Sparta TODAY Newspaper April 2022 : simplebooklet.com

• IN THIS ISSUE •Page 3Ace earns Pinnacle AwardPage 4North Kent Eagles DonationPage 8SHS Athletic HistoryPage 10Sparta Chamber CelebrationPage 17175th Anniversary of A lpine TownshipPage 21Bell RingerPRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAIDGRAND RAPIDS, MI Permit #214ECRWSS Postal CustomerThe Beer & Brat Street Fest is an all-new adult-geared event that will feature locally sourced brats and custom brewed beer. You’ll be able to shop street artisan vendors from Market on the Ridge, visit food trucks, and check out the games for ages 18+ which include fowling, axe throwing, mechanical bull riding, and more! There will be live music throughout the event including The Still Wonder, The Oxymorons, and 17 Degrees South. The Whiskey Bound Band (a country cover band) will perform on Friday night and the John Fett Quartett (a classic rock band) will perform on Saturday night. This event is free to walk around and enjoy the ambiance (no admission fee) and tickets will be sold to purchase drinks, food, and games throughout the street fest. Sparta is hosting a Night Out in Sparta package (with the promo code), for $35 for one ticket or $50 for two tickets – a package that includes mechanical bull riding, axe throwing, and of course, custom brewed craft beer drinking (for those 21 and over!) Adult's Night Out in Sparta Package for $35 includes: Adult’s Night Out in Sparta Package Includes:A Mechanical Bull Ride (Valued at $10)An Axe Throwing Game (Valued at $10)A Fowling Game (Valued at $10)$10 in tickets toward brat or beer purchases (Must be 21 to drink!) Or you can purchase a la carte tickets on the day of the event!The Beer & Brat Street Fest

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SpartaTODAY April 2022 3we insure your car. because some people never learned to park.simple human sense®Shelly Crissey Kim ReimerJe Bradford Joel GreeneKarla Kurnat Shelli Hall616.887.8881 • ottawakent.comFor the second year in a row, Sparta Village Ace has achieved Ace’s prestigious Pinnacle Award. Ace’s Pinnacle Status, which is the highest award given to their stores, is only achieved by 17% of the 5,500 Ace stores nation-wide. The award is based on store metrics including Customer Satisfaction, In-ventory In-Stock percent-age, Training, and overall product selection. Please congratulate your home-town store for this great accomplishment!Sparta Village Ace Earns Pinnacle AwardCALLINGALL VOLUNTEERS!We have a new tab on the website for all of our volunteer opportunities! https://www.spartachamber.com/volunteer Some big news to announce! We here at the Sparta Chamber are pleased to announce that we've entered into a new partnership with a rapidly expanding company and are our oce building in Downtown Sparta will become a Blockbuster satellite station! Next time you see any of our friendly Chamber sta, we'll all be in Blockbuster Blue!Chamber President Tom Penland from Tom’s Home-town Bakery announced the plan was years in the making and made "strong nancial sense, to align ourselves with an up and coming company will allow us to meet a com-pletely un-served market here in West Michigan!".We couldn’t resist— April Fools! (Thanks for letting us make a corny quick image and corny joke!!)Someone at the Sparta Chamber was behind the April Fools Day joke!See what happened on the Sparta TODAY Facebook Page on April 1!

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4 April 2022 SpartaTODAY DAVE COLE DECORATORS, INC. COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL PAINTING & WALLCOVERINGHotels - Hospitals - Schools – FactoriesChurches - Ofces325 Martindale St. • Sparta616-887-9465 • www.dcd-inc.comE S T 1 9 67GET STARTEDBuild with the Leaders in Custom Metal BuildingsBuild with the Leaders in Custom Metal BuildingsAuthorized Builder SSteel eerection ccorp11865 N Division Ave, Sparta, MICommercial • Industrial • Institutional www.steelerectioncorp@gmail.com (616)887-0042(616)887-0042E S T 19 6 7We are proudly Celebrating our 76th year of business.431 W. Division, Sparta616-887-8247Servicing Both Large and Small AnimalsOfce Calls, Surgeries and Farm Visitsspartaanimalclinic.netM-F 8:00am-6:00pm Sat. 8:00am-1:00pmEquipmentEquipmentRentals & SalesRentals & Sales316 S. Maple (M-37) • Grant231-834-7368 81 N. State St. • Sparta, MI616-383-1080Recently the North Kent Eagles presented a check for $2,000 to the K9 Camo Companions organization. The fundraiser was organized by the axillary group and individual members donated. K9 Camo Companions is a nonprot organiza-tion headquartered in Sparta, Michigan, with a Goal to give back to Veterans who served in the United States military by matching them with a companion dog that is rescued and trained under canine good citizen standards.K9 Camo Companions said, “Our goal is to try to nd a shelter dog with the energy level and personality to compliment the lifestyle and needs of our Veterans. When we match our Veterans and shelter dogs we try to look at all aspects of what both want to enhance their lives. Some of our Veterans are looking for a tv watch-ing pal, jogging partner, traveling companion, or just another family member. Our dogs are looking for the same thing so our mission is to help them nd each other.”Your generous, tax deductible donation will allow us to place a companion animal with a veteran free of charge to them. In addition, they will receive all necessary items one requires when rst getting a pet. It also allow us to train their animal to Canine Good Citizen standards. We don’t stop helping once we place an animal. Donations allow us to build relationships with our veterans and continue to help in any way possible.If you would like to make a donation please call us at 616-970-0234Please mail a contribution to us at:9161 Sparta Ave.Suite BSparta, MI 49345North Kent Eagles Donate $2,000 to K9 Camo Companions

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SpartaTODAY April 2022 5ROTARY CLUB ANNUALOUTINGRegister with Brad Buettner: bbuettner@celiacorp.comDETAILS ON BACK24JUNE10:30amThe Falls atBarber Creek16030 Barber Creek AveKent City, MI 49330• Prizes to be Raffled!• Food to be Grilled!• Fun to be had!thatGOLF ROTARY STYLE“SERVICE ABOVE SELF”Proceeds help us eradicate polio, provide safe drinking water in 3rd world countries, support local schools, locally feed the hungry, and more. Help us, and you help others!Please indicate your involvement by completing the form below and returning by Friday, June 17, 2022.When: Friday, June 24, 2022 10:30am - registration 11:00am - shotgun startWhere: The Falls at Barber Creek • 16030 Barber Creek Ave., Kent CityHow: 18 Hole Scramble FormatFood: Dinner after round!Opportunities to be Involved! (circle your choice)1. Donate a Door Prize2. Sponsorship / 4 Golfers (includes tee or green marker) $325*3. Foursome $300*4. Twosome $75 each*5. Tee Sponsor $100** Includes golf cart, dinner and door prizes** We will pair you up to make a foursomePLAYER SIGN UP FORM:#1#2#3#4Door Prize Donation:Sponsorship Name:Phone Number: E-mail: Check Total:Make Checks payable to Sparta Rotary - PO Box 263 Sparta MI While the fun is getting started, consider supporting the eort by donating funds to the 501c3 Non-prot organization (Sparta Events) who is charged with raising funds to execute these amazing events! Sponsorships and donations are accepted both from corporate funds like businesses AND from individual families! Our sponsorships are done online at https://www.spartachamber.com/give for just $25 you can help bring the fun to Sparta! Thank you for all those who have supported making Sparta a FUN and ACTIVE place to be, we are excited for more good vibes in Sparta for 2022!

