Pine River Area Schools and the Pine River Hall of Fame Group proudly announce the 2025 Pine River High School Hall of Fame honorees. We had a terrific response with so many great candidates and applications, but in the end The Hall of Fame Group chose five individuals and one team for our tenth induction class: Marie Crandall, MD, MPH, FACS; Allen (Al) Peterson; Brent Ruppert; Emilee Syrewicze; Andrew T. Wing; and the 1988 Varsity Football team. On Friday night, February 14, 2025, Pine River High School will host Manton for a home JV and Varsity double-header featuring the Boys and Girls JV and Varsity teams. PRAS thanks Manton for helping with this special night.
All community members, former HOF inductees, friends, and family are encouraged to be a part of our February 14, 2025 induction ceremony.
Schedule for February 14, 2025, Pine River vs Manton
3:00 p.m. Boys JV basketball game begins.
4:15 p.m. Approximate time Girls JV basketball game begins.
5:00 p.m Room set aside for the inductee reception/reserved seating in gym.
5:30 p.m. Approximate time Boys Varsity basketball game begins.
Between Games, Inductees are announced and honored.
7:45 p.m. Approximate time Girls Varsity basketball game begins.
Following the induction ceremony, the Hall of Fame Group and the Pine River Area Schools will host a reception for the inductees, their families and close friends, and former HOF inductees.
“What a great way to show our Buck PRide by honoring our distinguished alumni and former faculty! I love that we have this Hall of Fame program and I feel it is so important to show our current students that the people being honored started out here as Pine River students just like them,” said Superintendent Michelle Gill.
For more details and/or to nominate an individual or team for the 2026 class, please see the Qualifications and FAQ sheet and Nomination form available on the Pine River Area Schools webpage www.pineriver.org
Physical copies of the Qualifications and FAQ sheet and Nomination form are also available at the Central office and High School office located at 17445 Pine River Road, LeRoy, MI, 49655.
First semester exams for 8th-12th grade students are this week!
Pine River Elementary, Middle School, and High School... this Friday, January 17th, we'll all be supporting our Detroit Lions! Wear your lions gear or anything blue to cheer them on as they play the divisional round of the playoffs next weekend. Go Lions!
Our final Pine River Area Schools Board member to introduce, thank and recognize is our President of the Board, Kevin Delancey. Kevin is coming up on celebrating 11 years working at Northern Analytical Services. He has been married to his beautiful wife Sarah for 17+ years and together they have two wonderful children, Paisley (8th grade) and Dierks (7th grade).
When Paisley was born in September of 2010, he began attending school board meetings on a regular basis. When there was a board vacancy in 2015, he jumped at the opportunity to become more involved and felt it was one way that he could serve his community. He states that “I enjoy people and I enjoy serving with others who want what is best for our community. Over the years I have seen first-hand the commitment and dedication that our staff has for the students, and the love and support that this community has for its school district is second to none. I feel truly blessed to live in this community and am thankful for all of the people I have met along the way.”
Thank you Kevin for volunteering your time and energy as a Pine River Area Schools Board Member!
January is School Board Appreciation Month! Being a school board member is not an easy job, it's completely volunteer and membership includes a 6 year term. Another board member I'd like to introduce, thank and recognize is Rob Kulpa.
Rob is employed as the Director of the Wexford-Missaukee Friend of the Court. He's been married to his high school sweetheart, Michelle, for over 22 years and they have three kids together. One is a PR grad, the other two are students of Pine River Area Schools. Rob says, "Since our children began attending PR when we moved up here in 2010, the school community has embraced them and helped them become who they’re still growing into today. So when there was an opportunity to serve on the Board, I decided to take it and ran as a write-in candidate. The thing that stands out to me about PR is how much this school community takes care of itself and its students—we have a lot of people here that go the extra mile for our students, day in and day out. Another thing that stands out is the support our communities have shown our district. PR is very lucky to have a community that recognizes the needs of our schools and cares about the education of our children."
Thank you Rob for volunteering your time and energy as a Pine River Area Schools Board Member!
