Spotlight

Craig Blower

Mr. Blower has been an employee of the Swan Valley School District since 1995, serving in a variety of capacities from middle school & high school teacher, high school assistant principal, middle school principal, high school principal, 6-12 principal and is currently middle school principal.

- Mr. Blower

Mrs. Medema

Jamie Medema has been with Swan Valley since 2005. She earned her Bacholers from CMU and her masters from SVSU. She supports students as a resource teacher in co-taught classes and strategies. Mrs. Medema runs the middle school yearbook club and also plans the 8th grade Washington DC trip each ye

- Mrs. Medema

Mr. Brady

Mr. Brady taught in Las Vegas for 5 years after graduating from CMU! He married the love of his life, Marinela- who is from Albania! Mr Brady's son, Myles, lives and breathe soccer! His favorite vacation destination is Cocoa Beach, Florida.

- Mr. Brady

Mrs. Simons

Mrs. Simons graduated from Western Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree and SVSU with a Master’s degree. She became a teacher because she wanted kids to see how cool science can be! Mrs. Simons has 3 awesome kids who attend Swan Valley Schools.

- Mrs. Simons

Mr. McLaren

Mr. McLaren has taught all 20+ years of his career at Swan Valley. He earned his bachelors in education from SVSU, and Masters in Educational Leadership from there as well. He is married and has 3 boys. He spends a lot of his free time camping and traveling the great state of Michigan.

- Mr. McLaren

Mrs. Blaesser

Mrs. Blaesser graduated from SVSU in 2012.She has two children, Zac and Olivia. She loves spending time outside of school with them! She is excited to coach the middle school girls track this spring! She is running her second marathon this June in Charlevoix.

- Mrs. Blaesser

Ms. Weiss

¡Hola! My name is Allyson Weiss, and I teach Spanish for all grades at Swan Valley Middle School. I began teaching and joined SVMS in 2018, after graduating from CMU. (Fire up chips!) I enjoy getting involved with various extracurricular activities and after school programs.

- Ms. Weiss

Mrs. Kenel

I’m Mrs. Kenel and I’ve been working at Swan Valley Middle School since 2004. Prior to that I worked in our Administration building as the secretary to the curriculum director. I’ve seen many changes throughout the years, but the best part of my job is helping students and parents.

- Mrs. Kenel

Mr. Erlenbeck

I'm Mr. Erlenbeck and I've been with the Swan Valley Schools since 1998. Currently, I am teaching 8th grade social studies and I coach middle school cross country, 8th grade boys basketball, and JV baseball. I am married with 2 sons and I enjoy traveling, camping, working out, & playing golf.

- Mr. Erlenbeck

Mrs. Townsend

What I love most about being the Middle School Counselor is getting the opportunity to work with young people to create a future for themselves. So much self discovery happens at the Middle School level and it is amazing to watch them grow, learn, and discover who they are and the impact they can

- Mrs. Townsend

Mrs. Wilcox

As a graduate of the Swan Valley Schools, I am committed to the continuation of the tradition of excellence that Swan Valley is known for. This is my 17th year at the middle school and teaching continues to be my passion. I have a bachelor's and a master's degree from Saginaw Valley State University

- Ms. Wilcox

Mrs. Hayes

I am Mrs. Hayes. I have worked in the SVSD since 2002. My last 5 years have been at the middle school. I work in the office part time and monitor the lunch hours. I really enjoy being in the lunchroom with the students because it gives me an opportunity to connect with them on a personal level.

- Mrs. Hayes

Mr. Sullivan

Mr. Sullivan here! I am currently SVMS's 6-8th grade PE Teacher and I absolutely love my job with my SV Family! Outside of school I stay busy with my "other" family. I have a wife (Kari) and 4 children (Michael - 5.5, Liam 4, Leila - 2, Mia - 2).

- Mr. Sullivan

Mrs Decker

I am in my 27th year of teaching at SVMS. I have taught in both ELA and Art, but currently teaching art full time. With great pride, I also live in Thomas Township & feel a strong connection to our schools & community.I attended CMU for my undergraduate degree & SVSU for my masters degree.

- Mrs. Decker

Mrs. Matuzak

Mrs. Matuzak has taught 7th grade math at Swan Valley Middle School since 2014. In her spare time, Mrs. Matuzak loves spending quality time with her family. She thoroughly enjoys working with students to reach their fullest potential.

- Mrs. Matuzak

Mrs. Krzyzaniak

I am Ali Krzyzaniak & I teach 8th grade ELA. I am a Swan Valley alumna (2015) & attended CMU for my undergrad. I have a Master's in Educational Technology, also from CMU. In my "me" time, I enjoy drinking coffee, reading,traveling, and listening to music and podcasts.

- Ms. Denman

Ms Rose

Ms. Rose currently teaches 7th grade ELA. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and playing pickleball any chance she gets. She is passionate about finding good fit books for her students.

- Ms. Rose

Mrs Quellet

Hi! I am a Mrs. Quellet. I teach the 6th grade math classes. I have taught over 15 years, but have been a Viking my whole life. My favorite part of teaching is having fun with students and seeing all the lightbulbs go off when students learn new concepts!

- Mrs. Quellet

Mrs. Daly

Mrs. Daly has been teaching for over 10 years. Currently, I teach 6th grade Social Studies at Swan Valley Middle School. I love history & learning about different cultures. One of my family's favorite activities is going for boat rides & playing board games like Clue and Monopoly.

- Mrs. Daly

Mrs. Bishop

My name is Amy Bishop. I am the 6th grade ELA teacher at SVMS. This year is my 26th year! I graduated from CMU (FIRE UP CHIPS!). My husband, Bryan, is also a teacher. We have a lab named Woodley. In my free time, I enjoy going on road trips, reading, cooking, baking, & spending time with friends.

- Mrs. Bishop

Mrs. Hillborg

Mrs. Hillborg is a Swan Valley graduate and currently is the 6th grade special education teacher.

- Mrs. Hillborg

RH

Mr. Houthoofd has been teaching for 10 years. This is his 2nd year at SV. He earned his Bachelors from CMU & his Masters from Western Governors University. Mr. Houthoofd is married to his wonderful wife, Jessica. He has a son named Kade, a dog, & a cat.

- Mr. Houthoofd

About Us...

Student Population

We know every student since there is only 400, 6th - 8th graders

Average NWEA Score

Math: 211.9 (6th), 218.9 (7th), 227.6 (8th) Reading: 209.4 (6th), 217.2 (7th), 214.9 (8th)

PSAT 8 Scores

Fall 2004: 837 +81 points above the state average +54 points above the national average