By DEB WUETHRICH

THS graduate Carlee Hollenbeck learned about a student teaching opportunity abroad in Australia while she was a student studying for a teaching degree in math, with secondary emphasis, at Grand Valley State University. She was just a freshman then and wasn’t sure how she would finance her portion of the trip. Later, she received a prestigious Knowles Fellowship award from the John Knowles Foundation, based in Philadelphia. The honor came with funding that helped finance tuition and professional development experiences.

“I used some of the funding for a 10-day conference in Seattle, a spring conference in New Jersey, and one in Ohio,” said Carlee. “Recipients also received summer stipends, and I saved mine for the trip.” She saw the chance to go “down under” as the opportunity of a lifetime, and traveled more than 7,000 miles from the U.S. in November.

“That was the longest plane ride I’ve ever taken,” she said of the 14 and-a-half hours from Los Angeles to Sydney. From Sydney, she took a shorter flight to Darwin, which is in the northern part of the country. It was in Darwin that Carlee taught 7th grade math as part of a six-week stint.

She said it was an interesting experience because it allowed her to differentiate from the traditional style of teaching in America.

“We got to do more interactive hands-on math activities there,” she said. One teaching activity she recalls involved going outdoors — which the classes did a lot because they don’t really get winter there and the students wore uniforms consisting of light shirts and shorts. “We were doing time conversions so we went out and did races using a stop-watch and converted minutes to seconds and vice versa.” She said the students eat in the courtyard and get “tea” mid-morning, which is primarily a snack time. “That actually provided a nice break-up for the day,” Carlee said.

By DEB WUETHRICH

The Tecumseh Service Club recently completed its Year-End Report for 2011. The charitable group offers a food pantry, clothing closet and the Adopt-A-Family for Christmas Program.

This year, the group received requests from more than 200 families to be part of the Adopt-A-Family program. Each family was provided with a box of food staples, a turkey, warm clothes, and at least one toy for any children in the family.

“Of the 200, 155 of these families were adopted by the generous people of our community,” said Colleen Sunderland, Corresponding Secretary for the Tecumseh Service Club.

Families that were not adopted were taken care of by the Service Club. With contributions and in partnership with the community, the Service Club helped approximately 470 children this year. The group also provided 40 gift certificates from Jerry’s Market to area seniors and households without school age children so they could shop for their own special diets.

Cash donations this year, which come from a variety of sources such as Lenawee United Way, area church groups, organizations, clubs and groups, as well as private donations, totaled $43,549.90 this year. Area students helped raise more than $600 with a “Coins for Cans” collection. The Marine’s Toys for Tots program also made it possible to supply toys without the Service Club having to purchase any.

The Friends of the Library also donated many new books as well as a cash donation for more. Other donor sources included the Tecumseh Township Foundation’s Lilley Fund, and Crop Walk. A significant portion of the private donations were made in memoriam this year to the Service Club’s past president, Pam Neidermier, who served the organization for more than 25 years and passed away in December.

By DEANE ERTS

Tecumseh School Board members received a hearty ‘thank-you’ from school administrators and teachers at Monday night’s meeting, which buoyed the trustees’ spirits before they launched into further discussion about adding two years to their terms in office.
January is School Board Appreciation Month, and the Tecumseh trustees received the routine proclamations from the Governor, State Superintendent, and President of the State Board of Education, but previously, the State Legislature had handed all Michigan school trustees the news that there will be a shakeup in how they are to be elected in the future.

Beginning this year, all local school board elections will be held on the November Super Tuesday of even years, making this Nov. 6 the last school board election until 2014. The legislators suggested that this mandate will save money on local elections and further offered choices for local boards to make in lengths of trustee terms.

Formerly, local board members were elected for four-year terms, usually two seats per year in May elections, allowing for a gradual “turnover” in the board roster. With the new legislation, boards have the option of extending current trustees’ terms by six, 12, or 18 months. The effect, if a board opts for four-year terms (plus six months), would create a cycle in which two seats will be open this year, three in 2014, and four in 2016. In discussions to date, the Tecumseh Board, which has seven seats, has looked unfavorably on the ramifications of a four-member change at one time.

Under a six-year term election cycle, the turnover would be two-three-two, allowing for a less drastic change in board composition. The board members who will be most immediately affected are Karen Januszek and Kevin Packard, whose terms will be expiring this year. Edward Tritt, Jim Rice, and Stanley Ames will be completing their terms in 2014, the next time elections will be able to be held.

