Grass Lake Community Schools, MI

Mastering the Balance Between Tradition and Innovation

In Jackson County, Michigan, one district shows how deep community roots and forward-thinking education create a winning combination for students and families.

Friday night football games still draw entire communities in Grass Lake, Michigan, where parades matter as much as test scores. Grass Lake Community Schools operates with a philosophy that sets it apart from typical educational institutions, serving roughly 1,300 students across three buildings

“Our vision statement is Excellence in Education grounded by tradition and guided by community values and inspired by innovation,” explains Dr. Nick Angel, Superintendent of Schools. The 2025-26 school year theme of “rooted and rising” captures this dual focus, with three guiding principles: cultivating connections, growing with purpose, and equipping for excellence. The approach recognizes that educational success stems from deep community roots rather than isolated academic achievement.

Dr. Angel, who sits on the Grass Lake Chamber of Commerce, sees the relationship between school and community as symbiotic. “The strength of the Grass Lake Community Schools resides in our community connection,” he notes. “The Grass Lake Community schools really serve as the anchor of our school community, which is our village and our township and our surrounding municipalities.” Strong participation rates through PTOs, volunteer associations, and booster programs demonstrate how parents and community members actively engage in student experiences.

Technology Leadership and Digital Citizenship

Grass Lake Community Schools made history as the first district in Jackson County to adopt one-to-one technology, providing Chromebooks for students grades 2-12 and iPads for kindergarten through first grade. This early adoption positions the district ahead of national trends, where school systems spent up to $19 billion on technology integration in 2018, with over 70% of schools now using technology for classroom learning at moderate to high rates.

“Technology is really infused in what we do here, but we strongly believe that technology is a support and certainly not a supplant for quality instruction,” Dr. Angel emphasizes. The district installed interactive displays in all K-5 classrooms and throughout middle and high school buildings. A dedicated technology integration specialist works alongside staff, providing hands-on guidance with one-to-one devices and online learning management systems that all courses utilize.

Grass Lake addresses the human element of digital integration through innovative programming. “We have a partnership with the Washtenaw Area Council for Children. We started this previous year at the elementary and middle school to ensure that we are giving our students tools for their toolkits around maintaining a positive and safe technology platform,” Dr. Angel explains. The high school pioneered a digital citizenship course for all ninth-grade students, covering online behavior, social media responsibility, and modern technology ethics.

On artificial intelligence, Dr. Angel describes the district’s balanced approach: “We’ve recently begun the work of engaging in professional development to help our teachers feel equipped to address the modern world and its benefits and curses, with professional learning focused on artificial intelligence specifically where we should embrace it and where we should corral it.”

STEM Innovation Across All Levels

Elementary students at George Long Elementary experience hands-on learning through a weekly rotation that has evolved into a comprehensive district-wide program. Joel Smith, George Long Elementary 3rd – 5th Grade Principal, describes the foundation: “At our elementary we have a STEM-based rotation where one of our teachers here teaches the students STEM working with robotics and the science of different things and how to put things together, and the kids really love that.” The program advances from grade level to grade level, building skills progressively as students move through their educational journey.

The district recently expanded elementary offerings historically reserved for middle and high school levels. “We implemented a new robotics program here at the elementary, which was huge,” Smith explains. “We had a community member who works in the field reach out with interest as a coach, really working closely with our middle school program to create a feeder program.” Parents and students embraced the initiative, leading to plans for a district-wide robotics expansion that will require facility additions.

Middle school students participate in a nine-week daily STEM course. “Our teacher is a shared teacher with the high school, so he also does some science and STEM up there, and he’s really taking this on and doing some professional development and enrichment to improve our program,” Jeanene Byerly, the Middle School Principal, notes.

The growth trajectory is far reaching. “We are going to be expanding our facility footprint to accommodate our growing robotics program in the form of a classroom addition in the future,” Dr. Angel confirms. National trends show STEM programs enhancing student engagement and preparing graduates for technology-driven careers, aligning with Grass Lake’s focus on 21st-century skill development.

Building Tomorrow’s Workforce Today

Real-world experience defines Grass Lake’s approach to career preparation, where students transition seamlessly from classroom learning to professional environments. The district maintains strong business partnerships that create meaningful work-based learning opportunities aligned with future career goals. “Students are receiving co-op credit to be placed in professions that align to their future career goals,” Dr. Angel explains. “If they are interested in pursuing a career as a physical therapist, they may have work-based learning experience in a PT’s office or at a rehabilitation office in town.”

Vocational pathways serve students with diverse interests and aptitudes. “If they’re interested in being a welder through our vocational program, they may have the opportunity to co-operate with one of the local welding companies here in our community,” Dr. Angel notes. The small community size facilitates these connections, allowing students to explore careers through summer jobs and traditional teen employment alongside formal co-op arrangements.

