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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023  
LANSING STATE JOURNAL  
Illness  
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Page 1A  
and canine flu, Letsche said. And if none of those dis-  
eases are found, it would alert veterinarians to do fur-  
ther testing, he said.  
One of the best ways to prevent illnesses in dogs is  
to stay up to date on routine vaccinations, don’t wait a  
few m  
onths after schedule to update the vaccinations  
either, Holton said.  
Letsche said the best way he knows to prevent the  
illness is to m  
ake sure dogs are fully vaccinated before  
interacting with others, don’t share food and water  
bowls with unknown dogs and keep your dog away  
from  
“And seek veterinary attention as soon as possible if  
any symptoms appear,” he said.  
The symptoms, according to state officials, include  
coughing, sneezing, nasal or eye discharge, fever, loss  
of appetite and lethargy. The cough may continue for  
weeks or months and severe forms of the disease can  
progress to life-threatening pneumonia, according to a  
statement from the Michigan Agriculture and Rural  
Development.  
Animal shelters and kennel staff are being asked to  
adhere to intake and vaccination protocols, to follow  
isolation timelines and continue with proactive clean-  
ing.  
Veterinarians who find any unusual or reportable  
conditions in animals should call the state department  
unvaccinated or sick dogs.  
Grand Ledge Hayes Intermediate School robotics teacher Tim Madden talks to students on Wednesday  
during his robotics enrichment class. There are more than 30 unique enrichment classes students may  
choose from based on their personal interests. PHOTOS BY MATTHEW DAE SMITH/LANSING STATE JOURNAL  
Students  
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Page 1A  
at 800-292-3939.  
Letsche said he treated a dog recently who had an  
Eric Leopold, principal of Hayes Interm  
“Sometimes, they don’t want to go home.” veterinary visit before the dog could return.  
Hayes Intermediate School was created to serve “We saw him outside,” Letsche said about precau-  
only fifth and sixth grade students from the fall of tions.  
2021 onward. From the beginning, Leopold said, ad- He said the day care center was proactive about a  
inistrators wanted the school to be “elementary potential infection, which could have also come from  
with a flair.” Hayes was specifically designed to cater dog park visit, and that is something pet owners  
to the needs of students transitioning from elemen- should seek out.  
tary school to middle school. “I’m not recom ending people to not board, but  
The enrichment classes last for 12 weeks, and stu- they can explore alternatives like having someone  
dents get to experience three a year. Students choose Fifth- and sixth-graders write down personal come to their house,” Letsche said.  
their classes in the spring before their fifth and sixth attributes they are most proud of Wednesday in The next few weeks are historically a time when dog  
grades. Students can choose from over 30 classes. Kathleen Mikulec’s “Girl Empowerment” class at diseases spread more often, due to owners traveling  
“Choice is a powerful thing,” said John Ellsworth, Hayes Intermediate School in Grand Ledge. and changing their pet’s risks, he said.  
director of com unications for Grand Ledge Public “Most of the advice for this is com  
Schools. “There’s intrinsic motivation when kids can Letsche said. “We should not panic. We need to do our  
pick what they learn.” lieves it’s important for them to learn these skills due diligence. Contact a vet ASAP if there are any signs  
The classes are not graded and are meant to serve early. She wants to help students feel comfortable in a and, if they’re showing signs, don’t expose them to  
as an introduction to topics that the students might professional setting while still making it fun. other dogs.”  
“We do lots of role-play and games,” she said. “The Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415  
kids want to grow and learn, and allowing them the  
fortable is important.”  
One sixth-grade girl in her class said she was tak-  
weeks, they hatch salmon eggs and watch them grow. ing the class to get over a fear of hers.  
At the end, they release the fish into a lake and the A sixth-grade boy named Eddy Misener said he  
whole class is supported by the Michigan Department took the class to practice job skills and adult “stuff.”  
of Natural Resources. Students in the class had a wide He has plans to be an engineer.  
ediate School.  
infection, the dog’s day care program was requiring a  
m
a
m
m mon sense,”  
want to pursue in the future. And, they’re a fun way to  
end the day for both teachers and students.  
Salm  
on in the classroom is one of the most popular space to feel com  
classes and is only open to sixth graders. Over the 12  
variety of reasons why they took that class.  
Kathleen Mikulec teaches an enrichm  
cusing on girl empowerment. Each day of the first  
als,” said week of classes, the students write something they  
like about themselves and share it.  
Another extremely popular class is robotics. This is “I think its important for these girls to feel support-  
ent class fo-  
“I fish a lot,” said Mikey Stenzel.  