Most people take for granted the ability to easily breathe in and out, but for Tecumseh native and young mother Jessica (Bailey) Johnson, who has cystic fibrosis (CF), a terminal genetic disease, breathing is hard work. Jessica is the daughter of Tom and Diane Bailey, former owners of Bailey’s Water Care.

Jessica is fighting new battles every day, due to complications related to CF, and now needs a double lung transplant. Part of the transplant process requires Jessica and her husband, Chris Johnson, to demonstrate that they will be able to pay for expenses before and after the surgery. She has insurance, but it does not cover all the costs that will be incurred at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and their living expenses near the clinic for a time afterward.

The couple is working with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA), a national 501(c)3 charity based in Bloomington, Indiana. Because of COTA’s non-profit status, all donations are tax-deductible and a receipt for raffle items can be produced upon request. COTA is dedicated to organizing and guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-needy patients. The organization’s services are completely free of charge and 100 percent of funds generated by COTA community fundraising campaigns are available for transplant-related expenses. Those wishing to donate may visit www.cotaforjessicaj.com.

By DEANE ERTS

Time is short to get tickets for this year’s “Taste” that, once again, will bring a collection of the area’s finest restaurants and caterers, all under one roof at Tecumseh High School Saturday, Feb. 4, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

There will be no need to plan supper on that evening. Ticket holders will be able to sample specialties from 13 dining establishments, including Basil Boys, Big Boy (Tecumseh), Boulevard Market, British Tea Garden, Busch’s, Catering by Liz, Cowboys Grill, The Daily Grind, The Embers, Evans Street Station, JR’s Grill & Pub, Oriental Sizzling, and The Spotted Cow.

This year’s theme for the Community In Schools (CIS) benefit is “Our Schoolhouse Rocks,” and CIS director Heather Masten said that the theme was chosen to reflect CIS’ enthusiasm for its mission to forge a bond between students and their schools, with the help of the people of the community, that will create an enthusiasm for learning through graduation and beyond.

“We thought about what theme we could pick that would help summarize and instill our commitment to the students in the eyes of the public at large,” Masten said. “’Our Schoolhouse Rocks’ lets the community know that we are proud of our schools, and we hope that incorporating our logo in the decoration theme will make it more recognized, overall.”

The “Taste” is one of the largest fundraisers for the organization. Communities In Schools of the Tecumseh Area, as it is formally known, is a nonprofit organization that provides many services to students in the district and serves as a bridge for individuals and businesses that recognize the benefit of volunteering to help students. CIS does not receive any government funding, depending solely on fundraising and donations.

From Herald Staff Reports

Tecumseh Police Chief Troy Stern said that investigation continues in two robberies in Tecumseh that took place last week and that there could be a connection with the robbery of a Saline Dominos Pizza business on Monday, Jan. 23.

“We’re still investigating the option that the individual in custody in Saline is our person,” said Stern. “It’s going to be a while until we can put all our investigation together to see if this individual is him, but he’s a solid suspect at this point.”

Fabricare on Herrick Park Drive was held up at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, and the perpetrator threatened a clerk with a knife, taking an undisclosed amount of cash. On Saturday, Jan. 21, Modish Hair Salon in downtown Tecumseh was robbed at knifepoint. Following the Tecumseh robberies, the robber was able to get away in what was described as a dark colored pickup truck. He was apprehended in a dark blue pickup.

Robert Neibler, of Tecumseh, is being held in Washtenaw County on a charge of armed robbery at Dominos and was being held on a $100,000 bond. He was charged with one count each of armed robbery, larceny of money and threatening an individual at the store, according to annarbor.com. Neibler has previous convictions of breaking and entering with intent to commit a crime in Mason County in 2002 and Kalkaska County in 2004 and has served probation for those crimes.

Neibler was also arraigned Thursday, Jan. 26, on charges of attempting to disarm a peace officer, attempted escape and assaulting a police officer. During a visit to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital early Wednesday for undisclosed self-inflicted injuries, the suspect assaulted an officer who was escorting him to a restroom and attempted to remove the officer’s gun from its holster before being restrained with the help of a second officer. Following that arraignment his bond was raised to $125,000.