Beth Travis is the new principal at East Kelloggsville Elementary School. SNN gets to know her in this edition of Meet Your Principal.
Other positions you have held in education: I am starting my 20th year at Kelloggsville Public Schools. I have been a math, reading and language arts teacher for grades 6, 7 and 8. As an administrator, I’ve held the positions of dean of students and assistant principal at Kelloggsville Middle School.
How about jobs outside education? In college I was a sign-language interpreter, a nanny and a waitress.
Family: I have two sons. Jacob is in ninth-grade at East Kentwood High school, and Michael is in seventh-grade at Pinewood Middle School.
Hobbies/Interests/Little-known talent: I enjoy boating, reading, learning different languages, volunteering, traveling, being outdoors and watching my boys play sports.
What kind of kid were you in elementary school? I went to a Catholic school in Europe for my elementary years. I always received high marks on my reports cards and I was quite talkative and very social. We enjoyed traveling and spending time learning as much European culture and history as possible.
The biggest lesson you have learned from students is… Everyday is a new day. It always amazes me how resilient and loving our students are. Each day they enter the playground before school with a smile, and are determined to do their very best!
If I could go back to school I would … go back to ninth grade because of all of the opportunities that high school provides and the promise of a positive future!
If you walked into your new school building to theme music every day, what would the song be? This is an easy question, as our school secretary plays it for me a few times a week: “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
“We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.” — Virginia Satir, family therapist
Kentwood artist’s HUG exhibit an extension of who she is
Meochia Thompson with some friends in an earlier Hugs campaign.
You can find 2018 ArtPrize artist Meochia Thompson giving hugs at church events, retirement homes, or around the community. Now you can find the Kentwood woman downtown embracing strangers during ArtPrize for her entry HUG, a campaign that stands for “help uplift goodness”. To get the details, click here.
Stars of one ArtPrize exhibit is the Wyoming Police K-9 unit
Nidal Kanaan’s ArtPrize piece “Blue Courage” can be found at Flaganan’s Irish Pub.
Inside Flanagan’s Irish Pub in downtown Grand Rapids, you can find food, drinks, and Nidal Kanaan’s ArtPrize entry “Blue Courage.” Photographing the Wyoming Police K-9 unit, Kanaan produced images that ArtPrize attendees will enjoy while stopping in for a quick refreshment. To get the details, click here.
WKTV wants the VOICES of not just artists, but the voters as well
Last year, VOICES debuted at ArtPrize Nine, introducing our 1958 Airstream trailer and collecting the stories of winning ArtPrize artists Daniel Oropreza and Sofia Hernandez Ramirez. This year, VOICES will again collect stories from artists. But we are also bringing our Voters Feedback Booth, right next to the trailer, where voters are encouraged to share what they voted on and why. For get the details, click here.
And today’s fun fact:
3 seconds
Hugs follow a 3-second rule. Ever wondered how long a hug lasts? The quick answer is about 3 seconds, according to a 2011 study of the post-competition embraces of Olympic athletes.
The Frey Foundation is currently seeking innovative ideas to accelerate access to sustainable, quality housing opportunities in Kent County. The foundation is specifically focused on addressing housing access for people who are employed yet may be struggling to make ends meet, a circumstance defined by the United Ways as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed).
“This concept of launching an innovation award to catalyze community creativity around this important topic aligns with the foundation’s core values.” said Ellie Frey Zagel, chair of the initiative.
According to the Heart of West Michigan United Way, at least 25 percent of Kent County’s households are considered among the ALICE population. For families in these circumstances, adults in the household are employed and earning above the Federal Poverty Level. However, they do not earn enough o cover the basic cost of living, considered to be $56,460 per year for a family of our in Kent County.
“Innovation requires us to reexamine an issue and consider different perspectives” said Frey Foundation President Holly Johnson. We hope this opportunity results in new ideas, partnerships and new ways to leverage change.”
The foundation will award a grant of up to $150,000 to an agency or partnership that submits an innovative, actionable plan, concept or collaboration that effectively reduces the number of ALICE families paying more than 30 percent of monthly income for housing. Submissions will be evaluated, and an idea selected, by an external, multi-sector advisory committee coordinated by the Grand Valley Metro Council.
For families whose circumstances fall within the ALICE parameters, many factors contribute to housing insecurity. “Low supply and high housing costs are just the start,” said Lynne Ferrell, Frey Foundation Program Director. “Beyond basic supply and demand, stagnant wages, illness or unanticipated household expenses can hinder a family’s ability to afford rent or a mortgage payment. This can snowball into an eviction or damaged credit and present an entirely new set of challenges.”
To be considered, ideas should address at least one of the following:
• Finance
• Creative Development• Policy
This call for housing innovation is an addition to the foundation’s regular grantmaking. While the foundation serves West and Northern Michigan, this particular opportunity is focused on Kent County.
Ideas are currently being accepted online. The deadline for submission is Oct. 29. More information is available at freyfdn.org/housinginnovation.
The giant pumpkins at the Farm Garden. (Supplied/Peter McDaniel)
By Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is pleased to present the annual fall horticulture exhibition, Chrysanthemums and More! opening to the public today, on Sept. 21. This exhibition, the largest of its kind in Michigan, features expansive displays of chrysanthemums, fall foliage and family-friendly activities. The exhibition will be on display through Oct. 28.
The annual towers of mums at Meijer Gardens. (Supplied/Peter McDaniel)
This year’s focus will be on “Growing Local”, highlighting the local growers, farms, food and drink featured at Meijer Gardens. Guests will enjoy a wide variety of locally grown elements, including decorative, spoon, cushion, and quill chrysanthemums, with “pompon” blooms as small as a nickel to showy “spider” blooms measuring six inches or more in diameter. This exhibition is a feast for the eyes, displaying the versatility of the magnificent mum and much more.
“Our theme this year is ‘Growing Local’,” explained Steve LaWarre, Director of Horticulture. “This is a remarkable way to showcase many of the local suppliers that we work with throughout the year who provide us with thousands of colorful chrysanthemums, gourds, pumpkins and other ornamental items. With this focus on all things local, we have an chance to highlight the wide variety of chrysanthemums and other items grown locally in an exhibition that has become a wonderful fall tradition for our guests.”
Visitors will be greeted with vibrant displays of chrysanthemums from the moment that they arrive and delighted by abundant floral arrangements of these bold blooms as they walk through the scenic corridor inside of the main building. Upon entering the Seasonal Display Greenhouse, a floor-to-ceiling chrysanthemum display will unfold as a focal point. Presentations of a five-sphere topiary, large disbuds and beds of colorful plantings will complement this feature in the nearby Earl and Donnalee Holton Victorian Garden Parlor. Outdoors, expansive beds of lush chrysanthemums will be arranged in large sweeps of color and will be balanced by a variety of ornamental plantings.
Activities such as the Fall Bonsai Show, Giant Pumpkins and Hallowee-Ones are full of family fun throughout the exhibition. Mum Day on October 14 will give visitors a chance to take a walking tour led by horticulture staff, enjoy informational demonstrations and learn more about the chrysanthemum.
The Balk Café will feature seasonal daily dinner specials on Tuesday evenings, with seasonal ingredients coming from Meijer Gardens’ own Michigan’s Farm Garden.
Exhibition Programming
Fall Family Day, Saturday, Oct. 6, 1–4 p.m., included with admission.
Visit the Children’s Garden for lots of fall family fun. Activities include something for all your senses— Press and Pound Color Banners, Autumn-themed Stories, Tree Vest Craft and an “I-Spy” Naturalist Walk about trees.
Herb & Gourd Fest, Midwest Michigan Herb Association and Michigan Gourd Society, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 13-14, included with admission.
Discover a variety of ways to use herbs and gourds in this annual fall event. A variety of culinary herbs will be featured including hops, the 2018 “Herb of the Year.” Discover the benefits that herbs provide and experience their wonderful fragrances. Kids can participate in a fun art activity with herbs and make their own seed tape to plant in a pot or in the garden next spring. Visit the touchable gourds section and try playing a gourd instrument. Purchase decorated gourds or buy an unfinished gourd and create your own art at home.
Giant Pumpkins at Michigan’s Farm Garden, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 13-14, included with admission
Enjoy giant pumpkins on display at Michigan’s Farm Garden. Weighing in at hundreds of pounds, these pumpkins will amaze kids and adults alike. Learn all about pumpkins as you sort varieties and answer quiz questions at the Pumpkin Discovery cart. Or try your hand at a pumpkin bean bag toss and play a unique pumpkin game “Which Vine is Mine?” to learn about how pumpkins grow.
Mum Day, Sunday, Oct. 14, 1-4 p.m., included with admission
Enjoy tours and demonstrations led by members of the horticulture department.
Tuesdays at the Farm, Tuesday, Oct.r 16 and 23 , 5-8:30 p.m., included with admission
Eat, drink, and dance in the crisp autumn air. A food truck and the Balk Café will be serving up local fresh fare along with West Michigan beers, hot cider, and adult cocktails. Dance to a string band with accompanying square dance caller.
Gerald R. Ford International Airport President & CEO Jim Gill, SpartanNash VP of Supply Chain Operations Lach McKinnon, and Mike Holmes of Rolling Thunder stand next to a new POW-MIA Chair of Honor outside of the Airport’s Military Welcome Center.
By Tara Hernandez
Gerald R. Ford International Airport
The Military Welcome Center presented by SpartanNash at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA) now has a special area, dedicated to the men and women who never made it home.
Rolling Thunder Michigan Chapter Four donated the POW-MIA Chair of Honor at a ceremony today at the airport. Members of Rolling Thunder, SpartanNash, and GFIA board members and staff joined in the dedication.
The Chair of Honor is to remain perpetually empty to help people remember that even though the military members are not here, there is always a space for them. POW-MIA Chairs of Honor can be found in public spaces ranging from professional sports stadiums to city halls, and now – the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Military Welcome Center presented by SpartanNash.
“The Rolling Thunder Chair of Honor program is intended to support our mission that ‘No Veteran shall be left behind or forgotten’ should they become a Prisoner Of War or Missing In Action,” said Mike Holmes, President of Rolling Thunder Michigan, Chapter Four.
