Category Archives: Area Education

Safe Resources for LGBT Seniors

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By Regina Salmi, Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan (AAAWM)

 

While society has taken great strides toward acceptance of LGBT citizens, what remains invisible are the issues and challenges that LGBT adults face as they begin to age. Too often, LGBT seniors have felt the need to go back ‘into the closet’ in order to receive services or deny themselves much need care in order to avoid having to do so. The LGBT Initiative, funded by the Michigan Health Endowment grant, is seeking to change that for LGBT seniors throughout the state of Michigan, by creating safe channels for LGBT older adults to seek services.

 

West Michigan is one of the three regions where this effort is taking place. Kendrick Heinlein, AAAWM Contract Administrator, is heading up this project for Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan.

 

“Right now, the LGBT initiative is looking at different outreach strategies to reach members of the LGBT community” Heinlein states. Working with the other two regions: the Upper Peninsula and the Bay City/Saginaw region of the state, committee members recognize what works for Grand Rapids doesn’t necessarily work for the U.P., so finding the best methods for each region is the current focus.

 

Heinlein says, “We want to provide resources and reduce isolation for LGBT seniors and we’re working on the best strategies to go about that.”

 

There are currently about 1.5 million people age 65+ who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual. There are also many aging LGBT people who live alone, without family to help with the aging process. This puts many LGBT seniors in the position of requiring income-based aging services available in their communities. Needing to ask for help though is often a difficult experience for these seniors.

 

Older adults who are LGBT don’t often find a warm welcome when they begin to participate in aging services. Sometimes this is due to the discrimination they encounter when seeking services; most times though, it is not hostility but cultural assumptions that can cause LGBT seniors to be reluctant to ask for help. An intake form might ask questions about marriage and children, but not about same-sex partnerships. A senior might be asked about their racial identification or religion, but not gender or sexual orientation.

 

Many older LGBT seniors carry with them memories of a time when they lost jobs, homes and family for being gay and could be jailed or committed to an asylum for being different. Because many seniors don’t want to “go back into the closet” but fear discrimination, they will avoid asking for help, which can result in a health crisis. This is what the LGBT initiative is working to alleviate. Through outreach to community service providers, AAAWM in partnership with the Grand Rapids Pride Center is in the process of creating a resource guide of senior service providers in West Michigan who are LGBT-friendly.

 

Anyone can call themselves LGBT-friendly, but what this means in terms of the LGBT initiative is that each provider in the LGBT Senior Resource Guide will be vetted to insure they will provide equal services to LGBT older adults that they would to any other seniors,

 

“A majority of providers are open to serving LGBT clients,” Heinlein highlights. “A lot of providers have been serving the LGBT community and consider being part of the guide recognition for services they have been providing all along.” By creating this resource guide, the committee hopes to provide safe avenues for LGBT older adults to find the services they need to age gracefully like their peers.

 

The debut of the LGBT Senior Resource Guide will occur at the Grand Rapids Pride Festival on June 16, 2018, beginning at 12 pm. AAAWM will have the guides available at their vendor table and they encourage people to stop by and take a look.

 

If you’d like to learn more about this project, contact Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan at (888) 456-5664 or email aaainfo@aaawm.org.  To learn about their services, you can visit their website: http://www.aaawm.org.

 

Radical hope at Handlon

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Fifteen inmates in the inaugural Calvin Prison Initiative class earned their associate’s degrees at Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan. (Photo courtesy Calvin College)

 

By Matt Kucinski, Calvin College

 

A gymnasium filled with moms and dads, sisters and brothers, administrators and teachers. Men seated in a couple of rows, dressed in black caps and gowns. Their smiles only contained by their ears. The room filled with jubilation, and hope.

 

It’s a familiar scene this time of year. But, not here. At least, not yet.

 

Peer out a small rectangular window and you quickly realize why. Twenty yards from the podium stands a 20-foot tall fence, wrapped in barbed wire.

Open doors

“We’ve embarked on a lot of firsts these past few years, we know it, those who work here know it, you guys certainly know it,” said Heidi Washington, the director of the Michigan Department of Corrections.

 

This first? A commencement ceremony inside Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan. And it’s part of another first – the Calvin Prison Initiative—a program that offers 20 inmates each year an opportunity to begin pursuing a bachelor’s degree in ministry leadership. It’s the type of program not happening anywhere else in the state, and in few places across the country. On Monday, 15 students from the first cohort earned their associate’s degrees.

 

“This first group behind me, literally took the stonings and they made the sacrifices to get this program up and running,” said DeWayne Burton, warden at Handlon Correctional Facility, during Monday’s Commencement ceremony. “Remember, when we started this program there was no manual to refer to. Basically you [graduates] helped us develop a blueprint for how to run a college program inside a prison.”

A blueprint, and a vision

That blueprint was developed through collaboration among Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary faculty and staff, students at Handlon, and leaders in the Michigan Department of Corrections.

 

That blueprint has unleashed a powerful vision, replacing despair with hope … radical hope.

 

“We humans are sustained by hope. It is the link between our past and our future, and when there is no future, there is no hope,” said Cheryl Brandsen, provost of Calvin College during the 2018 Commencement Address at Handlon.

 

“The book of Jeremiah tells the story about a despairing people who had lost hope,” said Brandsen. “Jeremiah wrote them a hard letter: Look, you are going to be here for a long time. 70 years, in fact. Don’t listen to false prophets who are trying to make you feel good by promising a speedy release. It’s not going to happen. So, what should you do? Settle down. Build houses. Plant gardens. Make a life. You will die in captivity but your children will not. Yes, you will weep when you remember your former lives, but don’t weep as those who have no hope. In fact, pray for this strange country, and seek the welfare of this city. I do have a plan for your future that will give you hope. But the plan is not one of going home right now. It is to stay put and prosper. If you know the rest of the story, the exiles did that, they formed new lives in strange places, grasping onto the radical hope that God had in mind: a future for their nation and their children.”

Promoting the welfare of the city

Brandsen then shared a poignant line from Calvin’s new vision statement, approved by the board of trustees earlier this month, which intentionally echoes the Jeremiah passage: “Calvin University will be animated by a Reformed Christian faith that seeks understanding and promotes the welfare of the city and the healing of the world.”

 

The inmates in the Calvin Prison Initiative program—many of whom are serving life sentences—have now found purpose through a Christ-centered education; they’ve found hope as the antidote to despair.

 

“I was arrested eight months after graduating from high school,” said Michael Duthler, who provided the student reflection at the ceremony. “I had an idea of what education was but I didn’t connect it to vocation, this idea of being a prime citizen. The two ideas were as far apart as heaven was from earth, but now are very much a part of how I understand my role on earth on my way to heaven. “

 

And when students like Duthler understand that God’s Kingdom is not confined by anything, that all square inches of creation are in play, it opens doors that aren’t limited by physical space.

 

“What began for me with an acceptance letter to CPI has formed me into the man who I am today and is inextricably bound with how I see myself in the future, someone who desires to break in God’s Kingdom, be that agent of renewal, to restore shalom, by sharing my education with others, by living out my vocation in a way that glorifies and magnifies God and allows his presence to be known in whatever sphere I touch,” said Duthler.

Living as prime citizens

Living as prime citizens takes courage, and as Duthler says, it is understood and developed within community. He cites examples of professors volunteering to teach two classes (instead of the required one) to allow for more interaction with students, or one professor driving up to Handlon on Christmas Eve to deliver semester grades; he recalls tutors patiently pouring over papers and providing correction or simply words of encouragement; and fellow peers who organize study groups and make themselves available to answer questions and have deep conversations.

 

“Since you guys have taken the lead, others have followed and guess what, others will continue to follow,” said Burton. “You graduates have also displayed the ethics that support the values that Calvin College has. People look at what you do and not what you say. Values are words, ethics are actions. As you continue to demonstrate values through your actions, the ethical culture at this facility will continue to change. One of the other things you gentleman are displaying is a solid reputation for Calvin College and the Michigan Department of Corrections … If you guys continue with this not only will this program be the best in the country, you guys will be successful and will be the best versions that you can be of yourselves.”

Reimagining what’s possible

While the program was started inside one correctional facility, with one group of men, the vision for its impact goes well beyond the fences of Handlon.

 

“I was listening to the provost and that wonderful speech,” said Washington. “She talked about how Calvin changed its vision statement and talks about the welfare of the city … and I thought how as the director of the department of corrections I should be concerned about the welfare of the department, the welfare of that city, the big department of corrections. And I’m here to tell you that this department of corrections and this administration is very concerned about that. So, whether it’s the Calvin initiative or the vocational village or the second vocational village or the third one or the many of the other things that we are doing to help people be successful, to help give people hope that there is a future for themselves when they leave here and even if they aren’t leaving here to help make this city a better place, we are committed to doing that, and we are committed to doing that with our partners.”

 

As the 15 graduates move their tassles from right to left, hear their names read from the podium, shake hands and receive their diplomas, those barbed-wire fences sitting 20 yards to their left are no longer barriers to hope.

 

“When I think of radical hope I think of you students, perhaps thinking at one time that your current status limited what you hoped for, until now, when the unimaginable is proving itself imaginable,” said Brandsen.

 

“When I think of radical hope, I think of Warden Burton and other administrators here who had the courage to imagine a different kind of future. ‘Unimaginable, until it isn’t.’”

 

Reprinted with permission from Calvin College.

Calvin engineers take second place at Disaster Shelter Design Competition

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Courtesy Calvin College

By Matt Kucinski, Calvin College

 

Calvin College placed second at the 7th Annual Disaster Shelter Design Competition, sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse International, April 19-21, and hosted on John Brown University’s (JBU) Siloam Springs campus. Nine teams from eight universities designed and constructed a rapidly-deployable emergency and disaster shelter, which a panel of judges with expertise in emergency management, engineering, logistics, and manufacturing, evaluated for possible implementation in relief efforts worldwide.

 

“It was a lot of fun. We got to test our prototype against other schools and other designs, simulate a lot of scenarios, and ultimately we got to see how well our process and ideas came to light in physical form,” said Kyle Sutton, a senior civil-environmental engineering major at Calvin.

 

Sutton, along with fellow senior civil-environmental engineering majors, Kyra Black, Cameron Carley, and Nate Veldboom, made the 13-hour drive south for the competition. The group, known as Team Dwell, brought with them their handiwork–a project they’ve been working on for their senior design project this year.

 

The competition scenario they participated in was based on the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015 that affected more than a million people in Nepal. The shelters were required to address the local climate in Nepal, as well as their mountainous terrain, by retaining heat and transporting easily as well as by being water resistant, cost effective and culturally appropriate. The shelters were also required to be able to house a family of four.

 

“This competition gives Samaritan’s Purse access to some of the region’s most innovative engineers, construction management and architects, as students provide practical solutions to real-world problems,” said Mark Terrill, associate professor of construction management at John Brown University, and competition coordinator. “Not only does the competition combine classroom learning and real-world application, but it’s also really fun to watch.”

 

Team Dwell (Courtesy Calvin College)

Each team’s disaster shelter prototypes endured durability testing – including earthquake sustainability, heat retention, overnight habitability, wind turbulence, and water resistance. In addition, teams competed in an emergency shelter construction test, where they were evaluated on their ability to quickly design and construct emergency shelters from given materials.

 

Teams were scored based on their shelter’s performance in individual events and on their presentations detailing their shelter’s schematics, design, and materials. In addition to Team Dwell’s second place overall finish, they also took top honors in the Best Camp Plan, Best Report/Presentation, and Lightest Shelter categories.

 

A team from LeTourneau University took first place overall and John Brown University took third place. Other universities who participated this year include: Dordt College, Pittsburg State University, Gyeongsang National University, Murray State University, and University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

 

Reprinted with permission from Calvin College.

Calvin making history at Handlon

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During the Commencement ceremony, President Michael Le Roy recognized the students who received their associate’s degrees. (Courtesy: Arrae Photography)

By Matt Kucinski, Calvin College

 

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.

 

Students in this year’s class have taken hold of this opportunity. The class has a cumulative GPA above 3.6, has created an award-winning prison reform conference (with another one in the works), and has started a community garden—their efforts resulting in a $2,500 donation to Safe Haven Ministries.

 

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

 

Meijer State games set for June with new competitions planned

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By WKTV staff

news@wktv.org

 

Foot golf is one of the new sports at the Meijer State Games. (by CKGolf)

The Meijer State Games of Michigan kicks off Saturday, June 16, for it’s 8th annual Olympics- style games in the greater Grand Rapids Area. The opening ceremony for the games will be held at East Kentwood High School on Friday, June 22.

 

Three new games have been introduced into the lineup this year which include footgolf, archery tag and three shooting events: bb gun, air rifle and air pistol.

 

“I think this will be appealing to people who want to get in the shooting range, be competitive and have some fun,” Ron Carr, the organizer of this year’s shooting events, said in supplied materials.

 

Footgolf director for the games, Mirza Causevic, described footgolf as “a twist of golf and soccer.”  She expects an interest from all age groups with the addition of this new sport.

