Roger B. Chaffee By NASA/photographer unknown – NASA [1] Great Images in NASA Description, Public Domain
Wyoming and Kentwood: WKTV Journal Newscast
The latest WKTV Newscast takes a look at the new Roger B. Chaffee statute that was dedicated in May along with celebrating Older American Month with Holland Home. To get residents ready for the summer, we take a peak at the summer concerts in the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming and look at the summer exhibits that have opened at the Grand Rapids Public Museum and the Grand Rapids Art Museum.
University of Michigan, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, Western Michigan University, these are just some of the places that that the top 10 of Lee High School’s Class of 2018 are heading.
It’s that time again when many area residents will take the challenge and leave their vehicle at home. June 11 – 15 is Active Commute Week, where commuters are encouraged to consider how they get to work and seek other ways that help benefit the environment.
Viewed from left and right, “Let Go” by Pamela Alderman. (Courtesy of the artist Alderman)
Kent County: ArtPrize Top 25 artists donates piece
When Pamela Alderman created “Let Go” for ArtPrize in 2017, she was looking to impact the audience with a large interactive piece. Alderman‘s work, an ArtPrize Top 25 finalist, is a beautiful seascape on five large wood panels that includes three Plexiglas figures that transform as you move around the artwork. The work was installed this month on the fifth floor of the Kent County Courthouse.
Kent County: Students get the chance to be the change
A local radio group is teaming up with local organizations and businesses to provide Grand Rapids area students with funding, resources and mentors to implement the change they want to see in their community.
The #GRSummerProject is open to area students from sixth grade to college freshmen. The project is a collaboration led by Townsquare Media and includes the support of Level One Bank, Start Garden, Experience Grand Rapids, Amplify GR and Grand Rapids area schools.
By Andy Hayes, Michigan State University Extension
Starting a new business or taking your business to the next level can come with many questions and loose ends to tie up before launching. In today’s world there are many places to go to find your answer. You can ask a family member or friend or you give it the good ol’ college Google search, but for new businesses that wants to start out on the strongest foot possible, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) of Michigan is a great place to go for guidance.
The SBDC of Michigan is a powerhouse, headquartered out of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids. They have 11 regional offices and over 20 satellite offices around the state, making it easy for you to meet with a business counselor for a session or training. The SBDC offers many avenues of assistance for each stage of business: business plan development, raising capital and export strategies. In conjunction with the Sideman College of Business out of Grand Valley State University, the SBDC also produces market research in order for you to make the best decisions for your business.
Starting a business is costly, so it is always helpful to receive guidance from a credible source. The SBDC offers seminars and training sessions, at little to no cost, on various topics from writing a business plan to navigating social media. As your business develops its sea legs, it will be time to start thinking about the next step on where your business will or should go from here.
Strategic planning is important for businesses of all stages and sizes. SBDC business counselors aid in the development of growth strategies by helping businesses select their goals and generating the best steps to reach those goals. Their business planning services help optimize performance and pave the way to the next level.
Michigan State University Extension partner Northern Lakes Economic Alliance matches companies and communities within their four county service area with resources to begin the early stages of developing their business. NLEA hosts three Pitch Night programs for entrepreneurs at any age to pitch their business plan for chances to win startup seed dollars. NLEA works alongside companies, once a business plan is in place, with funding assistance and to settle in an area that’s right for them.
Michigan State University Extension has had a unique relationship with the regional economic development organization Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA) for more than 20 years. Recognizing the strength of combining resources, this partnership focuses on economic development, entrepreneurship growth and community infrastructure throughout a four-county region in the northwest Lower Peninsula, specifically Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Emmet counties. As a result, the NLEA utilizes resources offered through MSU Extension as it provides leadership to statewide programs sponsored by MSU Extension.
U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-Mi.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined thousands of veterans on May 27 to observe Memorial Day, May 28, at Washington, D.C.’s annual Rolling Thunder First Amendment Demonstration Run. (Supplied/David Bohrer)
By Sen. Gary Peters Office
U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-Mi.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Motorcycle Caucus, joined thousands of veterans on Sunday, May 27, to observe Memorial Day at Washington, D.C.’s annual Rolling Thunder First Amendment Demonstration Run.
The nationwide motorcycle ride events brings together over one million riders and spectators combined to honor service members killed in action (KIA), those still missing in action (MIA) and prisoners of war (POW). Both Peters and Ernst serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee and are former servicemembers: Peters is a former Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve and Ernst is a former Lt. Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard.
“Generations of American military men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country, and we owe them and their families our deepest gratitude,” said Sen. Peters, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and former Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. “I was honored to join Senator Ernst and veterans from around the country at Rolling Thunder to pay tribute to the fallen and those who have yet to return home from their service.”
“Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. As a nation, we can never repay what was given, or ever say thank you enough. I am proud to join my colleagues at Rolling Thunder today to honor these Americans, and those who were killed in action or became prisoners of war,” said Sen. Ernst.
“America’s POW/MIA mission is very important to the VFW and our nation’s veterans, service members and families. It is a promise to those serving in uniform today that no matter what, we will travel to the ends of the Earth to return you home to your families,” said VFW National Legislative Service Director Carlos Fuentes. “The VFW thanks Senators Peters and Ernst for their leadership in making certain the brave men and women who have make the ultimate sacrifice are never forgotten.”
“Rolling Thunder was born out of the efforts of Vietnam Veterans to ensure no generation of veterans is ever forgotten again,” said John Rowan, Vietnam Veterans of America National President. “I thank Senator Peters and Senator Ernst for their steadfast dedication to all of America’s veterans, and for joining veterans from around the country to observe Memorial Day by remembering those who gave their lives in service to our country and those who are still missing in action.”
Rolling Thunder began in 1988 as a response to the Vietnam War era. Led by Vietnam veteran Ray Manzo (CPL, USMC), a group of veterans organized the first run to raise awareness of the significant numbers of American service members missing in action or left behind as prisoners of war. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), there are more than 82,000 Americans still missing from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the most recently concluded Gulf Wars.
Longtime motorcyclists, Peters and Ernst launched the bipartisan Senate Motorcycle Caucus in 2017 to facilitate discussions on a range of issues on behalf of both motorcycle riders and manufacturers.
What if we ate more fruits and vegetables in our diet? What would the benefits be? Here are a few good reasons:
You would get more nutrients like calcium, fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C. This would also save on the cost of paying for supplements.
They are convenient. Grab a pack of carrots, snap peas, cut up cucumbers, an apple, banana, pear, cherry tomatoes or other fruit and veggies to take on the road for extra crunch and flavor.
More fiber and less trips to the doctor for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, heartburn. Fiber makes you feel full, so you are likely to eat less, and take in less calories to prevent weight gain.
Fruits and veggies can be eaten in different forms: dried, cooked, raw, 100% juice, and canned, so you don’t get bored.
They are naturally low in calories, higher in water and have zero cholesterol.
You can grow them. This teaches kids where they come from, and they taste better (less or no pesticides can be used).
They can be bought in season, so they are less expensive(see list below).
You can have fun with them. You can kabob either fruit or veggies and have them with dip or on their own. A fun kid and adult idea is “ants on a log.”
Get started now! Here is an example of a short list of fruits and veggies in season thisfall, which means more flavor, better cost and ideas for fall recipes:
On Thursday, May 3, Calvin College’s board of trustees unanimously approved Calvin College becoming Calvin University. The move is part of Vision 2030, a statement which provides vision for the college as it fulfills its mission over the next decade.
The shift to university, which was approved during the board’s spring meeting, will happen in 2020 during the 100th-anniversary year of Calvin becoming a four-year college. The board’s decision follows the unanimous endorsement of the college’s faculty senate in late April, marking the culmination of more than nine months of collaborative strategic work taken on by the Calvin community.
“This direction enables us to live into what has already been true about Calvin, and it will better position us for the innovative work that is necessary for the future,” said Michael Le Roy, president of Calvin College. “We see this move providing a great opportunity to introduce more people to Calvin’s distinctive Christian mission.”
Le Roy says the rationale for Calvin becoming a university is strong, including Calvin’s strength, breadth, and depth of its academic programs; new opportunities for academic innovation; and the college’s increasing influence with students and higher education partners around the globe. The college also has a large international student population for whom “university” is more visible and better understood than “college.”
Calvin leaders also see the university structure combined with increased collaboration as creating a more prominent platform for the institution to express its mission through opportunities and innovation within and across disciplines, professional programs, and centers and institutes.
“A move to a university with a liberal arts foundation both names what we already do and liberates us to do that work better,” said Kevin den Dulk, political science professor at Calvin College and executive director of the Henry Institute. “I’m especially enthusiastic about using the university structure to expand our global reach, which is already considerable yet has a lot of room to grow.”
About Calvin College
Founded in 1876, Calvin College is a top-ranked, liberal arts college located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that equips its more than 3,800 students from 45 U.S. states, 60 countries and five Canadian provinces to think deeply, to act justly, and to live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world. Calvin is proud to offer 100+ majors and programs, including graduate-level offerings in accounting, education, and speech pathology and audiology. Calvin students engage in intensive internships, community-based service learning, and significant research that results in publishing and presenting alongside world-class faculty. Discover more at www.calvin.edu
When Pamela Alderman created “Let Go” for ArtPrize in 2017, she was looking to impact the audience with a large interactive piece. Alderman‘s work, an ArtPrize Top 25 finalist, is a beautiful seascape on five large wood panels that includes three Plexiglas figures that transform as you move around the artwork.
The creation includes an opportunity to write a note, crinkle it, then throw it “into the sea” – in essence, Let Go. Recently she found a way to continue the impact of “Let Go” – she donated the piece to the Kent County Courthouse, where it has a new life.
During her nine years of ArtPrize experience, Pamela’s interactive pieces included works on cancer, bullying, and autism. But it was her work on human trafficking that drew the attention of Judge Patricia Gardner.