National POW-MIA Recognition Day is observed on the third Friday in September as a tribute to U.S. military members who were prisoners of war, those who are still missing in action, and their families.
“SpartanNash’s vision is to be a best-in-class business that feels local, where relationships matter, and, as a Military Friendly® Employer, one of our most important relationships is with our servicemembers, veterans and their families,” said Meredith Gremel, SpartanNash vice president of corporate affairs and communications. “We are honored to include this POW-MIA Chair of Honor in the Military Welcome Center as a solemn reminder of those who are not here with us.”
The Military Welcome Center, presented by SpartanNash, was officially opened to servicemembers, veterans, and their families in November 2017. The center offers refreshments, snacks, charging stations, an airport arrival/departure monitors, and lounging spaces. Additionally, there is an interactive map where military personnel and veterans can pinpoint where they have been stationed or deployed, and veteran profiles and programming offered by WGVU and PBS.
“We are proud to have a space in our airport dedicated to those that sacrificed so much for our country and our freedoms,” said GFIA President & CEO Jim Gill. “We appreciate the partnership with SpartanNash in providing this space for our military, veterans, and their families; and we are honored that Rolling Thunder Michigan Chapter Four chose the airport to dedicate the POW-MIA Chair of Honor.”
“Every good painter paints what he is,” Jackson Pollock said.
“Treat a work of art like a prince. Let it speak to you first,” said Arthur Schopenhauer.
And Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Art is the path of the creator to his work.”
Everybody has something to say about art. The good news is, you don’t have to be famous to have an opinion—and WKTV VOICES will have its mobile recording studio down at ArtPrize 10 all three weekends to invite and encourage artists and voters to share their own thoughts about art: Artists, what inspires you to create a work of art?
Voters, what compelled you to vote for a particular work of art?
Sofia Hernandez Ramirez
With hundreds of artists and hundreds of thousands of attendees expected at ArtPrize this year, we expect there will be a lot to say—and for us to collect and record.
Last year, VOICES debuted at ArtPrize Nine, introducing our 1958 Airstream trailer and collecting the stories of winning ArtPrize artists Daniel Oropreza and Sofia Hernandez Ramirez.
This year, VOICES will again collect stories from artists. Look for our Airstream on the corner of Lyon and Monroe NW. Look for the Voters Feedback Booth right next to the trailer where voters are encouraged to share what they voted on and why.
A free public service of WKTV, VOICES travels throughout the West Michigan region to encourage neighbors, friends and family to tell their stories—the narratives that make us human—of our lives, experiences, sorrows, triumphs and tragedies. We all benefit from knowing each other’s background; the shared bond that helps us build community.
VOICES’s comfortable, mobile video recording studio offers a relaxed atmosphere, and utilizes high-tech video and audio equipment to capture the narratives for posterity. Interviews usually take place between two people who know and care about each other. These can be friends, family, or mere acquaintances. Any topic may be explored, whether a specific event in a person’s life, a childhood memory, a family tragedy—no subject is off limits.
Oral history—the collection and study of individual histories, experiences of disasters, important events or everyday life—is a tradition as old as civilization itself. Using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews, oral history strives to obtain information from different perspectives, most of which cannot be found in written sources. Some academics consider oral history akin to journalism as both are committed to uncovering truths and compiling narratives about people, places, and events.
VOICES participants find the experience valuable and gratifying. Read and listen to people’s stories online on our Facebook page here and visit our website here for more information and important links.
All VOICES conversations are audio- and video-recorded to provide participants with a link to each conversation and for possible airing on Channel 25 in Wyoming, Kentwood and Gaines Township (U-Verse Channel 99).
The second Saturday of each month, VOICES parks its Airstream trailer at Marge’s Donut Den at 1751 28th St SW, Wyoming, MI for ‘Second Saturdays at Marge’s’. And, beginning Oct. 17, VOICES will be parked at Kentwood Public Library, 4950 Breton Rd. SE, the third Wednesday of each month.
“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
~ Leonardo da Vinci
By Kristen Krueger-Corrado, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
I am new to the world of historical fiction, having assumed that it would be similar to a very dry history course full of esoteric facts and dates. I selected Abundance to read because I was interested in seeing the recent film about Marie Antoinette and thought this might be a good primer. Imagine my surprise when I read the entire book (over 500 pages) in one day, dragging myself away from the engrossing story only to eat dinner or to tell my husband to stop talking to me while I was reading. For days afterwards, I delighted him with interesting facts I had picked up until he begged me to stop.
Marie Antoinette gets a bad rap in history textbooks — the frivolous young queen who cares little about her subjects, an attitude that ultimately leads to her demise. But in Abundance, the queen is portrayed in a much more flattering light. The story begins with her marriage to the Dauphin, Louis August, at the age of 14 and chronicles their 22-year marriage, the births of their four children, the fall of their monarchy and their beheadings.
Marie Antoinette was a devout Catholic, dedicated to her family and friends, determined to keep her marriage together and lived to serve the people of France. The book is told in the first person, and it is very evident that while Marie Antoinette had good intentions, she could not even begin to understand the plight of her people. And although I knew how the story would end, I was rooting for her to succeed. Abundance is a good read, but not one to lose your head over.
The East Kentwood Falcons take on the Grandville this week in WKTV’s featured game of the week as the Bulldogs (2-2) will be traveling and facing a streaking Falcon team as well as a fired-up East Kentwood homecoming crowd.
East Kentwood High School is known for its loud and engaged Homecoming crowds. (WKTV file)
“Anytime you have homecoming, you’re going to have a big crowd,” said head coach Anthony Kimbrough of what is waiting his 3-1 East Kentwood squad. “It’s an exciting week leading up to the game. As a coach, it’s kind of a hectic week for me, but the kids seem to handle it well.
Coach Kimbrough says the secret to his team’s success, and now 3-game winning streak, is simple — the players are responding well to the fundamental system he has implemented.
“We just got back to basics,” said Kimbrough. “The kids are playing some really good fundamental and assignment football. Just doing everything right in the key moments of the game.”
Falcons Head Coach Anthony Kimbrough. (WKTV)
East Kentwood is coming off of a blow-out win against West Ottawa, a team that was down 35 points at halftime to the Falcons. The only loss East Kentwood has had to endure this season was a season-opener loss to an undefeated Mona Shores team, falling only 10 points short.
Grandville, however, has won the last three times these teams have met, beating East Kentwood 28-14 last year. Kimbrough expects to see the same competitive Grandville team as last year. East Kentwood comes in at 2-0 in OK-Gold standings, but Grandville is 1-0.
“They’re a physical and tough team that believes in their system and runs their system really well. They’re well coached and they play hard. So we’re in for a battle Friday night.”
These and other sports events are cable broadcast either live, immediately after the event and/or in rebroadcast, on Comcast WKTV Channel 25 and on AT&T U-Verse Community 99.
WKTV’s featured football games are rebroadcast on the night of the game (Thursday or Friday) at 11 p.m. and Saturday starting at 11 a.m. See WKTVjournal.org/sports for complete schedules.
WKTV’s coverage of high school sports and select community events are also available on-demand within a week of the event at wktvondemand.com.
You can find 2018 ArtPrize artist Meochia Thompson giving hugs at church events, retirement homes, or around the community. Now you can find her downtown embracing strangers during ArtPrize for her entry HUG, a campaign that stands for “help uplift goodness”
Standing 10 feet tall, Thompson is building a hug stage, a safe place located at Grand Rapids City Hall where strangers can gather to embrace each other. An entry that is based on volunteer hugger groups of five or more can rent out the stage to give hugs.
Meochia Thompson with some friends in an earlier Hugs campaign.
“I just love hugging people.” Thompson said. “I know how it feels to be alone…So I decided to create a hug campaign. I prayed about it and I’m like ‘okay God what do I do with this.’”
Thompson’s campaign started four years ago in her hometown of Chicago. Money from her first campaign went to caregivers, people who bear the stress of taking care of other peoples loved ones.
“I was able to raise $5,000 and I just started giving it out to caregiving organizations” Thompson said. “They’re not around people all of the time. They’re dying for a hug, they’re dying to be around the regular public.”
Talking about hugging strangers, Thompson said there’s nothing weird about it. Showing compassion and love to people you don’t know is what Thompson said this whole campaign is about.
A mock-up of the Hugs stage which is located at Grand Rapids City Hall.
“Every time that you hug somebody, it doesn’t matter what they did in their past. It doesn’t matter who they are now or how much money they have. When you hug somebody it’s not about any of that. It’s just about at that moment showing love for mankind.” Thompson said about hugging.
Although winning ArtPrize would be a great accomplishment for a first time ArtPrize artist, Thompson has something bigger in mind.
“My goal is to make Grand Rapids hug city; the place to be for a good hug”.
If you would like to learn more about Thompson’s entry or would like to get involved yourself, visit her website mylifechats.com/hug.
Many people in West Michigan look forward to the harvest season every year. The freshest produce is available straight from the farms, and activities like corn mazes, hayrides, and harvest festivals make every weekend a treat. Find your favorite way of celebrating the harvest right here in West Michigan.
Harvest-centric events & festivals
The harvest fun starts after Labor Day at Post Family Farm in Hudsonville. Post Family Farm is serving up pumpkin donuts daily. Activities, including hayrides, the nature trail, and tube tunnels, run through Nov. 3rd.
Be a part of the Farm-to-Table Dinner & Tour at Castle Farms in Charlevoix. On Wednesday, Oct. 10th, enjoy a delightful farm-to-table dinner and live music along with a twilight tour at Castle Farms. Catered by Grey Gables Restaurant & Catering, a local favorite, the three-course meal plus welcome tasting will showcase meats and vegetables sourced from local farms.
The St. Joseph area is hosting three harvest-time events in September, starting with their ongoing farmers market every Saturday through Oct. 13th. The festivities continue on Saturday, Sept. 22nd, for Fall Fest. Bring the family for a weekend filled with fun events for all ages. Live music, local tastes, and Lake Michigan take center stage at the new Roots & Brews on Saturday, Sept. 22nd.
