March 3, 2025

Trimester 2 Exams are this week. All students are expected to be in class for exams. If a student is going to miss school due to a pre-arranged doctor's appointment, please email Ms. Mentzer and bring in the doctor's note when the student returns to school the next day.

Here is the Exam Schedule:

Tuesday, March 3rd - Full Day of School - 5th period Exams.

Wednesday, March 4th - Half Day - 3rd & 4th period Exams (School Dismisses at 10:40 a.m.)

Thursday, March 5th - Half Day - 1st & 2nd period Exams (School Dismisses at 10:40 a.m.)

Friday, March 6th - NO SCHOOL - Records Day

NO WMU Tutoring since they are on Spring Break this week.

Giant Nation,

Tomorrow, our Maroon Giant boys’ basketball team takes on Battle Creek Lakeview in the regional semifinals at 5:30 PM at Lansing Eastern. The stakes keep rising, and it’s win or go home—our boys aren’t done yet.

We need everyone making the trip, bringing the energy, and creating a playoff atmosphere. The theme is JERSEY OUT, so rep your favorite jersey and show up loud.

We want to make sure everyone has a smooth and safe school day, so here’s a quick reminder about our food procedures:

No DoorDash, Grubhub, or Fast-Food Deliveries – Managing food deliveries during the school day is a safety issue and disrupts the routine. We also cannot call students out of class to pick up food.

Packed Lunches from Home Are Allowed – Students are welcome to bring lunch from home, but outside food purchased during the school day cannot be brought into the building.

Food Brought in Will Be Discarded – To keep things running smoothly, any outside food arriving during school hours must be thrown away.

Thank you for understanding and helping us keep our school safe and focused on learning!

Azaylin Lindsey Allen finished with a 3-2 record, placing 7th in the state at 130lbs.

Azaylin made history, becoming the first female wrestler from Kalamazoo Central to place at the state tournament.

Azaylin finishes her career as a 3x state qualifier and 1x state placer.

Alekh Marion finished with a 1-2 record, falling 1 win short of placing.

Alekh finishes his career as 1 x state qualifier, 2x regional qualifier, and 1x district champion.

Shout out! To KC's Forensic Team on Saturday's Tournament in Grand Rapids they had 5 semi-finalists, and Chase Taylor took 1st Place in Poetry Performance. Great work team.

Your Men’s Swim Team closed out the season at the Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference (SMAC) Championship meet last Friday and Saturday. Being the smallest and least experienced team in the SMAC has its price, and the men paid it this weekend. Though they turned in a 83.33% Personal Record performance in Friday’s Preliminary events and they qualified four of their relays for Finals, they were only able to garner last place. They did give Battle Creek Central a run in the 2nd half of the meet, they ended up 6 points behind. Highlights from the meet:

Nick Pollard earned All-SMAC Honorable mention.

Our 200-yard Medley Relay (Will Cunningham, Jake Totten, Pablo Pena, and Tom Olgabemi) held off teams from Bridgman and Portage Northern to qualify for Finals. It took three Personal Records and one performance that was a mere 0.04 seconds from his Personal Record to accomplish it.

Enoch Praise shattered his Personal Record in the 200-yard Individual Medley by 4.1 seconds.

Pena brought home the 14th place points for his efforts in the 100-yard Butterfly. Pena was our only swimmer to race in an individual event in Finals.

Our 4x 50-yard Freestyle Relay had Personal Records set over Prelims and Finals for seven of the eight race splits. Personal Records were set by Pena (2x), Olagbemi (1), Praise (1), Lars Lagoni (1), Pollard (2). The relay needed even one of those Personal Records to hold off Coldwater, BC Central, and Bridgman who had loaded up every one of their relays. In finals, they moved up 14th place.

