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Gobles Homelink
Superintendent’s Article
Letter fromGetting
the Superintendent
Grandma Ready for the Holiday Season
The season of giving thanks
and celebrating the holidays
is here again, and over the
years, as I became a parent
and then a grandparent, I realized that the preparations
Jeff Rehlander
we make for the holidays
are almost as joyful as our celebrations of the
holidays themselves. At my house it involves
watching my wife Tracy make the entire house
festive, including a great big green Grinch she
dresses up like Santa Claus.
The kids and grandkids know when it’s time
to get Grammy’s decorations all set-up, the
whole family pitches in to lend a helping hand,
and some of our greatest joys of the year include watching the youngest ones get involved
in the effort. I am sure that many of you can
relate with this: the young ones in your own
home help make the holidays festive and fun,
and there is no joy like watching family be
generous with one another.
While the holidays are all about pitching
in, lending a helping hand, and giving thanks,
these activities aren’t limited to the holidays,
and they don’t only happen at home. As I
reflect back upon the 2014 calendar year at
Gobles Public Schools, I can remember many
examples of the ways in which our school
community, or the entire community, got together to celebrate, give thanks, pitch in, or
lend a helping hand.
I think about the 2014 successful Gobles
Forward bond initiative and vote. The Gobles
community came together to invest and support the work of the Gobles Schools on behalf
of our young people;
I think about the 2014 Autism 1 mile
Walk/5K run held on our campus and in the
streets of our town;
I think about the City of Gobles with its festive holiday decorations and the bright lights
lining the streets of downtown;
I think about memorializing those who lost
their lives for our freedom during the Memorial Day parade, the flying of Old Glory in
front of the school, and honoring and recog-
nizing our veterans for their service on behalf
of our liberty;
I think about the Gobles Public Schools
Community Service Project, where students
from our middle and high schools head out
into the community to serve the people, businesses, and organizations that support our
school;
I think about Gobles Public Schools Blood
Drive run by our National Honor Society every school year to support the American Red
Cross in their life-saving work;
I think about the Gobles Public Schools
Food and Clothing Drives where students and
their families generously give needed food,
clothing, and monetary support to those less
fortunate;
I think of the young men and women in our
GHS mentoring program, tutoring and supporting students in the elementary school;
I think of the Kids’ Hope Program, our
school’s partnership with Journey Family
Church to provide support and guidance to
students who could use a little extra support;
This is just a short list of the ways in which
the holiday spirit of lending a hand and pitching in is so important to the work of Gobles
Public Schools and is present all year long. I
know we wouldn’t be nearly as successful as
a school district without that same spirit in
our community supporting us in all that we
do. On behalf of the entire Gobles Public
Schools family, please know that we are grateful. Thank you for all that you do.
It is my wish that each of you will get the
opportunity to spend the holidays with loved
ones reflecting on past and future traditions,
and I know we’ll all come together again in
early 2015 to continue our work together
to enhance the quality of our Gobles school
community.
As for me, I will be spending time with my
wife (Grandma and/or Grammy) and family,
pitching in, lending a hand, and being grateful
for so many things.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
Congratulations to Gobles High School for being named to the U.S. News
and World Report Bronze Medal Winner report. Gobles High School was
named as one of 191 Michigan high schools to make the list as either a gold,
silver or bronze award winner. There are 873 high schools in the State of
Michigan.
U. S. News and World Report magazine named Gobles High School as a Bronze medal winner
for test scores that outperformed the average for schools with similar demographics.
“Being named a Bronze Medal winner is a reflection of the hard work and dedication that
our teachers have in providing a quality education for our students. Not every school earns this
honor, and it is an accomplishment that our school and community should be very proud of
achieving,” stated Phil McAndrew, Gobles High School Principal.
“Gobles High School is in the top 20% of high schools in the state of Michigan because of
the cultivated culture of excellence that is the standard in the building. The administration and
the teaching staff have done, and continue to do an excellent job of creating this culture where
excellence in education is not just another catch phrase, it is an expectation,” stated Jeffrey Rehlander, Superintendent of Gobles Public Schools.
2014-15 D.A.R. Recipient
Congratulations to senior Michaela Scholte for being selected by her fellow classmates and
teachers to be the 2014-15 D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution) Good Citizen from
Gobles High School.
Qualities used to select the D.A.R. Good Citizen include leadership, dependability, service and patriotism. Michaela has displayed these qualities in numerous ways as a Gobles student. She is a Big Brother Big Sister participant,
Varsity Track Squad Leader, Student Council member grades 9-12 and has a
4.0 GPA. Michaela is also a member of the National Honor Society and is the
Senior Class Representative.
