The Kentwood Rotary Club hosted the State of the City Address with Mayor Steve Kepley Tuesday at the Ramada Inn on 28th Street. Mayor Kepley was pleased to announce that the State of Kentwood is economically strong, vibrant and growing with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Michigan.
Kepley says the city is seeing large multi-million dollar investments by companies interested in moving into Kentwood, creating more jobs. As a result, the mayor says property values are going up and Kentwood is “open for business!”
The city is also proud to be ranked as having one of the highest quality road systems in West Michigan. Kepley credits it to the success of the city’s asset road management plan. However, the mayor warns that the plan is expected to run out of money in the next several years, jeopardizing the quality of the current system. As a result, he is encouraging citizens to be informed about the passage of Proposal 1 this May.
Proposal 1 raises the sales tax and gets rid of the gas tax in favor of a wholesale tax on fuel. It is expected to generate more than a billion dollars a year for roads and even more money for education and local government. The state estimates it will cost 1.2 billion dollars to fix state roads long-term. Mayor Kepley says that because the state money isn’t there, it’s up to Michigan voters to decide if Proposal 1 will provide the needed revenue to fix the roads.
To help fully understand how the proposal with help roads, Mayor Kepley says he’s willing to do presentations to Kentwood community and senior groups who request it. Interested individuals can contact the mayor’s office for details.
In other news, Mayor Kepley was pleased to announce changes to the city’s long-term debt. “Every municipality has a time when expenses surpass income. For the City of Kentwood that years was 2018. The keyword here is ‘was’,” Kepley told audience.
“Through the efforts of our staff this past year, we implemented changes to our long-term debt, implementing a Health Savings Plan and found efficiencies that add up to over 3 million dollars in savings over a four-year period.”
He explained that these actions have delayed the city’s expenses from exceeding the income by a least one year. The mayor and his staff are looking to save another potential two million dollars by continuing to seek changes through efficiencies in long-term pension plans and energy savings strategies.
One of the mayor’s most exciting accomplishments to-date happened early last week, he says.
“The city commission approved my time and effort to pursue the establishment of a Kentwood Community Foundation – a non-profit 501c3 charitable organization that would provide needed support for community improvements,” Kepley stated.
The mayor explained that the 501c3 will be established to make fundraising easier and more successful for various programs throughout the city. “[It] will allow the Parks and Recreation Department to perform more outreaches and programs that will encourage and empower the next generation to greatness,” he says.
Among those attending the Rotary luncheon were students from the ARCH Program. The program, established within the last year, is a joint effort by the city and the Kentwood Public Schools to further invest in its students in an after-school program.
“This past year we were successful in receiving a five-year federal grant to operate the Arch Program for all 16 Kentwood schools,” explained Kepley. “Arch provides additional hours of teaching while providing needed meals for the students.”
The student guests ranged from elementary through high school. All applied and were accepted into the Mayor’s Executive Council. “The council is my opportunity to invest in our students by educating and mentoring them on city governance and leadership.
“It is truly a pleasure to spend time with these students,” Kepley added.
Wyoming High School seniors Darren Dannah and Mitch Hendrickson know how to work a crowd.
During every Wyoming Wolves girls’ and boys’ varsity basketball home games they lead a lively group of their “peer a cheer” section where they dance, chant, and board the now famous “Roller Coaster” ride.
“Buckle up!” they shout as the Wolf Pack of about 100 students pretends to secure shoulder harnesses, making a loud “whoosh” sound. They then move in sync, arms up, as if they are on a wild roller coaster ride filled with dramatic twists and turns.
The students cheer on the home team.Seniors Darren Dannah (in front) and Mitch Hendrickson (in hat) started the Wolf Pack student section.
Darren, a football player, and Mitch, a bowler, have begun what they hope continues as a tradition at Wyoming High School. Students join forces to cheer, revving up the teams and crowd, and bringing a heightened sense of unity into the school day.
“We’re getting our players hyped, getting energized and it shows on the court,” Darren said.
“Everybody can show up; nobody’s left out,” Mitch said.
The effort is totally student-led, with word on the night’s theme for each game traveling through the student body. The Wolf Pack has become a sea of pink, purple, white and neon. They’ve been pajama-clad teenagers and Hawaiian tourists in colorful shirts and leis.
The students received recognition from Mlive as one of the Top 10 best student sections in the state.
Darren and Mitch spoke excitedly, often in unison, to describe the fun. They said the Wolf Pack has created a bond among students, giving them something positive to do together. It is their way to give back.
Students gather before a girl’s varsity basketball game.
“It’s a legacy. That’s exactly what it is,” Darren said.
During the recent girls’ district game against West Ottawa, the high school students cheered the team on, with elementary and middle school students joining them in chants and dances. Wolf Pack pride has spread throughout the district.
“It’s well-known throughout the entire school that not only are these kids talented, they are nice,” said Wyoming Athletic Director Ted Hollern.
The Class of 2015 has shown great leadership, he said, showing spirit without being negative about the opposing team.
“It’s striking how many compliments we get from alumni and parents,” Hollern said. “We are all very proud. This is one thing they can do to have fun and look forward to, and give back to the school and the people that care about them.”
Breaking the Mold: Part of Our Ongoing Student Leaders Series
Godfrey-Lee Superintendent David Britten says Jisel Ochoa “has a knack for lighting up the room”
Godfrey Lee Public Schools, MI — Behind her beaming smile, Lee High School junior Jisel Ochoa often is considering center-stage topics in national politics: immigration policy, women’s rights, gay marriage.
Though she’s a talented student and runner, Jisel’s interests surpass sports and academics. She wants the world to be a better place, and believes young people need to make their voices heard about causes affecting their futures.
“I feel that a lot of teenagers nowadays don’t really talk about what’s going on in the world, and we should be involved in what’s going on,” Jisel said. “If we’re not involved, there are going to be all these decisions made that we won’t like.”
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools administrators recommended Jisel for the School News Network Student Leaders series because of her high involvement at school and upbeat attitude.
Brian Cahoon, an economics and government teacher, said Jisel has great potential and promise.
“It is awesome to see her genuine eagerness to be involved, and even better when you know that the person presenting these ideas is capable of legitimately making them happen,” Cahoon said. “I think it’s the sense of maturity and follow-through that sets her apart from many in her age group.”
Advocating for Change
Jisel moved to the United States from Mexico with her parents, Elva and Javier, twin sister, Jasiel, and older brother, Hector. She said she is motivated to do well in school by her background and “the fact that I left my country to come here.”
“My mom and dad would tell me stories about how it’s very different in Mexico, and it’s difficult there to be successful because of all the problems and violence. It’s hard to find a job,” she said.
Her father now works in a factory and her mother is a stay-at-home mom.
“My mom has had a tough life,” Jisel said. As an orphan, Elva had to work starting at age 9, peddling snacks to take care of her sisters. “She always wanted me and my siblings to do better.”
Because the issue is so close to her heart, Jisel is a strong advocate for a just immigration policy. Calling it “something that I strongly believe in,” she recalled hearing the term “illegal alien” during a class lesson. “I thought ‘Why are you calling someone an alien?’ I don’t believe in that word.
“To me, it’s crazy how people, when they think of immigrants, think of bad things,” she added. “They should be looking at it as a positive thing because people leave their country and leave everything behind to come have a better life, not knowing what’s going to happen.”
Jisel isn’t afraid to share her strong opinions on other controversial topics. She said she believes in advocating for same-sex marriage and that all people should have equal opportunities.
‘You Have to Keep Pushing’
Jisel has been active in student government and hopes to be elected class president her senior year. She is in Spanish Club, Diversity Club and a member of both the cross country and track teams, despite having battled several leg injuries. She also played on the middle-school basketball teams, served as a student leader on Freshman Focus, and attended the Michigan Youth Leadership Conference, which works to develop leadership potential in Michigan students.
In track, she runs the 800-meter race and 4×800 meter relay. She’s learned to apply lessons from the track to other areas of her life.
“It’s hard to go out there and run and push your body to the limit and not give up,” she said. “I feel like when you’re running you just want to give up. It’s so hard sometimes.
“Being a teenager you go through a lot of changes and mood swings. Sometimes you’re happy, sad or depressed. You still have to do your work, and if you don’t. your grades are going to drop. You have to keep pushing.”
Superintendent David Britten has noticed that Jisel is always grinning on the track and in school while working hard.
“I have known Jisel since the sixth grade, and her infectious smile and can-do spirit are always uplifting to me as well as everyone around her,” Britten said. “Many of the faculty admit that she has a knack for lighting up the room whenever she is near.”
Jisel said Britten has helped keep her moving forward.
“He’s been a huge influence on my life because I’ve known him for so long,” she said. “At track meets he is always giving motivational speeches and telling us to do better in school and keep doing the right thing.”
Something Bigger
Jisel knows a world filled with opportunities lies ahead. After graduation, she hopes to enroll at Wayne State University, Oakland University or Grand Valley State University and pursue a career in law and politics.
“I really love the idea that the United States is the place where dreams come true, because I think it’s true. It might take some time, and you have to fight really hard and stay positive, but they will come true eventually.”
As a lawyer, she wants someday to help make college more accessible to students who need a better pathway. At Lee High, where a majority of students are Hispanic, their immigrant residency status can be an obstacle for some in areas such as tuition and financial aid.
“I really love the idea that the United States is the place where dreams come true.” — Jisel Ochoa
“I believe there are a lot of students here who work hard, but they aren’t able to attend college because they don’t have the things that are necessary to attend college,” she said.
For now, Jisel is already thinking about ways things can improve, in class, on the race track and among her peers.
“I always felt like I can do something bigger,” she said. “I don’t know what that is yet, but I hope someday I can make change and do something I believe in.
“I don’t give up easily,” she added. “If I want to make change, I won’t stop until I do it.
Grand Rapids is host to the Michigan DECA State Career Development Conference where high school students are recognized on stage in front of their peers as the top marketing students in Michigan.
Opportunity prepares students to compete for spot at the international career conference in Orlando, FL
by Sarah Cavanaugh and Janice Limbaugh
This coming weekend, Grand Rapids will be host to over 3,600 high school students from throughout the state at the Michigan DECA State Career Development Conference. The conference, to be held at DeVos Place Convention Center and the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, will provide students the opportunity to interact with other members, meet and greet with over 500 business and community representatives, and compete in over 47 events for a chance to represent Michigan DECA at the International Career Conference, April 24-29, in Orlando, Florida.
“Because of its business and entrepreneurial culture, Grand Rapids provides the perfect environment for business professionals to interact with and evaluate student members as they solve real-life business scenarios,” said David Wait, State Director, Michigan DECA. “This feedback helps the students improve their skills while receiving recognition for their achievement.”
Students have the unique opportunity to meet one-on-one with business professionals .
Representing a variety of industries, the over 500 business professionals have designed 47 competitive events to help students develop the skills necessary for successful careers in marketing, management and merchandising. Companies such as Meijer, Ford Motor Company and MASCOT, meet one-on-one with the students and evaluate the student’s abilities. Each of the competitive events provide students a constructive avenue for individual and team expression, initiative and creativity. Additional business professionals are needed to assist in judging the various competitions and can sign up by visiting: http://mideca.org/support/be-ajudge/.
