Potter’s House senior Isabelle Baez moves with the ball as Wyoming sophomore Menelia McGee defends. (WKTV)
In a finish that is frequently seen in the movies, Wyoming senior Aaliyah Ratliff hit a three-pointer in the last 18 seconds of overtime to give the Wolves a 54-51 win over host Potter’s House Christian in the championship of the ‘Battle of Wyoming.’
“It was back and forth, but we never gave up,” said Wyoming Coach Jesse Vasquez. “We didn’t play our best basketball, but the girls never gave up. We fought defensively. We fought on the glass. Aaliyah Ratliff didn’t have her best game, but she came up when it mattered.
“It was just the fight in the girls. We were down 10 with like five to go and they never gave up. They kept going and this is just who we are. You’re going to knock us down and we are going to keep getting back up and keep going after you. I am very, very proud of this team.”
A nail-biter to the end
It was a slow start to the championship game with the Potter’s House Pumas getting on the board at the 5:26 mark. With 2:45 left in the first quarter, Wyoming followed with a bucket. The first quarter ended 5-3 in favor of the Wolves.
From start to finish, The ‘Battle of Wyoming’ championship was an intense game with two local rivals. (WKTV)
In the second quarter, Wyoming turned on the heat, but Potter’s House matched suit and took the edge 18-16.
In the third, it was Potter’s House junior Anyieth Nhial that kept the Pumas on the winning edge with a 35-28 lead.
But Wyoming was not going down without a fight and when the dust settled at the end of the fourth, it was tied 46-46 with fans on both sides going wild and the teams heading into overtime.
Turnovers, fouls and finally Ratliff making the three-pointer would secure Wyoming’s win.
Shooting from the free thrown line. (WKTV)Potter’s House sophomore Anyieth Nhial makes her move with the ball. (WKTV)
Just a great game
“Man, what a fun atmosphere,” said Potter’s House Coach Jake Hoogstrate. “When we dreamed of this tournament 10 months ago, we never thought it would end like this: A great game.
“Both teams had a lot of chances to win and they made a shot and we didn’t get ours to fall. Props to them. Props to (Ratliff) for knocking them down. (Potter’s House) did everything they could to try and take her out of the game and she made the biggest shot of the game.”
Hoogstrate gave credit to the team’s two seniors, Isabelle Baez, whose calmness helped to stabilize the team and keep them focused, and Joy McClendon, who made several rebounds during the game.
“After that, it was a team effort,” he said. “A steal here, a steal there. A rebound here.”
For Wyoming, Vasquez said it was junior La’Anna Griffin and sophomore Shakya Anderson that kept the team going along with the bench, who were “phenomenal. When things weren’t going our way, they kept positive.”
It was all about Wyoming
Potter’s House Athletic Director Kara Haskill said the reason the school decided to host the event was because their girls basketball team’s schedule was bumped up from 20 games to 22 for the 2022-23 season.
Wyoming sophomore Aaliyah Ratliff with the ‘Battle of Wyoming’ trophy. (WKTV)
“We thought that a fun way to add in those two games was to have a holiday tournament,” Haskill said. “We wanted to include the teams in our area because they are teams we normally don’t play.”
Potter’s House is in the Alliance League. Godwin Heights and Kelloggsville, which are both in the OK Silver Conference, and Wyoming, the OK Green, signed up to participate.
Teams played an elimination round on Wednesday. From there, Wyoming and Potter’s House advanced to Thursday’s final.
“I never thought a team like Wyoming would come to play here,” Hoogstrate said. “It was a great atmosphere tonight. A big shout out to Kelloggsville, Godwin and Wyoming for helping to make this happen.”
“For me, it has been a lot of fun to be able to play against some of our local teams,” Vasquez said, adding, the turnout was “awesome.”
Honors and other scores
In the varsity consolation game, Godwin defeated Kelloggsville 55-28. The tournament all-star team was Godwin senior KaShari Babb, Kelloggsville sophomore Zariah Hatchet, Potter’s House senior Isabelle Baez and Wyoming junior La’Anna Griffin. Tournament MVP was Wyoming sophomore Shakya Anderson.
The tournament all-star team was (from left) Kelloggsville sophomore Zariah Hatchet, Potter House’s senior Isabelle Baez, Wyoming junior La’Anna Griffin, and tournament MVP was Wyoming’s sophomore Shakya Anderson. (WKTV)
The tournament also hosted a JV round that included JV teams from Wyoming, Potter’s House, Godwin Heights and Ottawa Hills, which substituted for Kelloggsville as the school did not have a JV girls basketball team. The winner of the JV tournament was Wyoming, which beat Ottawa Hills 59-29.
According to those at the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, students have until March 1 to apply for scholarships available through its organization. (Courtesy, Grand Rapids Community Foundation)
If you are a high school graduate interested in pursuing welding as a career, there is a scholarship for that. Perhaps you are interested in nursing or education or maybe you are interested in a post-graduate degree in business or law. There are scholarships for that.
The Grand Rapids Community Foundation is currently accepting applications for more than $1 million in scholarships to support students pursuing post-secondary education and training. By completing one application, students will be considered for hundreds of scholarship opportunities from more than 80 scholarship funds. Students pursuing bachelor and graduate degrees or technical training certificates are eligible to apply.
Some of the scholarships are specific to studies, high schools or colleges. For example, the Pullen/Lambers Memorial Scholarship is available to graduating seniors from Wyoming High School who attend a credited U.S. college/university with a preference given to education or entrepreneurial studies.
If you are senior or graduate from Godfrey Lee, Godwin Heights, Wyoming, Kelloggsville, Kentwood, Grandville or Grand Rapids, you could apply for the Hackett Family Scholarship. Students at Grand Rapids University Prep Academy can apply for the Founders’ Scholarship and South Christian students planing to major in healthcare, education or business may apply for the Roger and Jacquelyn Vander Laan Family Scholarship.
There is also scholarships like the Llewellyn L. Cayvan String Instrument Scholarship for undergraduate or graduate students studying violin, viola, violoncello, or the bass viol. There is not financial or residency requirements.
Grand Rapids Community Foundation noted in a press release that it is committed to providing opportunities for first generation students with financial need to further their education. Scholarships are available for students with a wide variety of backgrounds, GPA’s and levels of education from public and private institutions. Last year, the Community Foundation awarded $1.45 million in scholarships to 630 students.
Contributions from community members make the scholarship funds possible. Many donors have chosen to set up a fund to honor a family member or to provide opportunities for students to attend college or pursue a specific profession. Award decisions are made by more than 100 volunteer community members with applicable experience who serve on scholarship advisory committees.
The general scholarship application for the 2023-2024 academic year opened Dec. 1 and will remain open until March 1, 2023. Interested students can find more information and apply at GRFoundation.org/Scholarships.
The fall 2022 Alpha Wolf recipients. From left, sophomore Berlinda Pablo-Pablo, junior Gage Behrenbrinker, freshman Zander Creamer, junior Dominik (Buster) Cross, sophomore Tarren Calvert, senior Bryce Bosovich, and freshman Omar Resendiz-Parra. Not pictured is Jesus Valadez Cano. (Courtesy, John Doyle)
Along with the addition of the freshman and sophomore classes, the school welcomed 170 students from other schools, of which 47 students were from different countries, and 28 new staff members.
To represent the high school body, 1,300 paper chains were strung together across the gym’s ceiling.
“Every paper chain represents you. It represents our staff,” said teacher John Doyle, who helps to organize the Alpha Wolf program. “There are over 1,300 chains and they are all connected because that is what we are about.”
A11 Moment Ahead
Guess speaker Mark Kuiper, from the Wyoming High School staff, focused on the second part of the Alpha Wolf theme, “What is your A11 Moment Ahead?”
“An Alpha Wolf Moment Ahead is when you chose not to judge someone based on the color of their skin or that they talk different than you and they may share a different view of the world.” Kuiper said. “Instead you get to know them, know their story…An AW Moment Ahead of kindness, compassion, and graciousness usually appear in the usual, in the mundane, ordinary day-to-day, hour-by-hour routine of our lives. We need to look past our own face. We need to look up.
“Because the moment you look up, you begin to see the signs and when you decide to chose kindness over indifference, when you decide to chose compassion over apathy, when you chose grace over holding a grudge…you are seeing AW 11 Moments ahead become a lifetime and it will change a life.”
Zander Creamer walks up to receive his award. (WKTV)Zander Creamer is congratulated by his family. (WKTV)
Freshmen
Zander Creamer
According to many, the best word that encompasses freshman Zander Creamer is leader.
“This young man is getting it done at Wyoming High School,” according to staff. “Whether in the classroom, in the hallway, in the cafeteria or participating in extra-curricular activities he radiates Alpha Wolf 11 to all who cross his path.”
It did not take long for Creamer to settle in at the high school and as he did, he helped others make the transition to their new chapter in life.
“He is really a sweet kid who constantly has a smile on his face to try and to make people feel welcome and to lift them up when they are feeling down,” students and staff said.
No matter the setting, Creamer makes the effort to get to know the people around him and let them know they feel valued and appreciated through his contagious smile and kind words.
He figures out math problems on his own time. He enjoys robotics, riding his bike, and eating Mexican food as well as spicy, sweet and sour. He has a love for soccer and enjoys watching the Olympics, especially baseball.
Freshman Omar Resendiz-Parra sits in the audience. (WKTV)Omar Resendiz-Parra accepts his award with his family. (WKTV)
Omar Resendiz-Parra
From that description, it did not take long for students to recognize that freshman Omar Resendiz-Parra was the next Alpha Wolf.
“I have never heard him say an unkind word or be remotely critical about anyone,” said one of his teachers. “He has never said anything out of frustration or irritation. In fact, he has challenged himself to be a better version of a kind and gracious person that he already is.”
During parent teacher conferences, Resendiz-Parra helped his father understand by translating everything. He does everything with a kind heart, according to another staff member, and he is willing to help anyone on a daily basis.
Students and staff all agreed that Resendiz-Parra leads by example.
Sophomores
Tarren Calvert
Sophomore Tarren Calvert shakes hands with family members. (WKTV)
Unusually the first thing sophomore Tarren Calvert will ask someone when he sees them is how his/her day is going.
Calvert simply does good deeds whether anyone is looking or not and people are looking. They have noticed how he goes out of his way to help others, especially helping classmates with homework and other tasks.
“It does not take long for everyone who meets this Alpha Wolf to feel the positive energy he gives with everyone he meets,” according to students and staff, adding that this junior varsity basketball star is positive, respectful and selfless.
Sophomore Berlinda Pablo-Pablo walks up to accept her award. (WKTV)Berlinda Pablo-Pablo stands with her family for a photo. (WKTV)
Berlinda Pablo-Pablo
All it took was the statement “She is a flute player and participates in the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Mosaic Scholarship program” for many to quickly guess that sophomore Berlinda Pablo-Pablo was the next sophomore Alpha Wolf.
“Those who have interacted with this student have said this Alpha Wolf 11 left them with a lasting impression,” according to staff. “She is hardworking, strives for excellence and is the embodiment of joy.”
According to her peers, Pablo-Pablo is “a great friend with a sweet and tender heart, a kind shoulder with a big smile, constantly friendly, and never rude to anyone, and she is supportive and ready and able to cheer up a person and make them laugh.”
Juniors
Gage Behrenbrinker
Junior Gage Behrenbrinker walks up to accept his award as his family watches. (WKTV)
A member of the variety football and basketball, junior Gage Behrenbrinker is definitely a servant leader.
Just some of the words/sayings staff and students said about Behrenbrinker were:
Very cool
Always happy
Likes helping classmates and is always helping at school
Works to improves everyone they are around
Always a positive attitude
Makes everyone’s day better
Polite
Respectful
Inspiring
A great role model
A great leader
Someone we all look up to
Because of these many attributes, Behrenbrinker, according to many, is the perfect example of an Alpha Wolf.
Junior Dominkik (Buster) Cross is congratulated by family members. (WKTV)Dominik (Buster) Cross poses with his family for a picture. (WKTV)
Domink (Buster) Cross
Always there for his friends and family, junior Dominik (Buster) Cross uses his voice to encourage the absolute best out of everyone.
According to staff, Cross is bold, honest, and optimistic and there is never a day that he does not put his best foot forward.
He leads by example, has a smile that lights up the room, and always shows grace especially in the face of challenges, which is why the students and staff chose him to as an Alpha Wolf.
Senior Bryce Bosovich is congratulated by family members and staff. (WKTV)Bryce Bosovich stands with his family. (WKTV)
Seniors
Bryce Bosovich
“I have never had the opportunity to have this scholar in class at the junior or high school, but every time I have had conversations with him it has been super respectful, polite, and mature and sometimes sports related,” said teacher Shawn Veenstra who was one of several Alpha Wolf presenters.
For Bryce Bosovich, it was noted it was difficult to compact all the Alpha Wolf characteristics that he has in a short narrative, but the presenters were certainly willing to try.
Comments from students included:
“He is my best friend and has always helped me when I am going through something.”
“He never fails to put a smile on my face.”
“He is always super nice to everyone in class and is always kind to people he sees. He has just an awesome personality and if I say so myself this guy has a bright future on his shoulders as well.”
According to staff, Bosovich’s laugh is instantly familiar. He is thoughtful, respectful, selfless, and always positive.
Jesus Valadez Cano
Jesus Valadez Cano moved to the United States from Mexico a few years ago and in that short time has established himself as a person of integrity, humility and someone who cares about others and their successes.
“When others in class may not understand something or have different ideas Jesus (Valadez Cano) is considerate and works with them in a positive way,” according to staff. “There is no pretense and no arrogance from this student. He simply lifts others up. He has only one mode: positive.”