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6 April 2022 SpartaTODAYSparta Bucks is a community currency, like a gift certicate, that can be used at a variety of businesses that participate with the Chamber. No matter how you choose to use your Sparta Bucks, it is an investment in our local businesses and communi-ty! Simply purchase Sparta Bucks at the link below, and a PDF of your bucks will be emailed to you. Print o your bucks, and spend them like cash at participating locations!Sparta Bucks can be purchased at https://www.spartachamber.com/sparta-bucksIf you haven’t been to North Kent Connect (NKC) lately you might not know that our 12,400-square-foot expan-sion in 2021 made room for more community services in our building.Our newest on-site partner is the Kent County Health Department WIC North County Clinic. WIC provides nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and edu-cation, referrals to other health care providers, high-risk nutrition counseling, immunizations, and supplemental foods to low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children under the age of ve.The new Family Promise Day Center provides home-less families with a safe place to do work, shower, do laundry, prepare lunch, look for employment, and work with a Family Promise case manager to nd permanent housing. Longtime on-site partners have expanded oces as well. Arbor Circle provides mental health and substance abuse services, and West Michigan Works! (on-site again soon) oers job preparedness assistance.If you’d like to see how things have changed, we’re always happy to give you a tour! Contact Scott Christie at (616) 866-3478 ext. 356, or at scott.christie@nkconnect.org.On-Site Partners North Kent Connect

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8 April 2022 SpartaTODAY1. Sparta’s rst athletic event was a 1902 track meet with Cedar Springs, Rockford and Sparta as participants-this was the rst of its kind in Kent County. 2. Sparta started football in 1903, losing to Greenville 103-0, G R Central Reserves 52-0 and Muskeg-on 17-0.3. 1906 was the beginning of base-ball as we played six games, losing only to Newaygo. We played our games at Recreation Park, which was south of Centennial and west of Union.4. 1906 was also the adoption of blue and white as our colors.5. Sparta girls basketball started in 1907 with two games-both losses. They played on an outdoor court, usually on Saturdays and traveled with the baseball team. 6. Also, in 1907 our rst league was started, the North Kent Athletic Association, with Sparta, Kent City, Cedar Springs and Sand Lake as members.7. In 1910, Kent City, Ravenna, Casnovia and Sparta started the Inter-High School Athletic Associ-ation8. In 1913, boys basketball started- six years after the girls.9. The 1917 and 1923 boys basket-ball teams won the basketball title of the Kent County Inter-Scholas-tic Title-all the schools outside of Grand Rapids.10. In 1926 the rst gymnasium was built onto in the iconic red brick high school building- the same grounds where Central Ele-mentary was eventually built.11. The 1930 boys basketball team went undefeated at 16-0, our only unbeaten season (this was before we joined the MHSAA).12. In 1927, tennis became a sport and in 1936 we won second place in class C & D.13. 1936 was the beginning of the Kenowa League with Comstock Park, Cedar Springs, Kent City, Sand Lake, Coopersville and Sparta as charter members.14. 1938 was the rst football game played at Balyeat Field which turned out to be a 7-6 win over Coopersville on a drop kick extra point by Jimmy Warren.15. In the fall of 1961, we joined the very popular Tri-River Conference with Rockford, Cedar Springs, Lowell, Belding, Comstock Park and Sparta as original members.16. The 1962 cross country team is our only state champion.17. The fall of 1984 was our rst year in the OK Conference, we have played in three dierent divisions -Blue, White and Silver-our present division.Sparta High School Historical Athletic FactsAttention Sparta Class of 1961!The Sparta Class of 1961 is hosting a 61st Pot Luck Class Reunion in Rogers Park on July 9 at Noon! Hope to see you there!!

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10 April 2022 SpartaTODAY275 S. State St., Sparta • 616-887-4002www.BriedenMillerOrtho.comOR BRACESVoted Top Docs in Orthodontics!- GR MagazineSmileSmileTogetherTogether 2022 SPARTA VILLAGE & TOWNSHIP SPRING CLEAN-UP Sparta Village and Township will be holding a Spring Clean-Up for residents beginning on Thursday, April 21st and continuing through Saturday, April 23rd. Hours of operation for each day are as follows: Day Date Start Time End Time Thursday April 21, 2022 1:00 PM 8:00 PM Friday April 22, 2022 1:00 PM 8:00 PM Saturday April 23, 2022 9:00 AM 3:00 PM In 2017 the Village & Township made several changes to what is accepted. Please review the list below to confirm the item you are bringing is accepted. ACCEPTED ITEMS: (Residents are expected to unload their own yard waste and materials.) • Appliances – Refrigerators will have to have coolant removed w/certificate (check with an appliance store) • Electronics, Computers – (No CRT TV’s, CRT Monitors or leaded glass TV’s will be accepted. If it has a curved lens, we will not accept it.) • Scrap Metal (Tin, Steel, Aluminum) • Furniture, Miscellaneous large items • Tires (limit of 4 per household) – Must have rim removed • Propane Tanks, Car Batteries, Household batteries • Yard Waste – Grass, Leaves, branches and limbs smaller than four (4”) inches in diameter. WE WILL NOT ACCEPT: • Household Trash or Waste, NO MATTRESSESS • Hazardous Waste (No Liquids, Gas Tanks, CO2 Cylinders, paint thinners, Weed Killers, Bug Sprays, Oil Based Paint, Acids). Please contact Kent County 616-632-7939 for direction on disposal • Construction or building materials (scrap metal accepted per list above) • Vehicles of any kind or Boats over 12 feet in length • Fluorescent light bulbs • ID’S WILL BE CHECKED AT THE GATE Sparta Chamber Member Celebration!Join the Sparta Chamber Members at Stoney Ridge Winery on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 in an open house-style celebration of local businesses! All Chamber members are invited to attend, please RSVP to spartatoday@spartami.org by May 1, 2022. Awards will be presented at 6:30 pm for several categories of recognition! Not a Chamber Member, but would like to join? Check out our membership info here: www.spartachamber.com/membership-applicationThe Sparta Chamber committees serve as a catalyst for economic growth in our community through programs that promote the economic viability, beauty, and historic signicance of our downtown shopping area. We do this by implementing events that are proven to generate foot trac, by utilizing our local newspaper and advertising programs, and by providing support to start-ups with our small business incubator programs to ensure that our businesses thrive.Our work has made a signicant impact on Sparta’s revitalization. As a non-prot, we also partner with organizations like the Consumer’s Energy Foundation, West Michigan Tourist Association, and Experience GR to provide grant funding to support our programs, and we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to keep you in business! We are connected by watersheds. Improving the watershed in which you live, improves the Earth! Rain and snowfall from Spar-ta’s watershed ows into Nash Creek, to the Rogue River, to the Grand River to Lake Michigan. Planting native plants and trees is the only way to clean storm water and restore habitat for a healthy environment! Students and communi-ty volunteers have been doing just that for over ten years. All we have to do is keep non-native, invasive species from coming back. But our restoration proj-ects have grown so large that our small group of volunteers can no longer keep up. Please help weed at schools or in town along Nash Creek: any Tuesday or Thursday from 9:30-12:00, and/or add your email and possible availability times to a work bee list. Work bees will start after the Annual Nash Creek Clean Up on May 14. No experience is necessary. Every minute you can give is appreciated! Contact Sue Blackall, sue.blackall@spartaschools.org or call or text 616-460-2429.How can you help the Earth?

