It didn’t take long to figure out that Mattawan Consolidated School is the heartbeat of this small community. Back in 2009 I moved my family here from Portage with the goal of planting a new church that would be centered in the Bible as the Word of God, and motivated to give love and blessing to the community.
Mattawan is a community that is economically diverse. It is a massive school district spilling over county lines and brushing up against Schoolcraft in the South and Otsego in the north. The village of Mattawan itself is quite small, but there has been a multiplication of new businesses since we moved here over 10 years ago. The community has grown with new houses and developments always going up. But one thing has remained consistent. If you want to understand the heart of the community, you must connect with the schools.
We have sought to be a blessing to Mattawan through the schools in many various ways. I have personally served on the Later Elementary Parent Association and co-chaired and chaired that association when my children were younger. We have volunteered to work concessions for sports, my wife has served on the board for the band boosters, the church has supported the annual walk-a-thon, as well as an annual 5k that helps to fund the Mattawan Public Education Foundation. We have also hosted various activities at our church facility including a community forum for the bond proposals, as well as a couple of fund raiser dodgeball tournaments for the Mattawan Dream Team.
And our relationship was even more formal when we met in the elementary school cafeteria for three years while we built our current facility.
Over the years, I have had a relationship with the past three superintendents. And so I was very interested in the process when Dr. Buchler announced her resignation. I have enjoyed getting to know Dr. Buchler over the years, and am grateful for her work in our community. She was the perfect fit for the role and she took MCS through some significant changes. She did a fabulous job bringing the community together.
I am so pleased with the announcement this afternoon of the selection of Randy Fleenor as the next superintendent of Mattawan Consolidated Schools. I was as involved in this process as possible. I attended all the public forums and public interviews. And I truly believe that the board has selected the best person for this next phase of our community.
I came to Mattawan 11 years ago with the focus of planting a church. But little did I know that I wouldn’t be the only one doing the planting. God has planted within me a love for this community. And I look forward to the good things that God has for us and our schools in the coming years. I look forward to getting to know Mr. Fleenor as he begins a new stretch of his career serving this great community!
