Tag Archives: East Kentwood

East Kentwood hosts annual FIRST robotics competition

April 6, 20233-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Education, Kentwood Public Schools, Kids Activities, RecreationDemons, East Kentwood, FIRST Robotics, Grand Rapids Prep, Red Storm, Wyoming High SchoolJoanne

A competition at the FIRST Robotics event at East Kentwood. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)

By D.A. Reed
WKTV Contributor

GRP Titans Nikolai Nigersoll demonstrates how the team’s robot works. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)

Battery issues were the challenge that Grand Rapids Prep Titans FIRST robotics team faced on Saturday, but they did not have to go far to find support.

“We are a team here,” GRP Titans mentor Matt Stewart said of all the 39 participating robotics teams at Kentwood’s FIRST Robotics competition. “All of robotics is a community-oriented thing. We’ve learned so much from all of the other teams.”

Multiple teams reaching out to give GRP Titans tools to help them test their battery, offering their team’s batteries, and offering to let the Titans charge in their pits.

“Everyone is so graceful and helpful,” said Stewart. “In the pits, it’s a community. Once you’re on the field, then you (have to) compete.”

“The Hardest Fun You’ll Ever Have”

The East Kentwood Red Storm Robotics Team (3875) hosted the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) qualifying tournament March 31-April 1, 2023. The competition was sponsored by Dematic, a supplier of materials handling systems, software and services based in Grand Rapids. It gave the teams an opportunity to qualify for the state competition, which is April 6-8 at Saginaw Valley State University.

FIRST Robotics Competition is designed to combine the excitement of sport with the precisions of science and technology. FIRST Robotics’ website calls their competitions “the ultimate Sport for the Mind,” while high school participants have labeled it “the hardest fun you’ll ever have.”

Michigan Robotics teams strive to teach students a multitude of skills, including mechanical engineering, computer-aided design, electrical engineering, programming, systems integration, website building, animation, and fabrication/machining skills.

“You see the kids mature, and one of the big things is all the technical skills,” said event coordinator Wendy Ljungren, adding that the program has opened the college door for many students. “It’s been great to see our kids going into the STEM fields. We’ve had people become doctors, and lawyers, and professionals in engineering and STEM fields, and really see them transition.”

Teaching Life Skills

Sara Robarge, mother of EK teammate Kailey Robarge, said she has seen strong leadership skills taking hold in her daughter over the last year.

Red Storm Robotics teammates Mo Otajagic and Kailey Robarge carry the team’s robot Terence off the field. (WLTV/D.A. Reed)

“I have seen her take on leadership that I hoped I had instilled in her, but I have seen her put it into practice this year,” Robarge said. “As a freshman, she stepped out and tried out for the Drive Team. She also stepped up and said, ‘I’ll lead a robot build.’”

EK robotics mentor Mark VanderVoord said he has seen growth in many students, this year being current team captain Sarah Shapin.

Since Shapin joined the team in sixth grade, “she has learned a lot of technical skills. She’s going to U of M (University of Michigan) next year to do computer programming. Outside of that, she has a high-level view of how it all fits together and how everybody should be working together.

“All of the kids look up to her at this point,” said VanderVoord. “And she was the goofy one when she started!”

VanderVoord emphasized that robotics students are learning far more than how to build a robot.

“It’s about all the life skills,” VanderVoord said. “The teamwork and the technology stuff, but there are kids on our team who are learning marketing and there are kids who are learning all sorts of disciplines. We’re teaching kids to learn (everything).”

Growing the team is a large part of Red Storm Coach Trista VanderVoord’s focus.

“This year we focused a lot on recruitment,” Trista VanerVood said. :We wanted to grow our numbers, but mostly grow our numbers of girls, of females in the program.”

The Building Blocks

That recruitment doubled the size of the Red Storm team overall, with now over 40% of the team consisting of females—quadrupling its female percentage from last year.

East Kentwood’s Red Storm Robotics team stand next to their robot, Terence. The team competes at the state championship this weekend. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)

“It’s been awesome to see the growth, and it’s been awesome to see the sub-teams that have developed there and really come together and take on their part of the team,” Trista VanderVoord said.

EK’s Red Storm finished the tournament 20 out of 39 with a ranking score of 1.66, 5-7-0, 20 ranking points, and earned the Team Sustainability Award. The team already had earned a spot at the state competition by winning the highest award, the Impact Award, at the Lakeshore competition in March.

Other teams at this weekend’s state competition are Hopkns’ Tech Vikes (2054), West Catholic’s Enigma Robotics (2075), Forest Hills’ Comets (3357) and Code Red Robotics the Stray Dogs (2771), which is a community team based out of Byron Center High School.

The state competition action starts at 5 p.m. today. For more, FIRST in Michigan State Championship site.

Wyoming’s Demons

Abby Strait, high school senior and part of Wyoming High School’s Demons Robotics (858) team, has no trouble taking ownership of her role on the team.

“I’ve always been one of the people who has their hands all over the robot,” Strait said. “By the time we get to the competition, I know the robot inside and out. The more you put into the program, the more you get out of it.”