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12 April 2022 SpartaTODAY1550 10 MILE ROAD, SPARTA, MI 49345616-675-5368Fax: 616-675-7105www.kentequipment.comHOURS: M-F 7:30 – 5:00 Sat 8:00 12:00KubotaUSA.com*According to 2019 data from Off-Highway Research including all Kubota Group brand sales. © Kubota Tractor Corporation, 2021. This material is for descriptive purposes only. Kubota disclaims all representations and warranties, express or implied, or any liability from the use of this material. For complete warranty, safety and product information, consult your local Kubota dealer. For the complete disclaimer, go to KubotaUSA.com/disclaimers and see the posted disclaimer.KX057-5 & SVL75-2 Durable Kubota engines Comfortable cabsThe Kubota Orange Rental Program makes it easy to rent the right equipment for your next job. Stop in to find hardworking equipment like the KX057-5 compact excavator and the SVL75-2 compact track loader.• The world’s #1-selling compact excavator lineup for over 15 years.*• Available to rent on site for greater convenience and productivity.• A wide network of support from dealers and construction experts.• Powered by durable, reliable Kubota engines.Rent the right tool for the job. KubotaUSA.com*According to 2019 data from Off-Highway Research including all Kubota Group brand sales. © Kubota Tractor Corporation, 2021. This material is for descriptive purposes only. Kubota disclaims all representations and warranties, express or implied, or any liability from the use of this material. For complete warranty, safety and product information, consult your local Kubota dealer. For the complete disclaimer, go to KubotaUSA.com/disclaimers and see the posted disclaimer.KX057-5 & SVL75-2 Durable Kubota engines Comfortable cabsThe Kubota Orange Rental Program makes it easy to rent the right equipment for your next job. Stop in to find hardworking equipment like the KX057-5 compact excavator and the SVL75-2 compact track loader.• The world’s #1-selling compact excavator lineup for over 15 years.*• Available to rent on site for greater convenience and productivity.• A wide network of support from dealers and construction experts.• Powered by durable, reliable Kubota engines.Rent the right tool for the job. KubotaUSA.com*According to 2019 data from Off-Highway Research including all Kubota Group brand sales. © Kubota Tractor Corporation, 2021. This material is for descriptive purposes only. Kubota disclaims all representations and warranties, express or implied, or any liability from the use of this material. For complete warranty, safety and product information, consult your local Kubota dealer. For the complete disclaimer, go to KubotaUSA.com/disclaimers and see the posted disclaimer.KX057-5 & SVL75-2 Durable Kubota engines Comfortable cabsThe Kubota Orange Rental Program makes it easy to rent the right equipment for your next job. Stop in to find hardworking equipment like the KX057-5 compact excavator and the SVL75-2 compact track loader.• The world’s #1-selling compact excavator lineup for over 15 years.*• Available to rent on site for greater convenience and productivity.• A wide network of support from dealers and construction experts.• Powered by durable, reliable Kubota engines.Rent the right tool for the job.

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14 April 2022 SpartaTODAY88 East Division StreetPO Box 427Sparta, MI 49345p 616-887-1761f 616-887-2870www.northridgefuneral.comstaff@northridgefuneral.comWickedDo you think you know the REAL story of the Wizard of Oz, Glinda, and Elphaba? There are many things most people are unaware of! Why was Elphaba green? How did Glinda and Elphaba know each other? Why were Nessarose’s (Elphaba’s sister) shoes so special? Where did the ying monkeys come from? Who were the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion really? Who had the ability to defy gravity and really y? Who was Wicked????Dance with Me by Amber Marie is going to answer these questions – and others – at their performances of Wicked on Friday, May 13, 6:00, and three times on Saturday, May 14, 11:00, 1:30, and 4:00. Get ready for a fun and uplifting show full of comedy, drama, and action. You will be amazed to watch who can FLY!!! The performances will take place at the Sparta High School Audito-rium. All tickets are $10 each – not reserved. They will be available at the Dance with Me by Amber Marie studio starting Monday, April 11, and at the door before each performance. OPEN REGISTRATIONAre you looking for a fun filled and energizing activity in a family-friendly, non-judg-mental atmosphere for you and your family members? Dance with Me by Amber Marie at 219 East Division is definitely the place you should look into!There are classes for all ages! There are 30 minute Mommy and Me classes for those 12 months and up, hour long combo classes of tap/ballet and jazz/hip hop for ages 3 and up, co-ed classes, hour long classes for teens – varying styles, all boys classes, adult women’s classes, adult men’s classes, and private solo and duet classes available. Ages range from babies to Grandmas!! The dance season is from September through the first weekend in June. Every-one is welcomed!! Dance with Me by Amber Marie is hosting Open Reg-istration starting the week of April 18. If you have ques-tions or are interested in signing up, please drop in and see us Monday through Thursday, between 4:00 and 8:00. There is NO REGISTRA-TION FEE for anyone who signs up before June 1! That saves you $25 per dancer! Performers in Wicked, Left Olivia Montgomery as Elphaba and Right Hannah Wright as Glinda.

