1. education
2. school

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014
SUPERINTENDENT’S ARTICLE
Letter from the
Superintendent
or those
who know me,
F
this is not something that
I am very familiar with. As
such, I had total admiration
for the man leading me
through the woods.
He knows how to find
Jeff Rehlander his way, pick the best path,
and stay the course. He knows the difference
between foolishness and fun. He humbly
admits what he doesn’t yet know and humbly
adds value with what he does. He cares. He’s
a good companion in the woods and in life;
he always gives more than he takes.
The man I am describing is my son. We
shared a big wilderness adventure last week
and during those days my appreciation for
Tracy, my wife, went through-the-roof. In fact,
my appreciation for all parents skyrocketed.
Raising children to know what’s right,
choose what’s right, and do right is wildly
difficult.
Those of you with children at home may
feel like you’re riding a runaway train,
sometimes wondering if you’ll derail before
you get those kids to their destination and at
other times, feeling so much pressure that you
find yourself thinking, “We can’t arrive at the
station soon enough. I just want this leg of
the journey to end.”
I get it. Tracy and I have three children.
Parenting is really exhausting.
Once you have children, you may not have
a good night’s rest for five or ten years.
Parenting is really challenging.
One kid changes everything in your life.
Two kids, not so much; you’ve got two hands
so grab a kid with each hand and move along.
Three kids? Everything changes again, only
this time you have to raise a kid with no
hands. Good luck with that.
Then, before you know it, just like “That,”
your kids will be all grown up and this leg
of the journey will be over. Your kids will
get off the train and you’ll switch tracks. Oh
sure, you’ll still experience the simultaneous
joys and sorrows of life; you’ll still have
mountaintop experiences in one area of
your life at precisely the same time, you’ll
experience dark difficult valleys in another,
but those experiences will not be shared
with your little dependent children. If those
experiences are shared at all, they’ll be shared
with adult children who make their own
choices and choose their own paths.
Cherish the days GOD gives you for
parenting. Cherish them all.
If the squeals and cries of little children
fill your home, if parenting is difficult and
it seems like the only thing you say is, “No,
“and you’re saying, “No,” a thousand-timesan-hour, don’t let up. Lean in. Train them
today so they can navigate tomorrow.
If teenagers are challenging everything
you say and do, or it seems they’re ignoring
you completely, don’t stop being the parent.
Remember, there are many reasons that 15
year-old-kids can’t sign legal contracts; mostly
because they don’t know which way is up. Oh,
they know how to do things with their phones
that will blow your mind, but what they don’t
know is the stuff that only parents can teach
them; how to know and serve something
greater than themself, how to find peace
for their souls, how to reject bad influences
and keep their hearts pure, how to stay on
track when they’re tempted, what integrity
looks like, and where to turn when they’ve
fallen and they can’t get up. Teenagers need
parents for all that stuff. Don’t be intimidated
because they have Google at their fingertips.
They don’t need you for information; they
need your love, training in righteousness,
discipline, wisdom and guidance; they need
you to train them for success in friendship,
marriage and family, and if you don’t mentor
them before they get off your train, they’re
headed for a life of hurt and heartache. Don’t
let ‘em off the train until you arrive at the
depot. Don’t get derailed. Your kids need
you now more than ever. Don’t fail them
just because they’re talking and acting like
teenagers; especially when they are teenagers.
Before you know it your kids will grow
up, switch tracks, and go their way. And
just like “That” you’ll go from driving them
everywhere to praying they drive home to see
you.
Cherish every minute you have with your
children my friends. These days will end
before we know it. Don’t waste them.
So back to the hunting. Let’s just say that
I survived...
Go Tigers!
Jeff Rehlander
GOBLESS
TIGER
MONDAY,OCTOBER 20
, 2014
Dr. Nic Clement, a 1972
graduate of Gobles High
School, wrote the book “How
to Catch a Swamp Frog” which
is about legendary teachers and
how they touch lives in a special way of so
many students. As a part of recognizing
legendary teachers, Dr. Clement also started
a movement called Legendary Teacher Day
which will be held on Thursday, September
25 each year. This movement began in
Arizona and has expanded to several other
states and nations.