Forty-seven competitive events help build student’s self-esteem and team building skills.
“Once students demonstrate their acquired skills, they are recognized on stage in front of their peers as the top marketing students in Michigan,” said Wait. “These events truly improve upon the student’s self-image and success patterns of each student. This conference is such a worthwhile experience for students who not only wish to advance in their career, but learn necessary life skills for any future endeavors.”
There’s more fun and games scheduled for the students during the conference, including attending a Grand Rapids Griffins game and the election of the new Michigan DECA State Executive Council.
For more information on Michigan DECA, visit: www.MIDeca.org.
Michigan DECA is a tax-exempt, not for profit 501(C)(3) educational association and is affiliated with National DECA, located in Reston, Virginia. DECA is the only international student organization operating through schools to attract young people to careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Its purpose is to teach occupational proficiency and to promote the understanding and appreciation for the responsibilities of citizenship in our free, competitive enterprise system. Michigan DECA is supported by a project grant to the Department of Business and Technology Education, in the College of Technology at Eastern Michigan University, from the Michigan Department of Education. The office is located at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Feel Like You Belong on WKTV is your source for real stories about the real people we call migrants. They may be the seasonal workers who traverse the country picking our daily produce. They may be the expatriates who come on temporary assignment for their multinational companies. Or they may be the intrepid souls who have committed to calling these United States their new homeland.
People have been migrating since time immemorial. They have moved for safety from earthquakes and drought. From war and disease. From persecution and economic hardship. They have the same characteristics as our immigrant forebears who gave up the familiarity and comfort of home in order to take risks and build a better life.
Join us here every week with these heroic storytellers and learn about what it is that still makes America a destination for entrepreneurs and risk-takers. The people who moved themselves and their families across deserts and oceans. People who add to each new generation’s vibrancy and can-do spirit. Welcome to Feel Like You Belong.
This week:
Praveen Shanbhag is a smart guy with a PhD in Philosophy. Like most philosophers, he spends time asking good questions. Questions like, “Why can’t universities (who employ really smart people) correctly pronounce the names of their students at graduation ceremonies?” Unlike most philosophers, Praveen went beyond asking; this son of Indian immigrants started a company to help us get each other’s names right. We have a name for that: Genius! See the interview here:
The Kentwood Community Church is hosting its monthly job fair this Wednesday from 9 a.m. until noon at the Wyoming Campus. With 40 employers on hand looking for new hires, job seekers have the opportunity to make a great first impression and land a job. But there’s more to attending a job fair than just showing up. Here are 10 tips for attending a job fair with successful results.
One. Dress professionally
Treat the job fair as a professional interview and come dressed for success. Wear a suit or other professional interview attire along with comfortable shoes. You do a lot of standing at job fairs.
Two. Bring 20 copies of your resume
You’ll want to have more than enough to hand out to employers or recruiters. Be sure to proofread your resume for punctuation, grammar and spelling errors. It should be flawless.
Three. Prepare and practice your one minute commercial
Interactions at job fairs are brief, often only a couple minutes. Summarize you skills, experience and strengths in a short commercial about yourself. You’ll want to be prepared to discuss what you like to do, what you’re looking for in a job, and how your skills meet the needs of the employer. While standing in line, listen to the questions the recruiters ask the candidates ahead of you. Typically they ask each person the same questions. Formulate your answers while waiting in line.
Four. Do your homework before you go
The list of attending employers is available prior to the job fair. It’s posted for your benefit to research and gain insight about these companies. Have an understanding of their products, mission, and open positions so you can ask informed questions when you meet with them.
Five. Show initiative and be enthusiastic
When you reach the table, use direct eye contact, shake hands and introduce yourself with a smile! Make them remember YOU by demonstrating interest in the company and their job opportunities. Your job is to impress them enough so that you get to the next stage of the hiring process – an interview!
Six. Ask questions
Come prepared with questions for the company representative. Ask what skills, work experience and education are required for the position? What’s the work environment like? What do they like about working there? And close the conversation by asking for an interview! You’ll make a stronger impression the more you engage them.
Seven. Carry a portfolio or a pocket notebook
You’ll be meeting a lot of employers in a busy environment. It’s good to bring something professional to carry your resumes, business cards, note pad and corporate literature in. Take time to jot notes down of who you talked to and what the conversation was about.
Eight. Collect business cards
Collect the business card of each person you meet so you have the contact names and information of who you spoke with. Consider producing you own business card to hand out. It’s a great way to network!
Nine. Network
In addition to talking to representatives, talk to others around you. Show respect and conduct yourself professionally. You never know who might be able to help your job search!
Ten. Say ‘Thank you!’
Another reason to collect business cards – to send thank you notes/emails as a brief follow up to the job fair. It reiterates your interest in the company and presents you as a strong candidate to the company representative.
Kelloggsville High School students will have a completely renovated high school, thanks to voters’ approval, 334 to126, of a $33.9 million bond issue Feb 24.
Administrators will now begin working with architects on construction details and project timelines to span the next three years, said Superintendent Sam Wright. Work will include a major building redesign at the high school, 23 Jean St. SW, and other facility improvements.
Some work will get started this summer, but the majority will likely begin next spring.
The bulk of the request — $27 million — will go toward high school improvements including demolition of a 1930s wing, and a large addition. A courtyard area will become six new classrooms. The parking lot will be reconfigured and the entrance of the school changed from Jean Street to Division Avenue. Students will be able to exit the school at the 48th Street stoplight.
Wright said he looks forward to opening an up-to-date high school designed for the future and outfitted for the latest technology.
“It will be a very nice building for students to go to school and for the community to use as well,” Wright said.
A new competitive-sized gymnasium will host varsity games, currently held at Kelloggsville Middle School, and allow for more practice space; the auditorium will receive theater-style seating for 480; a media center will serve as a hub for learning and community center. Use of facilities will be open to the public.
Homeowners could actually see a decrease in their property tax bills because the district’s past debt is expiring. Passage of the bond decreases the current levy from 7.32 to 7.25 mills.
The 156-year-old district last approved bond issues in 1998 to remodel the high school cafeteria and lobby area, and in 1994 to build Kelloggsville Middle School, 4650 Division Ave.
About $3 million in improvements are planned at other district facilities, mainly to enhance security, Wright said.
One Wyoming 1 on 1 met at Grace Bible College this past Thursday to discuss the future
One Wyoming One on One was created to pair leaders in the community with students from Wyoming’s four public schools districts. The goal was to create a mentor-mentee relationship that would help students in need reach their educational and personal potential.
Mentors include leaders in the community such as city officials and employees, school administration and staff, business owners, college staff and students, church staff and members, and members from the community.
The mentoring started two years ago with 400 students being connected to mentors by the end of the school year. This year launched with 436 mentors and One Wyoming 1 on 1 is looking towards the future.
The organization met last week to decide the next step. Discussions revolved around resources that would further help the students. One resource is a character strength survey program to identify the strengths of each student that the mentors can help nurture. Another resource discussion is a JobZology job assessment tool to help guide students on their career path and interests. These two resources would not only go a long way in helping create college and career success for Wyoming students, but it would help the mentors guide their mentees along that path.
One Wyoming 1 on 1 is looking into applying for grants to help with funding for the new programs.
Most of us have no idea how our computer works or what tool you would need to fix one – and worse, no way to explain the mystery of modern technology to our kids. A group called GR Young Makers is out to change that. Recently about 150 6th graders from Godwin Heights were invited to find some answers to how things tick by taking things apart. A number of teachers volunteered to assist the students at the Grand Rapids Public Museum in an event called “Take It Apart Day.”
“Take it Apart Day” helps kids see how things work.
Robyn Bowles, Director of GR Young Makers, says the mission is to provide hands-on project-based learning opportunities for students and educators. The group has already visited classrooms in Jenison and Godwin Heights to introduce students and teachers to ways that science, math, and social studies can come together to help kids learn.
Lori Barr, 6th Grade Teacher at Pinewood Elementary in the Jenison Public Schools District says her students take things apart that would have ended up in a landfill and in the process learn about ecology and, “the mechanics involved…how electrons are involved in magnetics. So many things we’re learning about in the 6th grade are applied right before their very eyes.”
Tools are donated to help students explore the inner workings of machines.
Director Bowles says the group is an extension of GR Makers, a company that operates like a community tool shop and design studio to encourage people to try out ideas that may require expensive or hard-to-find tools and explore entrepreneurship. The GR Young Makers focus, however, is on students, educators and other community members.
One of the founders of GR Makers, Casey Du Bois, says, “This ‘take-it-apart’ thing has really taken off. We’ve got lots of free stuff so we’re hoping to be able to encourage other schools to do this.” The GR Makers have received hundreds of free tools from sponsors that make the GR Young Makers program possible as well.
So if you would like to fix a mechanical problem that can’t be solved by switching batteries, check out the GR Makers and think about inviting the GR Young Makers to visit your school. For more information contact https://www.grmakers.com/
I have a life-long passion for Creation Care and Earth-keeping. Recently, I have discovered the online site called Green America and its wealth of resources on how to live in harmony with our Earth, including on how to advocate divesting.
Basically, divesting means refusing to invest in or use companies, products and processes that damage people and pollute our planet, or if you already own products or stock in those companies, it means shifting your dollars and purchasing power to protest their continuing actions that abuse our planet and ultimately us, the people who live here.
Green America has a long history of exposing harmful fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas carbon) extraction as well as consumption. For me, Creation Care includes divesting from fossil fuel companies and reducing consumptive lifestyles and use of their products and processes. This also includes divesting from big banks, multinational corporations and associated credit cards intertwined with fossil fuels that pollute and exploit the disenfranchised, the marginalized and the planet.
It further involves reinvesting into clean renewable energy (NOT nuclear) and into life and community-building alternatives.
Green advocacy groups, such as Green America and others, have long been concerned over the devastation and pollution from fossil fuels, including their extraction, consumptive use and end-products. At the present rate of escalating use, fossil fuel emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere are causing catastrophic and irreversible man-made global warming and climate change. The results are grave effects on our planet’s health (human and animal) and human rights.
I agree with Bill McKibben of 350.org that in order to preserve our planet, carbon dioxide formed by extraction and consumption of fossil fuels, MUST be reduced from current levels in the atmosphere to below 350 parts per million. Advocates, including Green America, urge this reduction, and for us to make clean-energy economy a reality by refusing to invest in companies that are destroying our planet. They further urge the shifting of investment and purchase dollars into alternative, clean, renewable energy such as solar, wind and hydro. These sources prove to be more life and community enhancing. This can also be achieved by supporting public policies and lifestyles that move us away from fossil fuels.
To me, divesting and reinvesting are crucial for the common good! My identity is in life-long, deep soul-searching passion for Biblical Christian faith and discipleship to Jesus Christ. My passion flows with the mission of Creation Care: stewardship, equality, solution-focused global and local justice for people and the planet; in other words, living simply so that others may simply live.