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SpartaTODAY April 2022 17Village of Sparta Residents: Per Section 78-75 of Sparta Village Code of Ordi-nances, noxious weeds, grass more than eight inches in height, dead bushes, dead trees, and stumps and bushes and trees infested with dangerous insects or infectious diseases must be cut and removed from the property during the growing season, namely April 15th through October 15th of each year. If the owner, agent or occupant refuses to destroy the noxious weeds and vegetation, the village or its contractor may, after May 1 of the given year, enter upon the land and destroy them and remove them. If unpaid, the cost of removal shall be assessed as a lien against the land, which shall be enforced in the manner of enforcement of tax liens. Any owner who refuses to destroy and remove noxious weeds and vegetation shall also be responsible for a municipal civil infraction.Thank you in advance for your cooperation. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact Sparta Village Hall at (616) 887-8251 or email CodeEn-forcement@SpartaMI.org.Tall Grass and Noxious Vegetation NoticeDrinks include:Hot Chocolate / CoffeeBottled WaterCoke/Diet CokeMountain Dew / SpriteSlushiesGatoradePackaged FoodsGranola BarsDoritos/FritosChipsCandy BarsHot Items PopcornHot DogNachos with CheeseBratsPretzels with CheeseFrozen GoodiesGatorade PopsIce Cream BarsSparta Sports Park Menu ItemsGet Township News in Your EmailSparta Township invites you to sign up to receive Township news and information by email. See the new Township Email List signup form on our webpage, www.spartatownship.org, just below the large "Quick Links" buttons.From time to time, the Township will send email messages to enrolled members. We will focus the emails on timely topics and notices. Our goal is to improve communication with our citizens.We will not share your email address with anyone else, nor use it for any commercial purpose.Sign up and become a member of our Township email message list! We are happy to serve you.On October 11, 2021 the Village Council for the Village of Sparta passed Resolution 21-10 officially renaming Lamoreaux Park to Lamoreaux Brothers Veterans Memorial Park. The park was renamed to recognize not only the sacrifice of the Lamoreaux Family, but to also recog-nize all veterans of the US Militar y. The Lamoreaux Broth-ers Veterans Memorial Park Master Plan was undertaken to help identi-fy a location for a replica of the World War I mon-ument, affectionately known Shorty’s Monu-ment. A group of local stakeholders are actively working to recreate this monument and have it placed in the Lamoreaux Brothers Veterans Memo-rial Park. The proposed plan for Lamoreaux Park is a roadmap from which the Village will work from to update the park as it currently is, to a park that can be utilized by a greater number of resi-dents and visitors. The proposed plan is not set in stone and it will be used as a guide for future amenities and upgrades. Nothing laid out in the proposed plan will occur overnight or immediately. For example, the old base-ball diamond is a main-stay of the park, but as it ages the ball diamond will reach the end of its useful life and may be removed as it could become a safety hazard. The Lamoreaux Broth-ers Veterans Memorial Park Master Plan was initiated to help plan for the placement of Shorty’s Monument and future veterans memorials. As the park’s new name states, the Village hopes to create a memorial park for all veterans and a vibrant neighborhood park for our residents to enjoy.Lamoreaux Brothers Veterans Memorial Park: Like many of our neigh-boring townships, Alpine was able to become an independent governing body when it reached the necessary population figures. That event oc-curred in 1847 and a new township group lead by Edward Wheeler as super-visor began. Alpine Township and the Historical Commis-sion are planning many events this year to high-light history as well as new developments. By late April the new FRUIT RIDGE COUNTRY GUIDE will be out with listings of local markets and our Alpine list of events and contacts. Here is the Alpine calendar –April 24th – The Annual Best on the Ridge Maple Syrup Contest. To be videotaped for u-tube and Facebook.May 15th – Agriculture and Homestead Day at the Community Building, 2015 Seven Mi. Rd., from 2-4pm.July 22nd – The new Alpine Township Fire Station No.1; Dedication and Open House, 1100 Henze Dr., 4-8pm. Ribbon cutting ceremony, tours of the new facility and refreshments.July 23th – Family Fun and Celebration at the Alpine Sports Park, 1850 Alpine Church Rd, next to Alpine Elementary School. Events from 11am-3 pm will include a kid’s bike parade, Vintage car show, children’s games and food trucks!Sept.16th – Fun with Family History: a class on finding material and or-ganizing a family tree. All ages, at 7pm at the Henze Center community room, 1100 Henze Dr.Sept 17th – Open House at the Alpine Historical Museum, and the Histor-ical Office and Commu-nity Room from 1-4pm. Displays will include early settlers, military veterans, 4& 5 generation families, early schools, Centennial farms and research files. The museum and histor-ic cemetery are at 2404 Seven Mile Rd. and the Community Building is at 2015 Seven Mile Road.Oct.16th- Apple Harvest time and Apple Smorgas-bord History from 2-4 pm at the Alpine Community BuildingNov. 20th- A Veteran Salute at the Historical Museum, and Cemetery history in Alpine from 2-4pm.Alpine Township is looking forward to an active year ahead. Please join us in celebrating 175 years as a township com-munity.Happy 175th Anniversary To Alpine Township!The Village of Sparta will be conducting the annual spring Hydrant Flushing and Maintenance Program beginning May 2022 weather permitting. Not knowing if weather will coop-erate we have a tentative end date of May 27, 2022During this time you may notice an occasional decrease in water pressure and possibly some slight cloudiness in the water. Most residents will see no change in their water supply. If you should notice a change in the appearance of your water, simply let the water run until it clears, usually within several minutes.There is no cause for concern with respect to the safety of your water supply and the Village performs this service twice a year to maintain a safe, reliable and abundant supply of water for our residents. This program also ensures that the Fire Hydrants in our Village are operating correctly and available for use in an emergency.Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dennis Brinks – DPW Supervisor, at the Village of Sparta, at 887-9303.Hydrant Flushing in May

