MHSAA holds 147th Annual Banquet

2026 MHSAA and Sharon Church Scholarship Awardees. Bottom Row, L to R: Olivia Woods, Ellie Marsh, Siera Jedele, Sammy Stewart. Middle Row, L to R: Adalia Jarvis, Valorie Hieber, Lucy Baran, Avary DuRussel. Top Row, L to R: Brett Brothers, Grant Johnson, Juliann Waters. Congratulations to the entire class of 2026. The MHS Alumni welcomes them as fellow Alumni and wishes them the best of luck as they begin the next phase of their lives. Photo credit: Manchester High School Alumni Association.

submitted by Colleen Kemner, treasurer, MHSAA

The Manchester High School Alumni Association (MHSAA) recently held their 147th Annual Banquet in the Manchester High School Commons area with MHS Alumni and guests attending.  This multi-generational event included members of the class of 2026 with the oldest class represented being 1943 (Reno Feldkamp in case you’re wondering). 

The 50^th year class of 1976 was honored.  Teresa Benedict from that class entertained the crowd as toastmaster, providing a look back at the fashion trends back in their day, where girls were finally allowed to wear jeans to school (bell bottoms of course). Dan Schiable as the responder for their class talked about the banter between the “Lakers”, or the country kids from Pleasant Lake School and the “City Kids” attending Manchester Elementary.  

The four other classes honored were 2026, 1986, 1966, and 1956.  The class Valedictorian Avary DuRussel responded for the Class of 2026.  The class of 1986, celebrating their 40^th year, had a good showing from their alumni.  Matt Mazurek spoke on behalf of their class, mentioning how welcoming the kids were to him when he moved to Manchester at a young age.  The responder for the class of 1966 was Vicki Roberts-Wurster.  That class also had a large number in attendance.  The last class honored, the class of 1956, had four classmates attend the banquet.  The reflections from the class of 1956 included memories from Janice Klager-Little, Jim Scully and Marilyn Breitenwischer-Lamb, who commented that her favorite song in high school, “Blue Moon”, is now her favorite beer!  They were the first class from MHS to fly for their senior trip.  Pastor Stephen Samonek, class of 1989, provided the invocation and benediction.

The MHSAA was proud to award over $16,000 in scholarships to graduates from the 2026 class at the banquet this year! They were the Marian Voegeding Valedictorian Scholarship (Avary DuRussell), MHSAA scholarship in honor of Betty Cummins (Adalia Jarvis), MHSAA scholarships in memory of Jim Mann (Ellie Marsh), Sallie Schiel (Siera Jedele), Virginia Feldkamp-Fielder (Lucy Baran), Richard Paul (Sammy Stewart) and Elizabeth Hosmer-Wallace (Grant Johnson), the Class of 1976 scholarship (Valorie Hieber), the Bennett Strong Scholarship (Julian Waters), and Kirk Family Scholarships (Olivia Woods and Brett Brothers), a total of 11 scholarships.  In addition to the MHSAA scholarships, $4,000 in scholarships were awarded from Sharon Church (Valorie Hieber, Sammy Stewert, Siera Jedele and Julian Waters).  The MHSAA is a 501(c)3 Michigan Incorporated Entity.  Tax deductible donations can be made by mailing them to MHSAA, PO Box 254, Manchester, MI 48158.  Thank you to all the MHS Alumni who through their generous donations make these scholarships possible.

The MHSAA Board would like to thank those who helped set up for the banquet and to those that helped make the banquet run smoothly.  Also thank you to Gene Davis and Sons for providing a delicious meal again this year.  The MHS Alumni Association continues to exist due to strong support from the Manchester community and the school district.  You can contact the board at mhsdutchalumni@yahoo.com if you have any questions regarding the MHSAA or if you need to report an address change.

Mark your calendar!  Next year’s banquet will be on Saturday, June 19, 2027.  All MHS Alumni and guests are welcome.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.