The safety of students is the foremost consideration when evaluating if school should be canceled. There are several variables in the final decision. They include:

1. An early morning report from our Director of Facilities and Operations on road conditions in Williamston

2. Input from law enforcement, the road commission, and staff from neighboring districts

3. Consultation with Superintendents from other Ingham County Districts

If the temperature is 20 degrees or more below zero (with or without wind chill), school will be automatically canceled.

Note that each local district in the area makes its own independent decision to cancel school. Road conditions in Williamston (including roads in all parts of our district) may differ greatly from those in other districts. If you disagree with a decision to open school, it is always your right to keep your child at home. If you make this choice, please contact the appropriate school office so we know where your child is and that they are safe.

For students attending the Wilson Talent Center (WTC). If Mason Public Schools have canceled school due to road/weather conditions, the Ingham Intermediate Schools are also closed. Consequently, the WTC will be closed. If Williamston is open on a day Mason schools are closed, our WTC students have space available to study at Williamston High School. However, WTC students will only be required to attend class during their usual hours at WHS. Questions regarding this arrangement can be directed to the high school office.

School cancelations are broadcast on a variety of sources. These include the District website, School Messenger, and local media outlets. Families can subscribe to both School Messenger and the RSS feed on the announcements on the website. That way you will receive an automatic notification to your phone, email, and/or news feed. Our goal is to decide to cancel by 6:30 am.

District Podcast Special Edition

This edition features Williamston Middle School Mathematics Educator Nick Niederquell. Listen to the Podcast here or use the following links:

• iTunes -  http://bit.ly/wcshornets
• Stitcher - http://bit.ly/wcs-stitcher
• Tune In - http://bit.ly/wcs-tunein

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Happy Thanksgiving:

It remains a privilege to serve Williamston as Superintendent. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside an extremely talented and dedicated staff with the support of committed parents with high expectations. Working together, we continue to accomplish great things for kids. Wishing our entire community a Happy Thanksgiving. 

Little Hornets Preschool Earns MI HEARTSafe Certification:

All Williamston K-12 schools have staff serving on Medical Emergency Response Teams (MERT). These staff members are trained to respond to various staff or student medical situations. MERT members participate in annual evaluation drills. They have also been called upon to assist with real medical emergencies during the school day. Part of MERT's responsibility is to react to cardiac emergencies. In recognition of having appropriate resources and training in each building, all WCS K-12 schools have held MI HEARTSafe Certifications since 2018. 

Little Hornets Preschool had previously utilized MERT-trained staff from the elementary schools. However, beginning this past year Little Hornets trained its own staff. In recognition of their enhanced level of preparedness, Little Hornets is now also endorsed as a MI HEARTSafe-certified school. We are extremely grateful for the leadership of District Nurse Amanda Gailitis and Little Hornet’s Director Rebecca Olsen on this accomplishment. Preschool certification is another example of progress on Board of Education Goal #4.

View the official listing of WCS Schools on the MI HEARTSafe Website here.

Learn more about MI HEARTSafe Certification here.

Little Hornets MERT members with their school's new MI HEARTSafe banner:

A medical emergency response drill is evaluated at Little Hornets Preschool:

District Podcast Special Edition

This edition features WHS Science Educator Kyle Sprague. Listen to the Podcast here or use the following links:

• iTunes -  http://bit.ly/wcshornets

• Stitcher - http://bit.ly/wcs-stitcher

• Tune In - http://bit.ly/wcs-tunein

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WCS Celebrates Halloween

Halloween at WCS is an important landmark in the school year. Staff and students celebrate with the community in a variety of ways. Examples this year included the transportation department participating in the downtown Trick or Treat activity, the Be Nice Crew adding an entry in the downtown decorating event, and Curio Eyecare displaying elementary student art. WCS continued our traditions of the Halloween concert, costume theme days, and the elementary parade led by the WHS Marching Band. These events and traditions are another example of what makes Williamston a great place to live and attend school.

Bond Update:

The first bond project start date has been finalized. Construction of the new tennis facility will begin on May 14, 2025. The project will include demolition of the old asphalt courts, excavating and replacing the site’s foundation, and adding durable post-tension concrete playing surfaces. New fencing will also be included. It is estimated the project will take three months to complete. 

Unfortunately, construction will interfere with access to the athletic complex parking lot. It will also prohibit us from hosting post-season or home soccer, tennis, and baseball competitions after the start date. More information will be provided to applicable teams via the athletic department before spring sports begin.

