Tri-unity Christian beat Kalamazoo Phoenix 73-37 Thursday to win a Division 4 regional title. Jordan VanKlompenberg led with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals. The Defenders advance to the state quarterfinals vs. St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 at Portage Northern.
The Tri-unity Christian boys basketball team checked off the first box in its quest for a fourth-straight state championship appearance on Friday night by capturing its fifth-straight Division 4 district title against Alliance League foe and host Zion Christian.
The Defenders used a suffocating defense and overbearing offense in a 78-40 win over the Mountaineers.
Tri-unity used a 15-5 first quarter to set the pace for the remainder of the contest.
“I’m so happy about our defense,” said Coach Mark Keeler, who’s won the state championship five times with the Defenders.”
“Zion has improved so much over the years; if we didn’t show up and play hard, it could have been a different story.”
Jordan VanKlompenberg led with 20 points, while Akais Giplaye and Trey Rillema combined for 19 rebounds. (Photo from a previous game courtesy, Becky Rillema)
The Defenders kept the pressure on Zion as the first half ended with a 36-17 lead for Tri-unity.
“If you hold a team to 17 points in the first half, there are not many games you will not win playing that kind of defense,” Keeler said.
Giplaye and Rillema combined for 19 boards
Tri-unity big men Akais Giplaye and Trey Rillema set the defensive tone under the boards as they collected 19 rebounds as a duo.
Rillema finished the game with four points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots, while Giplaye had eight points and 10 rebounds.
“Akais is so amazing; he plays taller than he is.” Keeler explained. “I watch him go against guys 6-8, and he holds his own. He’s such an awesome young man; I think the world of him.
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“This entire team is special. I love this team and how they act out on the court.”
Zion Christian came out of the half with four quick points as the Defenders struggled to gain footing in the third quarter.
“I think we came in with the wrong attitude in the second half,” Keeler said. “I told them they had to change their focus. If they want to keep playing, you must start playing defense. We struggled throughout the third quarter because of it. Fortunately, in the fourth quarter, we reset ourselves and played great defense.”
Defenders kept Zion to seven in fourth
Tri-unity clamped down defensively, allowing only seven fourth-quarter points.
“They played their hearts out and never stopped hustling; I love that about them,” Keeler said. “We just kept after them. I thought we did a great job.”
VanKlompenberg led with 20 points
Tri-unity senior guard Jordan VanKlompenberg led the Defenders with 20 points and added four assists and six rebounds. Lincoln Eerdmans connected on a team-high three buckets from beyond the arc, ending with 13 points. Owen Rosendall added 14 points and four rebounds.
The Defenders find themselves in familiar territory heading into the regional round.
“I told them we have two more trophies to win, a regional and a state,” Keeler said. “It would be a dream come true.
“Every year is new, and you can’t go on what you did last season. You have to go out with a new group of boys and play the best they can. I enjoy watching them play. I’m proud of my guys, their hard work, and their intensity.”
Tri-unity (19-5) advances to the Regional 29 Semifinals against host Fowler (17-7) on Tuesday, March 5 at 7 p.m.
Joey Mellon (24) had a career night with 19 points, including a tip-in to give the Defenders a late lead. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
By Ty Marzean
WKTV Contributor
Tri-unity and Schoolcraft rekindled their rivalry from a year ago in a game that saw 13 lead changes and ended with a buzzer-beater tip-in by Schoolcraft, securing a 62-61 victory on Tuesday night’s WKTV Truck game.
“We knew it was going to be down to the wire,” said veteran Coach Mark Keeler, whose team moves to 10-3 on the season. “It was last year when we beat them at their place. Nobody got a huge lead. It was quite the game.”
The first quarter ended at 10-apiece as Tri-unity junior guard Keaton Blanker scored seven. Blanker finished the game with 16 points, including four three-pointers, and 10 assists.
“Keaton was amazing; I’d say that was a pretty good game from a point guard,” Keeler said.
Keaton Blanker scored seven of his 16 points in the first quarter. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Defenders up 30-25 at halftime
The first half saw seven lead changes; Tri-unity led 30-25 at the end of 16 minutes.
Schoolcraft controlled the third quarter, outscoring the Defenders 20-10. Eagles senior guard Shane Rykse scored 11 of their third quarter points and ended with a game-high 28 points.
“I was happy we held him to that,” Keeler exclaimed. “He’s unbelievable. He was last year as well.”
Junior forward Tucker Walther added 15 points and two blocks for Schoolcraft.