Demons Robotics finished the tournament 15 out of 39 with a ranking score of 1.83, 7-5-0 (wins-losses-ties), and 22 ranking points.

GRP Titans

Grand River Preparatory High School participated in the EK tournament with its first robotics team in ten years, the GRP Titans (9206), due to grants received from FIRST Robotics.

Stewart said that all students participating have been very invested in the program.

“Some of them had no prior experience, some of them only had building, yet every student has been all hands on deck with everything, and it’s been really cool to see,” Stewart said. “They all know what they do best, what they need to work on, so it’s been really fun to see them all working together.”

Though the Titans currently have approximately 15 team members, Stewart sees that number growing and sustaining since the team is composed mostly of underclassmen.

The GRP Titans finished the tournament 28 out of 39 with a ranking score of 1.50, 4-8-0, and 18 ranking points.

For complete competition results, click here: East Kentwood FIRST Competition.

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 Author

Kentwood’s Red Storm advances to state, hosts local competition this weekend

March 30, 20233-bottom, City of Kentwood, Kentwood Public Schoolscompetition, East Kentwood, FIRST Robotics, Red StormJoanne

By Troy Best
Red Storm Robotics

On March 28, East Kentwood’s Red Storm Robotics won Impact Award, which secures the team a spot at the state competition. (Courtesy, Red Storm Robotics)

Terence and the Red Storm Robotics Team qualified for the state tournament on Monday, March 28, at the Battle Creek Lakeview #2 tournament after winning the judge’s Impact Award.

The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Impact Award is the most prestigious award in a FIRST Robotics Competition. The award recognizes a team that reflects sustained excellence and impact within the FIRST community, in its own community and beyond.

Terence and the team had another fine performance on the field as well. The team finished 12th in the qualifying rounds and was selected for the #6 Team Alliance before being knocked out in the first two rounds of the finals with their alliance partners. Winning the Impact Award sends the Red Storm Robotics team to the First in Michigan FRC State Competition at Saginaw Valley State University on April 6-8, but before they go to state Red Storm hosts its own qualifying tournament this weekend in Kentwood.

Robots from all over the state will be rolling into Kentwood’s home tournament on March 31 and April 1 to take on 37 other FIRST Teams’ robots for a chance to advance to the state tournament. In this Charged UpSM competition, the Red Storm Robotics team reimagines the future of sustainable energy and powers its ideas forward to victory.

The Kentwood Tournament is a free event for everyone starting at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 31. The public is encouraged to attend. WKTV Community television crews will be at East Kentwood both days providing television coverage of the FIRST Robotics competition. WKTV’s coverage will be available for broadcast on WKTV and streamed via WKTV’s on demand service in the month of April.

Please come cheer our Red Storm Robotics team as they demonstrate “gracious professionalism” through their application of mechanical engineering, computer-aided design, electrical engineering, programming, systems integration, website building, animation, and fabrication/machining skills.

Red Storm Robotics’ Terence utilizes autonomous and driver-assisted modes, optical sensors to help guide it to targets, an elevator arm with a mechanical cone-grabbing claw, and gyroscope-assisted balancing to help it perform in this year’s 2022-2023 competition. The KPS FRC Team #3875 is made up of approximately 40 high school students, four coaches, and four mentors from the Kentwood Public Schools and nearby communities.

The Red Storm Robotics with Terence robot. (Courtesy, Red Storm Robotics)

East Kentwood takes home top honor at We the People competition

January 11, 20233-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, EducationEast Kentwood, state champions, we the peopleJoanne

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
WKTV Managing Editor
joanne@wktv.org

The East Kentwood team earned its first state championship for We the People since 2010. (Courtesy, Sophie Gemmen, team member and EKHS yearbook member)

This past weekend, East Kentwood High School added another state championship to its list of awards as the school’s We the People team brought home the top honor.

On Jan. 6, the Michigan Center for Civic Education hosted the We the Students: Michigan’s We the Program State Showcase. By a narrow lead, East Kentwood, lead by high school teacher and We the Pepple head coach Justin Robbins, beat out East Grand Rapids, and earned the honor of representing Michigan in the national Center for Civic Education’s We the People competition, which is set for April 22-24 in Washington DC.

We the People is an educational process which aims to enable students to learn about and address a range of governance-related issues, culminating in competitions to present at simulated congressional hearings.

This will be East Kentwood’s third consecutive trip to the national competition and its first as the State Champion from Michigan since 2010.

Along with the overall state championship title, there units in the group also won state championships in their content.

Bianca Bancifra, Maggie Fisher, Keaton Nguyen, and Sara Shapin, who are Unit 1, won for their knowledge of high law, colonial charters, and rights in common law.

Amira Hamilton, Dewaynia English, Connor Shaw, and Sophie Gemmen, who are Unit 2, won for their knowledge on the Articles of Confederation and the impact of slavary on the Constitution.

Lucy Fornetti, Mary Johnakech, and Owen Lawrence, who are Unit 6, won for their knowledge of privileges and immunities of citizens, immigration, and civic responsibilities in a republic.

