Pentwater Public Schools

Pentwater Softball traveled to MCE for a single 7-inning game this Wednesday. The game was tightly contested throughout with both teams battling back and forth. A strong game at the plate from Aubrie Adams, Emma Werkema-Grondsma and Amelia Barter led the way for the Falcon's offense putting pressure on the Cardinal's defense. A string of errors in the 6th gave MCE the lead heading into the final inning. Pentwater responded when Aubrie Adams was able to start the inning off with a sharp single, taking second on a wild pitch and moving to third on a ground ball to the right side. Lauren Davis took control from there as she lined a single to right, tying the game. MCE was able to respond however in the bottom of the seventh, where after two walks they were able to walk-off on a sharp single to the left side. Pentwater 6 - MCE 7

Pentwater Softball took on the Shelby Tigers in a doubleheader on a chilly and breezy Monday night. Dominant pitching was the name of the game as Aubrie Adams led the charge, highlighted by solid defensive play from Paige Sadenwater with two putouts in right and a strong relay from Emma Werkema-Grondsma in left field to catch a runner at home. The Falcons were not able to get the bats going, failing to capitalize on a handful of walks in the first game. Pentwater 0 - Shelby 4. The second game saw the Falcons get on the board with some aggressive base running in the second, taking an early 3-0 lead. Shelby was quick to respond, tying the game 3-3 the following inning behind a handful of key hits. A sharp line drive double off the bat of Amelia Barter led the Falcons’ response as the Falcons were able to recapture the lead 4-3. The lead was short-lived as base on balls and untimely errors saw the Falcons go back down 9-4. Pentwater struggled to respond, falling to a final score: Pentwater 4 - Shelby 11

Families and students in grades preschool thru 6th are invited to our Family Fun Night scheduled for Thursday, May 15, 2025, from 5:30pm - 7:00pm. This fun event is free of charge which includes dinner prepared by Superintendent Barter on the barbecue! There will be a giveaway for a chance to win a Lego Education STEAM set as well as other giveaways. You can RSVP for this event by scanning the QR code and completing the google Family Fun Night RSVP document.

🌟 Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Fatura! 🌟 This week, we're shining the spotlight on Mrs. Fatura, who is our JH/HS Science teacher at Pentwater Public Schools, as well as our Varsity Cross Country Coach and Varsity Track Coach! Mrs. Fatura is celebrating her 1st year at Pentwater. We appreciate everything she does and are so grateful to have her on our team. #GoFalcons#

The high school track and field event (Panther Invite) scheduled for Friday, 4/18, at Hesperia has been canceled! Thank you!

Our JH track and field team had their first WMD conference jamboree on Thursday, 4/17, at MCE! We have a very young team with most of our athletes new to the sport of track and field and they all did incredibly well! Most impressive was the teams' support and encouragement to each other during the events! We had several individuals score for the team, some impressive personal records and a first place finish for Lauren Macher in the high jump! Scorers for the boys were: 3rd place - 4x800m relay: Ben Jorissen, Colton Jorissen, Jordy Miller and Anderson Oleneack 4th place - high jump: Ben Jorissen 5th place - shot put: Xacheriah Davis 5th place - 400m dash: Ben Jorissen (new PR!) 5th place - 800m run: Jordy Miller Scorers for the girls were: 1st place - high jump: Lauren Macher 2nd place - 800m run: Lauren Macher 4th place - 1600m run: Ayla Kokx 4th place - 4x100m relay: Janie Hasil, Ayla Kokx, Lauren Macher and Karoline Slotegraaf 5th place - shot put: Janie Hasil (new PR!) Shyra Bigsby saw a PR in both the 70m and the long jump! The JH track and field team travel to Marion on Thursday, 4/24/25, for our next jamboree!

Pentwater Softball wants to thank all our donors for an awesome Home Run Derby 2025. Overall we hit 310 balls with 3 homeruns. Our Home Run Derby Winner are: 1st Place: Jen Slosser with a 211 foot home run hit by Charlie Swanger 2nd Place: Lucy Macher with a 200' home run hit by Mandi Sayles 3rd Place: Ralph Baker with a 187' home run off a car by Mandi Sayles With your donations, we purchased a Louisville Slugger Kryo bat, an A200 Wilson Catcher's Glove, and a Safety Double First Base.

