Congratulations to Grass Lake High School Junior Elle Durkee and Sophomore Elsa Miller for their success through the "iChallenge U" program this past summer under the guidance of Grass lake High School English teacher, Mrs. Amy Janz. Following is Mrs. Janz's account of their successful mission......

"This past summer I had the privilege to work with a team of Jackson county students through the iChallengeU program. This team was comprised of Elle Durkee and Elsa Miller of Grass Lake, as well as Willow Bentley and Isabella Martin of Western High School and McKenna Davis of Hanover-Horton. To honor this team's success, these five outstanding students were honored and recognized for their hard work on the Jackson Chamber of Commerce team by being invited to the Jackson Area Manufacturing Association's annual meeting at the Jackson Country club.

During the meeting, the attendees watched the video of this team's presentation of their strategic plan that answered the driving question: How can the Jackson Chamber of Commerce fully market the Jackson Employability P.A.C.T. to area businesses and the community to create countywide awareness and prioritization? After the video, the team was recognized and answered questions. It was then announced that due partially to the hard work of these young ladies, the Jackson County Career Readiness Taskforce was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Marshall Plan for Talent for various programs geared towards career readiness throughout Jackson County.

This was a phenomenal experience for these students. They met Senator Mike Shirkey as well as several area employers and educators who were all exceedingly complimentary of their performance and accomplishments. Overall, each of these girls represented their respective schools admirably and are deserving of some extra recognition."

Go to the following link to view the team's presentation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x14XGyAc5OY&t=4s