Athletics schedule for the week of 1/13
Click on the following link for this week's MS Newsletter! https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Hm9F7ZgyCssO6HzpjRUirvQfZ7ECHsRVOIT-txoQKn4/edit?usp=sharing
January is School Board Appreciation Month! Being a school board member is not an easy job and membership includes a 6 year term. Another board member I'd like to introduce, thank and recognize is Heather Smith. Heather has been employed with DTE Energy for 26 years. She and her husband Jared have been married for 3 years. Together they have 5 children, 4 of which have graduated from Pine River while the youngest is a Junior in high school. Their oldest is a teacher at the Pine River Elementary School! Their children have been involved in many things at Pine River including Athletics, Band, Destination Imagination, National Honor Society, OYAC, Leadership, and more. Heather is also a graduate of Pine River - Class of 1993. Her 1991 softball team was entered into the Pine River Hall of Fame a few years ago. Heather has been a part of the Elementary and Middle School parent groups, a member of the Boosters, the Athletic Council, the School Improvement Team, part of the Volleyball coaching staff, and the President of the Pine River Creativity Club. Heather says, "My choice to run for school board was based on my involvement and appreciation for our small community, my interest in learning more about the school district from a different perspective, and my willingness to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our students. Pine River has been a huge part of my life and I felt this was the next step in giving back to my community."
Thank you Heather for volunteering your time and energy to be a Pine River Area Schools Board Member!
Click the link to see this week's Elementary newsletter!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SprEMsWfzMLq7nGWpnIJzee6qLHxVTN_8vxaoenCvg4/edit?usp=sharing
January is School Board Appreciation Month! Being a school board member is not an easy job, it's completely volunteer and membership includes a 6 year term.
Another Pine River Area Schools Board member to introduce, thank and recognize is Kim Dean. Kim is employed at Corewell Health Big Rapids and Reed City. She has been married to her husband for 44 years! Her husband, two sons, and 2 grandchildren have graduated from Pine River Area Schools while a 3rd grandchild will graduate this spring. Her 4th grandchild attends Grand Rapids schools and she and her husband have 1 great grandchild with another on the way. Kim says that she “answered an ad for a vacant school board seat because I wanted to be more involved in our community, and wanted to see public education flourish.”
Thank you Kim for volunteering your time and energy as a Pine River Area Schools Board Member!
January is School Board Appreciation Month! Being a school board member is not an easy job, it's completely volunteer and membership includes a 6 year term.
Another Pine River Area Schools Board member to introduce, thank and recognize is Katy Draper. She graduated from Ferris State University with a degree in Elementary Education and has been an educator for the past 19 years. She currently teaches 2nd grade at Cadillac Area Public Schools. Katy lives in LeRoy with her husband of 20 years, Nate, and has two daughters, Layla and Alayna. Layla is a senior and Alayna is a sophomore at Pine River High School.
During her 23 years of living in this community, she has enjoyed serving on the board of the LeRoy Area Chamber of Commerce and LeRoy Razzaque Days Committee. She states that “what she has loved most is serving as your Pine River Area School Board Secretary. The past six years have not been for the faint of heart, but it has taught me so much. I will continue to advocate for our students, while also being a voice for families and staff. I want to thank you for electing me for another 6 years. I am committed to Pine River! I am a PRoud Mom and community member. I love cheering for our Bucks and I love our tight knit community!”
Thank you Mrs. Draper for volunteering your time and energy to be a Pine River Area Schools Board Member!
January is School Board Appreciation Month! Being a school board member is not an easy job, it's completely volunteer and membership includes a 6 year term. Our second newest board member is Susan Stoll. I would like to introduce, thank and recognize her now. Susan is originally from Monroe, Michigan. While in Monroe she graduated from Wayne State University and became a travel agent and office manager at a local travel agency. She was also a dance instructor, teaching primarily ballet and gymnastics. She moved to the Pine River School District in 1996, and her son started Kindergarten in Tustin. He is a proud PR graduate (class of 2009) and she now has a granddaughter who loves 3rd grade at the elementary school.
After going back to school to get her teaching certificate, she began teaching at Pine River in 1999 at Luther Elementary. While at Luther, she taught 4th and 2nd grades. She then moved to the Middle School, where she taught 8th grade science for 8 years. She then went on to teach Title 1 and 2nd grade at LeRoy Elementary, and 4th grade at the Middle School. In addition to teaching, she also coached Destination Imagination for a number of years where three of the teams she coached went on to compete at the Global Level! She also led a Lego Robotics group, first as an 8th grade class then as an afterschool activity.
Upon retiring from Pine River in June of 2019, she started working part time at the Cadillac YMCA. She currently works at the Welcome Center, she teaches the "aqua arthritis" class, and she facilitates a Lego Robotics activity with middle schoolers. The last three years she has also enjoyed being a choreographer for the YMCA's fundraiser, Dancing With The Y Stars.