A variety of harvest-centric events are coming to Muskegon this fall. In addition to their farmers market, visit Pioneer County Park from Sept. 28th to 30th for the 4th Annual Halloween Harvest Weekend. Decorate pumpkins, hop on the hayride, and celebrate both Halloween and the harvest.
Hosted by the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, the 42nd Annual Harvest Fest is Sept. 28th to 30th. This year will include returning events such as the Classic Car Show and the Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, Sept. 29th, and will also feature children’s activities, a movie in the park, and Scarecrow Building!
Boyne City’s Harvest Festival will take place on Saturday, Sept. 29th. The farm market booths will sell a variety of apples and other harvest items, including pumpkins, squash, apple butter, jam, honey, and cider. When you’re hungry, stop for a bite to eat in one of the many downtown restaurants.
With so many fun, family-friendly fall festivals, Shanty Creek Resorts is the perfect place to stay while celebrating the harvest in northern Michigan. Mark your calendar for the Bellaire Harvest Festival & Scarecrow Extravaganza on Saturday, Sept. 29th, and the 40th Annual Charlevoix Apple Festival from Oct. 12th to 14th. Throughout the fall season, visitors can experience fall color from a new perspective, from a chairlift ride to the top of the mountain or a four-hour fall color tour of one of Shanty Creek Resorts’ four championship golf courses.
Cheboygan’s Fall Fest is Oct. 5th to 7th. A community celebration of Cheboygan’s waterways, trails, and harvesting heritage is presented annually during the first weekend in October. Nearly 50 events are on tap for this year’s festival, with coordination among over 25 groups and organizations.
Visit Battle Creek with the whole family for fun harvest activities. The Pumpkin Festival is Saturday, Oct. 13th, and includes games, pony rides, pumpkin arts and crafts, food, and more. You can also stop by for hayrides every Saturday and Sunday from Sept. 29th to Oct. 28th to enjoy one of fall’s favorite traditions.
Prepare yourself for fall flavors and fright-filled nights with Haven Harvest in South Haven from Oct. 19th to 21st. Taste the flavors of fall as hayrides roll, pumpkins fly, headless horsemen ride, and haunted houses awaken. Experience a true South Haven harvest with apple orchards, bonfires, pumpkin carving, and delicious good-as-grandma’s pies.
The Michigan Maritime Museum is being transformed into a maze of terrifying thrills and chills that are not for the faint of heart on Oct. 19th and 20th. This annual event, now in its fourth year, occurs during South Haven’s annual Haven Harvest Festival weekend.
Virtue Cider in Fennville is hosting their 3rd Annual Apple Fest on Saturday, Oct. 20th. If you can’t make it for the event, or you would like an in-depth look at Virtue Cider’s operations, they host Harvest-Time Tours every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, where you can learn how they make cider using all Michigan-grown apples.
The Arts & Eats tour through Allegan and Barry Counties may not be until Oct. 20th and 21st, but you can still celebrate the harvest with them in September. Visit some of the tour’s stops this month for a harvest-centric meal, including one serving fresh carrots, green and yellow beans, red skin potatoes, and onions.
Farm fun & produce to bring home
Begin your journey to local farms and farmers markets with the help of Michigan Agritourism. This statewide resource helps keep family farms sustainable, support local economic growth, and provide rich and unique experiences for visitors to make lasting memories.
Corn mazes are a fan-favorite fall activity, and the corn maze at Robinette’s Apple Haus and Winery in Grand Rapids is now open. This year’s theme is Gummy Bears.
It’s time to decorate your porch and bring home fall flavors with the help of Lewis Farms & Petting Zoo in New Era. Take a ride on the apple express wagon to the orchards where you can pick apples yourself, or visit the pumpkin patch and pick out the perfect pumpkin to take home and carve. You can even purchase straw bales, corn stalks, and more to spruce up your front porch. Finish up your visit with a cup of apple cider and an apple cinnamon or pumpkin doughnut.
Twin Oaks Inn is located in downtown Saugatuck, hosting guests in a harvest wonderland. Many guests who stay in the fall visit Crane Orchards and Fenn Valley Vineyards in Fennville, located only 15 minutes away from the inn.
Since September is the beginning of the harvest months, there’s bound to be those looking for fall activities in Mecosta County. Some of the area’s local farmers markets provide plenty of harvest treats. This is where you can find farm-fresh produce which changes as the seasons do.
In addition to the farmers market, Holland has a new restaurant that takes advantage of the early fall harvest. Stop by for one of their unique recipes, or bring the harvest home and see what you can create with these fresh ingredients.
“You just brighten up everybody’s eyes, because everybody loves you,” said Vista Springs Community member, Marilyn Scholten as she stroked the orange tabby cat’s fur. “He loves me. I can tell.”
Jack the Cat is on a mission. Every Thursday morning, the therapy cat strolls into Vista Springs Community to visit with the people living there. Well, more accurately, he sits in a stroller as his caretaker, Lynn Hopkins, wheels him from room to room. He has trained Hopkins well.
“I met Jack at Crash’s Landing in 2009,” said Hopkins. “He was transferred there from an animal shelter. He’d been surrendered there, we don’t know why. We don’t know his history.”
Jack has deformed front legs, but that doesn’t stop him, hence his proper name, Jack B. Nimble.
“They thought he might be kind of hard to adopt out, and so they were afraid that he would be euthanized,” Hopkins said. “They didn’t want to risk it, so they transferred him to Crash’s Landing (a local cat rescue and placement center).”
Hopkins remembers her first memory of Jack, running down the hall. Because of his front legs, he has a gimpy gait, but that doesn’t stop him. He still runs and plays with toys. But it was Jack’s engaging personality that made a huge impression on Hopkins.
“He’s just the happiest cat I’ve ever known,” she said. “He just loves everybody, he loves other cats. He was at Crash’s just a few weeks, and I took him home.”
Hopkins started taking Jack to volunteer picnics. She pushed him around in his stroller and people would pick him up or set him on a picnic table. And he would just sit there and let people pet him.
“And so a few years before I retired, I came across some information on Facebook about a therapy cat. I had never heard of a therapy cat,” said Hopkins. “I had heard of therapy dogs, but not therapy cats. I knew Jack would be perfect. One of the first things to do when I retired in January 2017 was to get him certified by Love on a Leash. He had to be checked out by a vet and undergo 10 hours of observation on how he behaved.”
Lynn Hopkins and her charge, Jack
Both Hopkins and Jack were evaluated by the Love on a Leash program because they work as a team. Certification typically includes consistent visit and behavior guidelines, animal health assurances and cleanliness standards. The animal must be able to tolerate a wide range of environments and people.
Jack now visits two retirement communities a week and an area hospice when someone requests a visit from a therapy cat.
After visiting Scholten, Jack and Lynn stopped off to see Donna Terpstra, who recently moved to Vista Springs and is still adjusting to her new living situation. She had a cat before her move.
“[Jack] makes me feel like a human being, and human beings need to have contact with pets, with animals,” Terpstra said. “I used to say that coming home to an empty house is not good. But when there’s a pet, there’s another heartbeat in the house, and you don’t feel so lonely.”
Susan Lamos, Life Engagement Director at Vista Springs, said that animals are important in nearly everybody’s life.
“I think the majority of people who moved here have had animals at one point in their life, had pets in their past, whether they lived on a farm or had a pet at home,” said Lamos. “When you come to a living setting such as Vista Springs, you give up a few things, which can take away some of your dignity.
“The therapy piece brings a wholeness to people. I think it’s like a breath of fresh air. A person can be sitting there in their chair just reflecting or watching television and when the animal comes in to the room, the eyes light up, the body lifts up and there’s a real connection with them. They’re fulfilled.”
Matthew Stone didn’t need to look any further than the faces of his two children for motivation to lose weight and live healthier.
“You want to see these little people grow up and you start thinking about, ‘What’s going to happen to me?’” Stone said. “I realized that I cannot expect someone else to take care of me, I need to start taking care of myself.”
With the support of his wife, Kristin, and his two children—Henry, 6, and Evelyn, 3—Stone started making big changes.
In July 2016, at the age of 33 and pushing 400 pounds, Stone had gastric sleeve surgery to start his weight-loss journey.
He has since lost more than 150 pounds, weighing in at 232 pounds. He eats well and exercises six days a week, including lifting weights, running and cycling.
“I always say that it’s not that I didn’t have a good life before, but now I am living a better life,” Stone said.
Last year, when he laced up his running shoes for the Spectrum Health Danish Dash in Greenville, Michigan, it had been his first time competing in an official organized run. By the time he competes in the race again this year, on Aug. 18, he’ll have some other 5K races under his belt.
Making changes
Stone said he had always been a big but active kid. Growing up in Midland, he remembers shoveling his dirt driveway in the winter so he could play basketball.
He also played high school sports. As a sophomore, he was a 6-foot-1, 300-pound athlete.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
But the weight kept creeping up.
“It doesn’t seem like much each year, but then you look back and you’re up 50 pounds,” he said.
Over time it became more difficult to ignore the signs that something needed to change.
He married in 2007 and it soon became a growing challenge to keep up with his two young children. He couldn’t buy life insurance to protect his family—his weight made it cost-prohibitive. He had to take medication for high blood pressure.
He then experienced a liver issue, which turned out to be the start of fatty liver disease. His weight, meanwhile, restricted what he could accomplish in the weight room.
“At age 33 I was OK, but it was only a matter of time before I would end up on a bunch of meds,” Stone said. “My body was showing signs it couldn’t keep up.”
He tried to diet but success proved elusive. He’d get discouraged when he didn’t see results.
“I realized that you can’t out-exercise a bad diet,” Stone said. “I can do a lot more damage with my mouth than I can out-do with my body.”
Feeling like he was “chasing his tail,” he signed up for a consultation with a bariatric surgeon.
“I really felt like the surgery was the first step, because when you’re pushing 400 pounds, I knew I was limited, but I didn’t fully understand how limited I was by the weight,” Stone said.
He started off easy, first by walking and then going to the gym and jogging on the treadmill.
“From there, it has taken off,” Stone said.
