Principal: Michael Leiter, Ed.D.
Assistant Principal: Amanda Alverson
Assistant Principal: Karen Dame
Dean of Students: Sam Diekevers
Athletic Director: Michael Johnston
Assistant Athletic Director: Daniel Russell
Jenison High School
Website: jpsonline.org/o/hs/
Phone: 616.457.3400
Location: 2140 Bauer Road, Jenison, MI, USA
Ready to Succeed!
Jenison High School Families,
I hope this message finds you well as we kick off another exciting school year! We’ve had a fantastic start, and it’s been wonderful to see the energy and enthusiasm your students bring each day. Our staff and teachers are committed to making this year a success, and we are so grateful for your support as we work together to ensure your child’s academic and personal growth.
As we settle into the fall season, there are many exciting events on the horizon. Homecoming is just around the corner, and we look forward to seeing students and families come together to celebrate Wildcat pride with a week full of spirit days, a parade, and of course, the big game and dance! It’s a wonderful tradition that highlights the strength of our school community.
Parent/Teacher Conferences are also coming up soon. This is an excellent opportunity for you to connect with your child’s teachers, discuss their progress, and address any questions or concerns. Your partnership is invaluable in ensuring every student has the tools and support they need to thrive.
We’re also proud of the dedication and hard work of our student-athletes and performers. Fall athletics are well underway, with exciting games and meets across all sports. Additionally, we have Band, Orchestra, and Choir fall concerts to look forward to, and I encourage you to attend and support our talented students.
Good luck to our Jenison Marching Band as they head to Toledo to compete in the Bands of America Regional competition.
Thank you for your continued involvement and support. Let’s make this fall a season to remember! If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office.
Go Wildcats!
Please click here for the 2025-26 Jenison High School Calendar of Events.
2025-26 Jenison High School Calendar of Events
September
1 No School - Labor Day Recess
13 Rockford Marching Band Invitational
18 Geskus Picture Retakes 7:15-12:45 pm, Triple Conference Room
20 Band of America Regionals - Toledo
26 No School for Students, Teachers Report, CTC Students still need to report *
27 Jenison Marching Band Invitational
October
1 Fall Count Day
4 Cedar Springs Invitational
6-10 Homecoming Week
10 Homecoming Pep Rally/Parade/Homecoming Game - Jenison vs. Rockford - (CTC students will have an early release of 1:10 pm to attend assembly)
11 Homecoming Dance 7 pm - 10 pm - Wildcat Fieldhouse
14 In-Person Teacher Conferences 3:30-6:30 pm
15 Fall Orchestra Concert 7:30-9:00 pm
15 Senior Class Meeting 10:45 am - Graduation Orders
15 Freshman Class Meeting 11:10 am - Class Ring Orders
16 HS Choir Fall Concert 7:30-8:30 pm
16 Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-6:30 pm
17 End of 1st Quarter
18 Portage Northern Marching Band Invitational
22 PSAT/NMSQT Testing - Juniors Only (Last Name A-K)
23 PSAT/NMSQT Testing - Juniors Only (Last Name L-Z)
23 Jostens Graduation & Class Ring Order Deadline - For orders not placed online, turn into the main office.
23 Fall Concert - Band 6:30-7:30 pm
23 Fall Concert - Band 8:15-9:15 pm
25 Marching Band State Preliminary/Grand Ledge
Homecoming!
Homecoming Week (October 6 - 11) Dress Up days will be as follows:
Monday - Comfy/Adam Sandler Day
Tuesday - Crocs, Socks, and Birkenstocks
Wednesday - College Day
Thursday - Throwback
Friday - Green/White Jenison Pride
Please join us for the Homecoming Parade on October 10, starts at 4:30 p.m. and will go down 20th Avenue from Baldwin to the Junior High.
Homecoming Game - October 10 @ 7 pm Jenison Wildcats vs Rockford Rams
Homecoming Dance - October 11, 7 pm to 10 pm @ the Wildcat Fieldhouse. Tickets are $20 and will be available for purchase during lunches starting September 29th. There will be no ticket sales at the doors. Guest applications are available in the Main Office starting September 15th and must be turned in no later than the end of the school day on Wednesday, October 1st, for approval. The guest application must be approved before purchasing a ticket.
