WKTV Community Media each year broadcasts fall football games as part of its extensive coverage of Wyoming and Kentwood high school athletic teams. But with in-stadium crowds limited in this shortened prep football season due to COVID-19 restrictions, WKTV’s sports coverage will expand to provide fans with live coverage of games.
Starting with the Week 4 contest featuring Zeeland West at Wyoming High on Friday, Sept. 18, WKTV will livestream our Featured Game broadcast on WKTV.org (click on Watch Live), as well as on cable television in Wyoming and Kentwood on Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T Channel 99 Community Channel.
WKTV’s Feature Game coverage crew is ready for a little football. (WKTV)
“WKTV prides itself on being the community connection for the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood, so we wanted to step up and be the weekly football source for fans with live coverage of games,” Tom Norton, general manager for WKTV Community Media, said. “We thank the MHSAA for allowing us to bring these games live to our community.”
At this time, our schedule will include the Week 5 Sept. 25 game of Grandville at East Kentwood, and the Week 6 Oct. 2 game of Belding at Godwin Heights. (East Kentwood’s home game will be live-streamed on a different platform, and WKTV will provide that information.) WKTV also plans to cover local games in Week 8 and 9, and possibly into opening round of the now-expanded playoffs.
“We’re relaxing our live video rules during the pandemic to allow games to get out to fans who can’t get to the events,” John Johnson, director of broadcast properties for the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA), said.
For more information on WKTV coverage of football and other fall prep sports, follow us at wktvjournal.org/sports.
Friday night lights could be returning to local fields. (Shown is Lee High School’s football team celebrating a win over Galesburg-Augusta in 2019.) (Supplied)
In 2020, this year of pandemic, Wyoming and Kentwood high school athletic teams — especially football teams — have, in the opinion of Wyoming high head football coach Irv Sigler, “learned to adjust and adapt to whatever happens.”
So on Thursday, Sept. 2, when Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office announced competitive sports would be allowed and the Michigan High School Athletic Association give its approval, with restrictions and with pages of state health department and MHSAA guidance, local teams hit the ground running.
The result of state and MHSAA action is some fall sports that had been in limbo, including boys soccer and volleyball, can begin competitive action against other schools as early as the week of Sept. 7. And high school football can begin be under the Friday-night lights beginning Sept. 18.
The final approval for beginning of competitive action will be left to the discretion of individual school districts and athletic departments, according to a MHSAA statement.
But with the news, local football teams are chomping at the bit and ready to get into pads for the first time next week, and will be ready to begin action in two weeks.
East Kentwood football coach Anthony Kimbrough working with a previous year team at practice. (WKTV)
“Our players, especially our seniors, are extremely excited about playing on Friday nights thIs fall,” East Kentwood head football coach Tony Kimbrough said to WKTV. “Most teams have never stopped practicing, therefore adding pads and actually hitting one another won’t be an issue. We will hit the ground running on Tuesday, and we cannot wait.”
Coach Sigler echoed his fellow coach when it comes to his Wolves team being ready to play in two weeks.
“Our kids have worked hard and are ready for the opportunity,” Sigler said to WKTV. “All high school football players deserve to have their season — and everyone is very excited. As for the time it takes to prepare — we are all essentially in the same boat, so there’s a sense of equal footing there.”
And there is a sense that school communities and football fans alike need the opportunity to have a degree of normality with a however-shortened football season.
“I truly believe that the return of high school football is what our state needs,” Kimbrough said. “COVID-19 has had a traumatic impact on many lives. I believe football will give everyone a much needed dose of hope and joy, and assurance that normal times are soon to return. This will certainly have a positive effect on the mental health of our student athletes. … (And) hopefully this will generate a lot excitement for our student body and the community.”
And while all high school athletic teams are expected to resume their approved fall 2020 schedules once competition starts, with football beginning with Week 4 games, there will be changes to the regular schedule of the football playoff system, the MHSAA also said.
“All football teams in 11 and 8-player football will qualify for the playoffs during this fall’s shortened season, and then advance through their usual postseason progression with 8-Player Finals the weekend of Nov. 27-28 and 11-Player Finals the weekend of Dec. 4-5,” according to the MHSAA statement.
All other fall 2020 tournaments will be conducted as previously scheduled.
Approvals, restrictions and health warnings
The fall 2020 football season was reinstated by the Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association after Gov. Whitmer’s Executive Order 176 this week lifted restrictions that previously did not allow football — as well as soccer, volleyball and competitive swimming — to be played.
But according to the MHSAA, “schools are not required to play any of those sports this fall, and may postpone until the spring. However, the MHSAA will conduct its postseason events in those four sports only for the Fall 2020 season.”
But the current order also sets spectator limits for outdoor and indoor events in Phase 4 of the MI Safe Start Plan, which Wyoming and Kentwood schools fall under. The details of this implementation of those limits are to be finalized by the individual school districts and high schools.
But general state restrictions on spectators of high school events were detailed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHSS).
“Spectators for indoor organized sports are limited to the guests of the athletes with each athlete designating up to two guests. For outdoor sports competitions, the organizer of the competitions must either limit the audience to the guests of the participants with each athlete designating up to two guests, or limit total attendance to 100 people or fewer, including all participants like athletes, coaches, and staff.”
The MHSAA, too, has health guidance for the on-field athletes and teams.
“We share the Governor’s priorities of putting health and safety first, and the COVID-19 guidance and protocols designed by the MHSAA at her request have led to the safe starts in all sports across the state,” MHSAA executive director Mark Uyl said in the MHSAA statement. “Thirty three other states are currently participating in all fall sports, and the MHSAA and its member schools are committed to doing this as safely as possible.”
While the Governor’s new order allowed the MHSAA to go ahead with fall competitive sports, the state health department at the same time issued a warning to schools which decide to participate.
“Individuals can now choose whether or not to play organized sports, and if they do choose to play, this order requires strict safety measures to reduce risk,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, MDHSS chief medical executive, said in the Governor’s statement. “However, we know of 30 reported outbreaks involving athletic teams and facilities in August. Based on current data, contact sports create a high risk of COVID-19 transmission and MDHHS strongly recommends against participating in them at this time. We are not out of the woods yet. COVID-19 is still a very real threat to our families.”
With the high school football season now planned to begin Friday, Sept. 18, WKTV expects to resume its coverage of high school football action on that day.
The Kent County Board of Commissioners last week approved $2 million, part of a nearly $115 million federal CARES Act grant awarded to Kent County earlier this year, to help county schools reopen safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. All county schools — public, private and charter — are eligible for the funding.
The grants are based on the number of students enrolled in each school in 2019, with schools receiving approximately $16 per student, according to supplied material. The grants provide schools with flexibility in how they use the funds as they continue to implement back-to-school plans.
“We are fortunate to have this federal funding and be able to provide our schools with the resources they need to ensure our children continue to learn and grow,” Kent County Board of Commissioners Chair Mandy Bolter said in supplied material.
Eligible uses of the funding could include purchase of personal protection equipment and sanitation supplies, technology costs necessary for enhanced virtual learning, or to finance mental healthcare and nurses.
“We appreciate the support of the Kent County Board of Commissioners. This approval will help schools secure the needed resources and services to meet the needs of students during this pandemic,” Kent ISD Superintendent Ron Caniff said in supplied material.
The Kent County Board of Commissioners has previously allocated CARES funding for other programs to assist communities during the coronavirus pandemic, including the Kent County Small Business Recovery Program, shelter assistance, non-profit assistance, and a business personal protection equipment program.
For more information about the CARES Act and related Kent County efforts, visit here.
On the latest episode of WKTV Sports’ new sports show focused on local high school sports, WKTV Journal Sports Connection, WKTV volunteer sports announcer Greg Yoder catches us up on the Kelloggsville High School athletics.
Kelloggsville athletic director Eric Alcorn and coach Brandon Branch. (WKTV)
Yoder talks with the Rockets’ new athletic director Eric Alcorn and with new head football coach Brandon Branch — and Coach Branch is no stranger to the Kelloggsville program having been involved with the Rockets football coaching staff for more than a decade, including being varsity defensive coordinator for eight years. We talk about what’s new at Kelloggsville, and about the uncertainly surrounding Michigan’s high school football season.
Recently retired Kelloggsville high football coach Don Galster. (WKTV)
Also on the episode is special segment on Don Galster, who was the head football coach for the Rockets for 30 years before his retirement early this year, talking about his years of coaching at Kelloggsville and a few memorable moments.
Additionally, we produced a print/online story that goes into more detail on Galster, what he plans to do now that he’s left the Rockets’ sideline and a football game memory that still brings him to tears.
This fall, WKTV Journal Sports Connection be bringing its audience interviews and stories focused on local Wyoming and Kentwood area high schools sports, both on cable television and on our YouTube channel. Readers can catch up on all our local sports coverage by visiting WKTVjournal.com/sports.
WKTV Journal Sports Connection is available on-demand, along with WKTV coverage of highs school athletic events and other sports, at WKTV.viebit.com. It also airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule). Individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal Sports Connection are also usually available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Coach Don Galster readily admits, reflecting on 37 years of coaching high school football including a 30-year stint as head coach at Kelloggsville High School, that he remembers the wins and losses, the big games and the private moments. But it was the kids, the endless stream of Rockets, that kept the job fun.
And after last season, when he decided to hand the ball off to another, and to take a “tough to turn down” job offer as a junior varsity softball coach at Aquinas College, it was also driven by the kids. His and his wife, Sue, have three girls — Nicole, Brittany and Taylor — each of whom played softball and whom he coached in school and in travel ball.
“It was a great career (at Kelloggsville) and it is awesome to look back and see what has been done,” Galster, who also taught physical education at Kelloggsville for 31 years, said to WKTV recently. “It’s the love of just working with kids every day. I throughly enjoyed it. Watching the football program grow. Watching the Kelloggsville community grow. It has come a long ways in 30 years, let me tell you.”
But after three decades, it was time to let go and move on.
“You get that feeling,” he said. “Last year became more of grind — not that I didn’t love football and love the kids, and watching them grow and develop. But I always told my wife, when it got to be the point where I was not having as much fun, it was time to step away. Let somebody a little younger to have a shot at it.”
And that somebody is new head coach Brandon Branch, who spent a decade on Galster’s staff.
“Coach Branch is going to do a great job,” Galster said. “He has a great knowledge of the game. He has enthusiasm with the kids. The kids relate to him very well. He is going to be a great leader. … I’ve watched him grow as a coach and it’s his time.”
(See an WKTV interview with Coach Branch, and new Kelloggsville athletic director Eric Alcorn, on the latest episode of WKTV Journal Sports Connection.)
Memories, and a special moment, on the Rockets’ field
When in comes to memorable games on the Rockets’ field, leading his 30 Rockets teams, there is no shortage of memories for Galster.
The Rockets at practice in 2018. (WKTV)
The Rockets were 10-1 in 2009 and 2017, and won the school’s first playoff game in program history in 2009 — in that season, one game, was played in a driving rainstorm with a quarterback who could throw strikes “in a hurricane,” he said, during an interview on the Rockets’ field.
Then there was his first game as a head coach, against Hopkins, a five-overtime battle “we could have won … but it didn’t happen,” he said. “But we were able to get them back. It was the year 2000, we beat them in triple overtime, down at that end zone (pointing down the field), we blocked a field goal.”
And, of course, there was the 2017 team. Kelloggsville scored a school record 451 points that season, then beat Godwin Heights in the postseason before losing to eventual Division 4 state champion Catholic Central, 45-34, in the district finals.
“The 2017 game, versus Catholic Central, the playoffs, where — I still feel — we were the two best teams in the state of Michigan in Division 4. We got down by quite a bit an our kids battled back … (but) they nosed us out in the second half. That was a great game.”
But, Galster confided, there is one game that was particular emotional.