Note: Martie Jager recently presented at the series Our Changing Climate & Positive Earthkeeping Responses presented by Hope Reformed Church at Burton St. and 2210 Kalamazoo Ave in Grand Rapids. The sessions run 11:15 a.m. until noon every Sunday through May 3 (except Easter). The schedule for the remaining sessions is below:
Part II: The Church
Sunday, March 8 Caretakers of the Earth – Steve Bouma-Prediger
Sunday, March 15 What’s Happened at Hope Church, Holland? Peter Boogaart
Part III: Local/Regional Issues & Efforts
Sunday, March 22 Grand Rapids and its Environment – GR Mayor George Heartwell
If your school media room needs a makeover, the Grand Rapids Griffins and Farm Bureau Insurance Company want to hear from you. Your elementary or middle school in Kent County or the Thornapple-Kellogg district could be a big winner. Simply answer the question “Why does your school need a media room makeover?” Provide an optional photo of your existing media room, computer lab or library. Applications may be submitted by anyone interested, including school principals, administrators or teachers. Applications are due online between now and April 1, 2015 at griffinshockey.com/mediaroommakeover
The media room makeover could consist of a variety of new resources such as computer hardware, software, books, furniture, paint, carpet and light construction, with a value ranging from a minimum of $5,000 to as much as $10,000-$15,000.
Following the application deadline on April 1, all entries will be reviewed by the Griffins and Farm Bureau Insurance and narrowed to a pool of three finalist schools, each of which will receive a site visit as part of the final selection. The Griffins and Farm Bureau will choose the winning school by April 30, assist school officials in the makeover of the school’s media room this summer, then host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the start of the new school year in August or September.
Several partners have signed on to provide assistance with the makeover as needed, including Comprenew and Mike Case of Case Construction. In addition, the Kent Intermediate School District and the Diocese of Grand Rapids Office of Catholic Schools are supporting the contest by communicating the opportunity to every elementary and middle school principal in Kent County, as well as the Thornapple-Kellogg district in Barry County (which is served by KISD). All eligible schools with a need are encouraged to apply.
Official rules and regulations of the contest are available here .
The list of ways hunger can affect a child’s health is a long one. Chronic health issues like asthma, behavioral issues like anxiety and social issues like bullying are just a part of that list.
Nan Evans has seen children sneak food in their pockets and fight over a piece of breakfast food.
“When they’re hungry, they’re fidgety,” said Evans, principal of Kent Hills Elementary School in Grand Rapids. “They can’t focus. Getting mad and making trouble from being hungry can be how they express anger in inappropriate ways.”
Kent Hills is far from alone in dealing with the problem of hungry and undernourished children. According to Kids Food Basket, an agency that provides students with meals, more than 30,000 area children — that’s about 20 percent of the children in West Michigan — are at risk of hunger.
Studies have shown hungry children living in poverty are at high risk for chronic health conditions such as asthma and frequent oral health problems; more likely to require hospitalization than children who eat regular meals; and more prone to behavioral issues and social difficulties such as aggression, hyperactivity and irritability. They are six times more likely “to be in less than optimal health, experiencing a wide variety of illnesses and injuries” compared with children from higher income families, according to the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice.
When it comes to schooling, hunger and malnutrition can hurt students’ achievement in a number of ways, educators and health officials say.
“It is important that they ingest important nutrients for optimal functioning in school,” said Stephanie Painter, director of Spectrum Health’s School Health Advocacy Program.
“We know nutrition is important because research has demonstrated that if children lack food, they are more likely to be in special education, have behavior or conduct disorders, be obese because of food insecurity, be at risk for psychiatric problems, be unable to focus or pay attention, and also are at risk for disease because they are anemic.”
A Pantry at School
Principal Nan Evans at Kent Hills Elementary’s monthly mobile food pantry.
Kent Hills is one of several area schools taking a direct approach to student hunger. It works with Feeding America West Michigan to hold a mobile pantry the third Wednesday of every month.
A semitrailer full of donated food backed up to one of the school’s double doors on a pantry day earlier this year. Volunteers unloaded the food onto rectangular tables filling the hallway. Soon, the tables were packed with potatoes, apples, bread, crackers, desserts, yogurt and sausage to be distributed to the 90-plus people in line.
One of the people in line was Rhonda Hawkins. Her grandson attends the school, and she lives with him, her dad and daughter. The food she picks up at the mobile pantry will help them a lot, she said.
“We can go a few weeks with potatoes and stuff,” Hawkins said. What they can’t do is go to the cupboard and wolf down as many Pop Tarts as they want. The food they get is managed carefully to go as far as it can.
Hawkins’ daughter, Keli, was standing in line with her. The food they pick up at the mobile pantry is used “pretty much with every meal or snack,” Keli said. “If we have extra potatoes, we give it to the elderly couple across the street.”
Cassandra Butler was in line with two teenagers who didn’t want to be named. “This is good when people are low-income and trying to make ends meet,” Butler said. “I got cut off my food stamps after Christmas. You do what you have to do when it comes down to eating.”
Feeding America West Michigan is working on expanding mobile pantries like these, which have also visited Dickinson Elementary, three Grand Rapids high schools and North and West Godwin elementaries this year. The agency supplies nearly 1,200 food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters in 40 counties in West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.
How Food Can Change Things
Kids Food Basket is another local organization seeking to help with children’s hunger. It sends sack suppers home with more than 6,000 children in the greater Grand Rapids and Muskegon area.
When children do get enough food, the results can be wonderful. Julie VanGessel, program manager for the Kids Food Basket Kids Helping Kids program in Grand Rapids, has seen it happen.
She remembers watching a class once and complimenting the teacher on what a great group of students she had. The teacher told her the class used to be difficult before they realized the students were hungry from lack of nutritious food. When a way was found to provide them with more food, their behavior, attendance and test scores all improved.
“It’s because they’re not hungry,” VanGessel said.
Rhonda Hawkins and her daughter, Keli, in line for donated food.
Families faced with hunger often skip meals and buy cheaper, less nourishing food because that’s all they can afford, said Emma Garcia, hunger response director for Access of West Michigan, a network of food pantries and anti-poverty programs.
Eating the empty calories of cheap foods like macaroni and cheese can lead to health problems including obesity and diabetes, Garcia said. That’s why organizations like hers work to make sure the food they give out is nutritious and includes the five food groups. Providing families with food that is “just calories doesn’t do them justice,” she said.
VanGessel agreed, saying, “It robs kids of their energy and their health.”
Inside the sack supper Kids Food Basket sends home with students is a meat or cheese sandwich or a tortilla roll-up for protein; one serving each of a fresh fruit and vegetable; a fruit juice box; and two healthy snacks like a granola bar or string cheese. Providing such balanced meals “helps kids stay focused, get their homework done, and stay on track with other children,” asserts the agency’s website.
Too Long Between Meals
Another issue agencies are trying to solve is the time gap some children face between meals. VanGessel tells of a mother working two part-time jobs, raising two daughters on a fixed income and going to college. When the mother noticed her kindergartner was coming home daily with headaches and struggling with homework, she thought it was a medical problem. Her child’s health issues actually stemmed from the many hours without food between getting her free lunch at school and eating dinner at home.
“They get breakfast and lunch at school, but if mom works until 7 p.m. and the meal comes at 8 p.m, and the last food they had was lunch at 10:30 a.m., it’s a huge gap of time,” VanGessel said.
“Sack suppers became a saving grace for this family,” she added. “Not only did the young student’s hunger headaches disappear, but she was back to her playful self, with energy to complete her homework assignments.”
Kentwood officials speak to GVSU marketing students about the project.
Marketing students are working with Kentwood city officials to create and design a questionnaire that will be sent to Kentwood residents in the spring. The online survey will include questions on various topics, including city operations and planning, and use of social media.
The deputy police chief, deputy fire chief and city deputy administrator met with students January 28 to discuss the project.
“This experience provides a great opportunity for our students to apply classroom theory to a real-world situation,” said Kelly Cowart, assistant professor of marketing. “The students are excited because their work plays an important role in helping Kentwood officials continue to meet the needs of their diverse community. We are pleased to participate in such an important project.”
Cowart said students will work in teams to create a questionnaire and then present their work to city officials in April.
A cold grey day in Michigan may not seem like the best time to rely on solar heating systems, but Lou Haveman in Grandville would disagree. “We produce our own electricity,” says Lou, “and when we produce more than we need, it goes back on the grid.” More than he needs to power a house full of appliances, including his furnace? Yes, even in the coldest weather.
Lou still gets some of his electricity from Consumers Energy. But in December 2013 he installed a solar system in his home and spent all of 2014 watching his energy bills go down by nearly 60%. At 12 cents a kilowatt, that adds up to a savings of about $725.
It wasn’t all about saving money for Lou. He’s a strong supporter of what is sometimes called Creation Care – acting as a loving steward for Planet Earth http://www.creationcare.org/
Lou explains, “Simply to live in balance with nature, recognizing environmental issues need to be addressed. It’s one thing to talk about it, it’s another thing to act on it.”
And it’s not easy to take action. “Consumers Energy actually has a lottery system. They allocate so many kilowatt hours for solar. You submit your application and by lottery if you’re selected, then you’re approved.” Lou says finding someone you trust who is skilled and experienced in solar installation is critical. “Initially, I’m pretty handy. I thought this is something I could do, but realistically that isn’t a viable option.”
Some rebates or tax incentives are available for homeowners who want to install alternative energy programs. But even though Lou got lucky in the lottery, eventually found Solar Winds to plan and install his system, and qualified for a 30% tax credit, he still had to spend about $20,000 to make it happen. Still Lou looks to the future. He expects to recover all the cost of the installation in about 10 years’ time, after which his electricity will be virtually free.
“But in addition to that,” says Lou, “it’s just incredibly rewarding to look at that meter and see it run backwards. I realize not everyone has the financial resources [to invest in alternative energy], but if we do I think it’s imperative that we do so.”
For a video version of this story, click on the play button at the top of the page.
Hector Zoleta lives a line made famous by the late Sen. Edward (Teddy) Kennedy.
“Some men see things as they are and say why?” Kennedy said at brother Robert’s funeral. “I dream things that never were and say why not?”
The same question resonates in the Godwin Heights High School junior’s life.
Why not become President of the Student Council, earn a 3.9 grade point average and become a member of the National Honor Society?
Why not volunteer every other Sunday packing sack suppers for the nonprofit Kids’ Food Basket for children who otherwise would have no evening meal to eat?
“It surprised me when I first heard there are kids that have no supper,” said Hector. “I was never really exposed to that fact.”
Hector’s thirst for knowledge and living a rich and varied life is slacked in other ways as well.
He basks in the knowledge math and science make possible.
He’s played defensive and offensive tackle on the Wolverine’s varsity football team.
He’s seen around the High School helping to improve the environment by collecting paper every Tuesday for recycling.
For Hector, 16, a life full of activity, is a life with purpose.
“I started at Godwin when I was in second grade and it’s what built me up to where I am now,” said Hector. “I believe you need to be a good person and it will come back to you.”