“I first met Pamela when she presented her 2014 piece “The Scarlet Cord” to the Manasseh Advisory Group at Wedgwood two years ago,” Judge Gardner said. “Following that meeting, Pamela allowed her film about human trafficking to be used by probation staff when working with girls who endured sexual exploitation. She and I discussed my interest in working with delinquent girls and the formation of Girls Court and girl-specific group counseling experience called Girls Truth Group.”
In September 2017, just months after the formation of Girls Court (a multi-disciplinary approach to serving female youth offenders), Judge Gardner took graduates of the program to the Amway Grand Plaza for a celebration dinner followed by a meet-and-greet with Pamela.
That meeting helped several participants, as they each wrote notes of what they wanted to let go — then threw the notes into the work. Some of the girls cried as they let go of something that hurt them in the past.
“All of the girls were moved by the power of the moment in listening to the artist and letting go of negative behavior and moving on from an intensive counseling experience to successful completion of probation,” Judge Gardner recalled. “It was honestly one of those moments that I thought would be a good educational experience, but it was far more meaningful than I could have imagined.”
The work was installed this month on the fifth floor of the Kent County Courthouse.
“The work we do in this Courthouse often addresses personal struggles or difficult circumstances faced by good people, families and children,” said Judge T.J. Ackert of the 17th Circuit Court Family Division.
Judge Ackert, who has known Pamela Alderman for many years, added, “Pamela’s work expresses a theme of healing and restoration, and this painting symbolizes the challenging work to restore their lives people engage in every day in this Court.
“Artistically, the placement of the painting outside our community room looking west over the city appropriately reflects the waves of the Grand River and the undulating architectural roof-line of DeVos Place — accentuating the peaceful movement from difficult times to a thriving existence!”
During ArtPrize, 70,000 visitors wrote their own “Let Go”notes and added them to the work.
“Artists create pieces for ArtPrize in hopes of speaking to a lot of people,” Pamela says. “This work is emotional. As an artist, my soul is rendered into that work. I hope people connect with the work because it’s relevant. It gives voice to people’s struggles and encourages healing.”
Memorial Day ceremonies planned for both Kentwood, Wyoming
Many communities will be honoring those who have given their lives to serve this Memorial Day, set for May 28, including the communities of Wyoming and Kentwood. More details here.
Woodland Mall’s ongoing redevelopment includes viewing wall, relocations
The redevelopment of Woodland Mall is in full swing, and shoppers will soon be able to get a front-row seat to the construction at a new viewing wall. Read all about it here.
West Michigan Tourist Association offers up a few unique summer camps
Some families probably already have their children’s summer camps selected, but in case you do not, West Michigan Tourist Association Marketing Manager Jeremy Witt offered a few suggestions during a recent visit visit to the WKTV Journal. Learn more here.
Museum school students create new exhibit ‘Revolution: The Story of America’
Check out the new exhibit created by GRPS Museum School students, titled Revolution: The Story of America, at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM). It opened May 23. (The Museum is closed Monday, May 28th.) More here.
Register now for June 4 Sibling Class at Metro Health
Have kids and expecting a new addition to your family? Register for this class. Children practice caring for a baby using dolls, make a card for their new baby, and have fun with a short tour, which includes a visit to a mom with her real newborn baby. Next class is coming up fast: June 4th. Go here to learn more and where to register.
Well-being involves finding a state of balance and being well both physically and mentally.
By Tracie Abram, Michigan State University Extension
What does “well-being” mean? As I ponder this question, I chuckle because I hardly ever hear people talking about how “well” they are. They usually talk about their problems, their aches and pains or stressors whether we want to hear about them or not. In other words, how “unwell” they are. When someone says they are concerned for your well-being, it typically means they are concerned about your overall health; your mental and physical health.
Well-being can be defined as having:
Positive relationships with yourself and others
Personal mastery — having feelings of accomplishment or self-worth
Autonomy — being able to make your own choices
A feeling of purpose and meaning in life
Personal growth and development
Our mental health relates to how we think, feel and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected.
One path to well-being is finding a state of balance that works for you. (Courtesy MSU Extension)
Experiencing a mental health issue or problem does not necessarily mean you have a diagnosable mental illness or disorder. Being able to talk freely about mental health issues is important in breaking the stigma that surrounds mental health. Mental health problems are much more common than many people realize, for example, more than 43 million Americans experience some form of mental illness in a given year. Help is available for anyone experiencing problems related to their mental health.
Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:
Biological environmental factors
Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
Family history of mental health problems
Finding your state of balance
One approach to well-being is through achieving a “state of balance” affected by both challenging and rewarding life events. This state of balance is the ultimate goal, but a subjective one — meaning that you are the only one who can judge whether you have reached it. A state of balance can look different for each of us.
Author of the Nurturing Parenting Programs, Dr. Stephen Bavelek, states that there are specific needs that help us remain balanced or build resiliency. To remember them, he developed an acronym called the “Spices of Life.” Bavelek states that the more “spices” you have, the more resilient you become.
Dr. Stephen Bavelek’s “Spices of Life” acronym:
Social
Physical
Intellectual
Creativity
Emotional
Spiritual
Perhaps you are drawn to one or two spices that help you maintain a feeling of balance? My go-to spices when feeling stressed are talking to a friend (social), going for a walk or run (physical) and praying (spiritual), but I am grateful that I have the capability to access any and all of them when and if I am in need.
When you approach health with well-being in mind there are a wide variety of ways to maintain, improve and most importantly, enjoy your health!
A local radio group is teaming up with local organizations and businesses to provide Grand Rapids area students with funding, resources and mentors to implement the change they want to see in their community.
The #GRSummerProject is open to area students from sixth grade to college freshmen. The project is a collaboration led by Townsquare Media and includes the support of Level One Bank, Start Garden, Experience Grand Rapids, Amplify GR and Grand Rapids area schools.
Participating students will be required to sign a “pledge” to be committed to identifying challenges and developing solutions to issues in their neighborhoods. Students will be placed in teams with assigned coaches and will receive $1,049.00 to address their specific community issue. Teams will be responsible for sharing their progress via blogs, video and updates through radio and social media with the help of Townsquare Media’s urban contemporary station, Magic 104.9.
“The students will have from June 12 through August 3 to develop ideas that will bring about the change they want to see in their neighborhoods and community,” said Stephanie Gonda, general sales manager of Townsquare Media. “We have a great community but connecting students with mentors and coaches gives community and business professionals a fresh perspective on how to make our city even better, so everyone wins.”
An end of summer concert will bring all the teams together to celebrate and share their team’s accomplishments with the entire community. An August date for the concert is being planned.
#GRSummerProject is also giving musicians, from sixth grade through college freshmen, the opportunity to submit original music for a chance to win a $2,500 cash award and the opportunity to perform at the end of summer celebration. The winning musician(s) will also be featured on Magic 104.9 radio.
More information on the #GRSummerProject, taking the “pledge” and entering the music competition can be found at mymagicgr.com or at grsummerproject.org. Sponsors and coaches are still being accepted. Organizations, or individuals who wish to join the mission, are encouraged to reach out to stephanie@Grsummerproject.org. The deadline to register is June 3.
Many communities will be honoring those who have given their lives to serve this Memorial Day, set for May 28, including the communities of Wyoming and Kentwood.
City of Wyoming
Veterans lay a wreath during Wyoming’s 2017 Memorial Day ceremony.
The City of Wyoming will host its annual Memorial Day Ceremony at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 28, at Veterans Memorial Garden, 2380 DeHoop SW. The community is welcome and encouraged to attend.
The ceremony will feature guest speaker retired Sergeant Brian Gravelyn who served in the Marine Corps Reserves. During his service he was activated twice and deployed once to Iraq. He is the recipient of several distinguished medals and ribbons.
“The City of Wyoming is honored to recognize those who have served and those who continue to serve our country in the armed forces in order to protect our freedoms,” said City of Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll. “The Memorial Day Ceremony is a tribute to that service and protection and we are grateful to continue the tradition of this ceremony in our very own Veterans Memorial Garden.”
The ceremony will feature the Lee High School band led by Kevin Gabrielse and the Wyoming Department of Public Safety Honor Guard who will fire a rifle volley salute. Poll will host. The program will air on WKTV Channel 25 at 8:30 p.m.
City of Kentwood
Wreaths are laid during the Kentwood Memorial Day ceremony.
In Kentwood, the Amvets Post and the American Legion D.W. Cassard Post 208 have shared the responsibilities of hosting the annual parade and service with one group hosting it one year dn the other hosting it the nest. For 2018, the Cassard Post 208 have organized the event.
According to the D.W. Cassard Post’s website, the parade is set for 9 a.m. Monday, May 28. It kicks off from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), near the corner of 48th Street and Eastern Avenue. From there, it will head west down 48th Street to Kentwood’s Veteran’s Memorial Park located in front of the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE. At the park, there will be a ceremony including the laying of five wreaths, one for each of the branches of the military service: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The service will last about an hour. The Kentwood Memorial Day celebration will air at 12:30 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. on WKTV Channel 25.
WKTV Programming
Throughout Memorial Day, WKTV Channel 25 will be featuring a variety of Memorial Day program. The rest of the day’s schedule includes 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., A Saltue to Honor; 10 a.m., Memorial Day Tribute; 10:15 a.m. and 9 pm. ,The Lost Boat Ceremony; 1 p.m., Lest We Forget; and 6:30 p.m., Vietnam Moving Wall.
Mosquitos, campfires, and cabins, or maybe its tents, either way, attending a summer camp is a right-of-passage for many.
Some families probably already have their children’s summer camps selected, but in case you do not, West Michigan Tourist Association Marketing Manager Jeremy Witt offered a few suggestions during a recent visit visit to the WKTV Journal.
“Kids can continue their education with this camp in really cool, fun hands-on way,” Witt said. “They get to do things like go the museum’s tall ship, the Friends Goodwill, going on Lake Michigan. The museum has activities all over their campus and they even have a 19th century replica of a riverboat that the students get to go out on.”
