Jessica (Lemmen) Whaley - Class of 2013

WELCOME TO BENZIE COUNTY CENTRAL SCHOOLS FEATURED FRIDAY ALUMNI.  Today, we would like to recognize class of 2013 Alumni, Jessica (Lemmen) Whaley.  Jessica was kind enough to share this with us. 

“While I grew up about two hours south of here, in Fremont, Benzie County will forever be my home. Due to circumstances out of my control, I moved in with my dad the summer before my freshman year had started. I was angry, sad, confused, all of those feelings! (Not because of my dad, just to clarify, but because my life was about to change big time).  I was starting high school not knowing a single sole besides my older brother who had been going to Benzie for years before me (he was a junior, and it probably wasn't cool to socialize with the new girl, who just so happens to be your little sister. Although this was a new school to me, it quickly began to feel like a big family, and little did I know, this hectic transition period in my life would be one of the biggest blessings I've encountered.

After a few weeks, I had made some incredible friends, and slowly but surely I started to love the new home of mine. Growing up. I was definitely a tomboy and I loved sports, though I never really played any team sports as a child. At Benzie Central, I played basketball in 9th grade and softball in 10th and 11th. I also attended the Career Tech Center my junior and senior year for Allied Health. There, I was humbled to receive the student of the year award my junior year and student of the quarter award my senior year. I was also a part of the national technical honors society, which presented me with many great learning and volunteering opportunities. Both Benzie central and the Career Tech Center were such big parts of my life. I learned so much, I gained the best relationships, and the sense of community at both places is indescribable. The fact that I got to know all of my friends’ parents as they were my own, and to have them treat me with such love and acceptance was amazing. Just one of the many perks of a small school.

Oh! In addition, I guess I should mention one other thing. I married my high school sweet heart, Jeffrey, in 2015. I met my incredibly amazing, handsome husband at Benzie Central.  Thank you Mrs. Huddleston, for pairing us together to work on a project that little did I know would help determine my future path.

My senior year I had everything planned, or so I thought.  I worked at Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital and Munson Medical Center for two years right out of high school as a CNA while attending NMC for a degree in Respiratory Therapy. Soon, I realized that's not what I wanted to pursue, so I changed paths. I started a new job at Stepping Stones Children's Center. There, I was an assistant preschool teacher, and then lead toddler teacher. Yes, STILL attending NMC, but for a degree in child development instead. During this time, about two years ago, my husband and I bought our first house in Benzonia. We have since remodeled it and made it into our home.

College doesn't come free, and neither do houses, therefore I had to put college on the side burner for a while. I've been 5 credits short from an associate’s degree in arts & sciences for two years now, but I am finishing it this fall. Last year, I changed paths yet again, and I now have an incredible job at Coyne Propane, which I absolutely love! Here I do any/all office, billing, and scheduling work at the Interlochen branch. Yes, I can fill your cylinders too!

Jeffrey and I love spending time with our friends and family, at our church, and outside hunting and fishing.  In my free time I also have a passion for photography, photographing people specifically, so any senior out there needing senior photos, I am your gal.

I would not be where I am today if it was not for dad, my biggest fan. I imagine being a single father while raising your family is not an easy task, but he nailed it. He raised my brother and myself to be independent, honest, and hardworking individuals, and I cannot thank him enough for it.

My advice for any high school student, or anyone for that matter, is to not give up, live in the moment, stay true to yourself, and know that perspective is everything. As my grandpa still tells me, "death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21). Meaning, if you wake up and say you're going to have a bad day, chances are you will! The glass is always half full! Also, just know that is it OKAY to not have your life planned out when you're 17. It is OKAY if you do not finish college in two, four, even six years. It is OKAY to pursue a career in a trade as opposed to going to college. As you can see, I have had many different paths I thought I would go on, but I am perfectly content doing what I am doing. Life is good!

One more thing, go to the basketball games, football games, dances, homecoming and hallway decorating.  Cheer your heart out! Wear the funky socks! Be kind to one another, and of course do your homework.  You are only in high school once, so make it count!”

