Greetings Tigers,

My name is Mike Bakker and I am excited to be your principal at Fenton High School.  Fenton Area Public Schools is a tremendous school district with amazing and compassionate teachers and staff, and I am fortunate to be a part of this team. 

I have been a member of the Fenton Community since being hired in 2004 as the Athletic Director and Assistant Principal at FHS, and as of 2022 I transitioned to my current role of principal.  I am extremely proud of the work that we accomplished during my time in athletics and I will challenge myself and others to continue to pursue the high quality of excellence that the Fenton community expects of our high school. 

As a school we want to provide a wide range of opportunities for our students including robust academic programs, a wide variety of athletic programs, numerous opportunities in the visual and performing arts, as well as clubs and other activities.  We are always looking for ways to improve our offerings for students, so please feel free to contact me if you have something you would like to discuss.

Prior to coming to Fenton High School, I spent five and a half years at Mason High School as a teacher, coach, and club advisor.  I had the pleasure of teaching math and statistics, while also coaching Girls and Boys Swim and Boys Tennis. 

My own education background includes graduating from Rochester High School (Rochester, MI) and three college degrees from Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University.  From MSU, I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and a Masters degree in Education Administration.  From EMU, I hold a Masters degree in Athletic Administration.  My professional certifications include a secondary teaching certification in Math and a school administrator certificate from the State of Michigan, and a certificate as a certified master athletic administrator from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrator Association. 

As I have said to many people before, I believe that Fenton is a destination district for families and employees. That's why it is a family affair for the Bakker family, as my wife Denise works for FAPS, two of my children have graduated from FHS and our third will graduate in 2024. We want to do everything we can to make your experience at FHS a positive and productive one, so please let us know what we can do to accomplish our calling.

Yours in Education,

Mike Bakker

Greetings Tigers,

My name is Zachary Bradley, and I am proud to be a member of  the Fenton Area Public School’s administrative  team. I will be serving as an assistant principal at the high school campus, and am honored to take on this role. My wife, Angela, daughter, Cecilia, and I are overwhelmed by the welcome we have received from the community, and are looking forward to all that Fenton has to offer.

Outside of school, I am an avid sports fan, and love rooting for my local teams (yes, even the Lions). I also enjoy cooking and baking, and make the best chocolate chip cookies East of the Mississippi River. Our family loves visiting my hometown of Elk Rapids and frequenting Lake Michigan beaches in the summer. I also enjoy camping, fishing, mushroom hunting, and just about anything that is outdoors. 

Prior to accepting my role at FAPS, I worked at Grand Blanc High School as a social studies teacher and then transitioned to student advisor. Highlights of these experiences included: coaching hockey, revamping the Advanced Placement U.S. History curriculum, developing national character education programming, serving on virtual school committees, re-designing homecoming festivities, spearheading the Class of 2020 alternative graduation ceremony, and building authentic relationships with diverse district stakeholders.

This upcoming year, I hope to use my experiences to contribute to the district strategic plan, and to collaborate with its visionaries. Firstly,  I plan to continue to grow our partnership with Easterseals and providing accessible social/ emotional learning resources to our students. I would also like to prioritize working with newly hired teachers in supporting their needs and helping coach instructional practices. Doing so will allow me to collaborate with Fenton’s teachers, seek out strengths from veteran staff, align high school curricula, and provide the opportunity to build relationships and a rapport with the team.

Additionally, I hope to continue the long-standing tradition that FAPS exhibits in building partnerships with local, state, and (inter)national resources and stakeholders. As part of this initiative, I hope to analyze current building-community partnerships, encourage creating family engagement plans, tap into prospective resources, work with our foreign-exchange programs, and form a student coalition to discuss future initiatives and partnerships within our clubs and extracurricular activities.

Thank you again for the warm welcome. I hope you all are well, and enjoying a safe, much-deserved summer break. Be sure to take time to relax, reflect, and enjoy time spent with loved ones. I look forward to hitting the ground running this fall, and working with you all.  

Sincerely,

Zachary Dale Bradley

Greetings Tigers,

My name is Laura Lemke, and I am proud to be on the Fenton High School’s Administrative Team.  I am honored to be a part of a school with such a rich tradition of excellence, to continue working with its dedicated staff, and to further the legacy of success established by those who came before.   This next year promises to be an exciting one as we launch our next Strategic Plan cycle, expand our Easter Seals and Career & Technical education programming, continue our dedication to the Positivity Project and our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, and prepare for a bond, while introducing three new FHS staff members this fall.

Professionally, I possess over 30 years of experience in the field of education and am a licensed secondary certified teacher.   I received my Bachelor’s degree with Honors from Michigan State University in Business & French and spent several years teaching middle and high school students before earning both a Master’s of Education and Educational Specialist degree and becoming a school administrator.  While I have taken courses towards a Ph.D., I have not yet been able to find the time to complete the dissertation.

