Choze Powell

Julie Alley, Principal at Garfield Elementary School in Port Huron, has been named a Gerstacker Fellow. Alley is one of only fourteen educators chosen statewide.

The Gerstacker Fellow Program is administrated through Saginaw Valley State University. Part of the designation entails a year of leadership training including a trip to the Netherlands and Germany to learn about international educational systems.

Over 160 educators have participated in the Gerstacker Fellow Program, meeting monthly to learn about leadership practices, organizational leadership, communication, cognitive coaching, finance and education with a global perspective. The program is working with its 15th cohort.

Alley has been teaching for eighteen years, spending the last five years as an administrator for Port Huron Schools.

Port Huron Schools Superintendent Theo Kerhoulas said, “This program supports our belief at Port Huron Schools that we have the best when it comes to educators and leadership at our schools. We are proud of this accolade for Mrs. Alley and eager to see the results of the training she will gain from this experience.”

Congratulations to Julie Alley.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Starting today, you can participate in the Blue Water Convention and Visitors Bureau’s (CVB)  Elf Off the Shelf Tour. Pixie the Elf is hanging around the Port Huron, Marysville, Marine City, and St. Clair areas this weekend, and if you find her, you can win a $100 gift card.

To enter the gift card contest, find Pixie at one of the following locations, snap a selfie with her, and tag the Blue Water Area CVB on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok.

Pixie Glitter Flake the elf will appear at A Little Something in Port Huron today from 4-5:15, and she will also be at the Sperry’s Santa Parade in the evening.

On Saturday, she will be looking for tasty treats at Yum Yums in Marysville from 11 AM – 12 PM, and she’ll continue her quest for goodies at the Sweet Tooth candy shop in Marine City on Sunday from 2-3 PM.

Adults can find Pixie at Mannina’s Wine House in St. Clair from 4-5 PM on Sunday night (November 28).

To learn more, visit the Blue Water CVB’s website here: https://www.bluewater.org/event-detail/elf-off-the-shelf-tour/

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

 

As we enter into the holiday season, St. Clair County Department (SCCHD) is warning residents of the current high level of COVID-19 transmission in the community.

Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer stated: “As people begin to gather indoors for the holiday season, SCCHD expects to see a further increase in cases, with increased deaths to follow. We are urgently pleading for everyone to take this seriously and take precautionary measures as critical services, educational systems and business communities may become deeply impacted.”

Test positivity is higher than it has been at any earlier point in the pandemic, and the rate of new cases is on pace to meet or exceed any previous high. At this time, Michigan has one of the highest rates of new cases per population for the past seven days in the nation.

Current case trends in St. Clair County continue to be on the rise. As of 11/17/2021:

• Weekly case positivity is 21.6%
• St. Clair County is averaging approximately 176 new cases/day
• St. Clair County had 1,230 new cases in the last week
• 21% of all St. Clair County hospital beds are being used for COVID-19

Mercatante continued, “It’s about personal responsibility which is key in fighting this pandemic and protecting our community. It will take everyone, working together, to protect those who cannot be vaccinated or who are at greater risk of serious illness or death.”

Personal responsibility includes:

• Getting vaccinated. If unvaccinated, speak with your healthcare provider about the benefits of vaccination. The vaccine is free, safe, effective, and available throughout the County. Vaccines are now available for children ages five and older. Boosters available for 18 and over.
• Wearing a mask indoors, at work, school and anywhere in public when gathered around other people, even if vaccinated.
• Staying home when sick or not feeling well.
• Getting tested if having symptoms, even minor symptoms, or if exposed to someone with COVID. Do not spend time with others outside of your household while awaiting test results. Also seek testing prior to attending indoor gatherings.

To find vaccine or testing resources visit www.scchealth.co; https://www.vaccines.gov/; or https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/.

Email COVID-19 questions to covid19@stclaircounty.org or call the informational hotline (810) 966-4163. Visit the website www.scchealth.co and follow us on social media @scchdmi.

Submitted by the St. Clair County Health Department

The ProtectMiChild Registry is a Michigan Secretary of State program that allows parents and educational institutions to protect children from adult-themed advertisements on their electronic devices and email accounts.

Parents can register their child’s cell phone number, email address, and social ID to prevent ads from reaching their children. ProtectMiChild blocks ads for alcohol, tobacco online gambling, and pornography.

Registration for the service is online at protectmichild.com, and once parents register the addresses, phone numbers, or Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram usernames, advertisers for adults-only services will be required to remove them from their sending list within 30 days.

Educational institutions including public and private schools and libraries can also register their domains with the Michigan Children’s Protection Registry. This prevents adult content from being emailed to any address in that institution’s domain.

The service is provided through Unspam, the same company that provides the do-not-contact registry for the government. The company recently expanded their protection beyond email and phone numbers to include the social apps Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. Blocking adult ads from these social media apps does not affect the way the apps work.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand