The Hastings Banner — Thursday, October 13, 2022 — Page 5Three candidates eye seats on the Hastings
Area School System Board of Education
Hunter McLaren
Staff Writer
Three candidates are running for two seats
on the Hastings Area School System Board of
Education in the Nov. 8 election.
Both seats are for a full, six-year term. The
three candidates running for the two seats
include Justin Peck, Elden Shellenbarger, and
Jennifer Eastman.
Eastman is an incumbent member of the
board who is running again after serving a
full term. The other open seat is being vacat-
ed by current board member Dan Patton, who
has served a full term and is not running
again.
Jennifer Eastman
(Did not respond to questions submitted)Justin Peck
Residence: Hastings
Occupation: Real estate agent and
co-owner of Miller Real Estate
Why are you running for the school
board? What are your priorities?
I am running for school board as I always
feel inclined to contribute to our community.
While helping with the May 2022 bond com-
mittee, I felt a sense of years-old disconnect
between the school system and members of
the community. Due to that, one of my big
priorities is to build back relationships
throughout the greater Barry County area.
Don’t get me wrong, the Hastings School
System has some great community partners
and I would like to see those built on. I would
also like to have a framework in place for
promoting the great work the HASS does and
is oftentimes forgotten about by those in the
community.
Is there a particular issue that makes
you want to serve on the school board?
There is not any particular issue that makes
me want to serve on the board. I am going in
with eyes and arms open in hopes of continu-
ing the successes and helping with any fail-
ures. My hope is that the HASS continues as
the premier school system in Barry County.
What skills and experiences do you
bring to the table that have prepared you
to serve as a board member?
I have been a Realtor in the Barry County
area for 13 years. It takes a unique skill to
work in this profession. Oftentimes, we are
working with numerous individuals, guiding
a seller or buyer to their ultimate dream –
home ownership.
Communication is absolutely paramount
as this is often the largest investment my cli-
ents are making in life. I hope to bring that
same type of communication skill onto the
board level, that then allows for more orga-
nized partnerships. In also owning a portion
of Miller Real Estate, I have built up my skill
of guiding our company through the tough
and exciting times of the last two years.
What do you feel the role of the parent is
within the district?
Too often do we tend to place blame and
faults on our teaching community and forget
that our children are a direct representation of
our parenting and thus the overall community
upbringing. The parents’ role in our school
system should be an extension of the bigger
picture guidance they receive at school. I
think of discipline, expectations, schedule and
learning from failure as bigger picture ideas
on this. While it isn’t always fun or exciting
for parents or guardians, it’s important!
Describe your involvement in local
school and community organizations.
I currently have three daughters, with two
at Northeastern Elementary. We are fairly
involved with Northeastern directly and I
have helped out with numerous events
throughout the entire school system. In my
organizational involvement in the communi-
ty, I have served and currently sit on many
boards. I currently serve on the Barry County
United Way board, YMCA of Barry County
board, President of the Hastings Lions Club,
Patient and Family Partners of Spectrum
Health and, as of this year, the Hastings Edu-
cation Enrichment Foundation. I hope that
these engagements will allow for building
more partnerships within our community and
the school system.As for some more information on myself, I
am a 2003 graduate of Hastings Area School
System and currently live in Hastings Town-
ship. Again, I have three daughters and am
married to Cassandra Peck (maiden name
Huver), who is also a Hastings grad. In my
years at HASS, I enjoyed band (jazz, concert
and marching) and FFA. After school, I
attended Western Michigan University with a
focus in business. I worked in the banking
industry for some time and then became a
real estate agent in 2009.
I became co-owner of Miller Real Estate in
2019 with Mark Hewitt. I have a great family
support system within the county as the
majority of my wife and I’s family live here.
This has provided us with fantastic family
gatherings along with numerous babysitters!Elden Shellenbarger
Residence: Hastings
Occupation: Retired
Why are you running for the school
board? What are your priorities?
We must elect a school board that effec-
tively communicates with the citizens in the
district with transparency.
The school needs to keep maintenance
people to work on the school and keep it
cheaper than letting it go into a state of dis-
repair. Also, hire local contractors when
possible and get a contract on building
materials to keep the prices lower. Educa-
tion is not based on politics of any party, but
local control; not federal, not state. Local
area control by the community.Because of the way the school board acts
and behaves, they never address how, what,
why, when they can stop the loss of students
going to other schools of choices and the
reasons why.