Hector starts his day at 5 a.m. so he can get to the bus that will take him KCTC.
Early to bed, early to rise
Hector starts his day at 5 a.m. so he can get to the bus that takes him to KCTC.
Hector Zoleta’s rise and shine begins long before the sun greets the morning.
He arises at 5 a.m. so he can hop in his car and make it to the bus stop at 6:15 a.m. where it will take him to the Kent Career Technical Center.
This year, he is studying the wide-ranging health careers available to bright, eager young people such as himself.
He’s talented at memorizing medical terminology, the muscular system and anatomy and physiology — both human and animal. Next year, he’d intends to study the science of preparing and dispensing medical drugs. His goal is to one day become a pharmacist.
It’s a career choice that sparked his interest when he was 10 years old. His doctor mentioned to him while giving Hector an exam he was a pharmacist before becoming a pediatrician. That enlightened conversation never left his memory.
“That sounded interesting to me,” said Hector. “Since then, I’ve talked to some pharmacists. They told me it’s a career that once you get into it, you stay into it.”
Learning the periodic table in his chemistry class is fascinating to him.
“Particularly learning how to make a completely different thing when you bond an element with another element,” said Hector. “It’s interesting.”
Important to stretch yourself
In the meantime, Hector stretches himself as the Student Council President, a position that affords him the opportunity understand what it means to be a leader by planning homecoming and lock-in parties. The position has bolstered his self-assurance as well.
“I’ve given speeches in front of the entire school,” said Hector. “That gives me confidence.”
Hector realizes not all his questions in his life are easily answered.
“I’m really good at math,” he said. “I don’t know why or how, it just comes easy to me. I’m currently taking pre-calculus. That’s a senior class. I’m taking it as a junior and I’m getting an ‘A.'”
Small business owners and interested members of the public are invited to register now for free sessions in a variety of topics designed to help companies grow. Offered by Beene Garter, West Michigan’s largest independently owned accounting and consulting firm, the series kicks of Thursday, May 21 from 7:45 AM – 9 AM with the topic “The Internet of Things.” Discussion will focus on how the Internet of Things is evolving and how you can use it to grow your business.
Each session is limited to 50 attendees. Sessions will be held at Beene Garter in downtown Grand Rapids. Pre-registration is required. Individuals can register for the series at: www.beenegarter.com/taxtips
Other topics in the series include
Pros & Cons of Outsourcing Your Accounting Thursday, June 18 | 7:45 – 9 AM
State & Local Tax Issues for Your Small Business Thursday, September 17 | 7:45 – 9 AM
Designing a Retirement Plan for Your Small Business Thursday, October 22 | 7:45 – 9 AM
Growing up on a farm helps one have an appreciation of nature. We never had a lot but we had an abundance of healthy, home grown vegetables, butchered our meat, and raised our own eggs and poultry, cut our own firewood to heat our home. Mom canned and later froze our produce. We had a fruit cellar for the potatoes. Carrots we dug out of the snow covered ground. We would purchase apples by the bushel and make jars and jars of apple sauce. We did not know much about environmental issues and never heard about climate change.
We were ignorant. The icicles hanging from our kitchen roof I thought were beautiful and never considered adding to the four inches of insulation in the attic. We hauled our few throw-away aluminum cans to a dry creek bed in the back forty. Our drain field, it turned out to my surprise, was the country drainage ditch from which our cows drank. We swam in the larger creek a half mile from our home. We were poor and had no money for herbicides. What pollution we caused was easily covered by the hospitality of nature.
College came and went. I became aware of the word ecology. After living in Africa for 16 years we returned to Michigan where I had found a job selling and later installing Blackberry Solar Systems for heat. It made economic sense…barely…because of the Michigan solar tax credit in the early 1980s. Gas became expensive.
Living in Africa and working in agriculture community development I had learned what it means to live simply, living in balance with nature, and being abundantly careful with the limited resources poor people have. It became a motivating factor of my life.
I purchased a large solar water heating system for a multiple rental unit we owned. Every home we lived in I established a flourishing garden. We recycled everything. We sought ways to be energy efficient. In 2013 Jan and I visited an organization called New Vision Renewable Energy in West Virginia. I saw how one could build a hydroponic garden raising vegetables where recycled water from a small fish pond became the nutrient basis for the vegetables. It was powered by solar. We sell hundreds of small solar telephone chargers and light all over the world through our small international business (www.businessconnectworld.com).
I had to take the next step, a big one, and expensive. I calculated what it would cost to provide 100% of our power off solar. The system would cost me over $40,000.00.
Learn what steps Lou took when he learned what installing a solar system would cost him – and whether this challenge altered his commitment to Creation Care. Watch for part two of the story Friday and accompanying video.
Yolanda Guzman laughs with Godfrey Lee Early Childhood Center staff member.
When Yolanda Guzman’s son Edgar was in kindergarten, his teacher taught the Spanish-speaking mother how to count to 100 in English. That was the beginning of a very special bond between Guzman and the Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center.
“Then I could teach the children to count to 100,” Guzman said through a translator.
Since then, Guzman has spent nearly the entire school day, every day, for the past four years helping students and teachers at the ECC, which includes preschool through second grade. From the moment she wakes at 5 a.m. to cook speciality dishes like cactus gorditas, and homemade tortillas stuffed with meat, cilantro, onions and cheese for teachers, she’s focused on helping out at her son’s school.
“I like everything here because I like being with the children and seeing what I can help them with,” she said, on a typical day spent cleaning up in the lunchroom and helping kindergartners with math.
Guzman’s dedication led to her to being hired to a paid position for three hours a day, but she puts in far more time that that.
“She does really anything that is needed,” said Principal Peter Geerling. “She’s kind of instilling in her kids to get involved and stay involved in school.”
Committed to Helping
Guzman walks the three blocks from home to school, arriving at 7:30 a.m. She helps get the students settled after they arrive and then works in the kindergarten classrooms.
“Rain, snow, shine, I’m here,” she joked. “Like the post office,” quipped Geerling.
Guzman immigrated from Guanajuato, Mexico, eight years ago, with her husband, Jose Guzman. Their children include Edgar, now a second-grader, and Juan Daniel, a Lee High School sophomore.
She’s setting an example that’s having a ripple effect in the community, Geerling said. The district’s racial demographic is 75 percent Hispanic. Guzman has played a key role in informing other Hispanic parents, like her friend Jeidi Guzman-Celaya, of opportunities to get involved.
“I didn’t even know I could help at school before Yolanda recruited me,” said Guzman-Celaya, in translation. “People from Mexico are accustomed to having the teachers do everything without having to help out.”
“In Mexico, you take your child to school and pick them up and that’s it,” Yolanda Guzman explained. So she often tells Hispanic parents, “It’s not like that here.”
Serving Teachers with her Talents
Yolanda Guzman and her friend Jeidi Guzman-Celaya work in the cafeteria.
Before lunch, Guzman, a skilled cook, heads home to pack the meals she cooked that morning, and returns to pass them out to the teachers. “I make tortillas every day, different foods, but always homemade tortillas,” she said. “I want the teachers to get to know my food and for them to enjoy it.”
After lunch, Guzman helps in the school’s library, working with students or completing tasks for teachers. She then passes out sack lunches provided by Kids’ Food Basket, a Grand Rapids nonprofit that provides meals for students in need. To end the school day, she helps with dismissal.
Guzman said being involved has given her skills to help her children at home with schoolwork.
“That way, I know everything the teachers teach, and at home I can go more into depth,” she said. “What I tell moms is, ‘Get involved with your children because the children here need a lot of love from their moms.’
“The kids here, they like it that their moms come to see them do their school work. It makes them very happy to see their moms involved in the class.”
Yolanda Guzman
Geerling said Guzman connects with the Godfrey-Lee community in a much-needed way.
“She really has good contact with lots of parents in the community and is very passionate about how necessary it is to be involved,” Geerling said. “It’s one thing having the schools say we need involvement, but it’s a lot more powerful to have a parent doing it. She sees the need and the benefit and wants others to be involved.”
Many parents call the school and ask to talk to Guzman, or stop her in the hallway to ask about field trips and activities.
English-language learner teacher Amy Gregory said Guzman always takes the extra step. She contacts parents she knows have the best cheesecake or pastry recipes to ask them to pitch in for class parties. She listens to recordings of English words so she can help Edgar study for spelling tests.
“She constantly advocates for her kiddos,” Gregory said.
Guzman said her husband works long hours packing eggs at a farm, and she wants her children to do well in school so they can pursue the jobs that they want.
“I want them to have a career,” she said, “even if it’s a small career.”
Dreaming of a green paradise where you can shed your coat, toss off your hat and feast your eyes on exotic wildlife? Now add hundreds of colorful butterflies flitting so close some even land on your hand, your hair, your kids!
From March 1 through April 30 the dream comes true at Meijer Gardens Butterfly Exhibit.
For the past 20 years, Meijer Gardens has brought more than 7,000 tropical butterflies to West Michigan from Africa, Asia, South and Central America. It’s the largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibition in the nation.
Approximately 50 colorful species will fly freely in the five-story Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. At 85 degrees and 70 percent humidity, this balmy environment mimics tropical regions where the butterflies thrive.
Visitors can learn about the life cycle of the butterflies in the Butterfly Bungalow, where adult butterflies emerge from cocoons and spread their wings for the first time.
Included in the species arriving from this area are the Columbian and Common Morpho, two visitor favorites whose blue iridescent color seems to change in flight, in addition to many others.
The butterfly exhibit attracts more than 170,000 visitors from all over the nation each year. For more information contact awolschleger@meijergardens.org or call 616-975-3155.
So it’s fitting that the Kelloggsville High School senior is one of 100 high-school students selected nationwide to attend the 2015 Disney Dreamers Academy at Walt Disney World Resort March 5-8.
Hasani will join other aspiring students at the conference, offered in partnership with comic Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine. The weekend includes educational sessions, guest speakers, and hands-on learning opportunities, with the focus on teaching high school students how to dream big and discover possibilities.
Hasani said he looks forward to getting involved with students from across the country to learn more about effective dreaming and achieving these dreams.
“I want to be able to accomplish anything I set my mind to and I hope the Disney Dreamer Academy can help with that,” he said.
He also has a personal reason for wanting to go to the “Most Magical Place on Earth.”
“My mother has always wanted to take me to Disney World. The opportunity never presented itself until now,” he said. “I can now take her expense free.”
On his application essay, Hasani described how he hopes to become an entrepreneur by starting his own consulting firm or private bank. He also wants to start a mentoring program for underprivileged youth in the Grand Rapids area.
Hasani was recently accepted into Harvard University, and is in the process of choosing between Harvard or Morehouse College, where he has been offered full-ride scholarship. He is also a finalist for Morehouse College’s Stamps Leadership Scholarship. He plans to study a combination of finance, economics, political science or education.
Hasani is extremely involved at Kelloggsville High School and in the Wyoming community.
