Plainwell High School Junior - Hayden Steele traveled to Chicago recently to compete against fellow lifters at the USPA Illinois State Tournament and returned home victorious in both Raw Full Power and Raw Deadlift! As a two-time state champion, Hayden stepped onto the platform with one goal in mind: to shatter the 20-year-old state deadlift record of 185 pounds. On her second attempt, she exceeded the record by an impressive 46.5 pounds and later surpassed her own new record by an additional 11 pounds, ultimately setting a remarkable new record of 242.5 pounds! With this victory, Hayden came away a TWO-TIME STATE CHAMPION in Juniors 16-17/60kg Raw Full Power and Raw Deadlift, breaking the old state record by over 60 pounds! This puts her total only 17 pounds under qualifying for Ultra Nationals in Anaheim, CA this May! Congratulations to Hayden and best wishes as she pursues her next goal of making it to Ultra Nationals - PLAINWELL PRIDE!
We would like to extend a special shout-out to Otis Outdoors for their Thanksgiving Food Drive. Thanks to the generous contributions from our community, meals were successfully delivered to more than 30 families in Plainwell.
Yesterday, staff, students and community members came together to assist with the deliveries, ensuring that families received their meals just in time for Thanksgiving. We are grateful to Otis Outdoors and everyone who supported this Food Drive - we appreciate you showing such generosity to our community this season.
‼️ Upcoming Field House Closures ‼️ Please note the upcoming closures during Thanksgiving Break:
☑️ The Walking Track is closed this week - Monday, November 24-Friday, November 28.
☑️ The Pool is closed Wednesday, November 26-Saturday, November 29.
We look forward to seeing you back at the Field House next week!
Congratulations to the Plainwell Girls State Swim team who finished 24th at the State Meet today. Highlights from the competition include:
🏆 Sophia Vanheest swam in the finals and finished 9th in the 500 free and 10th in the 200 free
🏆 Sylar Luckett finished 20th in the 100 free
🏆 Olaia Dominguez Trincado finished 29th in the 200 IM
🏆 The relay teams of Brecken Dehaan, Ellah Anderson, Olaia Dominguez Trincado, Sylar Luckett and Sofia Vanheest finished 18th in the 400 free relay and 30th in the 200 free relay
Way to go Trojans - PLAINWELL PRIDE! 👏
Congratulations to our Plainwell Coaches for their outstanding recognition at the Wolverine Conference Awards Banquet held last night!
🏆 Chris Taylor and Scott Evans both earned the 20-Year Service Award.
🏆 Kylie Cook was recognized as the 2025 Wolverine Conference Competitive Cheer Coach of the Year.
We are grateful for their unwavering dedication to Trojan athletics – PLAINWELL PRIDE!
As a reminder, there is no school from Monday, November 24-Friday, November 28 for Thanksgiving Break. We look forward to welcoming our students back to school on Monday, December 1.
We wish our students, staff and families a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!
The Lifelong Learners had an exciting trip to the Christkindl Markt earlier this week. While in Downtown Grand Rapids, they were delighted to explore the various vendor booths with homemade gifts, enjoyed the delicious food and treats, admired the festive decorations and appreciated the friendship with fellow Lifelong Learners. It was a fantastic outing and a perfect way to kick off the holiday season.
Next up, the Lifelong Learners can join us for our other holiday events:
🧑🎄 Santa Bingo at Ransom District Library on Thursday, December 4
🎁 Holiday Brunch at the Plainwell Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, December 10
From rehearsal to showtime, the students from Starr Elementary performed beautifully at their holiday musical. The Plainwell Performing Arts Center was filled with fun and festive music performed by the 3rd and 4th grade Rock Starrs! It was a wonderful show filled with lots of holiday joy!
Were you unable to attend? You can watch their entire performance on the Plainwell Performing Arts Facebook page.
Our youngest Trojans celebrated a delightful Friendsgiving earlier this week. They enjoyed a special breakfast, shared conversations with their friends and even received a special visit from Mrs. Waddlesworth (Starrs Turkey). It was a truly memorable morning to celebrate friendship before Thanksgiving Break!
Good luck to our State Swim Team - Ellah Anderson, Olaia Dominguez Trincado, Sophia Vanheest, Sylar Luckett and Brecken DeHaan - as they prepare to compete at the D3 State Meet in Holland this weekend! GO TROJANS!
