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

After their original MLK Community-Wide Day of Service was canceled in January due to cold weather, the Multicultural Club was determined not to miss an opportunity to give back. These dedicated students rescheduled their service day and volunteered at two impactful organizations in Kalamazoo (Ministry with Community and the Kalamazoo Deacons Conference), both of which provide critical support to the unhoused and offer assistance to those in need. The students were eager to lend a helping hand and took great pride in supporting these organizations. We are so proud of our students' efforts and continued dedication to serving others! Thank you to the City of Kalamazoo for providing t-shirts and lunch gift cards for our students!

Plainwell Middle School 8th grade families, please mark your calendar for Friday, May 30 for the 8th Grade Celebration. Join us to celebrate the 8th grade class with celebration boards, followed by a special event for the 8th graders (students only) which will include a dunk tank, games, food and fun. Please RSVP to Mrs. Seibert by May 23. We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2029 on May 30! GO TROJANS!

Attention Trojan Football players and families! We are excited to share registration information for our upcoming Summer Football Camps for K-12 graders, as well as information on our Rocket, Flag and Pee Wee Football programs. For program details or for registration information, please scan the QR code or visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs. We look forward to a great football season with the Trojans!

Congratulations to PHS Senior, Sophie Munch, on signing her letter of intent for volleyball at Aquinas College! We are incredibly proud of Sophie’s athletic achievements while at PHS and wish her all the best next year at Aquinas. From all of us at PCS, congratulations and best wishes!

Mrs. Kordupel’s third grade class at Cooper had a special visitor when one of their classmates (Zach) brought in his horse (Preston) for his all about me project! It was a fun experience for these third grade Koalas!

PCS Parents - join us for a free, relaxed workshop on building better conversations with your teen! Plainwell Community Schools, in partnership with Clayful, is hosting a fun, real-world workshop about improving communication between parents and teens. Bring your teen if you can - but if you can’t, come solo or, even better, bring a friend! You’ll leave with helpful tools, fresh ideas and a few new strategies to connect. 🗓️ May 7 | 5–6:30 PM 📍 Plainwell High School 🍴 Free dinner + childcare for little ones 🎁 RSVP = raffle entry! It’s welcoming, judgment-free and built for real life. RSVP by visiting plainwellschools.org/article/2181528.

Plainwell High School’s Varsity Quiz Bowl team recently competed in ten matches at University of Michigan and finished 22nd in the State! Congratulations to Caiden Schoen (senior), Jack Sherer (junior), Hiro Nguyen (junior) and Adrian Dodds (junior). In addition, Jack was the top finisher from PHS, placing 20th in the state individually out of 131 competitors. PLAINWELL PRIDE!

We are excited to share that registration is open for our upcoming Summer Trojan Aquatic Club program. TAC is a competitive swim team for PCS youth ages 6-18. Program will run from June 9-July 28. For more information, practice/meet dates and times or to register, please visit plainwellschools.org/page/tac. We look forward to a great summer at the Field House Pool!

Join us TODAY (5/2) for the Help Me Grow Books, Balls, Blocks & Bounce Kids Day Event! The event will be held at Ransom District Library from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM. Families with 0-5 year old children are invited to join the fun with kids activities, raffles, a bounce house, face painting, a meet and greet with PBS characters and so much more! We look forward to seeing you there!

Talking with teens isn’t always easy—and that’s totally normal. That’s why we’re hosting a free, hands-on communication workshop for parents (and teens, if they want to come!). You’ll walk away with: ✔️ Stronger connection ✔️ Practical tips for better conversations ✔️ A few laughs and lighter moments ✔️ A chance to win a raffle prize if you RSVP 🎉 Plainwell Community Schools, in partnership with Clayful, is excited to share that we're hosting a fun, real-world workshop about improving communication between parents and teens. Free in-person parent workshop on May 7 at Plainwell High School from 5–6:30PM! Bring your teen if you can—or just yourself. Free dinner + raffle prize. To register, please visit plainwellschools.org/article/2181528.

Plastic donations are still being accepted district-wide for the NexTrex recycling challenge. Please bring plastic that is clean, dry and free of food residue to bins at the front vestibule of the High School, Middle School, Cooper, Gilkey & Starr (outside collection bin available at Starr for after school drop-off) to help support the recycling challenge. For each 1,000 lbs. that are collected, buildings will earn a new NexTrex bench! Thank you Trojan Community for your ongoing support of this recycling challenge!

