LAS robotics team celebrates first FIRST

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ROBOTICS–LAS teammates, mentors and volunteers at FIRST in Escanaba included, in part, l-r Jordin Jones, Paul Wightman, Cara Wightman, Joe DeForge, Edwin Yazbec, Antonio Aleo and Chris DeForge.

by Missy Lehto
The L’Anse Area School’s (LAS) Robotics team competed in their “first” FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition in Escanaba March 17 and 18. Out of 39 teams, LAS Robotics placed ninth in overall performance ranking and 16th in matches. This is the first year for the L’Anse Robotics team with coach and mentor Cara Wightman, who currently teaches Environmental Earth Science, Chemistry I, Conceptual Physics, and Science 8 at LAS. The robotics competition is designed to help high school-aged students discover how interesting and rewarding the lives of engineers and scientists can be. It is a sport where participants play with and learn from the professionals about designing and building. The game rules are different and are a surprise every year. The challenge is to design your robot to do specific tasks throughout the game to get to the end. To meet a new challenge each year, teams hone teamwork skills, design, build, and program a robot during six weeks to perform tasks against a field of competitors, create a team “brand,” and raise needed funds. Participants use the same tools used by professional engineers. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Sisters, father badly injured in white-out crash; Huge outpouring of support for Peyton, Skarlett, Ryan

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TRAGIC CRASH–Sisters, l-r, Skarlett Swartz and Peyton Thomas of Marquette and Peyton’s dad, Ryan, were seriously injured in a U.S. 41 crash last Wednesday in white-out snow conditions. The girls are in Mott Children’s Hospital where both have spinal injuries and Peyton is paralyzed. Ryan faces multiple surgeries and four months in a wheel chair. Skarlett is the daughter of former Baraga resident Dave Swartz who is with them at Mott.

by Barry Drue
Lives were forever changed within seconds in a snowy, white-out, three-vehicle crash on U.S. 41 near Canyon Falls south of L’Anse on Wednesday night, March 8, 2017. Skarlett Swartz, 5, and sister Peyton Thomas, 7, from Marquette, were severely injured and were airlifted to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan. The vehicle they were in was driven by Peyton’s father, Ryan Thomas, who was also severely injured. Skarlett is the daughter of 2003 Baraga High School graduate Dave Swartz, now living in Marquette. Swartz and the girls’ mother, Ellexsis (Lexie) Thomas, are in Ann Arbor with the girls. They are staying at the Ronald McDonald House. Baraga County Sheriff ’s Department reported the crash took place about 8:30 p.m. last  Wednesday during “complete white-out conditions”. Ryan Thomas, 32, of Marquette was northbound when his vehicle collided with a southbound vehicle driven by James Tricka, 55, of Bessemer. The Tricka vehicle was then struck by a northbound semi driven by Brad Trudell, 39, of Calumet. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Ringer a champion for social justice, wellness

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Brialle Ringer

Brialle Ringer has graduated Magna Cum Laude from Eastern Michigan University (EMU) with a Bachelors in Social Work. And that isn’t the half of it! Ringer is the daughter of Kristen Hill of Ypsilanti and Gary Ringer of Detroit, and great-granddaughter of Joan Hill of L’Anse. Her achievements at EMU included publishing three scholarly research articles, winning seven awards for community work, being named a McNair Scholar and much, much more. Ringer coordinated and led local, national and international volunteer trips for college students, including a trip to Haiti. She developed an original action-research project, interviewing 15 students experiencing homelessness at EMU, then provided the university with recommendations for improving on-campus support. She also interned at Student Advocacy Center, that prevents the school-toprison pipeline by advocating for students who face harsh school discipline and criminalization. That commitment in particular hit close to home for the biracial girl who grew up in the UP, yet outside of it.  To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

LAS gets security grant

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The L’Anse High School Drama Club will be presenting “The Million-Heirs,” a play by Delmar Burkitt, March 10 -1 2, 2017, at the L’Anse cafetorium. Performing in the play pictured above are, back row l-r, Kayla Hoffman, Breanna Hoffman, Mara Grentz, Brook Thomas, Chris Harden, Noah Aleo, Antonio Aleo, (front l-r), Camryn Hahn, Kyle Usimaki, Caitlyn Menge, Dylan Grentz, Jaycie Forcia, Dana Hiltunen, Ethan Hansen, Laura Gransell, and, director, Denise Laakko. Missing from photo are Emma Ostermyer and Carolyn Schwartz.