Williamston High School was named to the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Roll for the second straight year and sixth time overall. The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools' efforts to promote college-going culture, provide opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximize students' college readiness. WHS was rated Gold for College Credit and Silver for College Culture and College Optimization. Congratulations to our students, staff, and faculty on this accomplishment.

We are in the process of developing a new district website. The anticipated launch date is early January 2025. Information on the current website will be transferred in November. Therefore, any new information posted to the current website after that time will need to be replicated when the new site goes live. Consequently, some features might not be updated as regularly during the transition period in November and December. The calendar feature will be maintained and important information and events will continue to be posted and/or communicated via email. Thank you in advance for your patience while the website conversion takes place. 

Our students continue to impress with their individual and collective achievements as we move through the first segment of the school year. In athletics, the boys tennis and girls golf teams both qualified for states, while the equestrian team captured the District’s third state title in that sport since 2010. Additionally, the boys soccer team earned a second straight district championship, the cross-country team qualified for regionals, and the football team earned a state playoff bid for the ninth consecutive year. Other co-curricular successes include the WHS Quiz Bowl team qualifying for the state and national championships for the 10th consecutive year and two student artists earning finalist recognition at the Peace Quest Art Challenge at MSU. We look forward to highlighting additional student efforts as we conclude fall activities and begin the winter season. Go Hornets!

We are pleased to report that S&P Global Ratings has assigned the District’s credit rating at “A+.” Standard & Poor’s cited Williamston’s stable and solid economy, material fund balance growth during the past several years, and enrollment stability as the reasons for the assigned rating. This rating is a level higher than the equivalent rating for the District on the Moody’s rating scale, which is currently A2. The credit rating was assigned as we prepared for the sale of the bonds recently approved by voters. 

The funds raised by the sale of the bonds will be used for improvements to facilities and equipment throughout the District. Projects will include the construction of new Explorer Elementary classrooms, as well as a new elementary gymnasium, expanded kitchen, renovated ARC learning spaces, and more efficient dropoff/pickup lanes at the elementary campus. Additional enhancements will include middle and high school lockers, band instruments, classroom furniture and flooring, maintenance equipment, and significant upgrades to the softball and tennis facilities. 

The improvement projects will utilize $38.5 million of bonds which are expected to be sold next week. The District’s improved recent financial health and resulting credit rating have the potential to reduce borrowing costs. WCS is advised by PFM Financial Advisors in Ann Arbor. The bonds will be offered to investors by Stifel Nicolaus. We are grateful for the support of the community and the benefits the bond measure will provide our students. Updates will be made to the WCS Bond webpage as additional information becomes available.

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Numerous special events have occured over the past couple of weeks, all excellent representations of the educational experience at WCS. 

The 53rd year of 5th Grade Camp took place for Explorer Elementary students. Explorer Principal Kelly Campbell teaches a lesson at camp:

The Class of 2025 officially welcomed the Class of 2037 to the WCS family during the first-ever Pass the Torch Walk:

Williamston High School welcomed German students from the Wilhelm-Gymnasium Braunschweig for the annual exchange program between the two schools:

Explorer Elementary students participate in Aquatic Emergency lessons, a WCS requirement for all Fourth Graders:

Happy Homecoming:

From Disney Characters to Minions to “Anything but a Backpack Day,” students throughout WCS celebrated Homecoming 2024 with Spirit Week.

We invite the Williamston Community to join us at the Homecoming Parade, Football Game, and Marching Band Concert on Friday, September 27th. The parade is on Grand River Avenue in Downtown Williamston starting at 6:00 pm. The game will follow with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 pm at Larkin Nortman Memorial Field.

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Williamston High School Again Named to Best U.S. High Schools List:

Williamston High School was named to the U.S. News and World Report Best U.S. High Schools list for the sixth consecutive year. The recognition is based on a national review of all public high schools. The publication’s methodology considers College Readiness, College Curriculum Breadth, State Assessment Proficiency, State Assessment Performance, Underserved Populations, and Graduation Rate. 

Congratulations to all WCS faculty and staff on this recognition and thank you to our outstanding students and parents for all their efforts and contributions.