Known for working with Spanish students to make sure they understand their school, about every student in the school loves working with Valadez Cano because he is such a great listener, values the opinions of others and openly shares his own ideas.
By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma WKTV Managing Editor joanne@wktv.org
Kentwood’s Challenger Elementary School (Courtesy, Kentwood Public Schools)
Kentwood’s Challenger Elementary School was one out of five schools in the state of Michigan to receive the 2022 Building the Hope Schools award from the Education Trust-Midwest.
Challenger received the award for consistently demonstrating exceptional progress for traditionally underserved students.
Schools receiving this award are in the top 25 percent for academic proficiency or above average student growth, according to analyses by researchers from the nonpartisan Education Trust-Midwest. The Education Trust-Midwest is a data-driven education policy, research and advocacy organization, works for the high academic achievement of all Michigan students in pre-kindergarten through college.
To determine recipients of this award, researchers from The Education Trust-Midwest examined data for the 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19 school years. Analysts and team members also visiting schools and conducted interviews to get a firsthand look of schools’ learning environments as part of the process to select the award winners. Challenger impressed the team by showing excellence in, not just one, but in three areas that included excellence in learning for students of color, English Learners, and students who come from low income backgrounds.
“I want to recognize our students and their efforts in helping our school receive this honor,” said Challenger Principal Teressa Gatza in a letter to families. “We set high expectations for each of our students in many areas, and year after year, our students strive to meet those expectations.”
Gatza also thanks parents and families for their support and Challenger’s staff for their hard work, dedication and genuine care for the students.
LANSING – Michigan will offer a $10,000 annual fellowship to 2,500 students as an incentive to teach in the state.
Michigan will offer a $10,000 annual fellowship to 2,500 students as an incentive to teach in the state. (pxhere.com)
The awards, included in the state’s budget that began Oct. 1, are for college students on track to become educators and will be given to students once they are admitted into the college of education at their university.
Some universities have a two-year program, while other programs run three years, beyond prerequisites. Students who participate are required to teach in the state for two years for every year that they receive the fellowship. They cannot receive more than $30,000 in total.
Another incentive to address the state’s teacher shortfall in the 2023 budget is a $9,600 stipend for every semester a student teaches.Previously, student teachers were unpaid, although they are required to carry out some of the same classroom responsibilities as teachers.
Student teachers can apply for this stipend each semester that they teach. At Michigan State University, students are required to student teach for one year, but at other institutions students are only required for one semester, said Gail Richmond, the director of the teacher preparation program at MSU.
Nearly three-quarters of the state’s schools are short of teachers, according to a survey by the Michigan Education Association (MEA), the largest union representing teachers and other school staff.
Among the reasons for the shortage is that the joy of education has been taken away, said Paula Herbart, the president of the union. But the pay is a big reason.
Nearly three-quarters of the state’s schools are short of teachers, according to a survey by the Michigan Education Association (MEA). (pxhere.com)
“The lack of financial stability as an educator has caused the educator shortage,” Herbart said. “Three out of four educators will tell their children not to go into teaching, and that’s a real problem. We’re telling kids not to go into education because they can’t make a living at it, and because of the things that impact your ability to provide for your family.”
For minority students, it can be even harder, said Doug Pratt, the MEA’s director of public affairs.
“We know from student loan data entry, as well as practice, that there’s this double jeopardy of having to pay to be a student teacher and not getting paid which is especially hard for minority aspiring educators,” he said.
All student teachers should be compensated just like in any other apprenticeship program, but people might see it take away the barrier that exists, especially for minority students, he said.
The Michigan Department of Education reports that in 2017, Black teachers made up 5.9% of the state’s teachers. Hispanic or Latino teachers accounted for 1.2 and Asian-Americans made up only 0.2%. About 91% of teachers were white.
“I know most of my (classmates) that are doing the teacher preparation program have dropped out of it,” said Trinity Belcher, a fifth-year student in the MSU College of Education . “They don’t want to do their 5th year because the cost of it.”
Students in the college of education at MSU are required to pay for their internship as a student teacher, which can be a financial burden, Belcher said.
Belcher will finish the program and become a teacher because she says it would be better to have the experience of teaching for a year with a mentor before she starts teaching by herself.
Another incentive is the $175 million Grow-Your-Own program which assists school employees who already work with children, like bus drivers, crossing guards and lunch aides to get their degree to become educators.
Richmond said, “Teachers often feel isolated and unsupported, so I think the things that have to be combined with some kind of financial system is support from the time they step into the classroom, across their entire careers.”
Janelle James is a senior at Michigan State University. She is pursing a double major in journalism and political science with a minor in Spanish. Janelle aspires to one day secure a position as an investigative journalist, White House correspondent or politician.
At age 9, East Kentwood golf standout Elise Fennell figured out she was talented.
“I was playing Jr. PGA with boys four years older than me and beating them,” said Fennell, a junior at EK and All-State golfer two years straight.
As a freshman, Fennell finished tied for fourth place at the Division 1 state finals with a score of 74, followed by a seventh-place finish last year with a two-round score of 148 (74-74).
Her determination shined through early on as well.
“My first few words as a baby were ‘no help,’ when I was around 6 months old,” said Fennell, whose favorite food is chicken quesadillas. “I also would always play different sports with my neighbors and would always try my absolute best to beat them.”
Watching golf with dad as a youngster
Fennell said her interest grew while watching golf on TV with her dad, Josh.
“I wanted to try it, so my dad bought me a three-club set,” explained Fennell, whose favorite movie is Shrek. “I was 6 when he bought the set and I got hooked a few months after that. I would hit, and if I didn’t pass my dad’s shot I would pick up and go to his ball.
“I learned how to swing the club just by watching on TV for the most part. I watched and learned from Tiger (Woods) the most.”
Her best golf accomplishment?
Winning the GAM (Golf Association of Michigan) 15 and Under Stroke Play in 2019.
EK golf standout Elise Fennell. (Courtesy, Josh Fennell)
“It was my first GAM win and my first big tournament win.”
EK Coach Mike Ketelaar said though her demeanor is “extremely calm, relaxed and sort of laissez-faire, Elise is the fiercest and most prepared competitor I have ever coached.
“She is truly a complete player,” continued Ketelaar, who’s coached the EK boys and girls golf teams for five years. “This season, she shot 69 twice and 70 twice, and in my opinion, she did not play her “A-game” on those occasions. I am excited to watch her continue striving towards her full potential.”
Her state finals expectations?
“To put up two very solid rounds at the state finals,” Fennell said. “Ideally, I would like to shoot somewhere around 69 or 70 for both rounds and see what happens.
East Kentwood golfer Elise Fennell was OK Red All Conference for a third-straight year. (Courtesy, Mike Ketelaar)
“I think I am very capable of winning this year, but I know there are some amazing players that’ll be there as well.”
Ketelaar said she is no different from most elite players.
“She wants to compete at the highest level, perform her best, and win the state finals as an individual.”
This year’s MHSAA State Finals are Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14 and 15 at the Bedford Valley Golf Course in Battle Creek.
Fennell, who has a GPA of 3.99, would like to play college golf and major in engineering, but is undecided where.
Fennell was OK Red All Conference for a third-straight year, and teammate Camryn Kolzow was honorable mention.
“Elise is undoubtedly the leader of EK’s team,” Ketelaar said. “Elise would probably not refer to herself as a leader, nor desire the role, as most elite high school athletes typically do. Elise leads by her example.
“Players on the team are very aware Elise is one of the best players in Michigan, and they pay attention to Elise and her game.”
The Kentwood Public Schools recently received two awards recognizing its commitment to its community.
Heart of West Michigan United Way 2021-2022 Top Campaign trophy. (Courtesy, Kentwood Public Schools)
In September, the district was presented with the Heart of West Michigan United Way 2021-2022 Top Campaign trophy. According to Superintendent Kevin Polston, the impact the staff has made in the community this past year through the district’s campaign was significant.
“You (KPS) have gone the extra mile to advocate for our mission and for those struggling in our community,” according to The United Way. “On behalf of the United Way team, we are incredibly grateful for all support and efforts to create a thriving community for all.
“Thank you for being someone our community can count on!”
Challenger Elementary was the recipient of the MI Heart Safe School award. Challenger was recognized for its efforts to help prevent sudden cardiac death by creating a safer learning environment for students and staff.
Polston noted that with help from its partnerships with Spectrum Health, the students and staff demonstrated knowledge of our cardiac emergency response plan, ability to identify symptoms of cardiac arrest, CPR, and the use of defibrillators.
The award is given on behalf of the Michigan Department too Health and Human Services, Michigan Department of Education, American Heart Association, Michigan High School Athletic Association, and Michigan Alliance for Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death of the Young.
East Kentwood High School art teacher Olivia Miller works with students in class. (Courtesy, Kentwood Public Schols)
East Kentwood High School art teacher, Olivia Miller, is a lifelong learner and self-described explorer. She has a passion to experience other parts of the world, other cultures, and that passion spills over into her classroom. It is also taking her places.
Recently, Miller was named a 2023 National Education Association (NEA) Global Learning Fellow. She is the only teacher in Michigan to receive this honor. According to the NEA Foundation, Miller will join colleagues from states across the country to immerse themselves in a year-long study that involves online coursework, webinars, readings, and reflections. Eventually, the group will travel to South Africa this summer as part of this experience.
The goal, Miller says, is to return to the classroom, enriched from the learning, to create a global learning experience for her students. This work, she feels, also helps her to connect with her students.
Recently, East Kentwood art teacher Olivia Miller was named a 2023 National Education Association Global Learning Fellow. (Courtesy, Kentwood Public Schools)
“For me, the biggest way that I can learn is experiential, through traveling,” Miller explained. “It’s so different walking into a school in a different country and seeing how things are done there….It’s a different level of experience that I can connect with and then maybe better understand my students who come from different countries.”
This is not the first time Miller has been part of this type of opportunity. Prior to the pandemic, she was accepted as part of the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program. This enabled her to work with teachers from across the nation and to travel to Morocco as part of this learning experience.
Part of Miller’s motivation is rooted in her own heritage. Her mother’s family immigrated to the United States from Ukraine. Growing up in West Michigan, she says she did not see much of her own family’s history and culture represented in the school curriculum. This made her wonder about representation for the students she serves today.
This is Miller’s third year teaching in the Kentwood Public Schools and her tenth year of teaching overall. Kentwood is where she wants to be. “This has been my dream school to come to,” Miller says of East Kentwood High School. “There are so many layers and good things to our EK community and environment. This place is such a cultural hub that many people may not even know about. You can learn about so many different ways of life, different cultures, different people here in Kentwood.”
East Kentwood is definitely glad to have Miller on its team. “Ms. Miller is one of the most culturally sensitive and equity-minded teachers that I’ve had the pleasure to work with,” says EK Assistant Principal Lindsay Kimbrough. “She brings a perspective that goes much deeper than the beautiful art she elicits from her students. She promotes social emotional development, and through her whole-child approach, helps to mold true global citizens.”
East Kentwood art teacher Olivia Miller helps a student on an art project. (Courtesy, Kentwood Public Schools)
Kimbrough adds that the relationships Miller builds with her students are so important. “Her innate ability to build relationships with students is the bridge that leads students to taking academic and artistic risks, reaching heights they may have never dreamed of.”
The trip to South Africa this summer will be a rewarding culminating activity for Miller as part of her role as an NEA Global Fellow; however, there is work to be done between now and then. This work includes a trip next month to Washington, D.C. where she will collaborate with the other NEA Global Fellows from around the nation at a conference in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education.
While Miller is focused on her current students and how the NEA Global Learning Fellowship will positively impact them, she is also looking ahead, and dreaming about possibilities to benefit KPS students and staff in the future.
“I want to someday have funding to take KPS teachers to the countries that our students are primarily from,” Miller explains, “to do a teacher tour. To go into the countries and learn.” She adds, “I think that would really make a big impact. It would close a gap in the relationships between teachers and students because students would be like, ‘Oh my gosh. You cared enough that you went and traveled to where I’m from.”
The band plays in unison as it marks its way through a staccato, ascending theme while their director guides them down a path, all the while envisioning the pinnacle of auto racing: Formula 1.
The piece titled “F-1” may not move as fast as the race cars, but the feel of the music portrays the sense of anticipation when played by the Cross Creek Charter Academy symphonic band, directed by David Steketee.
Check out the Cross Creek symphonic band performing “F-1” by clicking here.
Commissioned by Steketee for the school’s 25th anniversary, the song begins with the entire band building anticipation for the coming percussion breaks. Trumpets and woodwinds then pair for climbing runs, preparing for the song’s melody. It’s a noble and celebratory piece of music that promotes feelings of pride and security – themes held strongly by the school.
David Steketee directs the Cross Creek symphonic band. (Courtesy, Cross Creek Academy/National Heritage Academies)
“It’s the 25th anniversary, so I wanted to do something that’s unique,” Steketee said. “Commissions are done a lot but they’re expensive, so it’s not done often by any one school, so this is our one and only for a while.”
Composer Randall Standridge was hired to write the piece to fit the instrumentation and ability levels of the seventh/eighth grade symphonic band. The band debuted the piece during a performance in May. The $3,000 cost for the composition was quickly covered with a fundraising effort by school supporters.
“I was excited, our whole administration was excited, the Cross Creek family was excited, it was great,” Steketee said.
Band students experienced challenges because of COVID-19, not being able to play as freely due to most instruments requiring breath to make sounds. Steketee said the song provides a lot of room for his students to play together, which helps with their comfort levels.
