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Sharp Park Academy Improvements Lead to Release as Focus School

The Jackson Public School District is pleased to announce that the Michigan Department of Education has released Sharp Park Academy from its Focus School Status Report Card Category. In 2012, the Michigan Department of Education added a “focus” category to its Michigan School Report Card. The state report card lists the federal Adequate Yearly Progress, the Education YES grades and the overall top-to-bottom rankings of all school buildings. Focus status designation was given to schools in Michigan who have large achievement gaps between their top 30 percent of students and the bottom 30 percent of students. At that time JPS’s Sharp Park IB World School was notified of its “focus” status. Release from “focus” status mandated significant accountability and reporting requirements by the State of Michigan’s Department of Education. Jackson Public Schools received a letter from Brian J. Whiston; Michigan State Superintendent today August 12, 2015. Mr. Whiston stated “Congratulations! The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is releasing the following 2012 Cohort school from Focus School status: Sharp Park Academy. Your school’s hard work and emphasis on data-driven decisions have narrowed the achievement gap between the top and bottom performing 30 percent of students in the above named focus school(s).…

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Jackson College Alumnus Honored by MCCC

Jackson College congratulates Dr. Douglas Estry, alumnus of Jackson Community College and recipient of the 2015 Michigan Community College Association Outstanding Alumnus Award. Estry, who attended what was then Jackson Community College in 1967-68, has enjoyed a career in medical technology, research and higher education. He currently serves as Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education & Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Michigan State University, where he is responsible for overseeing university-level undergraduate initiatives that support and enhance the learning experience. He began his career at Michigan State University in 1983 as assistant professor, and today is a Professor of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation appointed in the Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics (BLD) Program. Estry has also been published in numerous books, manuscripts and abstracts, as well as participating in many workshops. He’s active in professional organizations and has received numerous honors throughout his career. “This recognition is particularly meaningful for me as I have dedicated my career to higher education, and it started at what was then Jackson Community College,” Estry said. “Jackson College helped me to begin to develop much more than my academic ability. It started me on a journey to discovering purpose, it grounded me in the realities of post-secondary…

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Jackson College to Open New Campus View 3 Student Housing

College and community members are invited to celebrate the opening of Jackson College’s newest student housing unit, Campus View 3, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. Monday, August 10. Campus View 3 is located on the south side of campus and consists of two- and four-bedroom units, with 202 beds overall. A short ceremony will include comments by President Dan Phelan, Board of Trustees Chair Sam Barnes, Director of Housing Tasha Warfield, a representative of Student Suites, Inc. -- who oversaw the design and construction of the new housing -- cutting of the ribbon and tours of the new facility. Cost for this Campus View 3 project is $10 million, paid by revenue bonds issued by the separate non-profit corporation, Jackson College Dormitories Inc., created by the Board of Trustees. There is no liability to the College. The College provided the furnishings for the building, at a cost of about $500,000, and provides staffing, cleaning and security services for the building. The College also bought the architectural design and drawings at a cost of $400,000 up front to ensure the project began if the financing did not take place. Current Campus View student housing facilities were built in 2007…

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Maher Campus offers business degree for busy people!

Renovations are now complete on Jackson College’s W.J. Maher Campus, and starting this fall, the campus will offer a coordinated business administration associate degree program with classes just one or two nights a week. Students may complete an Associate in Applied Science in Business Administration in five semesters, at the W.J. Maher Campus. Courses offered Tuesday or Thursday evenings to help fit with students’ active lives! Evening courses offered in a hybrid (combining traditional classroom and online components) format allow a student to attend once a week and complete two classes or twice a week to complete four classes. Consistent scheduling and format allow students to better schedule their busy lives in concert with their educational goals. Courses are designed so students working full-time during the day can complete the degree in five semesters. Students are free to take six remaining business electives of their choosing, online or face-to-face. Learn more by stopping by the W.J. Maher Campus during office hours, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday or 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, or call 517.768.7097. Maher Campus is located at 3000 Blake Road, off I-94 near the Elm Street exit in Jackson.

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Center for Family Health at the Jackson County Fair

Family fun, prizes, and magic by Ronald McDonald will be provided by the Center for Family Health at the Jackson County Fair. The Center will staff its booth at the American 1 Fair Events Center noon to 7 p.m. Aug. 10-14, Monday through Friday on fair week. Families can learn about services to protect their good health, and they can find out where help is available to determine if they qualify for low-cost health coverage through Obamacare or the Healthy Michigan program. Free toothbrushes will be given to kids, and free dental screenings for children will be offered by the Center’s Mobile Dental services. Visitors to the fair booth can enter daily raffles for gas cards and one grand prize of an iPad mini. Ronald McDonald will make a very special appearance 1-3 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Ronald will greet fair-goers and perform a free magic show during his stop in Jackson. Don’t miss the fun at the county fair! About Center for Family Health The Center for Family Health is an independent, Federally Qualified Health Center that never turns patients away because of inability to pay. It provides quality primary health care and behavioral health services to more…

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Applications Being Accepted for Scholarship Pageants