We qualified both of our 4x 100-yard Freestyle Relays for Finals. However, due to only having eight team members and religious commitments prohibiting one swimmer’s participation, we were only able to race one in Finals. Pena led the ‘A’ Relay off with a 5.4 second Personal Record crushing performance. Olagbemi chopped 2.1 seconds from his Personal Record in the Preliminary race. Pollard smashed his Personal Record by 5.7 seconds in the Preliminary race and then lopped another second off in Finals. David Nyirenda anchored the ‘A’ Relay had his 2nd fastest career split to secure 15th place in Finals in his final high school race. Cunningham lead off our ‘B’ Relay with an eye-popping 13.2-second Personal Record destroying effort! Lagoni finished his leg of the race with an incredible 3.1-second shredding of his Personal Record. Praise obliterated his Personal Record by 3.1 seconds in the Final race of his high school career. Totten not wanting to be left out on the action and destroyed his Personal Record by 4.2 seconds.

The outcome of the meet was definitely not due to a lack of effort. We need more athletes to come out for swimming and diving. It is a sport that will challenge you physically and mentally, but it is also a sport that installs many life lessons and you can contribute to the team’s success. Hope to see more join next season!

All Boy's interested in playing golf this Spring there is a informational meeting TODAY in room 517 at 3pm.

March is Women’s History Month, and we are excited to celebrate the incredible contributions of women in history, our nation, and right here in our school! Throughout the month, we’ll be hosting special events, trivia, and activities to honor the women who have made a lasting impact both inside and outside our building. Stay tuned for more details on upcoming events where you’ll have the chance to learn, engage, and show support for the powerful women who continue to inspire us every day. Let’s come together as a school community to celebrate their achievements and contributions to history, our nation, and our school. Let’s make March a month of reflection, celebration, and empowerment! Go Giants!

1. ATYP’s Summer Camp Registration Portal is now open! This year we will be holding 16 camps for middle and early high school students, and three sessions of Writing the College Admissions Essay for rising high school seniors. Partial scholarships are available for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. We invite you to share the brochure (attached) or to send students to the website, www.wmich.edu/precollege/atyp/summer-programs, for more information.
2. As you work to schedule students for the fall of 2025, don’t forget that ATYP offers AP Computer Science A in-person on WMU’s campus. Students do not need to qualify for ATYP to take this course; the only prerequisite is Algebra 1. We hope you will share this information with interested students. It is a great opportunity for students to learn more about computer programming and to potentially gain college credit if they score high enough on the AP Exam. A flier is attached. Students and counselors who would like more information about APCS should contact the office at atyp-info@wmich.edu .
3. The Michigan Association for Gifted Children’s Spring Conference will be held on Saturday, April 26, at the PARC Building in Plymouth, Michigan outside of Detroit. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Matt Zakreski. You can learn more at www.migiftedchild.org/conference, or see the flier above. We hope teachers, counselors, administrators, and parents will come and learn more about gifted education!

Macho Volleyball: March 7 @ 5:30 p.m. @KC Main Gym

Practice times: Monday March 3rd (2:30-4:30) and March 5th (11-1)

Good Morning, Class of 2025!

We’re on a roll, Seniors! Our chocolate boxes are flying off the shelves—129 are already out, and only 71 are left to sell! We’re more than halfway there, and thanks to your hard work, we’re adding an extra prize for 4th place!

Here are our top sellers so far:

1st place: Alayna Harvey and Ja’Moni Williams – 10 boxes!
2nd place: Johnique Woods– 5 boxes!
3rd place: Madison Bush, Camri Grady, Kennedi Patterson, and Matai Stanfill – 4 boxes!

4th place: Eboni Thompson-Clark –3 boxes!

Remember to turn in your money ASAP!

Let’s keep pushing, Class of 2025! Every box sold helps fund your senior experiences. We are Giant Nation, and together, we can finish strong!

Tryouts are on March 10th in the Main Gym. Check in is at 4:45 with practice from 5-7. Please make sure your all your information is loaded into Planet HS before showing up. Thank you

Don't miss out on this year's memories—buy your yearbook today! You can bring cash or a check to Mr. Douglas, order online using the QR codes on the posters in the hallway or the link in Google Classroom. Get yours before it's too late!

It’s time to celebrate your next steps! Share your college decisions, military enlistments, or career plans on the @KCHS2025decisions Instagram page.