“Anytime where they’re playing by themselves, the kids don’t like it so much,” he said. “COVID has really brought our ability level down, so when the music is fast and full instrumentation, it’s much better for their confidence.”
Being able to direct students through the song proved to be a joy for Steketee and being part of something that will live on into Cross Creek’s future adds to the director’s sense of pride.
“I just wanted to do something cool and having our name on the masthead of that piece is pretty rad,” he said. “It’ll be there forever.”
Cross Creek Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Byron Center, serving students in Young 5s through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes 98 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12thgrade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
Left to right: AP Coordinator Yara Barbosa, Ebise Tarekegn, Kyle Sanders, Luisa Orozco, and Principal Omar Bakri. (Courtesy, Kentwood Public Schools)
Kentwood Public Schools recently announced that four of our East Kentwood High School students earned honors from College Board’s National Recognition Program, helping them stand out in college admissions. Congrats to the following students: Chisom Okogbue, Ebise Tarekegn, Kyle Sanders, and Luisa Orozco. The students were recognized as national awardees in two of the four recognition categories – the National African-American Recognition Program and National Hispanic Recognition Program.
The students earned this recognition by excelling on AP exams and in the classroom. Students who may be eligible: have a GPA of 3.5 or higher, have excelled on the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 or earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP Exams.
Annually the College Board announces recipients of its National Recognition Programs for achievements in school and on College Board assessments. Students are invited to apply during their sophomore or junior years, and are awarded at the beginning of the following school year.
Michigan school officials are concerned about children going hungry or accumulating lunch debt after Congress recently ended federal funding for free meals for all students.
With the federal pandemic lunch program discontinued, parents must now fill out paperwork for their student to get a free lunch. (pxhere.com)
“Families are still struggling with the economic downturn during the pandemic,” said Thomas Morgan, a communications consultant for the Michigan Education Association (MEA). “It’s not over, and we need to make sure children are taken care of.”
During the pandemic, Congress passed funding to ensure all students got free meals. That ended in August, although children who would have previously qualified for free or reduced lunches will still be able to get them if their parents fill out paperwork.
Parents must fill out paperwork for free lunches
There have been instances where a parent did not fill out the paperwork, meaning a child could not get the food they need or goes into lunch debt, Morgan said.
Parents have to shift from automatically having access to free meals to having to fill out paperwork to ensure their children get what they need.
“Since paperwork was not needed for the past couple of years, some parents weren’t aware they had to fill it out for their children to qualify, ” said Tom Freitas, the director of food and nutrition services for Traverse City Public Schools. “There have been issues with not having paperwork in on time, which affects the amount of pre-ordering for meals.”
Trying to keep costs reasonable
Traverse City Public Schools are trying to make sure all children who need free or reduced lunches are able to get them, he said.
“We’re doing our best to serve all our children. Right now, our superintendent is focused on getting donations,” Freitas said.
“We’d never take away food from a child, but we do have policies in place to make sure we get the payment required. After a child is $10 in school lunch debt, the parents are contacted,” he said.
This could be a problem for parents who thought that their child was getting free meals and are suddenly confronted with lunch debt.
Other issues impacting the lunch line
Funding isn’t the only issue affecting free school lunches this fall. A shortage of administrators means delays in processing time for paperwork.
Morgan said, “There’s a lot of paperwork that goes into providing free breakfast and lunch. The federal waivers made sure every kid had a meal automatically, meaning the paperwork wasn’t necessary and so this burden was removed for administration.”
Others say the shift might not be too troublesome for schools.
“I don’t believe schools will necessarily have any real difficulty going back to the way free lunches were processed a few years ago,” said Jennifer Smith, the director of government relations for the Michigan School Board Association. “The waivers did make it easier for school administration, but it’s not as if the infrastructure wasn’t already in place.”
Schools could take it upon themselves to continue to provide free meals for all students, as several districts across the state do.
Grand Rapids Public Schools free breakfast and lunch program
Grand Rapids Public Schools have been providing free breakfast and lunches for all students for seven years.
“I think this has been extremely beneficial for our students,” said Jennifer Laninga, the nutrition services supervisor at Grand Rapids Public Schools. “All of the stigma with free or reduced lunches is eliminated. Students who would otherwise avoid using these services for fear of being judged are now on an equal footing with other students.”
According to Laninga, schools with over 60% of students using free lunch services can apply for Community Eligibility Provision, federally funded through the Department of Agriculture.
However, schools are not guaranteed funding unless over 80% of their students are a part of the free lunch program. A more universal approach would streamline the process and make sure all students have access to free and healthy lunches, Laninga said.
Working to get federal funding for free school meals
Congress is reviewing the Child Nutrition Reauthorization, said Alex Rossman, the external affairs director at the Michigan League for Public Policy, and there is a possibility that universal access for free lunches could come back.
However, that isn’t likely in an election year, he said. Additional funding would be hard to achieve.
The MEA’s Morgan agreed.
“I don’t believe it’ll go anywhere. It’s not a big priority, even though it should be,” Morgan said.
“It’s incredibly frustrating, especially when you realize that they’re literally taking food away from the kids who need it most.”
Sarah Atwood is a junior at Michigan State University double majoring in Social Relations & Policy and Journalism. She is interested in writing about how politics affects local communities and making information accessible for everyone. In her free time, she likes boxing, yoga, and spending time with friends, family, and her dog.
Members of the Davenport University esports team, from left, Austin Mikkelsen, Coach Colin Graham, Jessie Barger, Benjamin Pringle and Abraham Hernandez. (WKTV)
By D.A. Reed, WKTV Contributing Writer
Esports isn’t just exploding in high schools across the country, it also has found a foothold in many colleges as well.
Short for electronic sports, esports can offer students a sense of belonging, college scholarships, and for some, a new path in life.
Davenport University freshman Abraham Hernandez and League of Legends esports player said video games changed his life.
“Kept me off the streets”
“I didn’t grow up in the best neighborhood,” Hernandez said. “It kept me off the streets.”
On a personal level, Hernandez said playing video games with his friends as a teen was “some of the best memories I’ve ever had in my life. The relationships I’ve built off of it, the memories I have — I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Hernandez also sees the value in long-term benefits of esports.
“I enjoy the competitiveness, the drive, the want to get better, knowing how to get better at something — that skill goes way beyond esports. Esports changed my life for the better and I don’t know where I would be without it.”
Like traditional sports, esports teaches soft skills: teamwork, accountability and communication being just a few. Character building, developing discipline, self-esteem and sportsmanship also are advantages of being on an esports team.
Organized competitions in the video game culture experienced a surge in popularity in the late 2000s, with esports becoming a significant factor in the video game industry by 2010.
Michigan experienced their own surge in esports popularity in 2019 — and has seen it gain considerable traction over the last few years in both public and private educational facilities.
Colin Graham, head coach of esports at Davenport University, told WKTV that the college esports program began in 2019 with an arena in the Student Activity Center.
“We started with eight (game) titles. I was tasked with bringing in 20 students my first year. I had five recruited and signed prior to becoming head coach.”
South Christian High School in Byron Center also is new to the esports scene, beginning in the 2020-2021 school year with nine participants. They are not yet competitive, but are willing to continue the program for grades 9-12.
South Christian High School jumped into the esports scene in the 2020-21 school year. (Courtesy)
“We strive to give kids the most opportunities we can as an athletic department within the scope of our school motto which is equipping students to live Christ-centered lives in order to serve God to their greatest potential,” said David Kool, athletic director at South Christian High School. “The main goal is to give our students another platform to have fun and do what they love to do.”
Participants in esports are considered athletes, the same as in traditional sports.
“We have practices, we have scrimmages, we have film review, we have expectations,” explained Graham, who said the inception of esports at Davenport was well-received by traditional athletes at the college, and that the other athletes seem to understand what the esports community is trying to do and accomplish.
Davenport esports athletes Benjamin Pringle and Austin Mikkelsen both enjoy the competitive aspect of esports.
Back-to-back national championships
“I’m a really competitive person,” said Pringle, Davenport sophomore and part of the Counter Strike: Global Offensive team. That competitive spirit won Pringle two back-to-back national championships, but there also is a more personal reason for Pringle’s dedication to the sport.
Davenport University Esports lab. (WKTV)
“I don’t have my parents’ support and I wanted to get away to support myself. So, I was like, I might as well do what makes me happy.”
Austin Mikkelsen, also a Davenport sophomore esports athlete, said, “I enjoyed the part of winning your lane and just beating somebody. You can see you’re better than somebody at it. It gave me a drive for it.”
Like traditional athletes, esports is not for the faint of heart.
“We are a year-round sport,” Graham said. “We compete from September through April. Summers are where they are offered down-time if they would like to take a break, but some of our teams don’t.”
Graham makes it clear that if participants decide to continue through summer, all of the obligations that come with in-season practices and scrimmages carry over to the summer.
Nationally-ranked
Those expectations have produced results. Last year, Davenport University finished in the top eight teams nationally in the game Call of Duty. Their Rainbow Six team is currently ranked on the fringe of the top 10 national teams, and their Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is currently the best in the nation.
Benjamin Pringle (left) and Jessie Barger in the Davenport University Esports Lab. (WKTV)
And esports offers more than championship rings and prizes.
Graham previously worked at schools where sports were the kids’ way of getting to the next level and out of unfavorable circumstances in life.
“My coaching mantra is: Using the esports platform to offer opportunities to students who wouldn’t have them through traditional sports.”
Jessie Barger, a junior at Davenport University and esports athlete, is one of the students who found his home in esports.
Fitting in, building relationships
“When I was younger, I felt like I didn’t fit in to most traditional sports,” Barger said. “I felt like I was more comfortable playing video games.”
Esports offers a level of social interaction some students may not otherwise achieve.
“It’s their way of having social interaction,” Graham said. “They have friends that they know online that they’ve known for years.”
Graham said Davenport’s Call of Duty team owes its success to the fact that the players have all played the game together since the age of 12.
But that’s not all.
College scholarships?
High school esports participants can take advantage of college scholarships as well.
“All students on our roster, aside from maybe one or two, are scholarshipped,” Graham said. “I am very aware of the cost of attending a university. I also believe that you shouldn’t leave college with a mountain of debt if you don’t have to.”
Kool says scholarship opportunities “definitely gives esports more credibility” in the eyes of students and parents since the concept of esports is still new to many of them.
Graham actively recruits for his esports teams, admitting that he is “old-school” in his recruiting, traveling and speaking at schools and meeting with both teachers and students.
“I think it’s really beneficial to the program to make those connections.”
He also feels it is important that each participant fits the overall personality of the group they will be joining.
“We want to make sure that they feel this is a place they can call home, and they can find their people and they have an experience here that is beneficial to them long term.”
Kool also has seen advantages to esports programs, the main benefit being opportunities it gives students to be successful and have fun.
“Their confidence can grow in themselves as a person, and it gives them a sense of belonging,” Kool explained. “Esports is a great program where kids can experience playing these games in a safe and friendly way while building confidence and morale within a school setting.”
Graham believes esports has definite longevity.
“If you look at the history of video games, there has been interest in it since they hit the market. It really caters to a specific kind of person … so it gives participants an opportunity to find people like them and socialize.”
Proof also is in the continued interest among high school and college students.
“This year, we should be pushing about 70 students across nine different titles,” Graham said. And that includes domestic and international students.
Esports “here to stay”
“I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere,” Graham continued. “I think the games that are competed in may come and go, but esports as a whole, I think, is here to stay.”
“Esports in high school isn’t the future. It’s the present,” claims the website of popular esports platform PlayVS.
D. A. (Deborah) Reed is an award-winning author of young adult novels and a creative writing instructor from the Grand Rapids area. To find out more about D.A. Reed, visit her website: D.A. Reed
Crosswalk at 34th Street and Buchanan Avenue in the Godwin Public Schools district. (Supplied)
Crosswalk at Lee Street and Cleveland Avenue in Godfrey-Lee Public Schools district. (Supplied)
Crosswalk at Mangolia Avenue and Farnham Street in Kelloggsville Public Schools district. (Supplied)
Crosswalk located near the Wyoming High School. (WKTV)
By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma WKTV Managing Editor joanne@wktv.org
Last week the City of Wyoming wrapped up a project designed to help improve public safety while promoting local school pride.
On Jun 7, 2022 the Wyoming City Council awarded a contract to Gallagher Asphalt Corporation for $100,500 to install four art-based crosswalks that were placed in the Kelloggsville, Godwin Heights, Godfrey-Lee and Wyoming Public School districts. The total project was $110,550 which included a 10 percent construction contingency of $10,050.
The project was funded by $90,000 in grants from the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and a $10,000 grant from the General Motors Corporation.
Creating a safer community
“Using art to transform our city into a safer, more desirable community is part of what we do here in Wyoming,” said Major Jack Poll. “We hope this project will be another opportunity to enhance recognition that residents are part of one community, one City of Wyoming, regardless of where they live and which school district they attend.”
In her recommendation of the project, city’s Director of Community Services Rebecca Rynbrandt said “innovative painting of crosswalks is shown to be effective in increasing public awareness of the crosswalk for drivers and encourages increased use by pedestrians with an impact of reducing car and pedestrian accidents.
“This project is designed to increase community awareness of the number of school districts located in the city, increase school district pride, and to enhance resident recognition of being a part of one community, one Wyoming.”
Identifying the locations
The city has seven school districts within its city boundaries. Originally, five school districts, the four mentioned plus Grandville, where selected.
The COVID pandemic delayed the project and then it was delayed again when new estimate exceeded $100,000 and additional funding had to be secured. Grandville was removed from the list as funding came through the CDBG program, which restricts investment to low and moderate income areas of the city.