Vocational education. We must have these
classes. We have a shortage of skilled trades.
The school isn’t doing enough to give the
students these skills. When the school got
new machines for machine shop, they should
have kept the old working ones, not scrap-
ping a working machine.
Is there a particular issue that makes
you want to serve on the school board?
The school must talk to the parents, busi-
ness leaders and the community as a whole to
get input and the school board needs to be
open with the money they currently have and
spend it wisely and not waste the taxpayers’
money.
I would try to get the right people in our
community to come together and (figure out)
how to try to resolve the problems at the
school so we can overcome these issues.
Also, do spending on a budget, not keep ask-
ing for more millages for people who are
having a hard time. The school wastes too
much money.
What skills and experiences do you
bring to the table that have prepared you
to serve as a board member?
I’ve worked at many different jobs in my
life, with many different skills. I’ve joked
around and said I’m a jack-of-all-trades, mas-
ter-of-none. The way the economy lulls from
time to time, you have to be able to do any-
thing that you can to make a living.
What do you feel the role of the parent is
within the district?
I’ve heard this, I have not experienced this.
But some of the parents are working long,
hard hours trying to make a living and trying
to get by with the way things are. Some of the
kids, maybe they don’t get to see their parents
until late at night or they don’t get to see them
until the weekend.The thing is, I don’t know how much time
the parents are spending with a kid, or how
much time they’ve got to spend with their
kids. Some of them are relying on the school,
as my understanding, for the school to be
their babysitter. I don’t know that for sure,
that’s what I’ve heard and been told.
I don’t know what the answer is, other than
that some parents are doing the best they can
because we are living in some hard economic
times. But I do know that the school needs to
do better than what they’re doing because
they’re not doing all they can do, either. It’s a
vicious circle: the more money the school
asks for, the more the parents have to work
because that’s more taxes they have to pay.
With everything being structured the way it
is, that’s not good. The school needs to come
to the table and be part of the solution and not
part of the problem.
Describe your involvement in local
school and community organizations.
I am 62 years old, lifetime resident of
Barry County, born and raised, went to school
here. My father was a World War II veteran.
I received a state honorary agribusiness
degree from the Future Farmers of America
in 1981. I am an FFA alumni member.
I received a jurisprudence certificate
from the Barry County Tea Party. I also
served on the executive board for the tea
party for one year.
I also served on the Barry County Animal
Shelter advisory board.
I have been a member of the Sons of the
American Legion Squadron 45 for the past
seven years, serving for the last three years as
Sergeant of Arms.
I’ve been involved in going to school
board and county commissioners meetings
since 1992. I have been a school board candi-
date two other times. Attended Central Col-
lege in McPherson, Kan.
I have been endorsed by our sheriff, Dar
Leaf, Jon Rocha, Gary Munson and Rod
Romeyn.Tel. (269)-945-
Fax (269)-945-
328 S. Broadway Street
Hastings, Michigan 49058Dale Billingsley and Ray Girrbach
Providing Exceptional Service
with Compassion and CareMan reported to be involved in crash just
skunk hunting
A report of a possible crash near Gun Lake Golf Course prompted a check-in by police
around 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 1. Police responding on the scene found a truck near a golf
cart on the course. Upon approaching, police saw an animal trap in front of the truck and
a man sleeping in the back. The 82-year-old Hastings man told police he owns the course
and was hunting for a skunk.Deputies dislodge deer stuck on fence
Police responded to a complaint of two deer stuck together on a fence around 10 a.m.
on Oct. 5 on the 4700 block of McKeown Road. Deputies on the scene were able to cut
an antler off one of the deer, allowing them to be separated from each other and the
fence. Both deer left the area.Gun turns up 21 years after being
reported stolen
The Eaton County Sheriff’s Office contacted Barry County police on Aug. 10 after
finding a pistol marked as stolen by the Barry County Sheriff’s Office on May 15, 2001.
