Musicals, benefit galas, fundraisers, awards nights, graduations. These are just a few of the annual traditions that tend to populate the final weeks of the school year. With those weeks upon us, the Leelanau Ticker has your guide to Leelanau’s schools and their (exceedingly busy) end-of-school calendars.

Suttons Bay Public Schools

>This Wednesday, May 15, marks senior awards night for the Suttons Bay High School graduating class of 2024, while June 2 is graduation day.

>From May 17-19, Students at Suttons Bay High School will present their spring musical production of The Wizard of Oz. The Friday and Saturday performances start at 7pm at the school, while the Sunday performance is a 4pm matinee. Tickets can be purchased here.

>In addition to the above events, registration is now open for both “Lil’ Norse,” the Sutton Bay preschool summer program; and the fall 2024 Suttons Bay Pop Warner Youth Football season. Lil’ Norse will run 7:30am-3:30pm Monday through Thursday this summer, offering “summer fun for preschool-age students.” Registration inquiries can be made to Leesa Curtis at curtisl@suttonsbayschools.com. Pop Warner football is open to students that will be in grades 3-6 during the 2024-25 academic year, with conditioning sessions set to start the week of August 12. Inquiries can be made to Chris Burns at ceburns51@gmail.com.

Leland Public School

>Today (Monday, May 13) marks an all-day “multi-age” kindergarten open house at Leland Public School. The event is an opportunity for parents and families to learn more about the school and its kindergarten and Young Fives programs. Kids must turn five on or before September 1 to be eligible for kindergarten in the 2024-25 academic year, and must turn five by December 1 to be eligible for Young Fives. More information about the open house and enrollment can be found here.

>Next Monday, May 20, is Open Enrollment Information Night at Leland Public School. Parents and students can attend to tour the building, learn about the school, and get information about enrollment and the school-of-choice process. Those interested in attending the event should go to the Leland High School Library at 5pm.

>In a unique twist on the typical school concert, middle and high school parents and staff will perform in “Fine Arts Follies,” a fundraiser where all proceeds go toward the Leland Fine Arts Camp Scholarship Fund. Also featured as part of the program will be Ben Traverse, a local artist known for his authentic takes on traditional folk music. Tickets are $15 and will be available at the door of the show, which will take place at the Leland Public School Performing Arts Center at 7pm on Thursday, May 23.

>The Leland Public School graduation ceremony will take place on Friday, May 31.

Glen Lake Schools

>Glen Lake Schools will celebrate its class of 2024 with a senior scholarship awards night on May 23 and graduation festivities on June 2.

>The second annual Glen Lake Schools Foundation Fundraiser will take place from 5:30-8:30pm on Thursday, June 6 at the Three Barn Farm in Maple City. The event will include live and silent auctions, student performances, cocktails, and hors d’oeuvres, with funds from the $75 ticket price going toward supporting under-resourced children in the Glen Lake school community.

Northport Public School

>Graduating seniors from Northport will be in the spotlight during a senior project exhibition night (May 14, 6pm), an academic awards convocation (May 23, 7pm), and a graduation ceremony (May 31, 7pm). May 31 also marks the school’s typical end-of-the-year all-school picnic, a celebration among the entire student body.

From May 17-19, the local community is invited to the Northport Art Association building at 301 Mill Street for “J is for Juxtaposition,” an open house art gallery show that will feature more than 200 pieces made by K-12 students at Northport Public School. Art pieces on display will range from paintings to pottery to sculptures to masks. Students have been preparing for the event since January. Viewing is open from noon-4pm Friday through Sunday.

Other Leelanau schools

>Leelanau Montessori is currently raising funds for a new “campus grand plan,” which will include an overhaul of the school’s playground, from 3-6pm this Wednesday, May 15, the school will host an “Art Walk & Stone Soup” event to raise money for those projects. The event, described by the school as “a fun way to enjoy our outdoor campus and help raise funds for the future plans,” will feature soup, student art exhibits, a maker’s market, live music, face painting, poetry readings, and group games. In case of rain on Wednesday, the event will be rescheduled for May 16.

>Thursday, May 23 marks the 20th annual Golf-a-Thon Fundraiser for Leelanau St. Mary School. For that fundraiser, golfers “collect pledges from their family, friends, colleagues and parishioners to play 100 holes of golf,” with proceeds supporting operational expenses for Leelanau St. Mary’s. The fundraiser starts with a 7am tee-off at Bay Meadows Golf Course. More details available on the school’s website.

>The Pathfinder School will pay tribute to two longtime staff members, Duncan Moran and Ellen Northway, at a retirement celebration scheduled for 5pm on May 24 at the school’s memorial garden. The event will offer food, drink, and opportunities “to share your well wishes and memories with Duncan and Ellen.” Moran is a middle school language arts and social studies teacher who has been at Pathfinder since 1989. Northway, the school’s business officer, first joined the Pathfinder community as a parent and board member before coming aboard as a staff member in 1984.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article listed a golf scramble hosted by Suttons Bay Sports Boosters at Bahle Farms on May 19. The section incorrectly stated that day-of registration for the event was a possibility. A representative from Bahle Farms has since clarified that there is no day-of registration and that sign-ups for the scramble closed on May 11.