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18 April 2022 SpartaTODAYWith the warmer weather of the past few weeks, the melting snow and the green showing on the playing fields, Spring sports are right around the corner. In its second year, the Sparta Sports Park will play host to many of these sports. Individuals and teams for baseball, softball, t-ball, and soccer have already been on the fields prac-ticing as weather permits, and opening day and first games for these sports will be Saturday, 23 April 2022. Come on out and enjoy the excitement. Already, Rugby players have been practicing on the fields since mid-March and have even played one match in March. Disc-golf-ers have been using the disc-golf course almost daily with the warmer weather. Disc-golfers have been joined by dog walkers, families and outdoor enthusiasts hiking on the trails.The Park is in the middle of several improvements for 2022. The first is the Pavilion/playground next to the Concession. The Pavilion frame and cement pad is already in place, just waiting for the roof. The playground equipment will soon follow. The second improvement is the new walking trail from State Street to the Concession via the baseball fields. The entire trail has been excavated and the wooden bridge completed. The third improvement is an additional multipurpose field on the southeast side of the park. This field will be used for rugby, soccer, and football. The utility lines have been moved and expect heavy equip-ment moving earth soon. Coaches are already asking for access, so cannot wait for this field to be complet-ed. Speaking of improve-ments, cannot overlook the Concession. There is a new menu, (see new menu below) different pricing and better signage. The popular Slurpee machine from last Fall is back, as are the grilled hotdogs. There are also new items for special occasions, like Brats on Opening Day. Come on out and enjoy! With the new Pavilion for cover from the weather, the playground for chil-dren and the Concession all in close proximity, this should be a great place for teams, families, and groups to gather.Finally, all this activ-ity happens because of the generous donations of money and time by so many people in the community! Volunteers run the Concession (sign up), coach the kids, or-ganize the leagues, mow the grounds, plant native trees, put up bird houses, and give to the park in so many ways – thank you! If you are inclined to mon-etarily support the Park, there are many oppor-tunities. We still have engraved bricks available for the Veterans Memori-al, engraved plaques for trees, engraved plaques for benches and picnic tables, and fields to be dedicated. You can even sponsor a tournament! If you have questions about any of these opportunities, call the park manager, Jeff Miles at 616-228-5656, or inquire at the Chamber of Commerce.Sparta Sports Park, Spring 2022A Community Rela-tionship Comes to an End In 1995, Sandra and Michele, and their Aunt Sue walked into Ann Marie Derck’s beauty salon. The young teens wore dark, heavy mascara and had small bruises on their fair faces. They were in a car accident during the week before. Sue had made an appointment with Ann to teach the girls how to apply their make-up cor-rectly. So Ann sent them next door to Momber’s makeup counter to pick out the perfect shades - multiple times! After an hour of expert advice and gentle conversation, Sandra and Michele’s faces glowed and eyes sparkled. Their reflec-tion in the mirror made their aunt’s eyes tear up. “Ann completely erased the tragedy that could have happened,” she thought. That is what local salons do for their community. Patrons come in perhaps feeling overwhelmed with life. After personal conver-sations and fresh attrac-tive hairstyles, they feel happier when they leave. In 1962 Ann earned her cosmetology license while taking care of baby Shari and four year old Robby. She began her career working at Tip Top Beauty Shop which was located in the middle of the mall across the parking lot of the current Dollar General. After two years, Ann owned the Tip Top, and she and Bob had another daughter, Gina. The style of the day was a tall bouffant with petal curls on the side. Women came in weekly for a shampoo and set, which included a hair piece to make it even higher. Space and more stylists were added to the salon several times. Ann said, “Shampoo and sets are our bread and butter!” In 1977, Ann and Bob bought Keck’s Shoe store which was located on the corner of Division and Union. It became Ann Marie’s Family Hair Care. Bob created the only moving sign in Sparta-a giant pair of cutting shears. On the second floor were three affordable downtown apartments, which were continuously occupied. Ann added a tanning salon and a clothing boutique. Her daughters also received cosmetol-ogy licenses and joined the business. Eventually, Gina switched careers and became a teacher, and Shari took over responsibilities at the salon. Ann was a strong leader and built a team of talented stylists. She closed the boutique and used the space to add more stations. Ann was proud of what she had accomplished over thirty five years. So, she was ready to retire when Bob did. Now, they spend their winters in Florida. For the next twenty years, Ann Marie’s Hair Care brightened the corner across from Choice One Bank with seasonally decorated windows. A donation box for someone in need was usually sitting on the counter. Every non-prof-it organization repre-sentative who walked in, left with a donation from Shari for their cause. Recently, Choice One needed to expand and bought the building. The other hair stylists moved on, and Shari joined Pro-Styles, which is farther east on Division St. Ann and Bob Derck wish to thank their daughter Shari, friends, custom-ers, and businesses for the relationships and support they shared for fifty-five years as Ann Marie’s Family Hair CareAnn Marie’s Family Hair CareTip Top Beauty Shop in 1962

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SpartaTODAY April 2022 19Sparta High School Winter Sports Wrap-UpAs high school sports enter the spring season of the 2021-22 school year, we need to look back at the exciting seasons for our winter sports teams. Here is a wrap-up:BOWLINGThe boys bowling team finished the season undefeat-ed - a perfect 14-0. All-conference bowlers were Kaleb Rowland, Andew Iler and Sam Woolworth. All-aca-demic bowlers were Zander Slauter, Kaleb Rowland, Andrew Iler and Sam Woolworth. We had a great year in winning the OK-Silver conference, 3rd in regionals, and finishing 12th in Div-2 state competition.ROCKFORD/SPARTA GYMNASTICSThe Rockford/Sparta team this year had 18 gymnasts, and we had an amazing season. We were undefeated in our conference, first place in the region, and STATE CHAMPIONS!!! 9 girls qualified individually at state and 5 of them placed in the top 10 on their events. Joey Gair, senior, is a division 2 athlete who finished 6th on beam and 8th in the all around. Lacey Scheid, Junior, is a division 1 athlete who placed 3rd on vault, 1st on beam, 1st on floor, and 3rd in the all around. Anna Tracey, senior, is a division 2 athlete and placed 2nd on bars, 1st on beam, and was ALL AROUND CHAMPION. It was a great season!COMPETITIVE CHEERThe first season of our rebuilding program was a success! We tied for 3rd in the OK Silver and 9th in our district. Now that we have the first season under our belt, we’re excited to build upon a solid foundation & renewed program culture!VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL The Varsity Girls' Basketball team had a phenome-nal year in the 2021-2022 season. The Spartans were a perfect 14-0 in the OK Silver, celebrating a conference championship. The Spartans made it to the district final before finishing the season 19-3 overall. Four players were honored by the OK Silver - Ashley Cowdrey & Bella Vallone were unanimous First Team All-Conference and Makayla Hatchew & Averi Peot were voted Honorable Mention All-Conference. WRESTLINGThe wrestling team was strong but young this season. Despite their lack of depth, the wrestlers did win their second district title. The team returns 3 conference Champs, three state qualifiers, and several others with over 30 win seasons. Nolan Larson placed 6th in state as a freshman. Gabe Gair also qualified for state as a sophomore. Jaedon Kutzli, the team's lone senior, did a masterful job leading the team.NORTHVIEW/COMSTOCK PARK/SPARTA HOCK EYThe hockey season ended very well. The boys had pos-itive attitudes & determination which allowed them to play great as a team. This helped them have a pretty suc-cessful season considering the history of the program. Their record was 14-10-1 which is 2nd best season of NCPS Hockey.VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALLThe varsity boys basketball team took home a district championship after defeating Fremont, 53-40. They concluded their 2021-22 season with an 11-13 record under first year head coach Scott Berry.