Post-secondary preparation statistics highlight the program’s effectiveness. Over 80% of high school students engage in their post-secondary pathway, with roughly 40% participating in dual enrollment college courses through Jackson College while completing Grass Lake High School classes. Another 40% participate in the career center, pursuing vocational fields including nursing, law enforcement, welding, fire safety, cosmetology, and dental technology.

“We’re really proud of our pathways here in Grass Lake affording students the ability to learn alongside them so that they feel prepared to enter the workforce or college post-graduation,” Dr. Angel emphasizes. The district already offers a law enforcement curriculum for junior and senior level students, building on partnerships with local agencies and preparing students for public service careers.

Supporting Every Student’s Journey

Comprehensive student support addresses the whole child, with services spanning emotional, behavioral, and educational needs. “We do believe in the importance in the development of supporting the whole child,” Dr. Angel states. “At the secondary level, we do have counselors and social workers. I’m working on a grant right now for a school success coordinator that’s going to support our students specific to the secondary level.”

Professional development operates on a systematic cycle that ensures teachers receive current training across all subject areas. Dr. Angel describes the approach: “This year we’re sending the entirety of our secondary math, social studies, art and music departments. And then we will follow that up the following year with ELA science and so forth, physical education, world language.” The district maintains partnerships with the Jackson County Intermediate School District for additional professional learning opportunities, including summer programs and one-to-one shoulder-to-shoulder learning sessions.

Specialized support addresses diverse learning needs through targeted interventions. At the elementary level, social workers collaborate with an ISD-based team of school psychologists and speech and language pathologists. The middle school employs a behavior interventionist who serves as “the building dad who helps support our students in setting, guiding them towards our behavioral norms of what that expectation looks like to be a middle school student here in Grass Lake,” Dr. Angel explains.

Individualized learning includes expanded coursework for struggling students through skills and individualized learning hour courses. With 24.5% of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch programs, these support systems address academic and socioeconomic challenges that can impact student success, ensuring all learners receive appropriate assistance regardless of their starting point.

Investing in Infrastructure and Safety

A comprehensive bond proposal will transform school district buildings. “We are going to be going to the community in May of 2026 for a zero mill increase bond,” Dr. Angel announces. “That’ll include significant infrastructure upgrades in all three of our buildings, which are HVAC, asphalt lighting, FF and E furnishings, safety and security initiatives.” The proposal also funds the district’s five-to-ten-year technology plan and addresses capacity and renovation adjustments across elementary, middle, and high school facilities.

Building-specific improvements include current needs and future growth projections. The high school will showcase its successful powerlifting program through a revamped auxiliary gym, while the middle school faces nearly 50% renovation to create 21st century learning environments with flexible furniture and expanded capacity. “We’re excited that our bond is going to include so many of our facilities, it will touch each one of our buildings,” explains Janelle Sherwood, business manager. “But we’re very excited that we can go to our community with a zero mill increase and get as much as that we’re proposing to get out of this bond.”

Security enhancements address modern safety concerns. “Each part of this is updating secure vestibules in each one of our buildings. So, entry points at every building, not just in the front of our buildings, but we’re putting an emphasis on how people can get into our building,” Sherwood details. A school resource officer position, hired through the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and started August 15th, will integrate into daily school life. “We anticipate our school resource officer will be that person who continues that mission” of cultivating relationships while ensuring student safety, Dr. Angel notes.

Looking Ahead: Excellence Through Growth

Advanced Placement course expansion is another focus area. “We are expanding our advanced placement courses in the science department for this upcoming year,” Dr. Angel notes. “We are taking an inward look at curriculum opportunities for our students to prepare them better for their standardized test experiences.” The dual approach addresses high-achieving students and those requiring additional support through individualized learning opportunities.

Curriculum enhancement is part of the district’s inclusive philosophy of meeting students where they are academically. “We really truly are looking at trying to help wherever our students are currently being the best versions of themselves,” Dr. Angel emphasizes. “Including offering more challenging and rigorous curriculum and experiences for our students that are college bound, and then helping our students that struggle with a traditional high school experience reach their end goal of being prepared for their post-secondary education.”

Principal Smith, as the newest team member, captures what distinguishes Grass Lake from other educational environments. “Grass Lake is just an incredible community. People come together, take care of each other. It’s got that small town feel while also having a finger on the pulse in terms of resources to support students.” The combination of traditional community values with modern educational innovation creates an environment where academic excellence blooms naturally from genuine relationships and a shared purpose.

AT A GLANCE

Name: Grass Lake Community Schools

What: Pre-K through 12th grade public school district serving 1,315 students

Where: Grass Lake, Michigan (Jackson County)

Website: https://www.grasslakeschools.com/