“One game that always brings a tear to my eye,” he said. “It was 1995. We were a .500 team, you know, and we were playing Comstock Park. We scored with inside a minute and half, a minute, to win the game. My wife was pregnant with my youngest daughter, and the weekend prior she had some complications. … It gets down to Friday and the doctor says she could not go the game. … We are all celebrating at the end (after the win). She had parked over at the 48th Street park and she sneaked in. And I turned around, celebrating with the team, and there she was. It always chokes me up.”
Moving on to another coaching experience
Galster’s move to softball coaching, at the college level, may seem a strange landing sport for a longtime football coach, but people who know him well probably would say “That’s Coach.”
His softball coaching experience includes 10 years as a head softball coach for the Grand Rapids Blaze at 18U, 16U and 14U levels, according to the Aquinas sports website. He also served as an assistant varsity softball coach at East Kentwood High School for 12 years.
“I’ve done football for 37 years … but softball, stepping into a different arena, increasing my knowledge of the game,” is what he’s looking forward to, he said. “I have three daughters. They played softball and that is how I learned the game. I coached them in high school and travel ball. It has become my second passion.
“Football is always going to be my passion. … (But) athletes are athletes. Hopefully they are going to work hard, they are going to trust you as a coach. You show them respect and they will show you respect.”
And so it comes full circle: showing respect from the kids, gaining the respect of the kids — remembering the kids — for Coach Galster, that is what it will always be about.
A week after the announcement that high school football competition will have to wait until spring 2021 — at the earliest — an expected announcement by the Michigan High School Athletic Association on whether girls volleyball, boys soccer, and girls swimming and diving would be allowed in Wyoming and Kentwood high schools is being delayed until at least next week.
According to a statement today, Aug. 20, from the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA), its Representative Council has “approved the start of competition in girls volleyball, boys soccer and girls swimming & diving in regions of Michigan authorized for that activity by Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s executive orders, with competition in those sports pending in regions where those activities are not yet allowed” as part of state actions preventing spread of COVID-19.
“Our Council has made clear it is ready to offer students these opportunities, pending approval from Governor Whitmer that we may do so,” Mark Uyl, MHSAA executive director, said in supplied material. “We have been told that within a week, future guidance will address athletic issues that exist in current executive orders. We are awaiting that guidance.”
Schools in the northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula — designated as Regions 6 and 8, respectively, by Gov. Whitmer’s executive orders — are allowed to begin competition this week, on Aug. 21, as originally scheduled.
But schools in all other regions (1-5, and 7) must delay any competition for the time being, according to the announcement. Kent County is in Region 2.
Lee High School soccer practice (from 2019). (WKTV)
Local high school volleyball, soccer and swim teams may continue outdoor practice, “pending further executive orders allowing for the opening of indoor facilities and physical distancing while competing in those areas,” according to the announcement.
Teams began outdoor practice in volleyball, soccer, swimming and diving, cross country, golf and tennis on Aug. 12. Lower Peninsula girls golf and boys tennis could have began competition Aug. 19, with cross country competition beginning Aug. 21.
Football practice began Aug. 10, but on Aug. 14 the Representative Council voted to postpone the Fall 2020 football season to Spring 2021, also due to COVID-19 concerns.
MHSAA staff, according to the announcement, was authorized by executive order to create all guidance for a return of school sports, “and over the last eight weeks has worked to fulfill this mandate while complying with all of Governor Whitmer’s executive orders. The Council was prepared today to approve competition in volleyball, soccer and swimming & diving for all schools in all regions, but was unable to do so because of questions remaining on which activities are still not allowed.”
So the MHSAA, like local high school athletes, coaches and parents, continues to wait state government action.
“The MHSAA and Representative Council are committed to following all current and future Executive Orders and safety precautions,” Uyl said in supplied material. “However, we need more answers before we can give all of our member schools the go-ahead to play each other again, and the majority of our schools are in regions that are not yet allowed to take part in volleyball, soccer and swim.”
Extra coach contact, practice days for football and others
Also in the MHSAA announcement, it was stated that the MHSAA Representative Council did approve out-of-season coaching adjustments allowing football and spring sports coaches more contact with their athletes in advance of the 2021 season.
East Kentwood High School’s football team (shown at practice from the 2019-20 season). (WKTV)
To provide additional offseason activity for sports that have had their full seasons canceled or moved, the council approved 16 contact days for football and all spring sports to be used for voluntary practices among students from the same school only.
Football may schedule their contact days from Aug. 24 through Oct 31. Spring sports — baseball, softball, girls soccer, track and field, girls and boys lacrosse, boys golf, Lower Peninsula girls tennis — may schedule their 16 contact days for voluntary practices from Sept. 8 to Oct. 31, “if the school permits and all safety protocols are followed.”
Football and all spring sports then may conduct skill work with coaches and up to four players at a time beginning Nov. 1 until the first day of official practice this upcoming spring. Coaches also may work with an unlimited number of players on general conditioning during that time.
A calendar for the inclusion of football into Spring 2021 is expected to be released later this fall, “upon Council approval at a later meeting,” according to the announcement.
The Wyoming Public Schools Board of Education last week approved a Return to School Plan which details that students will begin the 2020-21 school year Aug. 25, but students of parents who choose that their children receive in-school classroom education will not be in school and in class until Sept. 8 at the earliest.
Wyoming Public Schools Superintendent Craig Hoekstra. (Supplied)
“I am thankful for the many administrators, staff members, parents, and community members who worked together on such an important plan,” Wyoming Public Schools Superintendent Craig Hoekstra said in an Aug. 10 letter to the community, shared with WKTV. “The WPS Safe Start Reentry Plan … is a result of much thoughtful planning and preparation that centers around the health, safety, and well-being of our students, staff, and families.
“We know that in this unprecedented time of COVID-19, providing families with the choice between in-person and virtual learning allows you to choose what you feel is best for your student(s) and family, while still supporting their academic progress. It is my hope that when you read through the plan, your questions are answered and you are assured we are committed to supporting your child(ren) academically, while taking necessary precautions to keep everyone safe.”
Last week’s letter also reiterated that the first two weeks of remote learning “are not intended to be a (remote learning) trial period,” echoing a letter from the Superintendent’s office which was sent to WPS families on Aug. 4, when parents were asked to select their choice for their students to begin the school either in-class or virtually by Aug. 10.
“What you select by August 10 is your intent for either the first quarter (K-4th grade), or the first semester (5th-12th grade) of the school year,” Superintendent Hoekstra said in the Aug. 4 letter. “Beginning September 8, students will participate in either in-person or 100 percent virtual learning based on what families chose when registering their child(ren).
The WPS plan is the result of the work of five subcommittees, working on specific areas, which made recommendations to the WPS Safe Schools Committee on how the district would meet Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s guidelines for a safe return for staff and students.
One of the specific items addressed in the Return to School Plan was changes from the quickly implemented spring 2020 remote-learning system to this fall’s remote-learning system.
“Although some aspects of remote learning will be similar to our students’ experiences in the spring of 2020 (following school closure in March), there will be meaningful differences in expectations, structure, and rigor of remote learning during the 2020-21 school year,” according to the plan document, also shared with WKTV.
Among the changes made for those students being taught remotely are, according to the plan document, increased accountability in areas such as attendance, grading and schedule — including a set schedule with more structure — as well as ongoing assessment and feedback, and a “single learning management system for instruction, assignments and communication.”
The plan document also details issues such as health and safety, including health screenings, the requirement for social distancing and face coverings, and personal hygiene. It also details some non-classroom facets of education such as technology availability, transporting via bus, food services, and safety during athletics and activities.
The district also set up a question and answer link on its website to deal with specific questions and concerns from parents.
For more information on the Wyoming Public Schools plan and its Q&A page, visit WyomingPS.org.
The State of Michigan recently announced the launch a digital hub for Michigan workers displaced by the COVID-19 crisis to allow them to connect to online certification and degree programs including free training and work readiness tools.
According to the July 28 announcement. “the Coronavirus crisis has created record unemployment across the country and a complicated employment landscape in Michigan. Now more than ever, Michigan workers who possess advanced skills will be better positioned to get and keep higher-paying and more stable jobs.”
So, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) has developed a digital hub to connect residents with online learning opportunities and other training resources.
“Whether one is looking to return to work, explore in-demand careers, learn new skills, or take the first step toward a degree or certificate, the hub has information to help Michigan workers expand their opportunities in an evolving economy,” according to the statement.
The digital hub, Michigan.gov/SkillstoWork features a range of online learning and career exploration options — including free opportunities — for Michigan residents to consider while “navigating the COVID-19 economy in the coming weeks and months, when in-person learning opportunities may be limited.”
The virtual resource is a collaborative effort between LEO, the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA), Michigan Works! Agencies and others aimed at increasing opportunities for all Michiganders to explore online degree and certificate programs that could lead to expanded employment opportunities.
“With the economic disruption caused by COVID-19, it’s more important than ever that we help Michiganders improve their skills, explore in-demand career opportunities and jumpstart educational opportunities,” LEO Director Jeff Donofrio said in supplied material. “These online resources continue to expand opportunities for residents to connect with and succeed in high-demand, high-wage careers of the future.”
“The new website connects Michiganders to online programs offered by Michigan’s 28 community colleges,” Michael Hansen, MCCA President, said in supplied material. “As we navigate the challenges presented by the Coronavirus pandemic, Michigan’s business leaders and employers statewide are asking: ‘How do we get people back to work?’ This new information hub is a tremendous start toward solving that challenge.”
In addition, the site provides a new “Return-to-Work Playbook” that assists those preparing to enter the workforce, finding their next job or discovering another one in a national economy that has seen the highest unemployment rates in 100 years To help workers adjust to changing employer needs and work environments, the Playbook outlines available career and job-readiness resources, including step-by-step instructions for developing resumes, preparing for interviews, exploring new career paths and finding free or inexpensive job training opportunities.
It also provides industry or occupational-specific resources for in-demand careers and additional resources to assist specific individuals including veterans, individuals with disabilities, migrant and seasonal farm workers and adult learners.
Other available resources at Michigan.gov/SkillsToWork include career exploration, job search assistance and professional development opportunities.
Kent County’s COVID Relief Subcommittee, drawing on a nearly $115 million federal CARES Act grant sent to the county earlier this year, approved a $2 million allocation to be used by county schools to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) “to assist schools in dealing with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.”
According to a July 30 county statement, the next step will be consideration and expected approval by the Kent County Commission’s Finance Committee, and then the full Board of Commissioners at its next meeting on Aug. 27. Most Kent County school districts are expected to be open by that date.
The funds would be allocated to public, private and charter schools, Board of Commissioners chair Mandy Bolter said to WKTV, and while allotment “details are still being finalized but in our initial discussions we would most likely use the last student count submitted by the schools to the state.”
The county COVID Relief Subcommittee members include commissioners Bolter, Stan Stek, Diane Jones, Emily Brieve, Roger Morgan, Jim Talen, Phil Skaggs, and Robert Womack.
“As schools consider how to reopen this fall, the safety and mental health of our children are the primary concerns of every parent I know,” Commissioner Bolter said in supplied material. “By allocating this funding, we can be part of the solution to keep our kids and teachers as safe as possible and help to bring back some normalcy in this crazy time.”
The Kent County Board of Commissioners has previously allocated CARES funding for other programs to assist specific segments of the county during the coronavirus pandemic, including funds being allocated to assist in small businesses recovery, for use by non-profit organizations services and shelter assistance groups, and a business PPE program.
For more information about the CARES Act and related Kent County efforts, visit accesskent.com.
Kentwood Public Schools latest back-to-school plans, announced in a district-wide letter July 27, includes a two-week remote/virtual education period for all students as the district prepares for a possible return to in-school learning and parents can have more information before making their decision on having their students attend school at home or in classrooms.
Superintendent Michael Zoerhoff, Kentwood Public schools. (Supplied/KPS)
“Kentwood Public Schools is bound by the directives from the Governor’s Office, the Michigan Department of Education and the various Health Departments,” Kentwood Public Schools Superintendent Michael Zoerhoff said in the letter from his office. “Since the guidelines from the Governor’s Office are yet to be finalized, KPS planning has to remain highly flexible.”
