Jackson County Intermediate School District

🌟 CELEBRATING OUR WHOLE CHILD CHANGEMAKERS! 🌟

Last week, the JCISD Whole Child Collaborative came together for our annual Year-End Celebration to recognize the incredible people, schools, and organizations working every day to ensure Jackson County students are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. ❤️

🏫 School Champion: East Jackson Elementary – for creating a culture where every student belongs, every family matters, and whole-child support drives student success.

🏆 Educator Champion: Vandercook Lake MS/HS Social Worker Bryana Johnson – for her tireless advocacy, student-centered leadership, and commitment to supporting the academic, social-emotional, and basic needs of students and families.

🤝 Community Organization Champion: Jackson County Health Department – for removing barriers to learning through health services, youth programming, prevention education, and family support.

💙 Community Partner Champion: Sarah Sabin, Family Service & Children's Aid – for championing school-based mental health, building powerful community partnerships, and ensuring young people receive the care and support they deserve.

🎉 The celebration was also an opportunity to recognize the progress and collaboration between schools, families, agencies, and community partners who are making a difference in the lives of children across Jackson County.

🙌 Thank you to everyone who continues to lead, serve, advocate, and innovate on behalf of our students. We are grateful for your dedication and inspired by the impact you're making every day! East Jackson Community Schools
Jackson County Health Department Family Service and Children's Aid (FSCA) Vandercook Lake Public Schools

👋🏽 GOODBYE TENSION - HELLO PENSION! Twenty JCISD employees are celebrating retirement this year, including Superintendent Kevin Oxley, who is retiring after 21 years of leadership and service to our organization! 🎉

❤️ Several retirees and their loved ones gathered for a special celebration earlier this week honoring the incredible impact they’ve made on students, families and educators across Jackson County.

🫶🏼 The evening also included a heartfelt in memoriam tribute to longtime Assistant Director of Human Resources Cheryl Lemons, whose family attended as her nearly 30 years of dedication and service to JCISD were honored and remembered.

🌟 THANK YOU to all of our retirees for the difference you’ve made throughout your careers. Congratulations and best wishes on this exciting next chapter — you’ve earned it!

📣 Special shoutout to Jackson Area Career Center Culinary Arts students for the amazing meal and service, and to the JACC Agriscience program for the beautiful centerpieces that each retiree got to take home as a keepsake of the celebration! 💐

🏅🎉 STATE CHAMPS! 🎉🏅

🏆 The Michigan Center Jr./Sr. High Unified Special Olympics team represented Jackson County this week at Special Olympics Michigan’s Unified Day at Michigan State University — and brought home a FIRST PLACE finish in Bocce Ball! 👏

Unified Sports brings students with and without intellectual disabilities together through teamwork, competition, and inclusion.

🙌 In addition to coming in 1st, several students also earned 2nd place finishes throughout the competition. We are so proud of these student-athletes for their determination, sportsmanship, and incredible accomplishment in their first year participating in the Unified Games! Special Olympics Michigan Michigan Center High School Michigan Center School District

🎉💙 Friendship, inclusion and unforgettable memories! 💙🎉

🌟 Students and staff in the Western JCISD middle school and high school classrooms recently celebrated the end of another amazing year with their Peer to Peer LINKS groups!

🤩 Peer to Peer LINKS programs help build meaningful friendships and create opportunities for students of all abilities to learn, grow and connect together throughout the school day. These programs promote inclusion, kindness, leadership and belonging — and the impact reaches far beyond the classroom. ✨

🫶 Thank you to all of the students, staff and LINKS peers who helped make this year so special. The friendships built through these programs truly show the heart of JCISD. ❤️

💙🍎 This week, we celebrate the incredible people who help write the story of the Jackson County ISD every single day! ✏️📚

💫 Whether you're face to face with students everyday, or behind the scenes supporting staff and families, your dedication, compassion and hard work do not go unnoticed. THANK YOU for all you do to make a difference in the lives of students, families, fellow educators, and our entire Jackson community.

We’re also especially proud to celebrate two outstanding Jackson County ISD educators recognized as TOP TEACHERS by Jackson Magazine this week:
🏆 Lauren Sager - Cosmetology Instructor at the Jackson Area Career Center, Teacher of the Year
🏆 Hadleigh Houghton - Special Education Teacher at Northwest High School, Top Teacher

👏 Their recognition reflects the passion and excellence happening across JCISD every day.

❤️ To every member of our JCISD team: thank you for helping write our story and for making a lasting impact on Jackson County students and families.
Jackson Magazine Northwest Community Schools Jackson Area Career Center

👏 We’re proud to celebrate Amy Rogers, Assistant Director of Special Education (and soon-to-be Director on July 1!), on this incredible honor!

🤩 Amy is the kind of leader whose impact is felt in the lives of those she serves. Her passion for education is rooted in a deep belief that every student deserves dignity, opportunity, and a path forward. She leads with empathy, builds strong relationships, and is all about collaboration and community.

🫶 That spirit is exactly what this award represents—honoring JC alumni who demonstrate leadership and a meaningful impact on their communities through service and a commitment to the greater good—and that’s Amy, through and through.

💙 Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Amy! ❤️

Congratulations to alumna Amy Rogers, recipient of the 2026 Dr. Ethelene Jones Crockett Distinguished Alumni Award! Discover how her impactful work as an educator is making a difference—and how Jackson College helped launch her journey.
https://youtu.be/TMMgd8_sEKg

📚✨ NEXT SATURDAY! IMAGINE - EXPLORE - READ! ✨📚

Join Jackson READS! for one of the biggest family events of the year and leave with a giant bag of brand new books!

🗓️ Saturday, May 9, 2026
⏰ 10 AM – 4 PM
📍 Ella Sharp Museum (Jackson County Museum Day)

🎉 10,000+ FREE books for kids (babies–8th grade!)
📖 Pick your favorites in the Choice Books area
✍️ Meet 6 authors with live readings & signings
🚶 StoryWalk: Don’t Trust Fish
🔬 Hands-on STEM + interactive activities all day

❤️ A fun, free day to spark a love of reading for the whole family!

Great Start of Jackson County

🎉 Let’s hear it for some of Jackson County’s very best!

Last week on JTV, Jackson Magazine's Top Teacher winners from JCISD took the spotlight:
✨ Hadleigh Houghton, Special Education teacher at Northwest Community Schools
✨ Lauren Sager, Cosmetology instructor at Jackson Area Career Center — and Jackson Magazine’s Teacher of the Year!

👏 These incredible educators are among just 10 honorees who will be celebrated at a special dinner and awards ceremony next month. We can’t wait to share more of their inspiring stories—stay tuned!

🎥 You can watch their interview HERE:

JCISD Educators Honored as Top Teachers Airdate: April 23rd, 2026 Tori Rivera & Giordan King, Jackson YMCAApril 27, 2026Lisa Klink, Jackson County Animal ShelterApril 27, 2026Taylor Aue, Atlas RestaurantApril 27, 2026Host Chat – Monday April 27th – The Morning ShowApril 27, 2026Jackson Spring Thaw Golf Tournament, 4-26-26 | Photo Gall...