District Podcast Special Edition

This edition features Elementary Educator Barb Zaremski. Listen to the Podcast here or use the following links:

• iTunes -  http://bit.ly/wcshornets
• Stitcher - http://bit.ly/wcs-stitcher
• Tune In - http://bit.ly/wcs-tunein

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Early School Year District Updates:

It is hard to believe but we are already a month into the 2024-2025 school year. We continue to be grateful for the generous support of the community and the hard work of our students and staff. Some updates from the first several weeks:

As communicated over the summer, the District participated in a joint emergency response exercise this past week. The event was also attended by Ingham Intermediate School District (IISD) staff and first responders representing five area agencies. Secure Environment Consultants facilitated the exercise to test aspects of the District’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

Region 6 Teacher of the Year and Michigan Teacher of the Year Finalist Cassandra Eberhardt was recognized at a Michigan Department of Education Board Meeting. Ms. Eberhardt is pictured below with State Superintendent Michael Rice, State Board President Pamela Pugh, and WMS Assistant Principal Adam Supianoski.

Hall of Fame WHS Football Coach Steve Kersten was honored at a pregame ceremony at the Hornet’s home opener. Pictured below is the game ball which was presented to Coach Kersten in recognition of his Hall of Fame induction.

The new PikMyKid App was fully implemented at the elementary campus. It allows staff to more efficiently and safely manage student dismissal. Parents of elementary students are encouraged to register with the program if they have not already done so. Beginning this week, the Transportation Department utilized the PikMyKid App to verify student locations during dismissal.

Media outlets continue to highlight the District’s progressive student safety and mental health initiatives. Most recently, this included feature-length stories on the Be Nice Program and the Calm Room at Williamston High School. As part of a recent story, Mental Health Specialist Heather Lewis was interviewed in the newly created Calm Room.

WCS completed its multi-year goal to replace all active traditional water fountains with bottle fillers. In addition to the hygienic benefits of bottle fillers, these water stations also contain NSF/ANSI 53 filters for lead reduction and NSF/ANSI 42 filters for particulate reduction. Pictured below is an updated filtration system at a bottle filler station in the Community Fitness Center.

District Podcast Special Edition

This edition features WCS paraprofessional Morgan Paulsen. Listen to the Podcast here or use the following links:

• iTunes -  http://bit.ly/wcshornets
• Stitcher - http://bit.ly/wcs-stitcher
• Tune In - http://bit.ly/wcs-tunein

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Be Nice Spirit Week:

The first two weeks of the school year were extremely successful. Students and staff have been establishing routines. Most of our summer facility projects are finished or in the final stages of completion. Thank you for your support and patience as we got our schools up and running for this year.

Despite the state government unexpectedly cutting mental health and safety funding in this year’s education budget, WCS continues to prioritize these areas. Be Nice is an important component of the District’s student mental health and wellness initiative. The action steps promote student awareness of peer mental health. Students learn to use the Notice, Invite, Challenge, and Empower process to seek support for themselves or their classmates. The Be Nice philosophy also promotes daily positive thinking and behaviors. 

Under the direction of a facilitator, Williamston High and Middle School faculty participate in Be Nice professional development:

Over the past couple of years, the Middle and High School athletics departments have collaborated with the District’s mental health team on Be Nice initiatives. One of the goals has been to create a universal understanding of the Be Nice action steps and corresponding resources so the broader community can seek help if needed. A major success of this effort has been to share the positive mentality of Be Nice with the elementary schools. Be Nice concepts mesh with the elementary Buzz Words of Kind, Safe, Cooperative, and Respectful. 

In keeping with this focus, next week the District will celebrate Be Nice Spirit Week, a district-wide effort to promote positive thinking and behaviors (see flyer below). Students will engage in age-appropriate activities and lessons. Additionally, student-athletes and members of the Be Nice Crew will make special visits to the elementary campus. The spirit week culminates with our annual Be Nice Football Game, focused on sharing resources and removing the stigma associated with mental health.

Learn more about Be Nice at https://www.benice.org/

August/September District Podcast

Listen to the Podcast here or use the following links:

• iTunes -  http://bit.ly/wcshornets
• Stitcher - http://bit.ly/wcs-stitcher
• Tune In - http://bit.ly/wcs-tunein

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The new school year has officially started. Our instructional staff returned this week. They invested significant time in professional development centered on our updated School Improvement Plans. Additionally, high school athletic practices commenced and we welcomed students and families back to our schools during Open House. The team here has put forth a tremendous effort to ensure students are set up for success on Monday.