“Technically two camps but they kind of work together,” Witt said. “So the film camp, students will be putting together this movie, producing it, writing it and directing it. Then the acting camp, they will actually be performing in it.”
Witt noted that both camps will have professionals mentoring the students and at the end of the week, there is a red-carpet premiere. The camp is designed for kids 13-18.
“If you are heading up north or maybe you live out there, this is a good one to send your kids to,” Witt said. “They offer it both daily and weekly, so you can fit it around your schedule.”
The camp is one of Gaylord’s oldest summer camp programs, Witt said, adding that it is designed for students ages 5-12. TreeTop offers a lot of the traditional camp activities such as arts and crafts, science, team games, sports, and music while building skills and focusing on positive attitudes. The camp does have a no bullying policy.
“This is good for any eager wakeboarders who want to get into the sport,” Witt said. “What they do is they are on this little man-made lake and they have a machine in the middle that will kind of go at a certain pace.”
The camp provides the students with everything they need, cable park passes, equipment, t-shirts and instruction, Witt noted.
Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map and Circle Tour
The 30th anniversary of the Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map and Circle Tour has been released. There are 105 lighthouses on the map which covers four states. Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana, as the tour travels around Lake Michigan. Maps are available through WMTA.org or at the WKTV Station, 5261 Clyde Park Ave. SW.
Early this month, Dégagé Ministries — a group with its mission “to reflect the love of Christ by building relationship and offering programs that foster dignity and respect” — hosted its ‘Talent from the Heart’ at St. Cecilia Music Center, with music and other performances by people living homeless or otherwise in Grand Rapids’ Heartside neighborhood.
Degage’s patrons organized, hosted and performed a free community showcase that included poetry reading, singing, music and more, all performed by Heartside artists.
“A performer said, ‘We are homeless but first we are people.’ This is why this event was important,” Brooke Jevicks, development director for Dégagé Ministries, said to WKTV. “We are all created equal in the Lord’s image. We wanted the opportunity to showcase the people we serve and their talents. We wanted an opportunity to bring everybody together as a community. We wanted to celebrate that we are community, all of us, together.”
The May 9 event was prompted by a donation of a grand piano from Dottie Johnson, Jevicks said. The piano now sits in the Open Door Women’s Center, where the women have the opportunity to gather together, play music, and “sing joyfully as they build community among each other.”
The event was made possible by the Steve and Susan Rechner family, Jevicks added.
One part of a Consumers Energy’s EmPOWERing Kent County package of programs, — which was the focus of a wide-ranging, business-focused discussion Tuesday, May 22 — are efforts to assist businesses big and small to save money on their energy bills.
And one local company, Rishi’s International Beverage, located just across 28th Avenue from Kentwood, was presented as a case-in-point at the discussion, held at downtown Grand Rapids’ JW Marriott.
“We had many light bulbs and the electric bill was outrageous because we have, like, 600 bulbs — the bill was very high, I was concerned about that,” Paul Makkar, Rishi’s owner, said to WKTV.
The company then applied for an energy assessment and energy savings program through Consumers Energy and “we were given a significant amount of money to change to LED lights. So, the very first month after installing all those lights, we got like a $400 difference every month. … which is like $5,000 per year.”
Makkar’s small business took advantage of one of several programs discussed at the morning gathering, which also allowed businesses attending direct access to energy and economic development experts. (The Right Place local economic development group was in attendance.)
Among the programs discussed were energy efficiency, which invited each business to receive a free energy assessment “to help reduce energy use and save money over the long haul,” according to supplied material.
“Part of this program has been designed with you (small businesses) in mind,” Garrick Rochow, senior vice president of operations at Consumers Energy, told the crowd. “The small business programs are driven by our contractors … those contractors will come out to your business, provide an assessment, make some recommendations, break down the costs to you, if any.”
Consumers Energy has several environmentally friendly energy generation efforts, including solar gardens. (Consumers Energy)
Other services offered to small businesses were a rate review, to make sure as businesses grow, other more competitive rate options may be available; how to become a supplier to Consumers Energy — which has made a commitment to Michigan-based small businesses as potential suppliers; as well as renewable energy options for businesses.
As far as Consumers Energy’s renewable energy efforts, also detailed at the meeting was the company’s goals: in the next five years, the company (which has one of its customer service centers in Kentwood) wants to save 1 billion gallons of water, reduce waste to landfills by 35 percent, and enhance and protect 5,000 acres of Michigan land; by the year 2040, it wants to reduce carbon immersions by 80 percent and eliminate the use of coal in energy generation.
For more information on the Consumers Energy small business programs, visit comsumersenergy.com or call 800-805-0490.
It was a little wet and rainy on Monday but it didn’t stop Wyoming residents or employees from enjoying this year’s National Public Works event at the Wyoming Department of Public Works.
“It seems like it has been 20 years that we have been doing this and we haven’t had a night where it has been raining,” said Public Works Director Bill Dooley. “It is uncanny how every single year, even if it was raining earlier in the day by the time it got to this event, the sky would open up and it would be sunny and warm. So, we are a little disappointed that it is rainy but we are probably due for something like this.”
In 1960 the American Public Works Association established National Public Works Week to create a better understand of the various responsibilities of a Public Works facility in maintaining the infrastructure of its community. This includes such areas as ground maintenance, sewer and water, potholes and road maintenance, and snowplowing to list a few of the many services provided by these departments.
Having hosted a Public Works Week Open House for the past 24 years, the event has become one of the City of Wyoming’s most anticipated activities for families.
While the rain did curb this year’s numbers – Dooley estimated the department will only go through about a third of its usually 2,000 hot dogs – many still came out to enjoy the event and learn more the Wyoming Department of Public Works.
“We do this because we want the community to feel really comfortable with who we are,” Dooley said. “We’re the public works organization and we take care of the streets, water system and the sewer system and there is a lot of aspects in doing that. So, we want to make sure that the public feels comfortable with us helping them.”
The event is focused around families with the department sending flyers out to the area schools. With that in mind, the activities are children-focused with the food being hot dogs, balloons and coloring books, and the vehicles Dooley said, adding “little children like to sit in the trucks and be around them…”
“We so look forward to this,” Dooley said. “Unfortunately, the weather isn’t perfect, but even if there was only 10 families here we would be so happy to have them and welcome them and just spend time to get to know them. So, we will do this every year as it is a lot of fun for us.”
A national report outlines economic and social capital losses from “brain waste”.
By Andy Northrop, Michigan State University Extension
A national report titled “Untapped Talent: The Costs of Brain Waste Among Highly Skilled Immigrants in the United States” (UTBW) highlights the challenges college-educated immigrants face living in the United States. The report written by the Migration Policy Institute, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in Washington D.C. and New American Economy, a coalition designed to support immigration reforms that will help create jobs for Americans, estimates that nearly 2 million college-educated immigrants are “either working in low-skilled jobs or unemployed in the U.S. labor market.”
This is what is referred to as “brain waste”, under-utilized skills or, more clearly, when college graduates cannot fully use their high skills and education in the workplace. For example, some may have a familiarity with a scenario such as a college-educated individual driving taxis for employment when they are qualified to be a doctor or working in the service/restaurant industry when they are qualified for a corporate/technical position. Either example demonstrates “brain waste”, something that isn’t a new phenomenon to the U.S.A., but the estimated impacts on the economy have not been measured until now.
Results from UTBW estimate that due to the underutilization of immigrant college graduates “results in tens of billions of dollars in forgone earnings and taxes annually”, resulting in a tremendous loss to the American economy. UTBW goes on to say that those same immigrants are “less likely to earn family-sustaining wages and achieve financial stability for themselves and families.”
UTBW also points out that nearly half of adult immigrants entering the USA between 2011-2015 were graduates with college degrees compared to the 33 percent that entered before the Great Recession.
UTBW findings highlight national statistics, as well as figures specifically for seven destination states attracting immigrants: California, Florida, New York, Texas, Washington, Michigan and Ohio. The latter two states, Michigan and Ohio, have according to UTBW, recently sought to attract skilled immigrants. Michigan as of 2015, established Michigan Office for New American (MONA) to attract global talent and provide resources for skilled, college-educated immigrants, thus intending to reduce brain waste across Michigan.
The mall has installed a 24-foot by 36-foot graphic wall depicting what the extended wing, which will house destination retailer Von Maur, will look like when it is completed. (Supplied)
By Woodland Mall
The redevelopment of Woodland Mall is in full swing, and shoppers will soon be able to get a front-row seat to the construction at a new viewing wall.
Woodland Mall has begun the installation of viewing windows where shoppers can follow along behind-the-scenes as the remainder of the former Sears store is torn down and the extended wing starts construction. The viewing windows will give shoppers a close-up of construction from inside the mall.
The mall has also installed a 24-foot by 36-foot graphic wall depicting what the extended wing, which will house destination retailer Von Maur, will look like when it is completed. Additionally, shoppers will see relocations and expansions of existing retailers in 2018, as well as new store announcements.
“Shoppers will see a lot of relocations, additions and expansions in the coming months as we enhance our premium shopping experience,” said Lyndsey Hicks, marketing director. “The expansion of longtime retailers is only the beginning of many exciting changes leading into 2019 when Von Maur and other yet-to-be announced retailers will open their doors.”
Throughout 2018, shoppers can expect to see more changes, including new store announcements, as Woodland Mall continues its redevelopment.
Victoria’s Secret will move and expand into an 11,506-square-foot space that is closer to center court. The new store is scheduled to open in September of this year. Victoria’s Secret will temporarily relocate to the Macy’s wing while the new store is built out. The retailer carries fashion-inspired lingerie collections, comfortable sleepwear, athletic wear, beauty products and cosmetics.
Shoe Dept. will also move, rebrand and expand into a larger store by late summer. The new Shoe Dept. Encore will nearly double in size, expanding from 6,500-square-feet to an 11,000-square-foot space, also in the Macy’s wing. The retailer carries popular-price brands of shoes for women, men and children, including Adidas, Converse, Reaction by Kenneth Cole, Nike, Timberland and more. Shoe Dept. Encore also carries handbags, accessories and shoe care products.
