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Each year The Success Fund recognizes educators that go "above and beyond". Click the link below for the complete list.
Marsha Franke
A heartfelt tribute to the Success Fund founder, Marsha Franke. She was an inspiration to us all.
Alumni Spotlight
The Success Fund is proud to have selected 1993 Marshall HighSchool graduate Aaron Morse for our Alumni Spotlight. You can also view our past Spotlight honorees.
Biography
Throughout his Marshall High School career, Aaron Morse was involved and worked at his parent’s business, Wacky Willy’s Party Store, owned by William Morse, a Marshall Alumni himself. After graduating 1993, he attended Kellogg Community College for a year. While at KCC, he decided that he wanted to pursue an education in electronic imaging, so in 1994 Aaron enrolled as a student in the Arts Department of Northern Michigan University. Upon graduation from Northern with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Aaron returned to Marshall and began an apprenticeship to become a brewer of craft beers. In September of 2000, he opened the Dark Horse Brewing Company, south of the Fountain in Marshall. The little business began making craft beers on premise with a small taproom. Soon, Aaron's products became well known and popular in the area. This was quickly followed by the distribution of Dark Horse products throughout the entire State of Michigan.
Since 2000, the Dark Horse Brewery has grown to become a respected brewery throughout the United States. In addition to Michigan, Dark Horse products are now distributed and sold in Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. Several of Aaron’s beers have won medals in International competitions, and of course, Dark Horse products have garnered many awards and recognitions in Michigan competitions. As the brewery continues to grow in size and reputation, Aaron is appreciative of his Dark Horse team. No less than eight of the brewery’s employees are Marshall High School alumni. Since its beginning less than ten years ago, the Dark Horse Brewery has grown to become a thriving Marshall business that has become a destination. Stories in the Chicago Tribune and many other large newspapers bring people to many of the special Dark Horse events. Others come to Marshall just to experience the unique atmosphere that Aaron has created south of the Marshall fountain.
The entire Dark Horse team encompasses the values of creativity, hard work, and dedication. Aaron uses the art skills he learned from Northern, KCC, and of course, Marshall High School to design the labels and other artwork of his craft brew products - from the bottles, cartons, to many clothing products. His work ethic, leadership skills, and vision to the future began as he experienced life in Marshall and as a student in the Marshall Public Schools. Aaron tries to give back to the community on a regular basis.
Personal Statement
I believe that my education at Marshall Public Schools has provided me with the skills I needed to succeed through college and my professional career. I truly value my education at Marshall Public Schools. I particularly enjoyed Kelly Williams as my teacher. He allowed us to use our creativity in his class and taught us how to make things work even though we didn’t have the particular tool that we needed. We were able to think on our own and figure out the task at hand. It may not have worked the 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd time, however, through his encouragement and guidance, we were able to solve the problem. Through the high mileage vehicle challenge project, I enjoyed being a part of a team and the success we gained from working together. The skills that I learned in that class are the skills we use everyday in the brewery. It has saved us time, money, and a lot of aggravation.
I also enjoyed art with Mr. Walton. The basic skills that I learned in that class allowed me to be creative and successful in art during my college career. I continue to use my art skills in the design of my labels, packaging, and promotion of Dark Horse products.
I am happy that I came back to my Marshall roots to open a business and raise a family. I truly value all the community support and take pride in the hard work and dedication of my fellow crew members!