His current routine is six days of exercise, including four to five days of 60 to 90 minutes of weight lifting at Fresh Start Fitness in Greenville. He also gets in one or two runs per week—each about 3 to 5 miles—and about 30 minutes of cycling on the Flat River Trail or the stair stepper at the gym.
He follows a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet. He recently eliminated all sugars, getting all his carbs from vegetables.
Transformation
Stone’s body has indeed changed. He went from a size 56 pants and XXXL shirts to a size 38 and large. He actually enjoys shopping now.
At the beginning, he would catch his reflection in a mirror and not recognize himself.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
But has he really changed? It’s one question he reflects on frequently. He looks to his wife to help him process it.
“I know that divorce rates are high for people who have big weight loss after surgery,” Stone said. “I ask my wife, ‘Have I changed? Let me know if you think I’m changing.’”
As an optimistic, outgoing person, Stone feels more comfortable in his skin now.
“I feel like my body matches my personality now, that it matches who I really am,” Stone said.
He works as a football coach at Greenville High School and as an associate pastor at Greenville First Church of God.
He said his faith and the strong support system from his family and community have helped him in this journey.
“I see this as part of being a better steward of who I am and what I have,” Stone said.
He also hopes he’s providing a good example for his children and his football players.
“For too many years, I just didn’t want to deal with it and make the commitment,” he said. “It’s good for everyone around me and good for me to see this is how we live better. Not that I didn’t live good before, but this is better.”
Inside Flanagan’s Irish Pub in downtown Grand Rapids, you can find food, drinks, and Nidal Kanaan’s ArtPrize entry “Blue Courage.” Photographing the Wyoming Police K-9 unit, Kanaan produced images that ArtPrize attendees will enjoy while stopping in for a quick refreshment.
“I learned quite a bit” Kanaan told the WKTV Journal. “These dogs are extremely hard working and the humans are also extremely hard working. There’s a lot of teamwork and community between them.”
The largest photograph featured in Kanaan’s entry highlights the relationship a K-9 officer has with his/her partner.
Nidal Kanaan’s ArtPrize piece “Blue Courage” can be found at Flanagan’s Irish Pub.
“My favorite picture is the one in the middle…” Said Kanaan. “It’s officer Ryan [Patterson] and his dog Chase. Just that eye contact between them is so powerful. And it’s not just the eye contact in the training sense that, what is my next move? What do I need to do next? But there’s a lot of love there. They are officers and partners, but they do have that human and dog bond too.”
“I would describe my relationship with my K-9 partner as a love/hate relationship,” said Officer Patterson. “They’re trained to be dominate, and with that there’s always a struggle…But it’s definitely a close relationship when you spend more time with them than you do your spouse”.
From having role models that were police officers to raising dogs for hunting, all four officers have a different story in why they wanted to be part of a K-9 unit. Officer Kelsey Eisen originally wanted to become a dog trainer. She decided to join the Wyoming Public Safety Department in hopes of pursing her passion by becoming a K-9 officer. Her dream came true a year-and-a-half ago when she was paired with her partner Dutch.
Overall, Kanaan is grateful with the time he was able to spend with the officers. A combination of the two parties created photographs that not only represent teamwork, but also love and affection between officer and K-9.
Officer Ryan Patterson with Chase, Officer Kelsey Eisen with Dutch, and Officer Daniel Sanderson with Azar
All photographs featured in Kanaan’s entry are up for sale. Proceeds go towards adoption fees for West Michigan shelters. During last year’s ArtPrize event, Kanaan was able to cover 25 adoption fees for West Michigan dogs.
ArtPrize runs through Oct. 7. All law enforcement officers and firefighters receive 25 percent off their bill at Flanagan’s during ArtPrize.
If you would like to see Wyoming’s K-9 officers in action, the police department will be hosting its annual K-9 carnival at Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW, on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 10 a.m.
To learn more about Nidal’s ArtPrize entry, visit his page on the ArtPrize website, https://www.artprize.org/67259. Flanagan’s Irish Pub is located at 139 Pearl St. NW, just a couple of buildings east of the corner of Monroe Avenue and Pearl Street.
Editor’s Note: This is only the comments from students in the Wyoming and Kentwood area. For the complete story, click here.
It’s become an annual ritual. Each fall the state releases results of the M-STEP, the state-required standardized test taken by Michigan students to gauge their proficiency in reading, math, social studies and science. And each fall educators, parents and pundits wring their hands over why students aren’t doing better.
Rather than go back to the same hand-wringing sources, we decided to ask the people most directly affected by these tests: the students who take them. How do they feel about these tests, and how could the tests be improved?
Adults, listen up: Maybe they can teach you something.
Kelloggsville Middle School
Gianna Turnbull
Gianna Turnbull, sixth-grader
Gianna dreams of being a baker someday. She recalls taking the M-STEP last year.
“I was anxious,” she said. “Some of the questions on the math test were confusing. I felt like I was gonna fail.”
Gianna said she took the M-STEP “very seriously. I sat at a desk where nobody could distract me.”
She wasn’t sure how the test will help students, but suspects it could help predict what kinds of things they could do in the future. Despite not enjoying the experience, Gianna said, “I think students should take the test so the state knows what the school’s teaching you.”
Jonathan Mubake
Jonathan Mubake, sixth-grader
When he sat for the M-STEP, “I was messed up!” Jonathan said. “My brain was somewhere else. …. It was like two computers (were) connected to me! I was trying to read (the page) as fast as I can, but it’s 10 paragraphs long!”
He said social studies was the hardest topic for him.
“I was exhausted, my head hurt, and my feet were wobbly,” he said, from his foot shaking out of nervousness. “I was ready to eat my food and go outside and go play. I was just ready for that, until I had to go back into the room and do the whole thing over again.
Jonathan would like five weeks’ notice to prepare for future standardized tests.
“I would prepare mentally. I would eat a perfect breakfast in the morning, get ready for school, make sure I had the right clothing on — not uncomfortable — so it’s not too tight for me to do my thing. I would go to sleep at … I would say 8, so I get enough rest.”
Crestwood Middle School, Kentwood
Kamau Brame
Kamau Brame, seventh-grader
Kamau said M-STEP tests give students an idea of how they are doing in different subjects, but sometimes the process gets a bit complicated.
“I don’t particularly look forward to them, but I don’t mind doing them. They aren’t too tedious. The teachers know what you already know and what you need to go over more.”
Math is hardest for him. “I find some questions super-easy and some I have no idea what to start with. … Once you get a few questions right you start getting really hard ones, and you kind of stress out because you know you’re not getting those right.”
He sees testing as helpful for later grades, with the “big-test SAT and ACT and all that. It gets you used to having to prep for tests and taking them under pressure.” But he’d like to spend less time on setup. “I would change all the stuff you have to do before each test. … It’s like a long process signing in and all that.”
The atmosphere at school can be a bit tense during testing, he said. “Last year some other grades told us how bad it was. … The anticipation is the worst.”
Erna Kljaic-Dugalic
Erna Kljaic-Dugalic, seventh-grader
Erna said she mostly takes the testing in stride.
“I don’t mind the M-STEP, but I don’t get stressed out about it. I usually finish early because I don’t second-guess myself.”
But math can be a bit hard on her nerves, because it “starts easy and then gets harder and harder. It doesn’t really stress me out, but it makes me feel like I’m set up for failure. I also get really tired from looking at the screen.”
She looks at test results as a way to think about what kind of job she’d be good at. “I do think it does help with your career because it shows your strengths.”
That said, she would definitely change the length.
“I understand that it’s long for a reason, but I would like it if it was a little bit shorter, maybe like two days, because sometimes it can take up a week for some kids to finish it. I’d like it to be shorter so we have more time for other things at school.”
Alana Biley
Alana Biley, sixth-grader
Overall, M-STEP isn’t too bad, Alana says.
“I don’t mind it because it helps you to know what level you’re on and you won’t be on things that are too easy or too hard.”
However, it does make her nervous. “I’m just like, ‘Oh gosh!’ I get butterflies in my stomach like a week before.”
She’d feel better with more preparation.
“I would probably want a pre-test to get you ready for it.”
In honor of ArtPrize: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” — Pablo Picasso
ArtPrize venues you
might not think about
ArtPrize 10 is here which means for the next two and half weeks much of the community will be focused on and discussing art. A few of the venues which you might automatically think about reached out to us with information about who will be at their venue. To get the details, click here.
Picking time in local orchards,
and who’s doing the work
The Grand Rapids based Migrant Legal Aid organization visited WKTV Journal: In Focus recently to discuss the continuing and confusing mess that is current federal immigration policies, including the separation of families and sometimes separate deportation of suspected illegal immigrants — many of them seeking work as part of America’s migrant labor force. For more information, click here.
Stories from the road
with Kentwood bicyclist
Kentwood resident and bicyclist-on-a-mission Ken Smith, last week, took a wrong road in Canada but ended up with an unexpected meal and a donation for his cause — his 3,500-plus coast-to-coast trip to raise funds for his grandson, Jakob, and awareness of all persons with neurological damage. For more information, click here.
And today’s fun fact
(bicyclist history):
268.8 km/h
Fred Rompelberg from Maastricht, Netherlands, was the holder of the motor-paced speed world record cycling with 268.831 km/h (166.9 mph) from 1995 to 2018. He used a special bicycle behind a dragster of the Strasburg Drag Racing Team at the Bonneville Salt Flats. (Wikipedia)
Americans have said it so long, it approaches cliché: “The U.S. is the land of opportunity.” However, this still rings true for thousands of newcomers every year, including Guatemalan-born Natanael Krische. Listen to the story of 18-year-old ‘Nate’ who entered illegally and worked hard to became a citizen, small business owner, and pillar in his West Michigan community.
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
Dr. Jen wrote this biography in a bit of reverse order, because she felt that the astute observations of the cat care team paints a pretty accurate picture of darling Dove, a 4-year-old (born in the spring of 2014) who came to us quite suddenly in mid-July, 2018.
“Dove has been a complete surprise, as we all expected her to be a complete challenge after how she first acted at the clinic with Dr. Jen; she settled in almost immediately and is loving (free-roaming) shelter life. She has a soft coo that she elicits when she purrs, so Dove is the purr-fect name for her. She will swat occasionally when she gets overwhelmed, so I think it’s best that she is adopted into a home without small kids. She gets along great with the other cats so a feline roomie would be to her liking.”
