About Mecosta County, MI

One of the best things about school being back in session is the opportunity to attend and watch the school sports. There is no feeling like seeing your team do an amazing comeback to win a clutch game against their biggest rival. The only way to keep track is to have an accurate sports schedule and here in Big Rapids the school offers a web based version. The Big Rapids Public School Sports Schedule covers it all. On the left menu just pick the sport you want to check out and it will open to a schedule of events including times and locations so you won't have to miss another game. I urge everyone to get out to a school sports event this year and support where you can as they have been hit hardest by budget cuts. Enjoy the game and I will see you there!

This should be title Big Rapids Schools Lack of Supply List. Seems like the first place that tightens up whenever there are budget cuts are schools. This totally confuses me as to why we would want the people who will be running our Country when we are too old to not get a quality education? Maybe it is because our Government is banking on people joining in to help the schools. This is a place everyone can help. Maybe not in a huge donation but even a few packs of paper or pencils can make a big difference. I know of one teacher that paid almost $1K out of pocket to keep their class rolling. This time of year there are all sorts of fund raisers to help the schools so try extra hard this year as the needs are greater than ever. Keep in mind these little people are tomorrow's future and we can make a difference. Do what you can and Thanks for reading.

Less than a week till school starts so it is time to post the best place to check out the school calendars. Big Rapids Schools have a few to choose from.

The Main Calendar is the general complete calendar for the BRPS system.

The Holidays and Breaks covers the Holidays abd Breaks for the school year.

The Big Rapids Schools Events Calendar covers all school events.

Finally the BRPS Sports Calendar covers all the sports dates and times to keep in mind.

When in doubt you can always check out the Big Rapids Public Schools website. It has a complete list of contact numbers and news related to the schools. Enjoy the school year and thanks for reading.

Leadership Mecosta 2012 will be starting soon and being an Alumni member I can attest to the importance of this program for anyone looking to hone their leadership skills or get to know their County better. Leadership Mecosta is a nine month program that includes a two-day retreat at Cranhill Ranch and eight once a month day long sessions at various places throughout the County. Participants will enjoy learning more about the community they live in as well as sessions focusing on leadership skill development and community education which includes an inside look at the systems that make our County what it is today. I have lived in the area 30 years and thought I knew the County quite well but each week I was overwhelmed by what I didn't know. Seeing the behind the County "behind the scenes" is a great way to find out more about the place we call home. Here is a link to the Mecosta County Chamber of Commerce website where you can even find an online application form. Anyone interested might want to call the Chamber direct at (231) 796-7649 as the cut off for registering is early this week. If you can take advantage of this opportunity I highly urge you to do it. The networks you will build on will be with you forever.

Leadership Mecosta Class of 2011

August 2011 Rise and Shine will be held at the Comstock House in Big Rapids. The Band of Locals will be celebrating their 3rd year of successfully educating and promoting the public to shop local at locally owned businesses throughout Mecosta County. The Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce sponsers both the Rise and Shine and Business After Hours events to help promote networking of business in our area and to help spotlight a different business every month. The Band of Locals is a great program that offers Blue wrist bands or key chains for $10 and can be used for huge discounts all around the mecosta area. I used mine at Preferred Office Machines for half off my copying and saved a lot of $$$. After this months Rise and Shine the Band of Locals will be touring the county in search of new places and faces for their group. See you there.