Wyoming’s Community Services Department staff worked with Public Safety to discuss emergency response needs and identify a location within each school district that would benefit from a new crosswalk. Information also was gathered from the city’s traffic engineers.
The designs were created by staff in consultation with each school district. The design features a white and turquoise stripped pattern with the school’s logo.
The final locations of the sidewalks are:
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools: Lee Street and Cleveland Avenue
Wyoming Public Schools: Near the Wyoming High School on Prairie Parkway between Michael and Burlingame avenues
Godwin Heights Public Schools: 34th Street and Buchanan Avenue
Kelloggsville Public School: Magnolia Avenue and Farnham Street
The Grandville Public Schools location, which is to be 52nd and Wilson Avenue, is scheduled to be constructed in 2023 when additional funds become available. The Grandville school district services most of the city’s panhandle population.
“He’s always wanted to give back to the community,” said Bobbie McLaughlin, brother of the area’s biggest basketball star who set records in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s at Creston High School and Central Michigan University.
Nothing but net
Considered the best high school basketball player in Grand Rapids history, Melvin “Sugar” McLaughlin averaged 33 points a game his junior and senior seasons at Creston High School in the late 1970s and then went on to score more than 2,000 career points at Central Michigan University. He is a member of the Central Michigan Athletics Hall of Fame and in 2005 was inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame.
The camp has been shut down since 2019 because of Covid, and, with “all the crazy things going on for kids in the inner city,” organizers wanted to offer a chance to offer something at no cost.
“Everywhere he goes, the kids are asking about the camp,” said Bobbie, who attended Grand Rapids South High School back in the day. “They’re really thirsty. So we put our heads together and said, ‘Let’s give them a free camp.’ Let’s show them some love.”
Campers practice their skills at the Melvin “Sugar” McLaughlin Basketball All-Star Camp at East Kentwood. (Courtesy)
A fundraising campaign is going on right now to help the McLaughlins raise money to make it happen. The goal through the social media platform Vertical Raise is $10,000. They are more than halfway there, he said, as local businesses such as Brann’s Restaurants have contributed, as well as individuals.
The three-day camp is for boys and girls grades 5-12.
Hours are 8-11:30 a.m. for grades 5-8, and from 1-4 p.m. for grades 9-12 from Aug. 2-4.
“All the area kids, inner city kids, just come out and have a good time… We’re just looking for people to help make this happen,” Bobbie McLaughlin said.
Guest speakers
Along with learning basketball skills with drills and instruction, Bobbie McLaughlin said camp organizers are arranging guest speakers to help educate and motivate the kids to learn more than just basketball.
“(Mel) said we need to show some positive love for the kids. Everything’s been a little crazy, not just in Grand Rapids, but all over. We just said, ‘What can we do to help these kids out?’”
The camp has been a staple of summers in Grand Rapids for about 25 years. It originally took place at Ottawa Hills High School, but moved to East Kentwood in 2018 when attendance swelled to more than 200 campers, said Bobbie McLaughlin, who lives in California but looks forward to returning to see old friends and relatives. (He was a pretty good baseball player back in the day.)
Some notable campers
The camp has produced some notable players over the years, including Kobe Bufkin (Michigan), Marcus Bingham (Michigan State University) and Xavier Tillman (Michigan State, Memphis Grizzlies), just to name a few.
“We know it’s working, we know these kids are learning and having fun,” McLaughlin said.
“We’re so proud of them. A lot of the parents come up to us after the last day of camp and say, ‘Where are you gonna be next week? This is such a good thing for these kids.’”
McLaughlin said he is in the middle of finalizing a gift bag each player will receive during the camp, which includes a T-shirt, wristband, hat and hopefully a book, which was written about his brother’s life.
Check out “Sweet Shot”
“Sweet Shot: The Basketball Life and Legacy of Melvin ‘Sugar’ McLaughlin,” which was released in 2021, looks at the player’s life on and off the court, from his early childhood in Ann Arbor to today.
“Sweet Shot,” a book about local basketball star Melvin “Sugar” McLaughlin, was released in 2021. (Courtesy)
Author Vernon E. Wendt — a theology professor at Concordia University-Chicago, ordained pastor in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and East Grand Rapids native, is expected to be in attendance at the camp, Bobbie McLaughlin said.
“It’s a really cool book,” McLaughlin said. “We want to make an impact.”
In addition, players can compete in contests for trophies, he said. And camp organizers will present sportsmanship and MVP awards.
It’s all about spreading joy, and a message, he said.
“We teach them, sports is like life…you have to learn to play together, to work together, to be a team. Take that home. Spread it. That’s our concept.”
And don’t be surprised to see Sugar put his skills on display.
He still “balls,” his brother said. “He’s always doing something for kids.”
“Come and join us for this very beautiful and positive experience,” Sugar McLaughlin said. “This is something that is true to my heart and very special to me.”
Learn more about the camp by calling 616-222-6126.
John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
Wyoming Potter’s House Christian’s Lezawe Osterink (left) was a state champion in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at last spring’s Division 4 track and field finals, and was a member of the winning 3,200-meter relay with teammates Ian Palacios, Jackson Rodriguez and Logan Swiney. Osterink also won the D-4 boys cross country individual title last fall. The boys team placed third at the track and field finals and 12th in cross country. (Courtesy of MHSAA)
Participation in Michigan High School Athletic Association sports rebounded tremendously during the 2021-22 school year, despite a slight decline in enrollment among the MHSAA’s 750-member high schools.
Big decline during COVID-19
The onset of COVID-19 during the spring of 2020 was followed by a significant decline in participation in sports during 2020-21. However, participation for the most recent school year concluding last spring saw an increase of 6.6 percent from 2020-21 to a total of 260,542 participants across the 28 sports for which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments – even as statewide enrollment fell nearly 1 percent to 440,728 students this past school year.
Girls participation increased 6.8 percent to 109,128 athletes, while boys participation was up 6.5 percent at 151,414. The overall MHSAA participation totals count students once for each sport in which they participate, meaning students who are multiple-sport athletes are counted more than once.
“We’re excited to see participation beginning to rebound, and in a big way in a number of sports,” said Geoff Kimmerly, MHSAA communications director. “Something reaffirmed during the months of COVID-19 shutdowns and delays was the value of sports in our school communities, and we expect those participation numbers to continue to rise as more families feel comfortable and we continue to learn more and more about best practices for living and competing while the coronavirus remains with us.
“Something else to consider is how our participation has begun to bounce back even as enrollment in our member schools has continued to decline slightly. Michigan generally ranks higher in participation nationally than for student-aged population, and while we may not be at our pre-COVID levels yet, we do anticipate our numbers to keep growing during 2022-23.”
The Forest Hills Northern girls tennis team won the Division 2 state championship last spring. (Courtesy of MHSAA)
Track and field, boys skiing lead way
A total of 23 sports saw increases in participation during 2021-22 compared to 2020-21. Ten sports saw double-digit percentage increases, led by boys track & field (27.2 percent to 22,120 participants), girls track and field (22.4 percent to 15,594 participants), and boys skiing (22.4 percent to 1,001 participants).
Wrestling (17.1 percent) and boys bowling (16.2 percent) also saw double-digit increases, along with girls tennis (11.4 tennis), girls bowling (11.2 percent), girls competitive cheer (10.6 percent), boys golf (10.5 percent) and girls lacrosse (10 percent).
Girls boost wrestling numbers
Wrestling’s major boost came in part because of a nearly 300-percent increase in girls participants with 620 taking the mat for the first season of the MHSAA offering a girls championship division at its Individual Wrestling Finals.
Also enjoying increases in participation during 2021-22 from the previous year were girls golf (8.1 percent), girls skiing (7.6 percent), boys basketball (6.4 percent), girls soccer (6.3 percent), boys swimming and diving (6.1 percent), boys lacrosse (5.8 percent), softball (3.6 percent), girls basketball (3.1 percent), baseball (3 percent), boys tennis (2.8 percent), football (2.4 percent), girls volleyball (2 percent) and girls swimming and diving (1.2 percent).
Decreased participation
Five sports saw decreased participation in 2021-22, including boys soccer (0.21 percent with 28 fewer participants), girls cross country (1.4 percent), boys ice hockey (1.2 percent), boys cross country (3.9 percent) and girls gymnastics (4.6 percent).
Football highest participation
Football, with a combined 33,284 participants over the 11- and 8-player formats, remained the most-played sport during the 2021-22 school year. Boys track and field (22,120) and boys basketball (20,017) were next for total participants, followed by girls volleyball (18,798), the most popular girls sport, baseball (16,528) and girls track and field (15,594).
Golf and skiing enjoy high participation
While the majority of sports are still building back to their pre-COVID participation totals, golf and skiing posted some of their highest totals in some time. Boys golf (6,829) had its most participants since 2012-13, and girls golf (3,875) its highest total since 2003-04. The boys skiing total (1,001) was its highest since 2002-03, and the girls skiing total this past season (837) was the highest for that sport since 1998-99.
The participation figures are gathered annually from MHSAA member schools to submit to the National Federation of State High School Associations for compiling of its national participation survey. Results of Michigan surveys from the 2000-01 school year to present may be viewed on the MHSAA Website
The Boucher family welcomes Janne from Germany to West Michigan. (Supplied/iE-USA)
Leaving home for an extended period of time is never easy. Yet a growing number of students from around the world are making West Michigan their home away from home.
More than 100 families across the Greater Grand Rapids area have welcomed an exchange student through International Experience (ie-USA), an organization dedicated to fostering cross-cultural interactions.
From iE-USA coordinator Sarah Boucher’s perspective, the chance to introduce someone from another country to their home can be an eye-opening opportunity. It often nudges people outside of their comfort zone and encourages them to check out their own backyard with a renewed sense of appreciation.
“Seeing the world through another lens and being a ‘hometown tourist’ can be amazing,” Boucher says.
A little bit about the process
Participants, who range between 14 to 18 years of age, take an English proficiency exam before entering the iE-USA program. Once accepted, they travel to the U.S. for five or 10 months.
Although participants undergo the same rigorous application process, they come from highly diverse cultural backgrounds. Countries of origin span Asia, Europe, and South America.
What participants share is a distinct sense of curiosity, adventure, and a desire to try something new. Visiting the U.S. brings the chance to learn about a different way of doing homelife, school, and community.
A year of “firsts”
“What’s amazing is experiencing so many ‘firsts’ with exchange students,” Boucher says. “It’s the first time having a bonfire, eating s’mores, owning clothing that has the logo of the school on it, attending a formal dance at school, going fishing, and so many more!”
Many events create fun selfie opportunities. (Supplied/iE-USA)
Exchange students are not the only ones to encounter “firsts.” Hosts often experience wanderlust and end up traveling themselves.
The Boucher family was no exception. After hosting a student named Arturo in 2017, they visited Arturo’s family in Spain the following year.
Many hosts establish ties with students and their families that last long after the end of formal requirements. During the summer of 2022, the Bouchers invited their former exchange students Janne and Johanna from Germany back for a visit. Their house is now filled with gifts from former students, a favorite being a handcrafted and painted clay globe.
The learning curve
The adjustment for both exchange students and host families involves a learning curve. In many cases, the first night after the student’s arrival at the airport can be filled with nervous energy, according to longtime host Chris Ford.
“Usually, there’s culture shock involved and a lot of jet lag,” Ford says. “Students are so excited to come that they stay up all night.”
Seeing this transition still delights Ford, who has been a host for the last eight years. Her fourteen students traveled from locations ranging from Finland to South Korea.
Mundane aspects of American life can become fodder for selfies and videos on homemade YouTube channels. Streets filled with yellow school buses, trucks, and motorcycles burst with thunderous noise, and local grocery stores look massive.
“Many students shop at markets everyday, and they are floored by the size of Meijer,” Ford says. “There’s a whole aisle dedicated to cereal. That is shocking.”
Experiencing American schools
Participating in school activities is a big part of the exchange year experience. (Supplied/iE-USA)
The educational aspect of the exchange visit brings its own surprises. Completing homework assignments and attending five or six classes instead of a single subject in a school day challenges some European students.
“Our education system is definitely different than the traditional European system,” Ford says. “Americans want to see students succeed. In the European system, there is a lot more pressure on the students, and European kids are expected to be smart, dedicated, and focused.”
Many students use the trip to practice their English skills, often with humorous results. One of Ford’s students mixed up the word “vibe” with “wipes.”
Exploring the Great Lakes state
One of Ford’s favorite parts of being a host comes from visiting the Great Lakes with her students. Beyond the fun evenings spent playing board games and cooking delicious meals, Ford loves sharing a natural beauty that will become a lifelong memory.
“I always take them to see Lake Michigan,” Ford says. “It’s like a large ocean. They see it in geography, but it’s a whole different thing for them to see it and put their feet in it. It’s so fun to see them check out a lighthouse and climb up a dune.”
The process to host an exchange student begins with filling out an online form, completing a background check, and waiting to be matched up. The application process is simple and straightforward, and Ford’s advice to new hosts is to simply dive in and not be afraid to help learn along the way.
“How could you not want them to be here?” Ford says. “It’s life changing.”
About 100 students are currently available through iE-USA. More information can be found at ie-usa.org.
A whole food diet is important for runners as they gear up for the summer running season. (pxhere.com)
Running is back in season! Spring means warmer weather, and warmer weather means more running. Whether preparing for that early morning run, or for a marathon such as the Amway River Run or the Grand Rapids Marathon, proper nutrition is the key to success. YMCA dietitian Nicole Holmes and Dr. Elizabeth Albright of University of Michigan Health offer advice and tips for getting the most out of your sprint.
