The Cassopolis Board of Education recognized math and science students for their achievements at their regular board meeting Monday night.

Third, fourth and fifth graders participated in the Math-A-Rama event at Southwestern Michigan College on March 6 with the fourth grade team winning blue first place ribbons.

Third through fifth graders also participated in the Science Olympiad and first through fourth graders participated in the spelling bee. The spelling bee team took second place as a team. Sarah Schnieder, a sixth-grade participant, placed 12th out of 95 competitors.

Felomina Patton spoke of the Michigan History team who took first place at a national competition on Saturday. Six students presented the 10 minute play, “The Kentucky Raid of 1847,” before a panel of judges. The team was comprised of Sam Adams Elementary Students Kennedy Brooks, Madison King, Otto Reick, Anna Leach, and Taylor Herwick.

“It is an intense play. It was really a labor of love,” Patton said while choking back tears. “The kids worked Saturdays, Sundays, it really paid off. There was lots of memorization, they had to speak and move things on stage while four judges looked at them very intensely. After the play they asked them questions high school students probably don’t even know. The judges were so shocked they gave them a standing ovation.”

The team also won the best entry in Michigan History award.

Also at the meeting, Brad Banasik, of the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASP), presented Level One certification and Award of Merit (Level Two) pins to Susan Horstmann and John Bright. Board members must complete nine classes that give an introduction to school governance to achieve a level one certification and must aquire education credits such as serving as an officer or attending a conference to achieve level two certification.

Every member of the Cassopolis Board of Education has achieved at least level one certification, an accomplishment that earned them an Honor Board Award from MASP. They are one of only 27 school boards in the state to have that honor.

The board also accepted bids for the home and visitor grandstand renovation and press box replacement project and for foundation repair on the grandstand.

The cost of the project with alterations for ADA accessibility on both home and visitor sides and for widening aisle ways and adding handrails is $335,425.

An additional $62,000 will be spent in repairing the foundation of the structure. According to Superintendent Tracy Hertsel, repairing the foundation now will help the grandstand last at least another 35 years, whereas without the foundation, it would probably only last another eight.

“Doing one without the other would not be beneficial to the district,” Hertsel said.