We were excited to welcome the 2026/27 Kindergarten & Young 5 students at our first Round-up last night at Cooper Elementary! It was a fun event as we welcomed the newest Koalas, who had the chance to meet the Cooper staff, tour the building and a bus and discover all the wonderful opportunities at Cooper! 🐨
🦎⭐️ Upcoming Round-up Event! ⭐️🦎 Our next Round-up for Gilkey and Starr will take place today (Thursday, March 26) at Ransom District Library from 4:30-6:00 PM. We can’t wait to see the Geckos and Rock Starrs!
For more details or to begin the enrollment process at PCS, please visit: plainwellschools.org/page/kindergarten. GO TROJANS!
Our Kindergarten and Young 5 Round-up is this week! Join us for this special event to welcome the 2026-27 Kindergarten and Young 5 students to Plainwell Community Schools. Students/families can: meet the staff, sign-up for readiness testing, receive vision & hearing screenings (limited availability) and more!
Two Round-up options available:
🐨 COOPER: Wednesday, March 25 at Cooper Elementary from 4:30-6:00 PM
🦎⭐️ GILKEY & STARR (NEW LOCATION THIS YEAR): Thursday, March 26 at Ransom District Library from 4:30-6:00 PM
For more information, to reserve a spot for vision & hearing screenings or to begin the enrollment process, please scan the QR code or visit: plainwellschools.org/page/kindergarten. We look forward to welcoming your student to Plainwell Community Schools - GO TROJANS!
Students at Cooper had a fun adventure for St. Patrick’s Day when the office staff hid 100 gnome leprechauns around the school. Once students found a leprechaun they turned it in to the office for a gold chocolate coin. This made for lots of fun for the Koalas! 💚🐨💚
Join us this summer for our Youthball program for PCS students, ages 5-8. With the focus of the program on recreation and to learn the fundamentals of the game, our Summer Youthball program is just the beginning for many of our Trojan baseball and softball players.
THREE PROGRAMS AVAILABLE!
⚾ T-ball (5 & 6 year olds)
🥎 Girls Coach Pitch (7 & 8 year olds)
⚾ Boys Coach Pitch (7 & 8 year olds)
Please note - coach pitch may be combined into a co-ed team if we don't have the numbers to support both a girls and boys teams. Practices begin the week of May 26, with games being held in Plainwell and Otsego from June 8-July 10. Specific dates and times TBD based on registrations and coaches availability.
Cost is $55 per player. To register, please visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs (registration closes 5/11/26). We look forward to a great summer at PCS' Youthball program!
Beginning this February, PCS kindergarten students had a unique opportunity to participate in the “My Future Fund” program through the Allegan County Community Foundation (ACCF). The ACCF launched this program to help students start saving for their future. Each kindergarten student received a $65 deposit and has the opportunity to earn incentives while learning about money and saving. To kick-off the program, representatives from the ACCF, as well as their mascot, stopped by each building where they shared about the program, read a story, provided cookies and gave each student a piggy bank. During their visit, students were also able to vote to name the mascot and “Cash” was the winning name! Each month going forward, ACCF will stop by each elementary building for “deposit days” where students can add to their savings account. Thank you to the ACCF for providing this wonderful opportunity to our youngest Trojans to learn about money and saving.
♻️ Recycling Challenge Update ♻️ Thank you to the Trojan community for your support of the Recycling Challenge program! With your support, in the last three years we have collected enough plastic to receive seven new benches throughout the district - THANK YOU!
We would like to share an update regarding the program, as there have been recent logistical changes. Beginning in May, the district will no longer serve as a drop-off location for plastic recycling. If you have plastic donations, they can be taken to other local sites for recycling.
🍎 REMINDER - OUTSTANDING PEOPLE FOR EDUCATION NOMINATIONS DUE! 🍎
Do you know someone who has made a difference in our district? We are accepting nominations through Friday, March 13 for the 2026 Outstanding People for Education Award.
🍎 About Outstanding People for Education: The purpose of the Outstanding People for Education award is to honor and recognize people in public education who are excelling in their field and/or making an impact in the quality of education in Allegan County.
