October is National Principals Month, and we can't let this month pass without honoring our outstanding building administrators. At PCS, we feel incredibly fortunate to have eight remarkable principals who dedicate themselves daily to the success of their students and staff. As outstanding leaders, they uphold the highest standards of support and care, and we are immensely grateful for their commitment to our district! From all of us at PCS, we extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to our Principals:
✏️Nicole Keorkunian (Cooper Elementary Principal)
✏️ Cody Gregory (Gilkey Elementary Principal)
✏️ Kari Luckett (Starr Elementary Principal)
✏️ Ben Manting (Middle School Principal)
✏️ Jeff Hattendorf (Middle School Assistant Principal)
✏️ Heidi Huizenga (Renaissance Principal)
✏️ Marvin Taylor (High School Principal)
✏️ Brian Huberty (High School Assistant Principal)
Please take a moment to share a 🩷, 👍 OR THANK YOU to these dedicated administrators!
Reminder- tickets are still available for our upcoming Family Hockey Night at Wings Event Center. Join us on Friday, November 14 at 7:00 PM as the Kalamazoo Wings take on the Fort Wayne Komets at their Lavender Ice Game. Families will enjoy the game, a $5 concession voucher, 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 $5 per car at the event.
Interested in tickets? Tickets are purchased through K-Wings and will be picked-up at Wings Event Center. To purchase tickets, please scan the QR code or visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs. Tickets are assigned seats, so if you are going with friends or a group, please plan accordingly. Deadline to purchase tickets is November 10 at midnight.
This fall, the Middle School ECO Club has been hard at work tidying up the courtyards after school. They have also put their gardening skills to the test, successfully growing a few pumpkins just in time for Halloween. In honor of their previous ECO Club advisor, the students admiringly named the orange pumpkin Kerry and the green one Oostdyk. Mr. James, their new advisor, has eagerly stepped into his new role, helping to carry on the fantastic initiatives that Mrs. Oostdyk started to enhance and beautify Plainwell Middle School. 🍁🎃
The 6th graders in Ms. Brinks and Mr. Polasek's Middle School Western Hemisphere classes have dedicated this month to studying various types of government in their social studies classes. They kicked-off the unit with an engaging activity: constructing the tallest free-standing tower with their team. Each group represented a different form of government found worldwide, with particular restrictions assigned to each group to accomplish the task. Through this collaborative project, students gained knowledge in how different government systems operate and learned who has the power to make certain decisions. Moving forward, the students will apply what they have learned as they begin their next project - creating their own fictional nation-state.
🎄 Trojan Families! 🎄 Are you interested in applying for holiday assistance through the Plainwell Volunteer Christmas Project? Please stop by your student’s building to pick-up an enrollment form before November 14.
We are excited to announce the Plainwell Middle School Students of the Week for October 20-24! We are proud of your hard work and dedication. Way to go, Trojans!
- Peyton (8th Grade)
- Zakari (7th Grade)
- Addison (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, Culver’s and Taqueria San Francisco. We greatly appreciate your support of PCS and our students - Today’s Learners, Tomorrow’s Leaders!
The Plainwell Middle and High School Choirs did an amazing job at their Fall "Let's Groove Tonight" concert, featuring a fun tribute to the ‘70s. It was a wonderful evening, showcasing outstanding music to kick-off the 2025/26 season at the Performing Arts Center.
Unable to attend? You can view the entire performance by visiting the Plainwell Performing Arts Facebook page.
We are excited to announce the Plainwell Middle School Students of the Week for October 13-17! We are proud of your hard work and dedication. Way to go, Trojans!
- AJ (8th Grade)
- Charlie (7th Grade)
- Violet (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, Culver’s and Taqueria San Francisco. We greatly appreciate your support of PCS and our students - Today’s Learners, Tomorrow’s Leaders!
Recently, Middle School students from Mrs. Flynn’s Art Club and Mrs. Noto Cassada’s Creative Expression class visited ArtPrize in Grand Rapids. While strolling through downtown, they explored numerous art exhibits and encountered various art genres. Additionally, they participated in a scavenger hunt and visited the DeVos Convention Center. It was an enriching experience for the Trojans!
