Nearly 50 concerned parents of Montabella Community Schools students attended a public forum at the school Thursday to address concerns about the district’s newly implemented schoolwide standards-based grading policy. “I’m actually pleased to know parents have questions about the policy,” said Superintendent Shelly Millis in her opening statement. “That means they’re concerned about their kids and what’s going on at school.”

Grading for Learning, a new grading policy using standards-based grading, was implemented at Montabella Community Schools this year. According to Junior/Senior High Principal Shane Riley, many schools across the state and country are looking at standards-based grading to better prepare students for state and national tests and, ultimately, their futures. Grading for Learning has three areas of learning: practice, formative assessment and summative assessment. Each teacher determines appropriate assignment classification, including which ones will be graded.

Cowgirls and cowboys of all ages in Western shirts, boots and belt buckles as big as the Edmore water tower showcased their rodeo skills at the Super Kicker Rodeo at this weekend’s annual Potato Festival. Presented by main title sponsor Randall’s Old Mill, the rodeo stands were filled to capacity at Webb Field, formerly Montabella Community School’s football field.

After a 10-year battle with leukemia with several bouts of chemotherapy, experimental drugs and a bone marrow transplant, Deanna “Dee” Moore of Edmore lost the fight on Feb. 8, 2011.

State Rep. Rick Outman held a press conference Tuesday to discuss funding of Yellow Jack Drive in Greenville — and to present the college with a $200,000 check. When Montcalm Community College (MCC) started the process for construction on its new Greenville campus, ideas arose on how to utilize the partial road of Yellow Jacket Drive.

About 20 people attended Monday’s Montcalm County Board of Commissioners meeting to make a statement about “the original Constitutional jurisdiction of Michigan, a free and independent state.” During the public comment portion of the meeting, Robert Gilman and his wife, Marilyn Totzkay, both of Crystal, read portions of a lengthy statement, as did Randy Esch of Stanton. The group did not make any formal request of the commissioners.

Montabella Community Schools is bidding farewell to longtime Superintendent Ron Farrell as two new faces fill administrative vacancies. Shelly Millis is leaving her position as Montabella Elementary School principal to assume the superintendent vacancy, while Brad Reyburn is taking over as elementary principal.

Deb Boerma has been working on cars so long she can usually identify the size of a bolt simply by looking at it. Boerma grew up on a farm and has always loved being outside. Rather than being in the confines of the house, she learned at age 11 to drive a tractor. By age 12, she was handy with tools and could always be found tinkering under the hood of the tractor, taking to heart the advice her stepfather gave her that if she was going to learn to drive, she was also going to learn to fix the vehicles she drove.

The Peterman family has had some dark moments over the past three and a half years, but they never stopped believing they were fighting for the right cause. The Edmore family of five was vindicated Wednesday when a jury found Branden Peterman had not misrepresented himself on a disability insurance policy application — a claim Auto Owners Insurance had alleged.

The Peterman family’s life was forever changed on Dec. 12, 2008. On that day, Branden Peterman, then 34 years old, was crushed by a tree in a logging accident and immediately paralyzed from the waist down. His wife, Carrie, had just given birth to their third child four days earlier.