The district conducted several parent surveys over the past several months, according to the letter, and the “results identified a split perspective. Many families want school to start with ‘in person’ learning; while others want to start with remote/virtual learning.”
As of July 27, Kent County is labeled to be in “Phase 4” of the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s reopening plan, which means schools may open for in-person learning. with restrictions. But if the Governor moves to the county to “Phase 3” then schools must stop all in-person learning and go completely to remote learning.
According to the district letter, the current plan begins school on Monday, Aug. 24, with all students involved in remote/virtual learning for the first two weeks. On Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day, parents can choose to shift their student to the option of in-person learning.
The stated reasons for the two-week remote/virtual beginning of school include:
In addition to being introduced to the academic content that will be studied for the term, the first two weeks will be focused on training students and staff on the safety protocols and cleaning procedures for a safe in-person return.
Students and staff will learn “positive habits and behaviors” for successful remote learning should in-person learning be shut down and virtual learning become the only option.
Those households intending to use the remote/virtual learning option will be able to have computers delivered to students needing a device, and families will have an opportunity to evaluate our new remote learning platforms and compare them, to “make an informed choice when in person learning becomes an option on September 8.”
“Kentwood Public Schools will also have time to observe and learn from those area districts that engage in person student learning immediately,” according the letter. “We can benefit from seeing what others do or fail to do.”
Mask and busing policy detailed
If in-school education is available and chosen, the Governor’s current Return To School requirements are that students and staff in grades 6-12 must wear a face mask if they are attending in-person learning, and students in grades K-5 will be “strongly encouraged” to wear a face mask.
Kentwood Public Schools “has worked with our business partners and Spectrum Health to purchase many approved face masks for those who do not have one, forget to bring it to school or lose their mask,” according to the district.
And while busing will be provided for students who attend in-class school, “we will follow the requirements in the Governor’s Return To School regarding social distancing and face mask covernings. This will require us all to be flexible as there will be a limited number of students allowed on each bus run. Those bus runs will be published and communicated once we know how many families need transportation.”
While the exact mode of education for Kentwood Public Schools students is in flux, Superintendent Zoerhoff, in the letter, made clear the district’s ultimate goal.
“Kentwood Public Schools, together with parents and the community, will educate all students in a safe, secure environment,” he said. “We are committed to excellence, equity and diversity in education. Our goal is for each student to master and apply the essential skills to be a successful, productive citizen.
“These challenging times will pass, but the quality education that your children receive at KPS will serve them for a lifetime.”
For more information on Kentwood Public School’s back-to-school plans and other COIVID-19 related district communications visit kentwoodps.org/covid-info.
East Kentwood High School’s football team (shown at practice from the 2019-20 season) and other local football programs will have restrictions on how they practice in August due to the COVOD-19 situation. (WKTV)
The Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Representative Council announced July 29 a continuation of its “phased-in practice and competition” schedule for traditional fall high school sports “in hopes of continuing to deter the spread of COVID-19.”
The Council affirmed that lower-risk sports — including Wyoming and Kentwood area high school girls golf, boys tennis, cross country, and girls swimming & diving — may begin practice on Aug. 12 and begin competition on their traditional start dates of Aug. 19 and 21.
However, moderate and high-risk sports — football, girls volleyball and boys soccer – may begin practice, with limitations, but not competitions until additional decisions by the MHSAA, expected to be made by Aug. 20.
In addition, recommendations on spectator attendance will follow before the start of competition, according to the MHSAA statement, and it is possible “spectators will be limited in accordance with Governor (Gretchen) Whitmer’s executive orders on large gatherings.”
According to the July 29 statement, practice for boys soccer and girls volleyball may begin on Aug. 12, but football will delay the start of practice with full player pads and equipment until Monday, Aug. 17. The week of Aug. 10 “may include football practice sessions consisting of conditioning, physical training and skill work with no other player equipment except helmets. This week of acclimatization is similar to allowed summer football activities that have been ongoing for schools since June.”
David Kool, the new South Christian athletic director, on the set of WKTV Journal Sports Connection. (WKTV)
David Kool, athletic director at South Christian High School, told WKTV he welcomed the expanded clarity as to what his school’s teams and student athletes can and cannot do — “All in all, this was a very positive step for high school athletics in Michigan.”
“It is great to know that all fall sports will be able to begin practicing on time to a certain extent,” Kool said. “We are thrilled that golf, tennis, cross country and swimming can begin practice and competitions without delay. Soccer and volleyball are also able to begin practice without delay which is great news.
“Football, being in a helmet-only (practice restriction) for an extra week, is a great decision and made sense for our student athletes. The next step is getting encouraging news on August 20 that soccer, volleyball and football may begin competitions and we are hopeful that will happen.”
Limits also placed on scrimmages, tournaments and invitationals
Among the other actions announced by the Representative Council, the MHSAA’s 19-member legislative body, was the cancelations of scrimmages in all fall sports for this school year, and limitations on numbers of teams that may compete together at regular-season tournaments, invitationals and other multi-team events.
“The Council believed eliminating scrimmages emphasized the importance of keeping teams from mixing before the first date of competition, and the regular-season limitations may lessen opportunities for viral spread while still allowing meets to be conducted,” according to the MHSAA statement.
The expected Aug. 20 decision on competition for football, girls volleyball and boys soccer is “dependent on how the spread of the virus is trending statewide”, including “sustained metrics measuring virus spread and/or progression by schools and regions across the state according to Gov. Whitmer’s MI Safe Start Plan,” according to the statement.
“The Council, reflecting on the positive impact on their athletes this summer from taking part in offseason training, feels it’s of utmost importance to continue athletic activity moving forward,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said in supplied material. “If we take a month off, our students will find opportunities to compete through non-school entities that may not be as focused on safety. Our athletic directors and coaches can provide the safest-possible environment to return to sports, and this phased-in approach to competition will help schools continue building on progress already made”
The MHSAA also has posted sport-by-sport guidance documents outlining increased precautions designed to limit the viral spread, plus a four-page overview with precautions that apply generally for all sports.
Specific sport guidelines and the overview are available on the respective sport pages of the MHSAA website, at mhsaa.com/sports.
Wyoming Public Schools held a WHS Senior 11 Night Celebration Parade Monday, June 15, and WKTV was there. (WKTV)
By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org
As part of its effort to recognize the Wyoming High School Senior Class of 2020 despite the COVID-19 school shutdown in the spring, Wyoming high will hold a special graduation ceremony on Tuesday, July 28.
While the ceremony at Wyoming High School will be accessible in-person for only 2020 seniors, and limited family and friends, it will be available on radio and on a Facebook livestream feed with video provided by WKTV Community media.
“We are excited to recognize and celebrate the Wyoming High School graduating class of 2020,” Josh Baumbach, Wyoming High School principal, said to WKTV. “Our seniors missed out on some pretty significant events this year as a result of the pandemic and it’s important to us to do what we can to provide a ceremony for our seniors and their families to attend.
“Although this ceremony will be different due to restrictions on gatherings and other social distancing protocols that will be in place, it will be an opportunity for the seniors to cross the stage and celebrate with their family and we hope this will provide some closure as the graduating class of 2020 moves forward to the next stage in their lives.”
WKTV was also on-hand when Wyoming Public Schools held its Wyoming High School Senior 11 Night Celebration Parade June 15. See a story and video here.
The planned July 28 ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. with welcome and opening remarks and speeches.
“Participants can listen to the speeches with their families in their vehicles on the radio or via live stream,” Baumbach said. “After the speeches, each senior will be able to walk into the stadium with their immediate family to cross the stage and pick up their diploma cover. Parents and family can capture the moment with a video or a picture.”
The ceremony can be viewed using this live stream link. The audio of the ceremony will also be available on 94.1 FM station.
The ceremony will include individual students walking across a stage in cap and gown to get a diploma cover. Once all student names have been called, and all students are in their cars, students will step back out of their car and the entire Wyoming High School graduating class of 2020 will be recognized and will be asked to flip their tassel.
Baumbach also said the event is also a great example of cooperation and collaboration within the Wyoming Public Schools system and with other school districts.
“We appreciate the collaboration with Grandville High School and Godwin Heights High School as we planned our event,” Baumbach said. “Additionally, special thanks goes out to our (WPS) Superintendent Craig Hoekstra and the many wonderful staff members that are part of our high school and district staff that helped step up to support this planning.”
At this point, the MHSAA has not ruled out a high school football season, so practice for Wyoming High School’s football team, shown her in action from 2019, is still scheduled to start in August. (Curtis Holt)
Late last week, the Michigan High School Athletic Association advised member schools of its decision that the state will begin the 2020-21 school year playing ‘fall sports as traditionally scheduled, but with contingency concepts for potential interruptions due to the spread of COVID-19.”
Bottomline for high school football fans: football teams can begin on-field practice in early August, as usual, and games will be played starting the week of Aug. 24. But …
“However, if the situation deems it necessary, the start of some or all fall sports practices or competitions could be delayed,” according to the MHSAA July 17 statement.
What does that mean for Wyoming and Kentwood athletic teams? At this point, when school districts are still working on re-opening plans, Wyoming high athletic director Ted Hollern says his teams are preparing for a normal fall but be ready for changes.
“We are moving forward, so far as everything is going to take place, with normal planning,” Hollern said to WKTV.
According to the MHSAA statement, the MHSAA Representative Council, the Association’s 19-member legislative body, met virtually with MHSAA staff July 15 to discuss a series of ideas for playing sports beginning in August. The Council will meet again July 29 for further discussion.
Currently, high school football practices are scheduled to begin Aug. 10, with all other fall sports to start practice Aug. 12.
The council considered a concept that would swap traditional fall and spring sports, but determined that was “not a feasible plan.”
The MHSAA is moving forward with a plan that first calls for all fall sports to be started and played as scheduled.The next step in the plan’s progression calls for lower-risk fall sports that can be played to be completed, with higher-risk fall sports postponed until later in the school year.
“If all fall sports must be suspended, they will be rescheduled during a reconfigured calendar that would see winter sports begin in November followed by the conclusion of fall and spring seasons potentially extending into July 2021,” according to the statement.
Football, girls volleyball, girls swimming & diving, and boys soccer during the fall are considered moderate or high-risk sports because they “include athletes in close contact or are played indoors.” Several traditional spring sports — girls soccer ,and girls and boys lacrosse — carry a similar high-risk sport designation.
Plans remain reliant on progression by schools and regions across the state according to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Safe Start Plan. To start this week, two regions are in Phase 5, which allow for limited indoor activity, while the rest are in Phase 4 and unable to host indoor training, practice or competition.
“Our student-athletes just want to play, and we’ve gone far too long without them playing. But doing so safely, of course, remains the priority,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said in supplied material. “Our plan moving forward is fall in the fall, starting on time. We’re excited to continue moving forward to bring back sports safely. It’s important for keeping students in our schools and keeping students in our sports programs.
“We remain grateful to the Governor for the opportunity to build the schedule and policies for returning sports to schools. We will continue to support her directives and those of the state and local health departments as we work to create the safest environment for all involved in our activities.”
“A museum is a place where nothing was lost, just rediscovered …”
Nanette L. Avery
Bodies Revealed is one of the exhibits currently at the Grand Rapids Pubic Museum. (GRPM)
Grand Rapids Public Museum
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) officially reopened to the public last week, and it has extended the Bodies Revealed exhibition to Sept. 27. Go here for the story.
Iconic works of art, Blue Lily by Deborah Butterfield in front of Tornado Over Kansas by John Steuart Curry (Supplied/MMA)
Muskegon Museum of Art
The Muskegon Museum of Art has reopened with “Shaping the Future, Celebrating the Past,” an exhibition that highlights and explores the various facets of its internationally recognized permanent collection in all of its galleries through the summer and fall of 2020. Go here for the story.