Zason Latino Mexican Grill recently opened in the Cafés in the Woods between Sbarro and Suki Hana. The Mexican grill is a local venture offering burritos, tacos, nachos, bowls and salads at all spice levels, along with a special children’s menu.
LUSH, Apple and J.Jill have already completed their expansions and relocations. Vans and Torrid opened in Woodland Mall within the past year.
Pediatric services are available at Heart of the City Health Center and Westside Health Center. Babies and children need more doctor’s visits when they are changing and growing the fastest. Get your child on the right health care path by scheduling an appointment today. We provide a full range of services under one roof.
At Westside Health Center Pediatrics, we want to take care of the whole patient by working as a team. We are improving what we do by changing the way we care for you.
Asthma care is provided as a team. The doctor checks the patient to make sure they have a healthy body. The RN Health Coach teaches the patient and family how to make living with asthma easier.
We also have team visits with a doctor and Health Coach for weight check ups. The doctor provides the physical check up at the visit. The Health Coach teaches the patient and family about healthy behaviors that are part of a healthy lifestyle, and helps the family set healthy living goals.
Complete health means taking care of our minds, too. When minds are not healthy, home and school can be difficult. Counseling services are provided on site in a place where the patient and family already feel comfortable. A psychiatrist is also on site to provide specialized help when needed.
Services available
Well child visits, sports, work and camp physicals
Immunizations
Lab work and diagnostic testing
Treatment for minor illness and injuries
Treatment for asthma, obesity and other conditions
Referrals for more serious illness, injuries and additional care
Access to behavioral health, dental and vision services
On-site pharmacy services
Free interpretation services
Online Patient Portal
Nurses available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for questions or assistance
Evening and weekend hours
Same day/next day appointments
Check out our new videos featuring asthma instruction and fun ways to get the kids moving!
Wyoming Community Health Center (courtesy Cherry Health)
Six of our locations participate in the national, research-proven school readiness program called Reach out and Read. This program, designed for children ages 6 months through 5 years of age provides a child with a new book at each regular check up to take home. Trained providers speak with parents about the importance of reading aloud and waiting rooms are filled with kids books. The goal of Reach out and Read is to help children be better prepared for kindergarten with larger vocabularies, stronger language skills and a six-month developmental edge.
Cherry Health collaborates with the Kent County Health Department to offer the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) at Cherry Street Health Center and Westside Health Center. This is a state-funded nutrition education and food supplement program for pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women and children up to age five. A registered dietitian provides counseling and education, as well as healthy foods to encourage proper nutrition, growth and development during pregnancy and the formative years of childhood. Breastfeeding education and support are also offered in the WIC Program. Pregnant women seen at any of our sites are offered WIC services, based on specific nutritional needs and income eligibility. For additional information, please contact 616.776.2134.
Maternal Infant Health Program
The Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP) is a parent support and coaching program for pregnant mothers and infants. If you are pregnant or have a baby under a year old, and are Medicaid eligible, you can receive MIHP as part of your insurance coverage.
MIHP services are provided by a team to support and encourage new parents. Services can be provided in your home, our office, or another place that you choose in the community.
We can help you:
Feel prepared for your baby’s birth
Make good choices for you and your baby
Understand your pregnancy and your baby’s development
Find medical care for you and your baby
Find the right resources in the community
MIHP involves a whole team in supporting families.
Your nurse will answer your questions and give you information about healthy pregnancy and infant development.
Your social worker will help you adjust to your pregnancy and parenting, handle stress, and find the resources you need.
The dietitian will help you understand healthy eating for pregnancy and how to feed your baby.
Community health workers can provide support, encouragement, and education as well as hands-on help connecting to resources in the community.
The community health workers are part of the Strong Beginnings program, which provides enhanced services for African-American and Latina moms participating in MIHP.
If you would like to receive MIHP and Strong Beginnings or learn more, please contact the MIHP Manager at 616.965.8332.
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet — or few — from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Big Sid’s Sanctuary. 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).
On March 4 , 2016, this outspoken, kooky, little kitty ended up in a rural ‘kill’ shelter much to her—and our—dismay. Since cats very rarely get adopted from within the four walls that held her, a local group took it upon themselves to pull her out and transport her to us, a feat made all the more impressive since the gray-and-buff tabby tested positive for Feline Leukemia. Born in early 2014, no one involved understands why this gregarious, outgoing girl ended up homeless and helpless, but all of us are in agreement: she was well worth the group effort to get her into Big Sid’s!
Initially she was dubbed ‘Smoky’ as the facility had to call her something, but those of you who know Dr. Jen know that she refuses to bestow such a bland name on such a bold, beautiful cat. In speaking with one of her caretakers, Dr. Jen discovered that this sassy little lass had a set of pipes on her, she thought that Karaoke would be the purr-fect name. This little kitty is so stinkin’ cute.
Karaoke reminds us a bit of the Energizer Bunny, a real honey of a gal who is as busy as can be, a most curious cat who has to explore this and that and everything in between. She is also exceptionally loving and sweet but can only stop by briefly for some pets and chin scratches before she is off to see what the heck else is going on. Places to go, people to see—that is the mantra of Karaoke.
It’s upsetting that such a darling kitty is harboring the Feline Leukemia Virus in her bloodstream, but even a high fever spiked a few days after arrival didn’t slow her down, as she responded to treatment and rebounded like an Olympic sprinter set on winning the race. Nothing gets this gleeful girl down as she has a fun-filled life to live to the fullest; we are pleased as can be that Karaoke will be ricocheting off the walls of Big Sid’s. With her, you definitely get more ‘bounce to the ounce’—there is NEVER a dull moment when she is gloriously gallivanting around, strutting her stuff for the world to see and admire. We are all in awe of her awesomeness!
More about Karaoke:
Medium
Adult
Female
Tabby (Buff/Tan/Fawn), Gray/Blue/Silver
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Spayed
Not declawed
Want to adopt Karaoke? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
NOTE: A $825 grant from Lil BUB’s Big Fund for the ASPCA will enable Crash’s Landing & Big Sid’s Sanctuary, to fund comprehensive exams for five Big Sid’s Sanctuary cats before going to their new home. Each exam would include a full blood panel, dental care, radiographs, urinalysis, antibiotics and pain medication, if needed. Big Sid’s caters exclusively to cats who test positive for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) or FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus). FIV and FeLV are viruses that can, if they flare up, suppress a cat’s immune system. The shelter takes cats with FIV or FeLV from all over Michigan.
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.
Wyman Britt, Kent County Administrator/Controller began the Excellence in Action Award program. (WKTV)
By Kent County
The Board of Commissioners recently announced the 2018 Excellence in Action Award winners. Award criteria is set through performance measures every department develops annually to promote a culture of excellence.
The week of May 6-12 was designated by Congress as Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW), gave the Kent County Board of Commissioners the perfect opportunity to say thank you to those programs that have gone above and beyond. This is the second year of the Awards and Ceremony.
“When people know that their leadership cares about them and supports them, they are more likely to take ownership of their actions and hold themselves accountable to achieve amazing results,” said Wayman Britt, Kent County Administrator/Controller, who introduced the idea for the awards in 2017. “Achieving excellence is a hallmark of Kent County, our Board of Commissioners and our elected officials. The Excellence in Action Awards are an extension of the Board’s vision that Kent County be the absolute best place to live and work. The awards are only a small reflection of the outstanding efforts that take place every day in the County to help make this possible.”
Videos of the award winners can be found at accessKent.com/performancemgt. This year, the Board celebrated with five Excellence in Action Awards:
Excellence in Collaboration:
Kent County Community Action (KCCA) (formerly the Kent County Housing Commission)
Kent County’s Veterans Services is focused of veterans issues.
The United States Veterans Administration (VA) continued its partnership with the Kent County Housing Commission and provided 21 additional Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers, which helped continue the community goal of eliminating veterans’ homelessness. The VA provides necessary case management services for the veteran, while the Housing Commission provides the Housing Choice Voucher and works with the veteran to secure housing. Our collaborative efforts have also been recognized nationally as a best practice model due to our recruitment strategies (beyond orientation), dual case management efforts, number of employed VASH clients and positive transitions from voucher recipient into self-sufficiency.
Excellence in Community Impact:
Kent County Health Department
In April of 2017, the Kent County Health Department (KCHD) became aware of an investigation by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) regarding contaminated groundwater in the Belmont area. In the months that have followed, the wells of more than 1000 homes have been tested for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS. The Kent County Health Department has been on the front lines of informing residents about their individual test results. Working in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) KCHD has worked to advise residents about the known health consequences of PFAS and ways to limit exposure. KCHD has organized and conducted two town hall meetings, bringing MDHHS, MDEQ and Wolverine World Wide to the table to answer residents’ questions. KCHD has established a website and a regular newsletter that is emailed to more than 1000 subscribers. KCHD and MDHHS are devising methodology to conduct the agency’s largest-ever health impact survey in the area. KCHD’s commitment to acting as an advocate for residents led the agency to seek federal help from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Excellence in Innovation:
17th Circuit Court
The 17th Circuit Court established a Girls’ Court. In collaboration with Community Family Partnership and Wedgwood, the Court secured program funding and trauma therapy for the girls and their families. Girls’ Court serves girl offenders by providing intensive treatment, incentives, community-based support while strengthening family relationships.
Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (new for 2018):
Kent County Prosecutor’s Office
The Prosecutor’s Office established a program with the Hispanic Center to send a victim witness advocate to the Hispanic Center once a month, to provide an open and non-threatening space to meet and discuss issues their clients may be having in the court system. The advocates meet with victims of domestic violence who may be afraid to file a report, witnesses who may be afraid to go to the courthouse, or any other person at the Hispanic Center who may have questions regarding anything pertaining to the criminal justice system.