We are excited to share that tickets are now on sale for our upcoming Family Hockey Night at Wings Event Center. Join us on Friday, November 14 at 7:00 PM as the Kalamazoo Wings take on the Fort Wayne Komets at their Lavender Ice Game. Families will enjoy the game, a $5 concession voucher, 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 $5 per car at the event.
Interested in tickets? Tickets are purchased through K-Wings and will be picked-up at Wings Event Center. To purchase tickets, please scan the QR code or visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs. Tickets are assigned seats, so if you are going with friends or a group, please plan accordingly. Deadline to purchase tickets is November 10 at midnight.
We are excited to announce the Plainwell Middle School Students of the Week for October 6-10! We are proud of your hard work and dedication. Way to go, Trojans!
- Camden (8th Grade)
- Finley (7th Grade)
- Ava (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, Culver’s and Taqueria San Francisco. We greatly appreciate your support of PCS and our students - Today’s Learners, Tomorrow’s Leaders!
🗓️ CALENDAR REMINDER 🗓️ Just a friendly reminder about the school schedule this week: Thursday, October 9 is a full day of school and Friday, October 10 is a no school day. Have a great day - GO TROJANS!
Congratulations to Lily, Alexis and Sienna as they are Plainwell Middle Schools' "Book and a Bonus" winners for September. "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!
Registration is still open through October 8 for the Spikers Volleyball program! The program is open to 3rd-6th graders, with the goal of experiencing the sport, understanding the rules and having fun! Spikers will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from October 21-December 6, practice times are as follows:
🏐 3rd & 4th Grade Practice: 6:00-7:00 PM at Starr
🏐 5th & 6th Grade Practice: 7:00-8:00 PM at Plainwell Middle School
Cost is $60 per athlete. To register, please scan the QR code or visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs - registration closes October 8.
NATIONAL CUSTODIAN DAY: Thank you to all the amazing custodians at Plainwell Community Schools! We greatly appreciate your dedication to providing a clean & safe learning environment for our students and staff! As a thank you, throughout the district, students and staff made special cards, signs and decorations to celebrate and show their appreciation to their building's custodians - from all of us at PCS - THANK YOU!
🚧 Downtown Plainwell Construction Update 🚧 We just received an update regarding the ongoing construction in downtown Plainwell. The City of Plainwell has informed us that the work on Main Street will resume today and tomorrow. Beginning this morning, Main Street - between M-89 and Starr Road - will be closed. Cross streets will remain open, but please be advised that you may need to seek an alternative route during this continued construction and bus routes might be delayed.
The PHS Homecoming Parade tomorrow (Friday, October 3) will continue as normally scheduled, beginning at 1:30 PM. Construction will be stopped during this time and will resume at the conclusion of the parade.
We are excited to announce the Plainwell Middle School Students of the Week (September 29-October 3)! We are proud of your hard work and dedication. Way to go, Trojans!
- Kayliona (8th Grade)
- Ava (7th Grade)
- Aiden (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, Culver’s and Taqueria San Francisco. We greatly appreciate your support of PCS and our students - Today’s Learners, Tomorrow’s Leaders!
The 6th grade science classes wrapped up an exciting unit on microbiology, diving into the invisible world of bacteria, viruses and fungi! After weeks of exploring how these tiny organisms impact our health and environment, they finally got hands-on with microscopes! 🔬
Using their new knowledge, they prepared slides, adjusted focus knobs like pros and identified real microbes under the lens. Watching science come to life right in front of their eyes was a powerful moment of discovery and curiosity.
We’re so proud of their growth and can’t wait to see where their scientific journeys take them next.
Middle School P.R.I.D.E. Athlete of the Week - Congratulations to Plainwell Middle School’s first Athlete of the Week for the 2025/26 school year - Violet! Violet was nominated by her Volleyball coach, Alexis Reist, who stated the following in her nomination statement: "Violet is always making sure everyone is included in practice and in the classroom. Violet is serious about her academics, any chance she has, she is in my room after school doing homework. Since day one of summer clinics Violet has been nothing but respectful towards myself and her teammates. Lastly, Violet is not always the loudest on the court but she is the first one to care for her teammates and the game. I have moved some positions around, trying out new things, Violet takes the change as a learning opportunity and is positive/excited about it!" Congratulations Violet and keep up the great work - TROJAN PRIDE!
Congratulations to the 8th grade volleyball team on their 5-0 win against Paw Paw tonight! Way to go, Trojans! 💙🏐💙