The team also includes Dependra Bhattarai, Mollie Croskey, Rishta Tamang, Collin Terry, Drew Dame, Rebecca Moore, Mike Nguyen, Elleana Strehl, Ebise Tarekegn, and McKenna VanOveren.

Volunteer coaches are Ahjah Bailey-O’Conner, Tyler Buck, Ava Chatlosh, Eric Dubois, Branden Graf, Ken Orzanich, Justin Robbins, Mike Traywick, and Avalon Wieczorek.

Several Kentwood-Wyoming area football players named to MHSFCA All-Region teams

November 18, 2022Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, SportsEast Kentwood, East Kentwood football, High School football, Kelloggsville, Kelloggsville football, South Christian footballZach Fanko

South Christian QB Jake DeHaan highlights the MHSFCA All-Region selections in the Kentwood-Wyoming area. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)

By Zach Fanko

WKTV Contributor

The Michigan High School Football Coaches Association released their All-Region teams for the 2022 season as voted on by members of the MHSFCA.

Here are the following selections for players in the Kentwood-Wyoming area:

Division 1, Region 1

Stellan Bowman, JR, LB, East Kentwood

Division 4, Region 1

Camerson VanSolkema, JR, OL, South Christian

Carson Vis, SO, WR, South Christian

Seth Ritsema, SR, WR/TE, South Christian

Jake DeHaan, SR, QB, South Christian

Cam Post, SR, LB, South Christian

Nate Brinks, SR, Specialist, South Christian

Division 5, Region 2

Will Howard II, SR, DL, Wyoming-Kelloggsville

As you can see, South Christian was well represented in Division 4 with six total selections. The undefeated Sailors are preparing for their state semifinal matchup with Edwardsburg on Saturday.

East Kentwood’s Stellan Bowman, who played both halfback and linebacker this season, represented the Falcons on the All-Region team. (WKTV/Nathan Piers)

Stellan Bowman had a standout season at linebacker for the Falcons as East Kentwood made a return to the playoffs. Coach Tony Kimbrough mentioned Bowman as one of the returning players that the Falcons will rely on in 2023.

In Division 5, Kelloggsville senior Will Howard II was named to the All-Region team as a defensive lineman.

East Kentwood students earn honors from national program

September 14, 20223-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, Education, Local FacesCollege Board, East Kentwood, National Recognition ProgramJoanne

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

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.

East Kentwood graduate receives $15,000 scholarship from Northwood

June 9, 20223-bottom, City of Kentwood, Local FacesEast Kentwood, graduate, receives, scholarshipJoanne

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

An East Kentwood High School graduate has been awarded the Northwood University Presidential Scholarship.

Kelsey Depault is the recipient of the Presidential Scholarship, which awards $15,000 per year for four years for students living on campus, and $13,500 for those residing off campus.

Depault, play softball at East Kentwood and the club team Caledonia Chaos, signed to play softball at Northwood University last fall. She was a shortstop and on the outfield. Depault also tied the school record for most hits in a season. She got 75.

The Presidential Scholarship recognizes leadership, determination, personal freedom/responsibility, and academic excellence along with experience in volunteerism, resilience, entrepreneurship and/or cross-cultural impact.

Students are selection for consideration based on the information they provide in their Northwood application.

Northwood University is a private institution in Midland, Michigan. It opened in 1959 and has had more than 33,000 graduates. Among some of its most notable graduates are Dick DeVos, former U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller. current U.S. Congresswoman Lisa McClain, and the first African-American woman to be named Miss USA, Carole Gist.

Robotics competitions kick off at GVSU, WKTV gets ready for E. Kentwood event

March 24, 20223-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Kentwood Public Schools, Local Faces, Recreation, Tech TrendsEast Kentwood, Grand Valley State University, roboticsJoanne

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Kentwood’s Redo Storm Robotics will hosts its first competition since 2019 on April 1 and 2. (WKTV)

FIRST Robotics competitions kick off this weekend when 36 teams, two from Wyoming, competed in the district event at Grand Valley State University.

The teams from the Wyoming area competing are Lee High School’s robotics team and Potter House’s Tactical Hams robotics team.

Opening ceremonies are set for 10:30 a.m. with matches running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m .on Friday. Saturday, opening ceremonies are set for 9 a.m. with matches beginning at 9:30 a.m. and playoff rounds running from 2-5 p.m. Teams are guided by teachers and industry mentors. Under strictrules, limited time and resources, teams are challenged to raise funds, design a brand, hone teamwork skills and build and program competitive, industrial-size robots.

All events take place at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena on the Allendale campus. Events are free and open to the public, however per GVSU and FIRST Robotics COVID-19 guidelines, participants, volunteers and visitors must wear face masks.

Next week, WKTV will be filming the FIRST Robotics competition at East Kentwood High School. The free event follows the same rules and guidelines of the GVSU one.