New staff are introduced during the 2024 Opening Day Breakfast:

The culture of WCS and the support of the community continue to attract both accomplished veteran educators and talented new educators and staff to our schools. It is a privilege to introduce the newest members of the WCS team:

From Left to Right: Colby Whitaker, Lead Preschool Teacher; Jenna Ellis, WHS Spanish Teacher; Allyson Johnston, Elementary Music Teacher; Robert Selkow, Technology Technician; Nicholas Niederquell, WMS Mathematics Teacher; Jimmy Kodet, Therapeutic Learning Classroom Paraprofessional; Koji Vroom, WHS Mathematics Teacher; Kylie Densmore, Early Childhood Behavior Specialist;  Sierra Brown, Explorer Elementary Teacher; Kimberly Kurth, Discovery Elementary Teacher

Not Pictured: Paige Boden, Discovery Elementary Teacher; Emily Weaver, Detection Dog Handler; Sinclair Pierce, WMS Paraprofessional; Sarah McGill, WHS Paraprofessional;  Meghan Sharp, Lead Preschool Teacher; Jacob Toland, Bus Driver; Nicholas Ryder, Custodian; Sydney Wolff, Assistant Preschool Teacher; Ashley Bruegge, Preschool Building Substitute; Rebecca Nechuta, WMS Paraprofessional; Wendy Gladhill, Assistant Director of Food Service

NutriSlice will be utilized again this school year to provide updated school meal menus and nutrition information. Details can be found under the Food and Nutrition page on the WCS website or by selecting the link here.

Lastly, the first week of school is a learning curve for everyone. Please be patient with us as we identify and solve unanticipated issues. Students and staff will need time to become familiar with arrival and dismissal routines, particularly at the elementary campus. Expect those procedures to start slow and become more efficient over the first several days. 

WCS and the Williamston Community continue to do great things for kids. Wishing our students, staff, and parents a safe and successful school year.

Go Hornets!

District Podcast Special Edition

This edition features Williamston Middle School Educator Khonnor Longendyke. Listen to it here or use the following links:

• iTunes -  http://bit.ly/wcshornets
• Stitcher - http://bit.ly/wcs-stitcher
• Tune In - http://bit.ly/wcs-tunein

WCS Ballot Initiative Fast Fact:

The food service staff at the elementary campus served 138,075 student meals during the 2023-2024 school year utilizing just one oven, one steamer, and one serving line. Elementary lunch begins as early as 10:40 am to accommodate all students. The expansion of the elementary kitchen is part of the August 6th WCS bond proposal. Learn more about the WCS ballot proposals at the link here.

View the WCS ballot proposals FAQ here.

Late-Summer Updates:

One of the major initiatives the District has undertaken is modernizing student enrollment processes. Our goal is to develop a more convenient system for parents to complete school-related forms while creating efficiencies for our building secretaries. Detailed information on the new student enrollment process was previously emailed to parents. As with any new system, there will be questions and inevitably some unanticipated challenges. Webpages were created to assist parents during the transition. Please visit or bookmark the links below as needed:

WCS Online Enrollment Center

Online Enrollment FAQ

PowerSchool Parent Access Troubleshooting Steps

Facility enhancements have continued throughout the summer. A new feature at Williamston High School this year will be the utilization of a Calm Room. The space will provide an inviting environment for students needing a break and/or a safe space to decompress. The room was designed with input from high school students last spring with renovations taking place over the summer. The new Student Success Coordinator will supervise the Calm Room. The coordinator will support students who need Tier 1 social-emotional intervention and assistance with identifying resources and support services. 

Repairs to driveways and parking lots have also been a focus, continuing the progress that started last summer. Priority was given to areas that would not be impacted by the bond proposal. Paving at the middle school was completed as was the Mitchell Road entrance at the high school.

Numerous additional projects are underway and nearing completion. We are grateful for the hard work of our maintenance, custodial, and technology teams. More examples of their efforts will be forthcoming in future updates.

Energy-efficient LED lights with safety cables installed in the Williamston Middle School gymnasium:

Lastly, free breakfast and lunch for all students will again be offered this year. Families are strongly encouraged to complete the Child Nutrition and Education Benefits Application to access other services if needed. Learn more by selecting the link here.

Please be on the lookout for additional communication about the upcoming school year from your child’s school. We look forward to welcoming back our students in a couple of weeks. 

2024-2025 Open House Schedule:

Discovery and Explorer Elementary - August 14, 2024, 4:30 - 5:30 pm

Williamston Middle School - August 15, 2024, 4:30 - 5:30 pm

Williamston High School - August 15, 2024, 5:30 - 6:30 pm