volleyball, basketball, and softball teams, and she was the 2024 Homecoming Queen. Hailey selected Mrs. Vickie Runyon as her most influential teacher, stating, “She's just the best teacher/role model to me.” Hailey is currently in the CACC EMT program, and after graduation, she plans to get her paramedic license. She offers this advice to underclassmen, “Don't cheat! You only cheat yourself.”

Preston Pombier is the son of Patrick and Tammy Pombier. His siblings are Paige and Tyler. Preston is the Class of 2025 Salutatorian and was selected as the DAR Good Citizen. He has attended Tekonsha Schools for six years. Preston chose Mr. Tim Jenkins as his most influential staff member. He wrote, “The way he taught his class was amazing, he took time to make sure the students understood the material. He really did care about us and made it amazing for us.” During high school, Preston has played football, basketball, and baseball. He has also been an active member of the T-Town Tech FIRST Robotics team, National Honor Society, and Student Council. After graduation, he plans to attend Saginaw Valley State University for social work, do a lot of internships, get his master's degree, and ultimately work as a social worker in a school or clinical setting. He offers this advice to underclassmen, “Take the time in the early years to set yourself up for success in the end. Make high school fun, it doesn't last forever.”

AJ Winger is the child of Shawna Winger and their siblings are Alex, Austin, and Abbi. AJ is a Class of 2025 Honor Student, attends the CACC, and has been active in band throughout high school. AJ selected CACC instructor Mr. Steven Deal as their most influential staff member, sharing, “He helped me become more confident in everything I do.” After graduation, AJ plans to go to college to become a music teacher. AJ’s advice to underclassmen is, “Don't be mean for no reason.”

Looking for summer learning opportunities for your students? Check out this press release from Kellogg Community College:

Kellogg Community College is again offering more than 60 youth day camps for youth ages 5 through 18 this summer. Registration is open now and can be completed entirely online at kellogg.edu/youth.

This year’s schedule includes camps focused on arts and crafts, cooking and food decorating, health care, STEM/science camps and more, including several sports camps led by student athletes from KCC’s award-winning athletics teams.

Also notable are 10 “Day in the Life” career camps for middle school and high school students focused, respectively, on criminal justice; dental hygiene; early childhood and teacher education; electrician; emergency medical services; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; medical assistant; physical therapist assistant; radiography; and welding careers.

A full list of camps by age category along with details including dates, times, fees and links to registration materials can be found at kellogg.edu/youth.

Congratulation to the Tekonsha Elementary KIND Indians of the Week for the week of April 7-11th!

Breakfast and lunch menus for both the elementary and the MS/HS are now available on the website! Click on the links below to access these. Breakfast is available for FREE for all students and is served in the elementary from 7:50 - 8:25 am (times vary by grade) and in the MS/HS from 7:50 - 8:00 am. Lunch is also available for FREE for all students, served from 11:00 am - 12:10 pm in the elementary (times vary by grade). In the HS, lunch is served from 10:45 - 11:11 am and from 11:41 - 12:06 pm for the MS.

• Elementary Menus
• MS/HS Menus

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Website: www.tekonshaschools.org
Location: 245 South Elm Street, Tekonsha, MI, USA
Phone: 517-767-4121
Facebook: facebook.com/TekonshaCommunitySchools