“Include protein in all meals,” Holmes said is her first recommendation. “Protein is an essential building block for muscles, helping them recover from training.” She goes on to include such foods as meat, eggs, fish, milk, yogurt, cheese, nuts, tofu, seeds and legumes as great sources of protein.
Albright notes that “there isn’t necessarily one specific eating plan” she would recommend for all athletes. In general she encourages following a whole food diet, a plan which includes decreasing the amount of processed foods eaten. Carbohydrates are highly regarded in particular, such as “whole fruit, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain bread, cereal, and pasta.”
Nicole Holmes
“Carbohydrates provide the major source of energy when training,” Holmes agreed. Fruits and vegetables are key as well. “Fruits and vegetables are important components of every training plan because they are packed full of vitamins and minerals essential for proper recovery of trained muscles, prevention of illness, and overall health and wellbeing.”
Fluids, especially water, are also extremely important. Holmes recommends drinking five to 10 ounces of fluids every 15 to 20 minutes. When it comes to healthy, electrolyte-laden energy drinks, such as Gatorade or Powerade, she says the longer the run, the more important they are. Albright recommends these drinks when running for over an hour.
Stretching before runs is an essential practice. Rather than classic “static” stretches that are often practiced in school, such as holding a stretch for a period of time, Albright recommends “dynamic” stretching, or stretching with movement. “Essentially you perform gentle repetitive movements that increase range of motion, provides muscle lengthening, and gets blood flow circulating through the area.” She recommends Runner’s World’s article on the topic: https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a32616143/standing-prerun-stretches/
Dr. Elizabeth Albright
In the end, everyone needs to find their own pace and rhythm when it comes to exercise. Holmes notes that “it may take multiple training runs to figure out what nutrition combination works best.” Similarly, Albright explains that there isn’t really a best time of day for running, whether training or in a marathon: “The most important thing is to plan for what you are likely to stick to.”
Perhaps most important, Albright concludes, is to HAVE FUN! “You are running a marathon, something 99% of the world will never do. Congratulate yourself, be proud of yourself, and enjoy it!”
A memory board in the middle school’s orchestra room celebrates the contributions and impact former orchestra teacher David Sowerby had on the staff and students. (Supplied)
Caledonia Community Schoolsis honoring the district’s beloved former orchestra teacher by dedicating the middle school’s final orchestra concert, set for Tuesday, May 10, to him.
David Sowerby died on Nov. 13, 2021 after a long battle with Crohn’s Disease. Since Sowerby’s passing, students and staff at Caledonia Community Schools have rallied together to honor his memory. Sowerby is remembered as an amazing, inspirational teacher who made people laugh, and a loving husband and father.
The final Caledonia Middle School orchestra concert for this year will be at 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 10 at Duncan Lake Middle School, 9757 Duncan Lake Ave., and the theme for the concert is “Inspired by Mr. Sowerby.” The concert will include several special performances such as “Fantasia on an Original Theme,” which Caledonia High School students have been invited to perform along with the middle school orchestra.
“When David passed, I knew we needed to do something to honor his memory and contributions to our music program,” said Megan Anderson, interim Intermediate and Middle School orchestra director. “I wanted to let the students grieve his passing but also remember all the wonderful things about him. We discussed as a class what we should do and determined a musical tribute to David would be most fitting.”
“When we heard about Mr. Sowerby’s passing, we decided to do something that will keep his memory alive in our school,” said Landry Hammondand Hannah Bennet,eighth-grade orchestra students. “We were sad together, and I think we were able to manage our grief by using music as an outlet.”
A portrait of David Sowerby by Caledonia art teacher Christine Cosgrove. (Supplied)
In addition to the concert, students and staff have installed memory boards in Sowerby’s former orchestra classroom, complete with photos, memories from students, and a drawing of Sowerby by a Caledonia Community Schools art teacher Christine Cosgrove.
“At that time the students approached me about creating a portrait of Mr. Sowerby to add to their collection,” Cosgrove said. “I felt very honored to be able to offer something that I love to do to remember Mr. Sowerby and it was such a great way to honor him while also unifying the arts.“
Voters turned down an income tax for the City of Wyoming.
Wyoming voters voted down a proposed income tax for the city while renewing a $24.9 million bond proposal for Wyoming Public Schools.
About 16 percent of the city’s 55,999 registered voters came out for the special election that was yesterday. The city had two proposals on the ballot. The first was an income tax that would be up to 1 percent for city residents and up to .5 percent for non-residents such as commuters who work in the city. In the second proposal, the city was seeking to reduce the city property tax by about 58 percent, from around 12 mills to 5. Both proposals had to pass to take effect.
The first proposal of an income tax was defeated by 6,055 no votes to 2,824 yes votes. The second proposal to reduce city property tax received 5,381 yes votes to 3,474 no votes. Because the two proposals were tied together, if one failed the other automatically failed as well.
The city estimated that the proposals would have generated about $6 million in revenue for the city. City Council said it planned to put $3.3 million toward its fire department to added 27 firefighters, doubling the current staffing from 27 to 54. About $2.1 million would have been used to add 13 police officers and a crime analyst to the city’s police department with the remaining $600,000 for capital improvement needs for the city’s parks.
The approved $24.9 million bond renewal will go toward renovations at Wyoming Junior High School.
Wyoming Public Schools
A purple and white message in both English and Spanish on the Wyoming Public Schools Facebook page thanked the district’s voters for renewing a $24.9 million bond. The money is earmarked for renovations at the Wyoming Junior High School, which is the oldest building in the district. Formerly Wyoming Park High School, the oldest portion of the building dates back to 1926. There were additions in 1957, 1959, and 1979.
About 16 percent of the district’s 27,188 votes came out with 2,066 voting yes and 1,930 voting no.
The approved bond will be added to about $11 million in renovations already planned for the school, including more than $3 million in major upgrades to Dan Heintzelman Fine Arts Center. The $11 million comes from a 2017 bond issue.
Renovations and improvements to the junior high to be funded by the bond renewal include: modern learning environments; new furnitures; an integrated technology; adequate lab spaces and equipment; improved air quality replacement of failing building systems (such as roofing, plumbing, and electrical) to become energy efficient and meet modern building codes; and site improvements to traffic flow, aging parking lots, and athletic facilities.
Work on the junior high, which is locate dat 2125 Wrenwood St. SW, is scheduled to start in the summer of 2023.
The Kentwood Police Department is inviting high school students to apply for its youth academy, set to take place July 25-28.
The academy is open to all graduating seniors and students who will be a sophomore, junior or senior in the 2022-23 school year. It is geared toward young people who are interested in a career in law enforcement and who want to experience what it’s like to be a police officer. Participants do not need to live or attend school in Kentwood.
The free program will run 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day at the Kentwood Police Department, 4742 Walma Ave. SE. It will provide students with hands-on experience in police training and operations. Participants will receive instruction in various aspects of policing and participate in training scenarios, including:
Building searches
Drunken driving enforcement
Handcuffing
Special Response Team
And more!
Eligible participants must possess good moral character and pass a background check. They will be interviewed before being accepted into the program and be required to attend a pre-academy informational meeting with a parent or guardian. Each participant will be provided a uniform and daily lunch.
Applications are due by May 13 and can be submitted online, by email to wierengat@kentwood.us, in person at the Police Department or by mail to Sgt. Tim Wierenga at 4742 Walma Ave. SE, Kentwood, MI 49512. For any questions, contact Sgt. Wierenga at wierengat@kentwood.us or 616-656-6561.
Tomorrow, May 3, the residents of the City of Wyoming will be heading to the polls for two city proposals, an income tax and a reduction in city property taxes, while those in Wyoming Public Schools also are being asked to renew a $24.9 million bond proposal to renovate the Wyoming Junior High building.
The first of the two city proposals on the ballot is for an income tax that would be aup to 1 percent for city residents and up to .5 percent for non-residents such as commuters who work in the city. In the second proposal, the city is seeking to reduce the city property tax by about 58 percent, from around 12 mills to 5. Both proposals must pass to take effect.
According to city officials, the goal of the proposals is to build a more sustainable funding for the city and create equitably in sharing city expenses with those who use city services but do not live in the city while helping to reduce the cost to residents with the reduction in city property taxes.
If the two proposals pass, it would raise about an additional $6 million in funding from the city. The Wyoming City Council has said it would put $3.3 million toward its fire department, doubling the department’s current staffing from 27 to 54.
This would add about nine firefighters per shift and the city would be able to fully staff all four of its fire stations. Currently only two of the stations, Gezon and 36th Street, are fully staffed; however emergency calls are evenly distributed throughout the city, according to Fire Chief Brian Bennett. The city is broken into four fire districts with the busiest being the Division station, which is currently unmanned.
The department has the highest calls per firefighter in the area. Wyoming averages about 265 calls per firefighter with the City of Kentwood averaging around 121 while the City of Grand Rapids averages 123 calls per firefighter.
Koster said the city also has seen an increase in violent crime with calls requiring more than one officer to respond and resulting in less officers being available for traffic enforcement and neighborhood patrols.
“In 2020, when we received all the income from the parks and recreation millage, fees, and grants and then subtracted out all the expenses, we had about $30,000 left to roll into the fund balance for capital improvements,” Rebecca Rynbrandt, the city’s director of community services, said in a previous WKTV story.
According to school officials, the debt millage rate would remain the same at 5.65 mills, which is what it has been since 2016. Bond approval would not raise taxes, according to school officials.
Monies from the proposed bond millage will be combined with money set aside from the 2017 bond, which is about $11 million and includes $3 million for the Dan Heintzelman auditorium. If approved, renovations would include construction of a large two-story addition. The fine arts center would become a stand-alone building.
Voting
To check on your voting status and to see a sample ballot, visit mi.gov/vote. To vote in a city or school election, you must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the city or school district for at least 30 days, are 18 years or old, and are not serving a sentence in jail or prison. Following voter-approved election changes in 2018, Michigan residents now have the option to register in-person with the local clerk on election day. Once registered, each voter will have the choice to vote absentee or drive to the polling location to vote in person.
Those voting absentee must return the absentee ballot by 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 3. Ballots may be mailed or dropped off at the ballot drop box behind city hall or in-person at city hall until 8 p.m.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters should double check their precinct location, have photo ID, and should not wear or bring any political material to the precinct.
For more information on voice, visit the City of Wyoming website.
While the big news of the day is that Grand Rapids City High Middle School ranked No. 1 in Michigan on the U.S. News & World Report’s annual high school rankings, a school in the Kentwood area landed in the top one percent of those same rankings.
West Michigan Aviation Academy, located the Gerald R. Ford International Airport at 5363 44th St. SE, was ranked 26th in Michigan. According to the U.S. News & World Report, schools are ranked on performance on state required tests, graduation and how well the schools prepare students for college. For West Michigan Aviation Academy, it was noted the school offers Advanced Placement course work and participation in AP courses was about 68 percent.
Also landing in the top one percent were East Grand Rapids High School, which was ranked No. 13; Forest Hills Northern High School, which was ranked No. 21; Byron Center High School, which was ranked No. 24; and Forest Hills Central High School, which was ranked No. 28.
Of course, the big news from the report was that City High Middle School took the top spot for Michigan schools along with ranking No. 18 in the nation. According to the U.S. News & World Report, students have the opportunity to take International Baccalaureate coursework and exams. The IB participation rate at City High Middle School is 100%. City High Middle School was the first school in the area to offer the International Baccalaureate Middle Years and Diploma Programme.
“We could not be prouder of our scholars, staff, district, and community for this achievement,” said City High Middle School Principal Ryan Huppert. “The inspiration that this accomplishment provides is worth so much to our community right now.
“These rankings reflect all the hard work that scholars and staff put forth to succeed here
. Seeing those efforts translate into such a high level of success and recognition means the world to our school.”
There is around 1,700 high schools in Michigan. Of those schools, 660 Michigan schools made the U.S. News & World Report rankings. For a Michigan high school to be ranked it much complete the three-part Michigan Merit Exam in 11th grade. It includes the SAT college entrance exam, the ACT WorkKeys assessment, as well as online assessments via the Michigan Student Test of Education Progress in science and social studies, accord to the Michigan Department of Education. For a school to receive a state ranking, it must have earned a national silver or gold award.
From the left” Caledonia Community Schools Student Support Coordinator
Katie Dorband, Duncan Lake Middle School Assistant Principal Angie Stauffer, Caledonia Superintendent Dedrick Martin, Bari Kane, Kevin Kane, Duncan Lake Principal Jaym Abraham, and Paris Ridge Principal Kris Vydareny (Supplied)
A counselor for Caledonia Community Schools has been named West Michigan Counselor of the Year by the WestMichigan Counseling Association.
Bari Kane has worked for Caledonia Community Schools for 18 years. She currently serves as a counselor at Duncan Lake Middle School and was previously a fourth-grade classroom teacher at Paris Ridge Elementary.
“I’m honored to receive this award from the West Michigan Counseling Association,” Kane said. “The mental health and wellness of our students at CCS is a top priority and incorporating evidence-based mental health practices into everything we do leads to better outcomes for our students at school and into the future.”
Katie Dorband, a student support coordinator at Caledonia Community Schools and who nominated Kane for the award, described Kane as someone who brings people with different perspectives together. She is always willing to try new ideas and adapt to the ever-changing educational environment, removing barriers to student achievement and health. Kane is also a champion for integrating mental health and behavior into the Multi-Tiered System of Supports, which is a research-based strategy designed to meet the individual needs of the whole child in schools.