The Gilmore Car Museum’s Green Book Diorama. (Gilmore)
Gilmore Car Museum
While many people saw the Academy Award winning movie “Green Book”, visitors to the Gilmore Car Museum can now learn more about the book and its role in black travel in an exhibit which opened in 2014 and has since gained much praise. Go here for the story.
Fun fact:
155 million
The total number of objects, works of art and specimens at the Smithsonian is estimated at nearly 155 million, of which nearly 146 million are scientific specimens at the National Museum of Natural History. Source.
Some people may have been waiting, if not eagerly anticipating, the June 30 release of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap”, which outlined a number of safety protocols for schools to implement in each phase of the governor’s MI Safe Start Plan.
While local school district leaders undoubtedly will scour the governor’s roadmap for pertinent details and direction, they and their district staff were not idly awaiting the release — after all, Gov. Whitmer admits that different school districts will have different “return to school” situations depending on location within the state, physical building situation and their community make up.
“In Kentwood Public Schools we put together a Back To School Task Force consisting of administrators, teachers and parents that have been working on multiple plans for the reopening of our district,” Michael Zoerhoff, superintendent of Kentwood Public Schools, said to WKTV. “We also have been working closely with the Kent ISD reopening committees. Our plan is to adjust accordingly to ensure the safety of our students and staff per the Governor’s recommendations.”
Wyoming Public Schools superintendent, Craig Hoekstra, echoed his regional educational counterpart.
“The WPS team has been hard at work developing plans that will provide safe and accessible learning options for the fall,” Hoekstra said to WKTV. “As we prepare for re-entry, our district continues to plan forward with a focus on developing a robust online learning option as well as preparing for instructional re-entry for in-person learning. In doing so, it takes into consideration the unfinished learning from the spring. As soon as the Governor’s plan is released, we will review our plans and make the needed adjustments as we work towards finalization.”
The governor’s roadmap outlines a number of safety protocols for schools to implement in each phase of the governor’s MI Safe Start Plan — including guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE), hygiene and cleaning protocols, spacing in classrooms, athletics, and much more.
As far as fall high school sports is concerned, at a press conference announcing the governor’s back-to-school guidance, Gov. Whitmer said she is in discussion with the Michigan High School Athletics Association (MHSAA) to possibly move some fall 2020 sports to spring 2021.
Detailed guidance on fall athletics — including any possible shift of sports season — is expected to be announced in mid- to late-July by the MHSAA, which has been working with the governor’s office to guide summer and possible fall in-school athletic activities.
Also on June 30, the governor signed Executive Order 2020-142, which “provides a structure to support all schools in Michigan as they plan for a return of PreK-12 education in the fall,” according to a statement from the Governor’s office Tuesday.
(Links to the governor’s MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap and Executive Order 2020-142 are at the end of this story.)
“Our students, parents, and educators have made incredible sacrifices during our battle with COVID-19,” Gov. Whitmer said in the statement. “Thanks to our aggressive action against this virus, the teachers who have found creative ways to reach their students, and the heroes on the front lines, I am optimistic that we will return to in-person learning in the fall.
“The MI SafeSchools Return to School Roadmap will help provide schools with the guidance they need as they enact strict safety measures to continue protecting educators, students, and their families.”
In her statement, the governor also acknowledged the financial impact on schools not only to enact “safe return to school” in the fall, but the looming financial shortfalls in state school funding due to the economic impact of COVID-19.
“I will continue working closely with the Return to Learn Advisory Council and experts in epidemiology and public health to ensure we get this right, but we also need more flexibility and financial support from the federal government,” Gov. Whitmer said in supplied material. “This crisis has had serious implications on our budget, and we need federal support if we’re going to get this right for our kids.”
(To learn more about the possible financial impact on school funding of the COVID-19 economic downturn, see a WKTV story and Kent ISD videos here.)
Two local education leaders are part of the Return to Learn Advisory Council, including Kevin Polston, superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, and Nicholas J. Paradiso, vice president of government relations for National Heritage Academies.
“All of us on the Return to Learn Advisory Council share a commitment to marrying science and evidence, and practicality and local needs to ensure the health and safety of our students and educators,” Tonya Allen, President and CEO of The Skillman Foundation and Chair of the Return to Learn Advisory Council, said in supplied material.
The governor’s Executive Order 2020-142 requires school districts to adopt a COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan “laying out how they will protect students and educators across the various phases of the Michigan Safe Start Plan.”
The MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap offers guidelines as to the types of safety protocols that will be required or recommended at each phase, according to the statement.
“In recognition that these protocols will cost money, the Governor also announced that she was allocating $256 million to support the districts in implementing their local plans as part of the bipartisan budget agreement the Senate Majority Leader, the Speaker of the House, and the governor announced” June 29.
The story of a 2019 cooperative project between the City of Kentwood police department and the Kentwood Public Schools Red Storm Robotics team, a robot that reached full operation in 2020, was a good news story early this year.
And despite Kentwood schools, and WKTV Journal, seeing big changes in how they did business starting in March due to the COVID-19 restrictions, it is still a good news story — a tool for Kentwood police to help them make better decisions in the field and an example of the high level of interaction between the city’s schools and city staff that Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley relentlessly advocates for.
“What I love about this is always investing in the next generation,” Mayor Kepley said in March when WKTV was producing a video project on the Red Storm Robotics project with the police department. “And this is just another opportunity, and really a great opportunity, to invest in the next generation. … The city working with the school, working with professionals, using technology, and more importantly investing in the very individuals who will be leading this community in the future.”
The police robot project is a prime example of not only engagement with the students but of also giving advanced students a lesson in real-world, on-the-job, design of robotic technology.
Of course, Red Storm was up to the challenge presented by the police department.
WKTV talked with Mayor Kepley, Kentwood Police Chief Richard Roberts and Sgt. Jeff Leonard, and instructors/parents of the Red Storm Robotics project, including Adam Veenendaal, Mark VanderVoord and Wendy Ljungern.
But most importantly, we talked with students of the program past and present, including Jason Gray-Moore, Kerim Puczek, Jacobi Thompson and Annalise Welch.
For more information on Kentwood Pubic Schools’ Red Storm Robotics program visit their website at redstormrobotics.com.
The Kent Intermediate Superintendents’ Association, during a Tuesday, June 23, teleconference, released the results of a survey of more than 30,000 Kent ISD area parents asking questions related to the school reopening issues.
The bottom line of the extensive survey (link at end of story), according to a summary shared with media during the teleconference, is that while some parents seek continued distance learning for various reasons including their child’s safety, the majority desired “safe, in-school” education for their children.
“Most parents would like to see a return to school as normal in late August,” Ron Caniff, superintendent of Kent ISD, said in supplied material. “Our superintendents are working to ensure a safe opening, researching all information regarding the steps necessary to protect students and staff, and will remain connected with the health department and parents throughout the summer to ensure they are well informed about school re-opening plans.”
Kent ISD website photo. (Supplied)
The survey results come in preparation for the planned release June 30 of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “Michigan’s Return to School Roadmap”, which is expected to set state directives for the reopening of schools in August.
The survey, commissioned by the Kent ISD on behalf of the superintendents’ association and administered by Gartner Marketing, was conducted from May 29 through June 10. The 30,000 responses represent parents from the 20 public school districts across Kent ISD but did not include any private or charter school parents, according to the Kent ISD.
The Kent Intermediate Superintendents’ Association (KISA) Future Learning Committee hosted the meeting. The speakers included Superintendent Caniff; Kevin Polston, Superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, KISA Future Committee Chair and member of the Governor’s Return to Learn Advisory Council; Sunil Joy, Data Scientist at Kent ISD; and Ron Koehler, Education Consultant and former Kent ISD Assistant Superintendent.
The Kent Intermediate Superintendents’ Association represents the superintendents Kent ISD and each of the 20 school districts it serves.
Survey summary results highlights
Among the key findings of the survey, according to the KISA summary (link at end of story), is that parents want to see school open in the fall, in a traditional face- to-face setting; continued parental concerns about safety will likely necessitate an online option; and a hybrid option has many of the same challenges as an online learning option and “It is also not highly preferred by parents.”
Part of the reason for a hybrid option — where students would spend part of their time in school and part of their time at learning remotely — is that there would be little cost savings on the part of the districts currently facing possible loss of state funding due to COVID-19’s economic impact. (See a WKTV story on the possible funding losses here.) And there would be little difference between the costs of an in-person or hybrid option.
Kevin Polston, Superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, KISA Future Committee Chair and member of the Governor’s Return to Learn Advisory Council. (Supplied)
“We know that hybrid and in-person costs are going to be very similar,” Superintendent Polston said during the teleconference, “because even though you may have fewer students back each day you still have your full compliment of staff the needs to be back each day.
“And, in addition, for a district like Godfrey-Lee, … we served more meals closed than we did open. That means for the students that aren’t at school each day are still going to need the nutritional services that schools provide. So we are going to need to allocate additional resources.”
The survey summary presented at the teleconference (link at bottom of the story) was, as explained by the Kent ISD’s Sunil Joy, a “stratified random sample of 800 respondents … (that was) … representative of the demographic makeup of our region.”
Sunil Joy, Data Scientist at Kent ISD. (Supplied)
“A random stratified sample just is a statistical method to ensure the respondents to the survey actually look like the county’s demographics,” Joy said to WKTV. “For example, if East Grand Rapids parents made up a significant percentage of all respondents — that wouldn’t be very representative of our county as only a small percentage of our county is from East Grand Rapids. So that’s why it’s a stratified sample — so it’s more representative of our districts as whole.”
The survey data was also “disaggregated by respondent groups (e.g. race/ethnicity, special education, income, etc.)”
“This simply means that I reported data not just ‘overall’ but also for different respondent groups,” Joy said to WKTV. “For example, in the question of whether childcare is an issue if school did not open 100 percent this fall, I included both what parents said overall, but also by different grade-levels. As no surprise, parents of younger kids had greater concerns with childcare if school didn’t open normally in the fall.”
In addition to the overall, county wide survey results released at the teleconference, each district has access to their own district-specific reports.
“Each district will share the results in the way they see fit with their constituents,” Joy said to WKTV. “The best way to get them is to contact the district directly, if it is not already available on their website or social media.”
School Re-entry Plan
At the teleconference, and using the results of the survey as part of their guidance, the superintendents’ association also released a School Re-entry Plan, in both English and Spanish. (See links to both at bottom of the story.)
Among the highlights of the plan are: a “desire” to return to full-time, face-to-face instruction, per state health requirements; the intent to provide a high-quality online learning option for students and families; districts will share best practices in virtual instruction to maximize efficiency and quality; families who choose an online option will have continued access to local district extracurricular and co-curricular activities.
The plan also makes clear that a a hybrid option — a mix of face-to-face and online learning — is “not preferred and will be implemented if it is the only way to have in-person instruction as mandated by state executive order.”
Superintendent Polston, in summing up the position school districts could be put in come June 30 and the result of the Governor’s “Michigan’s Return to School Roadmap” plan, said the best interest of the students must and will come first.
“Regardless of the model for teaching and learning, together we must be ready to meet the challenge that awaits,” Polston said. “And we will.”
A term all-too familiar to educators is “Summer Brain Drain” — that students tend to regress in their educational skills over the summer school break. It is expected to be even more of problem with the final months of the 2019-20 school year moving to online learning instead of in-class learning, the so-called “COVID Slide”.
According to a 2019 article by GreatSchools.org, teachers spend an average of 4-to-8 weeks every fall reviewing materials students have studied but lost mastery of over the summer, and most fall behind particularly in math and spelling.
But again this summer, educators across Kent ISD are collaborating with partner organizations — including the Kent District Library — to turn a brain drain into a brain gain, and to keep learning going all summer for all students through the ISD’s free Summer Brain Gain program.
The program provides online learning, resources students can engage with on their own and printable packets available to students in grades K-12 in Kent County and beyond.
Registration for instructor-led courses is available by grade level for all public, private and homeschooled students began June 15. These courses and other learning opportunities continue to begin June and July and conclude Aug. 7.
