This week’s Principal’s message is from our Assistant Principal/Athletic Director, Jeremy Peplinski. It is for families with students playing Fall sports!
Plans for Summer Athletics
June:
Turn in technology and pay any fees so that you’re able to start fall athletics right away.
Students, make sure you know your LPS Google password and can log in to Final Forms.
July:
Fall sports registration begins July 1. Register on Final Forms!
Make sure you have a sports physical completed after April 15.
August:
August 5: Fall sports Parent Meeting in PAC, 6 pm
August 10: Fall Varsity/JV sports practices begin
August 24: Fall Middle School sports practices begin
If you have questions about our Athletics department during the summer, please send me an email:
📧 jpeplinski@lelandschool.com
📞 (231) 256-3810
- Jeremy Peplinski, Athletic Director
Important Upcoming Dates
All dates available on website calendar
Tuesday, June 9th - Half Day
Wednesday, June 10th - Half Day, Last Day of School
Important Information & Events
$1000 to go! We are just $1,000 away from hitting our $30k fundraising goal! The Fun Run annual fundraiser is so important for our school community, thank you!
Join us on the playground at 11:00 AM on the last day of school (Wednesday, June 10) for popsicles and celebration as we send our students off for the summer! After enjoying a treat, we’ll line up to cheer on our Comets as they make their way out. Bring your signs, decorate your cars, and show your Comet Spirit loud and proud! Let’s give them a send-off to remember!
Additional parking is available in the Immanuel Lutheran Church lot.
The Occasional Paper | Spring 2026 Edition
Our student journalists have spent the year developing their reporting, interviewing, writing, and storytelling skills, and we are excited to share the final issue of The Occasional Paper for the 2025-26 school year.
Inside This Issue:
Senior Graduation and the Class of 2026
College Athletics Commitments and Valedictorian Highlights
Leland Prom: From Promposals to the Big Dance
Farewell Features Celebrating Mrs. Fowler and Mrs. Walter
Girls Soccer Season Recap
Boys Golf Season Highlights and State Qualifier Success
Great Ways to Spend Summer in Leelanau County
Cherry Festival Fun and a Summer Mocktail Recipe
Local Ice Cream Shops Opening for the Season
New Businesses Coming to Traverse City
World News: Understanding the Conflict in Iran
Whaleback When: The History of April Fools' Day
Student Art, Poetry, Photography, and Comics
A special thank you to Taylor Vann and the student writing staff for their dedication and hard work throughout the year.
Click the button below to view all 17 pages of The Occasional Paper.
Happy almost summer, Comets! Congratulations on another successful school year.
We're wishing you some serious rest and relaxation in the coming weeks, and then we can't wait to see you when our Summer Programming kicks off toward the end of June.
If you haven't yet done so, make sure that you fill out the Summer Registration form HERE or by following the QR code in the poster so we can see you at all the fun things we have coming up!
In the meantime, well done students, staff and families. Enjoy your summer!
Menus
Recently at LPS
LPS seniors walked into school alongside their parents on their final day of high school, just as they did on their very first day of kindergarten.
Congratulations to our Co-Valedictorians, Eliza Aldridge and Lorna Wiesen!
Their hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence have earned them the highest academic honor in the Class of 2026. We loved their humor-filled graduation speech, which perfectly captured their time in secondary school at LPS. We are incredibly proud of both of them.
Seniors & Siblings!
Staff awards given out by seniors.
THANK YOU to these local businesses for supporting our Seniors. Shop their stores this summer to show your appreciation!
CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2026
Minna on CNN 10! LPS student and National Spelling Bee contestant Minna Danziger was featured on CNN 10’s Scripps National Spelling Bee segment! You can spot her around the 4-minute mark. We are so proud of Minna!
5th Grade Exhibition Our 5th Grade students proudly presented their PYP Exhibition projects to the community last Thursday evening. As the culminating inquiry experience of the Primary Years Programme, the Exhibition challenges students to investigate real-world issues that matter to them. Through research, analysis, and action, students explored ways to make a positive impact on their communities and the world. We are proud of their curiosity, critical thinking, and commitment to being caring, global citizens.
Photo Cred: Justina Hlavka
SOPHIE GRINAGE 4TH PLACE IN THE STATE! Sophie placed 4th in the 3200m, often called the “2-mile,” and also finished 9th in the 1600m, often called the “mile.”
Track & Field State Finals Seven track and field athletes represented the Leland Comets at the State Finals this past Saturday: Hannes Graebel, Campbell Fedderman, Holden Preneta, Christopher Knudsen, Sophie Grinage, Magnolia Marsh, and Natalie Burpee. A special congratulations goes to Sophie Grinage for her All-State finish in the 3200m run. We are incredibly proud of all seven athletes for representing our school and community with determination, commitment, and Comet pride.
Middle School Track and Field had a fast and fun season for both the Girls and Boys teams.