He is vice president of the National Honor Society, vice president of the Kent Career Technical Center National Technical Honor Society and is a member of the Principal Leadership Team at KCTC. He is president of the City of Wyoming Teen Council, a model and contributor for the peer-to-peer education program Pure Passion for Fashion, a mentor for D.A. Blodgett’s Big Brother Big Sister program and Hasani is vice president of the National Honor Society. He also serves as president of the Kent Career Technical Center National Technical Honor Society and is a member of the Principal Leadership Team at KCTC. He is president of the City of Wyoming Teen Council, a model and contributor for the peer-to-peer education program Pure Passion for Fashion, a mentor for D.A. Blodgett’s Big Brother Big Sister program and Co-Program Director of the Youth Leadership Academy at Gerald R. Ford Academic Center. Hasani also executive produced the fundraiser “Hasani Helping Haiti” and last summer attended American Legion Boys Nation.
West Michigan honors the contributions of African Americans to the rich tapestry of our nation’s history. Organizations including local universities, social clubs, and institutions such as public libraries will feature special displays, exhibits, and events dedicated to recognizing the unique stories and achievements of Black Americans.
GVSU Office of Multicultural Affairs Events
GVSU will host several events to honor Black History Month. For dates and locations, click on the link for details.
Taste of Soul Sunday at Grand Rapids Public Library
Join the GRPL as they celebrate African American history and
Imani Singers of Grand Rapids
culture at the tenth annual FREE Taste of Soul Sunday. Parking is always free on Sunday in the library lot. The parking ramp at GRCC (north of our building) and metered spots on the street are free on Sunday as well.
Spectrum Health Healthier Communities, 655 Seward, Grand Rapids, MI, (4th Tuesday of every Month). FREE and open to the community with free parking in the lot and on the side streets. Build relationships, your knowledge of racial equity, and learn about advocacy to create ideas for action, recruit the help of others, and implement work that can help eliminate racialized outcomes in our community. Email Colin Smith with questions.
Saturday, February 28 –5:00 – 11:00 pm
Celebration of Soul
For 14 years, the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Symphony with Soul concert has moved diverse audiences with jazz, opera, gospel and R&B. On February 28th, Vanessa Williams will perform her greatest pop hits alongside the Grand Rapids Symphony orchestra. The Grand Rapids Symphony is proud to collaborate with the Community Inclusion Group to bring the NAACP Image Award-winner and Grammy-nominated artist to DeVos Performance Hall.
The concert is part of the evening’s Celebration of Soul gala, which is celebrating its 10th year. DeVos Place, Steelcase Ballroom, 303 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
For the past 10 years, the Grand Rapids Public Library has celebrated African American heritage and culture by highlighting local artists, musicians, dancers, authors, historians and restauranteurs. The 10th annual Taste of Soul Sunday will take place on February 15, 2015 from 1-4:30 pm at the Main Library – 111 Library St NE. The event is free and sponsored by the Grand Rapids Public Library Foundation.
Taste of Soul Sunday is an annual event that features food sampling from local restaurants, lectures by local authors, historians, and artists, music and children’s activities. Musical performances will include Karisa Wilson, Serita’s Black Rose, and Imani Singers of Grand Rapids. There will also be a breakdance performance by 61SYX Teknique.
History and author presentations include two presentations on the Auburn Hills neighborhood in Grand Rapids, a discussion about Idlewild—once called ‘The Black Las Vegas’, and an exploration of African American quilts. Storyteller John Steven Crowley will also perform.
Activities for children and teens will feature a poetry reading, a paint party and a craft activity.
Free food samplings will be provided by local restaurants LINC Up Soul Food Cafe, Southern Fish Fry, and TaDOW! BBQ. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.grpl.org/tasteofsoul.
Taste of Soul Sunday will take place at the Main Library – 111 Library St NE from 1-4:40 pm on Sunday, February 16, 2014. Free parking is available in the Library’s lot. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call 616-988-5400 or visit www.grpl.org/tasteofsoul. The Grand Rapids Public Library connects people to the transforming power of knowledge.
Teens from Saugatuck High School present an in-depth look at the question of teen homelessness as experienced by young people in the foster care system at the “Intriguing Conversation” series on Thursday, February 12. The program at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts (400 Culver Street, Saugatuck, MI) begins at 7:00 p.m.; free admission. For more information click on the link
The issue of teen homelessness is quite complex. According to Bethany Christian Services, a big challenge is children who turn 18 in the Michigan foster care system. About 30% of the youth that age out of the foster care system end up homeless within 2 years.
Currently, there are 292 children in the state of Michigan between the ages of 8 – 17 in foster care awaiting adoption. Without a permanent home, they are turned out of the system with no home, no job, no pathway to education and no support systems.
It’s no secret that West Michigan is home to Beer Mania, but if you want the secrets behind the Rockford Brewing Company’s signature beers such as Rogue River Brown, Sheehan’s Irish Stout and Paradigm MPA, you’ll save the upcoming date: The Wyoming branch of the Kent District Library has teamed up with the Rockford Brewing Company to offer a facility tour on Tuesday, February 10 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. The brewery is located at 12 E. Bridge Street in Rockford.
After the tour, show your Kent District Library card and Wyoming KDL branch tour partners will get you a special deal on beer tasting. Plus, they’ll help you unlock the secrets of home brewing your own beer with KDL materials ready and waiting for check out.
In Holly Vostad’s North Godwin Elementary School classroom, kindergarteners sat in circles on the rug, discussing what they planned to write about: A weekend at their father’s. Christmas. Snow. Their favorite things. They soon headed to their desks, pulling out their pencils and got to work on their stories. Even among the students, there’s a lot of collaboration going on at North Godwin.
The students are from diverse ethnic backgrounds, but the vast majority come from low-income families. At North Godwin, one of two Godwin Heights Public Schools elementary buildings, 92 percent of students receive free or reduced-priced lunch. As illustrated in our continuing School News Network series on how poverty affects education, a percentage of low-income students that high is a strong predictor that test scores should be among the lowest in the county.
But that’s not the case. Instead, North Godwin’s scores are soaring. Not only do students in the K-4 school buck the trend that poverty correlates to low achievement. They test so well that they’re on par with West Michigan’s most affluent school districts, East Grand Rapids and Forest Hills.
Last year, 92.2 percent of North Godwin fourth-graders scored proficiently in reading on the MEAP test, and 65.5 percent of third- and fourth-graders were proficient in both reading and math. The state averages are 60 percent and 38.5 percent, respectively. In East Grand Rapids’ Breton Downs Elementary, where just 6.3 percent of students are economically disadvantaged, students’ scores were 92.5 percent proficient in reading and 66 percent proficient in both reading and math.
Kindergartner Avantae Sanders gets to work
So how did North Godwin, located in a former car-manufacturing community that has fallen on hard times, do what so many other schools faced with barriers of poverty, student transiency and a high percentage of English language learners haven’t been able to achieve? How have test scores remained consistently high over the past 10 years, setting North as a case study for education professionals interested in turning around low-performing schools?
It’s a combination of things that work in the classroom, hallways and community. It has to do with connections staff members make with each other, the students and the parents, and it has a lot to do with a culture of commitment, collaboration and high expectations.
“There’s a lot of passion here. I love our families and the staff loves our families,” Vostad said. “A lot of times in conferences parents will say, ‘I dropped out of school, but I want better for my child.’ I feel like there’s that desire in the staff to say, ‘You know, they can do better.’”
Staff Mindset is Key
But there’s no magic formula Principal Mary Lang can bottle up and send to other schools. She says the success is the result of a process that requires all teachers to work together with the belief that students can achieve despite their challenging backgrounds. Strong leadership is a must, and data is continually scrutinized.
“It’s a mindset. Everyone believes all children can learn and they believe they will,” Lang said. “It really (has) to do with the staff choosing to come together and work together collaboratively to create the best environment, and create really strong relationships with the community as well.”
Second-grade teacher Kelly Compher agrees staff collaboration is a “huge” factor in student success.
“All the teachers here are 150 percent dedicated to their job and having our students achieve,” Compher said “Everyone is here to support each other, and they all want to see each other succeed. We know our children go through tough times, and we empathize for them, but we don’t let that stop them. We hold them to high expectations.”
Godwin Heights Superintendent William Fetterhoff, who formerly served as North Godwin principal, compares “how they do it” to what a wise fisherman knows.
“Everyone wants to know. ‘What rod are you using?’” Fetterhoff said. “The reality is it’s not about the rod, it’s about the technique — the perseverance to do it over and over again and refine your skill.
“The point is, it doesn’t matter what you use as long as you are consistent, introspective and (willing to modify instruction) for higher-level and lower-level learners.”
The Education Trust-Midwest, a statewide education policy and advocacy organization, in 2009 selected North Godwin as one of its “Dispelling the Myth” schools for high performance in a high-poverty school.
“If something’s not working or doesn’t meet a curriculum goal, we don’t continue doing it. Teaching is data-driven.” — Holly Vostad
Sarah Winchell Lenhoff, the group’s director of policy and research, cited strong leadership, teacher collaboration and high expectations for students and teachers as key reasons for the school’s success.
“What we’ve seen is a real commitment to valuing the importance of teaching, and understanding that teachers are the most important things in school when it comes to student learning and growth,” Winchell Lenhoff said. “They take the development of their teachers very seriously. They are not afraid to have those difficult conversations with teachers if they are not performing as well as they like.”
The Beginning of Change
North’s transformation from average to exceptional began under Principal Arelis Diaz in the early 2000s. She put a laser-like focus on digging into data, bringing all staff onto the same page and creating a culture where everyone had the same goals. Parent involvement became a huge priority, as did removing long-held beliefs about low-income families.
In 2005, when Diaz left the principal position, her students, including English-language learners and special education students, were outperforming similar students throughout the state. Eighty-five percent of fourth-grade students met or exceeded state reading standards, and 94 percent did so in math. Eighty-seven percent also met or exceeded state writing standards, compared with 50 percent in 2000, while 75 percent of fifth-graders met or exceeded social studies standards.
The district’s dramatic turnaround has earned it statewide recognition for beating the odds and closing achievement gaps.
Everyone On Board
At many schools, teachers work within their own departments: general education, special education, English language learners. That changed at North Godwin.
“Everybody has to hear the same message,” Fetterhoff said. “We used to go to separate trainings and we would exclude teachers if they were special education or ELL. We started bringing everyone in together. … Those specialized teachers were getting the same message and training. It was a double dose for everybody. After a period of time, that led to strong changes in terms of our achievement.”
Kindergartner Zachery Steele writes
Accountability increased as well. Consider third-grade teachers comparing scores on a science unit. “They would say, ‘Your kids did much better on that. What did you do differently?’” Fetterhoff said. “Teachers stopped saying, ‘Gosh, I did the best I could,’ and instead looked at their neighbors.”
Vostad explained how that works.
“If something’s not working or doesn’t meet a curriculum goal, we don’t continue doing it. Teaching is data-driven. … Being in the same district years ago, it wasn’t like that. Now, if there’s not an objective behind it, we are not going to waste time doing it.”