“We have brought together experts in curriculum and instructions from all around Kent ISD to create courses, gather learning opportunities and connect families with resources appropriate for their students at every grade level,” Kelli Brockway, Director of Teaching and Learning at Kent ISD, said in supplied material. “The idea is to bridge the learning gap between June and the start of the new school year.”
Preliminary estimates suggest additional learning losses due to the pandemic, or “COVID slide” as it’s been called.
A report by Dr. Megan Kufeld and Dr. Beth Tarasawa for the Collaborative for Student Growth at NWEA suggests learning loss may range from 30 percent in reading, to more than 50 percent in math and in some grades, according to supplied material. It also suggests when students return in the fall, learning may be nearly a full year behind what likely would be observed in normal conditions.
Summer Brain Gain programs offered include GRASP, the Grand Rapids Public Schools Program for math and reading that is free for Kent ISD students this summer.
Connections to vetted online apps, resources and links to learning that children and teens can engage in on their own are also part of the program, according to Kent ISD. Summer Brain Gain also links students and families to educational offerings by area cultural and community organizations who are School News Network Education Everywhere partners such as John Ball Zoo, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Van Andel Institute, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park and more. All resources are located at kentisd.org/SummerBrainGain.
Printable packets and links to Kent ISD’s Summer Brain Gain program are available through partnerships with Kent District Library, Grand Rapids Public Library and Literacy Center of West Michigan. Packets can be ordered for printing and pick up at library locations throughout Grand Rapids and Kent County.
Through the Kent District Library partnership, students can order printed packets from their local KDL branch and KDL will print it and have it available for them to pick up. For more information visit here.
Registration is now open but the deadline to register for GRASP is June 30. Summer Brain Gain materials and connections will be available through Kent District Library, Grand Rapids Public Library and Literacy Center for West Michigan starting this week, on June 22.
Kent ISD is a regional educational service agency that provides instructional and administrative services to more than 300 schools, 20 public districts, three non-public districts, and many public school academies and non-public schools within the ISD’s boundaries.
For more informant about the Kent ISD, visit their website kentisd.org.
West Michigan’s Gilmore Car Museum, in promotional material for its exhibit “The Negro Motorist Green Book”, retells an often-told story about travel for African-Americans in the United State’s deep south in the middle years of the 1900s.
In the spring of 1946, Jack Roosevelt Robinson, former multi-sport standout at UCLA and a U.S. Army veteran, and his bride of two weeks were flying from Los Angeles to Florida for baseball’s spring training season — twice along the route they were bumped from flights so their seats could be occupied by passengers with white skin.
Historic photo identifying restaurant as for “White Trade Only”. Location and date unknown. (Library of Congress)
During a stopover in New Orleans, they were not allowed to eat in the “whites only” airport restaurant. After arriving in Florida, the driver ordered them to sit in the back of the bus.
But the Robinsons, Jackie — soon to wear the Brooklyn Dodgers’ No. 42 on his back — and Rachel, were not alone. African-Americans faced discrimination in many aspects of life, including lodging, dining, when trying to find a drinking fountain or a restroom or even when trying to buy gasoline for their cars.
And that era is the backdrop of the Gilmore’s exhibit “The Negro Motorist Green Book” comes into the picture — an exhibit focused on the book series “The Negro Travelers’ Green Book”.
History of the Green Book
According to supplied information, Victor Hugo Green published “The Negro Travelers’ Green Book” with a listing of places — some commercial, some private homes — where dark-skinned people could stay and eat, where they could buy gas and even which towns to avoid for their own safety.
The 1954 Green Book. (Gilmore)
Green, an African-American mail carrier in New York City started the series in the mid-1930s and his company kept it going until passage of civil rights legislation in the 1960s.
Green and his wife were from Virginia and as they traveled to visit family, they encountered Jim Crow Era restrictions. He got the idea to start the series when a Jewish friend showed Green a guidebook used to avoid “gentile-only” establishments and Green started his Green Book. He enlisted mail carriers across the country to help him compile and update the listings.
Decades after the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery, African Americans continued to suffer unequal treatment, especially in the Deep South. Jim Crow Laws discriminated against blacks in nearly every aspect of public life, including travel.
The Gilmore exhibit
While many people saw the Academy Award winning movie “Green Book”, visitors to the Gilmore Car Museum can now learn more about the book and its role in black travel in an exhibit which opened in 2014 and has since gained much praise.
The Gilmore Car Museum’s Green Book Diorama. (Gilmore)
David Lyon, automotive historian and author, recently pointed out that Gilmore’s display is likely “the only Green Book exhibit at an automobile museum in this country, and perhaps the world,” according to the Gilmore.
The exhibit includes the life-like museum figures of a mother and daughter and — the Gilmore being a car museum after all — a classic and restored two-tone 1948 Buick sedan parked at an Esso filing station. Information panels provide details, a large video plays interviews with African-Americans who experienced discrimination while traveling and a copy of the Spring 1956 edition of a Green Book is there for museum visitors to examine.
“It’s a story that had been pretty much forgotten,” Jay Follis, Gilmore museum curator, said in supplied material. “We’ve had a tremendous number of people seeing it and saying, ‘I’ve never heard of this.’”
There’s a reason the gas station in the Gilmore museum diorama has an Esso pump. Esso was a brand of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company.
The 1942 Green Book. (Gilmore)
Follis explained that Esso had a program to help African-Americans buy and operate its service stations. Esso also provided offices and support for the staff that helped Green produce and publish his guides.
The Green Book diorama is one of two cultural exhibits that are a permanent part of the Gilmore museum’s display. The other — “The American Exodus” — focuses on the hardships of the Depression-era migration from the Midwestern “Dust Bowl” to the promised-land on the West Coast.
In addition to the Gilmore’s nearly 400 vehicles, many of them housed in historic buildings and re-created automobile dealerships, its 90-acre campus includes a vintage gasoline station and authentic 1941 Blue Moon Diner that serves lunch daily.
The Gilmore Car Museum is located at Hickory Corners, between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, for more information visit gilmorecarmusuem.org or call 269-671-5089.
In recognition of both a desire to honor Wyoming High School’s 2020 graduating seniors, and the importance of allowing the school staff and Wyoming community the opportunity to join the celebration, Wyoming Public Schools held a WHS Senior 11 Night Celebration Parade Monday, June 15.
In addition, Wyoming High School is scheduled to host its Class of 2020 commencement ceremony on July 28 at Grand Rapids First.
Prior to the parade, WKTV caught up with WPS Superintendent Craig Hoekstra and asked about how the parade came to be, and the desire of he and the entire school community to make sure the seniors time of graduation was not “defined” by COVID-19 shutdown.
Continuing to provide some clarity to what K-12 public school education might look like in the fall — including a possible return to in-person learning — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced June 17 that she plans to announce on June 30 a “Michigan’s Return to School Roadmap” that will provide details on “what will be required and what will be recommended” for schools to reopen.
“Our students and educators have made incredible sacrifices these past few months to protect themselves and their families from the spread of COVID-19,” Gov. Whitmer said in supplied material. “I am optimistic that we will return to in-person learning in the fall … (but) schools must make sure to enact strict safety measures to continue protecting educators, students, and their families.
Gov. Whitmer also said her office is working with the Return to Learn Advisory Council and leaders in health care “to ensure we get this right,” but that the state also needs more flexibility and support from the federal government.
“This crisis has had serious implications on our budget, and we need federal support if we’re going to get this right for our kids,” Gov. Whitmer said.
On May 15, Gov. Whitmer, buy executive order, created the COVID-19 Return to School Advisory Council. On June 3, the governor announced a group of 25 leaders in health care and education to serve on the advisory council. Local persons on the council include Kevin Polston, superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, and Nicholas J. Paradiso, vice president of government relations for National Heritage Academies.
The advisory council was created to “identify the critical issues that must be addressed, provide valuable input to inform the process of returning to school, and to ensure a smooth and safe transition back to school,” according to the governor’s statement.
“The most important thing we can do when developing a return to school plan is closely examine the data and remain vigilant in our steps to fight this virus,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief deputy for health, said in supplied material. “I will continue to work closely with Governor Whitmer and the Return to Learn Advisory Council to ensure we continue to put the health and safety of our students and educators first.”
Education leaders local and statewide are warning of what Superintendent Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Kevin Polston calls “unprecedented budget deficits” at Michigan public schools resulting from decreased tax revenues due to the COVID-19 economic crisis.
While the looming school funding concerns are just beginning to hit the news, the community may have some questions, need a little background and history.
Why will lower tax revenue impact public school funding? How does the state fund public schools? What is the recent history of changes in tax-payer funding of schools? How do public schools spend their state funding?
The Kent ISD recently produced informational videos that tries to explain the state’s taxpayer funded public school finances — including one specific to current school funding concerns. (See additional information videos descriptions and links below.)
Superintendent Polston, in a recent Godfrey-Lee schools community-wide email, makes clear the current — and urgent need — for community understanding and action on the current threat to public school funding. He also urges increased state and federal support for public schools.
“Without federal intervention, the budget shortfall for the remainder of 2019-2020 through 2021 school year would total $6.2 billion for all Michigan public schools. Godfrey-Lee alone could see a deficit of over $1.2 million ($700 per student) for just the 19-20 school year that is about to end,” Polston said. “Further cuts are projected for the 2020-21 school year that begins on July 1, 2020.
“Put in context, this is roughly twice as large a deficit as Michigan public schools faced in the Great Recession, yet federal aid to date has been less than 20 percent than was given at that time. In fact, of the $2 trillion of aid granted by the (federal COVID-19 recovery) CARES Act, less than 1 percent went to fund public education.”
Polston points out that school districts are required by state law to present a balanced budget by June 30, 2020 for the upcoming school year, even though the state has not provided an answer about the shortfall for 2019-20 or given a projected budget for 2020-21.
“This is unacceptable,” he said. “To meet our legal requirement, we have to use the budget forecasts that have been provided (to Godfrey-Lee schools). These forecasts call for $2,750,000 in cuts for our upcoming school year. Cuts of this magnitude would devastate GLPS and would challenge the district’s future solvency.”
To aid Kent County schools districts explain the current funding system, and the need for community support and action, the Kent ISD produced a series of short videos.
An ISD is a regional education service agency. The job of Kent County’s ISD, one of the state’s 57 agencies, is to “help local school districts with programs and services that are best done on a regional basis — things that are highly specialized or that would be far too expensive on an individual basis,” according to the Kent ISD.
The videos:
History of Michigan Public School Finances, which details how school financing in Michigan is guided by Proposal A which was approved by Michigan voters in 1994 which shifted ‘day to day’ school finance to a state-based model.
What Public School Finances Fund, which details how public schools in Michigan spend a majority of their resources on personnel and describes how dollars are divided up to fund education in this state.
Taxes and Public School Education, which explains how everyone who works or lives in Michigan helps to support public schools by paying taxes, and where tax dollars for public education come from and how they are spent.
COVID-19’s Impact on Michigan School Funding, which details how school finance will be greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the economic impact will negatively affect Michigan’s public schools.
Local high schools cannot yet open their weight rooms for summer student-athlete programs, but they now have guidance as to how the state’s sports governing body recommends such activities take place. (2019 photo from Lee High School by WKTV)
As a clear example of what Lee High School athletic director Jason Faasse described as an “ever-changing time” in Michigan high school athletics, there was exactly three days separating the May 29 release of the MHSAA’s “Guidance for Opening School Sports” and its June 2 reopening update.
Last week, the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA), the public school athletics governing body, issued its eagerly anticipated guidance on how summer preparations and possibly fall sports can take place in a time of COVID-19 related restrictions.
This week, the MHSAA updated its guidelines for reopening of school sports based on the lifting of stay-at-home order and further recommendations from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office, announced Monday, June 1. All Michigan schools halted winter and spring sports when schools were ordered shut April 3 to help decrease the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Wyoming High School AD Ted Hollern. (WKTV)
Even with a constantly changing environment, two local athletic directors were happy to at least have a starting point on the road to resuming athletics.