With homecoming just around the corner, please review the loss privileges/dances policy in our Student Handbook:
Students may NOT purchase a ticket for/attend a school dance if...
They have unserved detentions and/or Friday Schools.
Detentions must be served no later than the end of the school day on the day prior to the last day of ticket sales.
They have unpaid JHS parking tickets.
Parking tickets must be paid in the main office prior to purchasing a ticket.
They have spent 12 or more class periods in the Student Responsibility Center (SRC) during the current academic quarter.
They have received and/or are actively serving any amount of Out of School Suspension during the current academic quarter.
They are considered chronically absent (see attendance policy section of handbook) and/or chronically tardy (6 or more tardies in a class).
Administrator approval is required, no later than the end of the school day on the day prior to the last day of ticket sales for the dance, for all exceptions to these guidelines.
Parent Teacher Conferences
October 14 & 16 from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm. To accommodate as many families as possible, parent/teacher conferences will be held in-person on October 14 and virtually on October 16. A document with Zoom links for all teachers will be sent out the week of the 13th. All conference slots are scheduled using Power PTC, please click below to learn more.
The scheduling window will open as follows:
October 6 at 8:00 AM for the October 15th In-Person Conferences. Scheduling closes at 3 pm on October 12, 2025.
October 6 at 8:00 AM for the October 16th Virtual Conferences. Scheduling closes at 3 pm on October 14, 2025.
Please reference the document below before scheduling your conference times.
Need Help With PowerSchool? We’ve Got You Covered!
The JPS technology team will be available to assist parents/guardians with PowerSchool during our upcoming parent-teacher conferences at the high school.
When: Tuesday, October 14th from 3:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Where: High School Media Center - Triple Conference Room
What: Technology Team members will be on hand to help with adding PowerSchool to mobile devices, logging into PowerSchool as a parent/guardian, resetting forgotten passwords for PowerSchool, etc.
Student Handbook
The handbook has been updated for the 2025/26 school year. The complete handbook is available on our website - jpsonline.org and is also linked here: 2025-26 Student Handbook
Counselor's Corner
Our counseling team’s caseload is assigned according to the first initial of the student’s last name:
Michelle Barrows - (A-E)
Jen Riha - (F-K)
Katie Koole-McCurdy - (L-R)
Karina Torre - (S-Z)
Alex Robbins, Mental Health Coordinator
Pamela Keen, Registrar
All Grades
Now that the year is underway, many students are seeking resources to help them with their classes. Here are some great things to start with:
1. Students should talk with their teachers! What are they seeing with their work? What suggestions do they have for them?
2. Attend JASPER
3. Need help with science? Check out Science Peer Tutoring!
4. Stay on top of grades with PowerSchool - make sure students don't have any missing work. Need help setting up your account? Find helpful resources here.
Seniors
Seniors should have scheduled their senior meeting with their counselor! This is a time to discuss post-JHS goals and interests, and an opportunity for counselors to identify how we can best support students with their goals.
We have added post-JHS planning information and resources on our scheduling website here.
The Careerline Tech Center is an opportunity for 11th and 12th graders. While we take interested students on a visit in February, they are hosting an open house next month which is a great opportunity for students and their family members to see what is offered before CTC applications take place in early 2026.
Athletics
If anyone is interested in working at athletic events this fall/winter, please email Michael Johnston at mjohnston@jpsonline.org or Daniel Russell at drussell@jpsonline.org for more information. No experience needed!
Stay up to date on all Jenison Athletics information, team schedules, and scores by visiting Jenisonathletics.org.
Cats Corner - Website
If you want to order Jenison gear or purchase a gift card to our student-run school store, please check out our website - jenisoncatscorner.
Hand 2 Hand
The Hand2Hand program provides weekend food support for families experiencing financial hardship.
Important changes for this year:
ALL families must sign up using this Google Form: Hand2Hand Permission Slip
Even if your child received food from H2H last year, this form must be filled out for the 2025/2026 school year.
Students will now receive black bags of food (instead of pantry style). Bags can be picked up by your child in the media center on Thursdays or Fridays.
Questions? Contact JHS Parent Liaison, Jenny van Biljon (jvanbiljon@jpsonline.org), or JHS Social Worker, Amy Young (ayoung@jpsonline.org).
Learn more at h2hkids.org.