The Chairman’s Award (For Grit and Determination)
This year The Chairman’s Award recognized two teams: the A360 Implementation Team (staff from Fiscal Services, Human Resources and Information Technology) that worked diligently over the past three years to implement an integrated Financial Management System; and those who completed the Kent County Community Action (KCCA) merger (employees from KCCA, Information Technology, Fiscal Services, Human Resources and Facilities Management) to deliver more effective and efficient community services.
Sarah Wamujje Dieleman has two things nobody else has: 62 siblings and an elementary school in her hometown in Uganda. Our polyglot guest shares with us her personal roots and the notion of grassroots empowerment for children in her native East Africa.
During the Commencement ceremony, President Michael Le Roy recognized the students who received their associate’s degrees. (Courtesy: Arrae Photography)
On Monday, May 21, 2018, 15 inmates from Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility (1728 Bluewater Hwy) in Ionia, Michigan, received an associate’s degree from Calvin College. The students are the first in the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) program to earn a degree behind bars.
The program, launched in 2015, provides up to 20 inmates each year with an opportunity to begin pursuing a bachelor’s degree in ministry leadership. The partnership between Calvin College, Calvin Theological Seminary, and the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) provides inmates with their only bachelor’s-degree option behind bars in the state. The program, funded entirely by private donations and grants, seeks to improve prison culture and curb recidivism rates by equipping prisoners with an education.
Collaborating for success
“When I did my masters, I did thesis work on how education reduces recidivism. That’s what made me actually pursue trying to get Calvin to be here at the Handlon facility,” said DeWayne Burton, warden of the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility.
“Those partnerships are absolutely essential, critical to our success as a department and to our ability to help create successful people,” said Heidi Washington, director of MDOC.
While the practical examples of success are significant, leaders of the program see the impact being far greater, and in missional alignment with both the college and seminary.
Restoring hope, human dignity
“It fits with the mission. Like every square inch, a prison is certainly a space where God’s light needs to shine,” said Chris DeGroot, co-director of CPI. “We take with us the understanding that everyone is created in the image of God, he wants all people to flourish, and wants justice to happen. So making education possible for the least of these absolutely fits with our Christian calling.”
“This is what we believe Christ calls us to do. It’s a living illustration of our own lives. In our sin, we are without a hope, and yet God out of his abundant grace and love comes to us anyway,” said Todd Cioffi, co-director of CPI.
“There aren’t parts of creation we give up on, that’s not the God we serve,” said David Rylaarsdam, professor of historical theology at Calvin Theological Seminary. “We believe all people are made in the image of God. We believe when God’s light shines in the darkest places of life, renewal is possible.”
The Calvin Prison Initiative currently enrolls 55 students. Inmates from any of the 30 men’s prisons in the Michigan Department of Corrections system can apply to the program, and each August about 20 admitted students are transferred to Handlon. To date, more than 30 faculty members and dozens of students from Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary have served in the CPI program. A few professors from other area colleges and universities have also taught courses in the program.
Grateful students
“This program has changed my life. It’s given me an opportunity to be the person I feel like I was always meant to be. College in prison is something that’s becoming almost non-existent. For an institution to come in here and offer a fully accredited bachelor’s degree is unbelievable.” – Dustin
“Everyone wants their humanity affirmed, nobody wants to be judged for the worst of life. We have PhD profs coming in and they’re tutoring us. Only in God’s kingdom.” – Michael
“Every person has the potential to affect, as Kuyper calls it, God or Christ’s every square inch. So we might not be able to change a lot of things, but there’s a sphere of influence that each one of us has.” – Raymond
“Calvin College coming into the Handlon campus, bringing in the CPI program, has been such a tremendous blessing in my life, one that I will be forever grateful for, one that I will be paying forward for the rest of my life.” – Dustin
More than 1,700 students set to graduate from schools in Wyoming, Kentwood
More than 1,700 students will be graduating from high schools in Kentwood and Wyoming during the next couple of weeks. Go here for a breakdown of when some of the local graduation ceremonies are taking place.
Ford Airport leader welcomes Sen. Peters’ introduction of bill to fund airport security
The bill allows airports to use Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds on state of the art surveillance cameras in public areas such as baggage claims or pick up and drop off areas. Go here for the complete story.
Glue-in, souvlaki: Festival of the Arts is all about making memories
The VOICES vintage Airstream trailer, which is a a local and regional oral history project that collects, preserves and shares stories form everyday residents of West Michigan, will be at this year’s 49th Festival of the Arts, set for June 1, 2, and 3. The trailer will be there to collect stories from Festival volunteers and participants. Go here to read the story.
Evolution of Meijer Gardens summer concert series a bit of a surprising success
The venue and the mix of musical genres and audiences has not only been a success, the summer concert series has benefited Meijer Gardens on several levels: promotional, financial and patron inclusiveness. Click here to read the story.
Wyoming High School presents its spring Alpha Wolf 11 awards
Started in 2016, the Alpha Wolf 11 Champion of Character award recognizes six students each semester and one teacher each year for character and treating others by “being kind, compassionate, and gracious”. Read more here.
The Grand Rapids Chorus of Sweet Adelines won first place overall and first place midsize chorus at the Regional Competition held in Cleveland, Ohio on May 17-20. This enables them to compete Internationally in New Orleans in 2019. The group is a four-part acappella singing group with members ranging from 21-years of age on up.
Master Director Denise VanDyken
“I felt pure joy when they announced our name as the contest winners,” said Denise Van Dyken, Master Director of the group. “Lots of brains and talents with these women. We competed against a five-state region and we are all so proud and honored to represent the Grand Rapids Area and bring home the awards.”
Eighty-five-year-old Beverly Noirot drives three hours every Monday from Gaylord, Michigan, to practice with the group at its rehearsal facility in Kentwood. It’s her 33rd year with the group. “I love to sing with the best,” she explained with a huge smile on her face.
Beth Herrington has sung with the group for 42 years. “I have so many lifelong friends and it is like having 65 sisters. The challenging music and friendships are what keep me performing.”
The group is no stranger to being champion harmonizers. They have been competing both regionally and internationally since their beginning 65 years ago. Numerous second place Regional designations as well as six first place medals have been collected. They have been on the International Stage six times and have traveled worldwide to shared their musical gifts.
“We have had the thrill of singing in Washington D.C. to help with the inauguration of the World War II memorial,” said Management Team Coordinator Diane Thompson. “And we have been privileged to be able to sing in other countries, like Italy, Germany, Russia, and Paris.”
An award worth sleeping with.
The Sweet Adelines also has quartets that represented the group as well. The best novice quartet award was given to Sticky Notes and fourth place awards went to the quartet Sublime.
Upcoming events include a performance at Festival of the Arts on the Calder Stage from 4:15-5 p.m. on Sunday, June 3, WhiteCaps on Labor Day weekend, September 2, and the group’s Fall show at Grandville High School on September 8.
Visitors and singers interested in auditioning are always welcome. The group rehearses every Monday from 7-9:30 p.m. at 1800 44thStreet SE, Kentwood.
There was a time when if you needed a contractor or someone to clean your house, you simply flipped open the phonebook. But with the popularity of the Internet, many have turned to online service directories to find that person, working to narrow the lists down to someone within your area.
LocalFirst recently launched its own online business directory available at LocalFirst.com, which allows residents to connect to local contractors and service providers.
“LocalFirst works with hundreds of local businesses throughout the West Michigan area,” said LocalFirst Marketing Manager Mieke Stoub. “We also work with the consumer. We try to educate the consumer on why supporting local matters. The directory is a nice way to bring those two sides together to connect the consumer with the services that they need.”
Annually, LocalFirst produces a paper directory that is available for free at a number of locations such as the LocalFirst office, 345 Fuller NE and the WKTV station, 5261 Clyde Park SW.
“So there are some old-fashioned folks, myself included, who really like the tactical feel and this is at least a little more approachable than the Yellow Pages,” Stroub said, adding that the paper directory is separated into categories with an index.
The online directory is a little bit more searchable with categories, but since not every business has a category, there is also a search bar where people cantype in any sort of keyword they might need, Stoub said.
“So if you are looking for plants or consignment or clothing, you can type those search terms in and a bunch of businesses will pop up,” she said.
The directory also pulls in Google Maps making it easy for visitors to find the businesses they are looking for. The online business directory is also easier to update for when members move, have an expansion or just change their phone number, she said.
“Our membership base expands from here to the Lakeshore and as far north as Muskegon and as far south as Saugatuck, so there is somebody in your neighborhood no matter where you are,” Stoub said.
To check out the business directory, visit LocalFirst.com.
Thanks to the hard work of honey bees, we are able to enjoy the foods they pollinate such as apples, sweet cherries, blueberries, strawberries, pears, plums and peaches. Nearly 50 percent of the value of Michigan’s fruit and vegetable production can be attributed entirely to honey bee pollination. As an added bonus, farmers can harvest some of the honey the bees produce to sell as a delicious natural sweetener. Besides its great taste, honey has nutritional benefits as outlined in “Benefits of honey” from Michigan State University Extension. Learn why and how bees make honey by watching this short YouTube video, “How it’s Made: Honey.”
Michigan honey can be found year-round in stores and farmers markets. Honey has a long shelf life, but may form sugar crystals over time. Crystallized honey is still safe to eat. If crystals are undesirable, place the closed honey jar in a bowl of warm water and it will return to its previous consistency. If storing honey for longer than one year, putting it in the freezer can help retain flavor and color and prevent crystallization. For ideas on using Michigan honey in the kitchen, check out these Michigan Fresh recipes for Pear Party Salsa and Fruit Spread. Honey should not be fed to infants under 1 year of age.
Keeping backyard bees for honey production can be a fulfilling hobby or a great business opportunity. To explore what it takes to care for honeybees, MSU’s Beginning Farmer Webinar Series has an archived course on “Getting started with beekeeping for pollination and honey.”