 

Events for the opening ceremony will include Skydivers dropping into the football stadium with the American flag, an athlete parade and the lighting of the cauldron. Overall, the events run from June 16 to Aug. 19.

 

With registration now open for most of the sporting events, an estimated 8,000 athletes of all ages are expected to compete in this years summer games. Visit here to register.

 

 

For information on how you can sponsor the Meijer State Games of Michigan, visit here.

 

The Meijer State Games of Michigan started in 2010, hosting over 65,000 athletes since that year.

 

Godfrey-Lee Board of Education appoints new member/nuevo miembro

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Godfrey-Lee Public School’s newest Board of Education member, Josephine (Jo-C) Coleman was sworn in May 14. (Supplied)

By Godfrey-Lee Public Schools

 

On Monday, May 14, the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Board of Education appointed Josephine Coleman as Trustee to the Board of Education.

 

Board President, Eric Mockerman, said that Mrs. Coleman was selected because of her “dedication and commitment to the students and families of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools over a long period of time.”

 

Superintendent Kevin Polston praised “Coleman’s selfless service to the district, and her commitment to the community.  She is an excellent choice, who will represent our school district with pride.”

 

Josephine and her husband Donald are the parents of two children, Donald and Chance, both graduates of Lee High School.  Josephine and her husband are also veterans of the United States Army, where she rose to the rank of Specialist.  She is currently employed at Tower International as an IT Business Analyst.

 

She has served as Secretary for the Parent Teacher Committee (2002-2004), Band Boosters (2007-2015), and Athletic Boosters (2010-2016).  She currently serves as Co-Treasurer for the Lee Soccer Alumni Association.

 

When asked why she wanted to run for the position, she said she wants “to serve the community and our students.  Our students appreciate the quality education from the caring adults at Godfrey-Lee, and it’s rewarding to serve them.”

 

Coleman will serve on the Board for the remainder of 2018.  The seat was held by Rebecca Kibbe, who had to give up the position due to her family moving out of the district.  The seat, with a six year term, will be up for election in November.

 

Spanish language version

 

Junta de Educación de las Escuelas Públicas de Godfrey-Lee nombra nuevo miembro

 

El lunes 14 de mayo de, 2018, la Junta de Educación GLPS designó a Josephine Coleman como Fideicomisario a la Junta de Educación. El Presidente de la Junta Eric Mockerman comentó que la señora Coleman fue seleccionado debido a su “dedicación y el compromiso hacia estudiantes y las familias de las Escuelas Públicas de Godfrey-Lee durante un largo período de tiempo.”

 

Josefina y su esposo Donald son los orgullosos padres de dos hijos, Donald y Chance, ambos graduados de la Escuela Preparatoria Lee. Josephine y su marido también son orgullosos veteranos del ejército de Estados Unidos, donde alcanzó el grado de Especialista. Actualmente ella trabaja en la Torre Internacional como analista de negocios de IT.

 

Ella sirvió como Secretaria de la Comisión de Padres y Maestros (2002-2004), Band Boosters (2007-2015), y Athletics Boosters (2010-2016). Actualmente se desempeña como Co-Tesorera de la Asociación de Graduados de fútbol Lee. Cuando se le preguntó por qué quería correr para el cargo, dijo que quiere “servir a nuestra comunidad y estudiantes. Nuestros estudiantes aprecian la calidad de la educación de los adultos interesados en Godfrey-Lee, y es gratificante servirles.”

 

La señora Coleman servirá en la Junta el resto del 2018. El puesto lo tenía Rebecca Kibbe, que tuvo que renunciar a la posición debido a que su familia se mueve fuera del distrito. El Puesto con un mandato de 6 años será puesto para elección en noviembre, 2018.

 

New online app empowers returning citizens transitioning out of prison

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The Calvin Prison Initiative is now in its third year with a current enrollment of 57 students. (Photo courtesy Calvin College)

By Jacquelyn Hubbard, Calvin College

 

There are many resources and services in the Grand Rapids area that are available to citizens transitioning out of prison and back into society, but these are not always easily accessible or made known to such citizens. How can these returning citizens find what they need when they don’t know where to start? Where can they go for assistance, and how will they get there? Whom can they call to set up appointments beforehand?

 

According to Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) program assistant Julie Bylsma, returning citizens discover these resources primarily by word-of-mouth, or from their parole officers.

 

“Some [parole officers] tell them a lot about Grand Rapids and are interested in seeing them succeed; others just give them a document with phone numbers,” Bylsma said. “But they need something that actually shows them information and helps them understand how to get there.”

 

After two years of working on a solution to this issue, CPI and the Henry Institute at Calvin College have created the Returning Citizens Resources online application: a user-friendly, interactive, spatial map of resources and services in the Grand Rapids area to empower returning citizens in their transition out of prison and into society.

 

Returning Citizens Resources app

 

The process of creating the app began with an idea from political science professor and Henry Institute director Kevin den Dulk following a church discussion group meeting he attended on restorative justice.

 

“A returning citizen joined us one evening and I asked about the greatest challenges he faced when he got out of prison. He noted the nitty-gritty problem of tracking down where to find services; information was fragmented among a variety of groups, and those groups often didn’t know what others were doing,” den Dulk said. “I realized that was a problem we could tackle through some intrepid data-sleuthing and geographical work.”

 

Thus, in fall 2015, the work began with den Dulk reaching out to geography professor Jason VanHorn to propose his idea.

 

“Kevin approached me and said he was interested in issues of justice. He told me he was working on an interplay between civil service and organizations that are friendly for re-entry services,” VanHorn explained. “He then asked me, ‘Could you map those?’ And that simple question led us to the next steps of truly exciting research.”

 

Photo courtesy Calvin College

VanHorn then approached Julie Bylsma, a senior biology student at the time, who was taking Intro to GIS (Geographic Information Systems), and who he knew was also interested in criminal justice. Bylsma had begun her work with the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) in fall 2015 as well, and she agreed to begin collaborating with VanHorn and den Dulk on the project. She worked on the project through spring 2016 in Advanced GIS, and with Jon Gordon, who was a research fellow of the Henry Institute at the time, gathering most of the data. Bylsma also worked with VanHorn and den Dulk the following year in a research position through the Henry Institute up until the application went live in August 2017.

 

From the beginning, the goal was to make the app a one-stop resource for returning citizens to find everything they might need to smoothly reenter society. The categories of resources and services included in the app are: housing, employment, food & clothing, legal assistance, counseling services, welcoming churches (and organizations), transportation, and other services.

 

“We wanted it to be as easy and simple as possible for the users,” VanHorn said. “You don’t see technical jargon and geography vocabulary on there, which could easily be the case.”

 

Henry Institute & CPI

 

As the director of the Henry Institute at Calvin, den Dulk believes the institute is well positioned to oversee this kind of project. The institute provides resources for scholarship; encourages citizen involvement and education; structures opportunities to disseminate scholarly work; seeks avenues to communicate and promote information about Christianity and public life to the broader public; and motivates and trains future scholars and leaders.

 

“We have a sweet spot for projects that have research potential while also addressing real-world problems,” den Dulk said. “On this project, for example, we can serve a disadvantaged group through research, especially by using spatial analysis, or mapping, to identify ‘service deserts’ for returning citizens.”

 

One of the ways the Henry Institute takes on projects like these is through a program called the ‘Civitas Lab,’ which pairs students as paid assistants with faculty who have both technical knowledge and great passion.

 

“Bylsma and VanHorn are the dynamic pair who brought these pieces together, applied the necessary technical know-how, and got the map out to the public,” den Dulk said.

 

The Calvin students at Handlon Prison are already excited to use the new app.

 

“In talking with the Handlon students, a few of them have told me that their cellmates or friends in the prison who are getting out have been looking forward to using it. One person used it in his parole plan, as you have to have a re-entry plan,” Bylsma said.

 

The Calvin Prison Initiative offers inmates an opportunity to earn a bachelor of arts in ministry leadership degree. (Photo courtesy Calvin College)

“When we met with prisoners at Handlon and they saw the app for the first time, their reactions were very positive,” VanHorn added. “They indicated overwhelming appreciation for the work, and that it would be a very valuable resource not only for returning citizens, but also for their families who can aid them in the transition back into society. It was really encouraging.”

 

Hopes for the app

 

Bylsma, Den Dulk, and VanHorn each have high hopes for the app, as there has already been great feedback from the Handlon students. They hope the mission and goals of the app don’t stop in Grand Rapids, though.

 

“I’m hoping the project paves a way for replication across the country and places around the world, because I think it’s possible,” VanHorn said. “Our overarching hope is to enable independence and an ability to choose in these returning citizens.”

 

“Right now [the app] is limited to Kent County, but we are working to secure funding to grow into as many Michigan counties as we can, and perhaps inspire similar work in other states,” den Dulk added. “I am most excited by the prospect that the map becomes a go-to resource for the post-release life-planning of returning citizens and their families. I’m also excited that we can start using our data to understand why there is often a mismatch between the locations of services and returning citizens.”

 

Bylsma believes providing this resource for returning citizens is an important piece in pursuing criminal justice.

 

“If [returning citizens] want to be successful, we want to give them the tools to become successful. It’s up to them to use the resources, but why would we ever handicap re-entering citizens from using them? If the resources are out there, and people are willing to give that assistance, it shouldn’t be that hard for them to find those services,” Bylsma said. “We would love to see prisoners come out and be able to get the help they need within a matter of hours or days, and the continuing help as well when they have their immediate needs met so they continue to be successful.”

 

The future of reentry assistance

 

VanHorn is working with MDOC (Michigan Department of Corrections) and other organizations to see how they can get the word out about the app. The app is the first of its kind; a few organizations have collected information for re-entry, but this is the most comprehensive resource for returning citizens with pins displayed and direct links to contact information. There is great hope from the creators of the app that their efforts will be duplicated.

 

“The court gave them punishment, and they served their time, so now we have to trust that they want to succeed and need to allow them to do so—we can’t tie both of their hands as they’re already walking into a terribly difficult situation,” Bylsma concluded. “It’s much different than someone starting their life over; this is often relearning adulthood. If we really gave them the chance to prove themselves without handicapping them in the first place, I believe we’d be impressed.”

About CPI

Eric Boldiszar shakes hands with Calvin College provost Cheryl Brandsen during the 2017 Convocation ceremony for the Calvin Prison Initiative students. (Photo courtesy Calvin College)

A partnership between Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary, the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) is a unique program that provides a Christian liberal arts education to inmates at Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan. This five-year program results in a bachelor of arts degree from Calvin College. The program equips inmates with the knowledge and skills required to be community leaders. The hope is that through this endeavor, not only will lives regain hope, but prison culture will be transformed, and justice there will become not merely retributive, but restorative.

 

Reprinted with permission from Calvin College.

Local expert on Mideast political struggles, Christian veterans group on latest WKTV Journal: In Focus

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WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

 

On the latest episode of WKTV Journal: In Focus is Keith St. Clair, who has been teaching national and international political science at Grand Rapids Community College since 2002 and is frequently asked to discuss Middle East issues.

 

He has travelled extensively throughout the Middle East including a recent trip to Qatar — a small county strategically located between feuding regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran. He talks with In Focus host Ken Norris about Qatar’s importance to U.S. foreign policy and current military presence in that often-troubled region.

 

Also on the episode, is Steve Prince, the director of Warriors Set Free, which is a veterans support program of Set Free Ministries, a Christian-based ministry run by veterans for veterans.

 

 

The entire episode of “WKTV Journal: In Focus” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel.

 

The episode debuted on WKTV cable channels on Tuesday, April 10, and will again air on Thursday, April 12, also at 6:30 p.m., and will continue on the same days and times the week of April 16. But all interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal: In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.

 

New software enhances the study of animal ecology

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DeRuiter’s team, which included two students, delivered a workshop at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and allowed the students to develop meaningful connections with influential researchers. (Photo courtesy Calvin College)

By Hannah Ebeling, Calvin College

 

“The underlying motivation of our work and research is always inquisitiveness and wonder at animal ecology,” said Stacy DeRuiter, professor of mathematics and statistics at Calvin College. “We can learn so much about creation by exploring.”

 

DeRuiter has for years studied marine animals, using bio-logging technology.

 

Recognizing a need

 

“Bio-logging studies, where data on animal movements are collected using small, animal-borne devices that either store or transmit sensor data, are growing rapidly in numbers and in scope,” said DeRuiter.

 

As the technology advances, there are more opportunities to track longer and more frequent data sets of animal behavior. Instead of tracking the animal once every few seconds, researchers are now receiving feedback multiple times a second. However, this means there is much more data to account for and sort through, explained DeRuiter.

 

“While these tags offer exciting opportunities to observe animal behavior in unprecedented detail, there is a desperate need for freely available, easy-to-use, flexible tools to facilitate proper analysis and interpretation of the resulting data,” DeRuiter said.

 

Developing accessible and efficient software

 

“We thought it would be worthwhile to spend a year making better software that would be more accessible, as well as creating documentation and a workshop to make it easier for people to use in general,” she said.

