What is Thanksgiving Day without football? Just turkey and mashed potatoes.
Again this year, WKTV will offer a day full of high school football coverage focused on teams from the Wyoming and Kentwood communities.
WKTV’s Channel 25 will run its 16th Annual Turkey Bowl, a 15-hour special starting at 9 a.m. that highlights high school football games from this past season.
Our schedule includes two East Kentwood high games during the team’s 4-5 season and two Wyoming high games, exciting October contests against Rockford and South Christian during the team’s 5-4 season, and the always exciting clash between Wyoming’s Lee and Godwin high schools. The day is capped off with Kelloggsville high capping off an outstanding 8-2 season (5-0 and a conference title in the OK Silver Conference) with its opening round playoff game against Allendale.
Times and teams:
9 a.m. Hudsonville vs. East Kentwood
11:30 a.m. East Grand Rapids vs. Wyoming
1:55 p.m. Wyoming vs. South Christian
4:30 p.m. East Kentwood vs. Rockford
7 p.m. Lee vs. Godwin
9:15p.m. Allendale vs. Kelloggsville
Ya, we know the Lions will be playing on Thursday, but why not blend a little high school action into your football day?
A picture of the suspect of a recent larceny at Kelloggsville High School.
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety is asking for help in identifying a suspect involved in a recent larceny at Kelloggsville High School.
On July 5, officers responded to a report of the larceny at the school, located at 23 Jean St. SW. It is believed the incident took place sometime during the evening hours with the suspect being male and wearing a dark tank top and shorts. The suspect stole numerous hand tools and construction items from the school valued at more than a few thousand dollars.
Surveillance cameras were able to catch the suspect and the vehicle he left in.
Anyone with information about the larceny or the suspect are being asked to contact the Wyoming Department of Public Safety at 616-530-7300 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.
2016 graduation ceremonies kick off tomorrow and run through next week.
It’s May. The weather is finally warm. The flowers are blooming and it’s time for more than 1,500 students to take their final walk down the aisle to receive their high school diplomas.
In the Kentwood and Wyoming areas, there are 11 schools hosting graduation ceremonies within the next two weeks. Here is a rundown of dates and the top students for each school.
Starting out of the graduation ceremonies will be South Christian High, which will graduate 154 students Thursday, May 25. Graduation is set for 7 p.m. at Kentwood Community Church, 2950 Clyde Park Ave. SW. The school has three valedictorians: Joshua Boers, Colin Hartgerink and Nicolas Kuperus. The remaining students in the top ten are: Peyton DeRuiter, Lucy Dykhouse, Cassidy Huizinga, Hannah Koning, A.J. Samdal, Bradley Scholten and Alex VanKooten.
On Friday, May 26, both East Kentwood High School and Godfrey’s Lee High School will be hosting their 2016 graduation ceremonies. Lee High School has around 90 students walking down the aisle at 7 p.m. at Resurrection Life Church, 5100 Ivanrest Ave. SW, Grandville. Making up the 2016 Lee High School top ten are Leonardo Vallejo, Emily Fishman, Selena Knutson, Dino Rodas, Allison Fisher, Giselle Perez, Ivan Diaz, Alonso Lopez-Carrera, Alejandro Vargas and Oliver Lorenzo.
East Kentwood High School’s graduation isat 7 p.m. May 26 at the school’s stadium, 6230 Kalamazoo Ave. SE. The rain date is May 27. Making up the top ten are Andy Ly, Megan Callaghan, Makaela Dalley, Nolan Meister, Sara Anstey, Marilyn Padua, Tran Vo, Hao Nguyen, Venesa Haska, and Matthew Richer.
Tri-Unity High School and Wyoming High School will have graduation ceremonies on Tuesday, May 31.
Wyoming High School will have 265 students graduate at 7 p.m. May 31 at Grand Rapids First Church, 2100 44th St. SW. The top ten are Montana Earegood, Kayla Kornoelje, Stella Achiyan, Naomi Nguyen, Nhu Quynh, Christopher Hanson, Jada Haines, Rachel Bolt, Lazaro Cruz, and Kelly Gonzalez Diaz.
Tri-Unity Christian School will be graduating 17 students at 7 p.m. May 31 at Resurrection Life Church, 5100 Ivanrest Ave. SW, Grandville. The top two students for the class are Lisa McKelvey and Alissa VanderVeen.
