The Culinary Institute of Michigan Port Huron are coming home with some hardware from this year’s SkillsUSA Competition. Students Devon Bokeno and Joe Herrera both won SkillsUSA Postsecondary Michigan State Championships and have advanced to the national competition in Louisville this summer. Three other CIM Port Huron student chefs earned silver or bronze medals in the competition. This is the fourth year in a row that students from CIM PH have won the state championship in both categories. CIM Port Huron instructors also were recognized with recent awards, including Chef Scott Twichell, lead baking and pastry chef instructor at CIM Port Huron, and Chef Paula Recinella, CIM program director/restaurant manager at the Port Huron campus.

A Beautiful Me is celebrating its 11th birthday this week. The local non-profit founded by Karen Palka in 2011 aims to provide interactive workshops that foster self-worth for girls in 3-12th grade. Since beginning in 2008, A Beautiful Me has impacted hundreds of girls in St. Clair County and beyond through their programming. The non-profit recently expanded services this year through the Closet by A Beautiful Me launching a store-front in downtown Port Huron that trains young women that have gone through the A Beautiful Me workshops in leadership, retail and more. Happy birthday to A Beautiful Me

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, the American Indian Communities Leadership Council will be presenting a cultural experience for the community at the American Indian Festival at Algonac High School. The festival will have representatives from the Leadership Council who will be raising awareness of the traditions of the Indian culture from screenings to traditional food tastings and outreach. The festival will also feature powwow dancing, American Indian crafts, and a food sale that attendees can participate in. The event will be held from 12 to 4 pm. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. For more information, you can visit Algonac American Indian Festival on Facebook.

The Next Step program was established four years ago to help qualifying young adults in St. Clair County with an identified disability develop independence and work skills. The program, offered through St. Clair County RESA, is now set to replace the Transition Program, formerly operated by the Virtual Learning Academy of St. Clair County. Next STEP which stands for Student Transition Experience Program, will relocate to classrooms on the campus of St. Clair County Community College. Deana Tuczek, RESA’s Director of Special Education, said, “Next STEP will focus on developing employability, community involvement, and independent living skills for the students.” The current transition program has been at RESA’s TEC building through a contract with the Virtual Learning Academy of St. Clair County and expects to enroll around 30 students when classes resume this fall at SC4.

In honor of Earth Day, Monday, the Friends of the St. Clair River held an International celebration. Under the shadow of the Blue Water Bridge, Canadians met in Point Edward and stateside, Americas met at the International Flag Plaza in Port Huron. With the celebration of Earth Day by billions across the world, the two groups decided to make a human-chain that promotes creating awareness among people about the vulnerability and status of the Earth’s water resources. The family-friendly event lasted 22-minutes and had a brief discussion about Earth Day and water. A friendly wave was shared by both groups from both sides of the bridge to show that the communities are united with passion and concern for the St. Clair River and its watersheds.