There will be 33 teams at this event including the local teams of Potter House’s Tactical Hams, Kentwood’s Red Storm Robotics, and Wyoming High’s Demons. Events will start on Friday with play-offs taking place on Saturday.

Wyoming Wolves pull away from East Kentwood to advance to district championship game

March 12, 2020City of Wyoming, Sportsbasketball, East KentwoodJoanne

The Wyoming Wolves are headed to the district championships Friday at Middleville Thornapple-Kelloggs. (Photo by Mike Moll)

Mike Moll, WKTV Sports Director
sports@wktv.org

The high powered offense of the Wyoming Wolves boys basketball team took a half to get into the gear they are accustomed to, and when they did, they were able to expand a four point halftime lead into a 19 point victory over the East Kentwood Falcons, 77-58 at Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg Wednesday night.

East Kentwood concludes their season with a 12-10 record, while Wyoming ups its record to 20-2 and will face 10-11 Ottawa Hills Friday night in the championship game, after Ottawa Hills upset East Grand Rapids 61-50 in the nightcap game.

East Kentwood’s Ja’moni Jones started the scoring with an early three pointer, but Wyoming proceeded to score 16 of the next 18 points before the Falcons scored 9 of the last 11 to close the first quarter out with Wyoming holding an 18-14 lead. EK was led by Jones and Jordan Jackson with 6 each, while the Wolves were paced by one of the areas highest scorers during the regular season, Menalito McGee, with 10 which included a pair of 3-pointers.

The Falcons scored the first four points of the second quarter to knot the game at 18, but Thom VanderKlay’s Wolves would go on an 8-0 run to take a lead they would never relinquish the remainder of the game. Jy’Air Harris tried to keep his team as close as possible by scoring 6 points in the second quarter to lead Jeff Anama’s team, but the combination of Marion and Monte Parks with 6 points each in the quarter, was enough to keep the lead at four at the break, 34-30.

The third quarter was more to the speed and liking of the Wolves, as they outscored East Kentwood 21-15 to expand the lead to double digits for the first time, 55-45 after Marion Parks hit a left handed 30-footer as the horn sounded to close the quarter. McGee and Diego Ledesma each had seven in the quarter and Jackson had five for the Falcons.

The final quarter continued the late game dominance for Wyoming as they outscored East Kentwood 22-13 in the final stanza, including a 10-0 run in the middle, before late game substitutions were brought in for both teams. In the case of the Falcons, it was a final thank you from its fans as the seniors closed out their high school basketball careers, but ironically enough, it may have been the final time for Wyoming seniors to play in front of a crowd as well, depending upon what the Michigan High School Athletic Association deems necessary to help fight against the coronavirus. Many of the upcoming weekend’s state finals will be played in front of no spectators.

EK was led on the night by Jones with 13, Jackson 11, and Eric Cohill with 8, while the Wolves were led by McGee with 25, Ledesma 19, Monte Parks 14, and Marion Parks with 13.

East Kentwood was 5-for-14 from three-point territory and 13-for-23 from the free throw line while Wyoming was 4-for-10 from outside the arc and were 11-for-15 from the line. The difference could be seen in the turnovers as EK had 14 which were turned into 18 points for Wyoming, while the Wolves committed just 8 on the night.

Game on:WKTV’s featured games for March 20-25

March 21, 20173-bottom, SportsBaseball, East Kentwood, lacrosse, softball, South Christian, Tri-Unity, WKTV, Wyoming High SchoolJoanne

This week in WKTV’s featured high school sports games are:

Tuesday, March 21, the quest for a basketball state championship is underway as Tri-Unity Christian will face Buckley.

Tri-Unity Christian faces Burkley tonight.

Tri-Unity enters the contest with a 16-8 record while Buckley remains undefeated with a 24-0 record. The game will be at Tri-Unity Christian, 2100 44th St. SW. where they will have the home court advantage and the winner of this game will advance to play at Michigan State in the semi-finals in hopes of winning a state championship.

Wednesday, March 22, both of Wyoming’s baseball and softball teams will be opening their season with an away game at Lowell. The boys will play at 4 tp.m. and the girls will play at 4:15 p.m.

Thursday, March 23, Wyoming will take on Grand Rapids Covenant Christian for a baseball game, while the softball team of Wyoming will play against Zeeland West. Both games will be at Wyoming and played 4:15 p.m.

Friday March 24, South Christian will have its season opener at Holland Christian in a boys lacrosse game at 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 25, Grand Rapids Christian will play against East Kentwood’s baseball team at Davenport University at 6 p.m.

WKTV videos and broadcasts several games each week during high school sports season.

For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action in January, see now.wktv.org/sports/

DVDs of each game are also available for purchase at $20 including shipping. For more information, visit WKTV.org

Falcon’s boys team seeks winning mix of seniors, young talent

December 27, 20163-bottom, Education, Kentwood Public Schools, SportsEast Kentwood, East Kentwood Basketball, East Kentwood Falcons, East Kentwood High School, Jeff AnamaJoanne

East Kentwood High School’s boys basketball team tips off in a Dec. 16 game at Wyoming. (WKTV)

By. K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

East Kentwood boys basketball head coach Jeff Anama is still getting the feel for his 2016-17 Falcons squad as the prepares for a Dec. 28 game at perennial state-power Muskegon and then a short holiday break from their schedule.