by  Melissa Lehto

The L’Anse Area School (LAS) district was one of eight in the UP to receive funding through the Michigan State Police Competitive School Security Grant. The funding was discussed at the Feb. 21, 2017 board meeting. LAS has been awarded $25,641 to fund projects such as security film on glass entrance doors, entrance control with remote locking in the library, upgraded radios, updates to interior camera systems and new exterior camera systems. The new camera systems will be internet based. LAS Superintendent Susan Tollefson stated LAS plans to add cameras in the gym and the cafetorium which will allow posting a link to school events such as holiday programs and commencement online. “This will be a nice upgrade for our school and I am thankful to the four local law enforcement agencies who wrote letters of support for our projects,” said Tollefson. The L’Anse Area Schools library was awarded the grant for the digitization of the old L’Anse Sentinels. There is a link to these on the LAS website that will be updated by the Library of Congress as the various years become available. Tollefson remarked, “Thank you to all who sent postcards or tweeted to vote for our library. The Friends of the Library group was instrumental in pursuing this goal over the past two years. CJ Sullivan Elementary second and sixth grade teachers will be piloting the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) the week of Feb. 27, 2017. The NWEA is an assessment which accurately measures student growth and learning needs. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Tribal colleges, universities; Advocate for DOE, BIA funding

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ADVOCACY WORKSHOP–Debbie Parrish, KBOCC President and Cherie Dakota, Board of Regents Member, attended the American Indian High Education Consortium and Capitol Hill visits. Pictured above, standing l-r, are Erica Newland- AIHEC, Cherie Dakota, Debbie Parrish, Senator Gary Peters, Duane Bedell-Bay Mills Community College. Seated, l-r are Kathy Hart, Trisha Trasky, Gena Qualls-Students from Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College, and Carla Sineway-President SCTC.

Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College President, Debbie Parrish, and Board of Regents Member, Cherie Dakota, attended the annual winter meeting for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium and Capitol Hill visits. The advocacy workshop was held on the morning of Monday, Feb. 6, 2017. Congressman John Lewis, one of the “Big Six” leaders of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, gave the keynote address. Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis joined the Civil Rights Movement and has continued to fight for people’s rights since joining Congress in 1987. Lewis received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. Following his keynote address, a briefing session was held for meetings with the various tribal college state representatives. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

LMI hosts technical training through grant; Twenty area employees attend to advance skills

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KNOWLEDGE AT WORK–Brian Rantanen of LMI, pictured above, puts his GD&T (geometric dimensioning and tolerancing) training to work in realtime. Ten employees from LMI attended a two-day classroom training session through an STTF grant on Jan. 10 and 11, 2017 to enhance their skills.

by Melissa Lehto
Like all businesses, L’Anse Manufacturing, Inc., (LMI) wants to be competitive in the workforce. For this smalltown company, being competitive means keeping your employees up to date on the newest and most current manufacturing techniques available. LMI has again submitted an application for and received a Skilled Trades Training Fund (STTF) grant, which was implemented in a class attended by 10 employees from LMI and 10 employees from other companies in the area on Jan. 10-11, 2017. LMI serves a variety of industries, including medical, orthopedics, military, aviation, automotive, and light industrial applications. They can manufacture a wide range of materials, including steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloys, plastics, and bronze. They also provide precision machining services to a variety of industries, including aerospace, defense, medical, and specialty markets. To best serve these markets, where accuracy is critical, it is imperative that employees can read and interpret the drawing details as defined through geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T). To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Variety show a hit

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OPENING ACT–L’Anse High School band students performed the opening act of the L’Anse Variety of Music show with local musician, Chad Borgen. Photo credit goes to Aaron Poniatowski, LAS band director.