“Dove has finally become more social and is tolerant when we pet her, although she does set the tone of the interaction. As a matter of fact, recently when I was petting her, even though I THINK she realized she liked it, she still slapped me. To me she acts like she may have lost some trust in humans. If I remember right, didn‘t her previous owner pass away, and then she was taken in by someone else who also had to leave her? If so, I guess it’s no wonder she’s not fully able to trust right now, but deep down I know there is a good girl in there looking for a new person to give her a home of her very own again. It would be nice to see her placed in a quiet one that will take the time (and be patient) to help her build up her confidence again, and knock down the wall she’s put up. I am a softie for dilute calicos and she is no exception, even though she may be a bit of a diva.”
It’s totally true: Dove HATED the mere sight of Dr. Jen that first day after our cat care director came to kitty’s aid and retrieved her, even though she literally walked right into the travel carrier. Although Dr. Jen took it very slow and easy with her, losing one owner, then being shuffled off to another only to lose that one within two months, had to have turned Dove’s delicate world completely upside-down. Dr. Jen was concerned that all of the TLC in the world wasn’t going to right what Dove perceived as wrongs, but once out of that clinical setting and into a laid-back space that allowed her room to adjust and acclimate, she showed us her sweet side — and hasn’t stopped since, even though she spices it up a bit.
Dr. Jen would love to see Dove in a home with a mature couple who have homebody tendencies as Dove would love nothing more than a lap to claim and a human who would stroke her fur and tell her how beautiful she is, eliciting that soft coo we have all come to know and love.
More about Dove:
Extra Large
Dilute Calico & Domestic Short Hair Mix
Adult
Female
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Spayed
Not declawed
Good in a home with other cats; no children
Want to adopt Dove? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.
On Friday, Sept. 28th, the Box Factory for the Arts (1101 Broad Street, Saint Joseph, MI 49085) will celebrate the opening of its Series 6 Art Exhibition. The public is invited to a free opening reception which will be held from 5-7:30pm and include an Artist Talk led by Eli Zilke at 5:45. All the details of the evening can be found on Box Factory’s Facebook Page. The exhibition will run from Sept. 28 through Nov. 10th.
The exhibition presents the works of a number of artists: Eli Zilke Collaborative with “Collaborative Nature,” Box Palette Group with “Bloomin’ at the Box” and Jennifer Tomshack with “Spirit of Place.”
ELI ZILKE COLLABORATIVE – COLLABORATIVE NATURE
Williams Gallery
The Eli Zilke Collaborative presents “Collaborative Nature” in the Robert Williams Gallery. Eli runs the studios at Water Street Glassworks, 140 Water Street in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He has designed this show with a number of very talented glass artists from the immediate area and beyond. The show speaks to the collaborative nature of how glass is made. Lynne Clayton, Executive Director of Water Street Glassworks, is among the artists who will exhibit work in the show.
In addition to the pieces which will be shown, there will also be an interactive piece in which visitors can have a hand in creating. The show will conclude with a demonstration event on Friday, Nov. 2nd hosted at Water Street Glassworks where this piece will be completed and then brought back to the Box Factory to be displayed for the final week of the exhibition.
For more information about Eli Zilke and Water Street Glassworks or the artists who are showing works in “Collaborative Nature,” please contact Eli at eli@waterstreetglassworks.org.
Following heart disease and cancer, medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S.
Cynthia McCurren, dean of the Kirkhof College of Nursing at Grand Valley State University, put it another way: the third leading cause of death in the U.S. is its own health care system.
To raise awareness of patient safety, particularly among emerging nursing and health professionals, KCON will host the first West Michigan screening of a new documentary, “To Err is Human,” followed by panel discussions in two locations for specific populations on Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 6:15-8:30 p.m. The events are free and open to the public.
• KCON alumni and community members: L. William Seidman Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. A reception will precede the event at 5:30 p.m. RSVP online at gvsu.edu/kcon/edevents. Continuing education credits are available to registered nurses.
Panelists at the community screening will be Bret Jackson, president of the Economic Alliance for Michigan; Julie Klausing, vice president of product, integration and operations for Great Lakes Health Connect; Thomas Peterson, vice president of quality and safety for Munson Healthcare; and Mary Kay VanDriel, president of Spectrum Health Big Rapids & Reed City hospitals.
• Area students, faculty and staff members: DeVos Center, Loosemore Auditorium, Pew Grand Rapids Campus. A reception will precede the event at 5:30 p.m. RSVP at gvsu.edu/kcon/edevents.
Student panelists will be represented by KCON, Grand Valley’s College of Health Professions, and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.
“To Err is Human” is produced by Tall Tale Productions and directed by Mike Eisenberg, son of the late Dr. John Eisenberg, who was a pioneer in patient safety. The documentary reports medical mistakes lead to as many as 440,000 preventable deaths every year, features interviews with a family who endured two deaths due to preventable errors, and highlights employees who are creating a new path to patient safety.
McCurren said the documentary is a follow-up to a 1999 report by the U.S. Institutes of Medicine, “To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System,” which detailed medical mistakes and made recommendations to build a culture of safety among health care workers that would decrease the number of errors made. She said progress has been made, but “there’s a long way to go.”
“By shedding light on the realities of our progress and the urgency for action, we hope professionals will set the tone for constant awareness and the significance of patient safety cultures,” she said.
ArtPrize 10 is here which means for the next two and half weeks much of the community will be focused on and discussing art.
WKTV will be joining the conversation with WKTV VOICES. Introduced at ArtPrize Nine last year, VOICES is housed in a 1958 Airstream trailer and collects stories. Last year, it focused on collecting the stories of artists. This year, the trailer will again return to the corner of Lyon and Monroe, across from the Amway Grand Plaza, collecting stories of artists but also hosting a Voters Feedback Booth, where voters are encouraged to share what they voted on and why.
And what should participants expect to see at this year’s ArtPrize? Well, a few of the venues reached out to us with information about who will be at their venue.
“1934,” by Amiri Farris
Gerald R. Ford International Airport
5500 44th St. SE
Visitors and passengers coming through the airport will be see 14 exhibits on display at the
Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Art at the airport is on display upstairs along the mezzanine, in the indoors observation deck area, and in the east end of the terminal building near the valet ticket counter and exit to rental cars.
“We are thrilled to once again serve as a gathering place for ArtPrize –as a venue, a sponsor, and as a way to welcome artists and visitors into our great city,” said GFIA President & CEO Jim Gill. “The Ford Airport strives to be reflective of the people and events in West Michigan, and we have a chance to brighten up our space with local and national artwork that showcases many different types of art. We hope people take advantage of the art on display here and visit us during the competition whether as a traveler or just a general visitor.”
Among the feature pieces is “1934,” by Amiri Farris, a portrait of a young President Gerald R. Ford and teammate Willis Ward. This large size painting depicts how President Ford overcame mounting adversity and racial discrimination to hep a friend. Artist Tom Howing, who is battling cancer, worked with his autistic son, Matthew, to put his views of the world into a 3-D format display titled “Matthew’s View.” Also artist Elizabeth Paul Healey fled her home in North Carolina this past weekend as Hurricane Florence approached and is here with her piece “Fear Less.”
Petra Kuppers, Salamander by The Olimpias. (Courtesy of the artist)
Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park
1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park will host 16 contemporary sculptors in an innovative exhibition jointly organized by DisArt, a Grand Rapids based arts and cultural organization promoting the full participation of disabled people in and through the arts. The exhibition is titled “Process and Presence: Contemporary Disability Sculpture”.
Through examples of three-dimensional practice including sculpture, performance, installation and video art, this exhibition emphasizes the relationship between disability and the fundamental human experiences of change and embodiment. The exhibition offers audiences a survey of contemporary disability sculpture through artists whose work represents local, national and global perspectives on the experiences of living with disability.
“Process and Presence: Contemporary Disability Sculpture” will be free of charge during ArtPrize (Sept. 19 – Oct. 7). The exhibition areas will be open to the public during Meijer Gardens’ regular business hours. All other areas of Meijer Gardens observe regular hours and standard admission fees.
Arizona-based artist duo Lauren Strohacker and Kendra Sollars shed light on the displacement, reintroduction, and loss of wildlife in urban areas, and have collaborated with Blandford Nature Center to create their time-based entry, Animal Land.
Grand Rapids Art Museum
101 Monroe Center St. NW
The Grand Rapids Art Museum’s ArtPrize 10 exhibition will showcase a broad range of contemporary art by local, regional, national and international artists—competing in every ArtPrize category: 2D, 3D, Time-based and Installation. The total number of artists/artist pairs is 10. The exhibition includes outdoor installations and large-scale nighttime projections on the building’s exterior, and also contains sculpture, painting and interactive performance works.
“Visitors to ArtPrize 10 at GRAM will find the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s most ambitious presentation yet—dazzling installations adapted to interior and exterior public spaces, technology-based interactive experiences, monumental sculpture and more,” commented GRAM Director and CEO Dana Friis-Hansen.
Several themes can be found within the artwork on view—Venezuelan artist, Saskia Jordá, uses her work as a call to action to end violence and hunger. Michigan-based artist John Gutsokey addresses loss, grief, and the aftermath of hate crimes, as well as gun violence, homophobia, violence against people of color and the transgender community, and LGBTQ rights. Arizona-based artist duo Lauren Strohacker and Kendra Sollars shed light on the displacement, reintroduction, and loss of wildlife in urban areas, and have collaborated with Blandford Nature Center to create their time-based entry, Animal Land.
“Geode” by Carlson Garcia
Grand Rapids Public Museum
272 Pearl St. NW
The Grand Rapids Public Museum will once again host an outdoor exhibition in which the work of 17 artists will visually lend itself to the setting of the Museum grounds. Each year the GRPM curates a rewarding experience with approachable art that is intriguing, distinctive and engages the viewer’s capacity for awe and curiosity. Located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids along the busy river walkway, the GRPM is able to offer a not-to-be-missed immersive, 24-hour experience.