“Wyoming (Public Schools) is encouraged that the MHSAA has a universal plan in place for all school districts to follow,” Wyoming High School athletic director Ted Hollern said this week to WKTV. “It is a great blend of making sure we keep the kids safe while at the same time providing opportunities for our students to begin preparing for the upcoming athletic seasons.”
Stepped process and risk by sport
In the Guidance for Opening School Sports issued last week, the MHSAA “recommends a three-step process to returning to full athletic participation, and for each step outlines actions to be taken in five major areas: pre-workout/contest screening of athletes and coaches for sickness, limitations of the number of participants who may be involved in a gathering, proper cleaning for facilities, the use of equipment during activity and best practices for keeping participants safely hydrated.”
The plan also places sports into categories based on risk for transmitting the virus (low/moderate/high), with adjusted return-to-activity steps based on that level of risk. The MHSAA’s “Potential Infection Risk by Sport” is “modified from United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee Sports Medicine recommendations, which was examined through the probability of respiratory droplet transmission/exposure.”
For example, in football, actual Friday night football games are currently considered high risk while common 7-on-7 summer practiced are considered moderate. Wrestling and competitive cheer are also high risk. Low risk includes cross country and most track and field events, swimming and golf.
While the risk assessment included in the MHSAA document may give hints as to what sports might be on — or off — this fall, both ADs Hollern and Faasse said the more important aspect was giving school athletics summer activities a path forward.
“I think the MHSAA is giving us best practices (for us to follow),” Faasse said this week to WKTV. “This is an uncertain time, ever changing time, and we have to be careful with the kids. … (But) our coaches and kids are eager get back to work … When the school is open, and that is a district decision, we can start some things.”
The June 2 MHSAA update reiterates Faasse’s point of sports being ready when school administrations approve openings of schools and school facilities.
Member schools may begin summer activities at school facilities as long as school administration has announced schools facilities are open to students and staff, and the academic school year (last day of online instruction/exams) has ended, the MHSAA update states.
In addition, indoor facilities, including gymnasiums and weight rooms, remain closed. This includes swimming pools, although outdoor pools may be used for athletic activities. Competition is not yet allowed because participants must continue to follow social distancing.
“We were excited and encouraged by Governor Whitmer’s announcements Monday,” Mark Uyl, MHSAA executive director said in supplied material. “The opportunity for outside gatherings of up to 100 allowed us to rework a number of guidelines that we had published Friday as part of the MHSAA/NFHS reopening document.
“Our schools have been cautiously eager to take this long-awaited first step. We will continue to provide updates in accordance with the Governor’s directives for reopening the state, always prioritizing safety for all involved in school sports programs.”
The Guidance for Opening School Sports, according to the MHSAA, is based primarily on direction provided by the MHSAA and National Federation of State High School Associations’ (NFHS) Sports Medicine Advisory Committees, in addition to reopening plans provided by the Michigan and federal governments and recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Concepts from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee also were consulted.
The MHSAA serves more than 1,500 public and private schools, including 750 high schools.
For the complete original MHSAA Guidance for Opening School Sports, see the document here. For updates on the MHSAA and school athletics, visit mhsaa.com.
To say that the students in East Kentwood High School’s Red Storm Robotics program are ‘industrious’ would be a high-tech understatement. But the lessons they learn about robotics design and manufacture are only part of the curriculum.
Faced with a hiatus of the program in the light of COVID-19 school and social restrictions, one parent volunteer and Red Storm student looked around, saw a specific need for front-line medial workers, and realized they and the Red Storm community could be part of the solution.
A great first day. (Supplied)
The result, as of late last week, was the production and delivery of more than 1,200 protective face masks and ear guards (a comfort device for face masks) — at not cost to the users. The results are also another lesson for the Red Storm students about real-world applications for high-tech imaginations.
“It became clear early on that there was a shortage of PPE (personal protective equipment) in Michigan,” Trista Vandervoord, a mentor for the middle school program and parent to Red Storm student Ethan, said to WKTV. “We knew people were 3D printing PPE, and as a robotics team we have multiple 3D printers. It was an easy way to do our part. We borrowed five 3D printers from our robotics space, set up a print farm in the basement, and got to work. Once we identified the need, we felt we had to help if we could.”
The persons being helped include health care workers and other essential “front line” staff, almost all of them local in West Michigan but a few sent as far away as Tennessee.
A team effort to ‘do something good’
Trista and Ethan Vandervoord, getting a milestone delivery ready.(Supplied)
Trista and Ethan, an East Kentwood sophomore, started the project in early April by 3D printing themselves but also setting a community project with a dedicated website, a user request and distribution system, donation requests, and getting our drop site at the Kentwood Public Schools Administration Building.
Then the “Red Storm Cares: Operation Face Shield” 3D print army came charging in.
“More than a dozen Red Storm Robotics students are involved in a safe way, by punching holes in the transparencies, delivering face shields, writing emails to request support, writing thank you notes to our generous donors, and spreading the word,” Trista said. “It is a true team effort.”
The scope of production; shown are the ear guards (a comfort device for face masks). (Supplied)
The team effort is a coordination of volunteers, headed by team members of Red Storm Robotics, who are coordinating the effort independent of one another physically, “but united in spirit and drive to do something good,” according to supplied material.
“We are primarily providing face shields, which are composed of a 3D printed headband and a transparency sheet,” Trista said. “We have a 3D print army of individuals and robotics teams all over West Michigan who are printing in their own homes or businesses.
“To date, we have provided 1,200 face shields and 1,200 ear guards … and receive more requests each day. We have provided to hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, group homes, court bailiffs, pharmacists, community food distributors, COVID-19 test sites, and more.”
Some of the Red Storm Cares face shields were delivered to Rite Aid Pharmacy for use of the frontline workers. (Supplied)
The list of local places where the face shields have been put to good use include Cherry Health, Rite Aid Pharmacy, CareLinc Medical Equipment and Supply, and Pilgrim Manor Senior Living.
While their focus is in West Michigan, they also sent five to doctors at University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville, “due to special request from a friend,” Tristia said.
The production lines; the supply chain
As with any Red Storm Robotics project, there were so initial design and production work to be done.
Ethan Vandervoord. (Supplied)
“We are using five 3D printers … and they are in production around the clock (literally),” Ethan, who is in his fifth year with Red Storm Robotics, said to WKTV. “We are using a tested shield design from Operation Face Shield Ann Arbor, who got us started in this effort. My dad is our technician, and he has learned a lot about 3D printing through this project.”
The project’s “top need now” is for additional members to join our 3D print army, Trista said. “We have filament, we just need people to turn it into useful items using their 3D printers. Beyond that, we have an Amazon Wish list at redstormcares.com for the community to purchase filament and transparencies for this project.”
The Wish List items are mailed directly to the home shop, and they also have a material donations drop site at KPS Administration Building, 5280 Eastern Ave. But, Trista stressed, no cash donations can be accepted.
For more information about Red Storm Cares: Operation Face Shield, visit their website or their Facebook page.
Using a donated, temporary-use facility at Catholic Central High School, Kent County and City of Grand Rapids Emergency Management Divisions have partnered with the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids, Mel Trotter Ministries, and The Salvation Army to create a “safe shelter” for women experiencing homelessness and who are presumed negative for COVID-19.
The facility, according to a statement Friday, April 24, from Kent County, will allow permanent shelters in the area to reduce their daily populations so individuals experiencing homelessness are better able to socially and physically distance.
Catholic Central High School (Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids)
“We are called as Catholics to care for our brothers and sisters, especially the most vulnerable among us,” Greg Deja, principal/CEO of Catholic Central High School, said in supplied material. “While we’ve all been sheltering at home for the past month, many of our Heartside neighbors do not have that same option … Our decision to open our gymnasium as a dormitory reflects one of our core values at Catholic Central to serve — through which we come to know and love Christ more fully.”
The Catholic Central gymnasium can hold up to 75 women and provides shower facilities, food services provided by The Salvation Army, and other essential services. It will be primarily staffed by Kent County volunteers, the City of Grand Rapids Homeless Outreach Team, and Mel Trotter Ministries staff.
“This is an example of the entire community coming together to care for some of the most vulnerable in our community and do all we can to keep them safe. We are truly all in this together,” Dennis Van Kampen, CEO, Mel Trotter Ministries, said in supplied material. “My hope is that after this pandemic we will have created connections and work groups that continue to work together to solve some of our communities most urgent issues.”
The announcement for the county stresses that the facility use is not intended to be a long-term solution, and there are still staffing needs for the daily operation of the shelter. Volunteers for all shifts are needed and will not be in direct contact with known positive COVID-19 patients. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, visit kcest.org/volunteer.
“All of us who are working at the shelter have been moved by the strength of these women,” Lt. Lou Hunt, Kent County emergency manager, said in supplied material. “It has truly been a blessing and our privilege to serve this vulnerable yet highly appreciative population.”
Local public school’s plans for remote learning differ, but all meet state guidelines and goal that “teaching and learning must continue.” (Public Domain)
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, early this month, ordered all K-12 public school buildings to close for the remainder of the school year but urged the continuation of education through remote learning — in fact part of her order included funding the use of public school facilities by public school employees and contractors for the “purposes of facilitating learning at a distance.”
Many Wyoming and Kentwood school districts, along with the Kent ISD, anticipating the governor’s order, had already been working on remote learning plans. But the governor’s order set a deadline of this week for remote learning plans to be submitted and approved by the Kent ISD, and required “all schools to begin providing learning opportunities for all students no later than April 28, 2020. Districts who are able to begin their plans earlier are encouraged to do so.”
Most local schools districts are already “doing so.”
There was no easy answer, no cookie-cutter answers given individual district goals, needs and even the logistics of working to verify students’ ability to access the internet and to distribute the technology necessary to reach as many students as possible.
So every district’s plan is unique but, in the words of the Kent ISD Continuity of Learning and COVID-19 Response Plan Application instructions, “although schools are closed and not providing in-person instruction, teaching and learning must continue.”
To look at just one plan, after getting approval of the district’s plan from the ISD, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools this week shared their plans with their community, and WKTV.
“Today marked a new beginning for Godfrey-Lee Public Schools as the district responded to the suspension of in-person learning and shifted to distance learning for the entire district,” Kevin Polston, superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, said to WKTV early this week. “District staff have prepared for this reality over the past few weeks to provide students and families necessary supports to continue meaningful learning for the remainder of the school year. New student learning begins today and will continue through the remainder of the school year ending on May 29.”
Some of the highlights of the Godfrey-Lee remote learning plan include providing almost 1,500 computer/tablet devices and contacting families individually to check on internet access — the district reports 93 percent have such access. For more detailed information on the Godfrey-Lee plan, visit here.
“While the means of delivering learning has changed, the district’s vision, mission, and values remain constant,” Godfrey-Lee’s Polston said. “I am confident that our students will have an excellent experience during our Continuity of Learning Plan, and our staff stands ready to support any student or family member in need.”
Also like other school districts in the Wyoming-Kentwood area, remote learning is only one part of Godfrey-Lee schools’ efforts during a spring of closed schools.
“The district has also continued to support the basic needs of families, social-emotional wellbeing of students, and health and wellness of families through Kent School Services Network (KSSN) support,” Polston’s stated. “It is the expectation that each student will have contact with a district staff member every week. … (And) the district implemented a structure to target students that aren’t in contact to offer assistance and support.”
Godfrey-Lee, also undoubtedly like other local school districts, has also gained support in their remote learning activities.
“The district is thankful for the generous support of individuals, community partners, and philanthropy during this crisis,” Polston said.
“In Between the Trees”, Rose Hammond’s 2019 documentary film about the historic African-American resort towns of Idlewild and Woodland Park, was more than simply a community project supported by WKTV Community Media.
It is a prime example of a community-led project which WKTV prides itself in being an advocate for and a partner with. And the film will be on display next week as it begins a short cable-television run on WKTV Community Channel 25.