At the Regional Meet, the ladies finished strong and placed in every event where there was participation. The gents were Regional Champions for the first time ever.
Next up was the Megastar meet, which is similar to a state meet for Middle Schoolers in Michigan. The qualifying standards are strict. James Brugeman, 8th grader, qualified in the 800 meter run. This week he competed and came in 7th in the state for small schools. He also bested his time and broke the school record. James now holds the middle school record for both long jump and the 800.
Coach Kirt is impressed and proud of all the track and field athletes this season for their commitment and accomplishments.
LEF FUN RUN STILL OPEN $1000 to go!
We are just $1,000 away from hitting our $30k fundraising goal! The Fun Run annual fundraiser is so important for our school community, thank you!
Close Up Current Issues Dinner Table Discussion Close Up students recently participated in our Dinner Table Current Issues Project, a civil discourse activity inspired by the Close Up program and the types of issues debated by Congress and policymakers today. Students selected a current public issue, researched the background, identified the values at the heart of the debate, and created engaging visuals and discussion materials to help classmates understand multiple perspectives.
To create a welcoming atmosphere, students were asked to bring a small snack or beverage, as if guests were joining them around their own dinner table. Acting as discussion hosts rather than debaters, students facilitated friendly conversations where classmates explored the strongest arguments on both sides of an issue, considered where they currently stood, discussed why reasonable people may disagree, examined who is most affected, and ultimately cast a vote after hearing different viewpoints.
The project challenged students to practice one of democracy's most important skills: discussing complex issues with curiosity, respect, and an open mind.
The LPS Art Garden Takes Beautiful Shape! The Art Garden park outside Mrs. Smith's classroom is shaping up to be an inspiring outdoor classroom space! We owe gratitude to Art Teacher, Mrs. Lani H. Smith for her vision for this space, and Aide, Mrs. Carol Shipley for executing this vision so beautifully.
From start to (almost) finish, they put a plan on paper, secured grant monies from the Leland Garden Club and Leland Educational Foundation, traveled to Wild Juniper perennials in Cedar for plants, built benches, cleaned out the pond, put a lot of hard work and sweat and shovels in the ground to create this inspiring educational space! Carol even came in on her days off, stayed after hours and on weekends to make the park a gorgeous learning space.
Hats off to all those who helped create the Art Garden including LPS Maintenance retiree, Pat Patterson; Aide, Jill Kattelus; students J.C. Oosse, Carson McGuinness and Carmella Valentine; multiple high school students/groups; Mr. Chris Smith; LPS Maintenance Team, Steve Danielczyk, Larry Porter and Nello Valentine.
Thank you to all who have made this Art Garden so special, to inspire learning for years to come!
Plein Air Painting Trip Third and fourth grade students recently traveled to Leland for a plein air painting field trip. The day began with a visit to the Old Art Building, where students viewed an art exhibit and learned from the work of local artists. The exhibit gave students an opportunity to observe different artistic styles, techniques, and subjects before creating artwork of their own.
Armed with watercolor paper, pencils, paints, and brushes, students spread out across several scenic locations throughout town, including the Village Green, Fishtown, and other green spaces. The experience encouraged students to slow down, observe details, and express their creativity through art.
The teachers would like to thank the parent chaperones and high school helpers whose support made the trip possible. The field trip provided students with a valuable opportunity to create art while experiencing the beauty of the Leland community.
Comets are... Strong Swimmers! The third graders attended Swim Safety at the Traverse City YMCA. Each student had swim lessons along with learning new safety techniques. They now know reach, throw, don't go when others need help. Also we practiced flip, float and follow with rip currents. Other skills included pool safety and what to do if your boat capsizes. Thank you to the YMCA for free lessons and the LEF for funding bus transportation.
RED HOT BEST Congratulations to LPS teacher Kim Klein on being voted Best Teacher in the Leelanau and Benzie area in the 2026 Red Hot Best Awards!
This honor comes as no surprise to those who know Kim. Her expertise, kindness, and unwavering commitment to students make a lasting impact every day.
She has inspired countless learners. She has helped create a school culture where students and even fellow staff feel encouraged to be their best selves and feel valued.
Even more exciting, we can't wait to continue learning from and working alongside both Kim and her daughter, who will be joining LPS as an elementary teacher next school year.
We are incredibly proud of Kim and grateful to have her as part of the LPS family.
THANK YOU A huge thank you to the Tietje family for routinely supporting LPS staff with delicious homemade baked goods! This week, they delivered a plate of fresh cookies for every staff room. A simple yet big gesture that brought a lot of smiles.
As the school year comes to a close, we want to thank all of the families, students, and community members who wrote thank-you notes, shared kind words, gave time, gave resources, or gave thoughtful gifts to our staff. Your support means more than you know.
Our teachers and staff go above and beyond every day to support, encourage, and care for LPS students.
We are grateful to be part of a community that recognizes and values this work.
Thank you to all who help make LPS such a special place.