During ArtPrize Ten the GRPM will be open with regular Museum hours and half off general admission fees. The GRPM will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays of ArtPrize. For more information about artists, exhibitions, special programming and tickets visit grpm.org.
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal: In Focus, we continue our efforts to assist local veterans, this time with a new higher eduction program based out of Grand Valley State University.
In Focus is Tim Marroquin, the Director of GVSU Veterans Upward Bound program. The program provides academic and other services to military veterans with the goal of supporting their enrollment and success in postsecondary education. The program is new to the university and to Michigan, but there is a clear need of this service for our veterans.
The Upward Bound program is part of GVSU’s Division of Inclusion and Equity, so our first question is why veteran inclusion as important to GVSU as other “minority” groups?
“WKTV Journal: In Focus” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel. But all interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal: In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
For Kentwood resident Mike Bacon, what he loves most about woodcarving is that he can do it.
“That is probably the most important thing,” Bacon said. “I really enjoy the people who are in the carving group. Half the experience is the solarization, and sharing all kinds of techniques and the information that has to go along with it.”
Saturday, Sept. 29, area residents will have the opportunity to explore the world of wood carving during a Wood Carving Expo sponsored by the WSC Wood Carving Club. The event will be from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Wyoming Senior Center Community Room, 2380 DeHoop Ave. SW.
The main purpose of the event is to raise awareness about the club and wood carving so there will be carving and wood burning demonstrations during the event. Many of the club members will be on hand to answer questions along with offering items up for sale.
“If you are interested in woodcarving, I would suggest joining a group because the people in the group will help you learn,” Bacon said.
The WSC Wood Carving Club started in the late seventies with a group of people who enjoyed wood carving, according to Club President Karen Brown.
“Woodcarving is one of the oldest forms of art,” Brown said. “It ranks up there with cave painting.”
Today, the love and interest in the art form continues to bring people together. The group explores all types of wood carving from bark carving to caricature carving and pyrography, the art of wood burning.
“We are all encouraging especially with younger folks because we want our skills and knowledge to be carried on by other people who are younger so we don’t lose the skills that we have learned,” Brown said, adding with a laugh, “and we’ll have someone to pass on our tools to.”
The group meeds the last Tuesdays of the month from fall to spring at the WKTV station, 5261 Clyde Park SW. Programs have included demonstrations and classes on various wood carving techniques. Whittlin’ Time, the TV program based on the monthly meetings, airs on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T Channel 99 at 6:30 p.m. Monday, 4 p.m. Tuesday, and 11 a.m. Friday.
For more about the WSC Wood Carving Club contact Brown at 616-706-9685 or kahb69@chartermi.net.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) will open its doors free of charge to all Museum Day ticketholders on Saturday Sept. 22, as part of Smithsonian magazine’s 14th annual Museum Day, a national celebration of boundless curiosity in which participating museums emulate the free admission policy at the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington DC-based museums.
Museum Day represents a nationwide commitment to access, equity and inclusion. Over 250,000 people downloaded tickets for last year’s event, and Museum Day 2018 is expected to attract more museumgoers than ever before.
The theme of this year’s Museum Day is Women Making History, honoring women in society who are trailblazers in the arts, sciences, innovation and culture, and emboldening others to be pioneers as well.
“We are thrilled to be a part of Smithsonian Museum Day for the first time,” said Kate Kocienski, VP of Marketing and PR for the Grand Rapids Public Museum. “This is another way the Museum is working to be accessible to all.”
Museum Day tickets are available for download at Smithsonian.com/MuseumDay. Visitors who present a Museum Day ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues on September 22, 2018. One ticket is permitted per email address. A list of participating museums, which will be continually updated as more museums continue to register, can be found at Smithsonian.com/MuseumDay/Search.
After a career that has spanned more than 50 years, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band will hit the road for one last time on their final tour. More dates are being added to Seger’s previously announced dates, giving fans one more opportunity to see Seger and the band live. The Travelin’ Man tour kicks off on Wednesday, November 21 in Grand Rapids at SMG-managed Van Andel Arena.
Tickets for the Grand Rapids date will go on sale Friday, Sept. 28 at 10 a.m. Tickets will be available at the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place® box offices, online at Ticketmaster.com, and charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. A purchase limit of four (4) tickets will apply to every order. SeeTicketmaster.com for all pricing and availability.
Bob Seger fan club members will have special access to purchase tickets in advance of the scheduled on-sale dates. To become a Bullet Club member, visit BobSeger.com/bulletclub. For additional information on Bob Seger, please visit BobSeger.com. Stream your Bob Seger favorites, here.
By Amy L. Cochran, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
In this historical novel The Terror, Dan Simmons weaves known facts, extrapolation, and Inuit beliefs into his own vividly harsh version of the fate of the lost Franklin Expedition. The book is part thrilling arctic survival fiction, part horror, part nautical adventure, and completely impossible to put down.
Back in 1845, Sir John Franklin led an expedition in search of the Northwest Passage and disappeared completely along with two ships and 128 men. Simmons uses the last known whereabouts of the ships Erebus and Terror to alternate between the present in 1847, as the men try to make it through their second icebound winter, and flashbacks that show how badly informed route decisions and cheap supplies have left the expedition stranded and low on food.
You’d think that being stuck in two wooden ships in pack ice 1200 miles from any chance of rescue would be enough to handle, but Simmons just keeps increasing the tension. After expedition leader Sir John Franklin dies, Captain Francis Crozier of the Terror must somehow get his men home in spite of encroaching scurvy, -82 degree daily temperatures, rotten canned food, and the constant fatal attacks of a terrible beast that seems to be a 14-foot polar bear impervious to bullets. Just about the time the beast appears, Lady Silence, a mysterious Inuit girl with no tongue, comes aboard. She alone can find fresh meat; unfortunately, none of the surviving men have any luck hunting during even the slightly warmer summers. A last-ditch attempt to build morale by staging a winter carnival goes horribly awry, and on top of the deadly natural conditions and animal attacks, human nature shows its ugly side and turns sailor against sailor.
Simmons does an amazing job of providing in gritty detail the nasty, smelly uncomfortable conditions on board ship and the symptoms of advanced scurvy, as well as the harsh realities of surviving for any length of time in the Arctic. In conditions almost beyond comprehension, the men fiercely struggle to stay hopeful and escape their doomed situation. And after reading this excellent historical novel, I have to say that, despite our nasty Michigan winters, we’ve got it pretty good. Compared, at least, to the plight of the men of the ships Erebus and Terror.
By Alisha Walker, Bilingual Dental Referral Coordinator Team Lead at Cherry Street Health Center
Diabetes can affect every part of the body, including your mouth. If you or someone you care for has diabetes, you need to spend extra time and attention to maintain great oral health. Tooth and periodontal (gum) diseases are more common and serious for people with diabetes. Periodontal disease is a broad term used to describe various stages of disease that affect the gums and bone surrounding of the teeth. Periodontal disease can also make it harder for people with diabetes to control their blood sugar, however by taking better care of your oral health both periodontal disease and diabetes can improve.
Are you at higher risk for periodontal disease if you have diabetes?
Yes, when diabetes is not under control your mouth and your body’s germ-fighting powers are weakened.
What other oral health problems can develop if you have diabetes?
Diabetes also makes you prone to other mouth problems such as oral infections like thrush, dry mouth which can cause soreness, ulcers, infections and cavities and poor wound healing.
What are the early warning signs of periodontal disease?
Red or swollen gums
Bleeding gums
Painful or tender gums
Loose or shifting teeth
Constant bad breath or taste
Pus between teeth and when gums are pressed
Gums pulling away from teeth
Should you tell your dentist and dental hygienist that you have diabetes?
Yes, people with diabetes have special needs. Keep your dentist and dental hygienist informed of any changes in your condition and any medication(s) you might be taking.
How can I keep my gums and teeth healthy to prevent and/or fight off periodontal disease?
Keep blood sugar as close to normal as possible. That means taking medications that were prescribed as directed. It also means keeping the amount of consumed carbs in check.
Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
Floss your teeth at least once every day.
See your dentist at least twice a year, or as often as your dentist recommends.
Remember, good dental care can result in a healthy mouth and a smile that will last a lifetime.
“This Was My Land” (1990). Armand Merizon gave this painting to Dave and Muriel in exchange for a Lake Michigan painting he wanted back and destroyed. (Supplied)
By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org
Between an opening of a major show of the works of West Michigan artist Armand Merizon in Muskegon, the availability of a superb art book on the artist, and WKTV’s airing of a documentary on the artist, now is the perfect time to catch up with one of the region’s premier painters of landscape (and much more).
The show, Armand Merizon: His Life & Art, will open at the Muskegon Museum of Art on Thursday, Sept. 20, with a free to the public opening reception and book signing from 5:30-7 p.m.
WKTV will air “Armand”, the Armand Merizon documentary, three times this week to coincide with the Muskegon exhibit, on WKTV Cable Channel 25 on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at noon and at 6 p.m., and on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m.
And at the museum’s exhibit opening Muriel Zandstra, author of Armand Merizon: His Life and Art, will be on hand to sign her book, which will be available for purchase in the museum store.
Armand Merizon (1920-2010) was a lifelong Grand Rapids painter remembered for his detailed landscapes and brilliantly colored abstractions, according to supplied information. A founding member of the Grand Valley Artists organization, he influenced generations of West Michigan artists and was an active and supportive presence in the community.
Armand Merizon in studio (with image of musical influence Beethoven). (Supplied)
This exhibition highlights his entire career, beginning with the precocious landscapes of his late teens and ending with the intuitive abstractions of his final years.
Raised in a conservative Dutch Calvinist household during the Great Depression, Merizon struggled to find his place, ultimately following his passion for art. With limited training, he was able to turn his natural talents for observation and rendering into complex and intricate landscapes and illustrations. Tragically, at mid-career, he began losing his vision to macular degeneration. Rather than abandon painting, he moved in an abstract direction, presenting the landscape in bold strokes and hot, vibrant colors, ultimately painting by intuition instead of sight.
