Plainwell Community Schools - Today's Learners Tomorrow's Leaders

Two weeks until the 2025 Daughter Dance! Join us on Saturday, February 8 for an evening of fun for PCS K-6th grade daughters. Event will be held at Plainwell Middle School from 6:00-8:00 PM (doors open at 5:30 PM for pictures only) and includes a formal digital photo, DJ, selfie station, refreshments, raffle and a flower. Cost is $30 per couple ($10 each additional daughter). Bypass the registration line at the event and register today by visiting plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs (cash and check only accepted at the door).

Congratulations to PHS freshman Joshua Pembrook for being named to the MSBOA High School All-State Band! Through a rigorous audition, Joshua has earned his way onto the All State Band roster and has the opportunity to perform in the All State band on Saturday (1/25) with other All State band students from all over the state of Michigan. The All State High School Band will be performing at DeVos Hall in Grand Rapids under the baton of popular composer Randall Standridge. Congratulations to Joshua on this amazing achievement! 👏🏼

As we continue to monitor the weather and travel conditions, we wanted to provide an update on PCS afternoon/evening activities for today (Wednesday, January 22). All practices and activities are canceled, unless otherwise communicated by your student’s coach. Stay safe, have a great day and GO TROJANS!

Due to ongoing winter weather, extremely cold temperatures and difficult travel conditions, Plainwell Community Schools is closed tomorrow (Wednesday, January 22). This closure includes the SAFE and ECEC programs. We wish our students, staff and families a safe snow day!

The Plainwell Robotics Club held its 2nd Annual VEX IQ Tournament last weekend. Nineteen elementary school teams from across Michigan participated. Highlights from PCS students include: - Team Gear Slayerz, from Cooper Elementary (pictured), placed 5th after the qualifying rounds and earned the Teamwork 2nd Place Award in the finals. They also were presented with the Innovate Award, which recognizes an effective and well documented design process for a novel aspect of the team’s robot design or gameplay strategy. The team members are Alex, Carter, Noah and Aiden. The team is coached by Bryan Gruizenga and Justin Palme. - Cooper team The Gooder Gadgets, Harper, Zander and Kinzlee (pictured), placed 11th after the qualifying matches and finished in a six-way tie for 3rd place in the finals. The team was presented with the Create Award, which recognizes a creative engineering design solution to one or more of the challenges of the competition. They are coached by Kate Bates and Matt Bates. - Team Girls With Gears, from Starr Elementary, placed 12th after the qualifying matches and were included in the six-way tie for 3rd place in the finals. They were presented with the Energy Award, which recognizes outstanding enthusiasm and excitement at the event. The team members are Bridgett, Riley, Lula and Eleanor. They are coached by Sarah Orr and Nicole Moore. - The Hollow Knights, from Gilkey Elementary, placed 14th after the qualifying round. Team members are Ezekiel, Penelope, Madilyn and Charles. The team is coached by Angalena Carruthers-Makarewich and Jamie Raulston. - The Banana Penguins, from Starr Elementary, placed 15th after the qualifying matches and were also involved in the 3rd place tie. Team members are Bradley, Emmett and Brock. They are coached by Jeff Cabello and Christie Hansen. - Team Koala Bots, from Cooper Elementary, placed 18th after the qualifying round and shared the third place finish. Team members are Adelyn, Aiden, Grayson and Pearl. The team is coached by John Morse, Craig Davies and Adam Cornelius. - Meanwhile, two PRC high school teams were competing at a 32-team event in Hudsonville. Team Ring Kong (Lucas, Blaine, Luca and Parker) placed 26th after the qualifiers, were invited to join the 13th place alliance, and lost in the round of 16. The team was present with the Amaze Award, which recognizes a consistently high-performing and competitive robot. They are coached by Sarah Orr and Curtis Orr. - Team Brotherhood of Steel (Hunter and Kevin) finished the qualifying rounds in 16th place. They were invited to join the 9th place alliance, and lost in the round of 16. The team is coached by Charles Crouch.

As we continue to monitor the weather and travel conditions, we wanted to provide an update on PCS afternoon/evening activities for today (Tuesday, January 21). All practices and activities are canceled for today. In addition, the Field House and Pool are closed.

Due to winter weather and freezing temperatures, Plainwell Community Schools is closed tomorrow (Tuesday, January 21). This closure includes the SAFE and ECEC programs. We wish our students, staff and families a safe snow day!

Congratulations to the PHS Girls and Boys Varsity Basketball teams who won against Niles last night! GO TROJANS! 🏀👏🏼

As a reminder, there is no school on Monday, January 20. We look forward to welcoming our students back to school on Tuesday, January 21. Have a great weekend - GO TROJANS!

The Plainwell Middle School Honors Choir has been selected to perform at next week's Michigan Music Conference. They applied and sent in recordings last year and will be one of four choirs from across the state performing at the Michigan School Vocal Music Association (MSVMA) Choral Hour. Honors Choir has been busy preparing five songs for this special performance, featuring two a cappella pieces, percussion, and 3-part harmony. They are so excited to perform for an audience of music educators, family, friends and the freshmen who were part of the choir last year!

