The Highlighter - March/April 2025

SJPS Families and Community,

The long-awaited May 6 election day is nearly here!

On Tuesday, May 6, our community will vote on an opportunity to improve our facilities across the district, continuing our commitment to safe, modern, and inspiring spaces for our students and staff.

If approved, the bond would fund facility upgrades, enhanced safety and security measures, improved learning environments, athletic and fine arts upgrades — all with no expected increase to the current tax rate.

For more information about the bond proposal and voting details, please visit our district website: https://www.sjredwings.org/bond-2025/

Thank you for your continued support of St. Johns Public Schools!

Off to a Great Start!

SJHS launched one of Michigan's newest agricultural programs this year, offering two classes: Animal Science and Plants & Wildlife. The need for this program was identified by a community committee, including Superintendent Dr. Berthiaume and Principal Dr. Dobson, which led to the hiring of Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher, Samantha Buggia. With endorsements in Agricultural Science and Biology and experience from launching a program in Blissfield, MI, she also teaches Biology classes at the high school. Samantha, a Springport native, holds degrees from MSU in Agricultural Food and Natural Resources Education, completing her Master's this past December.

The FFA and Competing at States!
Students who enroll in these classes automatically become members of the St. Johns FFA Chapter. Buggia noted, “Students can choose their level of involvement in FFA. If they want to enjoy the class without further participation, that's perfectly fine. However, if they wish to engage beyond the classroom, they are welcome to join in those activities as well.”

Two St. Johns FFA teams competed this year, advancing through Districts, Regionals and qualifying for States at MSU!

• Green Hand Conduct of Meetings Team (Exclusively for first-year FFA members - 7 students) - This team runs a mock chapter meeting and plans specific business items. They secured 2nd place at Regionals and are now competing at States at MSU.

• Agricultural Issues Team (Students select an agricultural issue - 5 students) - Their task is to present three pros and three cons regarding the chosen topic while remaining neutral. They provide factual information and explain why it is a concern. This year, the students focused on Foreign Land Investment, created a skit, developed a portfolio, and delivered a ten to fifteen-minute presentation in various community locations, culminating at States at MSU.

UPDATE: Our greenhand conduct of meeting team received a Silver Award and 9th place at Michigan FFA State Convention. Our Agriculture Issues team received a Gold Award and are the STATE WINNERS! They will go on to compete at the National FFA Convention in October in Indianapolis, IN.

In addition, Paityn Chant competed at Districts and received a Gold Award but did not advance on to Regionals.

Future of the Program

The program received a generous $30,000 donation from Agro Liquid for a greenhouse and operational resources. This will greatly enhance the hands-on, lab-based classes.

Additionally, in partnership with Smith Farms & Chant Farms along with the city of St. Johns, the program secured a 29-acre lot next to the Middle School. Students will work with agronomists, planters, and farmers to decide on crops, planting times, and other farming activities. Students will also collaborate with local grain merchandisers to manage sales as a class project, deciding on sales timing based on market conditions.

Buggia hopes to expand the program to a full-day schedule of Agricultural Science courses, including a new Veterinary Science class next year.

Justin McConnell - Head of Grounds

Justin McConnell is essential to the students and athletes of St. Johns Public Schools, serving as the Head of Grounds for two baseball fields, two softball fields, five football fields, two soccer fields, a lacrosse field, the track and field facility, the tennis courts and all the schools of the district. Justin graduated from Michigan State University with a Sports and Commercial Turfgrass Degree in 2018. Before joining SJPS in 2021, he worked in professional baseball from 2016-2020 with the Lansing Lugnuts, Arizona Diamondbacks, New Orleans Babycakes, and Wichita Wind Surge.

What does a typical day looks like?

"Typical day for me is all dependent on what sports are being played during the week. I must be a few steps ahead to get the fields prepped and ready to go. Managing the athletic fields is just a small part of my position, I also maintain the common grounds around the school district as well. Juggling trying to get the grass cut at every location and getting fields prepped can be hectic on some days with the weather, but with good communication with our team we power through and get the jobs done. In the wintertime we’re working on equipment that we run full throttle within the growing season. Plowing snow, making sure sidewalks are well maintained, salt is spread for students and staff."

What is your favorite part of the job?
"The favorite part of my job is split into two things.

Prepping up for Band Camp in July. This marks the start of fall sports to me, prepping up the stadium for the students to showcase their hard work from the past week to the community. Getting to hear what Mr. Davis has in store for the halftime show for the next few months as we kick into the next school year.