Organized by the Muskegon Museum of Art, the exhibition presents more than 20 paintings from West Michigan collections, including landscapes, abstractions, and several of the artist’s political works. Armand Merizon: His Life and Art is shown in conjunction with the recent release of a biography by the same name, written by his long-time friend and collector Zandstra.
After its close at the MMA, the exhibition will travel to the Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City.
In addition to the special opening with the art book author, other related programs include:
“On An Overgrown Path” (1997). (Supplied. Collection of Sidney J. Jansma, Jr.)
“The Paintings of Armand Merizon: A Closer Look”, a Friends of Art Program with MMA senior curator Art Martin, on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 10:30 a.m. Martin will examines Merizon’s paintings over the course of the artist’s career. The program is free and open to the public, but paid admission is required for gallery entry.
A film screening of the documentary “Armand” and a discussion led by Zandstra will take place on Thursday, Oct. 25, from 6-8 p.m. “Armand” tells the story of the nearly blind 20th Century American artist using personal interviews, historic film footage, and more than 100 of his paintings.
The film, according to supplied information, traces Merizon’s search for truth and his portrayal of the social, political, and environmental issues of the 20th Century. It is also a story of perseverance as he battled macular degeneration and rheumatoid arthritis. Despite his ailments, he vowed, “I will paint until my nose touches the canvas.”
Director, executive producer, and close friend of Armand, Zandstra, will hold a question and answer following the film showing. Admission for the film is free and open to the public.
The monthly forum is free and open to the public, and allows public questions.
State Sen. Peter MacGregor told the group that measures dealing with paid sick leave and minimum wage were both passed by the legislature, thus allowing the legislature to alter them later with only a simple majority and not a two-thirds majority which would be required if they were voted on and passed by the voters.
But MacGregor said there was one measure which he wished had been passed by the legislative action and was not.
The paid sick leave and the minimum wage “are great ideas but they need a lot of massaging,” he said. But “we missed a chance to do something about recreational marijuana.”
The meeting is rebroadcast on WKTV’s channels and on-demand website (wktvondemand.com). This month’s meeting is available here.
The Government Matters meeting brings together representatives from the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood, Kent County commissioners, local Michigan state senators and representatives, as well as often representatives of Michigan’s U.S. senators and U.S. congressman who represent the Wyoming and Kentwood area.
The next meeting will be Oct. 8 will be at the Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Road SE, from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
The intergovernmental discussion hosted by the chamber focuses on issues that effect residents and businesses in the two cities.
For more information about the chamber and Government Matters visit southkent.org .
The meetings are on the second Monday of each month, starting at 8 a.m. WKTV Journal will produce a highlight story after the meeting. But WKTV also offers replays of the Monday meetings on the following Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Comcast Cable Government Channel 26.
Welcome to the 2018-19 school year everyone! Let’s hope this year is our best school year yet. And what better way to kick things off than to talk about state test results, right?
Okay, probably not.
Sunli Joy
Truth is, the new school year also happens to coincide with the release of the last school year’s state assessment data (2017-18) — the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP). And for at least a few days annually, the public gets inundated with stories through television, radio, newspapers and social media — all seeking to understand the newest results and their repercussions.Now we realize that most parents have plenty of other things they need to worry about in regards to their child’s education. And it is likely that most busy parents probably don’t fully understand what the fuss is all about, or if M-STEP is something that should warrant their attention. In reality, these results have big implications, meaning we all should have a better understanding of what they are telling us.
For these reasons, we decided to go beyond the simple headlines and soundbites, instead, taking a deeper dive into the test’s purpose and implications. It is our hope this information will equip parents with the knowledge necessary to make meaning of the results for themselves.
Getting Some Background
Before diving head first into interpreting the results, it is important to understand the background behind the M-STEP, including the context in which it exists in our state.
What is the M-STEP?
M-STEP is Michigan’s common assessment system: The M-STEP is Michigan’s mandated state assessment for public elementary and middle school students. The assessment evaluates performance in English Language Arts and Mathematics, along with Science and Social Studies in select grades. The vast majority of public school students—with a few exceptions for special populations—are required to take this assessment during the spring of each school year.
Why are students required to take the M-STEP assessment each year and to what end?
M-STEP is required by federal and state law, and is designed to measure mastery of state academic standards: In exchange for federal and state dollars, public school students are required to take a statewide assessment for certain subjects and grade-levels each school year (Michigan public school students are required to take the SAT exam in high school). More broadly, these tests are aimed at measuring a student’s performance against the state’s academic standards—the subject-level expectations students should be able meet at the end of each grade-level.
My child’s teacher already administers their own tests, why do they need to take the M-STEP too?
M-STEP’s primary purpose is to provide a snapshot of end-of-year student learning across the state: When teachers give students assessments throughout the school year, the primary purpose is to gauge their students’ progress, and make adjustments to their instruction as necessary. Parents also get a sense of how their child is advancing during the school year from the assessments teachers prepare.
The M-STEP does not serve this purpose. Instead, think of the M-STEP as a final exam you would take in high school. Once the exam is over and you’ve received your results, you can’t simply step inside a time machine and take the exam again. Similarly, once a teacher gets their students’ M-STEP results, the school year has already ended. As a summative assessment rather, the M-STEP’s purpose is to provide a snapshot of student learning over the past school year. And because most public school students statewide take the same assessment every year, it’s possible to compare one school’s results to the next.
What happens if my child or school performs poorly on the M-STEP?
Poor performance on the M-STEP has real repercussions both for schools and students: The state uses the M-STEP as one of the primary sources for identifying and intervening in schools that are underperforming or failing. Current state law also requires that teachers receive annual performance evaluations, which in part must be based on their students’ state assessment data.
And while there historically haven’t been prescribed consequences beyond educators and schools, a 2016 state law passed by the legislature requires students unable to pass the third grade English Language Arts assessment be retained in third grade beginning in 2019-20. Though exemptions for good cause exist, in this example, consequences for poor performance aren’t just for adults, but for students.
How to soundly interpret the M-STEP results
Now that you have some background and assuming you are still awake, let’s turn our attention now towards how to best make meaning of the M-STEP.
I’ve heard Michigan’s M-STEP scores are not so great. Should I move my child to another state where kids perform much better?
Michigan’s results aren’t so unique when compared to other states: With each release of statewide test scores, the recent norm for news stories is to point out that Michigan’s students are falling behind the nation. It would lead one to conclude that something distinctively “bad” is happening in Michigan. But as we’ve highlighted in the past, our state isn’t as unique as some would like us to believe. To further demonstrate this concept, we decided to look at state assessment results from Massachusetts and Tennessee—places that experts had previously identified as top education states—as it compares to M-STEP. What we found were headlines not too different than Michigan. While we realize that every state has its own assessment systems—meaning comparisons aren’t exactly apples to apples—the following examples are here simply to illustrate this idea:
According to the 2017 Massachusetts assessment results for third grade reading, 47 percent of students were proficient. In Michigan, 44 percent of students were proficient in English Language Arts for 2017 in third grade.
In Tennessee, 35 percent of students were proficient on the 2018 Mathematics assessment in grades 6-8. In comparison, 34 percent of students were proficient in Michigan.
Now let’s look at a few recent media headlines, putting into perspective our own state’s headlines:
Massachusetts: “Just half of Massachusetts students met MCAS expectations in 2017”
Tennessee: “TNReady testing scores mostly flat, but results dip in high school English”
Michigan: “More than half of Michigan students failed M-STEP literacy exam”
There are clearly areas for improvement. Is this because teachers are doing a bad job or students simply aren’t that smart?
Blaming students or their teachers for subpar results focuses attention in the wrong places: Often when M-STEP results aren’t where they ought to be for a school or district, the immediate inclination is to either blame students or their teachers. This occurs in large part because the major focus of media reporting are often the deficits, with little explanation on “why” such inequities may exist. And when little explanation is provided, it shouldn’t be a surprise that most people would blame either the test takers (students) or the people preparing the test takers (teachers). But by narrowly focusing on teachers and students only, we ignore the systemic reasons that may be contributing to the results. Moreover, this limited mindset distracts us from the questions that need to be answered in order to genuinely move forward:
Are schools and districts receiving adequate and equitable resources to best support student learning—particularly for disadvantaged students who have historically lagged behind their peers? Students face a diverse set of obstacles every day—ranging anywhere from emotional trauma to access to clean clothes. Research from the School Finance Research Collaborative reveals that despite the diverse obstacles students may face, our state isn’t distributing resources equitably to those students who need them the most.
Are we providing schools with relevant and engaging instruction that makes students not only interested in their courses, but able to reach their maximum potential?
Are those schools that are truly making an impact or “beating the odds” being promoted as models for success regionally and statewide?
Does the M-STEP point to a child’s success later in life?
M-STEP is a single data point, and can’t paint the whole story of student success alone: It would be naïve to believe that one assessment given at a single point in time—regardless of quality—can sufficiently predict a child’s future. To be clear, this is not to say M-STEP’s data on content mastery is unimportant. In fact, the Kent Intermediate Superintendent Association (KISA)—a group composed of Kent ISD’s 20 school district superintendents—have anchored three of their four long-term goals on data provided by current state assessment systems.
Rather, we know from our business partners in the region that indicators like collaboration, innovation, teamwork and others are just as vital for life success. Albeit difficult to measure, we simply can’t forget that these matter.
Our purpose here is to ensure our readers are better informed on this complex, yet important topic in public education. Despite its intricacies, the implications behind the M-STEP are too important to overlook.
Ensuring high academic achievement for students is multi-faceted strategy—including the strategic use of data. But it also means understanding what the data is and isn’t telling us. Only by doing so can we truly ensure that success is attainable for all of our students.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
For the past 15 years, West Michigan audiences have enjoyed a series of six free events every fall at Grand Valley that celebrate the positive impact of the arts. President Thomas J. Haas said these events are offered as gifts to the local community that has supported the evolution of the university.
“Each year, these six diverse and free events provide us with the opportunity to thank the West Michigan community for its continued support of the performing arts at Grand Valley, and the university as a whole,” said Haas. “The arts lift us up, make us think and provide an endless variety of entertainment and enrichment, and we hope others will join us in celebrating the richness of the worlds of poetry, dance, art, music and more this fall.”