Our Winter Taekwondo program is in full swing! Participants are having a great time in class, learning under the guidance of Coach Mitch. A special shout-out goes to Eli for successfully passing his white belt test and earning his Taekwondo yellow belt! 👏🏼 Classes are available every trimester for both children and adults. Stay tuned for our Spring class registration, which will feature individual rates as well as special family rates.

Congratulations to the JV and Varsity Competitive Cheer teams who took first place at their second conference meet! Next up, join us to support the team as they compete at HOME in the new Field House on Wednesday, January 22. LET'S GO TROJANS!! 👏📣

Middle School Swim and Dive Update! 👏🏼 Congratulations to the Middle School Swim and Dive team for their impressive victory over Kalamazoo United with a score of 157-147. Outstanding performances were delivered by Greyson Pawlowski, Evander Summerer, Maylie Hoffmann, Rowan Meijur, Ava Butzirus and Peyton Damick. 👏🏼 Additionally, we would like to recognize the following Middle School Swim and Dive members who have qualified for the MISCA invite at the end of the month: Maylie Hoffman, Brecken DeHaan, Sylar Luckett, Emily Skinner, Evander Summerer, Ryan Miller, Grayson Pawlowski, Colton Mull, Kaelyn Seibert, Anna Eldred, Makayla Oele, Abigail Hansen, and Quinn Steward. Great job, Trojan MS Swim & Dive!

Congratulations to Mya, Lainey, Lennox, Isabella, Essie and Liam as they are Plainwell Middle Schools' "Book and a Bonus" winners for November and December. "Book and a Bonus" is a monthly reading incentive program for MS students that is supported by Ransom District Library. Keep up the great reading PMS students! Special thanks to Ransom District Library for your ongoing support of PCS and the “Book and a Bonus" program! PLAINWELL PRIDE!

PHS Wrestling competes in the new Field House! Last night, PHS hosted wrestlers from Niles, Edwardsburg and Otsego in their first tournament in the new Field House! Plainwell wrestling won their matches against Edwardsburg and Niles. Next up, they will wrestle Otsego next week. GO TROJANS!

We are excited to share the Plainwell Middle School Students of the Week for January 13-17. We are proud of your hard work and dedication. Way to go, Trojans! - Samantha (8th Grade) - Cole (7th Grade) - Emmet (6th Grade) Throughout the year, we look forward to continuing to share our outstanding Middle School Students of the Week! Special thanks to our Student of the Week sponsors: Fly Inn, Barbed Wire Cafe and Taqueria San Francisco. We greatly appreciate your support of PCS and our students - Today’s Learners, Tomorrow’s Leaders.

Registration is still open for the 2025 Daughter Dance! Join us on Saturday, February 8 for an evening of fun for PCS K-6th grade daughters. Event will be held at Plainwell MIddle School from 6:00-8:00 PM (doors open at 5:30 PM for pictures only) and includes a formal digital photo, DJ, selfie station, refreshments, raffle and a flower. Cost is $30 per couple ($10 each additional daughter). Bypass the registration line at the event and register today by visiting plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs (cash and check only accepted at the door).

The Plainwell Robotics Club sent six teams to the Jenison Blended VEX Robotics Tournament on Saturday, January 11. The event was “blended” in that 43 middle and high school teams from across Michigan participated and worked with, and against, each other. It was a special opportunity for younger students to experience first hand how their older colleagues were designing and building their robots. It was a fun day for our teams. While they didn’t bring home any awards, they won half our matches throughout the day and had four teams qualify for the final elimination rounds. Highlights from the event include: - High School team Brotherhood of Steel (pictured - Hunter and Kevin) finished 14th after the qualifying matches and captained the 9th place alliance in the finals. The team is coached by Charles Crouch and Jeremy Sanderson, respectively. - High School team Brotherhood of Steel (Hunter and Kevin) finished 14th after the qualifying matches and captained the 9th place alliance in the finals. HS team En Passant (Aiden, Bryce, Joseph and Caleb) finished 15th after the qualifiers and captained the 10th place alliance in the finals. The two teams are coached by Charles Crouch and Jeremy Sanderson, respectively. - Middle School team Rubber Ducky Squad (Lennox, Gabriel, Landon and Ethan) placed 18th after the qualifying matches and captained the 12th place alliance in the final rounds; and, MS team Steak finished in 33rd place after the qualifying matches. Both teams are coached by Summer Rosati and Matt Glass. - MS team Trial and Error (Jakob, Isaac and Easton) finished the qualifying matches in 28th place and captained the 15th place alliance. They are coached by Amanda Cherian. - MS team Roll For Initiative (Elliott, Mason, Nora and Mason) finished in 39th place. They are coached by Joe Potts.

The wintery weather didn’t stop our Lifelong Learners from having a wonderful time at the Ransom District Library yesterday playing Bingo. The morning was filled with fun and fellowship! Next up, the Lifelong Learners will meet on Friday, February 14 for a Movie Matinee at Plainwell’s Central Administration building.

Due to snow and winter weather, our secondary (Middle and High School) students will be dismissed at 1:30 PM today (Tuesday, January 14). This will allow our bus routes to have additional time to complete the secondary route before picking up elementary students. For students that have parent pick-up, the building will remain open until students are picked-up. Please note, the PHS PM Tech Center students will not report this afternoon. In addition, all evening activities scheduled for today will be canceled.