Pentwater Softball took on Brethren this Wednesday, 4/16, in a double header at home. The bats started off hot in game one with sharp RBI singles from Aubrie Adams, Emma Werkema-Grondsma and Amelia Barter placing the Falcons ahead 10-0 in the first. The Falcons were able to cement their lead behind strong defense and pitching, stopping Brethren from scoring. In the bottom of the fourth, Charlie Swanger knocked a line drive single for a walk-off mercy rule with an end score Falcons 15 - Brethren 0. Game 2 saw the debut of Isabel Babbins on the mound. Isabel pitched a strong first inning striking out one, stranding runners on 1st and 3rd. The Falcons were able to add a run in the bottom of the inning following a single from Charlie Swanger, fielder choice from Mandi Sayles and another RBI single from Aubrie Adams. In the top half of the second, Brethren was able to take advantage of a few early walks with a key hit bringing the score Falcons 1 - Brethren 5. Pentwater was quick to respond, as the next three innings brought in a number of runs highlighted by a double from Charlie Swanger, a single from Lauren Davis and aggressive base running up and down the line-up. The game finished in five innings with a score of Pentwater 16 - Brethren 6.

Congratulations to the Pentwater Education Association's "2025 Academic All Star," Nathan Macher! And another big congratulations to our very own 5th grade teacher, Donna Miller, who was selected as the "Outstanding Person in Education" for MEA Region 13B! These award winners were honored with their families Wednesday night at the Region 13B banquet.

Pentwater Public Schools congratulations Senior Nathan Macher for signing to play golf as an Aquinas Saint for the 2025/2026 collegiate year! Nathan is the son of Lucy and David Macher and grandson of Boo and Greg Gregwer. Nathan is an honor student and is a 5th year varsity golfer for the Falcons this year. His golf stats are as follows: As an 8th grader, Nathan was selected 2nd Team All Conference in the WMD league as part of the co-conference and county championship team; 9th grade Nathan was selected 1st Team All Conference in the WMD league where the team achieved 2nd place in regional play and participated in the MHSAA team state finals; 10th grade Nathan was again selected 1st Team All Conference in the WMD league and was, once again, a member of the conference championship team while also being recognized as Academic All State; as a Junior, Nathan was again selected 1st Team All Conference in the WMD league; and, lastly, we are excited to see the results for this season for Nathan and the entire golf team! Well done, Nathan, your Falcon family is incredibly proud of your accomplishment in the classroom and on the 'Fairway'!

📚🎉 Kindergarten Round-Up is TONIGHT! 🎉📚 Join us at Pentwater Public Schools tonight, April 16th at 6:00 PM for our Kindergarten Round-Up! 🏫✨ 👧🧒 Children who turn 5 before September 1st, 2025 are eligible to enroll for kindergarten. 📌 Check out the flyer below for more info — we can’t wait to welcome our future Falcons! 💜💛 #GoFalcons #KindergartenReady

The weather has canceled Tuesday's (4/15/25) Varsity Track Jamboree at Marion. A makeup date has not yet been determined.

Brad Hurtig shared his inspiring story with our JH/HS as well as our elementary students on Tuesday, 4/15. Brad was a student-athlete in a small town in Northwest Ohio. Only days after finishing his sophomore year of high school, a devastating accident resulted in the amputation of both of Brad's hands. Now Brad is taking his-changing message of Find A Way® to students across the nation. Through hard work and determination, Brad soon rejoined his high school football team. In his senior year, Brad led his team defense, recording 111 tackles and received all-state honors while playing with no hands. How was Brad able to quickly overcome such a devastating obstacle? Even more, to navigate a loss into a win by going from amputee to all-state? Brad's message is centered around an influential story that took place between himself and his football coach. Brad would often rely on others to pick up a water bottle when he was thirsty. At the end of practice, Brad asked his coach for a drink. Instead of picking up the bottle, his coach said something that would ultimately change Brad's life. He said, "If you're thirsty enough, you'll Find A Way." That day Brad successfully got a drink and that challenge became the catalyst in learning what it takes to overcome. Brad would soon learn a powerful strategy that enabled him to move past his fears and reach his goals. He now shows students how to do the same. Brad's story has commanded national attention. He has been featured by media outlets including ESPN and The New York Times. Most recently, he was featured as a TEDx speaker. Now Brad travels the country sharing his message of Find A Way. Musician Kevi Morse is a hip-hop artist, DJ and entrepreneur. His goal is to empower the culture through hip-hop. Kevi's unique sound has lead to hundreds of thousands of streams and devoted fans. A free concert, CVLTIVATE CVLTURE presents the Never Alone tour with Kevi Morse, will be offered on Tuesday, 4/15/25, at 7pm, at the First Baptist Church of Pentwater with special guest, Brad Hurtig (*not a school sponsored event).