 

Throughout summer 2017, DeRuiter led a collaborative project developing software tools for analysis of data from animal-borne movement-sensors. Her team included two students, who developed tools and delivered a workshop at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, introducing researchers to the tools and providing hands-on practice.

 

Before DeRuiter made the proposal for the project she received more than 30 letters from other researchers, who would benefit from her work, in support of the idea.

 

“It was amazing having the support of the community that really wanted this to happen but either did not have the time or funding to make it possible,” she said.

 

Gaining meaningful experience and connections

 

This project allowed students to develop some meaningful connections with influential researchers, explained DeRuiter.

 

“That is part of the reason I wanted them to come to Scotland and the University of St. Andrews,” she said. “They had done such great work and software development, and I wanted them to see the workshop play out.”

 

“The thing I enjoyed most was participating in the international workshop at the end of the summer,” said David Sweeny, a student researcher. “It was amazing to see how many different kinds of research topics from around the world are using the software functions that we have developed and translated.”

 

Sweeny said he is interested in this research because it gives him an insight into the lives of magnificent marine creatures during the times and in places that he otherwise would not be able to observe were it not for tags.

 

“This research provides so many ways to learn how we can best protect these animals,” he said. “Given that I care a lot about protecting the environment, this work is really important to me.”

 

Opening the door to future research

 

“One of the most important things that the Reformed tradition tells us about being Christian is that we don’t do it alone; we do it in community. Science, for example, proceeds by the careful work of many, many hands,” said DeRuiter. “The goals of the project were to democratize this kind of research and level the playing field for those who don’t have the same mentorship, training, or funding to buy software.”

 

This software will help DeRuiter track whale and dolphin behavior as well as open the door for other researchers to non-intrusively explore other animal habits.

 

“The availability of this software will only enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of current and future work being done around the world,” said Sweeny. “It will allow for increased collaboration between scientists which will have many different kinds of benefits in the future.”

 

Reprinted with permission from Calvin College.

Calvin classroom pilots cutting-edge Google technology

3-bottom, Area Education, Citizen Journalism, Education, Tech Trends, , , , ,
Image courtesy of Calvin College

By Matt Kucinski, Calvin College

 

A 90-minute drive … replaced by a single click. Thanks to Google, the course catalog is expanding, and students at three colleges, separated by 100 miles, are learning together.

 

“This isn’t happening anywhere else on this scale,” said Roman Williams, assistant professor of sociology at Calvin College.

 

Leading the way

In collaboration with Google, the Michigan Colleges Alliance is piloting the Google Course Share Collaboration, a new approach that aims to expand course options at smaller private colleges, while still retaining the faculty-driven teaching model.

 

Calvin, Alma, and Albion are participating in the pilot in spring 2018, each offering one course available to all three campuses.

 

“The whole idea is to offer courses that might not otherwise be offered because they are so specialized that student interest on one campus might not be enough to achieve the desired level of enrollment,” said Williams, who is teaching his Visual Toolkit course on Monday nights to six Alma, seven Albion, and six Calvin students. “Adding compelling technology to the mix amplifies students’ experiences.”

 

Powered by Google

How it works? Each campus is making a Google Extended Classroom available, complete with Hangouts Meet—Google’s video meeting software—and Jamboard—Google’s 55-inch, 4K interactive display, which is spurring collaboration through linking up digital whiteboards across the colleges. And each student has been given a Chromebook from their respective institution.

 

“The Jamboard is an interactive whiteboard that you can all share,” said Emma Chung, a junior digital communications major at Calvin who is taking “Media Theory and Culture” via Google Course Share through Albion College. “So, if Albion students are writing on it, we can see what they are writing, kind of like a Google Doc in a portable whiteboard form, but it’s still treated like a whiteboard. It’s pretty neat.”

 

The classrooms have two large monitors, each showing students from the other two participating colleges. Steelcase, the largest office furniture manufacturer in the world, has also joined the effort, and will be outfitting each classroom with comfortable seating and in helping create collaborative spaces for students to thrive.

 

Collaborating across colleges

Learning how best to collaborate from a distance takes a little time, says Williams. But, he says that students having the unique experience of helping pioneer a new way of learning, combined with the novelty of working with “cool technology,” are already going a long way in producing higher levels of student participation, engagement, and enthusiasm about these courses.

 

Students agree.

 

“I think it’s a really enriching experience. You get a chance to interact with students from another campus that isn’t yours, who you haven’t spent four years with,” said Taylor Hartson, a junior sociology major at Calvin. “It’s also a good experience for people considering going to grad school. ‘How do I interact with strangers for the first time? How do I adjust to a class that isn’t taught in a way that’s the way I’ve been taking the last several years?’”

 

Hartson, who is taking Williams’ class, is looking forward to more opportunities to hear from classmates representing various disciplines and multiple institutions. “It’s interesting to hear the perspectives of those not in this field on an up-and-coming methodology, to kind of explore that together, to see what it looks like to use this methodology in communications or in biology. It’s cool to hear all these perspectives.”

 

Opening more options

The pilot program is testing the viability of an academic-resource-sharing model between colleges, giving students and faculty more access to resources. The Michigan Colleges Alliance represents an ideal platform for launching a new course delivery system like this one. The MCA consists of 14 smaller private institutions. But, collectively, the alliance comprises the third largest student body in the state of Michigan.

 

What Google Course Share allows is for private institutions to keep their student-centered learning and close faculty interaction—hallmarks of the experiences they currently offer—all while expanding their course options for students.

 

One Calvin student wrote in her reflection after the first class, ‘I LOVE THIS TECHNOLOGY! That’s all I have to say for now. I feel like I’m living in the future.’

 

“On many levels she is correct,” said Williams, “she is living into the future. Increasingly a company’s workforce is spread across multiple locations and using meeting/collaboration technology like Google’s Jamboard and Hangouts Meet are the norm. A student who experiences a course like the ones we’re offering gains aptitudes and skills for thriving in the global economy.”

 

Calvin College’s Center for Social Research (CSR) has been tasked by MCA with evaluating the pilot program. Through surveys, focus groups, and research, CSR will provide an evaluation by the end of April 2018. The plan is to publish these results after the final evaluation.

 

Reprinted with permission from Calvin College.

Calvin College earns ‘Tree Campus USA®’ distinction

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Photo courtesy of Calvin College

By News & Stories Staff, Calvin College

 

Calvin College is honored with 2017 Tree Campus USA® recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management. Calvin is one of four Michigan institutions to receive the distinction. (University of Michigan, Washtenaw Community College, and Western Michigan University were also included.)

 

“Students are eager to volunteer in their communities and become better stewards of the environment,” said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Participating in Tree Campus USA sets a fine example for other colleges and universities, while helping to create a healthier planet for us all.”

 

Tree Campus USA, an Arbor Day Foundation program, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The Tree Campus USA program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. Calvin College achieved the title by meeting Tree Campus USA’s five standards, which include maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and student service-learning project. Currently there are 344 campuses across the United States with this recognition. This is Calvin’s sixth consecutive year being named a Tree Campus USA.

 

“Calvin’s Tree Campus USA designation shows the importance we place on not only the care and management of our existing trees, but also on campus involvement in planting new ones,” said Bob Speelman, Calvin’s landscape operations supervisor and a certified arborist. “Campus trees play a key role in making this an attractive, sustainable and enjoyable place to live, work and visit. I am pleased that our role as stewards of the campus urban forest has been recognized once again.”

 

The Arbor Day Foundation is a million member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. The organization has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $48 million in campus forest management last year.

 

Reprinted with permission from Calvin College.

Wyoming high’s latest Alpha Wolf ceremony to air on WKTV

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Wyoming High School’s December 2017 Alpha Wolf ceremony included a special flag ceremony. (WKTV)

WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

 

Late last year, as they have at the end of each semester for the last three three school years, Wyoming High School students and teachers honored six exemplary students with the Alpha Wolf 11 Champion of Character Award — two sophomores, two juniors and two seniors.

 

And WKTV’s cameras were there to assist the school in recording the event.

 

There will be special airings of the event on WKTV cable channel 25 next week, with the Alpha Wolf Awards being broadcast Wednesday, March 14, at 5 p.m.; Friday, March 16, at 11 p.m.; and Saturday, March 17, at 11 a.m.

 

The Dec. 7, 2017, ceremony was attended by the student body, special guests from the Wyoming community, City of Wyoming city and public safety leaders, school district administration and the Wyoming Board of Education members. There was also a special flag ceremony.

 

A special guest at the recent ceremony was the staff of the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan and its executive director, Christy Buck, who spoke about the group’s Be Nice initiative. The program works in schools and the community to provide simple, common sense, ways to prevent suicide and be proactive to other dangers resulting from mental illness.

 

The Alpha Wolf program was led by teachers Jonathan Bushen and John Doyle, who started the program three years ago modeled on a program at Grandville high school, where he kids attended. But many teachers and staff members were involved.

 

Calvin College gifted complete set of Audubon’s ‘Birds of America’

3-bottom, Area Education, Citizen Journalism, Education, , ,

 

By Hannah Ebeling, Calvin College

 

“The science that we have today is shaped so much by a desire to know the God that created it,” said David Malone, dean of college and seminary library. John James Audubon reflects this desire to understand creation in his passionate and detailed study of North American birds.

Rare Audubon prints gifted to Calvin

Calvin College was recently gifted, by Udean Burke, Birds of America, a collection of prints by naturalist and painter John James Audubon. The collection was produced in 1966 by American Heritage Publishing and has an estimated value in the tens of thousands. The set contains 431 colored illustrations of a wide variety of birds of the United States, and is one of only 120 complete sets known to exist. Audubon’s Birds of America was originally produced between 1827 and 1838, consisting of hand-colored prints made by engraved plates.

 

The donor, owner of Nancy and Udean Christian Tours, emphasized the importance of gifting this set to a Christian institution. “The donor was looking for a Christian school that would put them to use,” said Malone. The prints were given to be used at the discretion of the college, without restrictions, for the needs of the school, he said.

 

“I think it reflects well on Calvin that someone really not that familiar with Calvin, except by reputation, would select us for this gift,” said Randy Vogelzang, director of gift planning and major gifts. “It was an unexpected blessing and quite an honor and a privilege that they would have the confidence in supporting us and Calvin’s mission.”

Collection to be available to all

“Generally, when we have something like this, it’s my desire that we not hide it somewhere just in storage, and that the materials get engaged,” said Malone. “That’s really at the core of what a library does.” They are valuable and need to be well cared for, but that does not necessarily mean they need to be sequestered and unavailable, explained Malone.

 

The library’s goal would be that these prints are engaged and made available for natural science and history courses to understand the role of documentation in the history of science. “The collection is very attractive, and I can imagine that it could be framed and hung around the campus,” he said.

Complete set in perfect condition

The prints are in near perfect condition and while individual prints of Audubon’s Birds of North America are available, it is much rarer to come across a complete set of all 431 prints, much less in perfect condition, explained Vogelzang. “There are very few private colleges that have sets like this,” he said. “It is pretty remarkable for a smaller college to have something like this in their collection.”

 

“It was attractive to obtain them simply because of what they were, but it’s also desirable to find new ways of connecting curriculum with resources, and these kinds of visual materials are very different in that way,” said Malone.

 

What separates Audubon’s work is the detail and the intricacy that he was able to create in his documentation, explained Malone. The prints show the change in how the natural world was being documented and viewed at the time. “These fit well within a reformed perspective,” said Malone. “This is God’s creation, let us fully understand the depth of it and try and understand as much as we can.”

 

Reprinted with permission from Calvin College.

Symposium creates community for those affected by rare disease

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Kalina Reese is researching rare diseases alongside Calvin biology professor Amy Wilstermann


By Hannah Ebeling, Calvin College

 

One in ten people is affected by a rare disease in some way, explained Rachael Baker, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Calvin College. “Because there are 7,000 different rare diseases, everyone is probably going to know someone, a friend or family member with a rare disease at some point,” she said. “We want to raise awareness about what that looks like.”

Rare diseases and real stories

On March 3, 2018, Calvin and the Rare Disease Research Group will hold the first Rare Disease Symposium. This event will provide individuals the opportunity to learn about current research efforts in rare diseases that affect members of the local community. It will also allow local patients and their families to talk about living with rare diseases. February 28 is Rare Disease Day. Across the country on that day, people gather to recognize rare diseases.

 

“We wanted to have our symposium as close to rare disease day as possible,” said Baker.

 

“In West Michigan currently there does not seem to be any sort of rare disease community,” said Amy Wilstermann, biology professor. “There are families in the area that are affected by rare disease, people doing research on rare disease, medical professionals that are treating patients, and we have a lot of our students that are headed into medical professions. The goal of the Rare Disease Symposium is to bring all of these people together so that they can talk to one another and build some support networks and connect people to resources that they might not even be aware of.”

A community for those affected by rare disease

“Rare diseases are very important for just understanding health and the human body, but we didn’t want our students to only think of them in that context,” said Baker. “We wanted them to have a bigger vision for who is affected in this community and understand how can we speak to and minister to those people as we research.”

