October 22, 2026 FHPS District News

October 22, 2026

This November, Forest Hills Public Schools residents will have an important decision to make at the ballot box: who will serve on our board of education for the next six years. Two FHPS board seats have terms expiring in 2026, which means voters will elect two board members on the Nov. 3 ballot. Those elected will begin their six-year term on Jan. 1, 2027, running through Dec. 31, 2032. Three community members have filed to run for the two open seats. They include Claire Horlings, Brian Spratke, and Maggie Terryn.

To share information about the three individuals running for the board of education, each candidate was given one week to write their answers to five questions and to provide a photo. The first question given to each candidate was to provide a brief bio, including personal background and experience, and to share what motivates them to become a school board member, followed by an additional four questions. Answers are available online on the district's website, and printed as they were submitted by the candidates and have not been edited. Each candidate had to limit each response to no more than 200 words. Candidates are arranged alphabetically by last name.

Please take a moment to check your response in the Media Release section of PowerSchool under student forms. Your child's teacher, principal, and the district would love to keep sharing these glimpses into the incredible learning happening in our classrooms every day. However, if you select "no" in this section, neither the teacher, the school, nor district can share information or photographs of learning, student engagement, and much more. Should you have any questions about the media release statement in PowerSchool, please connect with your student's teacher, building principal, or the district's communication office, Elizabeth Brink, communications director, ebrink@fhps.net or Isabella Giannakopoulos, communications specialist, igiannakopoulos@fhps.net.

Congratulations to our National Merit Semifinalists and Commended students in the Class of 2027. Based on data published by MLive, that is more than any other school district in the West Michigan area. Fewer than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors are named National Merit Semifinalists. Students obtain this achievement based on their scores on the PSAT/NMSQT exam last fall.

Congratulations to the following Semifinalists from Central High School, Tim Chu, Carson Delamar-Lee, David Emerson, Paul Erickson, Henry Hutchinson, Hayeon Lee, Faith Pawloski, Megan Reiffer, Cole Simpson, and Aiden Verwolf; from Forest Hills Eastern High School, Tejas Karumudi; and from Forest Hills Northern High School, Eli Arnemann, Andries Berens, Winston Camp, Minhao Chen, Robert Holter, and Cora Schneider.

Congratulations to the following Commended Scholars from Central High School, Kathryn Campbell, Mary Maddox, Yahvi Patel, Maxwell Silva, Harris Ward, and Evan Yan; from Eastern High School, Caroline Dempsey and Jackson Roman; and from Northern High School, Gavin Brown, Sion Chakma, Hannah Krieg, Jessica Liu, Aanya Muzumdar, Sydney Shin, Madeline Swets, and Sophia VandenBerg.

As part of our ongoing commitment to safety and security, FHPS is introducing a new visitor management system in all of our schools this November. The system keeps track of who is in our buildings at all times, so we can continue providing a safe and welcoming environment for students, staff, and families. When you visit any FHPS school during the school day, there are two important things to remember:

1. Always enter through the main entrance and check in with the office staff.
2. If your visit will take you beyond the main office, for example, to volunteer or read to a class, bring a valid government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license or state ID.

If you’ll be going beyond the office, here’s what to expect when you arrive:

• Enter the secure vestibule area inside the main school entrance. Press the security door buzzer, and proceed to the main office. Scan your ID using the designated iPad and follow the directions posted at each iPad kiosk. If you need assistance, an office member can help you.
• Scan your ID at the kiosk each time you visit.
• The system reads your name, photo, and date of birth from your ID. It then runs a brief background check against the sex offender registry and any flags or local alerts entered by school personnel.
• Once you’re cleared, the kiosk prints a visitor sticker. Visitors must wear their sticker where staff can easily see it throughout their visit, so staff know you’re an approved visitor.
• Before you leave, return your sticker to the front office and quickly scan out. The entire check-in process typically takes less than 30 seconds.

Not every visit requires scanning in. If you’re stopping by briefly to drop off or pick up a student, or to make a delivery, you won’t need to use the system. Furthermore, for larger school events, the check in process will be more streamlined and communicated to families prior to these events, like class parties or school fundraising walks, to name a few.

Keeping students and staff safe takes many layers working together: secure entrances, school esource officers, regular drills, and caring adults who know our students well. This year, with funding from a state Section 31aa school safety and security grant, FHPS has added one more layer to our buildings: the CENTEGIX CrisisAlert badge system.

All staff members wear a CrisisAlert badge while working. If they need help, they press its button, and responders are alerted within seconds. There are two types of alerts.

• Staff alert. This is used when a staff member needs help, such as when a student is having a medical emergency. The alert goes to school administrators and the building’s medical response team of staff members right away. It shows who needs help and exactly where they are, specifically, what floor and what room. That means a teacher can stay with a student while help comes to them.
• Campus-wide alert. This alert is used only in a lockdown situation, and is connected to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office. Within seconds of a staff member starting a lockdown from their badge, first responders get the alert and are on their way. Strobe lights begin flashing across the school campus, an intercom announcement tells everyone to lock down, and computer screens in the school display the alert. A digital campus map shows first responders who started the lockdown and exactly where help is needed. From classrooms and cafeterias to entrances and locker rooms, everyone knows what to do to follow safety procedures.

Every morning across Michigan, thousands of yellow school buses head out into our communities with a vital mission: Delivering our children safely to their classrooms. Behind the wheel of each bus is a dedicated professional: an everyday hero who brings care, patience and unwavering commitment to the well-being of our students.

Oct. 19-23, 2026, we bring national attention to school bus safety and Michigan’s concurrent Operation Safe Stop. This year’s theme, Safe Rides, Everyday Heroes, reminds us that ensuring student safety isn’t a job solely for transportation teams.

A huge congratulations to our latest state championship team, the girls' golf team from Forest Hills Central High School. The Lady Rangers took the #1 spot this past weekend as they played in the state tournament at Forest Akers West Golf Course in East Lansing, Michigan. In addition to being crowned state champs, FHC golfer Alivia Offer was named #1 individual state champion golfer with the lowest score posted for the two-day tournament. Congratulations to the team, coaches, and Alivia, too!

Get your tickets to see Forest Hills Northern's production of High School Musical! It’s a great family show! High School Musical will be on stage at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center Nov. 19-21, at 7 p.m., and a matinee at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21. Tickets are available online at fhfac.ludus.com, or stop by the FAC box office Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Don’t miss it!