The 7th and 8th Grade Volleyball teams had a fantastic week of competition. They kicked off the week with a victory over Sturgis at home on Monday night, followed by a win in 4 out of 5 sets against Paw Paw on Wednesday. Each week, both teams have demonstrated impressive growth, improving their skills and strengthening their bond as teammates. We are proud of their dedication and improvement in every game 🏐 TROJAN PRIDE! 🏐




Plainwell Middle School's annual fundraiser is in full swing! Students who managed to gather 10 or more contacts got the ultimate honor today: sliming the staff! The sixth graders gave Ms. Braginton a slime makeover, while the seventh graders transformed Mr. James into a gooey mess, and the eighth graders treated Mr. Mitch to a slimy experience. The top seller in each group got the VIP pass to dump an entire bucket of slime on their lucky staff member! It was a hilariously messy way to celebrate their hard work.
Middle school students have through Monday to continue supporting the fundraiser. Interested in donating, contact the Middle School on Monday to support the Trojans!

In honor of Dolly Parton Day 🩷 9-25 🩷 the Middle School paid tribute to all things Dolly with an All Pink Drinks cart for the staff. Principal Manting and Assistant Principal Hattendorf visited various areas of the building, allowing staff members to enjoy a refreshing "cup of ambition" today. "What a way to make a livin'."

🍎 Apple orchard adventures 🍏 This week, Mrs. Youngs and Mrs. Bunker's Young 5 classes took an exciting field trip to Gull Meadow Farms. During their visit, the students took a wagon ride to the apple orchard where they picked apples while learning fascinating facts about them. As a group, they also enjoyed cider and doughnuts together and finished the day by participating in various fun activities around the farm. Upon returning from their outing, the students worked together in their classrooms to make homemade applesauce with the fresh apples they picked from the farm. What wonderful learning adventures for the Young 5 students from Gilkey and Starr!




Registration is open now through October 15 for the 2026 Kickers Soccer program for K-5th graders. The goal of the Kickers program is to experience the sport, understand the rules, and have fun! The program runs from October 31-December 19. Cost is $60 per athlete. For more information, first day practice schedules, or to register, please scan the QR code or visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs.

⭐ Next stop...the Wharton Center to perform with a Broadway Star! ⭐ Congratulations to PHS Senior, Avry Asbeury, who was selected via an audition by a panel of musical theater experts to join the critically acclaimed Broadway star Sutton Foster during her Wharton Center performance in East Lansing on Saturday, October 3 at 7:30 PM.
We are so proud of Avry and excited for him to have the opportunity to perform alongside Sutton Foster for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Friends, family, and community members are invited to support Avry and all of the local high school musical students as they sing and dance on the Cobb Great Hall stage on October 3.
Congratulations Avry! We are so excited for you to represent PCS on this special stage! Tickets are available now at the Wharton Center Ticket Office by visiting whartoncenter.com.

Last night, the Plainwell Cross Country team honored two groups at their only home meet of the season against Vicksburg and Niles.
In honor of their 50th season of running meets at their home course, affectionately known as Honeysett Farms, PXC wished to honor Sadie Honeysett, owner of the private property she has allowed the team to run on since 1976. Sadie and her son, Greg, along with her late husband, Ivan, have been tremendous supporters of the PXC program for decades. The course, often called the most difficult XC course in lower Michigan, has seen some changes throughout the years, but has always traversed through the backyard of the Honeysett family so they could watch.
In addition to the Honeysetts, PXC also honored their senior/exchange runners. Four year seniors; Brooke Carpenter, William Justice, Parker Stull, Benjamin White, and Michael Whitney; along with exchange student Giulia Nicolini, were celebrated before the race.
The boys team split their races, falling to state ranked Vicksburg, but pulling out a great win over Niles. Freshman Sean Hoffman led the Trojan boys.
The girls team was able to win both races in convincing fashion, led by race winner Nya Hoffman, and supported by strong performances from Mai Nguyen, Molly Bruggink, Fiona Ryan, Lillian Szatkowski, and Lyla Curry.
Way to go Trojans!

Cue the cheers 👏👏👏 the Renaissance High School Rebels softball season is underway! The team dusted off their gloves and hit the field during gym class. Leading the way is Coach and Teacher, Mr. Stouffer. With his leadership the players are learning softball fundamentals, perfecting their skills, and gearing up for an upcoming tournament this fall. GO RHS REBELS! 🥎

Plainwell’s Girls Golf Team is continuing to have a great season. They placed 1st in their last three conference jamborees, most recently winning at the M-89 Challenge. Five players achieved impressive scores in the 40s, including Ayla Jaeger, Emma Rayman, Raygan Truitt, Sam LaBonte, and Addi Lyke. All five players ranked in the top 10 among a competitive field of 52 participants. GO TROJANS!