A woman had sold the firearm to an auction house in Vermontville as part of her father’s
estate in Aug. 2022. The weapon was transferred to Eaton County police, who deter-
mined it had been reported stolen. The report from 2001 states a Middleville man report-
ed the gun missing after showing it at auction, and he suspected someone took it from
the viewing table without him noticing. The man who reported the gun missing and his
wife, to who the gun was registered, are now both deceased. Police had not identified
next of kin at the time the report was made. The weapon was taken as evidence by police.Man warned about dining while driving
Police received a reckless driver complaint around 10 p.m. on Sept. 26 on East M-
Highway near Devine Road. Police located the vehicle based on the caller’s description
as it headed through Hastings near Michigan and Woodlawn avenues. Police made con-
tact with the driver, an Ohio man, who told police he was making a delivery to a reha-
bilitation center and had been driving all day. He told police his bad driving was a result
of him trying to eat while driving. The officer let the man off with a warning and told
him to find a place to park and finish his meal.Teen trespassed after sneaking in, hiding
under girl’s bed
An 18-year-old Battle Creek man trespassed on a 43-year-old Bellevue man’s home
on the 10000 block of Huff Road around 1 p.m. on Sept. 30. The Bellevue man told
police he found out the teen was sneaking into his daughter’s room and hiding under the
bed as well as staying in a deer blind on the property. Police called the teen to inform
him he was not allowed back on the property.Honey’s low water content,
pH helps it never go bad
Dr. Universe:
How does honey last forever?
Gillian, 7, IllinoisDear Gillian,
Archaeologists exploring ancient Egyp-
tian tombs sometimes find honey. It’s thou-
sands of years old, but you could still safely
spread it on your toast.
I talked to my friend Brandon Hopkins,
professor in the WSU department of ento-
mology, about why honey lasts so long. He
told me honey is one of the only foods that
never spoils.
Microbes are a big reason other foods go
bad. These living things are so small you
need a microscope to see them. They include
bacteria and fungi like mold. Just like you,
they love a good meal.
Some microbes break down food. That
changes the way it looks, smells and tastes.
Microbes can make food look moldy, mushy
or slimy. It will smell and taste gross. So,what’s the difference between slimy, stinky
food in the back of your fridge and ancient
honey that’s still yummy?
The main difference is that honey doesn’t
contain much water. Bees gather nectar from
flowers to make honey. Nectar is very watery.
In fact, it can be 70 percent water. Honey is
about 18 percent water. Bees dry out the nec-
tar by fanning their wings. This moves air
over the nectar and causes water to evaporate.
“Bees can determine whether that nectar
is ready to be called honey,” Hopkins said.
“When the moisture level is low enough,
they put a thin layer of wax over each of the
cells containing the honey. Then that honey
is stable forever. If the moisture content isn’t
low enough, it doesn’t stay stable forever. It
can ferment and spoil.”
Hopkins told me that bees use their
tongues and antennas to taste the nectar. The
taste tells them when the honey is ready.
Then, they cover the honey with wax to store
it for winter.Like all living things, microbes need water
to survive. If they try to live in honey, there
simply isn’t enough water to keep them alive.
Another thing that keeps away microbes is
honey’s pH. The pH scale shows if something
is an acid like vinegar, a base like soap or in
between like water. Honey is an acid. That
makes it an unpleasant or deadly place for
most microbes to live.
Honey also contains a tiny amount of
hydrogen peroxide. Some people keep bottles
of hydrogen peroxide to clean small wounds
or rinse their mouths. That’s because it kills
some microbes.
Bees have a special pouch in their digestive
system called the honey stomach. Proteins in
the honey stomach and saliva help turn watery
nectar into thick honey. That process releases
hydrogen peroxide. It stays in the honey and
gives it a little extra microbe-busting oomph.
In fact, honey is so good at keeping
microbes away that it’s been used as medicine
to treat wounds and prevent infections.
Archaeologists have found ancient prescrip-
tions for honey. They even found an of
humans collecting honey.
Hopkins says you may notice crystals in
your honey. This is normal and doesn’t mean
the honey is bad. You can eat honey with
crystals. Or you can gently warm the honey to
melt the crystals and make it smooth again.
Now, that’s sweet!Dr. UniverseDo you have a question? Ask Dr. Universe.
Send an email to Washington State Universi-
ty’s resident scientist and writer at Dr.Uni-
[email protected] or visit her website, ask-
druniverse.com.