D.A.R. Good Citizens have an opportunity to enter the D.A. R. Good Citizen scholarship contest. She has the potential of winning up to a $5,000
scholarship. Good luck Michaela!
Michaela is the daughter of Ron and Melony Scholte.
Congratulations to Michaela and her parents on this honor.
GOBLESS
TIGER
Your source for Tiger news and events
Publication of Gobles Public Schools
Gobles Elementary Welcomes New Staff Members
From left to rightWendy Graham,
Jean Sabo, Melinda
O’Rourke, Stephanie
Brown, Laurie Zajda,
and Katy Sundling.
Gobles Elementary is pleased to introduce new staff members who are working with our
children.
Mrs. Wendy Graham is working as a paraprofessional in several lower elementary classrooms and offering Title 1 Reading instruction with first grade. Mrs. Graham has an Associates
Degree with Early Childhood Development license. Wendy and her husband are residents of
the district and have two children.
Mrs. Jean Sabo was hired as one of our recess supervisors. For several years Mrs. Sabo was
a frequent substitute as a recess supervisor. We are pleased to have her join our staff as a permanent supervisor as she was familiar with the routines, schedule, and the variety of weather
changes involved with this position. Jean has been a long time resident in our district and has
one child.
Mrs. Melinda O’Rourke is teaching 4th grade this year. Mrs. O’Rourke has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Special Education (K-12) from WMU. She completed many
teaching internships in both regular and special education. Melinda and her husband are residents of the district and have two children.
Mrs. Stephanie Brown has been hired as a paraprofessional to work with 2nd grade teachers
to meet needs of students in the large classes. Mrs. Brown has a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast
& Cable Production. Over the past several years she has worked in the insurance industry and in
a variety of schools and settings including special education classrooms. She has been a highly
regarded substitute in the area for years. Stephanie and her family are residents of the district
and have one child.
Mrs. Laurie Zajda is a Title I Math Paraprofessional working with each grade level during
Math Success time. She also works with several teachers during the daily math instruction in
the classroom. Prior to joining our staff, Mrs. Zajda operated an In-Home Child Care Center
in Gobles since 1994 caring for many children from ages 2 month to 12 years. Laurie and her
husband are residents of the district and have five children.
Ms. Katy Sundling is teaching kindergarten. Prior to her being hired at Gobles Elementary,
Ms. Sundling taught for 6 years in Buckeye, Arizona after receiving her Bachelor’s degree from
WMU in 2005. In Arizona, Katy taught first grade for one year and kindergarten for five years.
She completed a Master’s degree in Elementary Reading and Mathematics from Walden University in 2009.
Mr. Bill Lisowski and Mrs. Kelly Touchtone have joined the staff of
Gobles Public Schools. Both Mr. Lisowski and Mrs. Touchtone have been
great additions to the staff and work with students and staff from the elementary and middle-high school.
Mr. Bill Lisowski grew up in Gobles and graduated from Gobles High
School. After graduating, he joined the Air Force as an aircraft crew chief
where he had the opportunity to visit 13 countries and 45 states. After serving
for 21 years, he retired and moved back to Gobles. The highlight of his career was as a member
of the Air Force Demonstration Team, “The Thunderbirds”.
Mr. Lisowski has a Bachelor’s degree in business and geography from Western Michigan University. His teaching background includes four years as an Air Force technical instructor and two
years as an all grade level substitute. He is looking forward to helping our students make good
decisions and become great adults. He serves in the role of in-school suspension supervisor.
Mrs. Kelly Touchtone was hired as the K-12 school social worker for
Gobles Public Schools. She recently graduated with a Masters in Social Work
degree from Western Michigan University. Previously, she was employed as
an interpreter for the deaf through the Van Buren ISD. She is happily married and has a son, Michael, and a brand new baby girl named Leah. Mrs.
Touchtone is excited to be a part of the Gobles community.
Soccer
Honorable Mention
Shannon South
Cross Country
Honorable Mention
2nd Team
Austin Ampey Alexandra Paladi Logan Litchfield
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@GoblesSchools
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Visit us on the Web www.gobles.org
Cheyenne
Allyn-White
Gobles Band Earns Awards for Best Music,
Marching, Color Guard, Percussion and Drum
It is an exciting time to be part of the Gobles band program! The school year started with
percussion camp and then band camp this summer. Students worked hard to put together a
challenging show based on the classical music “Carmina Burana” by Carl Orff. Their competitive season went well, earning three first place awards, one second place award, several caption
awards for best music, best marching, best color guard, best percussion, and best drum majors, along with earning a straight division I rating at MSBOA Marching Festival! Julie Mack,
a journalist for the Kalamazoo Gazette listed the Gobles Tiger Marching Band several times
throughout the season, but especially emphasized our band in her latest article “ 7 highlights
from Kalamazoo-area marching band season: Which bands soared to new heights?” when she
wrote “Gobles may be best Class D band in the Kalamazoo area!”
