Donald J. Yacks Elementary school has 452 students enrolled for the 2007-2008 school year. We are in our fourth year of being a Professional Learning Communities (PLC) building in which the entire staff works collaboratively to support all of our students both academically and socially. We promote the positive in each child and recognize his/her potential.

Our staff and students created and adopted a school-wide Constitution that is displayed in our lobby next to our Hall of Fame, which holds our student recognition certificates from each classroom promoting positive behavior and/or exemplary academic achievement.

Yacks Elementary is in the fourth year of the adoption of the Fish! Philosophy based on a book by the same name. Four standards are followed: Be There, Make Their Day, Play, and Choose Your Attitude. Our fifth grade students have the opportunity of being members of the Fish Club in which they support teachers and students throughout the day performing various activities. In addition, in an effort to promote Positive Behavior Support, we created school-wide Fish Five Rules: Be Responsible, Be Respectful, Be Kind, Be Safe, and Be in Control.

Our Student Government is comprised of two students from every third, fourth, and fifth grade classroom, supporting altruistic efforts such as a Winter Warmer Tree, collecting mittens, scarves, and hats, and a canned food drive.

Donald J. Yacks Elementary school is a Michigan Blue Ribbon school recognizing us as exemplary. We have an excellent partnership between parents and staff. Our Parent Teacher Club (PTC) has provided two Classroom Performance Systems for the building, maps and globes for each classroom, a digital camera for each grade level, and books for our Literacy Library, just to mention a few items. We are proud of our outstanding students, staff, and parents promoting excellence for all.