 

“Being sick is not a unique experience, but having a rare disease is,” said Baker. “When you have a rare disease, you’ve probably never heard of it before, you probably don’t know anyone else who has had it before, your doctor has probably never even diagnosed it before.” In the case of one of the symposiums’ speakers, their child is the only person in the world who has this specific disease. Things like ‘How will the disease progress as my child ages?’ is an open question for many families.

 

“Because of those factors, it can take a long time to get a diagnosis, and once you get a diagnosis, it can feel very isolating,” said Baker. “But, there are some very common emotions and experiences that are shared by many families that are diagnosed with rare diseases even if they don’t have the same rare disease. We think it is important to help them gather together and meet each other.”

A space to connect and learn

“Studying rare diseases is really important to me, because as a Christian I place a lot of importance on being a steward of all God’s people, especially the ones who are in the minority,” said Kalina Reese, a biochemistry and music double major, assisting in the symposium’s planning. “This experience has made me seriously consider the availability of disability research and the importance of making public areas accessible to those with diseases and disabilities.”

 

“I think the symposium fits into Calvin’s mission in a lot of ways,” said Wilstermann. “We are thinking about acting justly and living wholeheartedly.” In the rare disease community, because there are so many rare diseases that so few people have, there is not a big emphasis on research, she explained.

 

“I think one of the ways we feel that we are living out the mission is seeking out some of those areas of God’s kingdom that are neglected and devoting time to them.”

 

“We are hoping a lot of students attend the Rare Disease Symposium,” said Wilstermann. “Many will be working with people who are affected by rare disease at some point, and I would hope that they get a greater sense of the prevalence of rare diseases and understand the challenges, but also the resilience of some of these families at the event.”

 

“If someone comes in from the community who has a rare disease or is caring for someone that does, I hope they walk away from the symposium seeing Calvin as a new resource,” said Baker. “We are hoping the symposium will be the beginning of new relationships with a lot of community members affected by rare disease.”

 

The Rare Disease Symposium is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to register for the event online.

 

Reprinted with permission from Calvin College.

Boys and girls basketball on WKTV featured games schedule

3-bottom, Area Education, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Education, Kentwood Public Schools, Sports
WKTV offers on-demand viewing of Wyoming and Kentwood sports events and government meetings, including the monthly Government Matters meeting. (WKTV)

WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org 

 

The WKTV sports truck heads out twice this week for featured game coverage. First, on Tuesday, Feb. 20, It will be boys varsity basketball as Tri-unity Christian (12-4 overall, 7-1 in Alliance League as of Feb. 17) will host Muskegon Oakridge (5-10 overall, 7-8 in the West Michigan Conference) in a non-league tilt.

 

Then on Friday, Feb. 23, it’s an OK Gold varsity doubleheader with both boys and girls basketball being covered as Wyoming hosts East Grand Rapids. First up will be the Wolves girls team (9-10; 5-6 conference as of Feb. 16) against the Pioneer girls (15-3; 8-2). After that game will be the Wolves boys (14-4 overall, 10–1 conference as of Feb. 16) against the Pioneer boys (10-6 overall, 5-4).

 

Currently, each Tuesday game will be broadcast that night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Each Friday game will be aired that night on WKTV 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat Saturday at 11 a.m. The games can also be seen on AT&T U-verse 99.

 

All games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com .

 

The last of the February featured broadcast schedule is:

Saturday, Feb. 24 — Boys Hockey: FH Central at East Kentwood

 

Following is the complete schedule of all local high school sports action this week. For any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/

 

Monday, Feb. 19

Boys/Girls Bowling

Wyoming Lee @ Potter’s House

 

Tuesday, Feb. 20

Girls Basketball

South Christian @ Middleville T-K

NorthPointe Christian @ Godwin Heights

Potter’s House @ Zion Christian

West Michigan Aviation @ Algoma Christian

Western Michigan Christian @ Grand River Prep

East Kentwood @ Rockford

Belding @ Kelloggsville

West Michigan Lutheran @ Wellsprings Prep

Boys Basketball

Middleville T-K @ South Christian

Godwin Heights @ NorthPointe Christian

Potter’s House @ Zion Christian

West Michigan Aviation @ Holland Black River

Western Michigan Christian @ Grand River Prep

Rockford @ East Kentwood

Hopkins @ Wyoming Lee

Kelloggsville @ Belding

West Michigan Lutheran @ Algoma Christian

Muskegon Oakridge @ Tri-unity Christian – WKTV Featured Event

Boys/Girls Bowling

Wyoming Lee @ Potter’s House

Wellsprings Prep @ Tri-Unity Christian

 

Wednesday, Feb. 21

Girls Basketball

Benton Harbor @ Godwin Heights

West Michigan Aviation @ WMAES

Boys Basketball

Benton Harbor @ Godwin Heights

West Michigan Aviation @ WMAES

 

Thursday, Feb. 22

Boys Swimming

East Kentwood @ Grand Haven

 

Friday, Feb. 23

Girls Basketball

South Christian @ Wayland

Potter’s House @ Algoma Christian

Holland Black River @ Zion Christian

Grandville @ East Kentwood

East Grand Rapids @ Wyoming – Coaches vs Cancer – WKTV Featured Event

Kelloggsville @ Calvin Christian

WMAES @ West Michigan Lutheran

Holland Calvary @ Tri-Unity Christian

Boys Basketball

South Christian @ Wayland

Algoma Christian @ Potter’s House

Creative Technologies @ West Michigan Aviation

Holland Black River @ Zion Christian

Grandville @ East Kentwood

Wyoming Lee @ Belding

East Grand Rapids @ Wyoming – Coaches vs Cancer – WKTV Featured Event

Kelloggsville @ Calvin Christian

West Michigan Lutheran @ WMAES

Holland Calvary @ Tri-Unity Christian

Boys Hockey

South Christian vs West Ottawa @ Griffs Ice West

East Kentwood @ East Grand Rapids

Boys Swimming

South Christian @ TBA – O-K Conference Meet

East Kentwood @ Grand Haven

Boys/Girls Bowling

Godwin Heights @ Muskegon Mona Shores – Team Regionals

East Kentwood @ Battle Creek Lakeview – Team Regionals

Wyoming Lee @ Catholic Central – Team Regionals

 

Saturday, Feb. 24

Boys Hockey

South Christian @ FH Eastern/FH Northern

FH Central @ East Kentwood — WKTV Featured Event

Boys Swimming

South Christian @ TBA – O-K Conference Meet

East Kentwood @ Grand Haven

Boys/Girls Bowling

Godwin Heights @ Muskegon Mona Shores – Individual Regionals

East Kentwood @ Battle Creek Lakeview – Individual Regionals

Wyoming Lee @ Catholic Central – Individual Regionals

Girls Cheer

East Kentwood @ Brighton – State Regionals

Boys Wrestling

@ TBD – Team Finals

 

Monday, Feb. 26

Girls Basketball

Grand River Prep @ Godwin Heights – MHSAA Districts

Potter’s House @ Holland Calvary – MHSAA Districts

Ottawa Hills @ East Kentwood – MHSAA Districts

Wyoming @ Christian – MHSAA Districts

 

WM Aviation now 6-2 in league, prepares for WKTV feature coverage

Area Education, City of Kentwood, Education, Sports

By Tyler Whitcomb

West Michigan Aviation Academy

 

The West Michigan Aviation Academy boys basketball team avenged an early-season loss on Tuesday, Feb. 13, by edging out Alliance League rival Grand River Prep by a score of 69-61.

 

The Aviators continue their conference slate on Friday night at Zion Christian in Byron Center.

 

(And WKTV’s featured game coverage crew will be there covering it for cable and on-demand replay. For complete list of upcoming local sports and WKTV featured games see our weekly sports schedule.

 

The Aviators (6-2 in league; 9-5 overall) fell to the Titans, 55-41, early on in the season in a non-conference spat. But, with league implications on the line Tuesday night on the road, Micah Broersma and Sam Ver Steeg dialed up brilliant games from long range to power WMAA to a victory.

 

Broersma finished with a game-high 26 points. He was 8-for-14 from behind the 3-point line while Ver Steeg added 14 points, which included a 4-for-8 performance from deep. The Aviators finished 13-for-26 (50 percent) from long range and 26-for-50 from the field as a whole.

 

Darnell Frye added 10 points for West Michigan Aviation Academy, followed by eight points from Bakar Dadiri and seven points from Ryan Robertson. Dadiri also added eight assists while Robertson paced the rebounding effort for WMAA with 10 boards.

 

Both teams went into the locker room at half time gridlocked in a 29-all tie, but it was the Aviators that stormed out in the second half to take control of the game. WMAA outscored the Titans 21-10 in the third frame and held on the rest of the way.

 

WKTV Note: Are you a student, parent, fan or coach of local high school sports interested in submitting stories to WKTV Journal for run on our website? Contact Ken at ken@wktv.org .

 

Boys and girls basketball on WKTV featured games schedule

Area Education, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Education, Kentwood Public Schools, Sports
WKTV offers on-demand viewing of Wyoming and Kentwood sports events and government meetings, including the monthly Government Matters meeting. (WKTV)

Seth Van Ast, WKTV Intern

ken@wktv.org   

 

The WKTV sports truck will be busy as usual as it heads out twice this week for featured game coverage, first with a boy’s basketball game on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at Wyoming High School as the OK Gold Conference leading Wolves (8-1 in conference; 12-4 overall as of Feb. 9.) hosts Wayland (2-5; 6-9 as of Feb. 9).

 

Then on Friday, Feb. 16, we will be covering both boys and girls games at Zion Christian as they host West Michigan Aviation Academy.

 

Currently, each Tuesday game will be broadcast that night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Each Friday game will be aired that night on WKTV 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat Saturday at 11 a.m. The games can also be seen on AT&T U-verse 99.

 

All games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com .

 

For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/

 

The remainder of the tentative February broadcast schedule includes:

Saturday, Feb. 17 – Boys Hockey – South Christian/BC at East Kentwood

Tuesday, Feb. 20 – Boys Basketball – Muskegon Oakridge at Tri-Unity Christian

Friday, Feb. 23 – Girls and Boys Basketball – East Grand Rapids at Wyoming

Saturday, Feb. 24 – Boys Hockey – FH Central at East Kentwood

 

Monday, Feb. 12

Boys/Girls Bowling

Unity Christian @ South Christian

Wyoming Lee @ Godwin Heights

West Catholic @ Potter’s House

East Kentwood @ Hudsonville

Zeeland East @ Wyoming

Kelloggsville @ Hopkins

Girls Cheer

Wyoming Lee @ FH Northern – NorthStar Invitational

Wyoming @ FH Northern – NorthStar Invitational

 

Tuesday, Feb. 13

Girls Basketball

East Grand Rapids @ South Christian

Godwin Heights @ Belding

West Michigan Aviation @ Grand River Prep

Wellsprings Prep @ Zion Christian

West Ottawa @ East Kentwood

Wayland @ Wyoming

Kelloggsville @ NorthPointe Christian

West Michigan Lutheran @ Algoma Christian

Tri-Unity Christian @ Fennville

Boys Basketball

South Christian @ East Grand Rapids

Belding @ Godwin Heights

Heritage Christian @ Potter’s House

West Michigan Aviation @ Grand River Prep

Wellsprings Prep @ Zion Christian

East Kentwood @ West Ottawa

Wayland @ Wyoming – WKTV Featured Event

NorthPointe Christian @ Kelloggsville

Tri-Unity Christian @ Fennville

 

Wednesday, Feb. 14

Boys/Girls Bowling

Godwin Heights @ Calvin Christian

Grand Haven @ East Kentwood

NorthPointe Christian @ Wyoming Lee

Boys Wrestling

State Team Regionals @ TBA

Girls Cheer

Wyoming @ Comstock Park

 

Thursday, Feb. 15

Girls Basketball

Potter’s House @ Wellsprings Prep

Boys Basketball

Potter’s House @ Wellsprings Prep

Boys/Girls Bowling

Potter’s House @ Tri-Unity Christian

 

Friday, Feb. 16

Girls Basketball

South Christian vs Covenant Christian @ Calvin College

West Michigan Aviation @ Zion Christian – WKTV Featured Event

Grand River Prep @ Fruitport Calvary Christian

Hudsonville @ East Kentwood

Christian @ Wyoming – Hall of Fame Night

Kelloggsville @ Hopkins

Tri-Unity Christian @ Holland Black River

Boys Basketball

South Christian vs Covenant Christian @ Calvin College

Godwin Heights @ Wyoming Lee

West Michigan Aviation @ Zion Christian – WKTV Featured Event

Grand River Prep @ Fruitport Calvary Christian

Hudsonville @ East Kentwood

Christian @ Wyoming Hall of Fame Night

Kelloggsville @ Hopkins

Tri-Unity Christian @ Holland Black River

Boys Hockey

Milford @ South Christian

Rockford @ East Kentwood

Girls Cheer

Godwin Heights @ Comstock Park – Districts

Wyoming Lee @ Comstock Park – Districts

Wyoming @ Comstock Park – Districts

 

Saturday, Feb. 17

Boys/Girls Bowling

South Christian – OK Green-Gold @ Park Center

Godwin Heights @ Wyoming Lee – O-K Silver Conference Meet @ Paragon

Kelloggsville @ Wyoming Lee – O-K Silver Conference Meet @ Paragon

East Kentwood – Post Season Tournament @ Spectrum Lanes

Wyoming @ Christian

Boys Hockey

South Christian/Byron Center @ East Kentwood – WKTV Featured Event

Boys Wrestling

Individual State Regionals @ Grand Ledge

Girls Cheer

@ East Kentwood – State Districts

Wyoming @ Kenowa Hills

 

Monday, Feb. 19

Boys/Girls Bowling

Wyoming Lee @ Potter’s House

 

At Godfrey-Lee ECC, One Wyoming Winterfest was all about the unique community 

3-bottom, Area Education, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Crime Prevention, Education, Health, Kids Activities,
The Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center on Joosten Street SW was open for fun on Saturday, Jan. 27. (WKTV)

K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org 

 

Each of the many locations where the One Wyoming Community Collaborative’s second annual Winterfest community events took place on Saturday, Jan. 27, had unique offerings for the many unique communities which make up Wyoming.

