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Monica Del Castillo, Haslett’s newest Board of Ed member advocates for student mental health

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Source: Aubrey Rademacher / Haslett High School

Monica Del Castillo, a retired mental health therapist, worked for 25 years at Lansing Community College where she also served as president of the academic Senate. Last fall, she became Haslett’s newest board of education member. 

Del Castillo said because of her immigrant childhood experience and mental health background, diversity and inclusivity play a heavy role in the decisions she makes. She said it was one of the main reasons she wanted to be a Haslett school board member. 

Del Castillo said, “Working with young adults in a college setting offered me insight into the challenges that young people face. While on the school board, K-12 teachers have reported mental health challenges create the biggest barriers to learning. My first hand knowledge and experience allowed me to strongly advocate for mental health services and initiatives.”

Alex Azima, a professor at Lansing Community College, served on LCC’s Academic Senate with Del Castillo.

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Williamston High School theater wraps up first in-person performances since pandemic

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The Williamston High School theater program performed its rendition of “Singin’ in the Rain” on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the McGoff Performing Arts center. The show, directed by Lindsay Campbell, was the program’s first production since 2019, said Campbell. Madison KortA program from the Saturday performance of “Singin’ in the Rain.” “For me, it was a bit of remembering and relearning how to do all of the bits and pieces of a musical, but for the kids on stage, for most of them, it was their first high school show or first musical, period,” Campbell said. “There was a lot of new learning and a lot of growth right off the bat but it was just a blast from the beginning to the end.

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Kiwanis Club partners with local cafe for fundraiser

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The Kiwanis Club is hosting a fundraising event on Monday night from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Sunnyside Cafe in Williamston to finance its support of the community. 10% of the proceeds for the night plus gratuities will go toward the club. 

“We give them 10% of sales, but we always round it up and there’s always a bucket out for gratuities and they take all of those. I’ve seen them raise like $700,” said Jeanette Ellsworth, owner of the Sunnyside Cafe. 

Kiwanis members will serve the food, and Ellsworth said there will be a limited menu full of comfort foods. Ellsworth said she “stole” the idea for the fundraiser from previous towns she had lived in, where local politicians, Boy Scouts, police chiefs and other community figures would become the servers at the restaurant to promote their events. Kiwanis Club president, Teri Nelson, said the fundraiser will be a big help for their organization.

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Williamston City Council impressed by plans for digital message board

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Williamston residents may see a digital message board behind the McCormick Park sign. The plans for the board, which were discussed on Monday at the City Council meeting, were met with enthusiastic responses from council members. 

Earl Wolf, Dr. Adam SpinaProposed location of the digital message board outside of McCormick Park from the informational packet at the meeting. The digital message board committee was represented at the meeting by superintendent Dr. Adam Spina and chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission Earl Wolf, who presented the motion to the council. The sign would allow for public service messages, community events and school district announcements to be better communicated, said Spina. “One of the many things I love about Williamston is that for a community of our size, there are always things going on.