Pentwater Varsity Softball thanks you for your donations to the Home Run Derby! Come watch the Home Run Derby on Thursday, April 17 at 3:30 on Pentwater's Softball Field to see who wins the prizes!

The Falcons enjoyed the sunshine at the Hart & Sole meet today hosted by Hart. There were 12 schools in attendance and many large schools including Ludington, Mason County Central, Manistee, Traverse City St. Francis and the Grand Rapids Track Club. We came away with 17 personal records which definitely made the meet a rewarding experience. Rodney Grondsma celebrated a remarkable personal record in the shot put, launching the shot 5 ½ feet farther than his previous best. Ben Roberson also excelled, shaving 16 seconds off his 1600m time and 20 seconds from his 800m! Additionally, Trey Johnson and Logan Fatura brought home medals, with Trey securing 1st place in long jump and Logan clinching 3rd place in shot put. Looking ahead, the Falcons are set to compete in their first Conference Jamboree in Marion on Tuesday. Go Falcons! 1st Place Trey Johnson - Long Jump 19’ 5” 3rd Place Logan Fatura - Shot Put - 42’ 4.5”(PR) 4th place -Logan Fatura - Discus -123’ 4”(PR) -4x800m Relay (Bailey Case, Matilde Pacifico, Michelle Smith, Lily Smith) 12:52.27 -4x100m Relay (Lauren Davis, Aubrie Adams, Lexi Smith, Belle Powers) 58.84 PR -Bailey Case - 800m Run 3:08.37 -Lauren Davis - 300m Hurdles 54.85 -Aubrie Adams - 100m - Dash 15.14 -Lily Smith - 1600m Run 7:12.66 -Michelle Smith - 400m Dash 1:22.81 -Matilde Pacifico - 400m Dash 1:30.34 and 800m Run 3:39.36 -Anthony Acosta - 100m Dash 15.21 and Long Jump 11’ 6” -Ben Roberson - 1600m Run 5:47.46 and 800 m Run 2:29.80 -Chase McGuire-Vangills - 200m Dash 26.22 and Long Jump 16’ 2” -Rodney Grondsma - Shot Put 21’ 9.5” -Sam Gaylard - Shot Put 29’ 5”

Congratulations to all of our 2nd-4th grade elementary spelling bee participants for 2025! The participants for 2nd grade were: Camden Jobbins, Violet Reid, Isla Mitchell, Porter Rinehart, Anika Acuna, Ellis Jaeb, Alona DeVries, Tyler Field and Keaton Bigsby. Participants in 3rd grade were: Eveliina Kainulainen, Lilly Cross, Maci Ford, Alex Hughart, and Harris Powers. Our participants in 4th grade and for the last time in the PPS spelling bee: Amelia Skinner, Kayla Oomen, Grace Powers, Annabelle Smith, Audrey Hughart, Kennedi Haight, Troy Dickenson, Katelyn Slotegraaf, Hadley Clark, Jane VerVelde, Lukas Soltes-Frick, Grace Thurston-Cox, Alek Acevedo and Hadley Swanger! Well done, Falcon spellers! You all did an amazing job and we are all incredibly proud of you! The overall winners for 2nd grade were Anika Acuna in 3rd place, Violet Reid in 2nd place and Porter Rinehart in 1st place! The overall winners in 3rd grade were Lilly Cross in 3rd place, Maci Ford in 2nd place and Eveliina Kainulainen in 1st place! The overall winners in our 4th grade classroom were Kayla Oomen 3rd place, Jane VerVelde 2nd place and Hadley Clark 1st place! Hadley was the overall champion of the 2025 spelling bee!

Congratulations to our April 2025 elementary students of the month, pictured with Assistant Principal Oleneack: Grant Hughart (KG); Grace Chandonnet (1st Grade); Tyler Field (2nd Grade); Rorrick Case (3rd Grade); Cooper Roberts (4th Grade); and Charlotte Cook (5th Grade)! Well done, Falcon learners!