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20 April 2022 SpartaTODAYCreative people are special and certainly an asset to a senior center. The Sparta Senior Neigh-bors have hit the creativity moth-erlode with three gems that vol-unteer their talents every month for the parties. Karen, Donna and Norma, known as the Creative Women’s Committee, are collec-tively putting together their minds to offer fantastic monthly parties for the North Kent community seniors; everyone is invited to the parties, including younger folks. The parties are not only mas-terly decorated by these ladies, but they are clever and so much fun for everyone who attends. Top notch musicians are hired, homemade goodies are served, and great prizes are awarded. At Christmas time, due to some of the most generous donors, Senior Neighbors was able to offer every attendee large gift bags full of great gifts including gift cards. If you haven’t attended a party, you should come out and enjoy. The Creative Women are also organizing a spring craft fair. The first annual craft fair was this past December. The Christmas fair was a success and brought in several crafters from the area to showcase everything from home-made dolls, quilts, hats, floral ar-rangements, signs, and you name it. The fair offered the crafters an organized and thoughtful selling experience, and the customers were very pleased also with the shopping atmosphere and the great bargains. The spring fair is on the calendar for Saturday April 2nd to run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sparta Senior Neigh-bors center inside the Harvest Way building, 100 Ida Red Ave. in Sparta., behind Meadowlark. Karen, Donna and Norma are having as much fun as any group of friends can; planning and exe-cuting these events. Together they bring out the best in each other and creative juices are flowing when they are planning. Their meetings are productive, and laughter is part of the process. The three women have back-grounds in scout leader positions, running daycares, decorating cakes, sewing and various design crafts. Together they make a perfect team and welcome the opportunity for any creative chal-lenge. Senior Neighbors is fortu-nate to have this group of women giving of their time and talents.

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SpartaTODAY April 2022 21Moving Forward with Positive IntentionsSpring is here!! The temperatures are getting warmer, the days are getting longer, and soon our owers will be in bloom. I stole the quote above from Lady Bird Johnson, although I changed the rst word, but felt that it was very tting in light of these last two years. With Covid cases virtually non-existent over the last month, we are nally in that post-pandemic phase and can continue to work on our “recovery.” There is no better time than the spring to celebrate all that is good in our world. To steal another quote, this one from the Beatles, “Here comes the sun, and I say, it’s alright.”While our winter had some challenges, we still had plenty to celebrate here in Sparta. Our winter athletic teams had one of the most successful seasons in memory!! Our boys and girls bowlers both qualied for the state nals as a team, with our girls nishing 5th overall in the state in division 2. Our girls basketball team nished the season with a 19-3 record and an OK Silver championship. Our boys basketball team won a district championship before suering a close loss in the regionals. Our wrestling team won a team district championship, and had multiple athletes qualify for the individual state nals. And our competitive cheer team showed strong improvement throughout the season and is looking toward a promising future. Congratulations to all our winter athletes, coaches, and parents. Now bring on the spring!!These next few months will provide lots of opportunities to celebrate. When our sta and students return from spring break there will only be a little over 8 weeks remaining in the school year, and only 5 weeks for our seniors. Our seniors will have opportunities to celebrate with Senior Awards on May 10, Prom on May 14, our Parade of Graduates through town on May 17, and nally our High School Graduation on May 26. We will also be hosting events like our 8th grade recognition (May 25), our 5th grade parent night (for incoming 6th graders), and our end -of-the-year band and choir concerts. Spring is a busy time, but it is a time of much celebration and hope!! And then comes the summer.Our district will once again be oering many summer school opportunities for our students. We are continuing our partnership with Camp Scottie for our K-5 students, and we will have several weeks of academic and enrichment camp experiences for K-12 students. Please watch for more information from your child’s principal on these summer opportunities, most of them free. This may be the last summer we will have special funding available for summer school, so please take advantage of the opportunities your child may be interested in!!We are also planning for the 2022-23 school year, and looking forward to a year that will be a much more normal experience for our sta and students. As we have learned over these past two years, we will still have to be able to make any adjustments, if needed, at a moment’s notice, but we are hopeful that any adjustments would be minimal and temporary. We have persevered over these last two school years, and look forward to a year where we can continue to help our students recover, both academically and socially, from this pandemic.Thanks again for all your support and cooperation!! As we bring another successful school year to a close over the next two months, we look forward to celebrating our seniors and preparing for the future.With Spartan Pride,Pete Bush, SuperintendentSparta Area SchoolsBELL RINGERHome of the Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School www.spartaschools.orgApril/May, 2022When Mrs. Kilpatrick asked her class if they would like to exchange gifts amongst themselves for the holiday party in December or create kindness bags for the residents of Meadow-lark Retirement Village in Sparta, her students overwhelmingly chose to make the kindness bags. Parents donated socks, lifesavers, Christmas pins and packets of hot cocoa mix. The 4th graders eagerly decorated over 50 bags, made Christmas reindeer ornaments and wrote over 50 letters to their new friends! Cather-ine Kuzma, Life Enrich-ment Director, comment-ed, “...this was the most excited, appreciative and joy filled residents I have seen receiving a gift.” Spreading kindness and joy in our community is what the holiday season is all about!Kindness Bags for the CommunityMrs. Geers’ class has partnered with Artists Creating Together (ACT) for a 10-week pottery unit. ACT is a non-profit organization that enhances learning through the Arts and a philosophy of “All Arts. All Abilities.” ACT empowers individ-uals to embrace creativity, explore various skills, and celebrate indi-vidual creativity and the beauty of Art. Mrs. Geers’s kids are doing just that!! Ms. Anna, an ACT artist, is taking the students on an awesome pottery adven-ture! The students have made and painted two pinch pots, a llama and a frog, and are looking forward to our next pottery project! Keep creating Geers’ Kids! Your work is amazing!!Fun with pottery!

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22 April 2022 SpartaTODAYBELL RINGERThis award recognizes and honors MACUL members who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the use of technology to improve education.It’s Raining Tacos! On March 11th, the 2nd grade classes at ridgeview Elementary had the opportunity to attend the play Dragons Love Tacos at the civic Theater in Grand Rapids. The students were so excited to attend a play that in-volved other students from the grand rapids area, and watch a well known story come to life. The play was entertaining and our students represented Sparta Area Schools very well, by wearing their best attire and demonstrating our core values, being safe, kind, responsible and respectful.We have had lots of fun during reading month at the early childhood center! One of our activities included students from the high school volunteering their time to come read to our classrooms.Sparta Early Childhood CenterL-R High school students Kyle Jackson, Evan Cowdrey, Will McFarlan , Michael King, Jada Lashuay, Jasmine Walters, Allison Dekorne, Kaitlyn Potter, and Michele Fisher dress up to read to our youngest learners.Senior, Jasmine Walters reads to Mrs. Austin’s and Miss Kim’s classJunior, Kyle Jackson reads Dragons Love Tacos to Mrs. Willett’s and Miss Kim’s class.Junior, Jada Lashuay reads to Miss Andrea and Miss Teresa’s class.Congratulationsto Mr. Dood for winning the MACUL Innovative Teacher of the Year Award!The FARM Lab Visits Appleview!All students at Appleview Elementary had the opportunity to learn about agriculture in the mobile FARM Lab! FARM stands for Food, Agriculture, and Resources in Motion! This 40-foot mobile class-room features state-of-the-art technology giving students the expe-riences to learn more about agriculture and where their food comes from. The lessons ranged from “Creepy Crawlies,” a lesson focused on helpful insects on the farm, to “Field Plastic,” in which students learned the importance of biodegradable materials and even made corn-based plastic! Older students focused their learning on water contamination and ways that farmers protect the environment using eco-friendly farming techniques and practices. It was a wonderful week of STEM-based learning for Appleview students!