Thank you Jessica, we are #OneBENZIE proud!
Please visit Jess Whaley Photography on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Jess-Whaley-Photography-1697886270466594/

You know how Mrs. Crossman feels....like, love and share! 

Michaela Williams - Class of 2013

WELCOME TO BENZIE COUNTY CENTRAL SCHOOL FEATURED FRIDAY ALUMNI. Today, we would like to recognize 2013 graduate, Michaela Williams.  Michaela was kind enough to share this with us.

“I grew up in Lake Ann and, therefore, attended Lake Ann Elementary from kindergarten through fifth grade.  It was there, in the second grade, I decided that I wanted to become a teacher.  I was quite shy in sixth grade, being surrounded by sixth graders from the entire district.  However, in middle school, I met the most wonderful friend group.  I partially credit them for where I am today (seriously, surround yourself with lifelong friends of various strengths and abilities, who care about you, and want you to succeed!).

In high school, softball took up much of my focus.  I was on varsity for four years and a captain for three.  I also was credited with All Conference and All District awards for pitching.  During school hours, I was the secretary of NHS and I participated in Teacher Academy.  In Teacher Academy, I was able to go to each elementary school throughout my two years (except I did not make it to Betsie Valley).  In high school, I also began working at JoMo’s Ice Cream Shop in Honor, where I have been working for the past 8 summers.  I always tell my boss that I will be there for the rest of my life because I am going to be a teacher with summers free (little do they know, I am not joking!).

After graduating Benzie Central in 2013, I journeyed down to Mt. Pleasant to attend Central Michigan University.  There, I met my best friend (my roommate!) and we lived together for the next four years.  Going to a “big” school after attending Benzie was a bit of a change for me.  I was used to knowing every single person in the school and I had always felt comfortable going to any of my high school teachers for help (or just to chat).  My first year at CMU, it seemed huge and it was easy to feel small.  My professors seemed intimidating and I had classes in lecture halls.  However, I stuck with it and ended up loving it!  I have professors that I am still in contact with, I was able to take American Sign Language classes (a goal of mine since about fifth grade), and I found my niche in Kappa Delta Pi.  Kappa Delta Pi is an honor society specifically for teachers.  I was able to be the treasurer of the organization for two years and I made friends that have lasted much longer than that. 

CMU also gave me the ability to travel abroad.  Small-town-Michaela, who had never been on a plane, packed a carry-on and flew to Ireland to pre-student teach.  It is, easily, one of my favorite experiences to date.  I lived with a family and another CMU student and we would walk to school, help out in classrooms all day, then walk to the train station, take the train to a random stop, and hike the bluffs all evening!  (Also, if you were wondering, it is indeed super green there!)  Coincidentally, one of my middle/high school best friends was also over in Europe with the University of Michigan at the same time and our trips ended within a day of each other.  Naturally, we planned to extend our trips and travel together.  We discovered that Barcelona, Spain was a bit too city and big for us, but still beautiful, that Santorini, Greece was ten times more gorgeous than any picture makes it look (also, if you go to Greece: ride the donkeys!).  In addition, that Venice, Italy is the perfect location for two girls who love to walk, talk, drink coffee, and eat pasta (we also slept under a table in the Venice airport…that’s another story). 

In the fall of 2017, I finished my college career by student teaching at Betsie Valley.  I love that I went full circle in my education.  I started school at Benzie, and I finished school at Benzie!  I had an incredible student teaching experience.  I student taught in the fifth grade with a great group of students.  After graduating in December, I began to make Benzie my own home.  I moved into my own (adorably quirky) apartment and I accepted a long-term sub position in first grade at Betsie Valley for the remainder of the year.  I loved staying at the Valley.  Its staff is one of a kind and they taught me much more than four years of college did (no offense to college, I’m just trying to put into perspective how much I learned in the course of a year).  I spent the spring learning to teach first graders and that was a much bigger adventure than anything I did in Europe!  My students were a very special group and will forever hold a place in my heart. 