“Bari Kane is a compassionate professional who works hard to make sure that students and families receive the right support at the right time,” Dorband said in Kane’s nomination submission. “She is an incredible asset to the counseling community.”
Bari and Kevin Kane. Bari was recently named West Michigan Counselor of the Year. (Supplied)
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 3 high school students had experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019, a 40 percent increase since 2009. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues affecting students. As the number of school-age children reporting poor mental health increases, having effective and passionate counselors in school has grown more important.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Bari for achieving this honor and serving all of our students so well,” said Dr. Dedrick Martin, superintendent of Caledonia Community Schools. “As mental health issues have become so prevalent in school-age children and technology and social media have presented new challenges, we’re lucky to have such a dedicated and caring counselor at CCS.”
The West Michigan Counseling Association is a nonprofit dedicated to the growth and enhancement of the counseling profession.
Finally it feels like Spring, and just in time for Earth Day.
This weekend’s Top 5 includes theater, rock ‘n’ roll, a book sale and a special Earth Day Party with Quillbur?
Want to learn more? Check out my Top 5, which you can find exclusively on WKTV Journal.
Gonzo’s Top 5
Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish (Courtesy Photo/Paul Jensen)
Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish
Grand Rapids rock, blues and rockabilly duo Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish, celebrates the release of a new album with a show Saturday at Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids. The new, self-titled album “is quite different from other releases as it has more instruments and attitude,” Jesse Ray said in an interview on John Sinkevics’ localspins.com. “Where (2016’s) ‘Angry’ was just angry for the sake of a young man’s anger, the new record is more complicated and emotional with the occasional outburst.” The bill also includes Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps and The Local Commuters. Tickets are $15 and available online. Doors open at 7 p.m. More info on the Facebook event page.
Van Andel Arena
Downtown Grand Rapids is going to be busy this weekend with a couple big shows at Van Andel Arena. Comedian Katt Williams ( “The House Next Door; Meet the Blacks 2,” “Meet the Blacks”) performs at 8 p.m. Saturday (April 23) and rock band Shinedown performs at 7 p.m. Sunday (April 24). More details at vanandelarena.com.
Both KDL Kenwood and Wyoming libraries are hosting book sales this Saturday.
Friends of the Library Used Book Sale
TheKent District Library Kentwood Branch and Wyoming Branch both feature book sales from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday (April 23) where book enthusiasts will find bargains galore. The Kentwood Branch is located at 4950 Breton SE. The Wyoming Branch is located at 3350 Michael Ave. SW. More details at kdl.org.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Master Arts Theatre in Grand Rapids is presenting “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” with shows April 21-23, April 28-30 and May 5-7. Based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney animated feature, The Hunchback of Notre Dame showcases the film’s Academy Award-nominated score, as well as new songs by Menken and Schwartz. According to Master Arts, “Peter Parnell’s new book embraces story theatre and features verbatim passages from Hugo’s gothic novel.” Learn more at www.masterarts.org.
Blandford Nature Center hosts a birthday party for Quillber, a North American Porcupine. (Supplied)
Blandford Nature Center – Earth Day
As part of Earth Day Week, Blandford Nature Center in Grand Rapids is having a Birthday Party for two of its wildlife ambassadors – Archimedes, who is a long-eared owl, and Quillber, a North American Porcupine. In a program from 1-2 p.m. Saturday, you’ll hear their stories and learn about what makes each of them special. Organizers said you can “snap a close-up of silly Archimedes before heading out on the trails to take Quillber for a birthday stroll through the woods.” Admission is free this month to Blandford, but admission to the party is $7 for members, $10 for non-members and free to those ages 2 and younger. You can register at https://www.blandfordnaturecenter.org/events/earth-day-birthdays/?occurrence=2022-04-23.
Blandford Nature Center is located at 1715 Hillburn Ave NW. Learn more about Blandford nature trails an http://blandfordnaturecenter.org/
That’s it for now.
As always, I welcome your input and recommendations for events to include in my Top 5 list. If you have something for me to consider, just send me an email at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
Have a great, safe Easter weekend.
John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
The Women of the Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan (WAIAM) will be offering a free and virtual event for girls grades 4-8th to promote STEM education and the aerospace industry as these students plan their future studies.
The event, “Michigan Girls Future Flight Challenge” consists of a four-week long project, where student groups will be assigned to professional women in the aerospace industry as mentors throughout the program. Girls grades 4-8th are invited to participate by creating a team of 2-5 students then registering at https://aiamnow.com/events/.
The assignment is to design a sustainable, unique way of flight to solve a problem. The students will be given guidance and inspiration at the kickoff event on April 23 and immediately begin working with their teams and mentors until final presentations take place May 21.
A team of judges will determine the top teams. Prizes will be awarded, and each participant will receive a free t-shirt for taking part in the competition.
“The WAIAM is a committee within AIAM,” said Tony Vernaci, AIAM Founder and President. “Their mission is to actively work to create advocacy, education, and visibility for women and girls in aerospace across Michigan.
Michigan’s aerospace industry is full of opportunities. The event will reveal the potential this industry has to offer for young girls.”
Michigan has one of the most extensive aerospace clusters in the nation with nearly 1,000 companies supporting the global industry. A number of Michigan companies are sponsoring this event including Eaton, Woodward, Jackson Flexible Products, Array of Engineers, Genuen, Barron Industries, PALM Industries, and Calumet Electronics. Additional sponsors are needed to help make this competition possible and free for the students.
“We are excited to offer this opportunity,” said Stacy Paul, CEO of Array of Engineers. “The WAIAM look forward to inspiring these young girls and demonstrating through this experience how truly rewarding a career in the aerospace industry can be and the importance of STEM.”
The WAIAM virtual kickoff event will take place on Saturday, April 23, at 10 a.m. EST. The event is free and all girls grades 4-8th are invited and welcome to participate. Those wishing to learn more or to register for the event can do so at https://aiamnow.com/events/.
Renovations to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s Volunteer Tribute Garden will soon see plantings come out of their winter stillness, and it will soon have an updated “The Tribute”, by Oliviero Rainaldi, on display. (WKTV.K.D. Norris)
By WKTV Staff
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park appreciates its volunteers enough to give them, and the general public, a Volunteer Tribute Garden with its own work of art — “The Tribute”, by famed Italian artist Oliviero Rainaldi and commissioned for the site.
So it is fitting that as the Gardens readies the competition of renovation, and pending rededication of the tribute garden, still located just outside the hallway leading to the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory, part of the renovation will be an expanded version of Rainaldi’s circular work.
Fifteen years after the dedication of the Volunteer Tribute Garden and Rainaldi’s original sculpture, both the space and the sculpture are getting a new look, according to an announcement from Meijer Gardens.
Renovations to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s Volunteer Tribute Garden will include an updated “The Tribute”, by Italian artist Oliviero Rainaldi, on display. (Supplied)
The Tribute and the Volunteer Tribute Garden will be rededicated Wednesday, April 20, in a special ceremony at 4 p.m., proceeded on April 19 by “A Conversation with Oliviero Rainaldi” at 7 p.m., in the Huizenga Grand Room.
“In 2006, Rainaldi was first commissioned to create a work of art to honor the thousands of volunteers who give their time and talents to Meijer Gardens,” according to the announcement. “As the buildings, garden spaces and number of volunteers at Meijer Gardens grow, so too did this sculpture.”
The artwork was temporarily removed to accommodate the redesign of the Volunteer Tribute Garden.
(Meijer Gardens is always seeking new volunteers, who are “Wanted. Needed. Appreciated.” with various jobs and shifts. For more information contact Valerie Maciejewski at vmaciejewski@meijergardens.org or 616-974-5221.)
Garden, artwork expanded but remains unique
Designed by Progressive AE and the Meijer Gardens horticulture team, the tribute garden has been expanded and redesigned to be more accessible and improve views of the wetland, sculpture and horticulture.
The tribute garden area update includes a new boardwalk area and outdoor classroom that extends on top of a wetland, “providing a great opportunity to teach guests about the importance of the natural environment, water and the ecosystem.”
And, according to the announcement, newly designed aluminum panels are being inserted into the interior of “The Tribute”.
“The exterior bronze panels poetically tell the stories of a diverse group of Meijer Gardens guest experiences,” according to the announcement. “The two interior panels incorporate stories of place and the emotion of love.”
Rainaldi describes the central curve as “the heart of the sculpture, which should be dedicated exclusively to Fred and Lena Meijer, creating an idealized place where horticulture and sculpture dialog together.”
Rainaldi, well known for his artwork focused on the human figure in a post-war and contemporary setting, “takes a linear approach that emphasizes humanity’s most ideal and essential qualities,” according to the announcement.
The structure brings viewers into a water scene, where they look up at the sky through reeds and will notice an aerial view of the Great Lakes, “as if looking down upon the Earth. Water has historically been symbolic of life, power, purity and strength.”
These elements together represent and pay tribute to Fred and Lena Meijer, to the natural beauty of West Michigan, and to the thousands of dedicated volunteers who have donated their time and talents, according to the announcement.
While “A Conversation with Oliviero Rainaldi” — a conversation with Meijer Gardens President & CEO David Hooker and Amber Oudsema, Curator of Arts Education — is included with admission, registration is required at: MeijerGardens.org/calendar.
Recognizing that reading needs to be a focus year around, the Great Start Parent Coalition’s Nurturing Parent Power Workshop announced its One Book, One County initiative on the last day of the national March is Reading Month campaign.
“One County, One Book will distribute 9,000 books to families, particular families that are living in neighborhoods that are book desserts,” said Chana Edmond-Verley, the chief executive officer for Vibrant Futures and who also the co-chair of the Nurturing Parent Power Workshop.
“In addition, it is more than a book distribution,” Edmond-Verley said. “We have reading strategy kits so parents will know the strategies that they need to deliver this powerful book to their child.”
Started in 2016, the Nurturing Parent Power Workshop is part of the Great Start Collaborative of Kent County, which works to ensure that all children, from birth to age eight, especially those in highest need areas, have access to high-quality early learning and development programs and enter kindergarten prepared for success.
Members of the One Book, One County campaign hold up this year’s selection. (WKTV)
The Nurturing Parent Power Workshop is a group of parent leaders, systems influencers, and decision makers who work to cultivate the power of parents in helping their children succeed.
“Our goal is to provide early reading strategies in Kent County to get all families reading to their children and all children reading by the end of second grade,” Edmond-Verley said.
From the group came the Success Starts Early Basics which provides tips and information on how parents advocate for their children’s success. Edmond-Verley said it was the Nurturing Parent Power Workshop who came up with the idea for the One book, One County campaign.
The book selection for the campaign is Mary DiPalermo’s “The Caring Me I Want to Be!” because it offers engaging story illustrations, easy connections to real life, allows for problem solving, rhyming, and promotes brainstorming emotions, according to literature that was handed out.
Along with the book, the campaign will provide a calendar of activities parents can use to engage their child based on the book such as writing a letter to a friend telling them why you like them or going outside and counting all the different signs of spring.
A third component will be up to 7,000 licenses for a digital parent coach that will send daily activities straight to a parent’s phone.
“The digital parent coach has been a great tool,” said Nicole Notraio-Risk, who is a co-chair of the Nurturing Parent Power Workgroup. “You can customize the program based on your child’s age and mental ability and the program provides you with a daily routine of fun games and activities that you could do with your child.”
Research shows that children who are read to 20 minutes a day and are repeatedly exposed to books from birth exhibit strong reading abilities. Edmond-Verley said parents are key in helping students achieve.
“We are responding by equipping parents with the tools that they can use to assure that their children are successful,” she said.
More than 20 local organizations such as the Early Learning Neighborhood Collobatibes, Bright Beginnings, Head Start, Kent ISD, Vibrant Futures, and the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, are participating in the program. Those interested in learning more about the One Book, One County program can reach out to those organizations or visit www.successstartsearly.org.
Red Storm Robotics will hosts its first competition in two years. The delay was due to the pandemic. (Supplied)
After two years away from the battlefield, robotic teams from around the state will once again enter the East Kentwood High School gym to face off for honors and a chance to compete at the state level.
The East Kentwood FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, hosted by East Kentwood’s Red Storm Robotics, will take place this Friday, and Saturday. There are 34 teams scheduled to compete. Among the local teams are Kentwood’s Red Storm Robotics, Wyoming High School’s Demons, and Potter’s House’s Tactical Hams. The event also will be recorded by WKTV and aired on Comcast Channel 25 along with being available on the WKTV on-demand site.
This year’s competition is called “Rapid React,” hosted by Boering. The purpose of the competition is to have teams look at today’s global challenges related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #9. Teams are focused on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation.
“By encouraging FIRST participants to think about future transportation sustainability, we’re also empowering them to be the next generation of leaders and innovators, tackling the world’s toughest challenges,” according to the FIRST Robotics website.
Teams had six weeks to build a robot that would be able to load and move basketballs to designated areas. In the final part of the competition, robots must be able to demonstrate climbing abilities by moving through a series of bars. Through the competition, the teams will demonstrate skills in mechanical engineering, computer-aid design, electrical engineering, programming, systems integration, website building, animation, and fabrication/machining.
Thursday is when the pits officially open and inspections take place. The action starts on Friday, with opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. and qualifying matches starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday the big day with opening ceremonies again at 9 a.m. and qualifying matches starting at 9:30 a.m. Alliance selections will take place at 12:30 p.m. with playoff matches set for 2 p.m. and awards around 5 p.m.
One of the FIRST robotics teams carries its robot off to the pits. (WKTV)
Each team is required to attend two district competitions. Those teams that earn enough points or certain awards, then advance to the state competition which will be April 13-17 with the national competition set for April 20-23 in Houston.