“We knew those two guys would carry the load, and they did,” Keeler said.
Joey Mellon led Defenders with 19 points
Tri-unity junior big man Joey Mellon had a career night as he tallied 19 points, including a tip-in to give the Defenders a late lead.
“They had us outsized,” Keeler explained. “We were one big man short, Akais (Giplaye) was out with an ankle injury. We knew Joey had to step up, and he did. He’s only a junior, so I’m excited for him.”
Tri-Unity senior leader Jordan VanKlompenberg was held to just nine points as Schoolcraft focused their defense on him.
“They were really keying on Jordan; we thought it would be a lower-scoring game.”
Tri-unity led by one with 10.8 seconds left
The Defenders took a one-point lead with 10.8 seconds left on the clock. Tri-unity had two fouls to give and, in the process, ate up a valuable six seconds.
With 4.4 seconds remaining, the Eagles in-bounded the ball to a double-covered Rykse, who put it up toward the basket, where it was caught and tipped in by senior Jaden VanderWiere as time expired.
“You have to give it to Schoolcraft; they didn’t back down, we didn’t back down, and it was a war to the end,” Keeler said.
The Defenders (10-3 overall) play Lee (7-4) Friday night. The Legends won last year’s game 62-59.
“We need to contain (Marc) Whitfield, he will get his points, but we don’t want him to score layups. We want to make him work for it,” Keeler said.
The Tri-unity Christian Defenders were going for a second straight Division 4 state championship Saturday morning at the Breslin Center at Michigan State University, but they finished just two points short as Munising edged them 39-37.
The game featured plenty of strong defense from both teams, but a late surge proved to be the difference as Munising won its first-ever basketball state title in school history while Tri-unity fell just short of title number six.
“I thought we had a golden opportunity to win the state title, but we came up empty,” said Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler. “We shot ourselves in the foot. I thought that we played some phenomenal defense, but on offense we took a lot of bad shots. Shots that were just rushed and we kept doing it. I thought we also had way more turnovers than we usually have and that doesn’t help.”
Tri-unity committed 15 turnovers for the game, while Munising finished with eight.
The Defenders looked to negate the turnover issue with its work on the boards. They outrebounded Munising 39-17 with 17 of those boards coming on the offensive end of the floor. While the Defenders produced extra shots, a lid seemed to be on the basket for Tri-unity as it connected on 14-of-45 shots for the game, a 31.1 percentage. The Defenders were especially cold from long range as they shot 21.1 percent from three-point range, connecting on 4-of-19 three-point shots for the game.
An early lead
Despite the cold shooting and turnovers, Tri-unity was right in the game from beginning to end. They jumped out to an 8-2 early lead before Munising battled back to take a 9-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Munising built on the lead in the second quarter as it outscored Tri-unity 9-4 to go up 18-12 midway through the second. Both defenses were in control the remainder of the first half with a three-point shot by Tri-unity’s Jordan VanKlompenberg cutting the Munising lead to 18-15 at halftime.
Defense continued to hold serve in the third quarter with points being at a premium. Tri-unity outscored Munising 10-9 in the third quarter and trailed 27-23 heading into the final quarter.
After Munising opened the fourth quarter with a bucket, Tri-unity scored the next five points to go up 30-29. A three-pointer by VanKlompenberg and a layup by Roy Fogg put the Defenders up 30-29 with 3:45 remaining in the game.
Munising, however, regained the lead for good when Cully Trzeciak hit a three-pointer with 2:11 remaining to put his team up 32-30. Seconds later a steal and layup by Trevor Nolan put Munising up 34-30.
After a Tri-unity turnover, Munising added a free throw with 1:07 remaining to go up 35-30. Fogg responded with a pair of free throws for Tri-unity, but a pair of free throws by Munising upped the margin to five with 33 seconds to go. After a steal by Munising, the Mustangs tacked on a pair of free throws with 18 seconds remaining to go up 39-32.
One final push by the Defenders
Tri-unity made one final push in the game’s final seconds. Owen Rosendall connected on three straight free throws with 13 seconds remaining and VanKlompenberg added a bucket with two seconds left, but the Defenders were unable to get a steal in the final two seconds of the game.
“They (Munising) had a great strategy,” Keeler said. “They were not going to allow us to beat them inside. They were letting us take all the threes we wanted and we were not able to knock them down. I’m proud of our kids. They played their hearts out and did their very best. Give credit to Munising, they have a nice team.”