But one thing he already knows for sure — freshman point guard Jamoni Jones is more than ready to lead his team.

“Jamoni Jones, we believe, is one of the best freshman in Grand Rapids area,” Anama said. He has been fantastic for a freshman in his first four games. He has a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is great for any guard who has the ball all the time … the point guard position has so much responsibility.”

Anama talked to WKTV following its Dec. 16 game at Wyoming broadcast by WKTV community television, a 64-59 loss which left the team at 2-2 in pre-conference games — and a game in which he started four seniors and Jones.

Against the Wolves, senior forward CaNas Coleman led the team in scoring with 14 points while fellow senior starter Keenan Williamson, at wing, added 10; both are averaging double-figure scoring in the first four games. Coleman is also averaging double-figures in rebounds. The other senior starters are wingman Daniel Akhimien and forward Yiber Sahtolli.

But Jones is not the only young player getting minutes for the Falcons, and the starting lineup may see more underclassman as the season goes on. Against Wyoming, sophomores Frederick Baker scored 12 and Adis Poljak added 10.

“Our other young guys have shown signs of getting more comfortable with the varsity level as well,” Anama said. “Adis Poljak had a great week … leading us in scoring vs Byron Center. Fredrick Baker is starting to find his shooting touch, and (sophomore) Ryel Daye brings the most energy on the team every game and every practice.”

So the ability of the Falcons to blend young talent with the seniors will be a major factor in the teams’s ability to compete in the OK Red Conference and make some noise at tournament time.

“We are an extremely young and inexperienced team, and all the teams we have played against have had many returning players,” Anama said. “I have been very impressed with our team’s ability to compete and very happy with our progress to this point. … We have some very nice pieces and we have not had a full roster healthy, so I think we’re only going to get better.”

In addition to the continued progress of his freshman point guard, Anama said he is confident in the continued progress and senior leadership of Williamson and Coleman.

“Keenan (Williamson) is an extremely quick guard who is in his first year on varsity and has done a tremendous job up in our games this year,” Anama said. “CaNas (Coleman) is also a first-year senior and is one of the best rebounders I’ve ever coached. Both guys are on a huge learning curve and have handled all of the pressure we have put on them very well to this point. … It is a long, tough season in the OK Red so it’s not going to get any easier for them.”

The team may also be bolstered by transfer D’Avery Moore, who played for Wyoming Godwin Heights last season and will be eligible after Jan. 16, Martin Luther King Day.

East Kentwood will open conference play on Jan. 6 with a game at Grandville.

Welcome to High-Tech Classroom, INC.

October 14, 20163-bottom, Area Education, Citizen Journalism, EducationCollaboration Center, Crestwood Middle school, East Kentwood, Erin Albanese, new furniture, School News NetworkJoanne

New study space patterned after workplace

By: Erin Albanese — School News Network

Crestwood Middle School’s new Collaboration Center looks more like a modern professional meeting room than a place seventh-graders complete school work.

Tables are situated for group work; a huge projector screen stands next to walls that serve as whiteboards. An artistic panel serves as a partition for a living-room style area. Small white boards called huddle boards connect to tables for students to scrawl notes. Six TV screens hang on the walls to display what’s projected on the big screen. Everything is outfitted for technology.

“This will have the best up-to-date technology a district can have,” said Superintendent Mike Zoerhoff. “We are trying to give our kids space to be innovative and not be held back by the constraints of a room.”

Crestwood’s Collaboration Center opened a year and a half ago, serving as a pilot for centers in schools district-wide. East Kentwood High School and the Freshman Campus will have centers as well as Pinewood and Valleywood middle schools. Elementary schools, beginning with Bowen, Brookwood, Southwood and Townline, will have redesigned media centers that blend features of a traditional library with the Collaboration Center concept. Centers are modeled after spaces at Steelcase University Learning Center in Grand Rapids.

The projects are funded through the $64.8 million bond passed last November. The plan for technology is ongoing to keep up with district needs and ever-evolving tech innovations over the next 10 years, Zoerhoff said.

Seventh-grade student Madison Catching, while working in the Collaboration Center with her class, glanced at the TV screen above the table where she worked on on a laptop. On the TV was an example of a writing prompt related to her language-arts assignment. “If we are back here and we can’t see (the large screen) we can look up here to see,” Madison said.

Teacher Erika Vann books the room regularly for her class because she loves the learning environment.

“I like how large it is,” Vann said. “The kids can move around. I don’t have to say ‘Shhh.’ They can talk.”

They also are savvy with the technology, and working on it while working together comes naturally, Vann said. “I tell them, ‘You are going to be doing this all your life. Collaboration is a part of everything.'”

Principal Don Dahlquist said the center is perfect for cross-curricular learning and projects that take on a new level of innovation. Even physical education teachers use it. “It really allows the teaching staff to be creative,” he said.

