Meet the Students of Mackinac Island School

Learning tradition In 1960, education on the Island expanded to include all grade levels and a new school was built on the shoreline of Lake Huron. Newcomers to the school, the kindergarteners, sitting at the school playground, are (from left, in back) Cheyla Shunk, Gabriel Kromer, Grace Roguska, and Nicholas Davis, (in front) Sadie Johnson, and Xaviar McClintock. Mackinac goes Hollywood Below, left: The Island was the setting of two classic big-screen movies, “This Time for Keeps,” filmed in 1949, starring Esther Willams, and “Somewhere in Time,” 1979, starring Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve. Pictured at the site where the characters in the 1979 film met for the first time are (from left) third graders Christopher Riggs, Emily Modd, and Talon Greenlee. A Grand view Fourth graders sit on one of the world’s largest porchs, the 660-foot long front porch of Grand Hotel, which was built in 1887. In the summers, the porch is adorned with 2,500 geraniums in 260 planting boxes. Pictured are (from left, in front) Sierra Kompsi, Paul Wandrie, and Adrienne Rilenge, Amelia Roe; (back) Hailey Armstrong, Colton Fisher, and Jessica Beaune. In Marquette Park Anticipating their graduation in 2007, Island juniors Kristi Kamphuis and Scott Roguska sit below Fort Mackinac on the top of what used to be a horse watering trough. Riding history At left: Mackinac Island Carriage Tours, the largest horse and buggy livery in the world, was formed by independent livery operators in 1948. The first city carriage license was issued in 1869. Pictured is the third grade class, (from left, in front) Meadow Greenlee, Olivia Chambers, Kyra Kolatski, and Kyle Shunk; (back) Dana Roguska, Mackenzie Bean, and Jacob Chambers. The beaten path M-185 is perhaps Michigan’s most unusual state highways, as it is the only one where “horseless carriages” are not allowed. Cars were banned in 1896. Encircling the Island’s shoreline, the 8.1-mile stretch of road has been a state trunkline since 1933. Pictured on their main mode of transportation are sophomores (from left) Karlena Mosley, Woody Beardsley, Kyle Sweet, Caleb Straight, and Riley Chaffee. Rock of faith At left: Jesuit missionaries first visited Mackinac Island in 1641, and religion has influenced the community since. Today, four churches serve residents and visitors. At Little Stone Church, built in 1905, is the sixth grade: (from left, front) Austin Jaruzel, Blake Ruddle, and Caleb Kolatski; (back) Anthony Rickley and Devon Hunt. Sweet success Fudge has been a visitor favorite since introduced by the Murdick family in the 1880s. Pictured with a fresh batch on a marble table at Joann’s Fudge is the eight grade class: (from left) Jane Finkel, Shelbie Mosley, Bernard Robinson, Paul Fisher, Jeff Roguska, Tymon Horn, and Thomas Rilenge. Hoofing it Horse-drawn drays are used to transport heavy goods and materials and for good old-fashioned hayrides. Pictured on a Mackinac Island Service Company wagon is the fifth grade: (from left, in front) Ivie Leadens, Zhanè Nash, Dillon DeLoof, Louis Clark, Leo Horn, and Onaca Bennett; (back) Collin Armstrong, Diana Dupre, and Hailey Bean. Carrying on tradition What makes Mackinac Island so popular is its preservation of its horse and buggy past, such as this Jack’s Livery drive-it-yourself-buggy, being enjoyed by second-graders Octavia Valencia and Keely Johnson. Celebrating milestones As Island seniors prepare to celebrate their graduation, the Arnold ferry, MV Huron, celebrates 50 years of transportation service to and from the Island. Seniors are (from left) Miranda McMahon, Christina McLean, Emily St. Onge, Melissa Bunker, Jason Pettit, Sam Kamphuis, Eric Cowell, and Supeechar Sapruang. Missing from photo are Tyley Finkel, who is a foreign exchange student in Japan, and Ben Mosley. Central hub The city’s central tourist hub, Main Street, is busy with thousands of visitors, horses, and bicycles each summer. Market Street, however, was the Island’s primary street of commerce at one time. Pictured is the Class of 2009, (at left, front row) Michael Gamble, Darcy Brodeur-Bunker, Fuller Cowell, Tyler McLean, and Kate Dupre; (back) Robert Chambers, Rhodene Mullings, Arial Leeper, Shayleen Mosley, and Danielle Wightman. A thing of beauty By the 1890s, the Island became an extravagant cottage community, with rows of beautiful Victorian homes erected along the East and West bluffs. The seventh grade poses on the boardwalk, with the West Bluff as its backdrop. Pictured are (in front) Morgan Brodeur-Bunker; (from left, second row) Ashley Gough, Jesse Straight, and Austin Ruddle; (third row) Andrew Chambers, Marie Bunker, Maggie Chambers, and Robert Chaffee.