Ben Edwards and Jake Peacock graduated together in 2006. They graduated together again in 2009. And now, once again, they graduated together on Saturday, this time receiving their doctor of medicine degrees. The two 24-year-olds — who are the sons of Greenville residents Steve and Ruthanne Edwards, and Robert and Patrice Peacock — were among the students who graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, with their Greenville families right there, cheering them on.

The Central Montcalm Public School Board of Education unanimously agreed not to renew the district’s food director contract at Wednesday’s meeting. Diane Mitchell’s contract as director food service will end, after a 7-0 vote by the school board.

The Central Montcalm Public School Board of Education on Wednesday approved an agreement for an early college program and accepted five retirement letters, including longtime administrator and current elementary school principal John Kearney. The board, after some discussion on the number of students to be allowed to try the early college program in its premiere year, voted 7-0 to approve an agreement with the Montcalm Area Intermediate School System in connection with the program at Montcalm Community College.

What originally began as a community dinner featuring Central Montcalm Public School has now evolved to the Education Showcase, one of the biggest events for the district. The 39th annual Education Showcase is planned for Thursday at the high school/middle school complex, and features works of art, displays of projects and live entertainment by student groups. Doors open at 5:30 for senior citizens while the Education Showcase runs from 6 to 8 p.m. for the general public.

Carson City residents will be able to see the municipality’s ordinances with a click of a mouse, thanks to the City Council approving codification at their meeting Tuesday night. With a 6-0 approval — Mayor Bruce Tasker was absent — the council approved spending $9,985 initial costs to get the 60-plus ordinances cleaned up and converted to an online version.

Two new opportunities for students to learn were introduced to the Central Montcalm Public School Board of Education Wednesday night. One was excitedly welcomed while the other was hesitantly tabled one month. Montcalm Community College President Bob Ferrentino and Montcalm Area Intermediate School District superintendent Scott Koenigsknecht presented an overview of the new Early College Program, and option for all seven districts in the MAISD.

Four local young women competed in the Miss Heartland Scholarship Pageant Saturday night. Two finished as title holders, providing them an opportunity to return to Muskegon to the Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant, or the Miss Michigan Outstanding Teen pageant. Alisha Gatchel, 15, earned the title of Miss Heartland Outstanding Teen, while Brianna Van Houten placed as first runner-up. Both girls are from Greenville.

Each year, since the very first pageant in 1921, one beautiful young lady has been crowned the new Miss America, donning a crown and sash and plunging into a whirlwind year of public appearances, community service projects and promoting a platform.
Each year, all around the nation, hundreds of little girls watch with wide-eyed wonder, dreaming of what it must be like to be Miss America.

It often is the teachers who pass out grades to their students, but Wednesday night was the Central Montcalm Public School superintendent’s turn to be graded. The Central Montcalm Board of Education, with the assistance of facilitator Mike Washburn, met in closed session for nearly two hours for the purpose of conducting a superintendent evaluation.

The Central Montcalm Public School Board of Education approved in a 6-0 vote to pursue the concept of having an armed resource officer on campus. At the board’s regular meeting Wednesday, Stanton City Manager James Freed gave a brief overview of the proposal to have a city police officer on the school property for approximately 20-25 hours per week, beginning with a trial period from March 1 to the end of the school year.