🍎 Examples of whom you might nominate: A teacher or classroom aide; an administrator, secretary or board of education member; a bus driver, custodian, food service or other school support staff; a social worker, therapist, or consultant; a volunteer or community member who supports education.
🍎 To submit a nomination for the 2026 Outstanding People for Education award, please scan the QR code or visit https://forms.gle/y8UX42khgQRbs7rXA by Friday, March 13.
Registration is open for our upcoming Spring Tae Kwon Do program. Join us to improve coordination, gain strength and increase your flexibility while learning self-defense techniques, taught by Mr. Mitch. Program is open to participants 7 and up and will run on Monday evenings through June 1 (excluding 4/6 and 5/25) from 5:30-7:00 PM. Practices will be held at Plainwell Middle School.
Cost is $60 per individual or $85 per family. To register, please visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs. GO TROJANS!
This Thursday 💛 Free Family Night at PCS! In partnership with Clayful, PCS invites you to a free family workshop. Join us on Thursday, March 12 for a FREE family workshop where parents, teens, and kids practice real skills together!
We'll practice:
✨ Managing stress as a family
✨ Setting boundaries that connect, not divide
✨ Working through conflict together
✨ Saying "no" with confidence
Hands-on activities. Real scenarios. Strategies you can use at home.
📅 Thursday, March 12 at 6:30-8:00 pm
📍 Plainwell High School Cafeteria
🍴 Free dinner, transportation & childcare included
RSVP at clayful.co/plainwell
Join us this summer at Camp Invention for PCS K-6th grade students (based on grade level for 2026/27 school year). “Give your young innovator an inspiring action-packed summer adventure! Exciting, hands-on challenges will spark curiosity and build their confidence as they jump into limitless STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fun with opportunities to imagine, experiment and create.” Camp will be held Monday-Friday from July 27-31 from 8:30 AM-3:00 PM at Gilkey Elementary School. Cost is $285/per student (enter FUN25 for $25 off until March 31).
For more information or to begin the registration process, please visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs.
We look forward to a great summer at Camp Invention!
As a reminder we have two upcoming half days of school: Thursday, March 5 and Friday, March 6 (end of second trimester).
Half Day Dismissal Times:
🏫 High School: 10:45 AM
🏫 Middle School: 10:45 AM
🦎 Gilkey: 11:45 AM
🐨 Cooper: 11:50 AM
⭐️ Starr: 11:55 AM
Cooper Elementary welcomed some remarkable guests when members of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra hosted an assembly. 🎺🎶 During their visit, they shared about their role in the symphony and played several songs. It was a wonderful experience, thank you to the KSO for sharing your talents with the Cooper Koalas!
📚🏆Congratulations to the 2026 Battle of the Books Champions – Catching a Win from Gilkey Elementary!
Saturday was an exceptional day filled with thrilling competition, and we are incredibly proud of the 25 teams that participated from eight elementary schools in Hopkins, Martin, Otsego and Plainwell. Their dedication and teamwork were truly shining throughout the entire competition.
Congratulations to all 155 participants and the 42 volunteer coaches who devote countless hours each year to prepare for this book battle. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the 11 K-2nd graders who assisted as runners during the battle. Last but certainly not least, we want to express our appreciation to Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Fazio and Mrs. Potter, the brilliant organizers behind this incredible program!
🏆 Hats off to the winning team – fantastic job, Catching a Win! 🏆
The K-8th grade MyWay Wrestling team achieved an impressive 3rd place out of 32 teams at the Team State tournament! The team included 8 elementary athletes, as well as 9 middle school wrestlers competing in a school-based duel. They finished the weekend with a 5-1 record, narrowly losing to Hudson in the semifinals but defeating Fruitport in the consolation finals.
🤼 Dramatic Victory: The team showcased their resilience by coming back from a 25-point deficit to triumph 43-37 against Birch Run, pinning 5 out of the last 6 matches.
🤼 Clutch Performance: The competition came down to the final match, where Peyton Wyman clinched the victory with a pin to secure a top-four placement for the team.
