Cheboygan Area Schools – Sunday Soup Newsletter
Week of February 16, 2026
East Elementary Renovations to Begin Over Spring Break:
We will begin a 1.5-year renovation process at East Elementary starting over spring break. Multiple contractors will be on site completing a variety of upgrades and improvements throughout the building. Some of the work will include demolition of six classrooms at the end of the first-grade wing, upgrades to heating and cooling systems, electrical improvements, air quality enhancements, indoor renovations, and outdoor construction and additions.
One of our top priorities during this project is maintaining a safe environment for students, staff, and families. This will include adjustments to first-grade drop-off and pick-up procedures and the installation of a temporary wall separating the six classrooms from the remainder of the building. Much of the work will occur during evenings, weekends, and school breaks to avoid disrupting instructional time. Beginning construction over spring break allows us to stay on schedule to meet our targeted completion date at the start of the 2027–28 school year.
During the summer months, construction at East Elementary will occur around the clock, both inside and outside the building. For safety reasons, only assigned contractors and workers will be allowed on site during this time. All summer camps, programs, and meetings that are typically held at East Elementary, including K-Camp, will be relocated to the CIS building.
Our long-range construction plan includes part-time work beginning over spring break, full-time work throughout the summer, part-time work during the following school year, and full-time work again during the summer before project completion. The goal is to have the project substantially complete by the start of the 2027–28 school year.
Thank you for your continued support and patience as we complete these important improvements to East Elementary.
Seniors… Dream Big!
As spring nears and graduation plans begin, I encourage all seniors to start thinking about their next chapter. Graduation is an exciting milestone, but what excites me most is what comes next in your life. Graduating is not the end — it’s the beginning. As you chart your path forward, dream big! Often, the only limitation is your ability to imagine what’s possible.
For example, many of you probably watched the Super Bowl last weekend. Did you hear the story of the winning head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Macdonald, and his journey to the top?
After high school, Coach Macdonald attended the University of Georgia and earned a degree in Finance. After graduation, he was offered a job in finance, making around $100,000, which was more money than he had ever seen before. Many urged him to take it, but instead, he followed his dream and accepted a position as a graduate assistant in football, earning just $10,000–$15,000 a year.
That role required hard work, including film breakdown, scouting reports, and operational support, tasks far removed from play-calling or leadership. But he approached every job with passion and purpose. Coach Macdonald has said he felt “called to the profession” and that he has never been motivated by money, only by his love for coaching and his dream of one day leading an NFL team.
Today, he is a millionaire and is one of the highest-paid coaches in the league. He continues to speak to groups about following your passion, emphasizing that if you stay true to your dreams, success, including financial success, will follow. He followed one simple rule: “Follow your dreams, and you will never work a day in your life.”
Future Graduates, what is your dream?
February...
· 16th – Presidents’ Day
· 17th:
o Finance Committee Meeting, BR @ 10:00 AM
o Negotiation Team Meeting @ 11:30 AM
o Policy Committee Meeting @ 2:30 PM
o Curriculum Committee Meeting @ 3:30 PM
· 18th:
o Weekly SL Zoom Team Meeting @ 11:00 AM
o Asbestos Bid Opening, BR @ 2:00 PM
· 20th – MASA Region 2 Meeting at Iosco RESA @ 9:30 AM
· 23rd:
o Cabinet Meeting @ 1:00 PM
o BOE Meeting @ 6:30 PM
· 25th – Weekly SL Zoom Team Meeting @ 11:00 AM
· 26th–27th – COPESD Superintendent Retreat
Quote of the Week: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt was best known as the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She was an active leader and advocate for human rights, social justice, and public service. Her most significant accomplishment was helping to draft the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. She was born on October 11, 1884, and died on November 7, 1962.
Spencer S. Byrd, EdS, CSBO, CAA
Superintendent
Cheboygan Area Schools