The best training teachers can receive is inside their own school building, Fetterhoff said. “Our best professional development is to take a look at our own teachers who are successful and then try to implement those strategies. Two heads are better than one.”
“Everyone wants to know. ‘What rod are you using?’ The reality is it’s not about the rod, it’s about the technique.” — William Fetterhoff, Godwin Heights superintendent
“Student teaching was very much like an interview,” said second-grade teacher Compher, who first worked as a student teacher and then a paraprofessional at North. “They were training us to potentially be a candidate for any job that opened. Then, as a parapro, I got to see all grade levels and how they worked with each other.”
Student teachers, many who go on to be hired at Godwin, work alongside classroom teachers the entire semester. The new educator benefits from a seasoned teacher’s experiences, and experienced teachers learn new ideas and technology trends in education.
Forming Bonds with Parents
At many low-income schools, teachers cite lack of parental involvement as a major problem. That’s not the case at North Godwin, Compher said. She only had one parent miss fall conferences, which was followed up with a phone conference.
“This community is really great,” Compher said. “The parents want what is best for their kids. Our partnership with them, and relationship with each other, is also what drives the success of our students. I feel like that is a big portion of why our school is successful: because we are trying to reach out to our community. We really push parental involvement.”
The demographics of the Godwin district have changed over the past decade, with many Hispanic families moving into area, said Lang, the principal. The staff embraced them.
“There was tons of work done to build relationships with the Hispanic population,” Lang said. “That helped tremendously as well. We have a a strong Hispanic community and really strong relationships here at North.”
Supporting families goes beyond academics. Vostad noted a teacher who helped a student’s family get rid of lice by visiting their home, and another who studied with a student’s mother to help her take a test to receive her U.S. citizenship.
“We want all of our students to have the same opportunities as kids in other districts,” Compher added. “Coming to our school, we want them to have breakfast, to have their meals. Having their personal needs met is very important for them to be successful.”
In early elementary school, students learn more content than some of their affluent peers. The district implemented all-day kindergarten years before other districts.
Students raise their hands at North Godwin Elementary School
“Because our kids come in at a lower level with a lack of background knowledge, I feel like we do have to push a lot more,” Vostad said. She noted educators from other districts would visit and ask, “‘How do your kids know so many sight (beginning reading) words?’ They know 75 to 100. Every school that came said, ‘We only teach 25 or 30.’”
The visiting educators questioned the necessity of teaching so much in kindergarten.
“Our point is: They can do it, so why not? In a lot of districts, they can teach just 25 or 30 and their kids will be just fine, and the scores will be there, because they have that parental support at home,” Vostad said.
‘The Strongest Tool We Have’
High expectations aren’t limited to students. Teachers must be the best at their craft, Fetterhoff said.
“You come to work for us. It’s not enough to stay out of trouble. It’s not enough to not do something wrong. It’s not enough to be average, because we will cut you loose. The strongest tool we have is putting the best people in front of our students. If you are not exceptional, you will not be given tenure in this district.”
“Our kids are tough,” said Lang. “If a teacher can’t manage a classroom, they don’t stick around.”
As Godfrey-Lee Public Schools superintendent, David Britten put the district on the cutting edge of digital education by implementing a one-to-one laptop program in 2009, before many other schools had done so.
Since then the approximately 2,000-student district has stayed at the forefront of technology use in education. In 2013 Godfrey-Lee received a $550,000 School Improvement Grant, with the bulk going toward technology which officials used to purchase MacBook Air and Pro laptops and iPads.
Washington, D.C., officials have taken notice of Britten, a prolific blogger, social media user and technology-savvy administrator. The U.S. Army officer was selected by the U.S. Department of Education as one of 100 school leaders to participate in the first-ever National Connected Superintendents Summit at the White House. He was recognized for leadership in helping the district make the transition to digital learning.
“I personally knew the value of technology in learning and in evolving careers,” said Britten, who leads the district with the most economically disadvantaged students in Kent County.
“When I took on the district in 2008-09, I wanted to be sure our students had the same access to technology as I began to see in some of the progressive schools around the country. I didn’t want their socioeconomic status to hold them back.”
Godfrey-Lee began with a five-year vision of providing every secondary student with a digital device, beginning with sixth grade. Money from the SIG grant and bond funds put the district two years ahead of its timeline. Officials have evolved the program as a hybrid of 1:1 plus bring your own device, allowing students and staff members to use the device of their choice.
Next up: more devices at the elementary school, programming, coding and 3D printing, Britten said.
Godfrey-Lee Superintendent David Britten stands in front to the podium at the White House
A Day at the White House
At the summit, Britten and other school leaders met with President Barack Obama, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and a host of other U.S. Department of Education and senior administration officials to discuss promising approaches to using technology in the classroom.
A big focus was connecting students with tools they need for digital technology learning. The Obama Administration’s strategic plan, the ConnectEd Initiative, aims to connect all schools to high-speed Internet and provide digital technology learning tools to every student.
“Districts and schools need dynamic, empowered leadership to prepare their schools for the future,” Britten said. “I was amazed that less than 40 percent of schools provide devices and connectivity to high-speed Internet outside of an occasional shared computer or static computer lab.”
Every school superintendent in the country was asked to sign a pledge with the president to make districts “Future Ready” and committing to the following:
* Fostering and leading a culture of collaboration and digital citizenship; * Transitioning schools and families to high-speed connectivity; * Empowering educators with professional learning opportunities; * Accelerating progress toward universal access to quality devices; * Providing access to quality digital content; * Creating access, equity and excellence – particularly in rural, remote and low-income districts; * Offering digital tools to students and families to help them prepare for success in college; * Sharing best practices and mentoring other districts in the transition to digital learning.
“School districts across the country are helping teachers harness the power of technology to create personal learning environments for all students,” said Secretary of Education Duncan in a press release. “We want to make sure every child – whether he or she is in the inner-city, in a rural community or on a Native American reservation – has access to knowledge and the chance to learn 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Twelve to 15 planned regional meetings will focus on what school districts have in place and what could be possible with digital technology. The events will also include the unveiling of digital tools that facilitate incorporation of technology into short-term and long-range education planning.
Britten said schools moving forward need to include student voices in technology planning, provide ongoing teacher training, and empower teachers to be innovative and take risks.
“In the end, high-quality instruction is still the difference-maker, with digital technology opening up new avenues for communicating, collaborating, creating and publishing within a flexible learning environment. Great teaching is still the equalizer, not specific types of technology.”
We’re hearing lots of good news about the improving economy in the U.S. and Michigan. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean much to the lives of hundreds of children in Kent County who are wards of the court system, removed from their homes largely due to abuse and neglect.
Given the number of children in need and cutbacks in government services the county is turning to volunteers. If you are willing to help a child throughout the traumatic process of separation from family and the journey through the court system, you are called to serve.
The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program of Kent County is a non-profit organization that trains volunteer advocates to provide consistent oversight for children who are wards of the court.
Volunteer training begins Feb. 9 for those willing to support a child by giving time and caring. Click on the link below for a volunteer application form. For more information call 616-632-5311.
No headline can capture the impact of becoming a mentor to a child. On Tuesday, January 27, 2015 from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Wyoming Library (3350 Michael Ave. SW) mentors with One Wyoming 1 on 1 will share their experiences in a new mentor training session.
However, many adults have two big questions about mentoring: The first is the fear that we don’t have enough time. The second involves questions like “What will we talk about?” or “I don’t know enough to help with homework,” or “What if the child has problems I can’t deal with?”
You are invited to learn that every one of your questions has an answer, plus the time requirements are minimal – you won’t believe what you can accomplish in 15 minutes! Adults take for granted the benefits the child enjoys – special attention, help with classwork, getting out of class when you visit! I promise your life will be immeasurably enriched by the very special moments you share with the children fate chooses us to mentor.
I know the questions, the concerns and the rewards because for the past four years, I’ve been a mentor to Amber. When we met, she was 11 years old, a 6th grader who was struggling academically and socially. Her future was charting toward failure; everyone in her life was concerned.
As a former teacher, I didn’t have too many fears about interacting with a child I had never met before. On the other hand, I had never taught in middle school. I had absolutely no clue about today’s social pressures beyond hazy memories of my own checkered journey through popularity, puberty, and academic performance. I assumed the negatives would be more intense today and I worried I wouldn’t be up to meeting Amber’s needs.
Ultimately, Amber’s needs were very simple – to be encouraged, listened to, and to be there when I said I would; someone she could count on. This is not to say that nobody else met those needs for Amber. We just talked about what she wanted to talk about: what made her mad, who wanted to fight her, teachers she didn’t like, course work she hated. Every once in a while, I would ask her a question: “Do you want every day of your life to be like this?” And she would pause…..
And in that moment of hesitation, the world changes for the child. Then you listen some more. That’s my take on mentoring. I’m sure there are many other versions of the same journey the child takes to becoming a young adult: The escape from anger and frustration to seeing the world filled with choices, each that has fairly predictable consequences.
Today Amber is fifteen, a freshman in high school who has overcome enormous challenge. She faces more ahead, but we are both confident of her future success – college, a career, and a life of smart choices.
Neither of us can imagine life without each other now, which is a huge bonus I never expected. Not everyone will form life-long attachments with the children we mentor. Most relationships involve short visits at the child’s school. But as I followed Amber through 6th grade, I knew I wanted to stick with her, to support the gains she was making. Plus, she’s a terrific kid! Gutsy, smart, with a great sense of humor.
By the time Amber left 8th grade, here is an excerpt of a letter she wrote to the teachers at her school. “All of you have taught me things through my 2 years of coming here that I will never forget. I will carry on everything that you taught me, because it wasn’t just school work, it was about life and how to take what comes at you.” Eventually Amber and I journeyed to the day when she asked me, “So what do you want the rest of your life to be about?” I invite you to consider what you want your life to be about. For me, mentoring has supplied an important part of the answer.
You will meet many mentors with wonderful stories at the One Wyoming 1 on 1 mentor training session. Invite a friend. Refreshments will be served! Please RSVP to info@onewyoming1on1.org
Wyoming Intermediate School sixth graders work on Chromebooks in class.
Arlhyn Madrigal checked math homework and Delfina Hernandez played a game called “Buzz Math” on their Chromebooks in their sixth-grade Wyoming Intermediate School classroom.
“It’s easier to check stuff and you don’t need the teacher to help you,” said Arlhyn, on having a Chromebook of her own. She said she prepares at home on the device for the next day’s class with video notes provided by her teacher.
The girls are in one of two pilot classrooms launching the Chromebook program, for which students receive their own devices for use at school and home. Wyoming Intermediate School Principal Kirk Bloomquist hoped to put the laptops into the hands of all fifth- and sixth-grade students this semester, but funding is proving difficult.
An ongoing Chromebooks for Kids campaign, seeking donations from Wyoming businesses to fund 250 of the $245 computers, has resulted in 60 donations so far, including funds for 20 devices from the school’s Parent Teacher Organization. Funding is still needed for 190 Chromebooks.
Bloomquist said the school’s first 350 Chromebook, for school-use, were paid for through district funds, and student fundraisers.