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SpartaTODAY April 2022 23BELL RINGERIt is such a joy to see our SHS students out in the community again, practicing their social skills and navi-gating buildings in our awesome village. The joy of interacting not only with Sparta Lanes sta, but also with School Board members, admin-istration, and peers from other buildings is simply a delight to witness. Our speech and language and phys-ical therapists have had the opportunity to help students prac-tice pronunciation and language skills, motor planning, and compensation skills in ways that hold real purpose and increase these very special student's ability to generalize skills and use them when they are out and about with their own families. THANK YOU Al and all your sta at Sparta Lanes for welcoming us back out into our wonderful Village of Sparta!Community Based InstructionAppleview Ele-mentary once again participated in the Kid’s Heart Chal-lenge to help support the American Heart Association. The students spend the month of February discussing how to keep their hearts healthy and they par-ticipate in many dif-ferent jumping activi-ties in preparation for a “Jump Day” during their regular physi-cal education class. The students can also choose to help raise funds for the Amer-ican Heart Associ-ation. This year our students did a fan-tastic job and raised $7,687. A total of 89 students participated in raising the funds with Quinn Bjork-man, a fifth grader in Mrs. Swihart’s class, leading the charge! This year every student who raised at least $100.00 had the chance to “Slime” Mr. Shuneson and Mr. Birely. Twenty-seven students earned that privilege and each one seemed to enjoy the opportunity!Great job Appleview!Kids heart challengeStudents have restored nature by planting thousands of native trees and plants since 2009. Our future leaders are becoming stewards of the Earth!Help keep non-na-tive invasive species from coming back and beautify our schools. We appreciate any time you can give!• Ice cream and toys available on site to entertain children while we garden.• All ages are welcome! No experience is necessary. Bring a trowel, and a shovel for light work, or use ours. Many hands make easy work!• Sign up by email or phone, and Sue will contact you ahead of time to tell where we will meet: sue.blackall@sparta-schools.org 616-460-2429Please help us garden around our schools!Every 3rd and 4th Thursdays, May-Au-gust, 5:30-7:00 pm.Mrs. Blackall’s GardenTrailer of FunAs high school sports enter the spring season of the 2021-22 school year, we need to look back at the exciting seasons for our winter sports teams. Here is a wrap-up:BOWLINGThe boys bowling team ﬁnished the season undefeated - a perfect 14-0. All-conference bowlers were Kaleb Rowland, Andew Iler and Sam Woolworth. All-academic bowlers were Zander Slauter, Kaleb Rowland, Andrew Iler and Sam Wool-worth. We had a great year in winning the OK-Silver conference, 3rd in regionals, and ﬁnishing 12th in Div-2 state competition.ROCKFORD/SPARTA GYMNASTICSThe Rockford/Sparta team this year had 18 gymnasts, and we had an amazing season. We were undefeated in our con-ference, ﬁrst place in the region, and STATE CHAMPIONS!!! 9 girls qualiﬁed individually at state and 5 of them placed in the top 10 on their events. Joey Gair, senior, is a division 2 athlete who ﬁnished 6th on beam and 8th in the all around. Lacey Scheid, Junior, is a division 1 athlete who placed 3rd on vault, 1st on beam, 1st on ﬂoor, and 3rd in the all around. Anna Tracey, senior, is a division 2 athlete and placed 2nd on bars, 1st on beam, and was ALL AROUND CHAMPION. It was a great season!COMPETITIVE CHEERThe ﬁrst season of our rebuilding program was a success! We tied for 3rd in the OK Silver and 9th in our district. Now that we have the ﬁrst season under our belt, we’re excited to build upon a solid founda-tion & renewed program culture!VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL The Varsity Girls’ Basketball team had a phenomenal year in the 2021-2022 season. The Spartans were a perfect 14-0 in the OK Silver, celebrating a conference champion-ship. The Spartans made it to the district ﬁnal before ﬁnishing the season 19-3 overall. Four players were honored by the OK Silver - Ashley Cowdrey & Bella Vallone were unanimous First Team All-Conference and Makayla Hatchew & Averi Peot were voted Honorable Mention All-Conference. WRESTLINGThe wrestling team was strong but young this season. Despite their lack of depth, the wrestlers did win their second district title. The team returns 3 conference Champs, three state qualiﬁers, and several others with over 30 win seasons. Nolan Larson placed 6th in state as a freshman. Gabe Gair also qualiﬁed for state as a sopho-more. Jaedon Kutzli, the team’s lone senior, did a masterful job leading the team.NORTHVIEW/COMSTOCK PARK/SPARTA HOCKEYThe hockey season ended very well. The boys had positive attitudes & determination which allowed them to play great as a team. This helped them have a pretty successful season considering the history of the program. Their record was 14-10-1 which is 2nd best season of NCPS Hockey.VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALLThe varsity boys basketball team took home a district championship after defeat-ing Fremont, 53-40. They concluded their 2021-22 season with an 11-13 record under ﬁrst year head coach Scott Berry.SPARTA HIGH SCHOOL WINTER SPORTS WRAP-UP