 

And maybe there is no event, and no community, as unique as the neighborhood around the Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center on Joosten Street SW — with its large hispanic population and its bilingual communication embraced as a community strength.

 

The weather was great — for January — at the Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center’s Winterfest event. (WKTV)

So it was only fit that notice of events — from raffle winners, to food offerings, to games on a playground free of snow and the sun shinning bright on a January day — were all announced in Spanish as well as English.

 

But there were not only fun and games available at the event. In addition to a visit from police Officer Shad McGinnis of the Community Services Unit, and a  city firetruck, there were several community service groups represented.

 

“Here at Winterfest for the Godfrey-Lee community, we have various resources partners, resource services, non-profits in our area, people that serve our community,” Sydney Hanlon, am ECC staff member, said to WKTV. “It is an opportunity for our families, our community, to come out, look at the different opportunities that are available for them, to volunteer, to find resources, to get services from these partners — and to just have a good time.

 

“Here at Godfrey-Lee ECC, this is just one part of our school district, and Godfrey-Lee is a community school district — it is the only school district in Kent County that is a total community school,” she added. “What that means is that we try to provide services for our community so that we do not have to go outside the community but their (social and health service) needs can be met here.”

 

One Wyoming is made up of a collaboration of schools, businesses, local government, churches, nonprofits and residents to improve the quality of life in the community. It is best known for its successful 1-on-1 mentoring program.

 

Wyoming’s Winterfest is similar to National Night Out, which takes place in August. This years’s event had seven different locations in various neighborhoods throughout the city. Each location has activities that have been planned by churches, residents and businesses of that neighborhood. Each site will have its own slate of events, but all will feature food, family-friendly activities, health related information and activities, and giveaways from businesses and other local organizations.

 

The morning locations, included The Dock, located near Kelloggsville High School on South Division Avenue (actually Grand Rapids), Wyoming Junior High School on Wrenwood Street SW, West Elementary School (with Calvary Church) 38th Street SW, and Grace Bible College on Aldon Street SW.

 

The list of afternoon locations, in addition to the ECC, included North Godwin Elementary School, on 34th Street and Vanguard Charter School on 52nd Street SW.

 

For more information about the event or about One Wyoming, visit onewyoming.com.

 

For more information about the Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center visit here .

 

Once a Rebel … Godfrey-Lee schools induct teams, teachers into Hall of Fame

3-bottom, Area Education, City of Wyoming, Education, Sports, , , , ,
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools inducted four into its Hall of Fame, with the ceremony taking place Jan. 12 at Lee High School. (WKTV)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

Godfrey-Lee Public Schools inducted four into its Hall of Fame earlier this month, two individuals who made an impact in the classroom, one on the basketball court and in the community, and a series of cross country teams worthy of the name “Team of the Decade”.

 

The induction ceremony took place prior to a varsity boys basketball game on Jan. 12 at Lee High School, but as is the custom at the district, the inductees were not only athletes and athletic teams.

 

The team honored with entry to the Hall of Fame honor was actually not a single team, but a series of cross county teams — The  Team of the Decade of the 1970s, as it is often called.

 

Art Kraai, himself a member of the Hall of Fame, accepted the award for his teams. (WKTV)

While the teams and team members were honored, it was their coach, Art Kraai, himself a member of the Hall of Fame, who accepted the award. Coach Kraai read off a long list of accomplishments for the Long Blue Line in dominate cross county seasons from 1971 to 1982, including the boys winning four state titles and the girls winning one — noting that it wasn’t until late in the run that girls even had state competitions.

 

One thing that unified all the teams, was the coach’s rallying cry, which he repeated as he closed his remarks: “Back in my day, we would say, ‘Coach, coach, open the door and let those Rebels on the floor’.”

 

Douglas Greenwold was a star Rebel in the class room and on the basketball team. (WKTV)

First up of the individuals on the honor roll was Douglas Greenwold, who was a star Rebel in the class room and on the basketball team — being named valedictorian leading the Rebels to the 1960 state finals — and then went on to play on University of Michigan’s first Final Four team in 1964. He earned his bachelors and two masters degrees at U-M, and went on to a long career in business and a continuing career in religious studies, including as an author and a teacher.

 

James D. Skidmore brought a passion for teaching and head for accounting to Lee high school. (WKTV)

The next honoree was James D. Skidmore, who brought a passion for teaching and head for accounting to Lee high school. Skidmore earned a bachelors degree from Ferris Institute and a masters from Michigan State University before joining the Lee staff in 1958. As a Rebel, he not only taught bookkeeping and accounting but also was faculty advisor for the Echo yearbook, Arial student newspaper and the National Honor Society. His late wife, Sally, was also a teacher at Lee. Skidmore went on to a long and distinguished teaching career at Grand Rapids Community College before retiring in 1999. But you know that they say: once a Rebel, always a Rebel.

 

Since the early 1960s, Patricia Camp Bartlett has been involved with the high school and the school district in literally all levels. (WKTV)

The final individual honored was Patricia Camp Bartlett. Since the early 1960s, she has been involved with the high school and the school district in literally all levels. She attended Lee, graduating in 1965, with four years in the band and four years in the Future Teachers of American group — a harbinger of a career to come. After getting her bachelors degree from Michigan State, she returned to Lee as a teacher in 1969, later earned a masters degree, and went ton to spend 37 years in district classrooms. In 1990, she was  a state finalist for Michigan Teacher of the Year. After retiring in 2005, she remains active in the school district including as part of the Feeding America food distribution program at Lee high and currently serving on the Godfrey-Lee Education Foundation Board of Directors.

Be neighborly: One Wyoming brings back Winterfest community-wide event to seven neighborhoods

3-bottom, Area Education, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Crime Prevention, Entertainment, Food, Going Local, Health, Local Faces, Non-Profits,
Students participate at one of the 2017 Winterfest booths. (WKTV)

WKTV Staff

news@wktv.org

 

After a successful debut last year, the One Wyoming Community Collaborative will present the 2018 version of its Winterfest community-wide series of events on Saturday, Jan. 27, with events planned any seven different locations but with one goal: to get people out and talking to their neighbors.

 

One Wyoming is made up of a collaboration of schools, businesses, local government, churches, nonprofits and residents to improve the quality of life in the community. It is best known for its successful 1-on-1 mentoring program.

 

Wyoming’s Winterfest is similar to National Night Out, which takes place in August. This years’s event will have seven different locations in various neighborhoods throughout the city. Each location has activities that have been planned by churches, residents and businesses of that neighborhood. Each site will have its own slate of events, but all will feature food, family-friendly activities, health related information and activities, and giveaways from businesses and other local organizations.

 

Where things are happening

 

The list of morning locations, open from 9-11 a.m., include: The Dock, located near Kelloggsville High School at 4669 South Division Ave. (actually Grand Rapids);  Wyoming Junior High School, 2125 Wrenwood St. SW; West Elementary School (with Calvary Church), 1840 38th St. SW; and Grace Bible College, 1011 Aldon St. SW.

 

The list of afternoon locations, open from noon-2 p.m., include: North Godwin Elementary School, 161 34th St.; Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center, 961 Joosten St. SW.; and Vanguard Charter School, 1620 52nd St, SW.

 

For more information about the event or about One Wyoming, visit onewyoming.com.

 

Godfrey-Lee Schools seek enhanced security, technology with millage request

3-bottom, Area Education, City of Wyoming, Education, Election,
Godfrey-Lee Schools will place a new sinking fund millage request before district voters in May. (WKTV)

 

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

Taking advantage of changes in state rules on how schools can spend sinking fund millage requests, and after unanimous approval by the Godfrey-Lee School Board this week, the district will put before voters on the May 8 ballot a 3-mill sinking fund request to address safety, security and technology issues.

 

An 2016 amendment to the state’s School Code allows expenditure of up-to-10-year, 3-mill maximum, sinking fund millage increases for additional school infrastructure uses such as technology and security upgrades in addition to building repairs and renovations.

 

Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Polston, center, speaks to the State Board of Education recently. (Supplied)

Approval of a new sinking fund would “ease the general fund to allow as many dollars as possible to stay in the classroom,” Superintendent Kevin Polston said to WKTV. “A new eligible area of the sinking fund is technology. We currently use general fund dollars to pay for technology devices.  As we know, general fund dollars fluctuate and there is no guarantee as to what we will get from year to year. Much less keeping up with inflation.  The sinking fund will provide a sustainable means to provide current technology devices for our students across our K-12 system.”

 

The 3 mills would be collected for 10 years — 2019 to 2028 — and generate approximately $315,000 the first year. Polston said 2 mills would go toward maintenance, energy and safety and security, with 1 mill for technology.

 

Polston said a series of community meetings will be scheduled to discuss the tax request with residents.

 

“In regards to maintenance, as stewards of our taxpayers dollars, we need to maintain our buildings to provide the best learning environments we can for our students. If we do not follow a regular maintenance schedule, it will result in higher costs and less dollars going to the classroom,” Polston said.

 

“In addition, there are new technologies that have lower operating costs, but have an initial up front cost.  An example is through the sinking fund we will install LED lighting in all of our buildings. LED lighting provides an enhanced learning environment at a significantly reduced operating costs and longer lifespan.”

 

The district’s previous sinking fund levy, 1.9976-mill, approved by Godfrey-Lee voters in 2009 is expiring.

 

According to the district, the average home value for a residence in the district is $67,169 and a homeowner with a homestead exemption is currently paying $67 per year and with the extra mill requested would see an increase of $34 for a total of $101.

 

Wyoming vs. S. Christian hoops doubleheader on WKTV featured schedule

Area Education, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Education, Kentwood Public Schools, Sports, , , , ,
Last year, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools inducted six new members into their Hall of Fame prior to a boys basketball game at Lee High School. (WKTV)

 

WKTV Staff

sports@wktv.org

 

Key conference games, as well as Wyoming Lee’s annual Hall of Fame games, are on the schedule this week as WKTV’s sports crew will be on the road Jan. 12 with a doubleheader of boys and girls basketball at Wyoming High School when the South Christian Sailors challenge the Wolves in a pair of key early year OK Conference Gold games.

 

On the girls side, Wyoming enters with an 0-1 conference record, 4-3 overall, after opening up OK Gold play with a tough 49-46 road loss at Thornapple Kellogg Friday, Jan. 5, and before another road game Tuesday, Jan. 9, at Forest Hills Eastern. South Christian will enter 1-0 in conference after a 59-29 home win over Forest Hills Eastern Friday, 5-2 overall, before hosting Grand Rapids Christian Tuesday.

 

On the boys side, Wyoming enters with an 1-0 conference record, 4-2 overall, after opening up OK Gold play with a 67-37 win at Thornapple Kellogg and before a home game Tuesday, Jan. 9, against Forest Hills Eastern. South Christian will enter 1-0 in conference, 4-1 overall, after a 56-50 win Forest Hills Eastern Friday and before a road game at Christian Tuesday.

 

Wyoming Lee will host Kelloggsville on Friday in the school’s annual Hall of Fame game.

 

The remainder of the tentative January Featured Game broadcast schedule is:

Tuesday. Jan. 16 — Boys Basketball: West Ottawa at East Kentwood

Tuesday, Jan. 23 — Boys Basketball: NorthPointe Christian at Godwin Heights

Thursday, Jan. 25 — Boys Swimming: Grandville at East Kentwood

 

Currently, each Tuesday game will be broadcast that night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Each Friday game will be aired that night on WKTV 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat Saturday at 11 a.m. The games can also be seen on AT&T U-verse 99.

 

All games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktv.viebit.com.

