Alpena students text2win $50,000

January 24, 2012

Alpena High School -- and more specifically its Kids and Parents United Together (KAPUT) program -- recently received a $50,000 prize from Verizon after the school received 450,000 text votes as part of the company's TXT2WIN contest.

KAPUT provides safe events and activities for teens. Although this prize isn't specifically designated for athletics, Alpena previously has been recognized for promoting school sports. The community's CHAMPS program – Community Helping Athletes Maintain Positive Sportsmanship  -- received the MHSAA's SCOPE award in 2007.

Alpena, a Class A school with roughly 1,300 students, competed against schools from 15 states.

To read more, click on this link to The Alpena News.

Mentor of Many (Kalamazoo Gazette)

April 17, 2012

Longtime Plainwell coach and athletic director Jack Streidl died Monday at age 93 and after nearly a lifetime of serving his community's athletic programs in a variety of roles.

The Kalamazoo Gazette's Scott DeCamp recounts the contributions of the Menominee native and Western Michigan grad who won more than 200 football games and was present as the school's stadium was named after him in 2008. 

Remembering a legend: Plainwell teacher/coach Jack Streidl 'always saw the best in people'