Alumni Spotlight - Mike Michelozzi, Class of 1964

When did you attend Lamphere? 1960 - 64

Where do you live now? Kalamazoo, MI

Tell us about what you've been doing since graduation:
Local folk singer 70s. Completed college, earned MA, became a teacher in KPS district 1975. Taught middle/high school ELA and related subjects. Also published KCHS yearbook and newspaper for ten years. I left the system in 2002.

Mid Michelozzi & WifeTell us about your family and/or hobbies:
Shirley and I married in 1969 and we have two daughters and three grand daughters. She taught kindergarten for KPS. When I left teaching in 2002 we had been building a business with a nutritional company called Reliv. With Reliv we traveled all over the USA and the world. In '
03/04 we lived in Malaysia five months opening up business there. 

Today we still work at that business and in addition I substitute teach in three local districts - Otsego, Plainwell, and Gull Lake. I love teaching - I would have been most unlikely person to become a teacher in my graduating class.


How did your years at Lamphere affect your life?  

I had great teachers from 5th grade up through high school in the Lamphere system. I have a couple of year books in front of me now - so many memories of great teachers - I could name them and exactly what they did for me.


My life was affected in a most positive way by teachers who made learning fun because they loved what they did and they loved kids. 

Coach Borovick gave me confidence and encouragement on the football field. So did Coaches Vivio [and in Biology] and Henderson [and in Wood Shop] on the foot ball field and track. Henderson was my track coach and I set 100 and 220 records which lasted a long time. Coach Henderson always encouraged me in such a positive way. Also Mr. Kish.

Mr. Couretas was the kind of teacher we could joke with and he had fun with us teaching Civics. I had Mrs. Millington [also in junior high] who was hard and demanding and fun also. 

Our class gave Ms Virta a hard time - made her cry. I believe she'd taught in an all girls school in France - that was the rumor. I could name so many more.

All the teachers I had gave me a love for learning and the sense that school was also fun - they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Also respect and responsibility were taught to me by example.

If you had a message for current Lamphere students what would it be?  
I could write on this a long time. Like I said I left my teaching career in 2002 to do other things. It was a new venture. Commit to what you do and find things to do you love doing. Then commitment is easy. That doesn't mean the things you love to do all come easy and are not without difficulty. When you love doing what you do you'll also accept the challenges and difficulty.


Mike & and some members of Taekwondo classFor example, in January of 2013 my grand daughter took me to her taekwondo class and after class I told the teacher how sore I was and frustrated I was not knowing my right from my left and being so confused.

He laughed at me, "Mike what have you ever done the first time you did perfect? I am still learning after doing martial arts all my life. You come back if you want and have fun and do it for your health. You might like it."

I went back and back and began improving earning color belts, learning how to spar and break boards and bricks. I was sixty-seven years old and the oldest in class. [Our class is mixed kids through adults up to me.]

In November of 2015 I earned 1st dan [degree] black belt and today am working on 2nd dan forms. At age seventy-one I am the oldest in class - one of the oldest at tournaments, and very happy I stuck with taekwondo. 

"Now that you are a black belt we will call you "advanced beginner" and you are ready to improve and learn to help others," my teacher said.

Mike Michelozzi and grandaughters at color runI want to inspire people by my example - young and old. If you are young I have so much hope and faith in you but you have to find something you love then give it your heart and mind. Become a student. Be a life long student. Never stop learning and improving yourself. And inspire others. If you want to help people one way is for them to be inspired that they can be more and do more just like you because of what you've done.

So do things you love and do them well. Inspire others by your actions to want to become the best they can become. Stay humble and a servant of people.

I could say much more.

Mike Michelozzi