Godwin High School has 126 students graduating on Wednesday, June 1. Graduation ceremonies are at 7 p.m. in the school’s auditorium, 50 35th St. SW. The valedictorian is Esteban Romero Herrera. The salutatorian is Taylor Jarrett. The rest of the top top are Ashley Soto, Sandra Rivera, Chloe Fritz, Amel Causevic, China Nguyen, Karen Barrose, Hector Zoleta and Alex Mosley.
Several area schools will be hosting graduation ceremonies on Thursday, June 2.
Kelloggsville High School’s 2016 graduation ceremonies are at 7 p.m. June 2 at Kentwood Community Church, 2950 Clyde Park Ave. SW. The class has 140 students this year. The top ten are: Lan-Phuong Ton, Lucynda Pham, Kim-Ngan Nguyen, April M. Savickas, Shayla Huong Huynh, Ashley Duong, Chantal Lopez, Loc Tran, Michael Truong, and Sang Tran.
The Potters House will be graduating 44 students at 7 p.m. June 2 at Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church, 1800 Plymouth Ave. SE., Grand Rapids. The valedictorian is Ashley VerBeek and the salutatorian is Emily Stout.
West Michigan Aviation Academy has 94 students in its 2016 graduating class. Graduation is at 7 p.m. June 2 at the school, 5363 44th St. SE. Making up the top ten are Abigail Kathleen Austin, Cindy Ngoc Ha, Connor Hendrik Hogan, Jonathan David Ketcham, Jason Thomas Kilgore, Hayley Elizabeth Latham, Jaxyn Bennett Ryks, Emily Ann Seykora, Samantha Rae Stuart, and Joshua Zane Vogeli.
West Michigan Lutheran High School is proud that its eight graduates will graduate with over a 3.0 GPA. The graduation baccalaureate service begins at 7 p.m. at the school, 601 36th St. SW, Wyoming. Valedictorian is Allison Klooster and salutatorian is Joshua Andree.
On Friday, June 3, Grand River Prep High School has 113 graduates for 2016. This year’s graduation is at 6:30 p.m. Calvin College’s Van Noord Arena, 3195 Knight Way SE. Class valedictorian is Christa Fernando. Salutatorians are Ajilan Potter and Megan Lawrence. The rest of the top ten include Victor Rojas Garcia, Samrawit Kahsay, Taitum Male, Julia Lammy, Antony Nguyen, Giselle Uwera, Mckenzie Male, Hai Truong and Kendall Garland.
The Diatribe members, Shawn Michael Moore, G. Foster II and Marcel Fable Price, listen to Kelloggsville High School students present their work.
Words tumble and flow, punctuated by emotion. Fingers snap rhythmically in the classroom as verses come full circle. It is poetry, raw, unnerving and real, and it’s coming from Kelloggsville High School students.
“When you write something down, you’re writing because you want someone to read it and to get those thoughts out there,” said Daniel Delosh, who won fourth place in the school’s recent Poetry Slam for a piece about his mother. “I plan to keep writing poetry. It’s a very therapeutic thing to do. You can write your thoughts down without opposition.”
Inspired by a group of unlikely mentors, students are digging deep into their personal histories, backgrounds and identities and emerging as wordsmiths. Indeed, the poetry in English teacher Jennifer Sadler’s class has stepped way outside the box of standard iambic pentameter, couplets and ballads. Students are developing their own styles to tell of relationships, hardships and life’s many challenges.
Perhaps mo st astounding, said Sadler, is that the students present and listen to each other, unabashed and supportive.
“It makes my kids feel like they’re not alone,” Sadler said. “As a result they have more respect for each other. It makes them more empathetic, and it creates more of a family feeling overall.”
Spoken-Word Poets Share Their Craft
Members of The Diatribe, a spoken-word poetry group, have transformed Sadler’s poetry unit from teacher-led and traditional into hipster cool. The professional poets said stringing together words into creative expression is their calling and a way to make a difference in young peoples’ lives.
The Grand Rapids-based group, including G. Foster II, Marcel Fable Price, Rachel Gleason and Shawn Michael Moore, spends evenings weaving words during spoken-word nights at Stella’s Lounge downtown and Hookah Lounge in Eastown. But they also have spent many full school days volunteering in Sadler’s class and at 54th Street Academy, the district’s alternative high school.
