Cheboygan Area Schools – Sunday Soup Newsletter - Week of May 18, 2026
Last Week, Seniors!
You made it! I am super proud of all of our seniors graduating this year! Last count, we have 114 seniors graduating from the high school this Friday, and we have another 40 students graduating from Inverness Academy this year, 154 seniors total.
I know we are celebrating the conclusion of your formal educational experience, but what I enjoy most is hearing what you plan to do next. I hope your educational experience has prepared you well for your next chapter, whatever that chapter may be and wherever it may lead. That is what is exciting, the unknown. Everything is in front of you, and everything is possible.
Also, don’t be afraid to try and fail. Obviously, we would all love to succeed whenever we try something new, but the reality is that, over the course of a lifetime, we will fail more than we succeed. And we learn much more from our failures than we do from our successes. Successes are easy; you get to pat yourself on the back and move on. Failure makes you contemplate change. It makes you ask yourself, “Why did this happen?” Failures make you think about what you need to change so that the next time you try, you increase your odds of success.
The last week for seniors is always the busiest week of all. Here are some, but maybe not all, of the many expectations placed on you over the next two weeks. If you have any questions or concerns, please check with the HS main office directly.
5/18 - Pick up Honor Cords, if eligible
5/19 - Graduation Practice @ 1:00 PM - HS gym - Normal Attire
5/19 - Baccalaureate @ 4:30 PM - Optional - HS gym - Wear cap and gown
5/19 - Scholarship Night @ 6:00 PM - HS gym - Normal Attire
5/20 - Senior Breakfast @ 7:15 AM
5/20 - Academic Awards Assembly @ 8:15 AM
5/21 - Exams Only for Seniors, if needed
5/22 - Senior Class Picture @ 8:30 AM
5/22 - Graduation Practice @ 9:00 AM
5/22 - Parade at 5:30 PM, line up @ Family Fare @ 5:00 PM
5/22 - Commencement Ceremony in HS Gym @ 7:00 PM
Head Boys Basketball Position Interviews Have Concluded!
Last week, our new athletic director, Steve Klinge, and a small committee interviewed four candidates for the position. I believe they are ready to share their recommendation with me on Monday morning. If agreeable, we will move forward tomorrow night with the hiring of a new boys’ basketball coach at the BOE meeting. Once the board approves the recommendation for hire and it becomes official, the new coach will be meeting with parents and players soon to discuss summer opportunities.
I wanted to thank our new athletic director, Steve Klinge, for taking time out of his schedule to help lead and facilitate this process. As the new AD, Steve must have a voice in this decision, even though he does not officially start until August 1st.
Typically, summer basketball opportunities are plentiful, and we want to make sure we offer as many of these opportunities to our student-athletes as possible this summer so they can continue their path of individual and team growth. Stay tuned… if everything goes well, we should have a public announcement to share on Tuesday.
Calendar Change Approved by BOE
As you know, the BOE approved moving the last day of school to June 12th, to add five makeup days to our school calendar, and there is still much work to be done in Lansing. It appears HB 5797 has now been moved to the Senate for a vote this week. We should hear something soon. If the bill passes, it will allow forgiveness days for four specific dates, March 12, 13, 16, and 17, which were days impacted by the blizzard. Of the four days of forgiveness that Lansing is considering with this HB, we were only off two of those four days, the 16th and 17th. So, if this does indeed pass this week, it appears that we would only benefit from two of the four days, leaving us still with 6 days to make up.
We have not heard anything yet regarding forgiveness days for the flooding. We are hoping that Lansing will provide relief for the three days that we were mandated to close as a school district due to being placed under a “state of emergency.”
Several bills are currently being debated in Lansing regarding additional forgiveness days for school districts impacted by this winter’s severe weather. HB 5800 would provide broader relief by allowing qualifying school districts located in governor-declared emergency areas to forgive up to 15 total closure days due to extreme weather conditions, including blizzards, flooding, ice storms, and power outages. HB 5808 would make a more permanent statewide change by increasing Michigan’s annual allowable “Act of God” closure days from six to twelve.
So, there is still work to do. Please consider contacting Representative Cavitt and Senator Damoose. They are aware of our concerns regarding both the blizzard and flooding, and continue to serve as our collective voice in Lansing as this legislation is debated.
Finishing Up May @ the District Office…
May 18 – Cabinet Meeting @ 1:00 p.m.
May 18 – BOE Meeting @ 6:30 p.m.
May 20 – SL Weekly Zoom Meeting @ 11:00 a.m.
May 21 – Inverness Academy Graduation @ 7:00 p.m.
May 22 – High School Graduation Ceremony @ 7:00 p.m.
May 25 – Memorial Day – No School
May 26 – MOCI Graduation @ 1:00 p.m.
May 27 – SL Weekly Zoom Meeting @ 11:00 a.m.
June 12 – Adjusted Last Day of School
Quote of the Week…
“You will move Mountains.” – Dr. Seuss.
When I think about this graduating class and the journey ahead, I am reminded of the words from Oh, the Places You'll Go!. At first glance, it is a simple children’s book, but the older you get, the more you realize it is really about life. It is about stepping away from what is familiar and walking into a future that is exciting, uncertain, challenging, and full of opportunity all at once.
Right now, many of you are standing at that exact point in life. Some of you know exactly what your next step is. Some of you are still figuring it out. Some of you are eager to leave, while others may be nervous about what comes next. The truth is, every adult in this room has felt those same emotions. Life does not come with a perfect roadmap. There will be moments when you feel confident and unstoppable, and there will also be moments when you feel stuck in what Dr. Seuss called “the waiting place,” where decisions are difficult, and progress feels slow.
But the message of the book, and hopefully one of the lessons you take from your time here, is that success is not about avoiding challenges. It is about continuing to move forward despite them. Your future will not be defined by a single test score, one mistake, one bad day, or even one success. It will be defined by your resilience, your character, and your willingness to keep going when life becomes difficult.
As you leave Cheboygan HS on Friday night, remember this: you are more prepared than you think you are. You have learned how to adapt, overcome adversity, work hard, and support one another. And while none of us can predict exactly where life will take you, I truly believe each of you can do meaningful things, make a positive impact, and, as Dr. Seuss wrote, “move mountains.”
Spencer S. Byrd, EdS, CSBO, CAA, CO
Superintendent
Cheboygan Area Schools