Here are the upcoming Fall Arts Celebration events for October. For more event details, go here.
What is Art in the 21st Century?
Lecture presented by William Deresiewicz
Oct. 1, at 7:30 pm
Location: L.V. Eberhard Center, 2nd floor, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
In today’s world, creativity is a necessity for successful collaborations in business and to develop and expand vibrant cultures. As business and the arts draw closer together, how are they changing each other? Expanding on his viral essay for The Atlantic, “The Death of the Artist—and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur,” award-winning essayist, critic and best-selling author William Deresiewicz will answer that question by addressing the understanding and practice of creative work and the creative life. Deresiewicz is the author of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Harper’s, The Nation, The New Republic, The American Scholar and The London Review of Books.
Ada Limon (photo supplied)
An Evening of Poetry and Conversation with Ada Limón and Carl Phillips
Oct. 18, at 7:30 pm
Location: L.V. Eberhard Center, 2nd floor, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Two unique poetic voices will share their work with the West Michigan community during an evening of poetry and conversation. Ada Limón is the author of five books of poetry, including her new book, The Carrying (2018). Her volume Bright Dead Things was named one of the top 10 poetry books of the year by The New York Times. Limón currently serves on the faculty of Queens University of Charlotte’s low-residency Master of Fine Arts program.
Carl Phillips (photo supplied)
Carl Phillips is the author of 14 books of poetry, including his most recent works, Wild Is the Wind (2018) and Reconnaissance (2015). The latter won the PEN USA Award and the Lambda Literary Award. A four-time finalist for the National Book Award, Phillips’ honors include the Los Angeles Times’ Book Prize for Poetry, the Kingsley Tufts Award and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, Library of Congress and Academy of American Poets. He is currently a professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis.
Meet Nate: Nate had no work experience and a disability that made getting a job difficult. Through the Youth Employment Services program, Nate got an apprenticeship with a local electrical company after graduating from high school, attended community college and is on his way to a career in electrical engineering.
If you are out of school, having a hard time finding or keeping a job and wondering how to start a career, the West Michigan Works! Youth Employment Services program can help you, just like it did Nate.
How can Youth Employment Services help me?
The program offers free services to young adults, ages 16-24, who are experiencing challenges to finding employment. Participants can get on the path to a successful, long-term career through individualized employment and training activities.
Obtain your GED or high school diploma.
Use assessments and career exploration to develop a career pathway.
Participate in work experience to build your resume.
Get help removing barriers to employment/training like assistance with transportation, professional clothing, credit recovery and more!
Scholarships may be available for additional job training.
Do I qualify?
If you are a young adult, age 16-24, who is experiencing circumstances that make finding and keeping employment challenging, you may qualify. Eligibility is based on income in addition to many other factors.
How do I get started?
Certain documentation, like specific forms of ID and proof of income, will be required to enroll. Contact your local program provider to learn more and find out if you are eligible:
Bethany Christian Services
1530 Madison Ave NE Grand Rapids, MI 49507 616-254-7739
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal: In Focus is two topics greatly impacting West Michigan and the entire nation: criminal rehabilitation and the blurry world of migrant labor in a time of immigration reform battles.
First up is Richard Griffin, the newly hired Grand Rapids Field Organizer for the ACLU of Michigan’s Smart Justice campaign, which is committed to reducing the number of people in prison by 50 percent and eliminating racial disparities in our criminal justice system. Griffin was incarcerated at the age of 16 for a drug-related homicide and spent 23 years behind bars, but that is only the beginning of his story. We will talk with him about the rest of his life’s story, about the work of the ACLU’s Smart Justice effort, and about why he has an almost spiritual connection to jazz.
Also on the episode, and on YouTube, is the Grand Rapids based Migrant Legal Aid organization, from the group we will talk with director and attorney Teresa Hendricks and attorney Ben O’Hearn. The group works to protect migrant agricultural workers legal rights and work with local farmers and agribusiness to resolve legal disputes. The group has visited In Focus before, but with the continuing and confusing mess that is current federal immigration policies, including the separation of families and sometimes separate deportation of suspected illegal immigrants — many of them seeking work as part of America’s migrant labor force — we wanted to talk to people in the know.
“WKTV Journal: In Focus” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel. But all interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal: In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Kentwood resident and bicyclist-on-a-mission Ken Smith this week continued his 3,500-plus coast-to-coast trip to raise funds for his grandson, Jakob, and awareness of all persons with neurological damage.
A cyclist Ken meet on his travels. (Supplied)
Smith, 70, is riding from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean — Seaside, Oregon, to Boston, Massachusetts — in hopes of raising $30,000 to provide for possible care of and therapy for Jakob.
On Day 45 of his trek, Wednesday, Sept. 12, he took a wrong road but ended up with an unexpected meal and a donation.
“I found a rail trail from Simcoe to Port Dover (in Ontario, Canada) and made some good time,” Smith wrote on his Facebook page on that day. “I also discovered a road that followed the lake (Lake Erie) and it was a beautiful ride with a great view of the lake but it became a little confusing and I made a BIG mistake and turned the wrong way. That took me some 10 miles in the wrong direction …
“Oh well but it is amazing how things turn out. A lady (Liz) stopped me along the highway and said, ‘I just read about you in the paper’ and asked me if I would join her and her son and son-in-law for lunch. WOW what a blessing and she also donated to Jakob’s Ride. Even when you make a mistake, you never know what will develop because of it.”
On Thursday, Sept. 13, Smith prepared to cross back into the United States and wrote on his Facebook page:
“Tomorrow I cross into the US at Buffalo, NY and get on the Erie Canalway trail that is 360 miles long and takes me to Albany, NY. I will be on it for a few days. I am watching the weather forecast and I am expecting a wet ride over the next few days but I am ready for it. Distance today was 47 miles for a total of 2927 miles.”
When he left Grand Rapids, Smith estimated he had about 1,000 miles remaining on his trip, which will now take him across Michigan, across Ontario, and into New York State and Massachusetts. He estimates about 20 days for this leg of the journey.
Jakob’s parents — Ken’s son Jason and daughter-in-law Sue, live in Ontario and Jason is a firefighter in London, Ontario, Canada.
Jakob, Ken explains, was supposed to die at age 2 but is now 16 years old. He can walk but cannot speak, and requires 24/7 care. The goal of the cross-country trip is, partially, to raise funds to support Jakob’s needs including speech therapy.
"If you can't tolerate critics, don't do anything new or interesting."
~Jeff Bezos
Food, glorious food!
Blue Spoon will again be at Kentwood’s End of Summer Food Truck Festival. (WKTV)
And there will be food trucks galore! The free-to-attend event will run from 11am to 10pm, on Saturday, Sept. 15 in the parking lot of the Kent District Library — Kentwood (Richard. L. Root) Branch. Throughout the day, there will be live music, a beer tent and a variety of local eats.
Ferrand Park got quite the facelift, and Wyoming residents are thrilled. The park features a number of new amenities such as a shelter, pathways into the park, architectural features that help to identify the park, and a new, expanded playground area.
Gerald R. Ford International Airport has launched a new app that features real-time flight departure and arrival information, updates on parking availability at the airport, and security wait times. Additionally, amenities such as food and beverage locations, kids play areas, nursing rooms, and the military welcome center are featured on the app.
The Grand Valley Writers Series has a long history of enlisting distinguished and emerging writers to visit the campuses of Grand Valley State University to read from their work for the community, visit classes to interact with students and discuss their career paths.
This year’s Writers Series will feature eight acclaimed authors, two of which are Grand Valley writing faculty members, during multiple events between September 17, 2018 and April 9, 2019.
Author Marian Crotty will kick off this year’s Writers Series on September 17 when she discusses her craft of fiction writing. Crotty is the author of the short story collection What Counts as Love, which won the John Simmons Award for Short Fiction.
Author Lindsey Drager visits Oct. 4.
She has received fellowships from the Yaddo Corporation, The Camargo Foundation and the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creating Writing, and also received a Fulbright research grant to the United Arab Emirates. She currently serves as an assistant professor of writing at Loyola University Maryland and as an assistant editor for The Common.
Her fiction work has appeared in Kenyon Review, Southern Review and Alaska Quarterly Review, and her personal essays have appeared in various journals, including Guernica, Gettysburg Review and New England Review.
Below is the full schedule of this year’s Writers Series events. For more information, visit the Writers Series website, or contact Todd Kaneko, Writers Series coordinator and assistant professor of writing at kanekot@gvsu.edu.
Fiction Craft Talk and Reading with Marian Crotty Sept. 17, 2018
Fiction craft talk: 1:30-2:45 p.m., Kirkhof Center, room 2270, Allendale Campus
Reading and book signing: 6-7:30 p.m., Mary Idema Pew Library Multi-Purpose Room, Allendale Campus
Fiction Reading and Q&A Session with Distinguished Visiting Alumna Lindsey Drager Oct. 4, 2018
Reading and book signing: 2:30-3:30 p.m., Mary Idema Pew Library Multi-Purpose Room
Q&A session: 4-5:15 p.m., Kirkhof Center, room 0072
Nonfiction Craft Talk and Reading with Michele Morano
November 15, 2018
Craft talk: 4-5 p.m., Kirkhof Center, room 2270
Reading and book signing: 6-7:30 p.m., Kirkhof Center, room 0072
Grand Valley Faculty Reading with Chris Haven and Gale Marie Thompson
February 5, 2019
Reading: 6-7:30 p.m., Mary Idema Pew Library Multi-Purpose Room
Author Arunava Sinha wraps up the series on April 9.
Poetry Craft Talk and Reading with Kaveh Akbar and Paige Lewis
March 14, 2019
Craft talk: 6-7 p.m., DeVos Center, room 203E, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Reading and book signing: 7:30-8:30 p.m., DeVos Center University Club, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Translation Craft Talk and Reading with Arunava Sinha
April 9, 2019
Craft talk: 4-5 p.m., Kirkhof Center, room 2270
Reading and book signing: 6-7:30 p.m., Mary Idema Pew Library Multi-Purpose Room
