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Updates in the Thumb

OUT IN THE COMMUNITY

As always, we had a wonderful time at the McKenzie Health System autumn benefit last night , got to see some familiar faces and some new ones.

Sanilac County Historic Village & Museum's haunted village was a success. Thank you for allowing us to decorate the troop train . As always, we had a blast. Thank you, Christina from Timber Creek Petting Farm, and Tim Brown from Carsonville Fire Department, for the extra hands.

We had so much fun passing out candy on Friday , we went back-to-back from the Brown City Days Festival to the Village of Peck 2024 . Thank you for having us. We look forward to it every year.

TEACHER OF THE MONTH

We want to spotlight a very special individual, Jaymi Frizzle, from Sanilac ISD. She is a genuinely kind and loving educator who makes a lasting impact every single day.

Known for her patience, compassion, and dedication, Jaymi creates an environment where every student feels seen, supported, and inspired to do their best.

Jaymi builds confidence, encourages kindness, and reminds students that they are capable of amazing things.

FIRST RESPONDER OF THE MONTH

Congratulations to Ernie Kilgus: Our First Responder of the Month in the Thumb!

Our first responder for August is a legend in the thumb. Please join us in honoring Ernie Kilgus!! "When he joined in his early 30s (1971), he was helping a shorthanded fire. After 39 years as Elk Township Fire Chief, Ernie Kilgus of Peck recently stepped down, but not away, from the department. His title is safety officer now. He's an extremely selfless man that has brought several hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money to Elk Township. His dedication over the years to anything I've ever seen in a small town department." Thank you for all that you do!

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Updates in the UP

OUT IN THE COMMUNITY

TEACHER OF THE MONTH

Congratulations to our Teacher of the Month, Mrs. Christi Ryan!

With an incredible 34 years of teaching experience, Mrs. Ryan has dedicated her career to shaping young minds. She's spent the past 24 years in Manistique, where she currently teaches 7th and 8th grade social studies.

Mrs. Ryan says the best part of her job is building relationships with students and having the chance to influence their lives beyond academics, helping them grow socially and develop good habits. She especially enjoys having the opportunity to teach her former elementary school students again as they come through the middle school.

Outside the classroom, Mrs. Ryan loves spending time with her family, traveling and exploring new places, and planning fun activities for friends and her community. She's also played a big part in bringing the community together by organizing the Back-to-School Gala for the past two years!

Thank you, Mrs. Ryan, for your passion, dedication, and the positive impact you continue to make in your students' lives!

Click here to nominate your favorite teacher to be our next Teacher of the Month!

It's been a busy week here in the U.P. but we wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU to our Bark River-Harris Schools partners for helping us pull off another successful homecoming tailgate party! We could not do this without everyone coming together. We appreciate your willingness to work with us each year as this event grows in popularity.

Stenberg Brothers Inc (Wayne Stenberg and crew) for generously donating the large tent, tables and chairs.

Massie's Market for working with us on the delicious food.

Bart-Frito Lay for generously donating chips

Bink's Coca Cola - for their generous donation of the beverages and cups

RRN - for donating the boom trailer and showing us how to use it. Please keep Tommy Kay's family in your thoughts and prayers.

and last but not least, Bark River Schools for allowing us to host the party again this year!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE COOK-OFF WINNERS:

1ST PLACE - Carson & Tay

2ND PLACE - The Bus Boys lead by Mike Ault

3RD PLACE - Kinsleigh

We look forward to hosting the 4th annual Highline/Bark River School Homecoming Tailgate Party in 2026

Larry LaBonte, 4th & 5th Grade Teacher for 36 years at North Central Schools in Hermansville. Mr. LaBonte teaches 4th and 5th-grade math and science, and 4th-grade reading.

His favorite part of teaching is watching how much the kids grow and learn throughout the year. He enjoys teaching science because of all the fun lessons with robotics and S.T.E.M. stuff that takes them out of the book and into hands-on projects and activities.

Every other year, he and his class go to Mackinaw Island, which is a challenge. They fundraise year-round to reach $5000+, including their fruit sale around Christmas time and other ways. So, if there is a company or individual that would like to contribute, please get in touch with Mr. LaBonte or North Central Elementary School. Mr. LaBonte's favorite part of the day is in the morning, when the kids come in, say good morning with high fives and tapping knuckles.

He has a special message for anyone thinking about a career in education: "If you have the passion, please do, because we need good teachers. It is so much more rewarding, it is a lot of work at times, but the upside is so much better than the downside, it's worth it." Mr. LaBonte told us his science teacher, Mr. Grimes, inspired him to become a teacher. There was something about the way he taught that always stuck out to him. He always had a saying above his board, "Grades are earned, not given". Mr. Grimes was challenging yet fair. As his student, you knew that if you put the time and effort into your work, you would get what you earned.

Outside of school, he is an Eagle's Club member, he likes to travel, and spends a lot of time with his Dad. A few words from his nominator: "He is an all around great teacher he goes out of his way for his students he comes to work early and he is always one of the last to leave at night he taught my three kids in school when he first got into teaching he was great then and even better now he is now teaching 2 of my grand kids with another 4 grand kids coming up he loves what he does it shows."

Mr. LaBonte, you must be doing something right! You're following in your mentors' steps by guiding your students every way you can. Please tell a teacher "Thank you"-and please tell Mr. Larry LaBonte THANK YOU, for all his hard work and dedication to his students for the last 36 years.

FIRST RESPONDER OF THE MONTH

Congratulations to Our First Responder of the Month, Kaleb Powell

Congratulations to Kaleb Powell, EUP's First Responder of the Month!

Originally from Southwest Michigan, Officer Powell joined Manistique Public Safety as a sworn officer in August 2022. With a strong background in Fire and EMS since 2014, he's passionate about serving the community. Before joining MPS, he worked with Columbus Fire in McMillan and served as a Cardiac Rehab Coordinator at Helen Newberry Joy Hospital, where he also completed his EMT certification. He has always enjoyed helping others. Off duty, he's all about family. He and his wife enjoy disc golfing, biking, and spending quality time with their two young children.

We appreciate your commitment to ensuring the safety of our communities. Thank you, Officer Powell!