Prior to my current position as FHS Assistant Principal, I have served as a classroom and community education teacher, a Director of World Language, a middle and high school Assistant Principal, Career & Technical Education Director, and Middle and High School Principal. 

On a personal note, it may be more important for you to know that I am a native of Queens, New York, a first-generation college graduate, the product of two proud marines, married to a "Yooper," and the parent of two children.  As such, I fully understand the challenges and rewards you face every day as you work to ensure your child has the best educational experience possible, and I want to partner with you to make that happen.

One of the most important aspects of my work here at Fenton High School will be continuing to build strong relationships with students, teachers, and families. You’ll find me in the hallways, in the cafeteria or classrooms, at sporting events, concerts, and drama performances, as well as at special activities throughout the community.

My passion has been and always will be educating students. With that in mind, you can expect that I will work diligently to make sure the students are provided with an engaging and challenging high school experience. I have an open-door policy and welcome your input and ideas.

This year is going to be amazing as we continue to provide academic experiences for our students that are rigorous, relevant, and help them build relationships while making real-world connections.  I’m looking forward to being together again this fall as we start this new and exciting year together!

Best Regards,

Laura Lemke

Greetings Tigers,

My name is Edward Uhrik and I am extremely excited and honored to introduce myself as the new Fenton Area Public Schools Athletic Director. For many years I have had the goal of becoming a leader of an excellent athletic program like the one here at FAPS and I am truly excited to get to know each and everyone of you. I have been a successful math teacher and high school coach since 1999 and I am a true believer in the priceless life lessons that high school athletics teach our youth. From hardwork and commitment to learning how to deal with adversity and disappointments, interscholastic athletics provide students with a hands-on education that is not found in textbooks.

Being a head varsity coach for boys soccer and boys volleyball in a Chicago suburb for a combined 20 seasons has taught me many invaluable lessons on what a successful program is. These lessons are what drive me and are the founding principles of how the FAPS athletic program will be run. With a main focus on establishing positive relationships between our coaches and athletes, together as a community we will pride ourselves on the process over the product. We all want to win. Winning is great and that is why we are all passionate about athletic competitions. However, winning is not everything. Our role as an athletic department is to ensure the safe development of our student athletes into strong, intelligent, confident and compassionate adults. This is done through reminding our athletes, coaches and families that as humans we can only control one thing, and that is our own actions. By teaching people how to do the right thing at the right time with the right amount of effort teaches them how to be champions on any given day in any given arena, be it athletic or otherwise. In other words, by focusing on the process of one’s own actions and not the outcome, we create a positive environment for our youth to flourish.

When I led my varsity soccer team to the 2013 Division I Illinois state championship match, I did this by creating a culture of high expectations in performance, work ethic, and integrity. Roles were continuously described and outlined for my athletes and they knew that their actions would consequently lead to the success or demise of their teammates’ success. By constantly working together, communicating, and supporting one another, our team was the first team sport in the school’s 30 year history to make it to a state final. The teamwork and expectations that I describe here are the expectations that you can expect from me as I support and lead this wonderful community. It is also what I expect from my teammates as we grow and develop together to make the Fenton Area Public Schools athletic program even more respectable than what it is today.

As we embark on this journey together, I ask that you trust me when I say that I have the best interest of my student athletes in mind when decisions are made. Together, coaches and parents must understand the roles that they have while developing a student athlete into a young adult. We are all on the same team, whether there are disagreements on the path of development or not, it is crucial that our coaches are respected and supported throughout the experience. Believe in the process and the product will be successful. Dedicate to the process and the product will be powerful.

Taking over such a well organized, respected, and impressive program comes with a lot of high expectations from all of you and I am eager to prove to you that my expectations are even higher. As I take over this role, my immediate goal for the 2022-2023 school year is to learn how I can best serve you. You are my number one priority and concern. How can I help you become the best version of yourself? Coaches, I want you to know that I am here to help you become the best coach that you can be. Students, I want you to know that I am here to help you become the best student athlete that you can be. I want the families and community members to also know that I am here to help make our community the best that it can be. You might hear me ask questions like, “What do we do well here?” or, “What do you think we need to improve on?” as I try to learn how to best serve you all.

I want this to be a smooth and seamless transition so my plan for the upcoming year is to continue with the protocols that are already in place and keep traditions the same as they always have been. This first year I will spend every moment learning as much as I can about you and our culture so that I can better serve you and our athletic program. I encourage you all to stop by and say hello to me when you see me at contests and practices. Please call my office or email me with questions and concerns. I look forward to meeting you all and leading you to a successful school year!

Go Tigers!

Sincerely,

Edward L. Uhrik