Beaver Island Community School
| Beaver Island Community Schools | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
37895 Kings Highway[1]
, Charlevoix, Michigan, 49782United States | |
| District information | |
| Motto | Customized learning in a unique island community.[4] |
| Grades | Pre-Kindergarten-12 |
| Superintendent | Wil Cwikiel[2] |
| Schools | 1[3] |
| Budget | $2,328,000 2021-2022 expenditures[3] |
| NCES District ID | 2604350[3] |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 53 (2023-2024)[3] |
| Teachers | 7.52 (on an FTE basis) (2023-2024)[3] |
| Staff | 19.04 FTE (2023-2024)[3] |
| Student–teacher ratio | 7.05[3] |
| Other information | |
| Website | www |
Beaver Island Community School is a public school district in Charlevoix County, Michigan. It serves Peaine Township and St. James Township, which are located on Beaver Island.[5]
The district consists of a single school serving all grades. Wil Cwikiel, the superintendent, also serves as the school's principal.[1] The school has 53 students[3] as of the 2023-2024 school year, down from 96 students during the 1999-2000 school year[6] due to declining birth rates. A unique challenge for the school is that due to its small size, small fluctuations in enrollment have a large impact on funding.[7] The school board has seven members elected to four-year terms.[6]
History
[edit]The district was founded in 1898.[8] At one time, there were two one-room schoolhouses in the district, but the schools consolidated in town around the mid-20th Century. Because few teachers would live on such a remote island, Catholic nuns were employed by the school, although instruction was secular. In 1974, the school hired the first full-time teacher who was not a nun. By that time, the school board planned to ultimately replace the nuns with lay teachers.[9]
As of 1985, honor-roll students with perfect attendance were treated to McDonald's hamburgers four times a year, but the meals had to be flown in from Charlevoix.[10]
In 2007, voters approved a nearly $4 million bond issue to build an addition and improve the school building.[11]
Historic enrollment
[edit]- 1956: 4 graduates.[12]
- 1962: 64 students.[13]
- 1974: 55 students, including 7 seniors.[14]
- 1983: 65 students and 5 full-time teachers.[15]
- 1985: 75 in September, 63 in June.[16]
- 1999: 96 students[6]
- 2023-2024: 53 students[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Beaver Island Community School. "Beaver Island Community School". Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ Beaver Island Community School. "Staff". Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Beaver Island Community School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences.
- ^ Land Information Access Association. "Beaver Island Master Plan 2023" (PDF). Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. "Charlevoix County School Districts" (PDF). Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ a b c Ballotpedia. "Beaver Island Community School". Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ "Capitol quips". Grand Rapids Press. March 11, 2002. p. D4.
- ^ Ashton, Dixie (June 2, 1985). "Small town graduates". Grand Rapids Press. p. 32.
- ^ Clock, Bob (September 4, 1974). "Beaver Island gets first full-time lay teacher". Petoskey News-Review. p. 30.
- ^ Ashton, Dixie (June 2, 1985). "Small town graduates". Grand Rapids Press. p. 32.
- ^ Michigan Department of Treasury. "2007 STATE QUALIFIED SCHOOL BOND ELECTION RESULTS". Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ "The Beaver Beacon" (PDF). The Beaver Beacon. June 1956. p. 1.
- ^ "School to graduate two". Escanaba Daily Press. May 26, 1962. p. 1.
- ^ Clock, Bob (September 4, 1974). "Beaver Island gets first full-time lay teacher". Petoskey News-Review. p. 30.
- ^ McKesson, Michael (March 13, 1983). "32 miles of watery isolation separate Beaver Island from the rest of the U.S.". Ann Arbor News. p. 18.
- ^ Ashton, Dixie (June 2, 1985). "Small town graduates". Grand Rapids Press. p. 32.