Marcel Fable Price addresses his younger brother in a poem about abuse.
The partnership culminated in the Poetry Slam, when 36 students braved their way onstage to read their work in front of professional judges and 300 students.
“Mind blown,” was The Diatribe poet Shawn Michael Moore’s response to students’ work. “These kids are exponentially past where I was at this age.”
The Diatribe formed two years to create an ArtPrize exhibit. Mainstays in the local poetry scene, members have diverse backgrounds and styles, and their work ranges from lyrical to rap-influenced, with internal rhyme and free flow. Their poems tell of personal experiences: being bullied, coming out as gay in a conservative town, abuse. They’ve learned that everywhere they go, someone can relate.
“The beauty of it is that we are diverse, and there’s someone out of our collective that will connect with each student,” G Foster II said.
Rachel Gleason said helping students feel comfortable being themselves motivates her.
“These children are going to be the future of poetry and obviously the future in general,” Gleason said. “If you feel like you had any part in them learning to open up, that’s the most important thing to me.”
Relating to Each Other
Sadler said when even the most quiet of her students hear The Diatribe and then other classmates, they become more willing to share. Much of that has to do with the bond the group has created.
Shawn Michael Moore recites his poem about a fourth-grade bully.
“The Diatribe come in dressed like the students, talking like them, but showing how to articulate your words and showing how to present yourself in an educated way,” Sadler said.
She is working to find funding sources to pay for an after-school writing workshop with The Diatribe next school year. So far, they have never been paid for their time with the students.
The poets hope to increase their involvement in other schools as well, and are seeking support from non-profits or other sources.
Student Alexandrea Groters, who won third place in the Poetry Slam, said working with the poets has impacted her life.
“It was nice because it felt like stuff was getting off my shoulders and I was telling my mom more things. That felt good,” Alexandrea said. “They showed that even adults go through tough times, and even though you do, you have to get back up.”
So it’s fitting that the Kelloggsville High School senior is one of 100 high-school students selected nationwide to attend the 2015 Disney Dreamers Academy at Walt Disney World Resort March 5-8.
Hasani will join other aspiring students at the conference, offered in partnership with comic Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine. The weekend includes educational sessions, guest speakers, and hands-on learning opportunities, with the focus on teaching high school students how to dream big and discover possibilities.
Hasani said he looks forward to getting involved with students from across the country to learn more about effective dreaming and achieving these dreams.
“I want to be able to accomplish anything I set my mind to and I hope the Disney Dreamer Academy can help with that,” he said.
He also has a personal reason for wanting to go to the “Most Magical Place on Earth.”
“My mother has always wanted to take me to Disney World. The opportunity never presented itself until now,” he said. “I can now take her expense free.”
On his application essay, Hasani described how he hopes to become an entrepreneur by starting his own consulting firm or private bank. He also wants to start a mentoring program for underprivileged youth in the Grand Rapids area.
Hasani was recently accepted into Harvard University, and is in the process of choosing between Harvard or Morehouse College, where he has been offered full-ride scholarship. He is also a finalist for Morehouse College’s Stamps Leadership Scholarship. He plans to study a combination of finance, economics, political science or education.
Hasani is extremely involved at Kelloggsville High School and in the Wyoming community.
He is vice president of the National Honor Society, vice president of the Kent Career Technical Center National Technical Honor Society and is a member of the Principal Leadership Team at KCTC. He is president of the City of Wyoming Teen Council, a model and contributor for the peer-to-peer education program Pure Passion for Fashion, a mentor for D.A. Blodgett’s Big Brother Big Sister program and Hasani is vice president of the National Honor Society. He also serves as president of the Kent Career Technical Center National Technical Honor Society and is a member of the Principal Leadership Team at KCTC. He is president of the City of Wyoming Teen Council, a model and contributor for the peer-to-peer education program Pure Passion for Fashion, a mentor for D.A. Blodgett’s Big Brother Big Sister program and Co-Program Director of the Youth Leadership Academy at Gerald R. Ford Academic Center. Hasani also executive produced the fundraiser “Hasani Helping Haiti” and last summer attended American Legion Boys Nation.