To be featured, head to the profile and fill out the Google Form linked in the bio. Let’s show off the Class of 2025’s future!

Our Muslim folks who will be observing Ramadan this year, this announcement is for you! We are excited to inform you that KPS food services will be preparing meals to be taken home by those secondary students participating in fasting during Ramadan! (Feb 28th-March 28th). Students wanting to participate in take-home meals should complete the form (link will be sent out in the announcement email) so we know how many meals we need to prepare and at which locations. Meals will be available for pick up at the end of the day. We will provide more details on pick-up of meals and menu soon.

https://forms.gle/bdp1JmpGfr2txaYK8

Good morning parents and guardians of our World Changers! Please note the following procedure beginning March 10, 2025. The Student Lobby door will now open at 7:25 a.m. All students are required to enter through either the upper-classmen door or freshmen door located by the cafeteria. These doors open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:25 a.m. Students who arrive after 7:25 a.m. will remain in the Student Lobby until they can be released with a late pass. We ask that students arrive to the building on time. Thank you for your support with ensuring our World Changers arrive on time and enter through the designated doors.

“Kalamazoo United woman’s lacrosse is looking for more athletes interested in joining! Conditionings are Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at Maple St middle school from 7-9pm now until the end of February. Spring season starts March 10th and there are no try outs! Come check out this sport and join the team!!”

Open gym will begin this Thursday for Men's Volleyball. It will run every Monday and Thursday from 7:30-9:00 pm in the Auxiliary Gym. You must have a sports physical uploaded to Planet High School dated after April 15, 2024.

All athletes interested in signing up for track and field this spring, it is not too late! You can still sign up using the QR codes that are posted all over school, or by stopping by room 254 to sign up with Coach Germain. Once you sign up, remember you will need your physical, participation fee, and other paperwork completed on Planet HS before March 10.

Any students interested in working out with speed club, distance run club, or practicing for hurdles, shot put, or discus, we still have a couple weeks left to train! Stop by room 254 to grab a February training schedule.

Chess Club is meeting every Wednesday in room 221 from 2:30- 3:30. Any and all levels are welcome.

"The KC Personal Finance Club will meet again on Tuesday, March 25, in room 244 after school until about 3:15 pm."

Parent(s)’/Guardian(s)’ Responsibility:

• It is the responsibility of the parent(s) and/or guardian(s) to notify the student’s school as early as possible on the day of an absence and explain the reasons for the absence.

• Written or email verification of a student’s absence by a parent/guardian is required (unless otherwise indicated by the appropriate administrator) and should be provided to the school the day after an absence.

• Student absences are considered unexcused if documentation supporting an excused absence is not provided.

• After 3 consecutive absences, a medical note from a physician may be required.

• It is the responsibility of the parent(s) and/or guardian(s) to make arrangements with the teacher to obtain missed assignments due to absences.

What is an excused absence?

• Student illness and/or appointment verified by the parent/guardian or medical professional

• Medically verified extended illness or hospitalization

• Attending a funeral

• Religious holiday

• Absence due to a subpoenaed court appearance

• Any time missed due to KPS school transportation issues

Please send email absence excuses to chsattendance@kalamazoopublicschools.net

We ask for your support in reinforcing the following school expectations with your children:

• Chromebooks: Students must bring a fully charged Chromebook to class daily. All Chromebook issues will be handled in the Chromebook Room during lunch

• ID Visibility: Students are required to wear their ID visible around their neck at all times. Pulling them out of pockets or backpacks is unacceptable. IDs are required to gain entrance into the building. They must be worn at all times around your neck and displayed. You may purchase an extra ID from Mrs. Garza for five dollars.

• Lunch Procedure: Each student is allowed to take only one lunch. Students who violate will serve dention and/or suspension

• Timeliness: Students must arrive to classes on time. Pattern of behavior will result in student loss of privileges up to and including suspension.

• Respectful Behavior: Students should keep their hands to themselves. Any physical aggression will be treated as an individual fight and students will be suspended.

