Education

Pop Up Pantries bring food stability to Lansing Community College students

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his year, administrators of Lansing Community College aimed to do something about that need for its students. LCC realized that some of its students were experiencing food insecurity, so it created “pop-up pantries” for its students. According to studies from 2022 from the Greater Lansing Food Bank, more than one in six people in mid-Michigan face food insecurity, and about 92,000 residents lack consistent access to food.

Government

Two simultaneous protests at Michigan Capitol rally for their causes

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Two protests simultaneously occurred at Michigan’s capitol building on Nov. 8. The east side of the building hosted Michigan’s March for Life Rally, a pro-life event hosted by the Right to Life of Michigan, while the west side hosted The Rent is Too Damn High, who advocated for passage of the state House’s Renters’ Bill of Rights and an increase to the state budget for social housing aid.

East Lansing

East Lansing residents seek changes to neighborhood speeding concerns

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City residents advocated for change in regard to neighborhood speeding concerns at the Transportation Commission Meeting on Nov. 6.  Public comments to the commission calling for better traffic regulation come less than 24 hours after a fatal hit-and-run near Michigan State University’s campus. While a suspect was arrested in connection to the crash, which killed a 20-year-old Oxford man, it is just one of many road safety concerns, according to the city residents. The residents’ focus? The children.

East Lansing

New ELHS Principal presents goals for 2023-2024 school year

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Newly appointed Principal of East Lansing High School Ashley Schwarzbek spoke at the East Lansing school board meeting on Oct. 23 about the goals set for this school year. At the meeting, the board opened with the swearing-in of Estrella Torrez to her position on the school board. Only one member of the public spoke during public comment and Principal Schwarzbek’s presentation was the bulk of the meeting, lasting over 30 minutes. Schwarzbek said they have three overarching goals for the school and she went in-depth into each of them during her presentation to the board.

Education

Okemos School Board Meeting: Assistant Superintendent Unveils Academic Insights and Student Success Strategies

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By Camila Bello

Oct 27, 2023

The scheduled bi-monthly evening meeting of the Okemos Board of Education took place Oct. 23 at the Administration Center. All board members were in attendance as Assistant Superintendent Stacy Bailey commenced the evening agenda by delivering the first assessment data for the school district for the current academic year. Since 2019, Bailey has served as the assistant superintendent for instruction at Okemos Public Schools. Prior to this role, she accumulated nearly seven years of experience working at Tecumseh Public Schools.

Education
Crosswalk outside of Chippewa Middle School.

Residents concerned after multiple car accidents outside Okemos Schools

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After two car accidents involving children occurred outside of Okemos schools at the start of the school year, parents reached out to the school board to voice their concerns. 

The first accident on Sept. 15, outside of Chippewa Middle School on Kinewa Drive, left one student in a wheelchair with a broken ankle and concussion. The second accident on Oct. 4 involved a child walking at the intersection of Kinawa Drive and Okemos Road. This prompted Superintendent John Hood to send out an email to parents reminding them about street safety. 

“It’s really disappointing because myself and some others in the room have spent a lot of hours and effort into putting together recommendations that would make it safer for our students to walk and bike to school, and it’s just going nowhere,” said Tim Potter while addressing the school board during its Oct.

Diversity Issues

East Lansing School Board exploring equity issues

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At a recent East Lansing School Board meeting, parents discussed diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within the district. Three years ago, ELPS announced a series of changes to improve its DEI efforts. The district proceeded to try and increase diversity in the faculty and staff and create programs to increase inclusion. In September, a teacher at MacDonald Middle School was suspended for s second time in four months for using racial slurs and inappropriate language. Following these events Brandy Branson, representative for the East Lansing Parent Advocacy Team (ELPAT), proposed a question:

“Are the sessions being looked at from an equity lens?”

“I heard no definitely, everyone skirted around all of that, and I tried very hard on parent perspective,” Branson said.