Susan add that she pursued becoming a PRAS Board member because she is a” long time community member, a Pine River parent and grandparent, and a former staff member. Pine River has been, and continues to be, an important part of my life. I believe I have a unique perspective that allows me to see issues from multiple points of view. After more than 20 years at Pine River, becoming a Board trustee on the Pine River School Board feels like a very natural "evolution" or next step. I have only been a member of the School Board for a few months now, but I have already learned so much. I look forward to continuing to serve the staff, students, and community of the Pine River Area Schools.”
Thank you Susan for volunteering your time and energy to be a Pine River Area Schools Board Member!
January is School Board Appreciation Month!
Being a school board member is not an easy job, it's completely volunteer and membership includes a 6 year term. I've attached a flyer with more info about what board members do and don't do. This January, I'd like to introduce, thank and recognize our board members for their support of our students and staff. I'm going to try this one board member at a time since it didn't portray properly last time I tried it.
Our newest Pine River Area Schools Board member to introduce, thank and recognize is Wayne Tessman Jr. Wayne is self-employed as a Snap-On franchisee owner. He has been married to his wife Leanne for 12 years and they have three children who attend Pine River Area Schools. He states that “What I love about Pine River is the small-town, caring atmosphere! I look forward to the opportunity of serving on the school board.”
Thank you Mr. Tessman for volunteering your time and energy to be a Pine River Area Schools Board Member!
Our Buck of the Week is brought to you by Transformational Choices. Congratulations Lilly Felsk
Many thanks to our amazing Pine River Area Schools Bus Drivers! Today Officer Helmer provided them with "Stop the Bleed" training and provided each driver with a bleeding control kit for their bus. Thank you bus drivers! We appreciate you keeping our students safe every day!
With PRide,
Superintendent Michelle Gill
Dear PRAS Community,
Please read the following message that I was asked to share with you from PowerSchool. I will share more information as I receive it. Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
Superintendent Michelle Gill
Since Governor Whitmer proclaimed January 9th as Law Enforcement Appreciation Day in Michigan, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank our amazing School Resource Officer (SRO), Officer Helmer!
We are lucky to have THE best SRO and we appreciate him everyday whether he is hanging out with students, working on our emergency management plans or supporting administration and students through some very challenging situations. Give him a high five of appreciation when you have the chance. Thank you Officer Helmer for all you do!
With PRide,
Superintendent Michelle Gill
Join us for a special event this Saturday.
Congratulations to our Fall Athletes and Teams on a great season of accomplishments!
January is School Board Appreciation Month! Having worked in three different public school districts, my personal opinion is that Pine River Area Schools has THE best board members I've ever worked with. They are fair, caring, compassionate, committed and dedicated to Pine River Area Schools students and staff.
Being a school board member is not an easy job and membership includes a 6 year term. I've attached a flyer with more info about what board members do and don't do.
This January, I'd like to introduce, thank and recognize our board members for their support of our students and staff.
The first board member I'd like to introduce is Rob Kulpa. Rob is employed as the Director of the Wexford-Missaukee Friend of the Court. He's been married to his high school sweetheart, Michelle, for over 22 years and they have three kids together. One is a PR grad, the other two are students of Pine River Area Schools.
Rob says, "Since our children began attending PR when we moved up here in 2010, the school community has embraced them and helped them become who they’re still growing into today. So when there was an opportunity to serve on the Board, I decided to take it and ran as a write-in candidate.
The thing that stands out to me about PR is how much this school community takes care of itself and its students—we have a lot of people here that go the extra mile for our students, day in and day out. Another thing that stands out is the support our communities have shown our district. PR is very lucky to have a community that recognizes the needs of our schools and cares about the education of our children."
The second board member I'd like to introduce, thank and recognize is Heather Smith.
Heather has been employed with DTE Energy for 26 years. She and her husband Jared have been married for 3 years. Together they have 5 children, 4 of which have graduated from Pine River while the youngest is a Junior in high school. Their oldest is a teacher at the Pine River Elementary School! Their children have been involved in many things at Pine River including Athletics, Band, Destination Imagination, National Honor Society, OYAC, Leadership, and more. Heather is also a graduate of Pine River - Class of 1993. Her 1991 softball team was entered into the Pine River Hall of Fame a few years ago. Heather has been a part of the Elementary and Middle School parent groups, a member of the Boosters, the Athletic Council, the School Improvement Team, part of the Volleyball coaching staff, and the President of the Pine River Creativity Club. Heather says, "My choice to run for school board was based on my involvement and appreciation for our small community, my interest in learning more about the school district from a different perspective, and my willingness to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our students. Pine River has been a huge part of my life and I felt this was the next step in giving back to my community."
I hope this information allows you to know more about our board members, what they do, and why they serve in the role of Pine River Area School board member. Go Bucks!