MSU Extension’s Community Food Systems Work Team supports the development of local food systems in Michigan. The Michigan Fresh program has tips on growing, handling and preserving, as well as healthful recipes to take advantage of the delicious Michigan-grown bounty from your backyard or your local farmer’s market. For more information, connect with your local community food systems educator by visiting http://msue.anr.msu.edu/ or calling 1.888.678.3464.
Lee High School graduates 150 students on May 22. Here is the top ten for the school’s graduating class of 2018.
Mariah Lowry is Valedictorian of the Lee High School Class of 2018. Her parents are Shauna Warren and Edward Lowry. She has served as Vice President of Student Council and has participated in Track and Cheerleading. Mariah plans to attend the University of Michigan where she will study Psychology.
Avelycia Yesenia Ortiz is Salutatorian of Lee High School’s Class of 2018. She is the daughter of Yesenia Ortiz. She has been an active member of National Honor Society, Student Council, Spanish Club, Softball, Marching & Concert Band, and Winter Guard. Avelycia’s future plans are to attend Wayne State University and study Biomedical Science so she can become a Forensic Pathologist.
Maira Hurtado ranks number three of the Lee High School Class of 2018. Her parents are Rosa Hurtado and Jesus Hurtado. Maira is an avid participant of National Honor Society, Be Nice, Lee’s Student Leader Program, JV Soccer and Spanish Club. Maira plans to attend Grand Rapids Community College where she will study Nursing, and wants to specialize in pediatrics.
Adriana Sanchez-Parada ranks number four in Lee High School’s Class of 2018. Her parents are Alejo Sanchez and Gallina Parada. Adriana’s activities awards include serving as Student Council President, National Honors Society, Founder of Footsteps for Freshman, Homecoming Queen, Marching Band Drum Major, Drama Club, Soccer, Karate and Spanish Club. Adriana plans on attending Western Michigan University and currently is undecided in what she plans to study.
Daisy Sarabia ranks number five at Lee High School. Her parents are Adriana Bodar and Enselmo Sarabia. Daisy has stayed busy with Volleyball (all four years), Softball and Competitive Cheerleading (2 years), Basketball (1 year), Student Council (3 years), National Honor Society and Class Vice President. Daisy plans to study Engineering at Grand Valley State University.
Monica Paniague-Ramos ranks number six at Lee High School’s Class of 2018. She is the daughter of Maria Ramos. Monica has spent her time serving in National Honor Society as Vice President and has also participated in Spanish Club, Student Leader Program and Be Nice. Monica plans to specialize in Radiology at Grand Rapids Community College.
Abigail Ibarra is ranked number seven at Lee High School. Her parents are Andrea Hernandez and Noe Hernandez. She has participated in Competitive and Sideline Cheer and has also spent much time in the LHS Band. Abigail plans on working after high school.
Maura Mendoza-Matias ranks number eight at Lee High School. Her parents are Hilario Mendoza Calmo and Nicolasa Matias Lorenzo. Her activities include Spanish Club, Be Nice, Prom Committee, Planning Homecoming Class Activities, Soccer, National Honor Society and our Student Leader Program. Maura plans on attending Grand Rapids Community College and entering the Nursing program.
Amaris Lourdes Salvatierra-Guizar is ranked nine at Lee High School’s Class of 2018. Her parents are Hector Salvatierra and Maria Salvatierra. She has participated in Track and Field — earning a Varsity Letter, Spanish Club, National Honor Society and has also been a Bible School Teacher as well. Amaris plans on attending Davenport University to go into Accounting.
Florencio Guilarte ranks number 10 at Lee High School. His parents are Noemi Gonzalez and Yanoxy Guilarte. He has been a very active participant of Band, Choir, Drama Club, Lee Talent Shows, Basketball, Wrestling, Student Council, Rotary Club and our Student Leader Program. He has also earned numerous athletic honors. In Baseball he achieved 3 Year All Conference, 2 Year All District, and All Advanced Team. In Football, Florencio earned 2 Year All Conference. In Bowling, he earned All Conference Honorable Mention. He also has spent time working in Youth Baseball Clinics as a Coach during summer and winter. Florencio plans on attending Central Michigan University where he will major in Music Performance (Voice).
More than 1,700 students will be graduating from high schools in Kentwood and Wyoming during the next couple of weeks. Here is a breakdown of when some of the local graduation ceremonies are taking place.
Tuesday, May 22
Wyoming High School has 275 students graduating. Graduation is at Grand Rapids First, 2100 44th St. SW, at 7 p.m.
Godfrey’s Lee High School has about 150 students graduating. Graduation is at Resurrection Life Church, 5100 Ivanrest Ave. SW, at 7 p.m. For the school’s top ten, click here.
Wednesday May 23
Godwin Heights High School has 144 students graduating. Graduation is at the high school auditorium, 50 35th St. SW, at 7 p.m.
South Christian High School has 170 students graduating. Graduation is at Kentwood Community Church, 2950 Clyde Park Ave. SW at 7:30 p.m..
Thursday, May 24
East Kentwood High School has around 600 students graduating. Graduation is at the the school’s stadium, 6230 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, at 7 p.m. The rain date is May 25.
Tuesday, May 29
Tri-Unity Christian School has 18 students graduating. Graduation is at Resurrection Life Church, 5100 Ivanrest Ave. SW,at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 30
West Michigan Aviation Academy 133 students graduating. Graduation is at Calvin College, 3201 Burton St. SE. at 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 31
Kelloggsville High School has 137 students graduating. Graduation is at Kentwood Community Church, 2950 Clyde Park Ave. SW, at 7 p.m.
Potter House has 53 students graduating. Graduation is Calvary Baptist Church, 1200 28th St. SE at 7 p.m.
Friday, June 1
West Michigan Lutheran High School has 5 students graduating. Graduation is at West Michigan Lutheran High School, 601 36th St. SW, at 7 p.m.
Monday, June 4
Grand River Prep High School has 134 students graduating. Graduation is at Calvin College’s Van Noord Arena, 3201 Burton St. SE, at 6:30 p.m.
With Grand Rapids’ 20 Monroe Live live big-screen showing of the Windsor Castle wedding of Great Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle it seemed to those in attendance that they were part of the pomp and circumstance.
Maybe that is why the almost exclusively female crowd — which included at least four Wyoming and Kentwood residents — in attendance before 6 a.m. Saturday, May 19, were wearing the required fancy hats.
Sue Thrash.
“This is the second royal wedding that my daughter (Kristin) and I have been to,” Sue Thrash, of Wyoming, said to WKTV. “The first time we did not dress up but we wanted to make sure today that we were right along with the rest of the group. We had a wonderful time.”
The Royal Wedding Party had doors open at 6 a.m., with the show beginning at about 6:20 a.m. as guest arrive, and the wedding starting at 7 a.m.
For some in attendance, the event was all about seeing the royal and A-list guest attire, or catching the marriage ceremony minute-by-minute, or the royal carriage procession following the marriage.
Donna Tate.
“The ceremony was so wonderful,” Donna Tate, of Wyoming, said. “Her (Megan’s bride’s) dress was so beautiful, so simple.”
For others, it as all about spending time with family and friends.
Jacqueline Kastelz.
“This has been a wonderful opportunity to spend some time with my mother and my aunt. We’ve had a lot of fun,” Jacqueline Kastelz, of Wyoming, said. “This has been my very first time watching it, up close, like live on TV while it was happening and not just catching up with it later and watching a few snippets on the news. This has been really great.”
20 Monroe Live is located at 11 Ottawa Avenue NW. For more information on events visit 20monroelive.com .
A Kelloggsvile is among 60 Michigan high school students who were named as finalists in the Meijer Great Choices Student Film Festival. More than 300 videos were submitted for the annual film festival.
Tiler DeWitt, who attends Kelloggsville High School, is in the running for the 60 awards totaling $21,150 in prizes that will be awards to students on Saturday June 2, for the winning entires in the 2018 Meijer Great Choices Film Festival. The 10 a.m. awards presentation will be at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center, 8500 Burlingame Ave. SW, Byron Center.
High School students from throughout the state, submitted more than 300 :30 public service announcement videos promoting positive choices in the areas of Character Education, Healthy Living, and Celebrating Diversity. There are two different audiences that the young filmmakers targeted in their PSA’s: Kindergarten through 6th or 7th through 12th grades. DeWitt submitted his film in the K-6 Celebrating Diversity category. The Meijer Great Choices competition was designed for Michigan student film makers to exhibit their creative talent in audio/visual communications and to share their messages with K-12 schools throughout Michigan.
High school students working on a film. Photo courtesy of School News Network.
Audio/Visual/Advertising students and professors from Compass College of Cinematic Arts, Ferris State University, Cornerstone University, Grand Valley State University, Northwood University and Western Michigan University were the preliminary judges and choose the anonymous finalists based on specific criteria. High school students throughout Michigan have been notified that they are finalists and are invited to participate in the June 2nd awards presentation activities. There are eighteen 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners that will be announced at the awards presentation who will receive prizes of $1,500, $1,000, or $500 in the form of a gift card to Meijer. The 42 runners up (fourth through tenth place winners) will each receive a gift card for $75. All of the finalists in attendance will receive an award and gift at the awards presentation.
All 60 of the top PSA’s will be shown at the Awards Reception at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center. In September, the winning PSA’s in each category will be reproduced on DVDs and distributed to schools across the state as tools for their Character Education, Health Education and Diversity programs.
The Meijer Great Choices Film Festival also awards 12 classroom grants totaling $3,300 to K-8 classrooms who submitted video entries in the Meijer Great Choices Junior Film Festival competition. These PSA videos will also be recognized at Saturday’s Awards event.
The purpose of the film festival is to highlight the talent of the state’s audio/visual students while allowing these students to make a positive impact on Michigan’s K-12 youth in the areas of Diversity, Character Education, and Healthy Lifestyles. The festival is in partnership with Meijer, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, The Vander Laan Family Foundation, and the Van Singel Fine Arts Center.