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24 April 2022 SpartaTODAYBELL RINGERTHANK YOU to ALL who participated in the 2022 RetroBowl! Bowlers, sponsors, donors, and MCs. Together, we’re providing the “Extras for Education!”Congratulations to our Grand Prize Winners: AirPods: RJ Morse & Melissa Bowers$100 Amazon Gift Card: Kyle Witter & Brooke LangschiedTree Tops Adventure Park Passes: Allie AmlotteGreat Lakes Glow Golf Passes: Miles OrtizYMCA Family Membership: Jeff AmlotteHoward Christensen Nature Center Family Membership: Norman PaternosterSparta Sports Family Pass: Aydien BrefczynskiGrand Rapids Gold Basketball tickets: Nick MorseAce Hardware Shop Vac: Ethan AndersonStaff Grand Prize ($100 Amazon Gift Certiﬁcate): Sandy DavisThank you bowlers! You voted for your favorite teacher to win money for his/her classroom. And the winners with the most votes are:ECC Staff, Ridgeview: Jackie Haney, Joann Brown, Deb Jones, Diann Lambert, Sarah Groters, Appleview: Doug Davis, Linea Hurley, Sherry Kilpatrick, Kelley VanVliet, David Oudbier, Kevin Shuneson Middle School: Alec Dood, Brooke Barringer, Maddie BiedenbenderThank you to our RetroBowl MCs: Mike Birely and Jeff AmlotteThank you to our Sponsors: A&B Mechanical, Ad Solutions, Lawrence & Susan Allaben, American Financial Accounting Service, Anderson Family, Ann Marie's Hair Care, Armock Family, Armock Mechanical Contractors, Baldini Family, Beuschel Sales Inc., Biggby Coffee, Bormes Family, Larry and Sally Carter, Celebration Cinemas, ChoiceOne Bank, Chris Hoover, Coldwell Banker - Mike Lamb, Robert Cole, Compass Credit Union, Rodney Cooper, Dave Cole Decorators, Dottie’s Dog Bowl, Downtown Trini's/Margarita Joe's, Family Farm & Home, Garden Patch Restaurant, Grand Rapids Gold, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Great Lakes Glow Golf, Greenmark Equipment, Hometown Pharmacy, Howard Christian Nature Center, Independent Bank, Jacobsen's Floral, JK Masonry, John Ball Zoo, John & Jane Kozal, Knowlton & Mason Dentistry, Nick & Laurie Lewis, Markham Family, Maxine's Restaurant, NAPA, Dave & Connie Nelson, Papa Piccione's, Jim & Jil Rees, Sam's Club, Bob Shirado, Rebecca Southwell, Sparta Area Schools, Sparta Chevy, Sparta Elevator, Sparta PC, Sparta Sport Shop, Sparta Tire Service, Sparta Village Ace Hardware, Split Ends, Sue Blackall, Sundaes in the Park, Town & Country Carpet, Tree Runner Adventure Park, Weing-artz Supply Company, Welch Tile & Marble Co., Wesco, West Michi-gan Whitecaps, YMCA, Joel ZavalaThank you to our staff bowlers: Devin Banagis, Rory Barnes, Renee Barr, Melissa Bowers, Dana Bufton, Pete Bush, Doug Davis, Sandy Davis, Taylor Hayley, Heather Holland, Ashton Jacoby, Emily Metzger, Jordan Morse, Karyll Russell, Abbey Shotwell, Amanda Verhagen Your support and participation is greatly appreciated. Thank you for helping make Sparta a great place to learn!March NewsletterWhat's New in Your Schools?We are excited to share our story with you! We recently celebrated Valentine’s Day with special treats for all students that ate schoollunch with us. For Chinese New Year we served Sweet and Sour Chicken w/ Fried Rice, Egg Rolls and Fortune Cookies. We celebrated National Pancake Day, with breakfast for lunch. This is by far one of our students favorite lunch choices. February’s Food Focus was smart snacks. The tradition of 3 square meals a day is becoming a thing of the past. It is important to focus on satisfying our children’s need to snack with our fun, delicious, and versatile smart snack program. Please check out the food service website for more information on Smart Snacks. We have some exciting events coming to our cafes and classrooms in March, please stay tuned.SPARTA AREA SCHOOLS FOOD SERVICE DEPARTMENTMelissa AlleyDIRECTOR OF DINING SERVICES 616-887-1744Melissa.alley@spartaschools.orgBetter Together: Team Member SpotlightEvents & Fun Days to Look Forward to this Month• National School Breakfast Week-March 7-11• National Meatball Day-March 9• National Ranch Dressing Day-March 10• National PI Day-March 14• St. Patrick’s Day-March 17• National Sloppy Joe Day-March 18• National Crunchy Taco Day-March 21• International Waffle Day-March 25• National Hot Chicken Day-March 30• Tammy Moultrie • Misty Crittendon• Deanna PostalMarch is Plant Power month in the cafeterias and this month’s Discovery Kitchen theme is designed to engage students with fresh recipes, delicious demos, and fun and informative nutrition education. Plant Power is a celebration of plant-based fresh, seasonal and local foods. Through a variety of menu items and cafeteria activities, students can explore how they and their families can incorporate more of these powerful foods into their regular diet.Plant Power Fun Facts:*People often think that animal foods provide the best source of protein. However 1 cup of edamame or lentils contain more protein than a glass of milk or serving of chicken.*Did you know that there are over 2000 different types of edible plants to choose from, you’re sure to find many that you enjoy!March is Plant Power MonthAt the heart of Chartwells is a strong team of motivated, caring and conscientious individuals who are dedicated to ensuring ABC School’s students leave the cafeteria happier and healthier than they came in. Each of our associates are dedicated to ensuring students leave the cafeteria happier and healthier than they came in. We all have the same goal –delivering the best foodservice possible. Let’s Give a big Cheers to the following employees.Tammy MoultrieTammy is our lead cook at Sparta High School. This is Tammy’s first year in thisrole. She is a hard worker that is dedicated to feeding our students meals that they will enjoy. Tammy provides a variety of meal options for our high school students feeding around 500 students lunch everyday. She is a reliable employee, this is by far one of the best gifts a leader could ask for. Thank you for coming to work everyday and always giving a 100%Misty CrittendonMisty just started at Sparta High School this year. She is a fast learner and ready to take on any task that is handed to her. She currently prepares all the breakfast meals for ECC, runs our Deli line and is one of our cashiers. Misty has perfect attendance and never misses a beat! Your excellent performance anddedication is an inspiration to all. Keep up the great work!! Deanna PostalDeanna works at Sparta Middle School. She has currently been helping as a lead in the kitchen and has exceeded my expectations. Thank you for being a team player and stepping up when we needed you the most. This year has been nothing but challenging and you have helped to bring us together and to get the job done right. It’s a great relief for any leader to have a team member who manages themselves. Your effort is deeply, deeply appreciated. A Reason to Celebrate!March 7-11: National School Breakfast WeekNational School Breakfast Week (NSBW) celebrates the importance of a nutritious school breakfast in fueling students for success. In these uncertain times, busy weekday mornings make it even more of a challenge for many families to find time for a healthy breakfast, so it is a great time to try school breakfast FOR FREE!March 17: St. Patrick’s DayPatrick's Day is the feast day of St. Patrick, a patron saint of Ireland. Originally celebrated with religious feasts and services, St. Patrick's Day became a secular celebration of Irish culture when it reached the United States alongside Irish immigrants. Wear your green!March 18: National Sloppy Joe DayThe Sloppy Joe is one of America’s all-time favorite hot sandwiches. Its base ingredient is often ground beef. The other elements give it its flavor, though onions, tomato sauce, brown sugar, or maple syrup to sweeten it and seasonings to spice it. All of it is served up on a hamburger bun or roll. And is it ever sloppy! Be sure to grab more than one napkin!March 25: International Waffle DayYou probably already know what a waffle is. In case you don’t, it’s made with the same ingredients as pancakes. The difference between the two is that waffles are cooked between two plates or a waffle iron.No matter what shape they are made, waffles always contain a pattern of squares, which are great for soaking up butter, syrup, and other toppings.