Several of our high school marching
band students had the opportunity to
participate Band Days at Grand Valley State University, Western Michigan University, and the University
of Michigan. Our students marched
with these college marching bands for
a half time performance at a college
football game! What a proud moment
to watch our very own Gobles students perform on a college field!
Three high school students recently
participated at the MSBOA District 6
All-Star Band. Anne Huston, Madison Mash, and Carri Wiessner auditioned and were selected
to participate in this exciting experience! They joined the top band students from VanBuren,
Cass, and Berrien counties to form an ensemble that performed under a famous band composer, conductor, and teacher, Brian Balmages! The All-Star Band only rehearsed for two days
before performing an amazing concert in Bridgeman, Michigan.
Our newest exciting news is announcing the arrival of our NEW
MARIMBA! A marimba is a percussion instrument that looks similar to
a xylophone, but is much larger and
has a darker sound. Most high school
music (and some middle school music) requires a marimba and up until
recently we have had to either omit or
rescore that part! Thank you so much
to our community for supporting this
purchase through participation in fund
Jakob Wrenn, Kristian Fulks, Mason Gordon,
raisers and passing the bond!!
Emily Cox (director), and Kieanna Brooks.
All band students and staff also want
to express their gratitude for all of the parent and community support throughout the entire
marching band season. We could not perform as well without your efforts!
“The College Board has announced the fifth annual AP District Honor Roll- a
list of 547 districts across the United States and Canada being honored for increasing access to advance placement course work while simultaneously maintaining or increasing percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP
exams,” stated a Courier Leader article in November.
Gobles High School was named as one of the 547 districts who made the AP Honor Roll. “Considering that approximately 18,000 high schools across the nation and Canada offer AP coursework, being
named to the AP Honor Roll is a distinct honor. It is a reflection of the dedication and hard work by
our AP teachers who see the value in providing quality, college-tier advanced coursework,” said Phil
McAndrew, High School Principal. “It is also a reflection of our student population who have accepted
the responsibility to challenge themselves academically. The students who take AP coursework know
that the coursework is tough, but choose it anyway.”
Marc Kline, AP American History teacher, stated, “I've been pleased with the effort the students are
willing to put into preparation for the rigorous class work load and test. We are fortunate to have both
the parent and administrative support we do for our AP programs. Any success we do enjoy is the
result of a team effort!”
“AP classes here at Gobles drive both the students and the teachers to challenge themselves in
ways that they have not been challenged in the past. Students are challenged with the rigor of the
particular class itself, and teachers are challenged as an outcome of bright minds either wanting questions answered or making points that are unique and creative. The students/teachers learn a great deal
from each other in classes like these, and we are fortunate here at Gobles, a small District, to have so
many AP classes offered, taught by a staff with many years of experience under its belt,” remarked
Pam Westcott.
AP teachers in the middle-high school building include Ms. Pam Westcott, Mr. Bob Lisowski, Mr.
William Eichberg, and Mr. Marc Kline. Together, they have over 47 years of AP teaching experience.
Gobles
Volleyball
1st Team
Haley Rock
Sharyena Hunt
Fa l l
Sports
Honorable Mention
Ellen Doyle
Hailey Baxter
S.A.C.
Legendary Teacher
Book Signing
Gobles Public Schools will
be hosting a “How To Catch A
Swamp Frog” Book Signing with
author, Dr. Nic Clement, on January 21, 2014, from 3:30 p.m. to
4:30 p.m., in the Gobles Middle/
High School Gym. Dr. Clement
is currently an Ernest W. McFarland Citizen’s Chair in Education
with Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. Dr.
Clement was the former Flowing
Wells School District Superintendent in Tucson, Arizona. Dr.
Clement was raised in Gobles,
Michigan and his book celebrates
the legendary teachers during his
formative and professional years
that influenced his development.
This event is open to the public.
We encourage the Gobles School
Community to save this date and
time and attend this activity to
support one of our own.
Gobles Public Schools
Superintendent Selected
as 2015 MASA Region VII
Superintendent of the Year
On November 20, 2014, Region VII of the Michigan Association of School Administrator’s
selected Mr. Jeff Rehlander, Superintendent of the Gobles Public Schools, as it’s 2015 MASA
Regional Superintendent of the
Year Award recipient.