Congratulations to our 2024-2025 boys varsity basketball team for earning All State Academic Team honors from the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan for Class D; Pentwater was ranked 8th in Class D! Well done, Falcon men! BCAM also recognizes Senior Kaleb Brown as a Team First Award Recipient. A Team First Award Recipient is an athlete that exemplifies putting team before self as well as exemplifying teamwork, commitment, service and sacrifice. Kaleb has demonstrated these characteristics in his time here at PPS and we know he will carry them forward upon graduation! BCAM also recognizes Senior Nathan Macher with an Outstanding Senior Student Athlete Award. The award is given to high school seniors who have played basketball all four years of high school and have a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher. Well done, Nathan, we are incredibly proud of your accomplishments on the court and in the classroom! We are proud of all of our Falcon athletes and we acknowledge all of the incredibly dedicated PPS coaching staff and we know that we cannot thank them enough for the many hours that they sacrificially pour into the lives of our young people. We know that they do what they do because they passionately believe in the ability of athletics to build discipline and responsibility in young people's lives. Our boys' basketball team is coached by Ashley Lubera and Pete Dumonte.

On Wednesday, the Pentwater Education Association was pleased to present Administrative Assistant, Mrs. Shelly Hugo, with the "Friend of Education" (FOE) Award. “Shelly is the beating heart of our school! She keeps us all organized and enables us all to be our best because we don't have to worry about daily operations. She always knows what's going on and what needs to happen. She's positive, friendly, professional, and just awesome!” Thank you Mrs. Hugo!

What an incredible meet for the Falcons today at our season opener in Custer at the MCE Invitational. In total we had 20 personal records and took home 16 medals! A big shout out to Lauren Davis for breaking her own school record in the 100 hurdles with a time of 18.87! It's truly inspiring to kick off the season with such strength and determination. We simply asked our team to give their best effort, and they delivered spectacularly. We are incredibly proud of their performances, the spirit of teamwork, and the positive attitudes displayed today. Go Falcons! 1st Place -Logan Fatura - Discus 117’ 4” (PR) -Logan Fatura - Shot Put 40’ 8” -Trey Johnson - Long Jump 20’ 9.75” (PR-Jumped out of the pit!) -Trey Johnson - 300m Hurdles 49.71 (PR) -Lauren Davis - 200m Dash 30.54 2nd Place -4x100m Relay (Lauren Davis, Belle Powers, Karina Olivarez, Matilde Pacifico) 1:03.51 3rd Place -Trey Johnson - High Jump 5’ 4” -4x200m Relay (Alden Grondsma, Michael Smith, Anthony Acosta, Rolie Salgado) 2:11.76 -Lexi Smith - High Jump 4’ 2” -Karina Olivarez - Discus 59’ 1” 4th Place -Logan Fatura - 100m Dash 11.93 (PR) -Chase McGuire-Vangills - 300m Hurdles 52.16 (PR) -4x100m Relay (Logan Fatura, Alden Grondsma, Michael Smith, Rolie Salgado) 57.82 -4x400m Relay (Anthony Acosta, Alden Grondsma, Ben Roberson, Tyler Zimmer) 4:54.02 -Belle Powers - High Jump 4’ (PR) -Lauren Davis - 100m Hurdle 18.87 (PR and ***NEW SCHOOL RECORD***) -Lauren Davis - 300m Hurdles 56.95 (PR) -Matilde Pacifico - 800m Run 3:45.57 (PR) -4x400m Relay (Bailey Case, Anaviolet Jeruzal, Matilda Pacifico, Karina Olivarez) 5:49.16 5th Place -Trey Johnson - 100m Dash 12.05 (PR) 6th Place -Ben Roberson - 2:49.47 (PR) -Belle Powers - 100m Dash 16.46 (PR) -Anaviolet Jeruzal - 800m Run 4:11.90 PR -Rolando Salgado - Shot Put 26’ 1” -Rolando Salgado - Long Jump 13’ -Sam Gaylard - Discus 75’ 8” -Rodney Grondsma - Discus 59’ 7” -Chase McGuire-Vangills - 100m Dash 12.30 -Ben Roberson - 1600m Run 6:04.84 -Tyler Zimmer - 1600m Run 5:43.47 -Anthony Acosta - 200 meter 32.53