Congratulations to the Delton Kellogg Academy Graduates!

Last night, we celebrated our Class of 2025 with two graduations for both our DK Academy and our DK High School seniors. We had a large crowd of family and friends show up to honor and celebrate this elite group of kids. I’m so proud of all they have accomplished and can’t wait to see where they go next. This group is strong in leadership and service traits, along with a solid work ethic. I’m confident great things are on the horizon for these graduates. We had 4 quality seniors deliver 4 quality speeches, with Lucy Lester starting things off with her class history speech. From there, Co-Salutatorians John Sinclair and Claire Wesolowski followed and gave encouraging and challenging speeches. Valedictorian Brooke Harsevoort closed out our talented student speakers with a reminder to her classmates that their futures belong to them.

“Futures that are full of opportunities, the chance to go after what we want, to make our mark on the world, and to be part of something bigger than ourselves.”

I thought all 4 knocked it out of the park!!

This week, our IGNITE Manufacturing program made some exciting progress with the delivery of the Amatrol equipment that was brought into our newly renovated shop area. Our kids who helped are in awe of the magnitude and quality of what they saw. Watch for a more detailed announcement next week in local media.

It is GO time for the 9th- 11th graders to get things handled these last days and start to prepare for exams, which count for 20% of their final grades as they work to secure all of their credits. We finished our final NWEA testing this week, and our kids continue to impress me with their focus and effort on their academic load. Scheduling is moving full speed ahead, and Mr. Vanhoose, our guidance counselor, has begun the build process for the Master Schedule.

Our athletic teams are on to district and regional play next week, and we have 3 kids competing at the State Finals in Track and Field at Kent City on May 31. Kylie Main, Landon Madden, and Nick Muday will all be participating after qualifying at Regionals.

It’s a great day to be a Panther, and I wish all of you a fun and relaxing Memorial Weekend.

KCC in Hastings Summer Career Camps are designed specifically for area high schoolers. Developed with Barry County Workforce Connections, these camps are hands-on experiences to grab their interest about potential pathways for our employees of the future.

For instance, the "Day in the Life" Skilled Trades camp will include activities on the BIT trailer that includes portable training units for HVAC, electrical, machining and pneumatic systems as well as virtual welding Bruin Industrial Trades Mobile Trainer | Kellogg Community College . Students will also build their own Bluetooth speaker and take a field trip to visit KCC's RMTC in Battle Creek.

Seniors had a special breakfast where they declared their career plans after graduation and won prizes. The Seniors then walked through the middle and elementary schools one final time to be congratuated by their former teachers.

StuCo will meet Thursday May 29th, at 7:30 in Miss Dinda's Classroom. All members should be in attendance as we plan for the Summer 5K and next school year. See you then!