Funding for Safety, Security and Technology

Since the bond issue’s approval the district has purchased eight new buses, eliminating double runs and adding video camera for increased safety and security. Twenty-eight buses will be replaced over 10 years.

Parking lots were resurfaced at Endeavor and Townline elementary schools and exterior lighting was replaced.

More than 750 laptop computers were purchased district-wide. The plan is to purchase more than 5,000 Chromebooks over 10 years.

Artificial turfs were replaced at Falcon Stadium and Pat Patterson Athletic Field.

Projects planned for summer 2017 include a site plan renovation at East Kentwood High School to improve traffic flow and entrances.

Be sure to check out School News Network for more stories about our great students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan!

Student Braves ‘Train of Death’ to Come to U.S., Go to School

March 30, 20163-bottom, EducationEast Kentwood, Erin Albanese, Honduras, Refugee, School News NetworkJoanne

By: Erin Albanese – School News Network

Kenia’s story of her journey to the U.S. comes through the fuzzy lens of a child’s memory. She’s uncertain how long she traveled or even how old she was, but some things she recalls vividly: fear, thirst, hunger and preparing herself to die. It seems those things are harder to forget.

Her story unfolds as a series of unthinkable events when she teetered on the edge of death to escape the violence in her native Honduras and cross the U.S. border at an age when most American students are sitting at their school desks or headed to basketball practice.

Now a 19-year-old East Kentwood High School student, Kenia, who did not want her last name used, tells of the horrors she faced as a young girl traveling more than 2,000 miles on her own. The entire trek took months and she said along the way she was kidnapped, abused, threatened to be sold and hunted down by men who killed her father.

“It was very hard. I didn’t want to leave my country, but they killed my dad because he was black,” said Kenia. “I saw him covered with blood. I said, ‘Dad wake up, wake up,’ but he was dead.”

Her mother, who was native Indian, ran away, but eventually was killed as well.

So Kenia fled, walking for days and then riding bus after bus, before jumping onto a train that has been given the monikers “The Beast” and “The Train of Death” by those who have survived it. She climbed atop a rail car, where she experienced the blistering hot noontime sun and the cold dark of night, day after day. She doesn’t think she ever slept, because if you do, she said, you fall.

“I had to come without thinking,” she said. She left behind her grandmother, also now deceased, and other family members. “You just think, die or live? You come to U.S. or you die.”

‘Boom, He Was Gone’

She jumped on the train in Chiapas, Mexico, more than 400 miles from her home. Hundreds of thousands of migrants, most from Central America, take the route each year. Many of them are children like Kenia. As they pass by cities and towns, some people throw bread and others throw rocks at those on top of the train.

Kenia tells her story in a straight-forward tone. It is graphic. She remembers a friend whose grip slipped while trying to hold onto the train. “He yelled, ‘Let me go.’ … I screamed, ‘No!’ and boom, he was gone.”

When they weren’t riding, the migrants walked. Kenia said she remembers tearing open cactuses for drinking water. The only time she bathed was when they came upon a lake. She said she became very thin.

She remembers a group of men grabbing her. She was among several girls captured by human traffickers. Kenia is unsure how long she was with them, but said it was a long time. One day, however, while in a park, a boy realized she was in danger. He distracted the kidnappers and she took the opportunity to run away. It was just before she was to be sold. “It was planned already,” she said. “The man who wanted to buy me, he had the money ready.”

Another incredible occurrence was when Kenia had to cross the Rio Grande, which stretches south of Texas. It was a “very angry ocean,” she remembers. Unable to swim, the currents pushed her down. “I decided I would die there,” she said. “I woke up and said, ‘Am I alive?’ A boy was holding me.” Another boy had saved her.

She and the boy crossed the border into Texas, she recalled. Immigration authorities soon caught them. She begged them not to send her home. “I was like, ‘Please let me go! Please kill me now. Don’t bring me back there.'”

She was allowed to stay. She entered a home for refugees in Texas, and then began living with foster families. She was ultimately sponsored by Bethany Christian Services and moved in with a family in Kentwood.

At School in the U.S.

Kenia never went to school in Honduras because her family couldn’t afford it. Now, she plans to graduate next year from East Kentwood High School. Her native language is Garifuna, and three and a half years ago, when she arrived, she spoke no English. Now she speaks a total of six languages, including English.

She gets very frustrated with algebra, but likes biology and learning about animals. She gets good grades, recently staying up all night to study to earn a B- in biology.

She works at a nursing home. “I do that because I couldn’t help my grandma,” she said. She wants to go to college and become a nurse. Kenia said she still has a hard time trusting people.

Teacher Erin Wolohan works with many refugee students who have backgrounds as horrific as Kenia. They’re survivors, she said. “Kenia is hardworking and has tenacity,” Wolohan said. “I think she will do well if she keeps her eye on the prize: education and full employment.”

Kenia’s not sure how she’s come so far.

“I’m alive but I don’t know how I’m alive,” Kenia said. “I’m so glad I’m here, I don’t know what would happen if I was still in my country. My country is beautiful. The people is bad.”