• Detentions: Students must serve assigned detentions; failure to do so may result in suspension.

• Clean Environment: Students must throw away their trash after breakfast and lunch. They must also respect the bathrooms by putting paper towels in the trash can, flushing the toilet, and reporting vandalism. Students may receive lunch duty and other consequences.

• Safety and Welfare: Students can be suspended for behaviors that interfere with the safety and welfare of others, including walking the halls, vaping, attending more than one lunch, and any form of physical or verbal aggression.

• Hats, Hoodies, or Bonnets: are not allowed to be worn in the building at any time.

• Cell Phones may not be used during class time or while on bathroom breaks. Students may use cell phones before school, passing time, lunch, and after school.

• Attendance: To send in all student absences to CHSattendance@kalamazoopublicschools.net. If the absence is for a doctor's visit please remember to send in the doctor's office note with your email.

We appreciate your help in encouraging students to adhere to these expectations.

Arrival

• Please drop off students in the front of the building, not the back.
• Buses have a limited time for picking up, dropping off, and transporting students to the elementary schools.
• If you are dropping off your student at the curb please drop off and pull away from the curb. If you are planning on waiting until the doors open please pull into a parking spot. It creates a traffic jam and is unsafe for our students walking into the building.

Dismissal

• To ensure a safe and efficient pick-up process, please adhere to the following guidelines:
  1. Pick up students in the front of the building.
  2. Do not cut in front of buses.
  3. If picking up after 2:45 PM, you may pick up in the back.

Safety Matters
Students darting between buses can create an unsafe environment. Let's work together to maintain a safe and orderly dismissal process.

Softball winter workouts are starting. They are Sunday 3-6 and Wednesdays 6-8. Please join us!

Seniors! The Kalamazoo Promise Pathway Coaches will be hosting Open Labs every third Wednesday in lab 553. Starting November 20th. Open Lab is a one stop for everything post secondary. Applying to college, trade programs, promise paperwork, FAFSA and more. You will need a pass to and from Open Labs. Reach out to your Promise Coach, Ms. Trenae Dunigan, with questions and for more information.

If you are interested in joining upper bound applications are now being taken. Please use the link attached to apply today. Please see flyer today for more information.

As the weather turns colder it is very tempting to bring a blanket to school to snuggle in. Please leave it at home on your bed or couch to be ready for you when you get home and read a book. We do not allow students to use blankets as an alternative to coats or sweatshirts. Our HVAC system was upgraded this last year so we should be toasty all Fall/Winter long.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our students’ educational journey. We want to emphasize the importance of academic success and the role homework plays in achieving it.

Students are expected to complete their homework daily, as this work is important for understanding the material and preparing for quizzes, test, & state assessments. Help your student to set aside dedicated time and space each day for studying, which will help them stay on track. They can also stay after school for tutoring with our WMU tutors, CIS tutors, and KC Teachers.

Our goal is for every student to pass all their classes and earn the necessary credits toward high school graduation. Your encouragement at home can make a significant difference in their efforts.

Thank you for your partnership and being a part of our Giant Nation!

Attention CTE, KAMSC, and Dual Enrollment students, please pick up your yellow ID's in the Main Office, this will indicate to KC staff that you are allowed to leave campus and re-enter the building

Please be sure your are in the google classroom for the class of 2025 and that your have joined remind to receive text notifications.

If you have questions please see your advisors Mrs. Yarbrough and Ms.Bell

Aunt Flows Lockers are officially stocked! If you need any period products look for the lockers next to Women's restrooms marked with pink tape. If you need a more consistent supply of products don't hesitate to get in touch with kcwomensadvocacy@gmail.com.

State Representative Julie Rogers is seeking enthusiastic students to join her Youth Advisory Board! This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about government and make your voice heard. Interested? Check out the application linked below! For more information or questions, contact Kaitlyn Ozanich, who participated last year. Don’t miss your chance to get involved!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeUHZeK5sEB68_rrDK_-AQmRmAYiC6QIDahsFhGGnPfXbl48Q/viewform