“My first experiences with Festival was going down and making a big sculpture that I was very proud of in the glue-in section,” said Festival of the Arts’ new interim director David Abbottt. “And I remember my parents carrying it back home in the back of a station wagon and the amount of glue that was in the back of that station wagon. (A little smile.) It is certainly a memory.”
It is those types of memories that Festival of the Arts and the WKTV VOICES hope to capture during a new partnership designed to help the arts organization celebrate its upcoming 50th anniversary. The VOICES vintage Airstream trailer, which is a a local and regional oral history project that collects, preserves and shares stories form everyday residents of West Michigan, will be at this year’s 49th Festival of the Arts, set for June 1, 2, and 3. The trailer will be there to collect stories from Festival volunteers and participants.
David Abbott, Festival’s Interim Director
“We are hoping to capture the best memories people have of the event,” Abbott said.
Memories like a young boy’s first taste of the Greek favorite souvlaki.
“Growing up I had never had the opportunity to try anything different, to try anything new,” Abbott said. “I remember that souvlaki that very first year that I had it.”
The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is one of the oldest non-profit food vendors at Festival, still providing souvlaki — usually seasoned grilled meat on a skewer served in a bun — at Festival, which for many has become a tradition. This year, the church will be joined by 18 other non-profit food vendors, many of which rely on Festival as their major funding source for the year.
“I have been a part of Festival for really all of my life, singing in high school, singing in church choirs, being at calder Plaza with the Gay Men’s Chorus. It’s been a fantastic ride and I am honored to be able to have this position to provide leadership.”
Abbott easily admits he is excited to be part of an organization that has offered so much to the community and largely has been organized and hosted by all volunteers. Abbott’s is the organization’s first employee.
“For many of those [49] years we were known as the largest all-volunteer run festival in the United States of America and it really is because of Grand Rapids that we are able to do this year after year after year,” he said.
While Abbott is starting to think about the 50th Festival of the Arts, he is more focused on the upcoming 49th event set for June 1, 2, and 3 in downtown Grand Rapids and has been working with this year’s co-chairs Jessi Nix Gould and Missy Bush. The 49th Festival of the Arts encompasses Rosa Parks Circle, the plaza that is home to Calder’s La Grande Vitesse, and Kendall College of Ferris State University’s gallery on Pearl Street, where the Regional Arts Exhibit will be showcased.
And what is Abbott excited about for this year’s event?
“One of the co-chairs Jessi Nix Gould developed a partnership with the Grand Rapids Com-Con featuring comic book artists right in Rosa Parks Circle,” Abbott said. “They are going to be featuring a costume contest both on Friday and Saturday.”
Also this year, an anonymous donor came forward wanting to host a photo contest of the Sixth Street Bridge to celebrate the bridge’s history, Abbott said. One of the oldest bridges in the city, the Sixth Street Bridge was constructed in 1886 and was one of the first to cross the Grand River.
Junior Brandon Ratliff (left) dances with a friend during the presentation by guest speaker John Angotti at the Alpha Wolf 11 assembly last week. Ratliff received a Shout-Out from teachers during the assembly.
This year, as part of Wyoming High School’s Alpha Wolf spring program, teachers and students were able to give “Shout-Outs” to others who represented the Alpha Wolf qualities of kind, compassion, and graciousness.
“The thought among some of us teachers was to recognize more students during this champion of character celebration,” said Wyoming teacher John Dolye who along with teacher Jon Bushen organized the Alpha Wolf event.
Teacher Jeff Kordich receives the Alpha Wolf teacher award.
Teachers were asked to consider any student they would like to recognize during the Alpha Wolf assembly. Two students per grade level are recognized and introduced between the main Alpha Wolf 11 recipients. Teachers give each student who receives a “Shout Out” a t-shirt which states “Alpha Wolf 11 Champion of Character” and on the back in large letters “I’ve Got Your Back!” along with an Alpha Wolf 11 lanyard.
After the fall Alpha Wolf assembly, where the the Teacher Shout-Outs were first introduced, students approached Doyle about doing a Student Shout-Out to a specific teacher.
“We thought this was a great student-led initiative,” Doyle said. “We allow one student from each of the three grade levels to select a teacher they feel represents the Alpha Wolf characteristics — kind, compassion, and graciousness.”
Students give the teachers a personalized Alpha Wolf 11 Champion of Character Stainless Coffee Mug with a lanyard and wrist bracelet as well to show their gratitude, he said. The Teacher Shout-Outs lead to the Alpha Wolf Teacher of the Year Award, which is only given during the spring assembly. This year’s winner was Jeff Kordich, a second year teacher to the district. The teacher award is also student-led, Doyle noted.
“We have been so impressed with our student body when it comes to them initiating and adding to this powerful ‘REVOLUTION MOVEMENT’ we call Alpha Wolf 11,” Doyle said.
“We believe that if you lay down the expectation of what kindness, compassion, and graciousness looks like, students will pick it up to run and share it with others — simply amazing.”
Teacher Shout-Outs to STUDENTS:
Dale Cross – 10th grader presented by teacher Jake Ritsema
Callie Seymour – 10th grader presented by teacher Stephanie Rathsack
Guadalupe Rivera-Parda – 11th grader presented by teacher Catye Palomino
Brandon Ratliff – 11th grader presented by teacher Irvin Sigler
Jordan Irwin – 12th grader presented by Mary Alice Miller
Caitlyn Bulthuis – 12th grader presented by teacher Robin Higley
Student Shout-Outs to TEACHERS:
Tom Cornell presented by student Tiffany Le
Jon Bushen presented by student Aliya Rivera
Anna Servo presented by student Long Ho
Clark VerHulst presented by Julyssa Barajas Gutierrez
By Gretchen Voyle, Michigan State University Extension
One of the areas in the home landscape that can use a tremendous amount of water is the lawn.
Part of being a smart gardener is using resources wisely. With the number of hot summers Michigan has had lately, smart water use is certainly at the top of the list. One of the areas in the home landscape that can use a tremendous amount of water is the lawn.
Lawns need a certain amount of water to look good and stay healthy, but using too much or too little water can create problems that could be avoided. Using too much water can be expensive whether using a municipal water system or running a well pump into failure.
The first thing every lawn caretaker must decide is what quality of lawn they want. That includes the “no care, abandoned property lawn” to the “all the bells and whistles show lawn.” Most lawn caretakers fall somewhere between the two extremes. A frequent question that Michigan State University Extension horticulture educators are asked is how to have a decent lawn without spending a lot of money and time.
Several ways to save your lawn
Courtesy Michigan State University Extension
Set your mower at the highest setting to mow your grass to 3.5 to 4 inches finished height; the longer the blade, the larger the root system. The larger root mass will support a robust, more drought-tolerant plant. This can be done by gradually raising the mower deck with each mowing in the spring. MSU research has shown that grub damage can be eliminated simply by adopting this practice.
Get a soil test. Determine what nutrients need to be added to your lawn to improve its growth. A soil test will give you a recommendation of what fertilizers to use. Lawn grass does not require high amounts of phosphorus, so lawn fertilizers do not contain them. Order the Home Lawn and Garden Soil Test Mailer from the MSU Extension Bookstore for $25 and receive a recommendation for your lawn.
Water correctly. A lawn usually requires 1 inch of water per week. It doesn’t make a difference whether it falls from the sky or comes out of a hose. Buy a rain gauge; it measures how much rain has fallen. It is easier to replace any missing rain when you know what has fallen. During the summer months, lawn roots are typically about 3 to 4 inches deep. In the late spring and early fall, the roots go a bit more deeply, so heavy soakings are not necessary.
Watering should be divided into several applications per week. On sandy soils, it may be every other day. On heavier soils, it may be every third day. Lawns do not require multiple water applications a day.
It is best to water during daylight hours. Watering in the evening creates wet grass and with warm nights can enable certain lawn fungal diseases to become active.
Courtesy Michigan State University Extension
Lawn watering equipment can be simple or complicated. Lawn sprinklers are used by many lawn owners. They are attached to a hose and moved around. Lawn irrigation systems are the permanently installed systems that can be set to water automatically. More advanced systems have a built-in rain gauge and will adjust automatically to rain amounts. If water usage is important, consider upgrading your system.
Whichever kind of lawn irrigation system you have, staying with the 1 inch a week total may change what you are currently doing. Your lawn and your wallet will thank you.
May is when the baseball and softball schedule is reaching their season peaks, and (weather permitting) the WKTV feature coverage team will be at two key baseball games this week, one at Zion Christian High School and another at East Kentwood High School.
The tentative schedule for this week follows below but show your support of the athletes and catch a game or two in-person, and then watch the replay.
Tuesday, May 22 — Boys Baseball West Michigan Aviation vs Zion Christian
Wednesday, May 23 — Boys Baseball Grandville vs East Kentwood
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.
This week, WKTV’s featured Tuesday game will be aired that night at 11 p.m. and repeat Wednesdays at5 p.m. The Wednesday game will be broadcast Friday at 11 p.m. and Saturday starting at 11 a.m., followed by another showing of the Tuesday game, at about 12:30 p.m. See WKTVjournal.org/sports weekly for complete feature broadcast schedules.
WKTV’s coverage of high school sports and community events are also available on-demand within a week of the event at wktvondemand.com.