Students in Ms. Kostanko’s Personal Finance class at PHS had the unique opportunity to learn from Sara Sparrow, the Relationship Development Coordinator at Arbor Financial Credit Union. Ms. Sparrow provided the students with valuable advice on how to avoid phishing scams, along with insights into credit and credit scores.
To end the first trimester, students participated in a Reality Fair through Arbor Financial Credit Union where they chose a career and received a corresponding income, debt and credit score. This helped them understand their financial situation and decide on savings allocation. They then visited 10 “lifestyle” stations to make purchases related to housing, transportation, furniture, recreation and other relevant topics in adult life, allowing them to practice creating a balanced budget.
Special thanks to Sara Sparrow and Arbor Financial Credit Union for providing these valuable lessons and practical learning experiences with our PHS students, they will significantly benefit them in the future.
The PHS Multicultural Club had an amazing time at the Asian American High School Conference at the University of Michigan - their third year in a row! Students connected with peers from across the state, joined engaging workshops, enjoyed authentic food, performed skits and watched incredible performances by U-M students. It was a fantastic event that PHS students look forward to each year!
The Cooper Koalas kicked-off the 2025 holiday performances at the Plainwell Performing Arts Center. Last night, Cooper Elementary's 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes performed at their "Family Vacation" Holiday Concert. It was an outstanding show filled with festive songs and lots of holiday fun! Great job, Koalas!
The Middle School Counseling department has been busy this fall, focusing on various ways to support students in social, emotional, academic and post-secondary readiness.
6️⃣ Sixth Grade Initiatives: In sixth grade classrooms, the counselors conducted their annual discussions on bullying. After completing these important lessons, students created anti-bullying posters that are now displayed throughout the school.
7️⃣ Seventh Grade Academics: Students engaged in an academic lesson focused on GPA, weighted grades and related topics during their math classes.
8️⃣ Eighth Grade Career Exploration: In eighth grade, counselors have been working closely with students on career exploration and development using Xello. This platform utilizes various assessments to help students discover their career interests, learning styles and personality traits, all designed to prepare them for a successful future.
PLAINWELL EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR! On November 6, Heather Damick, Plainwell Middle School Science Teacher, was honored with the Plainwell Educator of the Year award during the Night of Recognition event organized by the Otsego-Plainwell Area Chamber of Commerce. This event not only acknowledges the exceptional educators in Plainwell and Otsego but also celebrates local businesses and individuals dedicated to enhancing our community. Mrs. Damick was nominated by the Plainwell administrative team and celebrated this achievement alongside the PCS Superintendent, Matthew Montange and Middle School Principal Ben Manting. For a bio about Mrs. Damick, please visit plainwellschools.org/article/2555619. Congratulations Mrs. Damick and thank you for your dedication to PCS - PLAINWELL PRIDE!
🏆 Hall of Fame Nomination Reminder 🏆 Nominations for the 2026 Athletic Hall of Fame are still being accepted through November 30, 2025! For more information or to submit a nomination, please scan the QR code or visit https://websites.eventlink.com/s/phstrojans/Article/99680.
For questions, please contact jake.wisnaski@plainwellschools.org. GO TROJANS!
Earlier this month, the PHS Red Cross Club organized a blood drive, successfully collecting 42 pints of blood, which can save up to 126 lives. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the donors and the Red Cross volunteers who made this event such a success.
Our Holiday Concert season begins this week at the Plainwell Performing Arts Center. Be sure to mark your calendars and join us for these exciting performances featuring our talented student musicians: https://5il.co/3scqb.
Congratulations to Brooklyn Barrows and Joshua Pembrook who have earned acceptance to the 2026 MSBOA All State Band! Brooklyn and Joshua each passed a rigorous audition beating out hundreds of other auditionees throughout the state to earn this honor. For Joshua this is his 2nd straight year earning entrance to the All State Band. Please join us in congratulating these two outstanding student musicians!
Opening night = ✔️ and the cast and crew were amazing! Final show is TONIGHT (11/15) at 7:00 PM - join us as Plainwell Middle School presents "Big Bad". Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students at the Old Auditorium at Plainwell High School.