“I love learning about nature and anim  
Anna Burgess.  
the first school year that robotics 2.0 is a class sixth ed,” she said. “Fifth and sixth grade can be really hard  
graders can take, due to the popularity of robotics 1.0 for girls.”  
for fifth graders.  
“We wanted to m  
class one year and wanted to continue weren’t learn- and the teacher from people who had taken it in the diagnosed with a possible case of the mysterious  
ing the same thing,” teacher Tim Madden said. “This past. illness being found in dogs this year.  
is the first year we’re using the new program, and I’m “I saw a girl carrying a poster on the bus, and I  
honestly learning from the kids.” thought it looked cool so I wanted to sign up for the  
Two sixth-grade girls, Olivia Jacobs and Meeviya class,” a sixth grader named Allison Hatfield said.  
“I really like this class, and I like that (the teacher)  
said that they were taking the class because they en- is always greeting us at the beginning of the day,” said  
joyed their robotics class the previous year. Grace Quagliata, a fifth grader.  
The girls in the class said that they took the class to  
ake sure students who took the  
make friends and heard good things about the class Tucker, a 7-year old American Yellow Lab, was  
PROVIDED BY AMANDA HOUSE  
Sathyaprakash Vanm  
athy, in the robotics 2.0 class  
“I like seeing the pieces come together and making The teachers of the enrichment classes said they  
som  
ething,” Meeviya said.  
enjoyed being able to teach the kids som  
ething they  
Both of the girls can see a potential future career them  
selves are passionate about.  
working with robots or another technical field.  
Leopold said that this has boosted teacher m  
orale  
, and Bierstetel agreed with this.  
skills. Although they’re nearly a decade away from “It’s a perfect way to end the day,” she said.  
Contact Sarah Atwood at satwood@lsj.com  
Another class focuses on teaching students job and enthusiasm  
having to pursue a career, teacher Holly Bierstetel be-  
Wolverines  
Continued from  
Page 1A  
a couple of wolverines housed at the Detroit Zoo,  
you’re not likely to run into one, other than those  
decked out in m  
aize-and-blue at the Big House. (Un-  
like a lot of other schools, U-M has neither a live ver-  
ascot or a dressed-up one traipsing  
around the sidelines; the helmet design also appar-  
sion of its m  
ently has nothing to do with the anim  
al either.)  
In fact, there is scant evidence the state ever had  
m
uch of any wolverine population; the question of  
e “the Wolverine state” or U-M  
adopted it as a nickname remains shrouded in mys-  
ething to do with the Michigan’s lone wolverine peers at her surroundings  
state’s history as a trapping outpost. One did pop up on a bright 2007 day in the Minden City swamp.  
b about 20 years ago.  
how Michigan becam  
tery, though it m  
ay have som  
in the Thum  
PROVIDED BY JEFF FORD  
It’s now stuffed and on display at the Saginaw Visi-  
tor’s Center after rolling around for several years in  
the Minden City State Gam  
e Area. Typically, live wol-  
of clim  
ate change and associated habitat degradation  
verines — som erican  
300 left in the contiguous U.S. — live in the Western wolverine,”said Fish & Wildlife Pacific Regional Direc-  
and northwestern states at high elevations. tor Hugh Morrison. “Based on the best available sci-  
For the record, the North American wolverine, oth- ence, this listing determination will help to stem the  
e reports have said there are only about and fragmentation are imperiling the North Am  
erwise known by the Latin “gulo gulo luscus,” (gulo long-term impact and enhance the viability of wolver-  
standing for “glutton” and “luscus” for the New World ines in the contiguous United States.”  
ore and re- Conservationists, noting the loss of snowpack due  
ate change, have been pushing for the species  
weasel-related fam to be listed since the 1990s, by the way, over the ob-  
It also is nocturnal, can smell frozen carcasses in jections, at least in recent years, of farm bureaus,  
up to 20 feet of snow and has glands that produce a snowmobile associations and the American Petro-  
pungent, sticky substance to mark their territory — leum  
which often happens during mating season and be- All we can say is, “Go Blue!” and wish future gener-  
fore home games in Novem ations of wolverines and Wolverines good luck.  
The government had actually m We might also remark that, after the way The Gam  
version), runs to around 40 pounds or m  
sembles a small bear but is actually a large member of a to clim  
ily. (Cue the Michigan State fans.)  
Institute.  
ber.  
oved to list the wol-  
e
verine as threatened a decade ago, then delisted it, has turned out in recent years, m  
aybe som  
eone needs  
before a court, urged by environm  
ental groups, to look at saving the Buckeyes.  
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com.  
And here we are: “Current and increasing impacts Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler.  
stepped in and told it to look again.  
;