The event is free and open to the public. Masks are required for all participants, volunteers, and spectators. Participants and those in the pits are required to wear safety glasses.
The East Kentwood High School is located at 6230 Kalamazoo Ave. SE.
Started in 1992, FIRST is an international high school robotics competition founded by inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen — the man behind the Segway — and MIT professor emeritus Woodie Flowers. In fact, Kamen often has stated that FIRST is the invention he feels most proud of.
In November 2017, Wyoming Public Schools district voters approved a bond proposal which transformed Wyoming High School, and accomplished much needed modernization of other schools and district buildings.
Wyoming Public Schools high school building classroom after the 2017 bond funded improvements. (Supplied)
With those priority projects done, or set to be done this summer, the district is looking at more needed district infrastructure work, especially at Wyoming Junior High School, and not just needed upgrades but again “transforming” the educational setting for district students.
To do that, the district is seeking a bond renewal on the May 3, 2022, ballot which would allow it to gain additional funds while having no property tax increase over the current rate for district residents.
(District property tax payers could actually see a decrease in total property tax with passage May 3 of the City of Wyoming’s Proposals 1 & 2, which are the city’s proposed income tax and millage reduction proposals for funding of the Wyoming’s Police, Fire and Parks & Recreation Departments.)
Wyoming Public Schools Superintendent Craig Hoekstra. (Supplied)
“If approved, the current (WPS bonding renewal) proposal would provide an additional $24.9 million for comprehensive renovations and the partial reconstruction of Wyoming Junior High School, a facility that has not seen major structural improvements in nearly forty-three years,” Wyoming Public Schools Superintendent Craig Hoekstra said district informational material on the bond proposal. “And just like in 2017, if passed, this proposal will not raise the property tax rate above the current rate. The current millage rate (which has remained the same since 2016 and is currently lower than 14 of 20 Kent County school districts) would be extended into the future.”
The 2017 bond, according to Superintendent Hoekstra, “paved the way to remodel and reconstruct outdated buildings throughout the District; bring them up to code; and improve security, air quality, and technology.”
But with funds set aside from the 2017 bond approval, the district could only lightly renovate portions of the junior high.
“Having experienced the successful transformation of the High School, the District is asking the community to consider improvements to the Junior High as extensive as those made at Wyoming High School,” Hoekstra said.
Wyoming Public Schools photos of some of the problems with the junior high building. (Supplied)
Renovations and improvements to the junior high to be funded by the bond renewal include, according the district, modern learning environments, new furniture, and integrated technology; adequate lab spaces and equipment; improved air quality; replacement of failing building systems (such as roofing, plumbing, and electrical) to become energy efficient and meet modern building codes; and site improvements to traffic flow, aging parking lots, and athletic facilities.
To learn more about the 2022 bond proposal, and to see images of the work completed to date with funds from the 2017 bond, visit wyomingps2022.com.
According to ballot information from the Kent County Elections Office, the estimated millage that will be levied for the proposed bonds in 2023, is 0.94 ($0.94 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a 0 mill net increase over the prior year’s levy.
How and when to vote on the bond renewal
All registered voters can either vote in person on Election Day or send in an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots became available March 19, and must be returned by May 3 at 8 p.m. You can request an absentee ballot by contacting the City Clerk’s Office online or by phone.
In-person voting will take place on May 3 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the polling location designated by the city. You will need to bring your voter ID.
If you’re not registered to vote, you have a few options to become registered to vote in this election: By mail on or before April 18; online at michigan.gov/vote on or before April 18; in person at the City of Wyoming City Clerk’s office through May 3.
The Kentwood police department was present at the Woodland Mall for National Night Out. (WKTV/2019)
By WKTV Staff
The Kentwood Police Department announced recently that it is inviting community members who are interested in becoming a police officer to apply for its sponsored police recruit position.
The department will pay participants $23 an hour while they attend the Grand Valley State University Police Academy or another approved police training program, as well as cover the cost of training. Upon successful completion of training, background checks, orientation and other requirements, police recruits will be sworn in as patrol officers with the Kentwood Police Department.
Applications for the sponsored police recruit position will be accepted through April 15.
Kentwood Police Chief Bryan Litwin (shown when he was deputy chief). (Supplied)
“The Kentwood Police Department is committed to creating a local path to a career in law enforcement for both traditional and non-traditional students,” Police Chief Bryan Litwin said in supplied material. “This sponsored position has proven successful as part of our efforts to recruit and hire individuals who are representative of Kentwood’s diverse community. As our department continues to face staffing shortages, we believe sponsorships are critical to achieving appropriate staffing levels and remaining competitive with other police agencies.”
To be considered for this full-time employment opportunity, applicants must be at least 18 years old, have a valid driver’s license, be a U.S. citizen, have a high school or GED diploma, and have no prior felony convictions or certain misdemeanor convictions according to MCOLES guidelines.
Wyoming high’s Alyjah Chandler shoots over Caledonia’s Nic Bender in the Wolves 80-61 win over Caledonia in District tournament action. (WKTV/Pat Moll)
By Mike Moll, WKTV Volunteer Sports Director
Caledonia hosted the Michigan High School Division 1 boys basketball District tournament this week and they welcomed Thom VanderKlay and his Wyoming Wolves Wednesday night in semifinal action.
The Fighting Scots won the opening tip to start the game and the first quarter 13-8, but the Wolves took control after that, hitting 14 3-pointers on the night, and prevailed in the end by a score of 80-61 to improve to 14-7 on the year.
They will play East Grand Rapids for the championship Friday night, after the Pioneers defeated Byron Center, 53-52, to improve to 11-10 on the season. (For complete local district action, see a WKTV update here.)
Wyoming high’s Gene Atkins shoots for 3-pointer in the Wolves 80-61 win over Caledonia in District tournament action. (WKTV/Pat Moll)
The Wolves opened the scoring with the first 4 points before Caledonia got on the board with a free throw by senior Liam Mulnix with just over 6 minutes remaining. After another Wyoming basket by their own senior, and leading scorer, Ramere Draper, the Scots would score the next 12 to go up 13-6. Wyoming’s Jordan Love would score the final 2 points to cut the deficit to 5 just before the buzzer.
Nick Henry led the way for Caledonia coach Phil Visser’s team with 6 and Mason McKenzie chipped in 4. In addition to Draper’s 2, the Wolves had 4 points from Jaleil Holt.
The momentum gained from Love’s late basket continued to start the second quarter as Wyoming went on a 14-0 run of their own as the Wolves offense started to gel as the taller Scots would stay in their zone defense, only to have Draper, Holt, and Alyjah Chandler combine for 5 triples in the quarter.
That helped the Wolves take a lead, and control of the game, that they would not relinquish.
After a Henry basket for the Scots, Holt was fouled attempting a 3-point shot and would make all three free throws to make the score 23-15. Caledonia’s Elijah Holt would cut that lead down to just 5 with a triple of his own, but the Wolves would quickly respond with another 11-0 run to take a 16-point lead into the locker room, 34-18.
Draper, aided by his three triples, would finish with 15 points at the half. Holt was close behind with 12, while the Scots were led by Henry with 8. Wyoming outscored Caledonia 26-5 in the quarter.
The third quarter was a repeat of the second, even though Caledonia would double their first-half total with 18 points, Wyoming would put up 31 to increase the lead to 29 at the buzzer, 65-36.
Wyoming high’s Ramere Draper shoots over Caledonia’s Mason McKenzie to connect on one of his seven triples on the night in the Wolves 80-61 win over Caledonia in District tournament action., (WKTV/Pat Moll)
After exchanging points early in the final stanza, the Wolves would again run off 12 consecutive points to stretch the lead to 52-25. Caledonia senior Gavin Hurst came off the bench to score 8 points in the quarter, but his team again had no answers for Draper, who connected on another four 3-pointers giving him seven makes on the night, 14 points in the quarter, and a game-high 29 to close it out. He had help from Qua’dir Hatchett who chipped in 9 points after being shut out in the first half.
The final quarter was just a formality, but the Scots would continue their fight and were able to outscore VanderKlay’s Wolves 25-15, as he had subbed most of his key players by early in the quarter. Caledonia, again led by Hurst with 8 more points in the quarter, and 7 by Mulnix, while the victors were led by Hatchett and Jameson Lamrouex, each with 5 points.
The leaders on the night for the Wolves were Draper with 29, Holt with 15 and Hatchett with 14, while the Scots were led by Hurst with 16, Mulnix with 11 and Henry with 10.
The Wolves combined for 14 triples on the night while Caledonia had 5. Unofficially, Caledonia had 25 turnovers for the game and Wyoming took advantage of them by scoring 28 points off them, while Wyoming had 13 turnovers of their own, but only gave up 4 points off them. Caledonia concludes their season at 11-11.
A scene from Grand Rapids Ballet School’s Junior Company production of the ballet “Aladdin”. (Supplied/Scott Rasmussen)
A scene from Grand Rapids Ballet School’s Junior Company production of the ballet “Aladdin”. (Supplied/Scott Rasmussen)
A scene from Grand Rapids Ballet School’s Junior Company production of the ballet “Aladdin”. (Supplied/Scott Rasmussen)
A scene from Grand Rapids Ballet School’s Junior Company production of the ballet “Aladdin”. (Supplied/Scott Rasmussen)
A scene from Grand Rapids Ballet School’s Junior Company production of the ballet “Aladdin”. (Supplied/Scott Rasmussen)
By D.A. Reed, WKTV Contributing Writer
The talented young dancers of the Grand Rapids Ballet School’s junior company were all set to “recreate” the ballet “Aladdin” back in 2020, and then like many stages, their’s went dark as the pandemic dropped its curtain.
And while that moment was bitter for cast and crew, young and old, “Aladdin” will finally fly in, starting this weekend — with a special tea party available.
The ballet school’s junior company will take the stage March 11-13 and March 19-20 at Peter Martin Wege Theatre to “share the familiar story of ‘Aladdin’, an impoverished boy living in Agrabah who falls in love with the beautiful Princess Jasmine.”
A crop of promotional material from Grand Rapids Ballet School’s Junior Company production of the ballet “Aladdin”. (Supplied/Scott Rasmussen)
Choreographed by Grand Rapids Ballet School (GRBS) Director and Junior Company Artistic Director Attila Mosolygo, the ballet “Aladdin” was inspired from the folktale in the book, “One Thousand and One Nights.” The adventure features a thrilling quest with mysterious characters along the way including a fierce dragon, a magic genie, and a powerful sorcerer.
“It will be an amazing production of dancing and performance,” Mosolygo told WKTV.
This production, actually, has been two years in the making after GRBS had to cancel their planned performance on opening night in March 2020 due to the pandemic.
“The students have been working extremely hard the past three months helping me recreate this ballet and they are thrilled to be given this second chance to perform it,” Mosolygo said in supplied material.
Keeping ‘Aladdin’ ready to fly
The path to this opening night, however, was not an easy one.
The planned opening night of “Aladdin” in 2020 was one that GRBS dancer Serafina Wagneveld remembers well.
“There we were, at the height of excitement, ready to go,” said Wagenveld, who will perform the role of Jasmine in the 2022 production. “At the beginning of the day we still didn’t know if we would go on.”
Then came the announcement that “Aladdin” would be postponed.
“Even then, we didn’t fully grasp what was happening,” Wagenveld said. “We were sad but hadn’t lost hope.”
As the pandemic continued, however, it became obvious that the performance GRBS Junior Company had worked so hard for would not be taking the stage anytime soon.
Attila Mosolygo. (GR Ballet)
Mosolygo told WKTV that, due to pandemic restrictions, it was more than five weeks before he was allowed back into the building after the cancellation. Walking on stage with every curtain ready to be pulled, every prop in place, Mosolygo said — “I could almost hear the music — but nothing happened.”
Online classes began but were difficult for the dancers, many of them improvising in their homes by performing ballet on stairwells and on kitchen counters. “It was all new and we were doing our best,” said Wagenveld.
Mosolygo said he noticed a definite shift in the mindset of students over the last two years.
“Virtual classes work in some ways, and they don’t in others. When you come to an art form that is so hands-on, to try to learn anything off your iPhone, off your tablet, off your computer — over time it’s not fun. Their attention and willpower went away.”
Wagenveld personally felt the hardship of the ongoing pandemic — “There was nothing you could be sure of anymore.”
Because of the mental and emotional toll, the dancer decided last year to take a break from dancing. But she couldn’t stay away for long.
“It wasn’t long before I came back,” said Wagenveld. “It (dancing) brings out my creativity. It is a unique way of expressing myself that not all people get to experience.”
And the junior company’s leader understands his dancer perfectly.
“Ballet is an art form, a self-expression of who you are,” Mosolygo said. “Dancing goes beyond words.”
Through the hardships the pandemic brought, Wagenveld and her classmates were able to find a silver lining. And the ability to have in-person classes again this school year and the chance to perform “Aladdin” has created excitement among the dancers and staff, healing some of the heartbreak that came with having to set aside the performance two years ago.
“We are more appreciative of what we have, not taking them for granted,” Wagenveld said.
Tea with Aladdin & Jasmine
For an added experience, GRBS Junior Company is hosting Aladdin & Jasmine’s Royal Tea, a “unique and memorable event, fit for both princes and princesses alike,” on Sunday, March 13, at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market in the Greenhouse space.
The event features a photo booth, a meet and greet with “Aladdin” characters,” a kid-friendly craft, all topped off with a brunch built for kids and adults. After the Royal Tea, attendees will travel to the land of Agrabah at Peter Martin Wege Theatre to experience the thrills of “Aladdin” beginning at 2 p.m.