Ms. Currier's Friendship Group at Cooper Elementary recently worked on a “Friendship Pie” activity where students worked through ingredients that make a good friend including things they are already good at and areas they would like to grow in. They completed the project and celebrated while enjoying pie together. 🥧
As a friendly reminder, tickets are available until March 9 at 11:59 PM for the Mother and Son Hockey Night! Join us as the Kalamazoo Wings take on the Indy Fuel in the Annual Green Ice Game!
📅 Saturday, March 14
🕖 7:00 PM
ℹ️ Mothers and sons will enjoy the game, a $5 concession voucher, a free knit hat and a voucher for a free game of bowling at Airway Fun Center!
🎟️ Tickets are available for $20.68/adults, $16.16/kids (12 and under). PLEASE NOTE: Children's tickets will show up once you are on the screen to select your seat.
🚘 Transportation is not available and parking is $10 per car at the event (cash only) or $8 in advance online (https://www.etix.com/ticket/e/1054802/).
Interested in tickets? Tickets are purchased through K-Wings and will be picked-up at Wings Event Center. To purchase tickets, please visit https://www.gofevo.com/event/Plainwellschool2. Tickets are assigned seats, so if you are going with friends or a group, please plan accordingly.
We look forward to a wonderful evening at the 2026 Mother and Son Hockey Night!
The 2026 Battle of the Books competition is coming soon! Teams of 3rd-5th graders from Hopkins, Martin, Otsego and Plainwell Elementary Schools are set for Battle Day on Saturday, February 28. Teams have worked hard to read and study six different books and are now ready for the book battle at the Plainwell Performing Arts Center. Battles will be held at 8:00 AM, 9:15 AM, 10:30 AM and 11:45 AM and the top two teams from each battle will advance to the Grand Battle at 1:30 PM.
Unable to attend? All the Battles will be live streamed!
🌐 Plainwell Performing Arts Center Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/PlainwellPAC)
🌐 YouTube - TrojanTV: @PHSTrojanTV (https://www.youtube.com/@phstrojantv)
Good luck to all the teams - wishing you a great Battle Day!
Plainwell Community Schools is dedicated to creating a safe and secure learning environment for both our students and staff. As part of this commitment, we are excited to introduce the Trojan community to Ginny, a K9 service dog trained for both therapy and bomb/firearm detection. Ginny, along with her handler Jean Freeman, will be at PCS beginning March 2, 2026. For more information about this new addition to Plainwell Community Schools, please visit https://www.plainwellschools.org/article/2721434.
As a reminder, tickets are still available for the Mother and Son Hockey Night! Join us as the Kalamazoo Wings take on the Indy Fuel in the Annual Green Ice Game!
📅 Saturday, March 14
🕖 7:00 PM
ℹ️ Mothers and sons will enjoy the game, a $5 concession voucher, a free knit hat and a voucher for a free game of bowling at Airway Fun Center!
🎟️ Tickets are available for $20.68/adults, $16.16/kids (12 and under). PLEASE NOTE: Children's tickets will show up once you are on the screen to select your seat.
🚘 Transportation is not available and parking is $10 per car at the event (cash only) or $8 in advance online (https://www.etix.com/ticket/e/1054802/).
Interested in tickets? Tickets are purchased through K-Wings and will be picked-up at Wings Event Center. To purchase tickets, please visit https://www.gofevo.com/event/Plainwellschool2. Tickets are assigned seats, so if you are going with friends or a group, please plan accordingly. Deadline to purchase tickets is March 9 at 11:59 PM.
We look forward to a wonderful evening at the 2026 Mother and Son Hockey Night!
The 2026 Daughter Dance was filled with so much ♥️♥️♥️!! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the annual Daughter Dance last Saturday. Over 450 attendees enjoyed a fun Valentine's afternoon at Plainwell Middle School where they danced, enjoyed sweets and treats and some even walked away with gift cards to Build a Bear. Thank you to Kathy Elliott, Carly Braginton and the Middle School NJHS for volunteering at the event! We also appreciate Becky Howrigon and her team for capturing formal photos. It was a wonderful and special afternoon at the 2026 Daughter Dance!