 

For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/

 

Local high school sports events this week are as follows:

Monday, Jan. 8

Boys/Girls Bowling

Kelloggsville @ Godwin Heights

Unity Christian @ Wyoming

Wyoming Lee @ Calvin Christian

Catholic Central @ Tri-Unity Christian

 

Tuesday Jan. 9

Girls Basketball

Godwin Heights @ Kelloggsville

Wyoming @ FH Eastern

Caledonia @ East Kentwood – WKTV Featured Game

Holland Black River @ Grand River Prep

West Michigan Aviation @ Martin

Zion Christian @ Holland Calvary

West Michigan Lutheran @ WMAES

Hopkins @ Tri-Unity Christian

Christian @ South Christian

Boys Basketball

Kelloggsville @ Godwin Heights

FH Eastern @ Wyoming

Wyoming Lee @ Calvin Christian

Caledonia @ East Kentwood

Covenant Christian @ Potter’s House

Holland Black River @ Grand River Prep

West Michigan Aviation @ Martin

West Michigan Lutheran @ WMAES

Hopkins @ Tri-Unity Christian

South Christian @ Christian

Girls Cheer

@ East Kentwood – Falcon Invite

 

Wednesday, Jan. 10

Boys/Girls Bowling

Godwin Heights @ Belding

Kelloggsville @ NorthPointe Christian

Wyoming @ Zeeland East

Potter’s House @ Wyoming Lee

Boys Wrestling

Godwin Heights @ Coopersville

NorthPointe Christian @ Kelloggsville

FH Eastern @ Wyoming

TBA @ Wyoming Lee

Hudsonville @ East Kentwood

Girls Cheer

Godwin Heights @ NorthPointe Christian

Kelloggsville @ NorthPointe Christian

Wyoming Lee @ NorthPointe Christian

Boys Hockey

Catholic Central @ East Kentwood

 

Thursday, Jan. 11

Boys/Girls Bowling

Wyoming Lee @ Tri-Unity Christian

Boys Swimming

West Ottawa @ East Kentwood

 

Friday, Jan. 12

Girls Basketball

Godwin Heights @ Hopkins

South Christian @ Wyoming – WKTV Featured Game

West Michigan Aviation @ Potter’s House

Holland Calvary @ Grand River Prep

Calvary Christian @ Zion Christian

West Michigan Lutheran @ Creative Technologies

Tri-Unity Christian @ Covenant Christian

Boys Basketball

Godwin Heights @ Hopkins

South Christian @ Wyoming – WKTV Featured Game

Kelloggsville @ Wyoming Lee – Hall of Fame Game

West Michigan Aviation @ Potter’s House

Holland Calvary @ Grand River Prep

Calvary Christian @ Zion Christian

West Michigan Lutheran @ Creative Technologies Academy

Tri-Unity Christian @ Covenant Christian

Boys Wrestling

Wyoming Lee @ Kelloggsville

Boys Hockey

East Kentwood @ FH Central

Rockford @ South Christian/BC/Wayland

Boys/Girls Bowling

Potter’s House @ Muskegon Orchard View

 

Saturday, Jan. 13

Girls Cheer

Godwin Heights @ Wyoming

Kelloggsville @ Allendale

Wyoming Lee @ Allendale

Boys Wrestling

Kelloggsville @ Fruitport

Wyoming @ West Catholic

East Kentwood @ West Catholic – Dunneback Invite

Boys/Girls Bowling

Kelloggsville @ Lowell

East Kentwood @ Rockford

Boys Swimming

East Kentwood @ Kalamazoo Loy Norrix

Boys Hockey

West Ottawa @ South Christian/BC/Wayland

 

Monday, Jan. 15

Boys/Girls Bowling

NorthPointe Christian @ Godwin Heights

Belding @ Kelloggsville

Wyoming Lee @ Hopkins

Wyoming @ East Grand Rapids

Girls Cheer

Kelloggsville @ Comstock Park

 

South Christian students lead effort to honor veterans at recent basketball game

3-bottom, Area Education, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Education, Local Faces, Non-Profits, Sports, Veterans, ,

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

It is common practice to honor the flag prior to the a high school basketball game, to stand for the playing of the national anthem. But South Christian High School pushed honoring America, and American service members and veterans, to an whole other level at a game last month when it hosted a special veterans recognition ceremony.

 

At the Sailors’ Dec. 15 game when it hosted Caledonia, a special ceremony between the girls and boys games honored U.S. Navy SEAL David Warsen, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2012, and well as other servicemen and women that have sacrificed their lives. It was also a benefit for the David Warsen Foundation and Warriors Set Free, a Grand Rapids based organization for veterans run by veterans to help deal with PTSD, suicide, anxiety, depression, and other life issues.

 

The event was the creation of two South Christian students, seniors Andrew Haan and Will Warsen.

 

David Warsen “was a cousin of my friend Will, my partner in organizing the event,” Haan said to WKTV. “I know Dean VanderMey who is on the board at Set Free Ministries, I told him about this project and he referred me to Steve Prince, the main person at Warriors Set Free, which is an offshoot of Set Free Ministries.”

 

For Prince, it was not his first time working with the David Warsen Foundation and it all fit perfectly with his ministry’s mission.

 

“I was invited to the South Christian event by Andrew Haan, his brother is connected to Set Free Ministries,” Prince said to WKTV. “I have also attended several events with the David Warsen Foundation.  A large part of my ministry is spreading the word about what we are doing, so being at that event helped to inform more people about our mission. I also spent some time (at the game) talking with people who are already connected to Set Free Ministries and military vets.”

 

Warriors Set Free —  “Where the hurting and the Healer connect”, according to its website — “is a (Christian-based) ministry run by Veterans for Veterans. Typically a Veteran will only be comfortable talking to another Veteran about the experiences they have had in a war or military service.  Trying to explain your military experience to a civilian has its challenges.  We remove that problem by training Vets to help Vets. Our director, founder and volunteers are all Veterans.”

 

For more information about the David Warsen Foundation visit davidwarsenlegacy.com and about Warriors Set Free visit setfreeministries.com .

 

New year, new WKTV featured games part of upcoming sports schedule

Area Education, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Education, Kentwood Public Schools, Sports,
Ice hockey is on WKTV’s coverage schedule this week. (WKTV)

Mike Moll, WKTV Volunteer Sports Director

sports@wktv.org

 

The New Year has started and with it most local high school basketball teams began the conference portion of their schedules.  WKTV will continue to be there bringing its viewers at least one Featured Game matchup each week, so, as always, if you can support your local school and its student-athletes in person do so, but then join in on the broadcasts.

 

WKTV’s sports crew will be on the road Jan. 5 with a doubleheader of boys and girls basketball, with Grand River Preparatory High School at Wyoming Potter’s House on the girls side, and Kelloggsville High School at The Potter’s House High School on the boys side. Then on Jan. 6, the crew will be at South Christian High School for a boys hockey game against Catholic Central High School.

 

The remainder of the tentative January Featured Game broadcast schedule is:

Friday, Jan. 12 — Girls and Boys Basketball: South Christian at Wyoming

Tuesday. Jan. 16 — Boys Basketball: West Ottawa at East Kentwood

Tuesday, Jan. 23 — Boys Basketball: NorthPointe Christian at Godwin Heights

Thursday, Jan. 25 — Boys Swimming: Grandville at East Kentwood

 

Currently, each Tuesday game will be broadcast that night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Each Friday game will be aired that night on WKTV 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat Saturday at 11 a.m. The games can also be seen on AT&T U-verse 99.

 

For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/

 

Local high school sports events this week are as follows:

 

Tuesday, Jan. 2

Boys Basketball

Grandville @ Wyoming

 

Wednesday, Jan. 3

Boys Wrestling

Godwin Heights @ Spring Lake

Kelloggsville @ Spring Lake

Wyoming @ Hamilton

East Kentwood @ Grandville

Girls Cheer

Godwin Heights @ Wyoming Lee

Kelloggsville @ Wyoming Lee

Girls Basketball

Benton Harbor @ Godwin Heights

Boys/Girls Bowling

Calvin Christian @ Kelloggsville

Wyoming @ South Christian

Belding @ Wyoming Lee

 

Thursday, Jan. 4

Boys Wrestling

Calvin Christian @ Wyoming Lee

Boys Swimming

@ East Kentwood

Boys Basketball

TBA vs Grand River Prep – GR Drive Winter Classic @ The DeltaPlex

Girls Basketball

WMAES @ West Michigan Lutheran

 

Friday, Jan. 5

Girls Basketball

Calvin Christian @ Godwin Heights

Holland Black River @ Kelloggsville

Wyoming @ Middleville T-K

East Kentwood @ Grand Haven

Grand River Prep @ Potter’s House

West Michigan Aviation @ Tri-Unity Christian

TBA vs West Michigan Lutheran — GR Drive Winter Classic @ The DeltaPlex

FH Eastern @ South Christian

Boys Basketball

Calvin Christian @ Godwin Heights

Kelloggsville @ Potter’s House — WKTV Featured Game

Wyoming @ Middleville T-K

NorthPointe Christian @ Wyoming Lee

East Kentwood @ Grand Haven

TBA vs Grand River Prep — GR Drive Winter Classic @ The DeltaPlex

West Michigan Aviation @ Tri-Unity Christian

Zion Christian @ Holland Calvary

FH Eastern @ South Christian

Girls Cheer

East Kentwood @ Hudsonville

Boys Hockey

East Kentwood @ Muskegon Mona Shores — Stan Konrad Tournament

South Christian/BC/Wayland @ Lansing Catholic

 

Saturday, Jan. 6

Boys Wrestling

Godwin Heights @ Allendale

Kelloggsville @ Wyoming

Girls Cheer

Godwin Heights @ NorthPointe Christian

Kelloggsville @ NorthPointe Christian

Wyoming Lee @ NorthPointe Christian

Boys/Girls Bowling

Godwin Heights @ Fruitport

Kelloggsville @ Fruitport

Wyoming Lee @ Jenison

Boys Swimming

East Kentwood @ East Grand Rapids

Boys Hockey

East Kentwood @ Muskegon Mona Shores — Stan Konrad Tournament

Catholic Central @ South Christian/BC/Wayland — WKTV Featured Game 

 

Monday, Jan. 8

Boys/Girls Bowling

Kelloggsville @ Godwin Heights

Unity Christian @ Wyoming

Wyoming Lee @ Calvin Christian

Catholic Central @ Tri-Unity Christian

South Christian High School sports wrap, Dec. 11

Area Education, Education, Sports

 

Supplied by South Christian

 

Girls Basketball: Sailors fend off Maroons, 42-39, to move to 3-1

 

South Christian hosted rival Holland Christian on Friday, Dec. 8, night. It was a slow start by both clubs, as the scoring was sparse in the 1st quarter. South held a slight edge after one and would extend their lead over the Lady Maroons to go into halftime up by 6, 19-13. SC came out of the locker room with a solid 3rd quarter to go up by double digits going into the final 8 minutes of the contest.

 

Holland Christian would continue to work hard and closed to within a basket in the final seconds, but a corner three pointer would come up short and South Christian would hold on for the 42-39 victory. Gabby Timmer would again lead South in the scoring column and on the boards with 16 points and 5 rebounds. Mariel Bruxvoort dropped in 15 points to go along with her 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Sydney Cleary led SC in handouts with 5 assists on the night to go with her 5 points and 3 steals.

 

South is now 3-1 on the year and will host another local rival, Caledonia, on Friday, Dec. 16, night at South Christian High School.

By Ty Cleary

 

Boys Basketball: Sailors defeat HC thanks to the hot hand of Vis

 

The Boys Varsity Basketball Team welcomed long time rival Holland Christian Friday, Dec. 8. A back and forth first half ended with South leading 27-24 at the break. A big 3rd quarter saw the Sailors outscore the Maroons 24-16 with some hot shooting from junior Peyton Vis. South held the lead the rest of the way, the final score 69-53.

 

Vis led all scorers with 29 points on 6 made 3-pointers. Fellow junior Luke Schrotenboer had 10 while senior Trey Vredevoogd scored 9, including a thunderous dunk in the 3rd quarter, and grabbed 6 boards.

 

The 2-0 Sailors have Tuesday off and then welcome Caledonia Friday, Dec. 15, at 7:30 for the David Warsen Legacy Foundation game to honor Veterans and Servicemen.

By Todd Schrotenboer

 

West Michigan Aviation Academy boys start season with win

Area Education, Education, Sports

 

Supplied by WMAA

 

The West Michigan Aviation Academy boys basketball team kicked off a highly anticipated season on Friday night, securing a 63-54 victory over non-conference opponent Crossroads Charter Academy of Big Rapids.

 

Quentin Thompson led the way for the Aviators, dialing in from long range to finish with 21 points, as reported by WMAA boys coach and athletic Tyler Whitcomb. Thompson was 6-of-12 from the field, including a 6-of-11 performance from behind the 3-point arc. Thompson was also a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe.

 

Micah Broersma also let it fly from deep in the win, finishing 4-for-10 from 3-point land for all 12 of his points. Ryan Robertson contributed 12 points for the Aviators, dropping in 10 of his 14 free throw attempts.