“As Rose went through he process of producing this documentary, we all found it fascinating that she was uncovering this amazing story of local history,” said Tom Norton, general manager of WKTV Community Media. “WKTV is happy and proud that she chose to use this facility to realize that storytelling goal.”
WKTV will air “In Between The Trees Monday, April 20, at 9:30 a.m.; Tuesday, April 21, at 7 p.m.; and Friday, April 24, 10 a.m.
Idlewild was started in 1912 by white investors who created a resort for black vacationers during the Jim Crow era — when most resorts would not allow blacks to book stays. Woodland Park came a few years later.
Rose Hammond at WKTV Community Media for the premiere of her film “In Between the Trees”. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The film about the history of the towns — produced, substantially filmed, and edited at WKTV by Hammond — is based on her 1994 book “Idlewild & Woodland Park, Michigan (An African American Remembers)”.
“I was attracted to the story when coming home and our family went up north to visit our grandpa’s old house,” Hammond said to WKTV. “While in Woodland Park all I heard were the stories of how it used to be. I then decided that someone needed to put a collection of interviews together to maintain the historical value of the community.
“No matter what becomes of the two communities they will always be known as an outlet for thousands of African Americans to entertain and vacation like their counterparts. It will always be Idlewild and Woodland Park.”
For the complete WKTV Journal story, visit here. The trailer for the documentary can be viewed here and another here. For a WKTV video interview with Rose Hammond while the film was in process, visit here.
In an effort to obtain information to track potential COVID-19 hotspots in Kent County, the county health department today launched a new web-based survey for residents — keepmihealthy.org.
The “secure, anonymous, web-based survey” — which does not required an app download — will provide health officials with “valuable data that could potentially identify future COVID-19 ‘hot spots’ in Kent County,” according to the announcement.
“Our ability to respond to this pandemic depends upon timely, accurate, and multi-sourced data,” Kent County Health Department Director Adam London said in supplied material. “The information gathered through this survey will provide us with an additional layer of data to make strategic decisions on how we use our resources.”
Local technology company OST, which started in Grand Rapids in 1997 but now has a worldwide footprint, actually came to Kent County with the idea.
“We would like to thank local technology developer OST for turning this community health screening concept into reality,” London said. “Without being asked, they identified a need, reached out to us and other community partners, and quickly developed an easy-to-use and effective screening tool.”
The survey questions are simple — as simple as “Are you experiencing any of the COVID-19 symptoms or not?”
To complete the survey, residents will be asked to answer four personal identification questions including year of birth, gender, county, and zip code.
All data will be kept confidential and housed in a secure database, according to the announcement. Under licensed agreements, health care professionals, hospitals, and local health departments will have access to the anonymous data to learn more about the community’s health in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID- 19.
To complete the survey, go to keepmihealthy.org/ and click “Get Started!”
Upon completion, residents can optionally provide their mobile phone number to receive a daily text reminder to take the survey.
“By taking the survey daily, it will ensure health officials are making decisions based on the most current information available,” according to the statement.
To learn more, review the frequently asked questions document at keepmihealthy.org/faq.
A Spanish version of the application will be released shortly.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, two things have defined the American — and the world’s — job market: rampant unemployment and the explosion of work-from-home. That, and the already emerging changes due to interconnected world job markets and automation in the workplace, are profoundly changing the future of work.
So the World Affairs Council of West Michigan’s now virtual-only spring lecture series is perfectly timed as it looks at “The Future of Work” with three Tuesday evening lectures discussing the future workforce and workplace changes in a changing world.
“The Future of Work” series, presented in partnership with the Kent District Library, will start with the reality that “COVID-19 creates a ‘new normal’ in all aspects of our lives, including the economy and work,” according to World Affairs Council statement.
Set to start the series on Tuesday, April 14, Kristin Sharp, a partner with Entangled Solutions, out of Washington, D.C., will speak on “Global Trends Shaping the Future of Work”.
Following discussions will be April 21, as a panel led by moderator Attah Obande, “Director of Dream Fulfillment” at Spring GR, discuses “Entrepreneurs’ Experiences in the Changing Economy: Local Perspectives”.
Grand Rapids Community College President Bill Pink (GRCC)
Finally, on April 28,Dr. Bill Pink, president of Grand Rapids Community College, will discuss “Working Together for Growth in West Michigan: Industry and Education”.
The premier of each discussion will be 6:30-7:30 p.m. each Tuesday and can be attended for free via the World Affair’s Council’s YouTube page for an “interactive conversation” as there will be the ability to send questions during the live presentations. All the discussions will be available afterwards as archived videos.
“Globalization. Automation. Underemployment and the gig economy. What are the trends that have been shaping patterns of work?” the World Affairs Council states about the series. “How will government, industry, and educators respond to the new opportunities and challenges created by change? Just as importantly, how do people imagine new possibilities in their local roles as workers and citizens in a global and tech-driven economy, so that we can positively affect the future of work?”
Details of the discussion leaders
Kristin Sharp. (Supplied)
Kristin Sharp, as a partner with Entangled Studios, is “focused on building out the future of work, automation, and ed/workforce technologies portfolio,” according to her company’s webpage biography. Prior to joining the company, she co-founded the Shift Commission and launched the ShiftLabs and Work, Workers, and Technology projects at New America, examining the impact of automation and AI on the workforce. Earlier in her career, she worked in technology, innovation, and national security policy in the U.S. Senate, working in senior staff roles for senators and committees on both sides of the political aisle.
Attah Obande, of SpringGR. (Supplied)
Attah Obande works for Spring GR, “a grassroots business training experience that uses the business model canvas (think of it like a road map for starting a business) to help entrepreneurs develop their business idea or business,” according to the company’s website. Over the course of 12 weeks, the group brings people together in small groups, teach the business process, and provide coaching. … For two years following graduation, SpringGR “acts as a bridge to connect graduates to other resources throughout Grand Rapids to further grow and develop their businesses.”
Dr. Bill Pink is the tenth president of Grand Rapids Community College, starting in 2017. He has been an educator for over 25 years, including as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Oklahoma State University (Oklahoma City.) and he has taught and/or coached in Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Oregon. He has an Associate’s Degree from York College (Nebraska), a Bachelor’s from Oklahoma Christian University, a Master’s from the University of Central Oklahoma, and a Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma.
Michigan’s Secretary of State’s office has announced that the coming May 5 ballot will “primarily” use a mail-in voting system by expanding the state’s existing absentee ballot process with all registered voters in areas set to vote being sent absentee ballot registrations.
In addition, according to a Secretary of State press release, it was announced that last week that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had issued an executive order that will close all but one polling place — typically the clerk’s office — in each election jurisdiction to be used for in-person voting.
The Kent County Clerk’s office, which is responsible for voting processes in the county, is putting plans in place for handling the changes but the admits the state’s plans may be “confusing to voters and could jeopardize election integrity,” Lisa Posthumus Lyons, Kent County Clerk/Register, said to WKTV today, April 8.
None-the-less, Posthumus Lyons said “we are moving forward in Kent County, working with local clerks to ensure we have enough workers to staff the election, adhere to the CDC guidelines for the health of the public and our workers, and protect the security and integrity of the election.”
School leaders in Kelloggsville Public Schools — which along with Godwin Heights Public Schools are the only entities in Wyoming and Kentwood with funding measures on the May ballot — are also unsure how the changes will impact the public vote.
“First off, all of our thoughts go out to the families that have been impacted by this pandemic and hope that they are healthy as possible and are making it through these difficult times,” Eric Alcorn, auxiliary services director at Kelloggsville Public Schools, said to WKTV. But “we think anytime there is a major world/national threat, pandemic, disaster, a change in the economic outlook, there is a huge impact on elections.
“I am not sure if we have ever done an election entirely through absentee voting — we will have to wait and see on what kind of impact it will have. It will for sure be a learning opportunity for us.”
The Kelloggsville Public School District has an approximately $4.2 million, 10-year sinking fund millage proposal. Godwin Heights Public Schools has a $13,975,000 bonding proposal on the ballot.
“All I can say is that we are going to do the best we can to get the word out about the sinking fund, its benefits, and the opportunities we want to provide for our students, staff and community,” Alcorn said. “We are adjusting our plan to meet the stay-at-home orders and social distancing placed on Michigan.
“We have a small community and usually like to do a lot of our marketing face-to-face and by word-of-mouth through inviting them into our facilities and talking about proposals at events and activities. At the end of the day, we are committed to providing the best educational environment for our students that we can. The revenue generated from the sinking fund will go a long way in helping us achieve that.”
Kent County Clerk has some concerns
And while the Kent County Clerk’s office is preparing as directed by the state, the county leader is not entirely comfortable with the process mandated by the state.
“My primary concern with the May 5 Election is the safety of our clerks, election workers, and of course, the voters,” Posthumus Lyons said to WKTV. “While it would have been ideal for the school districts take advantage of the opportunities they had to move their questions to the August ballot, seven have opted to continue for May.
“I understand we face a time that requires making difficult decisions, but I am admittedly concerned with the action taken by the Governor and Secretary of State to address this May election because the process they’ve put in place is confusing to voters and could jeopardize election integrity, and I do not want this to set a precedent for how we conduct future elections in Michigan.”
The Secretary of State’s office, however, sees a primarily mail-in ballot in May as the best way to handle the voting.
“Elections are the foundation of our democracy, and our nation has a long history of holding them even in times of crisis and uncertainty,” Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in supplied material. “All election work will be done in strict adherence to the protocols to prevent coronavirus transmission, including exercising social distancing, using sanitary equipment, and maintaining strong hygiene.”
To encourage everyone who can to stay home and vote by mail, the state will mail absentee ballot applications to all registered voters, and all new registrations will be treated like an absentee ballot application, prompting the issuance of an absentee ballot, according to Benson’s office.
“Voters like voting by mail because it is easy, private, and can be done on their own timing and while researching issues and candidates at home,” Benson said. “It also eliminates the possibility of coronavirus transmission for the voter and, with simple precautions like gloves and social distancing, the election workers as well. Finally, voting by mail is absolutely secure, as the signature matching requirement is a built-in security check.”
According to the latest Secretary of State’s office direction, local city and township clerks’ offices will remain open through Election Day, enabling same-day voter registration and voting in person, including for people with disabilities who wish to vote using assistive equipment, and others to drop off their ballots if they forget to mail it in time.
Voter registration can also be done by mail or online at michigan.gov/Vote through April 20. Between April 20 and May 5, new registrations must be accompanied by proof of residence, which can also be submitted by mail or electronically.
In addition to it tutoring program, Streams of Hope offers a variety of programs to their community including a food pantry, after-school activities for middle and high school students, a community garden, and health & wellness programs. (Supplied)
The Streams of Hope community center in Kentwood has received a $25,000 grant from HarperCollins Christian Publishing to support the center’s elementary student tutoring program.
Since the tutoring program begin in 2010, it has steadily grown to provide more than 100 hours of free tutoring each week by 10 certified teachers to 80 students, according to the center.
Kurtis Kaechele (Supplied)
“It’s a joy and a privilege to have HarperCollins Christian Publishing come alongside this tutoring initiative once again,” Kurtis Kaechele, Streams of Hope executive director, said in supplied material. “They have been a wonderful partner over the past six years, and their support empowers the students in this neighborhood to overcome barriers and succeed in school.”
During the COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions, Streams of Hope has sent virtual tutoring resources to their students and provided printed versions to families that utilize the center’s food center drive-thru supplemental grocery system.
The combined population of three public elementary schools, each less than half a mile from the center, located at 280 60th St, SE, is over 90-percent eligible for federal assistance, according to Streams of Hope.
“Educational success is a significant factor for reducing poverty, and our prayer is that by impacting students we would see our neighborhood transformed for the better,” Kaechele said. “In 2018, 91 percent of students being tutored in reading achieved one grade level or more of growth. During the same period, 84 percent of math students raised their assessment scores.”