The complete local high school sports schedule through the end of the month is as follows:
Monday, May 21
Boys Baseball
FH Eastern @ South Christian (DH)
West Michigan Aviation @ Wyoming Lee
Middleville T-K @ Wyoming (DH)
Kelloggsville @ NorthPointe Christian
East Kentwood @ Grandville (DH)
Godwin Heights @ Belding
Boys Golf
South Christian @ Christian – OK Gold Conference Tournament @ Thornapple Pointe
Wyoming @ Christian – OK Gold Conference Tournament @ Thornapple Pointe
Kelloggsville @ Ottawa Hills
East Kentwood @ Muskegon Mona Shores
Girls Softball
FH Eastern @ South Christian (DH)
Wyoming @ Middleville T-K (DH)
Kelloggsville @ NorthPointe Christian (DH)
East Kentwood @ Grandville (DH)
Godwin Heights @ Belding
Girls Soccer
Godwin Heights @ Wyoming Lee
Christian @ Wyoming
Kelloggsville @ Hopkins
East Kentwood @ Rockford
Grand River Prep @ Fruitport Calvary Christian
Tuesday, May 22
Girls Soccer
South Christian @ Christian
East Kentwood @ Grandville
Calvin Christian @ Godwin Heights
Zion Christian @ West Michigan Aviation
Girls Softball
South Christian @ South Haven (DH)
Belding @ Godwin Heights
Boys Baseball
Belding @ Godwin Heights
West Michigan Aviation @ Zion Christian (DH) – WKTV Featured Game
Boys Golf
Tri-Unity Christian @ Fruitport Calvary Christian
Wednesday, May 23
Boys Baseball
Saugatuck @ Wyoming Lee
Middleville T-K @ Wyoming
NorthPointe Christian @ Kelloggsville
Grandville @ East Kentwood – WKTV Featured Gam
Girls Softball
Saugatuck @ Wyoming Lee
NorthPointe Christian @ Kelloggsville
Girls Soccer
Middleville T-K @ Wyoming
Muskegon Catholic Central @ Grand River Prep
Boys Golf
Wyoming @ Muskegon Catholic Central
Boys/Girls Track
East Kentwood @ Comstock Park
Thursday, May 24
Boys Baseball
South Christian @ FH Eastern
Boys Golf
South Christian @ Holland Christian
Grand River Prep @ Tri-Unity Christian
Girls Soccer
South Christian @ FH Eastern
Grand River Prep @ Kelloggsville
Zion Christian @ Holland Black River
West Michigan Aviation @ Barry County Christian
Girls Softball
Ottawa Hills @ Godwin Heights
Friday, May 25
Boys Baseball
Wyoming Lee @ Union
Wyoming @ Zeeland West (DH)
Godwin Heights @ Union
Crossroads Charter Academy @ Zion Christian (DH)
West Michigan Aviation @ Belding (DH)
Girls Soccer
Wyoming @ West Ottawa
Zion Christian @ Ravenna
Hudsonville Hornets @ West Michigan Aviation
Saturday, May 26
Boys/Girls Track
East Kentwood @ Wyandotte – MITCA State Meet
Monday, May 28
MEMORIAL DAY
Tuesday, May 29
Girls Soccer
Comstock Park @ Wyoming Lee – MHSAA Districts
TBA @ East Kentwood – MHSAA Districts
Tri-Unity Christian @ NorthPointe Christian – MHSAA Districts
Zion Christian @ Calvin Christian – MHSAA Districts
Boys Baseball
West Ottawa @ Wyoming – MHSAA State Districts
Zion Christian @ Fowler
Girls Softball
TBA @ Wyoming – MHSAA State Pre-Districts
Wednesday, May 30
Boys Golf
East Kentwood @ Hudsonville – MHSAA State Regionals
Thursday, May 31
Boys Golf
Kelloggsville @ South Haven – MHSAA State Regionals
Tri-Unity Christian @ Muskegon Catholic Central – MHSAA State Regionals
Wyoming High School Senior Long Ho took the school’s Alpha Wolf assembly in stride. He cheered with his classmates as the names of the sophomore and junior Alpha Wolfs were announced, but as teacher John Doyle began to describe the first of the two senior Alpha Wolfs, he became quiet, putting his down.
“He demands so much of himself,” Doyle said. “When he first got [to the high school], he was afraid to speak in front of groups and he went from there to running about every club the school has, robotics, science olympic…”
Alpha Wolf: Senior Raelynn Watkins
With hands over his head, Ho began to cry. His friends seated around him patted his back and shoulders whispering to him.
“Your 12th grade senior Alpha Wolf is,” Doyle paused and looked directly at the Wyoming High School senior class, “ Long Ho.” The entire auditorium of almost 900 attendees erupted in cheers as Ho stood up and walked down to accept his award and hugs from him his family.
Started in 2016, the Alpha Wolf 11 Champion of Character award recognizes six students each semester and one teacher each year for character and treating others by “being kind, compassionate, and gracious” according to Principal Nate Robrahn. Those words are also part of the school’s motto. The award has nothing to do with what a student does in extracurriculars after school but instead focuses on what they do during school hours, as people, to make the school a better place, Robrahn said. “It is the supreme pack leader who on a scale from one to 10 is an 11.”
Alpha Wolf: Junior Juan-Pablo Marcos
The student body nominates the students they feel should receive the award with faculty, support staff and administration having a say on the final six, which is made up of two from the sophomore, junior and senior classes. This year, it was noted that more than 700 students from the 900 at Wyoming High School voted, a record for the Alpha Wolf program.
In fact, the Alpha Wolf program has become so well received that teachers now do “Shout Outs” to students who also have exemplified the school’s motto. This year, the students approached Doyle, who with teacher Jon Bushen, organized the event, about doing “Shout Outs” for the teachers. Doyle noted that is shows just how well received the program has been.
Alpha Wolf: Junior Nolan Weatherby
So in front of the entire student body, special guests such as Wyoming Department of Public Safety Chief Kimberly Koster and Wyoming Assistant City Manager Megan Sall and guest speaker John Angotti, six students were recognized with every name causing the auditorium to erupt with cheers and applause.
Seniors: Along with Cho, Raelynn Watkins received the Alpha Wolf award. Described as the school’s “Wonder Woman,” Raelynn’s super strengths included lifting up others, generosity and brining people together. “She has been known to take the money she earned from her job and go to the store, dropping off items to others who needed it, often without them knowing who did it,” Doyle said.
Alpha Wolf: Sophomore Marshaun Morris
Juniors: To shouts of “That’s my man!”, Juan-Pablo Marcos was named an Alpha Wolf. Known as “that theater, band kid,” he always has a smile on his face, Doyle said, adding he just makes people happy. Marcos is familiar to many both in school and outside as he has performed in an number of the school’s theater productions including most recently “The 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
Known for playing one of the largest instruments in the high school’s band, the baritone saxophone, Nolan Weatherby, was named an Alpha Wolf. Weatherby brings a source of pride to all he does and to all he meets, Doyle said.
Alpha Wolf: Sophomore Hanna Martinez
Sophomores: The nomination comments received for Hanna Martinez pretty much wrote her Alpha Wolf narrative, according to Doyle. “Her goal is to make people happy,” he said. “She is a great listener, sweet person and positive. She greats everyone with ‘Hello Beautiful,’ making everyone feel welcome.”
For some Alpha Wolfs, they don’t know they are leading and such is the case of Marshaun Morris, Doyle said. “No matter how his day is going, he gives a positive attitude to everyone,” Doyle said, adding that he motivates people to be better, making everyone feel special.
Teacher Jake Ritsema with Alpha Wolf teacher Jeff Kordich
Selected as the Alpha Wolf Teacher for the 2017-2018 year was math teacher Jeff Kordich. According to the student presenters, Kordich is known for being in a good mood, passing those positive vibes to others, and for his generosity.
By Beth Clawson, Michigan State University Extension
Plants in your pond balance your pond’s ecosystem. Aquatic plants offer food, shelter and environment for fish in ponds.
Michigan has thousands of natural ponds, vernal pools and wetlands where plants perform a specific role in those ecosystems. Understanding the important role of pond plants in Michigan before seeking plant removal management makes dealing with problems situations easier. Plants are a problem when they interfere with the intended use of the pond. This is particularly true with ponds constructed for a specific purpose such as ponds for sport fishing. Plants play a key part in the natural pond and the constructed pond.
The presence of aquatic plants in ponds are vital to maintaining a balanced ecosystem. Aquatic plants come in a four specialized types in the pond. Forming the base of the food chain for almost all life in the pond, they produce dissolved oxygen in the water and serve as protection for small fish and invertebrates. Their roots hold the soil in place.
Submerged: Plants that thrive under water that have roots in the soil at the bottom (pond weed and bladderwort)
Floating: Plants that float at or near the water surface and have either floating roots or roots in the soil at the bottom (duckweed and lily pads)
Emergent: Plants that is rooted in the soil under water, but the larger part of the plant is above water (arrowhead, rushes and cattails)
Shoreline: plants that prefer the shore, but can take being moist and flooded seasonally. (blue flag iris, some shrubs and trees)
Aquatic plants benefits include:
Algae control. Plants absorb nutrients in the water from fish waste and reduces nutrient availability slowing algae blooms.
Shade and protection for fish. Plants can provide a hiding place for fish from predators both above and below the water. Additionally, plants shade the water reducing the amount of sunlight entering the water helping to slow algae blooms.
Food for fish and other wildlife. Fish, turtles, insects, ducks and geese and some mammals feed on aquatic plants.
Improved water quality. Many water plants not only absorb nutrients from the water, they also absorb pollutants and heavy metals too.
Erosion control. Emergent and shoreline plants often have very large root structures. This enables them to reduce wave action and stabilize the shore creating the most effective erosion control you can get in a pond.
Aquatic plants in the pond improves its aesthetics. Many emergent and Shoreland plants offer four seasons of interest at the pond providing attractive flowers, interesting structure, color and depth.
There are many native plants that offer a great variety of choices for managing your natural pond. They range from grasses, rushes and reeds; to lily pads, iris, pickerel plant and arrowhead; to shoreline shrubs and trees. Careful planning of your pond management including planting will go a long way to ensuring a balanced natural pond system. Avoid introducing non-native and invasive plants into your pond. When managing the plants in your pond, consider the role of the plant before considering its removal. If you have excessive plant growth, there may be a nutrient overloading issue that must be addressed first.
For more information about the aquatic plants and invasive species contact Beth Clawson, MSU Extension Educator. To learn more about invasive organisms and invasive aquatic plants contact Michigan State University Extension Natural Resources educators who are working across Michigan to provide aquatic invasive species educational programming and assistance. You can contact an educator through MSU Extension’s “Find an Expert” search tool using the keywords “Natural Resources Water Quality.”