🏐 1,000th Career Dig! 🏐 Congratulations to Jordyn Erdody for reaching an impressive milestone of 1,000 career digs in volleyball! She achieved this at the Grand Haven Invite in late August, and her team celebrated this accomplishment at home last week. As a four-year varsity player, Jordyn brings incredible energy to the court, inspiring everyone around her to elevate their game.
Trojan Volleyball is off to a great start this season - the program had a sweep over Three Rivers last week. With this win, the Varsity team is now 1-1 in the Wolverine Conference - GO TROJANS!

Fun 💙 Community 💙 Plainwell Pride 💙 The Trojan community united at the 2026 Tailgate on Friday to enjoy games, giveaways, yard activities, and food trucks. Special shoutouts from the evening include:
📣 Thank you to all that joined us for this fun event that was filled with school spirit!
📣 We appreciate the support from the community organizations and athletic programs who set-up booths to welcome the Trojans!
📣 And last but certainly not least, a special shoutout to Cheyenne Stephenson for her outstanding organization of this fantastic annual event! We truly appreciate her dedication to uniting the Trojan community! 👏👏

ArtPrize kicked off yesterday in Grand Rapids and we are thrilled to announce that PHS Art Teacher, Maggie Flynn, is a showcase artist this year! Her artwork, “Hole in the Wall Chronicles,” will be on display at the Gerald Ford Museum until October 3. You can explore Mrs. Flynn's artist statement, where she shares insights and inspiration behind her piece, by visiting https://www.artprize.org/entries#23853. In addition, Mrs. Flynn will be hosting an Artist Talk at the Gerald Ford Museum on September 24 at 6:00 PM. Join her to learn about bringing art to the community. We are immensely proud of Mrs. Flynn for this remarkable work and her participation in ArtPrize!

💙 COMMUNITY TAILGATE TONIGHT 💙 We can’t wait to see you at the Plainwell Community Tailgate tonight (9/18) from 5:00-7:00 PM! Join us for an evening of community connection featuring food trucks, activities, games, and family fun for all ages! This is a free event to enter. We look forward to bringing our community together and showing our PLAINWELL PRIDE!
We are excited to share that registration is open for our upcoming Spikers Volleyball program for 3rd-6th graders. The goal of Spikers is to experience the sport, understand the rules, and have fun! The program will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from October 20-December 3. For more information or to begin the registration process, please scan the QR code or visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs.

The Middle School Counseling Department, along with Exploratory teachers, took 40 7th and 8th grade students to the Tech Week Student Showcase in Grand Rapids. Hosted at the GRCC Fieldhouse, the event featured more than 30 local employers from various industries. This experience provided students with valuable hands-on exposure to in-demand technology careers, allowing them to engage directly with professionals working in the tech and innovation fields.

Become a Big at Plainwell Middle School!
Plainwell Middle School is partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Michigan to bring Lunch with Littles back this school year, and we’re looking for adult volunteers to serve as mentors!
Bigs are matched one-to-one with a middle school student and meet at the school for about 45 minutes every other week during the school year. No special experience is needed—just a willingness to be a consistent, positive adult in a young person’s life. BBBS provides training and ongoing support.
Parents, guardians, district staff, and community members are welcome!
Interested in learning more? Contact Amy Kuchta at AmyKuchta@bbbsmi.org.

📸 A look inside the PHS Robotics class 📸
In the Robotics class at PHS, students have started building Vex robotics kits alongside coding and hardware projects. It is amazing to see our students finding success in the classroom.

THE PHS BOOSTER CLUB NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT! On Friday night (9/18), they require 12-15 volunteers to assist at the Concession Stand. Without your support, they will unfortunately be unable to open the stand during Friday's football game. If you or someone aged 13 or older is interested in volunteering, please email melissa.preston@plainwellschools.org or tracey.bryant@plainwellschools.org.
The funds raised from the concession stand go towards supporting athletic programs, high school clubs, and senior scholarships. Please join us in supporting this amazing organization on Friday! GO TROJANS!

Do you have a 5th-8th grade girl that is interested in playing competitive basketball? We are excited to share that PCS will be coordinating a NEW competitive basketball league at the Courthouse in Byron Center. For more information or to begin the registration process, please visit https://www.plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs.

The Plainwell Preschoolers are ready to begin another week! 💙 Over the past few weeks, we have loved welcoming back our preschool students! From new friendships to lots of learning and fun, they are already having a GREAT time together. We are so excited for an amazing year of learning with our youngest Trojans!