Jordan VanKlompenberg led the Defenders with 15 points. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
VanKlompenberg led Tri-unity with 15 points, while Fogg added 11. Rosendall finished with five points, followed by Akais Giplaye, four and Trey Rillema, two.
Giplaye led Tri-unity with 13 rebounds, including six on the offensive end. Fogg and VanKlompenberg both added seven rebounds, including three offensive boards apiece. Rosendall, Rillema, Keaton Blanker and Wesley Kaman added three rebounds each. Rosendall led Tri-unity with six assists.
“I felt we had a chance to win back-to-back titles and we actually did,” Keeler said. “We just fell two points short.”
With the season ended, the Defenders say goodbye to a trio of seniors, including Dylan Bruinsma, Hanif James and Fogg.
“It’s tough to say goodbye to the seniors,” Keeler said. “We did have a pretty young team this year. We started three juniors and one sophomore so I’m pretty excited about the future. I’m looking forward to next year. I feel we have a lot of potential especially if we work in the summer and get stronger in the offseason.”
Tri-unity finished the season with a 22-7 record, while Munising ended at 27-1.
Jakhary Towns shoots a free throw in a win over Tri-unity Christian Tuesday. Towns led the Wolverines with 17 points, all in the first half. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)
By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
Timely defense and a balanced offense proved key for Godwin Heights as the Wolverines outlasted visiting Tri-unity Christian 76-62 in a non-league game Tuesday.
Godwin Heights came out playing pressure defense from the opening tip. That defensive pressure not only took its toll on the Tri-unity offense, but it led to layups on the other end of the floor enabling the Wolverines to eventually take control of the game.
Junior guard Jace Reid-Anderson was one of the leaders of the defense as he came up with some key steals to go along with applying solid pressure on the Tri-unity guard.
“I’ve been working on my defense a lot more,” Reid-Anderson said. “What we do on the defensive side of the floor helps us get our offense going.”
Along with his efforts on defense, Reid-Anderson contributed on the offensive side of the floor with 10 points, including a breakaway dunk in the final minutes of the game. The Wolverines, who led 66-58 with 3:27 remaining in the game, ended the game with a flurry as they outscored Tri-unity 10-4 to close it out.
Wolverines playing with ‘high intensity’
“I thought our intensity was very high early in the game,” Godwin Heights Coach Tyler Whittemore said. “Our best offense comes off our defense and I thought at times we did a nice job. I thought we also passed the ball well at times and got some high percentage shots.”
The game was a back and forth contest in the early going with Tri-unity leading 13-12 at the end of the first quarter. The Defenders were up 23-21 midway through the second quarter when Godwin went on a run to take the upper hand. The Wolverines strung together eight straight points to go up 29-23 and never surrendered the lead.
Godwin led 36-31 at halftime and upped the lead to 40-31 early in the second half.
‘Difficult to defend’
“I was disappointed with the way we played defense,” Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler said. “They are a very nice team. They are very quick. We tried to prepare for their quickness, but they were just difficult to defend. They also played some good defense against us.”
Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler talks to his team during a time out. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)
Godwin Heights led 54-46 at the end of the third quarter. The two teams traded buckets for most of the final quarter before the Wolverines went on the final run to put the game away in the final minutes.
Four players hit double figures for Godwin
Godwin, which had four players score in double figures, was led on offense by senior guard Jakhary Towns, who finished with 17 points, all in the first half.
“I thought we played with some good intensity on defense,” Towns said. “I also thought we did a nice job of moving the ball on offense. This was a big win for us, especially with us getting back into conference play on Friday.”
Senior Damarie Thompson also turned in a strong game for the Wolverines. Along with a strong defensive effort, Thompson scored 15 points.
“Every win is a big win,” Thompson said. “They were state champs last year so this was a big win for us. I thought we played ok, but we could’ve played a little better on the defensive end.”
Godwin also received 14 points from Marcos Rodriguez, eight from Jamarion Collins, six from Rashaad Dorsey and three apiece from Tre’Vonte Buckley and Jaylen Martin.
“I thought our guys off the bench did a really good job,” Whittemore said. “They brought a lot of energy into the game. They also did a good job of playing defense.”
With the win, Godwin Heights improved to 9-3 overall and 6-1 in the OK Blue conference, a half game in back of Calvin Christian. The Wolverines return to action Friday at Comstock Park and then host NorthPointe Christian next Tuesday.
Tri-unity fell to 9-4 overall and are 2-1 in the Alliance League. The Defenders host Grand River Prep on Friday and then host Ravenna next Tuesday.