Wyoming Public Schools, like many districts, has faced budget deficits in recent years due to limited state funds and declining enrollment. However, many districts have supported 1:1 technology initiatives through bond issues, parent contributions, or restructuring budgets to implement laptop programs over several years.
“Between myself and the teaching staff, we were looking at different options,” Bloomquist said. “We knew funding through a bond wasn’t possible, because the last bond proposed didn’t pass.”
Also Superintendent Tom Reeder said attempting to fund technology through a bond isn’t something he supports because of the short shelf life of equipment. He said the district has funded much technology including 1,000 devices district-wide with grant funds, but those are limited. Also, many students in middle and high school bring their own devices to school.
Bloomquist said students today are very comfortable with technology, and embrace using it in school positively. Some students however, have no computer at home.
“For one thing it’s a huge motivator. They are growing up in a world where being online is second nature to them,” Bloomquist said.
Sixth-grade teacher Maurine Schneider, whose classroom is piloting the initiative, said she uses the technology in instruction, to provide homework notes, and students use Google Docs, that allow her to view work in-progress.
“For me, with the Chromebooks, the students are held so much more accountable because there’s immediate feedback,” she said. “It’s incredible, especially for kids who don’t have access to computers,” she said.
Students can work at their own pace during parts of class. Students learning English as a second language can stop and review online notes provided by Schneider as much as they need to, when oftentimes they may “get lost” during the fast-paced lecture. The technology is also great for group work.
“They love the collaboration,” Schneider said.
Bloomquist said he is hopeful more businesses will step forward to donate. To make a donation or receive more information, call (616) 530-7540.
See more at: http://www.schoolnewsnetwork.org
Clear Expectations Bring Improved Student Achievement and Reduced Suspensions
by Paul R. Kopenkoskey
Special education paraprofessional Erin Kosten accepts Godwin Bucks from a student.
Peppered throughout Godwin Heights High School’s hallways, classrooms and cafeteria are posters declaring eight expectations of its students.
Students are embracing the school-wide standards, and as a result, are making marked improvement in their behavior and readiness to learn.
The expectations are part of a program the high school launched at the start of the 2012-13 school year called Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS). Through a handful of incentive programs, which includes an in-school store called the Wolverine Den, students receive a reward for exhibiting positive behavior. This has led to a safer, more positive school environment, said Marcia DeVos, a special education teacher whose department oversees the operation of the store. Suspensions are down and a more “teachable” school environment has been created, enabling teachers to devote more time to class instruction.
Special education teacher Marcia DeVos says the PBIS program is making a noticeable difference.
The PBIS expectations encourage the high schools’ 640 students to be at school on time every day; wear a Godwin ID; use appropriate language; respect peers, self and staff; keep the school clean and safe; follow the dress code; and be honest.
Focus on positive behavior
“Instead of focusing on negative behaviors from our students, PBIS focuses on meeting our expectations,” said DeVos. “The primary focus is on behavior which leads to better academics. Teachers have said the kids are quieter. We know the kids that were here last year are telling the freshman ‘this is how we do things here.’”
Assistant Principal Aaron Berlin said the 2011-12 school year was devoted to deciding which expectations to put into action. It was worth it, he added. He points to a decline in out-of-school suspensions: 4.4 percent out-of-school suspensions (2011-2012); 3.57 percent (2012-2013), and it was reduced to 2.75 percent (2013-2014).
‘Godwin Bucks’ making a difference
The sign serves as a reminder to students to earn money for positive behavior.
Teachers who notice students demonstrating one or more of the eight expectations are given a “Godwin Buck.” The “money” is actually photocopied, laminated paper with a comical banana printed on the top that says it’s worth $1.
Students can then take their reward dollars during lunchtime on Wednesdays and Fridays to the Wolverine Den to purchase merchandise that some 30 high school teachers buy and donate to stock it, such as snacks, water bottles, and gloves.
Some items cost more than $1 and if the student wants it, they learn to save their “Godwin Bucks” until they’ve earned enough to purchase the desired item.
“It motivates them to do it again,” said DeVos. “That’s why some items cost one Godwin Buck and others cost more.”
DeVos said in the works is a school store that will offer Godwin hoodies for sale to parents, alumni, students and the school community. The proceeds from the regalia will help fund the merchandise for the Wolverine Den.
Also inside the Wolverine Den are gift certificates tapped to a wall that cost $10 Godwin Bucks that are good for special treats such as lunch with a teacher, or homemade cookies.
Special education teacher Marcia DeVos says the PBIS program is making a noticeable difference
Sweet treat carts make the rounds
As another incentive, two sweet treat carts make quarterly rounds to classrooms. Loaded with cookies, cupcakes, pies and cakes, a teacher arrives at a classroom with the names of students who met the requirements of that quarter’s theme. The first quarter of this year, students were challenged to maintain perfect attendance. Students who did not have any suspensions or detentions were treated the second nine weeks.
“This rewards the kids who meet the expectations,” said DeVos. “It also motivates the other kids — they see the rewards and hopefully consider earning the same incentives next time.”
CONNECT
Positive Behavior Intervention Supports
– See more at: http://www.schoolnewsnetwork.org/index.php/2014-15/godwin-heights-hs-positive-behavior-program-proves-its-value/#sthash.7zTEy9RW.dpuf
Townline Elementary School fourth-grader Kadyn Toris has made huge gains in reading since he began receiving private tutoring at Streams of Hope.
Since second grade, Kadyn has attended a total of six 12-week sessions inside the food pantry at the faith-based, non-profit organization at 280 60th St. SE. His father makes sure he gets there every week. Kadyn usually walks in with a smile on his face to meet with his tutor.
Located next to Townline Elementary, Streams of Hope was founded eight years ago to serve students at the school, which enrolls many low-income students. It has since expanded to serve several other Kentwood Public Schools elementary buildings and other nearby schools.
Kadyn said reading better is helping him improve in every subject at school. He also comes for math tutoring.
“Last year I made the honor roll,” he said, referring to the Streams of Hope list of star students. “I felt like I was catching up with the other kids. I like that I can come here and learn, say ‘hi’ to everyone I know, and I make friends.”
His confidence also has received a big boost.
“I feel like I can really read,” Kadyn said. “I can read a lot of books now.”
Creating a Quality Program
Townline Elementary School fourth-grade students Andrew Rangel-Zavala and Gabriel Toussaint have worked together at tutoring for two year.
Streams of Hope Program Coordinator Sue Harkema considered how to bring a tutoring program on board in 2012, when an anonymous donor stepped forward to fund a pilot program. She had two non-negotiable requirements: Tutors would have to be certified teachers and students would get individualized attention, with a two-to-one student-to-teacher ratio.
“We wanted it to be a remedial reading program, where teachers had experience working with students and really seeing what the root of their reading issues are, so they become more successful readers,” Harkema said.
The reading program involves three 50-minute sessions of reading on Monday evenings. Six tutors work with 30 second- to fifth-grade students, up from 12 two years ago. Students drop in for the session most convenient for them, meeting in offices in the pantry.
Students now come from Kentwood elementary buildings including Townline, Southwood, Glenwood, Bowen, Explorer and Endeavor, as well as Cross Creek Charter Academy and The Potter’s House Christian School.
Math tutoring was added this fall thanks to more grants and donations. Three tutors serve 12 students on Wednesday evenings, and Harkema hopes to expand the service to 30. Some students, like Kadyn, come for both math and reading, and several have signed up for every session.
“We have some students that have come since we started, and, honestly they are ready to exit the program, but they just love coming here,” Harkema said.
Meeting a Neighborhood Need
While tutors are paid through donations and grants, the program is free to parents. The neighborhood around Streams of Hope has a high level of poverty, with the food pantry serving 500 families a month. Hiring a private tutor costs about $50 per hour, an amount out of reach for many families.
“Our goal is to help those (for whom) private tutoring would otherwise be cost prohibitive,” Harkema said. “To be able to offer this to students is huge.”
Parents are required to discuss students’ progress at the end of each session and
attend a workshop to help learn how to best work with their children. “Our goal isn’t just to put a Band-Aid on a student’s problem. We really want to empower parents, to give them the tools they need to help their child.”
Third-grade student Daniel Rangel-Zavala works with tutor Joy Howard, who also is a paraprofessional for Kelloggsville Public Schools.
Progress is tracked by test scores, including the Scholastic Reading Inventory assessment. Most students progress at least one grade level after a 12-week session.
“There’s something magical that happens with tutoring,” said Harkema, a private tutor for 16 years. “It does something for the student’s confidence and self-esteem. The students want to come back for more because they feel successful when they’re here. If we can give them a glimpse of what success is like, it gives them the drive to want to succeed more and give them that drive they need.”
Glenwood Principal Jenny Love said she’s seen firsthand the difference tutoring is making.
“Our parents are very thankful for it,” Love said. “It’s hard to get that extra support outside of school for families that don’t have the extra resources.”
Streams of Hope facilities include a community center with a gymnasium for after-school programs, and the food pantry, which was built in 2012. Other programs include an after-school program for middle and high school students, a basketball program, and a chess club for teens. Volunteers are needed for a new middle and high school tutoring program from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursdays.
Townline fourth-grade students Andrew Rangel-Zavala and Gabriel Toussaint have worked together with their tutor for two years, cheering each other on at tutoring and at school. “I saw that I improved in my reading score,” said Andrew.
Added Gabriel, “Last time I took a test I was up 400 points.”
Second-graders London Turner and Xavier Pegues read their books Photos from School News Network
The holiday season brought books, books and more books to Wyoming Public Schools elementary buildings. Oriole Park and Parkview elementary schools each has received a big delivery of enough copies for all students of the 2014 Michigan Reads! Book of the Year, “Acoustic Rooster and his Barnyard Band.” The schools were recently awarded the books through Michigan Department of Education’s Culture of Reading program.
Plus, books from the nonprofit children’s literacy organization Reading Is Fundamental, funded through a $10,000 grant from Macy’s department store corporation, has provided Wyoming Intermediate, Parkview, West and Gladiola elementary schools free books. Kindergarten through second-grade students are receiving three books each, and pre-kindergarten and third- through fifth-grade students two apiece, said Danielle Vigh, the district’s academic support manager. Districts qualifying for the RIF grant have free and reduced lunch populations of 80 percent or higher.
“This is very important so our students have access to quality reading materials and reading materials in general, and get into the habit of taking the time to read,” said Superintendent Tom Reeder, who hopes students learn to pick up a book for fun instead of always turning to other leisure activities. “Our community must continue to foster and develop good habits.”
Kevin Elliott turns the pages
Students in second-grade teacher Lori Schimmelmann’s class settled under the classroom Christmas tree with their books in hand. “I like it because Mrs. Schimmelmann thought it was going to be a paper book, but it’s a real (hard-covered) book,” said student London Turner.
“So many of these kids don’t have books at home and to get this nice hard-covered book is like, ‘wow,’” added Schimmelmann.