 

West Michigan Aviation Academy did not shy away from stiff competition in the season-opening contest. Combo guard Britton Angel returned to Crossroads this year as an All-State honoree last season.

 

Angel has already been on scoring tear this season, recording 36 points in the game 1 and 53 points in the game leading up to his visit to WMAA, but the Aviators were able to limit him to 22 points, which included a 9-for-14 performance from the field.

 

The Aviators slowly built their lead over the course of the game, gaining an 18-14 lead after the first stanza and holding on to a 26-23 lead at the break.

 

WMAA finished 17-for-43 from the field, 12-for-28 from 3-point land and 17-for-24 from the free-throw line. The Aviators grabbed a 27-24 advantage on the boards. Broersma and Robertson each hauled in five rebounds apiece to lead the team. Robertson added six assists, as well. WMAA is now 1-0 on the season.

 

Sam Ver Steeg chipped in with nine points for the Aviators, who also got points from Niklass Kurth (3 points), Bakar Dadiri (2), Zach Ellis (2) and Darnell Frye II (2).

 

West Michigan Aviation Academy continues its non-conference slate with Tuesday’s home match-up with West Michigan Academy of Environmental Science.

 

Boys basketball debuts on high school sports schedule; WKTV coverage close behind

3-bottom, Area Education, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Education, Kentwood Public Schools, Sports,
An early 2017 game televised by WKTV with East Kentwood High School’s boys basketball team at Wyoming. (WKTV)

By Mike Moll

sports@wktv.org

 

With Christmas and Christmas break this month, the December schedules are a bit thinner than a normal winter month, but boys basketball tips off the first week of the month and there are several holiday tournaments going on between Christmas and New Year’s, so get out to watch in person your local high school teams.

 

If you can’t make it in person, or even if you do, then join us on WKTV as we have an assortment of contests coming to the airwaves.  The tentative December schedule is:

 

Tuesday, Dec. 12 – Girls Basketball Potter’s House at Kelloggsville

Friday, Dec. 15 – Girls and Boys Basketball Caledonia at South Christian

Tuesday, Dec. 19 – Boys Basketball East Grand Rapids at East Kentwood

Friday, Dec. 22 – Girls and Boys Basketball Wyoming Lee at West Michigan Aviation

 

Currently, each Tuesday game will be broadcast that night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Each Friday game will be aired that night on WKTV 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat Saturday at 11 a.m. The games can also be seen on AT&T U-verse 99.

 

For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/

 

Local high school sports events this week are as follows:

 

Monday, Dec. 4

Girls Basketball 

Orchard View @ Godwin Heights

Boys/Girls Bowling 

East Grand Rapids @ Wyoming

 

Tuesday, Dec. 5

Boys Basketball 

West Ottawa @ Godwin Heights

Allendale @ South Christian

Kelloggsville @ Delton-Kellogg

East Kentwood @ FH Northern

Zion Christian @ Galesburg-Augusta

WMAES @ Grand River Prep

Girls Basketball 

South Christian @ East Kentwood

Union @ Kelloggsville

Zion Christian @ Galesburg-Augusta

West Michigan Lutheran @ Potter’s House

Muskegon Catholic Central @ Grand River Prep

Montague @ Tri-Unity Christian

 

Wednesday, Dec. 6

Boys Wrestling 

Godwin Heights @ Unity Christian

Wyoming Lee @ Unity Christian

Wyoming @ Unity Christian

Kelloggsville @ Holland

East Kentwood @ Hudsonville

Boys/Girls Bowling 

Wyoming @ Byron Center

 

Thursday, Dec. 7

Boys/Girls Bowling 

Caledonia @ Godwin Heights

Boys Basketball 

Wyoming Lee @ Zion Christian

Grand River Prep @ Saranac

Boys Swimming 

FH Central @ East Kentwood

Girls Basketball 

Wyoming Lee @ Zion Christian

West Michigan Aviation @ West Michigan Lutheran

 

Friday, Dec. 8

Girls Basketball

Godwin Heights @ Union

Wyoming @ Jenison

Holland Christian @ South Christian

Kelloggsville @ West Michigan Aviation

East Kentwood @ FH Central

Barry County Christian @ Potter’s House

Boys Basketball 

Hudsonville @ Godwin Heights

Jenison @ Wyoming

Holland Christian @ South Christian

Kelloggsville @ West Catholic

East Kentwood @ FH Central

Potter’s House @ Pewamo-Westphalia

Big Rapids Crossroads @ West Michigan Aviation

Algoma Christian @ Tri-Unity Christian

Boys Hockey 

South Christian @ Lowell

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer @ East Kentwood

 

Saturday, Dec. 9

Boys Wrestling 

Godwin Heights @ Kent City

Wyoming Lee @ Greenville

Wyoming @ Calvin Christian

Buchanan @ Kelloggsville – Dave Flemming Tournament

East Kentwood @ Big Rapids

Girls Cheer 

Wyoming @ Comstock Park

East Kentwood @ Caledonia

Boys Hockey 

South Christian @ Manistee

Girls Basketball 

Grand River Prep @ Tri-Unity Christian

Boys Basketball 

Grand River Prep @ Tri-Unity Christian

 

Monday, Dec. 11

Boys/Girls Bowling 

Ottawa Hills @ Godwin Heights

Wayland @ Wyoming

Girls Basketball 

Holland Calvary @ West Michigan Lutheran

 

New Godfrey-Lee district board member brings Latinx perspective to educational leadership

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New Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Board of Education members Jackie Hernandez, shown with Superintendent Kevin Polston, was appointed early this month. (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org 

 

Following appointment by the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Board of Education on Nov. 13, Jackie Hernandez is ready to move from work on the district’s Parent Teacher Organization to work as a trustee on the board of education.

 

Hernandez replaces Katie Brumley on the board for a 6-year term seat which will now come up for a special election in November 2018 for the remaining four years of the term.

 

With her appointment, Hernandez hopes to bring a more ethnically diverse presence to the board. The Godfrey-Lee district has a majority Hispanic/Latino in population but, until Hernandez’s appointment, did not have a Hispanic/Latino member.

 

“There are great benefits in having a diverse board and I wanted the school board to reflect the community it serves,” Hernandez said in an interview with WKTV Journal. “Our district is about 75 percent Latino and our board should reflect that. As a Latina, community advocate and a parent I will bring a different perspective to the table.”

 

Making the board more diverse was also an factor in her appointment, along with her work as president of the PTO, her being a parent of children in the district, and her community involvement and professional background.

 

Hernandez works as community liaison for LINC UP, a “community development organization that provides services to Kent County, and are involved in a host of projects and services that reach families, houses, businesses and neighborhoods at large,” according to its website.

 

The board interviewed three candidates to fill the position, and board president Eric Mockerman said in supplied material that Hernandez was selected because of her “commitment to the students and families of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools.”

 

“My work on the PTO was a great starter to working on the board,” Hernandez said. “It gave me a better understanding of what the schools are doing and why they are doing the work they do and how much work is still to be done yet. It also helped to establish and grow relationships with the parents and teachers at each school.

 

“I have learned that we all — parents, teachers and school administrators —want to help our children succeed in life and we all have different ways to contribute to that success. Many want to feel a part of the process and know that their voices are being heard and that their contributions matter, no matter how small.”

 

Hernandez said she not only plans to run for re-election to the remainder of the term next year, but she has some issues she is particularly interested in.

 

“One of the issues I want to focus on will be the resources that we have in place for our students and staff at East Lee (campus),” she said. “I also want our parents and students to know that we (the school board) are accessible to them and that we want to hear from them. Many Latino parents struggle with this because up until now there was not a board member who spoke Spanish or who looked like them. I hope to be able to erase that barrier and have parents know that they can speak to someone who will understand them.

 

“I believe that my view point or perspective of things will enhance the great work already being done by our school administrators and staff because at the end of the day its about what is best for our students.”

 

The Board of Education meets monthly at the Godfrey-Lee Administration Office,1324 Burton Street, SW. Its next meeting will be Dec. 11. For more information visit godfrey-lee.org .

 

Wyoming Public Schools now ready for future after gaining millage extension

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Wyoming Public Schools, shown here in a photo supplied by the district. (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

There as likely a sigh of relief, and finally an eye for the future, as Wyoming Public Schools district voters Tuesday approved what is essentially a $79.5 million school improvement plan by allowing the district to continue to collect the same level of millage into the future.

 

With 23 of 23 precincts reporting in the Nov. 7 general election, the vote was 2,377 yes and 1,075 no. The approved millage request comes after the district’s voters rejected millage increases in the spring and fall of 2013, each of which would have raised about $50 million. The last significant bond passage was in 1997, for about $41 million.

 

On Wednesday, district Superintendent Dr. Thomas Reeder told WKTV why this millage request was different from previous ones, and what the district’s move to modernize itself will mean to students.

 

“This request was significant in two ways,” Reeder said. “First, it involved no increase in the current tax levy, but extends it.

 

“What this will mean for students in elementary school is they will be able to see the final renovations of the high school as they complete their schooling, or before,” he added. But “current students in elementary will not see any changes at (their) elementary (schools) as this will be a 7-8 year work in progress to significantly redo all our buildings and grounds.”

 

The millage would pay for bonds which would be used to upgrade every district buildings, and improve safety, security and transportation systems. But the majority of the funds, about $40 million, will be spent on the high school’s two-phase makeover, including a 30-classroom addition to allow the movement of freshmen students back to the high school, as well as other building and athletic facility upgrades.

 

For more details on what the Wyoming Public Schools district plans to do with the approved millage, see a previous WKTV story here.

 

WKTV Journal: In Focus offers discussion on local school, transit millage requests

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Wyoming Public Schools, shown here in a photo supplied by the district. (Supplied)

WKTV Staff

news@wktv.org

 

On the latest episode of WKTV Journal: In Focus, WKTV’s public affairs show, program host Ken Norris talks with Wyoming Public Schools Superintendent Tom Reeder about a Nov. 7 local ballot measure that would modernize district infrastructure and radically alter the high school. Then a representative of The Rapid public transition system talks about the importance of his organization’s request for continued public support.

 

Wyoming Public Schools superintendent Thomas Reeder’s district is seeking to modernize its buildings and other infrastructure. (WKTV)

Reeder’s district is asking for voter support for what will eventually be an investment of about $79.5 million into district infrastructure. The current approved millage would not increase or decrease, but passage of the request would extend the current millage rate for 18 more years — and would “set up the district for the next two decades,” Reeder says.

 

Michael Bulthuis of The Rapid public transit system. The Rapid is seeking a renewal of the system’s current 1.47 mil local property tax millage. (WKTV)

Michael Bulthuis, Marketing and Communication Manager for The Rapid public transit system, talks about the request to voters in Wyoming and Kentwood for renewal of the system’s current 1.47 mil local property tax millage. Wyoming and Kentwood are two of the six greater Grand Rapids community which are provided public transit and which would pay the millage. Mr. Bulthuis talks about his organization’s current services provided, its funding sources, and to give us some details on the renewal request.

 

The episode will air twice this week on WKTV channels but all interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal: In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVVideos.

 

For the video of Dr. Reeder at WKTV visit here.

 

 

For the video of Mr. Bulthuis at WKTV visit here.

 

The entire episode of “WKTV Journal: In Focus” airs Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 6:30 p.m., on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel.

 

Wyoming Public Schools seek millage extension to modernize buildings, expand high school

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Wyoming Public Schools superintendent Thomas Reeder’s district is seeking to modernize its buildings and other infrastructure.

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

Wyoming Public Schools superintendent Thomas Reeder is to-the-point when asked to explain the need for his district to modernize its buildings and other infrastructure, which is what the district’s $79.5 million millage extension request on the Nov. 7 ballot is all about.

 

“At some point, whether it is your home or your car, the number of things going wrong, breaking down, becomes overwhelming … we need a huge overhaul of our buildings,” Reeder said in an interview on WKTV Journal: In Focus. “We have about 18 years of renovations that we want to be able to do … what I mean by that is we have to be able to set our schools up for the next couple of decades.”

 

He is just as direct when it comes to why district taxpayers should trust that his school system will spend the money wisely — pointing out that his district is the only one of out 20 Kent County school districts to have has balanced its budget in the 5-year period from 2012-2016, and that it has the 14 lowest total millage rate out of those 20 county school districts.

 

“We have tried to prudent with the dollars (the voters) have given us with our bond requests,” he said. “And we have made necessary cuts, whether it be in administration, maintenance or other things in order to ensure we stay ahead of the curve” when it comes to a balanced budget.

 

 

Wyoming Public Schools, which has about 4,300 students, is asking for voter approval to continue the current millage rate for 18 more years — an action which would neither increase or decrease what property tax payers would pay.

 

The current debt rate of 5.65 is projected to be levied through 2025. It will taper off after that as these bonds are paid off through 2043. If the millage request is passed, the first series bonds (projected for 2018) would be repaid over 21 years, by 2039. A second series of bonds (projected for 2022) would be retired by 2043 at the latest.