JACKSON, MI, August 3, 2015– Applications for the Miss Jackson Crossroads and Outstanding Teen Scholarship Pageants are now available on-line at: www.missjacksoncrossroads.org and are being welcomed through October 31, 2015. They may also be requested by mail. The new Miss Jackson Crossroads and Outstanding Teen will be crowned during the final event on Sunday, January 17, 2016, 1pm at Jackson College and will represent Jackson County at the Miss Michigan and Outstanding Teen Pageant in June 2016. An informational meeting for contestants and sponsors will be held on Sunday, August 23, 3 pm at the Cascades Manor House. The Miss Jackson Crossroads Scholarship Pageant is open to young women ages 17-23, who either live, work or receives their education in Jackson County.  The Jackson Crossroads Outstanding Teen Scholarship Pageant is open to young women between the ages 13 – 16. Both programs are affiliated with the Miss Michigan and Miss America Organizations. Details for registration, contestant requirements and applications can be found at www.missjacksoncrossroads.org. Emily Sioma, Miss Jackson Crossroads 2015 and Alaina Cook, Miss Jackson Crossroads Outstanding Teen 2015 both earned Top Five placement at the Miss Michigan and Outstanding Teen Pageants in June of this year with cash and…

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Summer Compliance Checks Underway

Area law enforcement agencies, in partnership with the Jackson County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (JCSAPC), are conducting alcohol compliance checks this summer to make sure retailers aren’t selling alcohol to minors. Vendors, both restaurants and retail stores, may be included in these checks. “When things get busy at a store’s checkout counter, it’s easy for the cashier to forget to verify if a person is buying alcohol legally,” said Matthew Heins, Director of Police and Fire Services, Jackson Police Department.  “We do compliance checks both to remind retailers of the law and to enforce it where necessary. Our goal is to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors, helping keep them safe and our community secure.” Heins – “We want to partner with the stores to ensure they have the tools and knowledge necessary to address the issue of selling to minors so we can reach our goal of 100% compliance.” A compliance check works like this: An underage individual, under supervision of a law enforcement officer, attempts to buy alcohol at a retail business. If the employee making the sale doesn’t verify the person’s age, and therefore sells to a minor, both the employee and the business will…

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Center for Family Health Opens in Hillsdale

Center for Family Health—Hillsdale, a medical center launched to meet a rising need for primary care in Hillsdale County, will open Aug. 12. Center for Family Health—Hillsdale is a federally qualified health center that will accept all patients, regardless of income. Family-doctor care will be provided to any patients with or without health insurance coverage. The Center will also provide services to assist those who are not covered by health insurance to get covered through a variety of programs including the Marketplace, Medicaid or other healthcare programs. Located at 240 W. Carleton Road, the Center will be operated by the Jackson-based Center for Family Health in coordination with the Hillsdale community’s efforts to expand access to care. “The health and human services leaders in Hillsdale have given us tremendous encouragement. Our mission is to work with them to open the door to health care for all,” said Molly Kaser, president and CEO of the Center for Family Health. “We are very excited to open.” Diane Bishop, director of Center for Family Health—Hillsdale, said physicians will work with Hillsdale specialists and medical facilities so more patients have an entry point to comprehensive care in the community. Three thousand Hillsdale County residents…

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Energizing Education Receives Grant

Energizing Education, a Jackson County program to help elementary school students read at or above grade level, looks to build on its success through a grant from Dawn Foods Foundation.                 “Our foundation has always believed that education is important. We also know that reading skills are fundamental to furthering one’s education. We appreciate that Energizing Education works to strengthen literacy at such a young age so children can truly enjoy learning,” said Sarah Richmond, president of Dawn Foods Foundation.                 “We’re deeply grateful to Dawn Foods Foundation for its generous support, which will help strengthen our programming and our efforts to make sure every child in Jackson County reads proficiently,” Energizing Education Manager Kriss Giannetti said.                 Added Ken Toll, president and CEO of United Way of Jackson County, “Education is a key strategy in ensuring financial stability in life, and reading is essential to that strategy. We thank Dawn Foods Foundation for making this investment in our kids and our future.”                 At the request of the foundation, the amount of the grant was not announced. Energizing Education (EE) targets low-achieving students in grades K-2nd with a two-pronged approach to improve literacy: volunteer mentors, coached by a literacy…

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Michigan Community Credit Union Awards Grant

(from left to right) Jessica Webb, Education and Communications Specialist at Michigan Community Credit Union, with Jessica Crandell, Northwest Elementary Visual Arts Educator. Michigan Community Credit Union is pleased to announce that their quarterly Forward Thinking Grant has been awarded to Northwest Elementary School for their NWEL Can’t Wait to Create program. The program consist of visual arts to achieve a higher academic achievement in core content areas, such as vocabulary, writing comprehension in Language Arts, and to create a deeper understanding of spatial skills and relationships in math. Not only will this program teach academics, it will teach important life skills, like perseverance through tough tasks, developing stamina, and develop courage to take intellectual risks and try new ideas. “Michigan Community Credit Union is happy to help fund projects with our Forward Thinking Grant throughout multiple counties,” said Jessica Webb, Education and Communication Specialist of the credit union. “The program helps educational ideas and projects become reality through financial assistance.” To qualify, projects or ideas must be educationally related and enrich the lives of students/participants. Funding examples include: classroom materials, special educational or enrichment programs, playground or recreational equipment, library or media materials, special speakers or assemblies, etc. Additionally, the…

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