Source: Reading is Fundamental
Fostering a ‘Culture of Reading’
Other district efforts to promote reading include Little Free Library house-shaped boxes stationed outside schools, with free books inside for the community to grab. Students are keeping reading logs, working to reach a weekly goal of minutes spent reading for fun. A districtwide committee is focused on school and community reading projects.
The state’s Culture of Reading program is distributing 3,000 copies of this year’s chosen book to 115 Michigan elementary classrooms and early childhood programs. It is the first award allocated through the program. Approximately 740 elementary school and early childhood programs applied for the grant.
Awards were granted on the basis of meeting grant criteria, including a commitment to providing the children with evidence-based reading instruction and family engagement activities focused on literacy.
“Kids will be getting their own books and reading instruction to help them on their way to a lifetime of learning and reading for enjoyment,” State Superintendent Mike Flanagan said in a press release.
Parkview Elementary second-grade students Solymar Lopez-Argueta, Joselyn Sanchez-Rodriguez, Vanessa Matildez-Rodriguez and Juan Jimenez-Hernandez read their copies of the 2014 Michigan Reads! Book of the Year
“There are too many people, including children and adults, who cannot read,” Flanagan added. “We need that to change. To help build a culture of reading in Michigan, we need to get books in their hands and in their homes.”
Byron Center Public Schools, MI — It’s a red-carpet affair, a celebration of student film-making, and a way novice directors can offer their perspectives on issues that touch their lives: character, health and diversity.
Byron Center High School senior Aspen Comar and homeschooled student Ellen LeRoy receive their awards at last year’s Meijer Great Choices Film Festival
Since 2009, Meijer Great Choices Student Film Festival has grown to become a contest in which hundreds of high school students annually vie for more than $21,000 in prizes provided by big-name donors, culminating in an awards ceremony at Celebration Cinema North movie theater. Now, even kindergarten through eighth graders pick up cameras to enter the Film Festival Junior.
“It’s a big deal,” said Joana Leatherman, director of the Van Singel Fine Arts Center at Byron Center High School, where the festival has been coordinated since its inception.
“Filmmaking is in everything now. There’s such a need for it in so many ways.The film festival has taken that into consideration to guide the students down the right path (to college and careers).”
A Place to Showcase Talent
The festival was the brainchild of Joyce Bower, former marketing and communications director for the Van Singel Fine Arts Center at Byron Center High School. As part of her job, Bower reviewed scholarship applications to the Van Singel Family Foundation based on their artistic work. She noticed the high-quality submissions by Byron Center film students with no venue to show their work.
So, Bower began to set things in motion for a statewide festival, which would showcase the talent being developed in the High School’s Audio Visual Program, and in other schools as well.
With content guidelines based on themes geared around school-related issues, it could have impact on all ages, she realized.
“We thought, ‘Why don’t we control it and make it about what school’s are focusing in on? All schools are trying to teach the pillars of character, doing diversity training all the time, and teaching healthy living.”
Creating Positive Messages for Peers
Students learn about film-making school, career prospects Photo: Courtesy of Jessica Lind Photography
Students, themselves, could use video to teach peers and younger students about these issues, in their own way, she said. “Let’s let the kids talk to the kids about these things,” she said. “Let the kids create it and be involved. It’s really trying to make a positive impact on all the kids in the state.”
The result: students submit 30-second Public Service Announcement videos relating to Character, Promoting Health or Celebrating Diversity, targeted to grades kindergarten through sixth, or seventh through 12th.
Entries are judged by a panel of college students, and dozens of winners take home Meijer and Apple gift cards ranging from $75 to $1,500 and trophies. The first year, 90 students entered the contest, a number that quadrupled in 2010 to 385 students and remains more than 300 each year.
Bower worked hard to get corporate support, which led to Meijer signing on as underwriter. Rumor has it, late supermarket mogul Frederik Meijer loved watching the films, she said. Other partners include Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and Chemical Bank, and the Vander Laan Family Foundation. The Loeks family donates the theater, staffing and space for the awards ceremony.
Leatherman said the festival is constantly working to stay fresh. Popularity and options in film-making have exploded because of more accessible technology, like smart phones. “You can have an iPhone, go down the street and tell a great story, and it’s viral a couple days later,” she said.
Meijer Great Choices helps put those options into a streamlined, positive venue, she said. “It’s a great opportunity to find out what students have to do to have a career in the field,” she said.
Involving Students of All Ages, Including College
Byron Center High School Audio Visual teacher Julie VanderLaan said the contest inspires many students. “I believe that the Meijer Great Choices Film Festival is an outstanding program that allows all students to get involved. The high school students make the videos, the college students critique the videos and the K-12 students get the opportunity to view them and also learn from them,” she said.
“Students are taught to think about their ‘target audience’, their ‘message’ and how to make an individual take action.This takes learning to a deeper level, so it becomes much more than just another video contest.”
Byron Center High School senior Stefani Merchant’s film last year, with the topic of embracing oneself as an individual, finished in the Top 10. The budding filmmaker hopes to place in the Top 3 this year.
She said the competition has given her inspiration, and exposed her to a wealth of creativity and ideas. It’s also taught her to be concise with her message. “I think a public service announcement is really unique. You have to get your story line across in 30 seconds,” she said. “It’s a cool challenge and its fun to do it.”
Last year, representatives of Compass College of Cinematic Arts, based in Grand Rapids, welcomed contest winners to a question and answer session to expose them to careers in film-making, use high-tech equipment and to Skype with a famous film director.
This year, following the June 9 awards ceremony, winners will be whisked to Compass College in limousines for a Red Carpet After party.
Students involved with Meijer Great Choices Festival learn about film-making from professionals at Compass College of Cinematic Arts Photo: Courtesy of Jessica Lind Photography
Final Videos Distributed to Schools Statewide
Copies of DVDs featuring student films are distributed to every school in Michigan each year. “The schools are given something at no charge to help them with character, healthy lifestyle and diversity lessons,” Bower said.
Bower calls the festival, made possible with the help of the entire Van Singel team and community support, “the greatest accomplishment of her career. She believes it has opened many people’s eyes to the possibilities in film. “It’s brought it out into the open. People now know their are jobs and careers in film. I think Meijer Great Choices was at the start of that,” she said.
Registration deadline is Feb. 15 for this year’s festival. Films submissions will identify a problem and show the solution that leads to a Great Choice concerning diversity, heath or character.
There are many exciting, fun-filled events going on around West Michigan at this time of year. Don’t ever let your children say, “I’m bored.” Here are some ideas to keep the family entertained.
Don’t miss the Winter Break Mini Camp: December 29-31, 9-12:30pm. Cost: $55. Join the animals at Humane Society of West Michigan for a fun filled 3 days. Each day will feature presentations, games, craft, and of course lots of snuggle time with the animals! Register today at www.hswestmi.org or contact Jen Self-Aulgur at 616-791-8066 or jaulgur@hswestmi.org.
ADDRESS: 3077 Wilson Dr NW, Grand Rapids, MICritter Barn Christmas Break: The Critter Barn celebrates the joy of Christmas with an indoor Live Nativity, photographs of Bethlehem, animals and characters. Half of our Barn is HEATED! Hands-on fun for all! OPEN December 31, January 2 and 3. HOURS 10:00am to 3:00pm.
Using a procedure involving test tubes, funnels and cheesecloths, Kentwood Public Schools fifth-grade girls separated light pink, mushy blobs from smushed strawberries.
“Oooh, it feels gross!” said Katherine Love, a Discovery Elementary student, as she jabbed the gunk.
The girls weren’t just playing with their food, but performing a precise strawberry dissection that involved learning about the long thick fibers that store information for the functioning of the chemistry of life.
“That clumpy stuff that looks like snot is the DNA from the strawberries,” explained Erin McNally-Goward, a Grand Valley State University adjunct professor of biology. “Take your wooden stick and now you can play with the DNA.”
“I never knew you can do that,” Jocelyn Geemes, an Endeavor Elementary student, as she distracted the material from the fruit.
The students were among about 100 girls from Endeavor, Discovery and Explorer elementary schools delving into the work of scientists, mathematicians, computer programmers and engineers at the “Girls Only” STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Math) event organized by Nancy McKenzie, the district’s STEM coordinator.
Several women including Amway scientists and researchers, science professors, a registered dietitian from Hope Network, engineers from Grand Rapids-based firm Prigeon and Clay and the Michigan Department of Transportation led hands-on sessions involving innovative experiments at Discovery Elementary.
Girls tested the buoyancy of diet versus regular soda, created the best-tasting chocolate pudding, and watched a soapy mixture go up in flames. An East Kentwood High School counselor and high school students also worked with the girls.
Better Female Representation Needed
The purpose of the “no boys allowed” event was to pique girls’ interest in traditionally male-dominated jobs. Women are under-represented in STEM careers, and learning from professional females who work in those fields shows girls that many possibilities exists, McKenzie said.
“We felt it was necessary to make our girls aware of what is available to them in school as well as the workforce. We want to empower them to believe that they can do anything they set their minds to and help them relate what they learn in the classroom to real-world opportunities,” she said.
According to a 2013 memo from the Executive Office of President Barack Obama, women represented 24 percent of the STEM workforce in 2009. Women earn on average 33 percent more when they work in these high-growth fields compared to other industries.
Oftentimes in adolescence, girls start believing they aren’t good at math and science, said Deb McNally, Discovery Elementary School principal. That needs to change.
“We want our girls to see themselves as capable in these areas before those stereotypes set in,” she said.
As keynote speaker, engineer Stacey Payne-King, told girls about being a woman in her field. She wore a pink shirt that stated “Mechanical Engineer.” She talked about the bias she has faced.
“If you didn’t see that shirt would you think I was an engineer?” asked Payne-King, owner of Kings’s Engineering and Technology. “Guys are surprised.”
Payne-King, whose daughter is in fourth grade at Discovery Elementary School, said she was great at math as a child, but didn’t realize it.
“I wanted to do things, but I didn’t have people encouraging me to do them,” she said.
But her father and her algebra teacher knew she was talented, and pushed her to join a math team even though the teacher in charge resisted. Once she was allowed to compete, she placed second. She went on to take advanced math courses at an early age and tutored junior college students at 14 or 15 years old.
She told girls to speak up, embrace challenge and know they are as smart, capable and have the same rights as boys.
“You be my future STEM! I need you in the workplace,” she said.
Samantha Roloff, research scientist for Amway, taught girls in her session to formulate flavors, perfecting chocolate pudding.
“Science is something that’s always been fun for me and I think girls don’t get exposed to it at an early age enough,” said Roloff, a 2007 East Kentwood High School graduate and Calvin College graduate. “Science teaches you a different way to think about the world, as questions and never stop asking questions.”
Following the strawberry experiment, fifth-grader Katherine Love thought about what she’d learned.
“You actually end up learning about stuff that you didn’t know before,” she said “A scientist seems like a really fun job.”
The Kentwood Rotary Club hosted the State of the City Address with Mayor Steve Kepley Tuesday at the Ramada Inn on 28th Street. Mayor Kepley was pleased to announce that the State of Kentwood is economically strong, vibrant and growing with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Michigan.
