Raised in Latin America, Yvonne brings a rich “world-view” to her work of over 40 years in the field of education as a teacher, school principal, director of curriculum and assessment, consultant for low-performing schools, as a state department of education official, and as a corporate executive in the private sector leading an innovation division that guided school improvement research, marketing, and strategic partnerships. Most recently, Yvonne served as the Director of Implementation for FirstSchool, an Early Childhood research and direct practice collaborative between Michigan State University and the University of North Carolina. Since March of 2012, Yvonne has been the Superintendent for the Lansing School District.
Yvonne has received numerous awards for her dedication to the education profession, among them are the Greater Lansing Woman of the Year Finalist, GLWoman Magazine, Certificate of Leadership & Achievement, Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan, National Educator Award presented by the Milken Family Foundation, Human Rights Award given by the Michigan Education Association and named the Michigan Superintendent of the Year for 2015 by the Michigan Association for School Administrators.
Her degrees are from Olivet College and Michigan State University. Yvonne has traveled throughout the world and is fluent in Spanish. She is married to Victor Caamal Canul.
Please remember to bring a business card to the meeting on Friday. We'll be using the cards in exchange for a copy of the 100th Anniversary Celebration Book. There will be a master list to cross you off if you do not have a card. Thank you for your help.
The following proposed member was approved via an email vote with the Rotary Club of Lansing Board of Directors If anyone has a comment on this proposed member please forward it in writing within ten days to the Rotary office.
John O'Leary, President of O'Leary Paint, sponsored by Chris Holman
Marilyn Doty Larson passed away on Friday, May 13th, 2016. There will be a Memorial Service planned at a later date. Erik's Birthday is today, so please keep him in your Prayers. Thank you,
A courageous cadre of Rotarians scoffed in the face of superstition and gathered at the Lansing Center on Friday the 13th. Apparently our Rotary Sirens’ (Beachler and Smith) call was enough to overpower an outbreak of paraskevidekatriaphobia (look it up, it’s a real word, if you can pronounce it, you’re cured!). President Lisa Smith called us to order and we stood tall and listened to the vainglorious sermonizing of the right Rev. Ken Beachler’s exhortations on glorifying God through music. (Tommy Chong- - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - - 78 speed- -I saw God). The dais was adorned with musical instruments for a full program of jazz. We sang the Star Spangled Banner in its traditional arrangement (jazzing it up would have stymied Rotarians’ ability to remember the words). Visiting Rotarians and guests, just a few, were introduced. Sue Mills gave the remembrance report, Eric Larsen’s mother and long time Impression 5 volunteer is in failing health. Courtney Milbrook announced that the Foundation Board is seeking new members; if interested contact Courtney email: Courtney@lansingsymphony.org
Our 100 Year Lansing Rotary History Book will be available at the May 20th meeting. A dog eared copy was passed around the meeting for all to see. John Grettenberger, Jr. gave a musical history of the club dressed in full Joel Grey Cabaret attire. John Dale Smith ravaged the keyboard while Grettenberger sang, danced and marched through 100 years of the club’s musical provenance. Highlights include Joe Rix’s WWI-1933 vaudevillian escapades, Milt Berg’s record holding 1933-1996 Rotaryesque Broadway run, and Renaissance man Stan Starnes on the piano from 1996 until Ed McCree twisted the arms of Ken Beachler and John Dale Smith to make special music a weekly staple in our diet. In what can only be described as an epic fail, we didn’t give Ken and John a standing ovation, probably because we were reminded of the last time we sang the Pussy song from the Rotary songbook.
No name brand speaker, no politician, no sports who’s who, no champion for social justice at the podium today. In fact, no podium at all, just a simple stage sporting a Kurzweil electric piano, a Gretsch drum kit, a well worn bass and a microphone. Today’s treat, which I hope becomes an annual tradition, was a full program of jazz by the Ian LeVine Trio, featuring vocalist Danielle Blanchard. Ian LeVine on the drums, Jeff Kressler on the piano and Ed Fedewa on the bass are the Ian LeVine Trio. 7 numbers, enough to fill two sides of an LP were our entire program of the day. If you closed your eyes and just listened you could understand why jazz has such a following and can transport you to a different time and place. I think most of us thought we were in an episode of Mad Men, wearing tuxedos and driving Lincoln Continentals while smoking cigarettes and drinking martinis. Just enough notes to confuse the palate, yet not a note out of place as only jazz can. We heard an instrumental, On a clear Day, a bluesy Stormy Weather, something from 1966 Brazil, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, a death bed version of Funny Valentine (scariest song ever, plants images of deranged clowns in one’s head) and ending with Teach Me Tonight. In between a couple of the songs, Ian told us that jazz is readily available in Lansing and you can access it through the Jazz Alliance of Mid Michigan ([http://www.jazzjamm.com)/]www.jazzjamm.com), MSU’s first tier jazz education programs, Old Town’s Jazz festival (www.jazzlansing.com) and Tuesday’s jazz no-cover drop in at Moriarity’s pub ([http://www.moriartyspublansing.com)./]www.moriartyspublansing.com). All in all, we were much cooler Rotarian cats at the end of the program than when we walked in.
Raised in Latin America, Yvonne brings a rich “world-view” to her work of over 40 years in the field of education as a teacher, school principal, director of curriculum and assessment, consultant for low-performing schools, as a state department of education official, and as a corporate executive in the private sector leading an innovation division that guided school improvement research, marketing, and strategic partnerships. Most recently, Yvonne served as the Director of Implementation for FirstSchool, an Early Childhood research and direct practice collaborative between Michigan State University and the University of North Carolina. Since March of 2012, Yvonne has been the Superintendent for the Lansing School District.
