Cool school
Mackinac Island Public School draws attention
Tourists think it's a historic exhibit, but this K-12 school is unique with small class sizes, and students, staff and community looking out for each other.
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| There are no motorized vehicles on the island, so students either walk or ride the bikes to school. |
Situated within walking distance of the Grand Hotel and the famed fudge shops that line Mackinac Island’s main drag is a building that draws an occasional curious onlooker.
These visitors usually suspect the Mackinac Island Public School is another historic site—like Fort Mackinac—and they’re surprised to learn it’s a working school.
“People say, ‘There’s a school on Mackinac Island?’” said Karen Allen, who has taught at the school for 20 years.
Once in a while, a teacher visiting the island will show up in the office, with questions about the school. Other visitors will peer through the windows to see what’s going on.
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| There are no motorized vehicles on the island, so students either walk or ride the bikes to school. |
'They think we’re one of the exhibits,” explains secretary Barbara Fisher.
The K-12 school has fewer than 100 students. Most of the school’s nine teachers teach several grades or subjects. School support personnel also have varied assignments—Fisher doubles as the bookkeeper, and the cook is also a custodian.
About 500 people live on the island year-round, including the students and most of the school’s employees. One teacher, Susan Bennett, commutes with her daughter from St. Ignace by ferry every day until the ferry lines close for winter. Then, they rent an apartment on the island.
In most ways, the school is like any other. It has classrooms off a central hall. A library and a gym. A trophy case with pictures of smiling athletes. A flag pole outside the main entrance.
There are differences, too. Class sizes are low—the average class has about six students. There are no motorized vehicles on the island, so there’s no bus service. Students ride their bikes or walk during warmer weather; in the winter, many ride snowmobiles.
And the sports teams that earn the hardware displayed in the trophy case? Mackinac Island participates in the Northern Lights League and athletes travel between the island and St. Ignace by ferry—or a plane during the winter months.
Minutes after finishing a class with eight students, including five boys learning algebra and three girls taking online courses last fall, Bennett declared: “I love my job.”
What’s not to love?
The beauty of the school’s environs is obvious. From the school’s playground, one looks out over the straits of Mackinac. The Mackinac Bridge is visible along the horizon. And even though the school is close to popular island spots, the school usually isn’t bombarded with “fudgies,” the term of endearment given to island tourists who buy the island’s famous fudge.
Small classes and a small community mean that teachers know their students well—and their families, too.
“Everyone looks out for everyone,” Allen says.
As most island residents know, it helps to be flexible. Teachers have to find ways to continue class discussion when there aren’t enough students to generate meaningful dialogue and sometimes lesson plans or the curriculum need adjusting to accommodate students from more than one grade level in a class at the same time.
“It’s different here,” Allen said.