The city of Gobles, along with the Gobles
Public Schools Board of Education have
adopted and proclaimed that September 25
will be Legendary Teacher Day in Gobles. We
encourage you to drop a note of thanks to a
teacher who has touched your life in a special
way. For more information on this movement,
please visit www.legendaryteacher.com.
UPCOMING EVENTS
November 10th -Conferences
Grade K-12, 3:30-7:00 p.m.
November 12th - Conferences
Grade K-12, 3:30-7:00 p.m.
November 14th- No School, Conferences
Grade K-12 12:30-3:00 p.m.
November 24-28 - Thanksgiving Break
Publication of Gobles Public Schools
Feelin’ Like a
“Room Without a Roof ”
It was a year of snow day after
snow day. It was a year of AP
students needing to be in two
places at one time. It was a year
of inconsistency and a fear that
students were not prepared to
take such a high-stakes test as
the National College Board Exam
for English Literature. It ended
up being a year where students
from this small town of Gobles
beat the odds; as a matter of fact,
they beat the National odds. This past May,
20 of our students took the A.P. (Advanced
Placement) English Literature College Board
exam, and 15 of them scored high enough
to receive college credit. Nationally, 55% of
the students taking the AP English Literature
exam scored a 3 or better (on a 5-point
scale). At Gobles, 15 out of our 20 students
scored a 3 or better on this very difficult test.
That’s a success rate of 75%--well above the
National average. “When I saw the scores, I
literally jumped up and down and let out a
loud hooray that the whole town could have
heard. I was ecstatic that our students did so
well on this test. The results told the students
that they are capable of ranking with the
best that this Nation has to offer,” stated Pam
Westcott, AP English Literature
teacher. The song “Happy,” with
its suggestion of feeling so good
that it’s like a “…room without
a roof ” is very appropriate here.
With these type of results, we
can be proud that we are an
academically-sound school that
has much to offer its students so
they may be successful in any
endeavor they choose.
On another positive note,
the class of 2013-14 was the class that took
the total number of Gobles students having
scored well enough to receive college credit
to over 100. We first offered AP English in
1993, and since then Gobles has also offered
such AP courses as AP Biology, AP Calculus,
and AP History, one of the few schools our
size to do so.
The Gobles community should be proud
of these students and their commitment to
academics: Cheyenne Allyn-White, Russell
Aspinwall, Alexis Boes, Alyssa Ellis, Jessie
Goodrich, Tucker Harbaugh, Sharyena
Hunt, Kaden Kerns, Caitlyn Kropp, Keegan
Roder, Tamera Rutherford, Michaela Scholte,
Shannon South, Rachel Waldron, and Amber
Wallace. Great job, everyone!! Be HAPPY!!
HOMECOMING ACTIVITIES
Muddy games
tug o war
September Elementary Students of the Month
Cody Schafer
Like Gobles Public
Schools on Facebook
Follow us
@GoblesSchools
on Twitter
Visit us on the Web www.gobles.org
Your source for Tiger news and events
Legendary Teacher Day
PAGE 7
“Shop Locally with the Van Buren Advertiser” • 269-628-5122 • Email: [email protected]
Paige Mizikar
Muddy
games
obstacle
course
Pierce
Vreeland
Taylor Fifer
Tiger
Art
Huge
Success!
Sharyena Hunt
“Shop Locally with the Van Buren Advertiser” • 269-628-5122 • Email: [email protected]
Tamara Rutherford
Gobles Homelink
Page 6
Late last spring an art projects funded by the Gobles
Foundation came together with great success. Five
advanced art students had pieces of their original art
printed onto card stock. All of the art showcased tigers
done in a variety of mediums. The cards are all purpose
and are now available for Tiger fans to buy and use for
their personal correspondence. The cards are blank
inside so they can be used for anything. They make
great gifts, too! Cards are available from Mrs. Butler in
the art room, from Mrs. Martin in the transportation
office, or from the HomeTown Pharmacy downtown
Gobles. Featured artists are Tamara Rutherford (ink
and pastel on paper), Taylor Fifer (oil paint on canvas
board), Sharyena Hunt (pen & ink), Alissa Dickerson
(scratchboard), and Lindsey Hansen (pen & ink). For
more information, please contact Carrie Butler at
[email protected] or 628-2113 x 1807.