Tickets for “Aladdin” are available now for $18 online, via phone at (616) 454-4771 ext. 10, or in-person at GRB’s Box Office. Tickets to Aladdin & Jasmine’s Royal Tea are available for $49 per person.
As the Wyoming High School Wolves and Grand Rapids South Christian boys basketball teams waited to start action in two of several MHSAA District tournaments being played around the area, several local teams were in action Monday, March 7, including at Kelloggsville high where the host Rockets and neighborhood rival Godwin Heights battled for the third time this season in D2 Boys District 44 opening round action.
After splitting two OK Conference Silver contests during the regular season — both tight, highly competitive games — Godwin (10-8 overall) defeated Kelloggsville (12-9), 87-78, to take the season series 2-1, and advanced to the semifinals, Wednesday, March 9, at Kelloggsville, against Grand Rapids Christian (16-4). The game will have a 7 p.m. tip-off.
In other action in the D2 Boys District 44 at Kelloggsville, Grand Rapids West Michigan Aviation Academy (15-6) defeated Kentwood Grand River Prep (6-9), 66-51, to advance to a March 9 semifinal game against South Christian (15-5), which had bye in the opening round. The game will have a tip-off of 5:30 p.m.
In other action involving local teams, East Kentwood opened play Monday in the D1 Boys District 12 tournament, hosted by Caledonia but with this game being played on the Falcons home floor. The game, against neighborhood rival Byron Center, was a close contest but the Bulldogs (6-15) ended the Falcons season with a 54-53 win. East Kentwood finished with a 6-15 record.
Byron Center will now play East Grand Rapids (10-10) in semifinal action at Caledonia Wednesday, March 9, with tip-off at 7 p.m. Wyoming high (13-7), playing in the same District 12 tournament but with an opening round bye, will play at 5:30 p.m., against host Caledonia (11-10), which won a 55-48 opening round game over Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills.
Wyoming Potter’s House (15-6), playing the D3 Boys District 76 Tournament at Grand Rapids Covenant Christian, advanced to a Wednesday semifinal game with a 56-24 opening round win over Saugatuck (8-13) on Monday. The Pumas will now play the host Chargers (16-3), which had an opening round bye, in a semifinal game March 9 at 5:30 p.m.
Wyoming Lee (5-15) saw their season come to an end Monday in the D2 Boys District 43 Tournament at Grand Rapids West Catholic, with a 68-16 loss to the host Falcons (16-5).
Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (14-6) will play in the D4 Boys District 114 Tournament at Climax-Scotts, with a semifinal game scheduled for Wednesday, March 9, against Kalamazoo Phoenix (10-5).
WKTV sports coverage and on-demand
WKTV recorded several regular season Featured Games which will on cable television in Wyoming and Kentwood on Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T Channel 99 Community Channel. See the programming schedule at wktv.org. For more information on WKTV coverage of prep sports, follow us at wktvjournal.org/sports.
All 2021-22 Featured Games, both football and basketball, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV’s video coverage team, are available on-demand at wktvlive.com.
The 2021-22 high school basketball post-season is in full swing with three local girls teams heading into MHSAA District tournament finals Friday, March 4, and all the local boys teams set to open District play next week.
In the only girls District tournament on a Wyoming-Kentwood high school home floor, the East Kentwood High School girls (12-9 overall) look to continue their post-season run against Byron Center (18-2) in the D1 Girls District 12 finals at East Kentwood. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.
The Falcons girls, who closed the regular season winning of 10 of 13 games after a slow start, rolled past Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills, 81-14, to open District action Feb. 28; then defeated Caledonia, 50-36, on March 2. Byron Center enters the District finals 18-2 and with an OK Conference White title after a 14-0 conference season.
In other District finals action involving local teams, Grand Rapids South Christian (18-3) will challenge Grand Rapids Christian (15-6) in the D2 Girls District 44 finals at Grand Rapids Christian, while Wyoming Potter’s House (16-5) will play Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (11-8) in the D3 Girls District 76 finals at Fennville. Both tip-off at 7 p.m.
To get both the District finals, the Sailors girls defeated Wyoming Kelloggsville (7-15 final overall record), 54-27, on March 2. (For a WKTV feature on South Christian visit here.)
The Pumas of Wyoming Potter’s House girls, in early District games, first defeated Holland Black River, 50-25, on Feb. 28, and then defeated Saugatuck, 44-33, on March 2.
Boys Districts begin with big games at Kelloggsville
Kelloggsville High School will be the place to be in the local area for boys District play, beginning with opening night action Monday, March 7, as OK Conference Silver foes Wyoming Godwin Heights (9-7 overall, with a “stay sharp” game schedule for March 3) and Kelloggsville (12-8) play the deciding third game in their 2021-22 season in D2 Boys District 44 opening round action with tip off at 5:30 p.m. (See a WKTV feature on the two teams here.)
Kelloggsville high boys basketball team senior Damario Montgomery during a game Feb. 25 at Kelloggsville. (WKTV)
The District 44 tournament at Kelloggsville is loaded with quality local teams as well. In addition to the Wolverines and the Rockets, Grand Rapids West Michigan Aviation Academy (13-6) will open play on March 7 at 7 p.m. against Kentwood Grand River Prep (6-8). Then, set to start play Wednesday, March 9, Grand Rapids Christian (15-4) will play the winner of the first opening round game, while Grand Rapids South Christian (15-5) await the winner of the second opening round game. The finals will be Friday, March 11, at Kelloggsville at 7 p.m.
Two local teams, Wyoming high and East Kentwood, will be in action at Caledonia in the D1 Boys District 12 tournament. The Falcons (6-14) will open play Monday, March 7, against Byron Center (5-14). The Wolves (13-6 overall, with a “stay sharp” game at home against Benton Harbor March 3) get a first-round bye and are set to play the winner of Monday’s game between Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills and host Caledonia on Wednesday, March 9, at 5:30 p.m.
Wyoming Lee (4-13 overall with at least one game scheduled this week at the Battle Creek Academy Tigers Tournament) will play in the D2 Boys District 43 Tournament at Grand Rapids West Catholic, starting opening night, Monday, March 7, against the host school at 5:30 p.m.
Wyoming Potter’s House (14-5 overall, with a “stay sharp” game at North Muskegon March 3) will play at the D3 Boys District 76 Tournament at Grand Rapids Covenant Christian, starting with an opening round game Monday, March 7, at 5:30 p.m. against Saugatuck (8-11).
And Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (14-5, with a “stay sharp” game scheduled at Grandville Calvin Christian March 3) will play in the D4 Boys District 114 Tournament at Climax-Scotts, with a semifinal game scheduled for Wednesday, March 9, against Kalamazoo Phoenix (10-5).
WKTV featured games covered throughout the season, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV’s video coverage team, are available on-demand at wktvlive.com. You can also follow all WKTV sports programing at wktk.org/sports.
For many local basketball teams not fighting for a conference title in the last week of the season, the OK Conference Silver boys basketball finale between Godwin Heights High School and Kelloggsville high might have meant little as both ended winning regular seasons and readied themselves for their MHSAA district tournament.
But the Friday, Feb. 25, clash between the visiting Wolverines and the host Rockets — a neighborhood rivalry if there every was one — was not a game without meaning.
Godwin Heights entered the game comfortably in third place in the always tough OK Silver (at 8-3, 9-6 overall) but Kelloggsville also entered in the upper half of the conference standings with a very similar record (8-5 in OK, 11-7 overall). But one of those losses was a 73-67 defeat at Godwin on Jan. 28.
Kelloggsville high boys basketball team senior Cameron Mosley Jr. on the defense during a game Feb. 25 at Kelloggsville. (WKTV)
In Friday’s game, the Rockets gained a measure of revenge against the Wolverines, taking a highly competitive, back-and-forth contest that wasn’t settled until the final horn, 76-74. But both coaches agree that their neighborhood rivalry is good for both schools, both teams and really good to prepare each for the coming tournament.
“I think the neighborhood rivalry is an excellent thing,” Kelloggsville head coach Troy Ricketson said. “I graduated from Kelloggsville in 2009, I have played in this rivalry, so I have experienced firsthand the excitement it brings to the communities. The players know each other and have grown up together in some cases. Every time the two schools play in any sport, it brings a big crowd.”
Godwin head coach Tyler Whittemore agreed, and said he knows his team will always get tested when they play the Rockets.
The Godwin Heights high boys basketball team breaks huddle during a game Feb. 25 at Kelloggsville. (WKTV)
“We have always got Kelloggsville’s best games against us and we can tell that the intensity is increased,” Whittemore said. “It’s important that we understand the intensity in the rivalry so that we play as hard as we can each possession — no plays off.”
Whittemore also said that in games like the Feb. 25 visit to Kelloggsville, his team needed to be poised and stay “true to all of the things we’ve taught them throughout the season and move the basketball fast on offense without turning the ball over.”
But, speaking before the game, Whittemore also said he team could not “get out-worked (because) Kelloggsville talent will be able to put up lots of points quick.”
And that may well have been a key factor in last week’s contest — a Rockets offensive explosion to open the game and the fact that the Wolverines had to constantly play from behind.
Kelloggsville jumps out, then holds on
In the Feb. 25 win, the Rockets — and senior Corey Patton-Ivy — came out to make a early statement and jumped to a 28-16 lead after one quarter, with Patton-Ivy scoring 11 points including a three. Demoni Gamble, Brendon Tuinstra and Harry Knowling also hit from long range in the quarter.
But Godwin’s Jakhary Towns and Jabari Crump-Moore answered the call in the second quarter, scoring nine points each, as the Wolverines battled back to make is close at the half, 39-36.
The second half was a back and forth affair as Kelloggsville extended their lead to eight points after three quarters, 58-50.
Kelloggsville high boys basketball team senior Damario Montgomery during a game Feb. 25 at Kelloggsville. (WKTV)
But the Rockets then had to weather a determined Wolverine attack in the fourth quarter, when Godwin’s offense came alive with 28 points. But Kelloggsville made enough free throws in the final period — nine of them — and eventually survived to even the series at one game apiece with a 76-74 win.
For the game, Patton-Ivy led the Rockets with 21 points, while big-man Caleb Balsitis added 14 points, including six in the final period, and Marc Whitfield Jr. and Tuinstra added nine points each.
Godwin received a great game from Towns, who led all scorers with 26 points, followed by Jeremiah Drake’s 16 points and Crump-Moore’s 15.
Tough schedule needed to be ready for tournament
Irregardless of the outcome of the Friday game, both coaches say their senior-led teams have benefited from their tough OK conference schedule, and their overall non-conference schedule, to prepare them for next week.
The Kelloggsville high boys basketball team huddles during a game Feb. 25 at Kelloggsville. (WKTV)
“When we were trying to create the schedule for this season, we wanted to make sure we were playing competition that was going to challenge us and make us better,” Rockets coach Ricketson said. “We have had some success and have also been humbled throughout. I think that has definitely prepared us for what we will see come district time.”
Throughout the season, the Rockets have been led by senior Demario Montgomery and sophomore Marc Whitfield Jr., both of whom have been averaging more than 10 points-per-game, but also getting great leadership, good rebounding and 7-to-8 ppg. from seniors Patton-Ivy and Balsitis, and junior Tuinstra. Other seniors on the team include Demoni Gamble, Kevin Gaddis Jr., Harry Knowling, Jaevyon Turnbull and Cameron Mosley Jr.
Wolverines coach Whittemore also thinks the tough schedule during a sometimes up-and-down season has helped his team grow.
“This season has been tough and a great learning experience for our players,” Whittemore said. “Most of our games have been very close, on both sides of the winning, and each game has pushed our players to improve and work hard in practice.”
Godwin, too, is a team lead by seniors but with a high-scoring underclassman.
Junior Towns, now in his 3rd year playing varsity, is averaging 20 ppg., and, according to his coach, “is our best offensive player.” But senior Drake — he of the “high-motor and intensity” his coach says, averages about 14 ppg. and 7 rebounds per game. And fellow senior Jordan Norman, a “very good shooter from the outside” who can “guard the opposing teams guards or big guys,” averages 13 ppg. and 5 rebounds.
Other senior leaders include Mark Dolo, Crump-Moore, Kaleil Harris, and Javeon Lyons. While junior Jamarion Collins has been a force on the defensive end.
“Playing Godwin Heights basketball comes with some pressure and the understanding (that) due to the program’s history of success, even before I became the coach, that we will get every team’s best effort. We embrace that and has raised the level of all of the players we have in the program and we are hoping to peak at our performance now that the tournament is approaching.”
District 44 tournament preview
Both Godwin (now 9-7 overall) and Kelloggsville (now 12-7 overall) will play non-conference “stay-sharp” game this week — strangely enough, both against Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (14-3 overall) — with the Rockets at home March 1 at 7 p.m., and the Wolverines at home March 3 at 7:15 p.m.
But things get real in a big way Monday, March 7 as the two look to keep their seasons alive in their Division 2 District 44 tournament, with games scheduled March 7, 9 and 11, and which includes Grand Rapids Christian (15-4 overall), Grand Rapids South Christian (14-5 overall) and Grand Rapids West Michigan Aviation Academy (12-6 overall), as well a Kentwood Grand River Preparatory Academy (6-8 overall).
The good news for both is that the tournament will be in their neighborhood — at Kelloggsville. The bad news is that the Godwin and Kelloggsville will play the 2021-22 series-deciding game on opening night, at 5:30 p.m.
“Our district is a gauntlet, but I am excited to have it on our home floor,” coach Ricketson said before last week’s game. “I feel like we are playing some of our best basketball, and like the confidence these guys are showing.”