Kentwood’s Streams of Hope ministry serves children and families in several ways. (Supplied)
In addition to tutoring, Streams of Hope offers a variety of programs to their community including a food pantry, after-school activities for middle and high school students, a community garden, and health & wellness programs. It also serves as a campus for SpringGR entrepreneurial training.
The HarperCollins grant will also support the center’s summer soccer and reading camp in addition to their Nutrition, Education & Wellness program for diabetic clients.
“Year after year, HarperCollins Christian Publishing continues to be in awe of what Streams of Hope can accomplish for the Kentwood community, and greater Grand Rapids,” Casey Harrell, senior director of corporate communications at HarperCollins Christian Publishing, said in supplied material. “Not only have we built a relationship through monetary investment, but with their leadership, staff, and the children involved in their tutoring program.”
Streams of Hope is a community-based ministry in the Townline neighborhood of Kentwood that “exists to demonstrate God’s love and foster sustainable change through services that build relationships, meet family needs, and promote a healthier community,” according to the group. Its programs focus on creating healthier schools, neighborhoods, and families by utilizing local resources.
The State of Michigan, like most governmental agencies, puts out press releases to media sources on a wide-range of issues almost daily. Some are important for the public to know; some are just routine governmental business. Some make the news and some do not.
We at WKTV have decided that in these times of COVID-19, of often-filtered news, we’d let the state departments say what they want to say to the pubic a little more directly. Following are links to State of Michigan releases from Thursday, April 2 — with a little emphasis given by our staff on what we found interesting.
https://www.wktvjournal.org/after-gov-whitmer-cancels-in-school-education-kent-isd-and-local-schools-exploring-options/For a special WKTV story on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer April 2 Executive Order 2020-35, which orders all K-12 school buildings to close for the remainder of the school year, follow this link.
Heath Department sets fines, other actions to enforce COVID-19 actions
In the wake of Thursday, April 2, reports that Michigan had recorded more than 10,000 cases of COVID-19 — with 417 deaths — the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued an Emergency Order setting a civil penalty of up to $1,000 and a process for referral to licensing agencies for violations of Executive Orders 2020-11, 2020-20 and 2020-21. Criminal penalties for violation will remain an option for prosecutors.
“A person can have coronavirus without knowing it,” Robert Gordon, MDHHS director, said in the release. “They can spread the disease to others who can spread it to others. The only way to stop the spread is social distancing. A civil penalty and potential licensing actions send a strong message to Michiganders that social distancing is essential to saving lives.”
Governor Gretchen Whitmer today signed Executive Order 2020-35, which orders all K-12 school buildings to close for the remainder of the school year but urges the continuation of education through remote learning.
Gov. Whitmer’s Executive Order 2020-35, issued Thursday, April 2, also guarantees school staff and teachers will be paid for the remainder of the school year, allows the sue of public school facilities to be used by public school employees and contractors for the “purposes of facilitating learning at a distance”, and assures that 2020 seniors will graduate this year.
As far as school-based standardized tests, the governor’s statement said that those previously scheduled for the remainder of the school year, including the M-STEP and the SAT, will be canceled. There will be a date in October for rising high school seniors to take the SAT and for other high school students to take the PSAT.
It also states that guidelines for “remote learning” for the remainder of the 2019020 school year will be issued, Friday, April 3.
While Wyoming and Kentwood school districts are looking to what those guidelines may be and how they may handle remote learning, the Kent ISD issued a statement detailing their actions.
“The Governor asked each school district and its staff provide instructional materials and opportunities for students to continue their education during this crisis,” Ron Caniff, superintendent of Kent ISD, said in a supplied statement following the governor’s order. “We are working with our schools, their superintendents and staff to respond to the governor’s request as quickly as possible.
“Our team is reviewing instructional plans from states across the country to create the best possible experience for students and their families, who will be essential in helping their children learn during this difficult time. Local districts are doing the same and have been actively designing plans since the school closure went into effect.”
Kent ISD school districts are working together to develop distance learning programming for all students, according to the Kent ISD statement. Some will be served online, while others will receive packets of educational materials delivered much as food is being provided for students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals while schools are closed.
“While all of the details have yet to be worked out, parents should check their district websites and wait for communication from their individual school district to learn the details for their students,” according to the statement.
Districts have also een working to verify students’ ability to access the internet and to marshal the technology necessary to reach as many students as possible, Caniff said.
During this crisis, many of the necessary elements – internet hotspots and inexpensive laptop computers – are in short supply as employees in all fields work from home. To help member districts, Caniff said the Kent ISD this week purchased 1,000 Chromebooks “and will continue to monitor district needs and resources available to ensure schools can reach all students to the extent possible.”
Governor continues action to blunt virus spread
Gov. Whitmer said the decision was forced by the current need to extend COVIF-19 restrictions into June, which she has called for legislative leaders to approve quickly.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during a 2019 event. (Air National Guard).
“For the sake of our students, their families, and the more than 100,000 teachers and staff in our state, I have made the difficult decision to close our school facilities for the remainder of the school year,” Gov. Whitmer said in a statement accompanying her executive order. “As a parent, I understand the challenge closing schools creates for parents and guardians across the state, which is why we are setting guidelines for schools to continue remote learning and ensuring parents have resources to continue their children’s education from the safety of their homes.”
The Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators and the Michigan Council of Charter School Authorizers will develop “a Continuity of Learning Plan template application for schools to utilize in order to create their localized plan,” according to the announcement of the governor’s action.
“District plans will need to detail how districts will provide opportunities for students to learn remotely and how schools will manage and monitor their progress,” the statement continues. “It will also provide information on how parents and guardians can learn more about the local plan. Each district must have its plan approved by their regional Intermediate school district (ISD) before being implemented. Public school academies must have their plans approved by their authorizer.”
Districts can also partner with one another to create joint plans.
“There is no video chat or homework packet that can replace the value of a highly trained, experienced teacher working with students in a classroom,” Gov. Whitmer said. “But we must continue to provide equitable educational opportunities for students during this public health crisis.”
If the plan relies on some online instruction, the district should ensure every student who needs it has access to an appropriate device with an ability to connect to the internet. “Students and families will not be penalized if they are unable to participate in their alternate learning plan,” the announcement states.
Governor’s action also allows other public school action
Gov. Whitmer also announced that schools should continue to provide mental health care services for students “to the extent possible,” and should be ready and willing to help efforts to establish disaster relief childcare centers. School districts will also continue to provide meals for families who need them during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Godfrey-Lee Public Schools and Godwin Heights Public Schools systems, and other local school districts, have already been providing meals to students during the school closures.
Also, if any schools have unused personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies or other materials, they are allowed and encouraged to donate them to organizations that could put them to use.
Additionally, school districts will have the flexibility to adopt a balanced calendar for the 2019-2020 school year and/or to begin the 2020-2021 school year before Labor Day without having to seek additional approval. Student teachers will still be able to get a temporary certification and current teachers will still be able to get their certifications renewed, even if they can’t meet all the requirements due to COVID-19.
While all Wyoming and Kentwood area school district leaders are in a “wait and see” mode this week awaiting an expected order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to cancel the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, at Godfrey-Lee Public Schools district business continues.
At a remotely attended Godfrey-Lee Board of Education meeting Monday, March 30, a brief update by Superintendent Kevin Polston on the status of the school year was followed by the approval by the board of the rebranding of the high school sports teams to become the Lee Legends.
On March 27, Governor Whitmer said in a radio interview that it was “very unlikely” students would be allowed to return to school this school year. But Polston, on Monday, March 30, said to WKTV that his school district is waiting on final word — and guidance from the state — on the details of school cancelling the remainder of the 2019-20 school year.
“By all accounts it looks like the remainder of the school year will be canceled,” Polston said to WKTV on Tuesday, March 31. “This is heart breaking news for our students, staff, and families. Our core values include community and relationships, both are predicated on interactions between individuals. Our team has been preparing for this possibility and when we receive official guidance from the Governor, we will have a plan ready for our students to continue learning during the school shutdown.”
A possible design for the Lee Legends football helmets. (Supplied)
At the Monday night meeting, however, district business continued as the board approved the months-long rebranding of the school district and its sports teams and extracurricular programs such as band. The name change from The Rebels to The Legends was known, but the images be used in a wide-range of ways was finalized. At the meeting the board was shown several possible versions of the the images.
“The Legends name will inspire the district and unify our community behind the aspirational goal to #BeLegendary,” Polston said in a March 31 supplied statement. “Students were at the heart of the decision making process, and the spirit of their artwork serves as the inspiration for the mascot design.”
Dragon and Crest in Spanish (possible design). (Supplied)
All athletic uniforms, district signage, murals, and the district’s digital footprint will represent the Godfrey-Lee Legends name beginning in August of this year 2020, according to the statement. The district also included the Spanish version of Legends, “Leyendas”, in the presentation for the potential to be used with apparel to “represent the rich Latinx cultural influence” of the district.
“We are thankful for our donors for supporting the district so that general fund dollars targeted for the classroom aren’t spent on this project,” Polston said. “In particular, we wish to thank the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Frey Foundation, and the Native American Heritage Fund for their generous support. We look forward to full implementation in the fall with the start of the new school year, and the start of a new era in Godfrey-Lee.”
That new era will likely be the beginning of the 2020-21 school year.
On March 23, after the governor announced the “Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Alive” order which called for everyone in non-essential businesses and organizations to stay home through April 13. Schools such as Godfrey-Lee Public Schools promptly temporarily closed. But that temporary closure was extended and schools are awaiting expected direction to stay closed for the remainder of the current school year.
“We are working diligently to come up with a plan to meet the needs of our kids,” Gov. Whitmer said in a public statement late last week. “Anyone who is watching what is happening globally with this pandemic knows it’s probably very unlikely they’re going to get back in school before the end of this year.”
The governor said the state is working on a plan for the cancelation of the remainder of the school year.
“It’s not something you develop overnight because we’ve got an inequitable system across the state of Michigan,” Gov. Whitmer said.
Whitmer’s orders apply to all public, private and boarding school buildings in Michigan.
Local school districts, however, are staying active and engaged with their students and their communities. Godfrey-Lee schools, for example, are encouraging remote learning and making food service for students available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with meals expected to be served throughout the duration of the closure, according to an earlier statement from the school district.
At this point, according the earlier statement, a waiver has been granted by the federal government to cancel state assessments for the 2019-20 school year. But final resolution of the issues of graduation and end-of-year events such as proms are unknown.
All district personnel with the exception of food service and limited maintenance and grounds staff are working remotely for the duration of the closure.
With the March 30 meeting, the Godfrey-Lee Board of Education began hosting Board Meetings remotely but live-streamed and accessible to the community.
The Muskegon Museum of Art may be closed to visitors due to the COVID-19 restrictions, but it doesn’t mean lovers of art can’t have some fun with art projects sponsored by the museum.
For adults — or tech-savvy children — with a love of cell-phone selfies, the museum is offering the MMA Selfie Challenge. For children — or children-at-heart — with crayons (or whatever is used these days) in hand, the museum is offering “Color our Collection” coloring book pages.
“Calling all selfie snappers! The MMA is hosting a “Selfies of the Best Kind” challenge,” the museum states in supplied material. “Every other day in March, we are posting a work of art from our collection on Facebook that we encourage you to replicate at home with a selfie.”
The remaining Selfie Challenge Dates are March 25, 27, 29 and 31.
Also, the museum is offering Color our Collection coloring book pages available for download and printing. In all there are seven images from the Muskegon Museum of Art’s permanent collection available, with information about the artist on the second page of the pdf files.
Among the paintings available for coloring are John Steuart Curry “Tornado Over Kansas”, Edward Hopper’s “New York Restaurant”, Dale Nichols’s “Footsteps in the Snow”, Roger Brown’s “Painter of a Birds Eye View”, Jacob Lawrence’s “The Builders: The Family”, Hughie Lee-Smith,’s “Apres-Midi” and Severin Roesen’s “Tabletop Still Life”
For more information and its many activities during and after the COVID-19 restrictions, visit muskegonartmuseum.org.