You can now find me scooping ice cream, coaching middle school and summer league softball teams, playing (and losing) euchre with my friends, cuddling babies in the infant room at church, on a ball field playing slow pitch softball, “Pinteresting” teacher things, or doing anything else that makes me happy. 

My best advice to anyone reading this is that you get to create your own life.  Make decisions that get you to where you want to be, take opportunities that presented to you, use failures to grow and learn from, and most importantly, embrace where you are from.  Benzie has a lot to offer, you just have to put forth the effort to access it! 

P.S. If anyone has any teacher tips, please send any and all of them my way!”

Michaela, we are in fact #OneBENZIE proud of all of your accomplishments.  Continued success and happiness to you!  You know how Mrs. Crossman feels….like, love and share!

Laurel Jewett (Yalch) - Class of 1999

WELCOME TO BENZIE COUNTY CENTRAL SCHOOLS FEATURED FRIDAY ALUMNI.  Today, we would like to recognize Laurel Jewett (Yalch) – Class of 1999.

Laurel was kind enough to share this with us….

“I grew up in Honor and attended elementary school from Kindergarten-Sixth grade at Platte River Elementary. My mom was a first grade teacher there so I absolutely loved that school and felt like I was there all of the time. I think that is why I wanted to become a teacher because I grew up around them. During my time in high school, I was involved in many extracurricular activities. I played basketball, softball and took stats for the boys’ basketball team. I was class President and on the student council, which was fun helping plan dances such as Homecoming and Snowcoming. Some of my best memories were going to Washington D.C for Close Up, being in the musical Grease, creating amazing projects in physics class, and just being so involved with school events. I absolutely loved my time at Benzie and thank all of my teachers for making it such a great experience.

After graduation, I attended Central Michigan University (Fire Up Chips) where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Education in 2004. After graduating college, I substituted at Benzie in grades K-12 while trying to land a teaching job in the area. I kept very busy doing this. I even spent a year at the high school subbing as a para pro. I taught summer school at the high school for two years and also spent many hours doing after school detention. I was the assistant coach for the varsity softball team and absolutely loved my time helping them for a couple of years. One of my friends told me about a GSRP teaching job opening in Honor that I should apply for. I really didn’t know much about it at the time. I applied and landed the job working for Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency in January 2007. I really enjoyed it so I went back and got my ZA endorsement through CMU.

My husband, Brandon, had a new job opportunity so we moved to Petoskey in June 2009. I transferred within my agency to Boyne City Head Start located at the Early Education Center. The past few years I have taught a blended Head Start/GSRP preschool classroom, which also included special needs children. I truly enjoyed my time with NMCAA and was given so many great opportunities. I absolutely loved working with the children and their families. I met so many people throughout my years there. The best thing about teaching preschool is that every day brings something new. It’s often exhausting and challenging but I have learned to take a breath before I respond to things. The highlight of my days at work are when I see a child’s eyes light up when they learn/try something new. Just when you are about to question how much more patience you have or when you start wanting to give up, your students will have a breakthrough. There is nothing better than having a high-five moment with a young child when they feel successful. 

I received my Masters of Instruction and Curriculum in Early Childhood Education and a ZS endorsement from Grand Valley State University in 2015.

I have recently been hired as the Early Learners Director for Boyne City Public Schools preschool programs and started this new journey on July 1. I am excited to be a part of a school system that sees a need for a high-quality Early Education Program that teaches all children and enhances their development. I’m looking forward to working and collaborating with teachers, staff, families and community partners to continue to build on and improve the Early Learners Program.

When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my children. Kaden is 14 and will be a freshman at Boyne City High School and Bella is 7 and will be a second grader at Boyne City Elementary. They are both super involved in extracurricular activities. I also love sports and you will find me attending games, watching them on TV and staying current on sports news. I have coached my daughter, Bella’s, softball team for a few years and hope to continue coaching. I enjoy taking road trips, kayaking down the Platte River, relaxing at the beach, shopping, attending concerts and roller coasters. I love coming back to Benzie County for visits and try to as much as possible.”