Be sure to check out School News Network for more stories about our great students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan!

Hometown Heroes: Beyond the Music

May 14, 2015Local Faces, WKTV ProjectsCarrie Hoeksema, East Kentwood, Hometown Heroes, Joe PelleritoJoanne

Choir Teacher Carrie Hoeksema teaches lessons well beyond the classroom

This series of stories were written by high school students from Joe Pellerito’s Advanced Teen Leadership Class at East Kentwood High School. They wrote about the heroes in their lives. Stories were written especially for now.wktv.com.

A hero in my eyes is someone with a genuine and caring heart. Someone who is there when I and others need them and unafraid to speak their mind.

One of my heroes is a strong and spirited woman who walks into a classroom with a bright smile on her face and a positive attitude that shows she’s ready for whatever life has to throw at her. She has a powerful voice that can be heard across an entire school and is never afraid to use it. My hero is an absolutely wonderful choir teacher named Mrs. Carrie Hoeksema.

Each day she walks into the choir classroom at East Kentwood High School full of energy and ready to lead our class and motivate us to perform beautiful music. She consistently pushes the class to sing out and let our voices be heard, and always compliments and teaches us how to do better and grow as musicians. She’s always there for her students, and is always looking to help in any way she can.

Her inspiration to become a choir teacher came during her freshman year of college. She had been in band in high school and had her doubts about what choir would be like, but she decided to give it a try anyway. The choir instructor at the time was retiring, and the new instructor was the one who really inspired her to pursue a career as a choir teacher herself.

As a choir teacher, she feels like the most satisfying part of her job is the interaction with teens, the wide range of emotions surrounding them, and just the dramatic flair that comes with it. She thinks teens are full of hope and ideas, that they are unbreakable, and even responsible. The best part about her job is finding out these things from her students and creating strong relationships with them. She is sure they take the lessons she has taught and make use of it long after high school and college.

Her faith is very important to her, and she owes her biggest influence to God. She believes God inspires her to be the best person that she can be. She also believes God planted her on Earth to help and inspire kids and be a positive role model. Her faith keeps her going, and inspires her to keep kids and even staff members upbeat. Along with her faith, she owes her peppy spirit and personality to her late Grandma Sorensen, who was also quite bubbly and positive.

As a leader herself, she looks up to students who show leadership skills. She believes compassion, ethics, confidence, commitment, the willingness to learn, helping others, and the sense of community and world are all very important qualities of a leader.

Mrs. Hoeksema is not only one of my heroes, but also a strong and positive leader, an amazing teacher, and an awesome person to be around.

Survive and Advance: Two Wyoming-Kentwood Area Teams Still Left

March 17, 2015SportsDistrict Championship, East Kentwood, Godwin Heights, March Madness, MHSAA Basketball, Regional Championship, Wyoming Tri-Unity ChristianJoanne

Going into the weekend, four Wyoming-Kentwood area basketball teams still envisioned playing in the MHSAA State Championship game at the Breslin Center. After the dust settled, two teams faltered while the other two were able to keep the dream alive.

The Godwin Heights boys basketball team took on Wayland Union in the District final on Friday night and came out victorious, 63-56, thanks to some poor free throw shooting (46 percent) by the Wildcats. The District Championship was a first for new head coach Tyler Whittemore.

After winning Districts, the Wolverines faced off against Alma on Monday night in the Regional Semi-Final. Their patented suffocating ball pressure did its job and allowed the Wolverines to jump out to a 47-16 halftime lead! Godwin ended up coasting to a 76-39 victory. The team plays Charlotte on Wednesday for the Regional Championship.

The Tri-Unity Christian boys team dominated Zion Christian on Friday night to get back on track with a District Championship. Last season, for the first time since 1999, the Defenders didn’t get out of Districts! That changed with a 57-28 win over Byron Center Zion Christian.

Then, in the Regional Semi-Final, Chris Osantowski led Tri-Unity Christian to a victory with an impressive stat-line of 18 points, eight rebounds, six blocks and three steals! That great individual effort was more than enough to hound Kalamazoo Heritage Christian and give the Defenders a 72-44 victory. Mendon awaits in the Regional Championship

Godwin Heights Basketball — Godwin Heights wants a high-five, they’re playing for a Regional Championship!

In the girls Regional Championship on Thursday night, the Defenders of Tri-Unity Christian squared off against St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran. The Titans jumped out to an early 7-0 lead and didn’t look back. Ball pressure and early three-point shooting become too much for Tri-Unity to handle as they fell 62-43. The Defenders finish their 2015 campaign with a District Championship and an 18-7 record.

East Kentwood played with fire all season, winning nine games by six points or less, but still stood undefeated entering the District Championship on Friday night against Ottawa Hills. This game was no different as Ottawa Hills held a 15-point lead entering the fourth quarter. The Falcons ended up storming back held a one-point lead with less than a minute to play.