 

by Melissa Lehto
The 13th annual L’Anse  Variety of Music Show featured talented performers Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017, at L’Anse Area School(LAS) cafetorium. Musicians from the community and LAS joined together to perform a variety of styles in music. From LAS high school solo and ensemble/band students to community musicians, the talent of the musicians was enjoyed by all attending. A large group of LAS students performed the opening of the Variety of Music Show with a song performed along with Chad Borgen on guitar. There was also a smaller group of LAS students who performed with Todd Overbeek, including Ti’ia Friisvall, Dana Hiltunen, Canyon Delene, and Kyle Usimaki. Laura Gransell also performed a piano solo. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Kids learn CPR in school

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HOW IT’S DONE—Four of Laura Schneider’s ninth grade health class students at L’Anse High School demonstrate lifesaving CPR skills on mannequins. L-r are Shelby Harrison, Jaden DeMink, Robert Genschow III and Christian Hebert. A new state law requires students in grades 7-12 receive at least 30 minutes of CPR training sometime during their Jr/Sr high school careers. Schneider’s students receive much more than that, and have been since she started teaching CPR techniques in 1994.

 

by Barry Drue
Last summer the Michigan Legislature passed the “CPR in School” bill by an overwhelming vote. The law requires school districts to teach Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of automated External Defibrillators (AED) at least once to students during grades 7-12. L’Anse School Nurse Laura Schneider, RN, thinks it was about time the State caught up! “I went back and looked at my records. I’ve been teaching CPR since 1994,” Schneider said. The new law took effect for the 2017-18 school year. Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia mandate CPR training before high school graduation. However, the new Michigan law is not overly rigorous in its requirements. “The law requires 30 minutes of training,” Schneider said. “It’s not so much that they want each student to be an expert, they want them to recognize what’s going on and know when to call the EMT’s.” When passing the law the sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives, Rep. Thomas Hooker (R-Byron Center) was quoted saying, ”I’m proud of my colleagues in the House for ensuring 100,000 Michigan high school students every year graduate equipped with the lifesaving skill of CPR.” To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

BCCC hosts art gallery; Chamber supports business, community

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ART GALLERY–The Baraga County Chamber of Commerce held another art gallery reception on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, at its L’Anse office. The art gallery features works of local artists and will run for 16 weeks. The public is encouraged to stop in to view the art at the Chamber during open hours.

by Melissa Lehto
The Baraga County Chamber of Commerce (BCCC) offers a variety of help to local businesses and individuals and is striving to make Baraga County a more prosperous place. The Chamber’s Mission is “To develop a vibrant business climate and sustainable economy, while enhancing the quality of life through community leadership and collaboration.” Per their website, “The BCCC was officially born on October 30, 2003, when the Board of Directors was elected. Our purpose is to advance the general welfare and prosperity of the Baraga County area so that its citizens and all areas of its business community shall prosper. All necessary means of promotion shall be provided and particular attention and emphasis shall be given to the economic, civic, commercial, cultural, industrial and educational interests of the area.” Membership with the BCCC allows local business owners, government officials and citizens to share in open discourse about how to better the community as a whole. The Chamber is involved in many different aspects of the community. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Historical researcher claims ‘Bear Rock’ sacred; Stiebe extensively documents Ojibwa ancestors, the ‘Nokets’

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THE “NOK”—Using historic survey maps, modern topographical maps and plat book, Ron Stiebe and his son, Brad, (atop the Nok, for size perspective), trekked last fall to what Stiebe believes is an important spiritual and healing site of the ancestors of the Ojibwa, the Nokets. The 200-yard long outcrop is partially within the Keweenaw Bay Indian Reservation boundary, and partly on land owned by “Heartwood Forestland Fund IV”. This was labeled “Nok” on an 1849 survey map, with an Indian trail leading to it.

by Ronald Stiebe
A recent discovery could justifiably be billed as the Mount Rushmore of Baraga County. It was called, “Nok” by the Ojibwa band of the Nokets according to the original survey map completed by U.S. government liner and geological surveyors in 1849. This government document provides explicit verification of a rock that was revered by a sub-clan of the Makwa, or bear clan. Even more interesting, the map also made reference to the Noquets (Nokets) who reportedly had disappeared and were even considered extinct. They were the ancestors of many of the present day Ojibwa that took up residence on Keweenaw Bay sometime after 1721. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

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