Laurel, we are in fact #OneBENZIE proud.  Continued success to you and your family always.  You guessed it, Mrs. Crossman say….like, love and share!

Ginger Heyn (Torresan) - Class of 1992

WELCOME TO BENZIE COUNTY CENTRAL SCHOOLS FEATURED FRIDAY ALUMNI.  Today, we would like to recognize Class of 1992 graduate, Ginger Heyn (Torresan). 

 Ginger was kind enough to share this with us.  "After I graduated in 1992, I attended Baker College in Cadillac.  When my car died,I had to come up with a better plan in order to continue going to school.  At the time, Baker College only had two schools with dorms – Muskegon and Flint, Michigan.  I chose Flint.  Growing up in downtown Beulah did not prepare me for the cultural diversity I was to experience when I arrived.  Flint was a complete culture shock.  It was a big city and had a vast majority of different ethnicities.  I stayed there for two and a half years majoring in Business Management and Accounting.

After an almost near tragedy, I needed to come home and help my mom take care of some family issues.  I enrolled at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City and continued to attend business classes.  Working a full time and part time job plus going to school full time eventually got the better of me plus my student loan bills were climbing to an alarming rate.  What I hadn’t realized when I left for Baker College was their tuition was three times higher than our local college.  I was 20 years old and had accumulated $20,000 in debt that I wasn’t sure how I was going to repay.  Attending NMC allowed me more access to grants and was a third of the cost but I was also struggling with whether or not I wanted to go into business management.  I needed to take a step back and reevaluate my life and school.

While giving school a break, I ran into an old acquaintance of mine from school and we started hanging out around town; running into each other often.  Eventually we decided to go on a date. John Heyn (class of 1990) and I had our first date at the Cedar Polka Fest in 1995; we have been together ever since.

I re enrolled in college classes in the winter for the winter of 1998 but I was undecided on what I wanted to pursue as a career – teaching or nursing.  I knew if I returned to NMC, I could get my basic education out of the way and decide on a career path along the way then transfer to the newly build University Center.  A month before I was to start school I discovered that John and I were expecting a child.  This was definitely a game changer.  My husband wanted me to be a stay at home mom.  This meant nursing was out and I figured by the time the child was in kindergarten I could graduate and hopefully find a teaching job.  So teaching was the career path I chose.

I was still working as a secretary while I was pregnant and started taking a couple of classes at night and online.  At six months pregnant I had to quit my job and go on bed rest.  I could still attend my night class but sitting for eight hours a day, five days a week could cause harm to me and the baby boy I carried.  I was showing signs of Preeclampsia which if not treated with caution could cause me to have a stroke and die.  In the meantime, my husband decided to start building his own general contracting company.

In August of 1999, we had a happy, healthy baby boy Hunter J. Roger Heyn (class of 2018).  As he grew up he attended Lake Ann Elementary and then Benzie Middle School and High school.  I graduated in 2005, Cum Laude from Ferris State University in Traverse City with a Bachelor of Science in Business Education with minors in Career Technology and Social Studies. I started substitute teaching at Benzie Central Middle and High School right away.  I spent the next ten years there and I was there almost every day during the school year.  I eventually left to work for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Tribal School for two years.  While teaching I started working on my master’s degree at Grand Valley State University with an emphasis on English earning a certification in English Education.

I decided to get out of teaching and landed a position as an Administrative Assistant for Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors.  I do everything from answer the phone to processing paperwork to training agents how to be successful.  I have been here for three years and have no intention to go anywhere else.  

My advice to kids in school is no matter where you come from or what situation you find yourself in, it is up to you which path you choose to take."

Ginger, we are #OneBENZIE proud of your determination.  You know how Mrs. Crossman feels...like, love and share!