Unfortunately, when you play with fire it’s eventually going to burn you, and East Kentwood finally felt the burn. Lance Windom hit a jump-shot with 12 seconds left to give the Bengals a 59-56 victory and a District Championship over the Falcons! It was a great season for East Kentwood as they finished with a 21-1 record.

This piece was edited on 3/19 to include the Tri-Unity Christian Boys Basketball team!

Wyoming-Kentwood Area Teams and Playoff Results

East Kentwood Boys
District Semi-Final – W Middleville Thornapple Kellogg (52-47)
District Final – L Ottawa Hills (56-59)

East Kentwood Girls
District First Round – L Byron Center (36-41)

Godwin Heights Boys
District Semi-Final – W Kelloggsville (86-47)
District Final – W Wayland Union (63-56)
Regional Semi-Final – W Alma (76-39)
Regional Final – 3/18 Charlotte

Godwin Heights Girls
District Semi-Final – W Kelloggsville (50-39)
District Final – L Wayland Union (32-75)

Grand River Prep Boys
District Semi-Final – L Wayland Union (34-80)

Grand River Prep Girls
District Semi-Final – L Wayland Union (46-76)

Kelloggsville Boys
District First Round – W Aviation Academy (85-34)
District Semi-Final – L Godwin Heights (86-47)

Kelloggsville Girls
District Semi-Final – L Godwin Heights (39-50)

Potter’s House Boys
District First Round – W Holland Calvary (44-55)

Potter’s House Girls
District First Round – W Holland Calvary (50-42)
District Semi-Finals – L Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian (45-64)

South Christian Boys
District First Round – L Wayland Union (62-72)

South Christian Girls
District First Round – L Wayland Union (39-59)

Tri-Unity Boys
District Semi-Final – W Holland Calvary
District Final – W Zion Christian (57-28)
Regional Semi-Final – W Kalamazoo Heritage Christian (72-44)

Tri-Unity Girls
District First Round – W West Michigan Lutheran (64-37)
District Semi-Final – W Zion Christian (51-43)
District Final – W Potter’s House Christian (64-45)
Regional Semi-Final – W Martin (48-38)
Regional Final – L St Joseph Michigan Lutheran (43-62)

West Michigan Aviation Academy Boys
District First Round – L Kelloggsville (34-85)

West Michigan Lutheran Boys
District Semi-Final – L Byron Center Zion Christian (27-55)

West Michigan Lutheran Girls
District First Round – L Tri-Unity Christian (37-64)

Wyoming Boys
District First Round – W Zeeland East (71-59)
District Semi-Final – L Hudsonville (64-77)

Wyoming Girls
District First Round – W Zeeland East (66-40)
District Semi-Final – W West Ottawa (57-53)
District Final – L Hudsonville (49-64)

Wyoming Lee Boys
District First Round – L Comstock Park (29-56)

Wyoming Lee Girls
District Semi-Final – L Catholic Central (6-76)

Wyoming and Kentwood Area Basketball Teams Feel the Magic of March

March 12, 2015SportsEast Kentwood, Godwin Heights, High School Basketball, MHSAA March Madness, Tri-Unity ChristianJoanne

The MHSAA basketball playoffs are underway this week for both boys and girls! While the boys teams are competing in the District tournament this week, the girls are through Districts and onto the Regional rounds!

Tri-Unity Christian is the only girls team left standing from the Wyoming-Kentwood area. After winning their District in class D by dispatching West Michigan Lutheran, Byron Center Byron Christian, and Potter’s House Christian, the Defenders of Tri-Unity Christian now eye the Regional Championship. The Defenders defeated Martin in their first regional game Wednesday night and play St. Joseph this Friday for a spot in the final 8!

The boys are just starting their District tournament this week and a few schools in the Wyoming-Kentwood area have their sights set much higher than just a District Championship.

East Kentwood before an early season game against Caledonia — After finishing the season undefeated, the East Kentwood basketball team has high expectations for March.

After finishing the season undefeated with numerous nail-biting victories, East Kentwood is looking towards a possible State Championship. The Falcons are the only team over the last two seasons to topple the Big Reds of Muskegon. That monster win early in the season put a massive target on the Falcon’s back as they have taken every opponent’s best shot. East Kentwood takes on Ottawa Hills Friday night for the District Championship.

Godwin Heights finished the regular season 19-1 with that lone blemish coming in a three-point road loss to conference rival NorthPointe Christian. Since that game in late January, the Wolverines have looked stellar and eventually avenged their loss to NorthPointe Christian with an eight-point win later in the season.

The Wolverines have the added benefit of playing the District tournament at home and play Wayland Union in the finals on Friday.

Check the website next week for a quick recap of each remaining team as they set their eyes on the State Championship!

Wyoming-Kentwood Area Teams and Playoff Results

East Kentwood Boys
District Semi-Final – W Middleville Thornapple Kellogg (52-47)
District Final – Ottawa Hills

East Kentwood Girls
District First Round – L Byron Center (36-41)

Godwin Heights Boys
District Semi-Final – W Kelloggsville (86-47)
District Final – Wayland Union