And the other is having that football field ready for Senior Day. This usually is a time where we are on the downhill for the mowing season and heading into winter. With that I like to give it one last curtain call and go all out. Painting the school colors all around the field and doing endzone art, giving it like a Rose Bowl feel to things."

What are you looking forward to the most if the plans for new athletic upgrades are realized?

Providing some of the smaller sport athletes with new and upgraded facilities, something they can be proud of and something in which they can say, this is our home!

The Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a community-based organization that is student-led but not student-taught. With over 200,000 members nationwide, including participants from British Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii, FCCLA has a broad reach. Audrey Overley has been a member for four years, having joined during her freshman year on Club Day. Initially unsure about her desire to become a teacher, she eventually discovered that this was her true career aspiration. At her first meeting, she learned about various topics and project opportunities. After completing her first project, she competed at the state level and qualified for the national competition in Denver.

In that year, she received an email inviting individuals to become national officers, but she chose to pursue a state office instead. She was elected as the State Vice President of Chapter Development, a position she held last year. As Michigan's representative, she had the opportunity to travel to Seattle, Washington, and be part of the national committee responsible for selecting national officers. Although she considered the idea of becoming a national officer, this year she ran for state office again and was elected State President. She is currently working on a project with the hopes of attending the national event in Washington, D.C.

FCCLA has been part of SJHS for seven years. When Alexandria Svoboda, the Family and Consumer Science Teacher, joined SJHS, she introduced the program. "We've had numerous students show interest, competing at the state level every year and reaching nationals all seven times." The projects encompass a variety of topics, including homelessness, school drives, bandanas for service dogs, quilts for the baby pantry, and cat adoptions. Audrey's first project focused on homelessness, which involved a clothing drive along with presentations to different groups within the high school, culminating in a presentation before the judges. All projects are centered around career development and readiness. FCCLA emphasizes education in areas like interior design, culinary arts, sewing, and personal finance, equipping students with essential life skills. The scope of consumer science includes sewing, interpersonal relationships, human development, and parenting, among many other areas.

Aubrey's primary goal for her first year as president is to enhance awareness of Family Consumer Sciences, with a particular focus on teacher education. "In Michigan, this program is only available at two colleges, and the teacher pipeline is currently facing significant challenges." She aims to raise awareness within the education sector and promote FCCLA as a whole. Aubrey also hopes to inspire more students to consider teaching as a viable career option.

Discover more about the Clubs and Activities at SJHS by checking out this link.

Redwing 6th-12th grade orchestra students practiced with and then performed a public concert with Mark Wood, one of the co-founders of Trans-Siberian Orchestra at SJHS! This incredible opportunity arose from Orchestra Teacher Jennifer Parker winning a contest!

Mrs. Parker also earned a Foundation for Excellence grant to help pay for this experience. The photo album here captured a rehearsal with our middle school students during the Friday rehearsal.

View a video of the show on our YouTube page!

Every three years, the St. Johns Marching Band chooses an exciting destination for their travels. They have visited remarkable locations such as Toronto, Texas, and Hawaii. According to Band Director Roy Davis, "Hawai'i has become a favorite for the group over the past 20 years. It feels like a foreign land with the convenience of being in the United States."

When asked about the best experience of this year's trip, Davis responded, "The highlight is always our performances at the Lunalilo home for the Elderly and Pearl Harbor. The band performs for the elderly Hawaiians and then plays bingo with the residents. The Pearl Harbor performance is our opportunity to pay respect to our military and learn about the sacrifices that they have made, and continue to make everyday on our behalf."

Coach Gove (2024 D3 Coach of the Year) shares his thoughts on the 2025 season!

"As always, I am very much looking forward to this season and the energy I get when coaching this program. The weather was great our first week of practice in March but it has been less than ideal since then-- but hoping to make a turn toward more spring-like weather soon. We have braved the wind and cold many days, had a few indoor practices at MSU Tennis Center, but have had to reschedule the first three matches of the season due to wind chill and/or rain.

We lost a lot of top seniors and All-Area players/LSJ Dream Team and All-State players to graduation last year, but we have A TON of seniors again this year (18 of the top 20 on Varsity). Captains Paityn Chant, Brenda McCann, Ramiah Caroland, and Caroline Parsons are exceptional role models who are leading the way. I am looking forward to seeing how they all step up to new spots in the lineup and I know they are ready for the challenge as we look to repeat as league champs, make a push for another regional title, and hopefully return back to the state finals for the fifth straight year. It would be an awesome way for these seniors to end their tennis career as St. Johns Redwings."