Roy Fogg led Tri-Unity with 18 points, while Jordan VanKlompenberg had 16. Akais Giplaye also reached double figures with 12 points, followed by Keaton Blanker, six.
Fogg led Tri-unity in rebounding with 10 boards, while Giplaye added eight.
After a tight 33-32 halftime lead, the Tri-unity boys turned it up a notch in the second half to knock off host Western Michigan Christian 78-50 on Tuesday.
“We really let it fly in the second half,” said Defenders Coach Mark Keeler, whose team improved to 6-1 overall. “We stepped it up in the second half and they kind of cooled down a little on their shooting.
“It was a war in the first half. Western Michigan Christian played a good game against us. They shot the ball, really, really well.”
Jordan VanKlompenberg had 12 points and five assists for the Defenders. (Courtesy, Tri-unity)
Senior Roy Fogg led the Defenders with 15 points, followed by Jordan VanKlompenberg, 12 points and five assists; Akais Giplaye, 12 points and 10 rebounds and Keaton Blanker with 11 points and 6 assists.
Fogg (6-foot-3) is a first-year varsity player who played homeschool basketball last year, according to Keeler.
“His mom Becky graduated from Tri-unity in 1996, our first state championship in basketball,” continued Keeler, who’s coached for 36 years. “He’s a very good player and a nice young man. We’re so happy that he’s here.
“We had a very good returning crew this year. Giplaye (junior) was on varsity last year and played in the state finals. We have such good balance that the scoring leaders vary. Owen Rosendall scored 21 points (7 three-pointers) last week against Fruitport Calvary.”
Last year, the Defenders won the D-4 state championship.
“I think we can make another run at the state championship,” Keeler said. “We obviously want to win the conference (Alliance League) again, but it’s not going to be easy this year with three solid teams; Lee, Potter’s House and West Michigan Aviation.”
WKTV’s 2018-19 high school sports coverage started last week with prep football season opening night action at Godwin Heights High School — the game will be available on-demand at wktvondemand.com — and we will cover all the local football teams in the first six weeks, before we start covering the best game available in October.
This week’s game will be the Thursday, Aug. 30, clash of Ashley at Tri-Unity Christian (8-man football at 5651 Gezon Court Wyoming.) Next up will be Wyoming Lee’s home game against NorthPointe Christian on Friday, Sept. 7.
These and other sports events are cable broadcast either live, immediately after the event and/or in rebroadcast, on Comcast WKTV Channel 25 and on AT&T U-Verse Community 99.
WKTV’s featured football games on the night of the game (Thursday or Friday) at 11 p.m. and Saturday starting at 11 a.m. See WKTVjournal.org/sports weekly for complete feature broadcast schedules.
WKTV’s coverage of high school sports and select community events are also available on-demand within a week of the event at wktvondemand.com.
The complete local high school sports schedule through the end of the month is as follows:
Monday, Aug. 27
Girls Golf
East Kentwood @ Hudsonville
Boys Soccer
East Kentwood @ Hudsonville
Potter’s House @ Godwin Heights
East Grand Rapids @ Wyoming
South Christian @ Wayland
Grand River Prep @ Lake Odessa Lakewood
Boys Tennis
West Catholic @ Kelloggsville
Girls Volleyball
Kelloggsville @ Potter’s House
Tuesday, Aug. 28
Girls Golf
Lowell@ Wyoming
Caledonia @ South Christian
Boys Tennis
Lowell @ Wyoming
Boys Soccer
Kelloggsville @ Calvin Christian
Belding @ Wyoming Lee
Kalamazoo Heritage Christian @ Tri-Unity Christian
West Michigan Aviation @ Muskegon Orchard View
Saugatuck @ Zion Christian
Girls Volleyball
Kalamazoo Heritage Christian @ Tri-Unity Christian
@ South Christian – Quad
West Michigan Lutheran @ Algoma Christian
Wednesday, Aug. 29
Girls Volleyball
Grandville @ East Kentwood
Ottawa Hills @ Wyoming
Kelloggsville @ Tri-Unity Christian/Zion Christian
Boys Soccer
East Kentwood @ Rockford
FH Eastern @ Wyoming
South Christian @ Christian
Boys / Girls Cross Country
Godwin Heights @ Saranac
Wayland @ Wyoming
Kelloggsville @ Wayland
Girls Golf
Wyoming @ Christian
South Christian @ Christian
Boys Tennis
Kelloggsville @ Comstock Park
South Christian @ Holland Christian
Thursday, Aug. 30
Boys / Girls Cross Country
East Kentwood @ Milford
Girls Swimming
Caledonia @ East Kentwood
Boys Soccer
Godwin Heights @ Kelloggsville
Calvin Christian @ Wyoming Lee
Zion Christian @ Ravenna
Boys Football
Unity Christian @ Godwin Heights
Comstock Park @ Wyoming
Ottawa Hills @ Kelloggsville
Montabella @ Wyoming Lee
Benton Harbor vs South Christian @ East Kentwood
Ashley @ Tri-Unity Christian – 8 Man – WKTV Featured Event
WKTV’s coverage of girls’ high school basketball in mid-December, but you can catch live action this week. (WKTV)
By Mike Moll
sports@wktv.org
The girls’ basketball season has started but WKTV featured basketball coverage is a couple weeks off as the first featured contest on our crew’s schedule will be a Tuesday, Dec. 12, contest when the Kelloggsville High School girls host Wyoming’s The Potter’s House.