MASA is a statewide association that represents superintendents of Michigan’s local and intermediate school districts. The
mission of MASA is to develop
leadership and unity within it’s
membership to achieve the continuous improvement of public
education in Michigan.
The Regional Superintendent
of the Year Award is presented
by each of nine regions in the
MASA organization to an individual who has shown tremendous effort and dedication to
enriching the lives of children
and the community as a whole.
Mr. Rehlander has demonstrated
strong and successful leadership in this important role as the
Gobles Public Schools Superintendent of Schools.
Mr. Rehlander will be
formally
recognized
for this honor at the
January 2015 MASA
Mid Winter Conference in Kalamazoo,
Michigan.
Colton Burke
Tyler Hunt
Tue, Dec 16, 2014
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Wed, Dec 17, 2014
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Thu, Dec 18, 2014
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Fri, Dec 19, 2014
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Sat, Dec 20, 2014
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Sat, Dec 27, 2014
9:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Mon, Dec 29, 2014
Tue, Dec 30, 2014
Sat, Jan 3, 2015
9:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Mon, Jan 5, 2015
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Tue, Jan 6, 2015
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Wed, Jan 7, 2015
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Fri, Jan 9, 2015
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Sat, Jan 10, 2015
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Tue, Jan 13, 2015
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Wed, Jan 14, 2015
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Fri, Jan 16, 2015
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Sat, Jan 17, 2015
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
9:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Tue, Jan 20, 2015
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Wed, Jan 21, 2015
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Fri, Jan 23, 2015
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Sat, Jan 24, 2015
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Tue, Jan 27, 2015
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Wed, Jan 28, 2015
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Thu, Jan 29, 2015
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Fri, Jan 30, 2015
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Sat, Jan 31, 2015
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
V Cheer at Allegan Invite
V Wrestling at Fennville w/Lawton, Martin
JV Boys Basketball at Bangor
Girls JV Basketball at Bangor
Varsity Boys Basketball at Bangor
Varsity Girls Basketball at Bangor
V Wrestling at Constantine Invite
V Cheer Gobles Cheer Bash
V Wrestling at Comstock Individual Invite
JV Boys Basketball at White Pigeon Invite
Varsity Boys Basketball at White Pigeon Invite
JV Boys Basketball at White Pigeon Invite
Varsity Boys Basketball at White Pigeon Invite
V Wrestling Gobles Team Dual Invite
JV Boys Basketball at Marcellus
Girls JV Basketball at Marcellus
Varsity Boys Basketball at Marcellus
Varsity Girls Basketball at Marcellus
V Wrestling vs. Bloomingdale, Bangor, Lawton
Girls JV Basketball vs Martin
Varsity Boys Basketball vs Martin
JV Boys Basketball vs Martin
Varsity Girls Basketball vs Martin
Gull Lake Invite
Girls JV Basketball at Fennville
Varsity Girls Basketball at Fennville
V Wrestling at Decatur w/Marcellus, Lawton
Girls JV Basketball vs Saugatuck
Varsity Boys Basketball vs Saugatuck
JV Boys Basketball vs Saugatuck
Varsity Girls Basketball vs Saugatuck
V Cheer at Paw Paw Invite
V Wrestling at Quincy Invite
JV Boys Basketball vs Decatur
Varsity Girls Basketball vs Decatur
Girls JV Basketball vs Decatur
Varsity Boys Basketball vs Decatur
V Wrestling at Lawton w/Watervliet, Hartford
JV Boys Basketball vs Bangor
Varsity Girls Basketball vs Bangor
Girls JV Basketball vs Bangor
Varsity Boys Basketball vs Bangor
V Wrestling at Lakeview Ind. Invite
JV Boys Basketball vs Bloomingdale
Varsity Girls Basketball vs Bloomingdale
Girls JV Basketball vs Bloomingdale
Varsity Boys Basketball vs Bloomingdale
V Cheer at Gull Lake Open
V Wrestling at Lawton
Girls JV Basketball at Martin
JV Boys Basketball at Martin
Varsity Girls Basketball at Martin
Varsity Boys Basketball at Martin
V Cheer at Otsego Invite
Check us out at:
www.gobles.org
Honors
Football
1st Team Defense
Kody Martin
Girls JV Basketball vs Lawrence
Varsity Boys Basketball vs Lawrence
JV Boys Basketball vs Lawrence
Varsity Girls Basketball vs Lawrence
Gobles Website
1st Team Offense
Jacob Tiller
winter sports schedule
Pierce Vreeland
Colton Burke
Mason Lawson
Shane Henry
2nd Team Defense
Austin Pullen
Tyler Fuhrman
Honorable Mention
Cody Schafer
Kyle James