 

The district’s current total property tax base millage is 6.145 mills: 5.65 mills in debt and .495 mill for a sinking fund. Its last big bond measure was passed in 1994. District currently has three bond measures being paid off, and this new millage request would allow for the continued funding of new bonds as each of the three existing bond measures are paid off. The sinking fund is separate, for $400k per year and is in the 2nd year of a 10-year sinking fund request passed in 2015.

 

By state law, school bonds can only be utilized to fund capital improvement projects, new construction, technology and transportation. The proceeds cannot be used for routine repair or maintenance costs; teacher, administrator or employee salaries; or other operating expenses.

 

The expenditure of any bond proceeds must be audited annually during the construction period by an external CPA firm. Those audits are transmitted annually to the Department of Treasury.

 

The breakdown of how the $79.5 million would be spent is:

 

High school: $40 million in two segments (two phases: 2018 and 2022)

Junior high: $11.5 million

Intermediate school: $4.5 million

Elementary schools: Gladiola = $6 million; West = $5 million; Oriole = $4.5 million; Parkview = $3.5 million; Rogers Lane = $900k

Huntington Woods Early Childhood Center: $1.5 million

Administration Building: $950k

Regional Center and Adult Education: $830k

Bus Garage: $400k

 

Most of the building and site improvements to be done would be items such as roof replacements, mechanical system upgrades, classroom and building renovations. There would also be safety and security improvements — including playground safety improvements.

 

“It has been a couple of decades since we passed our last millage,” Reeder said. “So since 1994 all of the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), roofs, etcetera, have not been done. Parking lots. The parking lots have not had any major work since that time.

 

“Those all need to be upgraded, to be redone. There is a significant cost in doing that, well beyond an operating millage. In addition, our buildings were built in a very different era. All of our buildings are approximately 50 years or more old.”

 

The largest single expenditure would be to restructure the high school to again house 9-12 grades. The design would allow for a freshman wing to keep these students together during what the district calls “their important transition year into high school.”

 

Upgrades to the high school would occur over two phases, starting in 2018. Among the work to be done is construction of two-story, 30 classroom addition, as well as athletic upgrades, and cafeteria and kitchen upgrades for 9th grade student addition.

 

“The high school gets a total remodel,” Reeder said. “All the other buildings and sites get a significant remodel. But we are not adding on and moving things around as we would at the high school.”

 

The move to separate the 9th grade students into the middle school was originally done as a cost-saving measure. But “our parents have requested, our staff have overwhelming said: ‘We fully understand why you did that, but at some point we’d love to have the 9th grade back in the high school, with the flow, the way the curriculum works, in this day’,” Reeder said.

 

School leaders tally wins, losses of Michigan schools ‘Count Day’ results

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Wyoming Public Schools, shown here in a photo supplied by the district, saw its number of students drop in the recent “Count Day” state survey of students. (Supplied)

 

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

Some local school leaders were braced for bad news, some confident of good news, as Wyoming and Kentwood area school districts held their public school “Count Day” early this month — a day when the number of students attending their schools directly relates to how much funding they will receive from the state.

 

The fall count, held Oct. 4, is worth 90 percent of the state per-pupil funding. The spring semester count, from the previous school year, is 10 percent of funding. This school year’s spring count date is scheduled for Feb. 8, 2018.

 

“We are still in the period where we identify the final number, but that is the formula that is used,” Wyoming’s Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Polston said to WKTV journal. The “count impacts this years funding. We do not receive state aid in September, and begin receiving it in October after fall count. (So) this impacts our current budget.”

 

The local public school districts, as well as charters, are to receive $7,631 per-pupil for the 2017-18 school year. Godwin Heights Public Schools receives slightly more per student due to a historic loss of a substantial commercial tax base.

 

Godfrey-Lee counted 1,878 students for the fall count day, 72 below projections and down 84 students for the 2016-17 school year. So, if preliminary numbers hold, Godfrey-Lee would receive less state funding this year than last. But Polston says the district is prepared.

 

“This is the reason why it is important to have fund balances that can account for shortfalls like this,” said Polston, who is in his first year as superintendent. “We will maintain all current positions and programs, but immediately take a close look at all areas of the budget for both short and long term savings. We are fortunate to have a fund balance that can absorb a shortfall for this year.

 

“Our Board of Education has a policy of maintaining at least a 10 percent fund balance for times like this. We will need to backfill this deficit with next year’s budget. I’m confident in our team’s ability to strategically prioritize spending with a constant focus on keeping dollars in the classroom.”

 

His district will also look at the reasons why enrollment dropped.

 

“We have had a strong growth trend over the past few years, but that didn’t hold this year,” he said. “We are analyzing the areas where we fell short to identify contributing factors. We believe our best solution is to promote our district to our current residents to retain as many as we can in our strong, local, neighborhood schools.”

 

According to an analysis published on MLive, Michigan has more than 1.6 million kindergarten through 12th grade students in the 2016-17 school year, with about 1 million attending their local public schools. The other half million, or so, attended private or charter schools, or crossed home district lines to enroll in other public school districts.

 

Kentwood Public Schools is one of the districts gaining students, some from out of the district boundaries.

 

“We are up 136  — 9,121 total non-audited — students from last Fall count day,” Kentwood Public Schools Superintendent Michael Zoerhoff told WKTV. “The last three years we have seen an upward trend of our enrollment count. We are excited to see that Kentwood Public Schools continues to be a destination district for many families because of the great opportunities provided.”

 

Godwin Heights Public Schools, according to Superintendent William Fetterhoff, counted 2,166 students after budgeting for 2,145, so 21 over projection and 39 below last year. Fetterhoff told WKTV the trend is not unusual for his district, or across the nation for that matter, and he pointed to a decline in kindergarten through 3rd grade students as one reason.

 

Wyoming Public Schools, according to the district, counted 4,250, down 70 from last year.

 

Wyoming Public Schools students. (Supplied)

“4,250 is an appropriate estimate for our fall count … We anticipated a decrease this year,” Matt Lewis, Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Administrative Services for Wyoming Public Schools said to WKTV. “We budgeted to be down 75, and we’re on track to be down between 75 and 80.

 

“We’re approximately 70 down from last year which is right on projection. … I can’t give you a final number because there are 30 days from the count day during which students can still be counted if they were absent.”

 

The decline in enrollment is also not surprising to Lewis.

 

“Wyoming has averaged a loss of 108 students per year since the fall of 2004,” he said. “We’ve done many, many things to address the decline, cutting millions from our operating budget. We’ve become extremely efficient from an administrative perspective, closed buildings when necessary, including the consolidation of our high schools for 2012/13, and made countless adjustments to our contractual obligations and benefit costs. Our employees have (also) taken on a substantial portion of their healthcare costs over this period of enrollment decline.”

 

In other initial, unaudited numbers from local public districts, detailed in published reports, Kelloggsville Public Schools counted 2,327 students, 102 above projections and 79 more than last year.

 

East Kentwood marching band to host 20-school competition Saturday 

Area Education, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Education, Kentwood Public Schools, Local Entertainment, Upcoming Events,
East Kentwood High School will host its annual marching band competition this weekend. (Photo by Jim Swoboda)


By Kelly Arganbright

Kentwood Band and Orchestra Boosters

 

The competition will be intense down on the football field, with a stadium full of cheering fans, at East Kentwood High School Saturday, Oct. 21.  Uniformed players will be suited up in their school colors, every movement planned, with the sole focus of trying for the best performance of the season. It’ll be a lot like the games you see in every stadium across America, except for one thing, there will be no football.

 

In fact, this is no game at all. This event is the East Kentwood High School Falcon Marching Band Invitational, a marching band competition, and it’s happening from 2:30-10 p.m.

 

It is a musical extravaganza and one of the biggest marching band shows in West Michigan, with 20 high school bands from around West Michigan slated to compete for top honors.

 

People who have never been to a marching band competition, can liken the experience to watching twenty, football game, halftime shows. Bands are classified according to school size and compete in their respective classes. Each band’s performance has its own chosen theme with related music that they perform with synchronized, choreographed movements. This is no small task, when you consider some of these bands are in excess of 200 members. That’s a lot of moving parts and instruments! The result is a  performance that is impressive to hear and watch.

 

And, the view should be spectacular. East Kentwood boasts the highest vantage point of any high school stadium in West Michigan. A very important detail, considering when it comes to marching bands, the higher a person is in the stadium, the better the view of the performance they will have.

 

People should plan to come out and spend the day. There will be a plenty of food and drinks available at the concession stand, so spectators will not have to miss a single performance.

Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors and age 5 and under are free. All proceeds benefit the EKHS instrumental music programs.

 

Here is the performance line up:

 

Class D

2:30 PM  Brandywine High School

2:45 PM  Bridgman High School

3:00 PM  Pewamo-Westphalia High School

3:15 PM  Gobles High School

3:30 PM  Break

 

Class C

3:45 PM  Freemont High School

4:00 PM  Oakridge High School

4:15 PM  Parchment High School

4:30 PM  Whitehall High School

4:45 PM  Dowagiac High School

5:00 PM  Lakewood High School

5:15 PM  Break

 

Class B

5:45 PM  Kenowa Hills High School

6:00 PM  Ionia High School

6:15 PM  Charlotte High School

6:30 PM  Vicksburg High School

6:45 PM  Spring Lake High School

7:00 PM  Break

 

Class A

7:30 PM  Wyoming High School

7:45 PM  Kalamazoo Central High School

8:00 PM  Olivet High School A

8:15 PM  Portage Central High School

 

Exhibition

8:30 PM  East Kentwood High School

 

9:00 PM  Awards Ceremony

 

 

(Photos attached to file. Photo credit to Jim Swoboda.)

Wyoming Wolves basketball coach Vander Klay honored for 300th win

Area Education, City of Wyoming, Education, Sports, ,
Long-time Wyoming area high school basketball coach Thom Vander Klay, shown coaching. (Supplied)

 

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

Long-time Wyoming are high school basketball coach Thom Vander Klay was recently recognized for 305 varsity victories at the Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Banquet in the Detroit.

 

A game televised by WKTV with East Kentwood High School’s boys basketball team at Wyoming. (WKTV)

While he was unable attend in person, Vander Klay was inducted into the 300+ Varsity Century Club at the BCAM Hall-of-Fame/Clinic week-end, held Oct. 14-15 at Oakland University in Auburn Hills.

 

“The award is mostly a longevity award,” Vander Klay said in an interview with WKTV Journal. “I love teaching and coaching and have done it a long time, so a few wins will happen along the way.”

 

Vander Klay been coaching prep basketball for more than 30 years, with his first 10 as Wyoming Park’s junior varsity coach and the next 21 as a its varsity head coach. He became Wyoming’s head coach after Park and Rogers high schools merged in 2012. he is a member of the Wyoming Public Schools Hall of Fame.

 

“I have had some Hall of Fame caliber mentors when I attended Wyoming Park and first began teaching, including Jack VerDuin, Rich Renzema, Frank Grimm, Dick Locke, Kelly McEwen and Ron Engels,” he said. “We have also had so many gifted players with great work ethic who were driven to compete and reach their potential. To name even a few of those kids would take a long time!”

 

Vander Klay is a 1982 Park High School graduate, and a 1986 Hope College graduate.

 

He has guided the Wyoming varsity basketball teams to nine Academic All-State teams, seven conference championships, four district championships, a regional championship, and a state Final Four.  In all, 27 of 32 teams have been in the top three in the conference.

 

He has three times been named Regional Coach of the Year, The Detroit News state Coach of the Year in 2004, and the MLive Best Coach 2016, and West Michigan Officials Association Coach Of the Year 2017.

 

But he made clear his staff deserves as much credit as he for the 300-plus wins.

 

“Our basketball staff has been outstanding,” Vander Klay said. “Professional educators such as Jerry Haggerty, John Robinson, Craig VanVliet, Brett Dyke, Craig Neitzel, Kirk Kambestad, Jacob Underhill, Abbey Czarniecki, Bernard Varnesdeel and Chris Hose have worked tirelessly in years past to give our kids the leadership they need to become quality young men.

 

“Bernard is currently our program assistant coach, and Jacob and Chris are still coaching our younger teams. Volunteers such as Jason Bleyerveld and Scott DeYoung have given much of their time and energy to our program for many years.”

 

Ultimately, though, Vander Klay credits the “atmosphere” in Wyoming as being a big reason for the program’s success.

 

Thom Vander Klay, coaching. (Supplied)

“I am fortunate to be able to teach and coach in Wyoming where the parents, students, and school work together to make sure our kids have opportunities to be successful. Our parents not only allow the coaches to have high demands on their sons to be developed as young men. Tough love is the expectation from our parents which allows us to coach their sons hard and demand they compete.”

 

And, after all, Wyoming his coach’s home.

 

“My parents still live here, my siblings and I went to school here (Wyoming Park), I live here, my kids went to school here,” he said. “This is a great place to work, raise a family, and go to school. We have so great teachers and coaches who really care about the kids and work hard to make sure they have an opportunity to be successful.”