Currently, each Tuesday game will be broadcast that night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Each Friday game will be aired that night on WKTV 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat Saturday at 11 a.m. The games can also be seen on AT&T U-verse 99.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/
Local high school sports events this week, through the end of the month, are as follows:
Tuesday, Nov. 28
Girls Basketball
Godwin Heights @ Tri-Unity Christian
Saranac @ Grand River Prep
Wellsprings Prep @ Kelloggsville
Grand Rapids Christian @ East Kentwood
South Christian @ Forest Hills Northern
Grand Rapids Union @ Wyoming
Thursday, Nov. 30
Girls Basketball
Grand River Prep @ West Michigan Academy of Environmental Science (WMAES)
The high school football season has moved into playoff mode and so has WKTV’s featured football coverage — this week will be a rematch matchup as Wyoming Godwin Heights (7-2) again travels to Wyoming Kelloggsville (9-0) for an opening-round Division 4 game on Friday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m..
Other local teams in the football playoffs include Grand Rapids South Christian (7-2) hosting Plainwell (7-2), also Friday at 7 p.m., at Byron Center High School. And Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (6-3) will be traveling north to Suttons Bay (6-3) for an 8-Man Division 1 playoff game Saturday, Oct. 28, at 2 p.m.
Currently, WKTV sports events will be broadcast the night of the game on Comcast Channel 25, usually at 11 p.m., and repeated on Saturday at 11 a.m. on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99 in Wyoming & Kentwood.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/
Local high school sports events this week are as follows:
Tuesday, Oct. 24
Girls Volleyball
Wyoming @ Christian
Wyoming Lee @ Algoma Christian
Kelloggsville @ Muskegon Orchard View
Zion Christian @ Grand River Prep
TBD @ Tri-Unity Christian – Rivertown/Crossroads Tri
Boys Soccer
TBD – MHSAA Regionals
Wednesday, Oct. 25
Girls Volleyball
O-K Red Conference Meet @ East Kentwood
Thursday, Oct. 26
Girls Volleyball
South Christian @ FH Eastern
Middleville T-K @ Wyoming – Senior Night
WMAES @ Wyoming Lee – Senior Night
Boys Soccer
TBD – MHSAA Regionals
Friday, Oct, 27
Boys Water Polo
@ East Kentwood – MHSAA Regionals
Football
Wyoming Godwin Heights at Wyoming Kelloggsville (playoffs)
Plainwell at South Christian (at Byron Center High School) (playoffs)
Saturday, Oct. 28
Boys/girls Cross Country
Wyoming @ Allendale – MHSAA Regionals
Wyoming Lee @ Allendale – MHSAA Regionals
Godwin Heights @ Allendale – MHSAA Regionals
Tri-Unity Christian @ Allendale – MHSAA Regionals
TBD – MHSAA Regionals
Boys Water Polo
@ East Kentwood – MHSAA Regionals
8-Man Football
Tri-unity Christian at Suttons Bay (playoff)
Monday, Oct. 30
Girls Volleyball
Wyoming vs TBD @ Christian – MHSAA Districts
Wyoming Lee vs TBD @ South Christian – MHSAA Districts
Godwin Heights vs Kelloggsville @ South Christian – MHSAA Districts
@ East Kentwood – MHSAA Districts
Tuesday, Oct. 31
Halloween
Girls Volleyball
Zion Christian vs Holland Calvary @ Tri-Unity Christian – MHSAA Districts
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.