Student Parking and Parking Passes Reminder
All students who drive to school must obtain a parking pass and park in the student parking lot on the west side of the building. Student vehicles are not allowed in the JCA or Junior High lots. The cost of a parking sticker is $20.00. Please use the following link, Parking Permit Application to begin the parking registration process. Consequences for failure to have a parking pass on a vehicle will include a parking ticket of $30, which will include a parking pass for your vehicle. Consequences for failure to park in the designated student parking area with a properly affixed parking sticker will follow this schedule:
1st offense - $10 ticket
2nd and all subsequent offenses - $20 ticket
Parking tickets will be enforced the week of September 10, 2025.
Message from the School Nurse, Leslie Kidd, BSN, RN
REMINDER: All medications, whether prescription or over the counter, need to be brought into the office by a parent and have the proper paperwork filled out in order to be given in school. This applies to any medication given for one day or the entire school year.
Transportation/Bussing Information:
Reminder to all parents and students to download our app (My Ride K-12). This will have all the latest transportation information. The app will go live with all route information on Monday, July 28. You will need the student ID number to log on.
Students may only use the bus that is assigned to them by the transportation office. Your student will be asked to exit any bus that is not assigned to them.
The best way to communicate with the transportation office is by sending an email to transportation at transportation@jpsonline.org
Cell Phones
Thank you parents for continuing to support our new policy, No Cell - Bell to Bell!
Cell phones are restricted during instruction time. The consequences are as follows:
1st offense - Turn technology into your teacher. Returned at end of hour.
2nd offense - Turned into office. End of day return.
3rd offense - Turned into office. End of day PARENT PICKUP.
4 (and subsequent) offense - Progressive Discipline (ISS, OSS etc)
25-26 Yearbooks
Yearbooks are now available for sale!
In order to reduce prices for students, we have changed vendors and will now be working with Varsity Yearbook.
Click this link to order your yearbook today!
Coming soon! Senior Pictures for Yearbook details will be shared in the November/December newsletter.
Senior Getaway
October 9th, 2026 - 7pm Planning Meeting @ HS Cafeteria - PLEASE COME!
Join Senior Parent Facebook Group -- https://www.facebook.com/groups/210484771997744/
Join Senior All Nighter Instagram Group -- @jhs2026allnighter
Check our facebook and Instagram for Information about Senior Signs, Parent Spirit Wear, and Tickets to the Event.
Email questions to jhsallnighter@gmail.com
Attendance/Appointment Call-In Process:
Help us minimize classroom disruption during instructional time
Regular attendance is crucial to success in school. Parents, if your student misses school, please be sure to call our attendance line (616-457-3400, option 1) to excuse the absence prior to the start of the school day. If your student has an appointment during the school day and needs to be dismissed from classes, please call the office before the start of the school day and leave this information on the attendance line. By following this process, it will avoid disruption of staff calling into classrooms during instructional time for students to come to the office to sign out. Calling in prior to the start of the school day, the attendance office can provide your student with a pass to leave at the requested time. We greatly appreciate your help with this process.
Reminder: New Feature - Submit attendance through PowerSchool
Student Pickup
Parents, please help your student(s) make plans for after school. Students not participating in a club, activity, or sport should ride a bus home or be picked up after school by 3:30 p.m. to avoid unstructured and unsupervised time in the building.
Thank you!
School Meals
Breakfast will be served each day that school is in session, beginning on August 20. Breakfasts and Lunches will be FREE to all students through September 30, 2025. We encourage any family to apply for Free & Reduced Meals and other additional Child Nutrition and Educational Benefits. Click here to complete the application. There is important student support funding that JPS receives that is tied to approved applications. Approved applications also ensure that families receive any and all discounts related to Athletics, Technology, Testing, Summer School, Home Internet, etc. To receive any potential discounts, you MUST return THIS FORM to Food Service. You can visit our website at www.jenhudfood.org to find links to menus and more information about School Meals. Contact Food Service at foodservice@hpseagles.net or at (616) 457-2400 if you need assistance with anything related to meal service.
Food Delivery Process
Food deliveries from outside vendors are only allowed during the lunch periods. Students will not be allowed to leave during class periods to pick up food orders from outside vendors. There is a delivery table outside of the main office for food order drop off/pick up.