Lindsey Hansen
Alissa Dickerson
Gobles Cares!
Pictured from left to right: Cadence Graham (3rd), Amanda Carlson (2nd),
Cole Newman (4th), Ava DeYoung (K), Gage Comer (5th), Joshua Larsen (1st)
Justice
Blasengame
Tamera
Rutherford
Congratulations to the following NHS officers for this year chosen by their peers:
President Tamera Rutherford, Vice President: Pierce Vreeland, Secretary: Justice
Blasengame, Treasurer: Cody Schafer, and Historian: Paige Mizikar.
To all concerned...
The Fall NHS/Red Cross Blood Drive will be held
Friday, October 31st from 9:00 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. This
event will be held in the MS gym.
Pumpkin Smash!
October 7th marked another exciting pumpkin party at the Chris Quist homestead! Every third grader
was invited to Mrs. Quist’s
house to carve a pumpkin,
have some treats, and maybe
even feed some goats!
The backyard of the Quist’s
home became a hub of tables,
safe carving utensils, and
grown-ups helping third
graders dig out pumpkin
parts and design fun faces.
This year, Mr. Quist and
Mr. Seiler were skilled at getting the stations going with
the top cutting. Each station
A Night at the Movies
from there was set up so that
the third graders leave Mrs.
Quist’s house with a completely carved pumpkin!
If you needed a carving
break, or just feeling a little
hungry, there was plenty of
cider and donuts to fill your
void. Students also had the
chance to feed chickens their
pumpkin fillings, give the
goats some grain, and even
take a ride on a zip line. Thank you to Mr. and
Mrs. Quist, Mr. Seiler, Mrs.
O’Connor, Mrs. Renoos, and
the third grade parents for all
the help with this fun event. Fall, a time when the leaves change, the
air smells of pumpkins and apple cider, and
Friday night lights cast a bright haze over
teams of anxious football players as they
take on their next opponent. But that’s not
the only thing fall brings, it also initiates
the excitement and energy of a special week
where the school and community come
together and show their school pride. This
year’s homecoming theme was “A Night at
the Movies” and that is exactly how students
and staff kicked off the week’s festivities. On
Sunday evening, students 6-12 flocked to the
football field to enjoy the presentation of the
movie “The Avengers” on a gigantic blow up
screen. Monday night brought the traditional
Blue and Orange Day Assembly
bon-fire where young and old watched on as
the athletes and musicians were honored and
celebrated. As the week progressed, middle
school and high school students competed in
spirit dress-up days, spirit poster decorating
contest, a bean bag toss competition, float
building and muddy games. Friday night
brought the annual parade showcasing the
best floats this school has witnessed in a long
time. The night ended with a victory over the
Bloomingdale Cardinals and the students,
along with their elected royalty danced the
night away in celebration at the school dance.
Thank you to everyone who had a hand in
making this week so special for our students
and community.
On October 11th over 250 people came out to take
part in the Gobles Cares Autism Walk. The purpose
of the walk was to raise funds and awareness for
Autism; as well as provide training and materials for
staff. Participants were able to choose between the two
distances of 1 mile walk or 5K walk/run. The weather
cooperated and provided a wonderful backdrop for the
event. A big thank you goes out to all of our wonderful
sponsors, volunteers and participants. The Gobles
Cares committee, picks a different charity every year
and 80% of the proceeds stay right here in Gobles. If
you are interested in helping run next year’s event,
please contact the Gobles Athletic Office.
Haley Rock, Kellen Curtis, and McKenzie Winne.
Athletics
On behalf of the Gobles Athletic Department, we would like to congratulate Head Girls
Varsity Basketball Coach John Curtis for receiving two separate awards on October 11,
2014. While attending the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Coaching banquet in
Lansing, Coach John Curtis was awarded the 2014 Region 5 and the 2014 Class C Coach of
the Year Awards! Congratulations Coach Curtis and the 2013-14 Girls Varsity Basketball Team.
GOBLES WEBSITE
Check us out at:
www.gobles.org