It was another evening of Kindergarten Round-up fun, as Cooper Elementary welcomed the class of 2038. Incoming young 5 and kindergarten students enjoyed a kindergarten “signing”, an adventure maze through the building, a visit to the book vending machine and a meet-and-greet with the staff. It was a wonderful welcome to the incoming Cooper Koalas! If you missed the event, you can still join us tonight (Thursday, May 1) for Round-up at Gilkey Elementary. Attending families can meet the staff, tour the building, sign-up for readiness testing and more! For more information or to begin the enrollment process at PCS, please visit: plainwellschools.org/page/kindergarten. For those looking to learn more about preschool at Plainwell, our preschool staff will also be in attendance to share information about their 2025/26 programs. We look forward to welcoming your student to Plainwell Community Schools - GO TROJANS!

Due to weather, the Girls JV and Varsity Tennis match vs. Otsego has been canceled for today (5/1) and rescheduled for next Friday (5/9) at Plainwell. In addition, the JV and Varsity Softball game scheduled for today (5/1) vs. Parchment has been canceled.

Congratulations to Sam Harper, who received an invitation to the Capitol from Speaker of the House Matt Hall in recognition of his accomplishments in swimming. Sam was honored with an award celebrating his outstanding season and his title as state champion in the 500 free. What an incredible experience and well-deserved recognition for Sam - TROJAN PRIDE!

Lots of fun was had at Starr Elementary’s Kindergarten Round-up last night as we welcomed the Class of 2038 Rock Starrs! If you were unable to attend, you can still join us for this special event to welcome the 2025/26 Young 5 and Kindergarteners to Plainwell Community Schools. Join us this evening (Wednesday, April 30) at Cooper or tomorrow (Thursday, May 1) at Gilkey. Students/families can: meet the staff, tour the buildings, sign-up for readiness testing and more! For more information or to begin the enrollment process, please visit: plainwellschools.org/page/kindergarten. For those looking to learn more about preschool at Plainwell, our preschool staff will also be in attendance to share information about their 2025/26 programs. We look forward to welcoming your student to Plainwell Community Schools - GO TROJANS!

Congratulations to Plainwell Middle School Trojan Tennis who had two victories in their matches last week - winning 5-3 against Three Rivers and Otsego! More importantly, they all played with poise, worked well together and kept improving as a team and individually! We are incredibly proud of all our tennis athletes!

Lighting the Way: A Conversation on Youth Suicide Prevention PCS families - register today for the upcoming TRAILS webinar: Lighting the Way: A Conversation on Youth Suicide Prevention. This free webinar will take place via Zoom on Thursday, May 1 from 4:00-5:30 PM. To register, please visit plainwellschools.org/article/2174047.

Congratulations to Plainwell High School's Wolverine Conference Scholar Athletes for the class of 2025 - Hannah Erlandson and Claire Vos! Throughout their time as Trojans, these dedicated scholar athletes participated in the following sports: 🏆 Hannah: Varsity Cross Country (4 years), Varsity Track (3 years) and Girls Soccer (1 year) 🏆 Claire: Varsity Cross Country (4 years), Varsity Track (4 years) and Girls Basketball (2 years) Great job, Hannah and Claire - TROJAN PRIDE!

Congratulations to our remarkable PHS student artists who are featured at the KIA! We are thrilled to announce that the following talented students from Plainwell High School have been accepted into the juried Kalamazoo Institute of Arts High School Area Show: - Sadie Boven - Hannah Browneye - Oceana Dos Santos - Sarah Lagenour - Maxwell Maschke - Landon Pierce - Mara Jade Roberts The opening reception took place this past Friday, where eight scholarships and awards were presented. The exhibition will be open to the public until May 25 at the KIA — make sure to visit and witness the incredible talent on display! We are so proud of our PHS artists, it is an outstanding achievement to have works accepted into this prestigious show! 👏🏼

During this week, in celebration of Earth Day, Food Service Director Michael Ritsema visited the elementary schools with the Discovery Kitchen. He provided samples of fresh snap peas, along with activity sheets and a "Grow Your Own Snap Peas" kit. These kits contained seed packets with instructions and biodegradable pots, allowing students to cultivate their own vegetables. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to engage in growing healthy food choices.