Tag Archives: Kevin Polston

School News Network: Godfrey-Lee holds first community forum on middle and high school renovation

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Superintendent Kevin Polston listens to community members during a community forum on Sept. 11. The forum was held to gather renovation ideas for Lee Middle and High School. (School News Network)

By Cris Greer
School News Network

A pronounced entrance way, flexible spaces, better ventilation and lighting, and a separate auditorium and gym were common threads at the school district’s first community forum seeking input for the renovation of Lee Middle and High School held recently at the Early Childhood Center.

Seven classrooms and the psychologist’s office were destroyed during a roof collapse at 1335 Lee St. SW on June 5. No one was injured. It was determined that corrosion of bar joists that supported the roof structure caused it to disengage from the exterior wall.



On June 23, the remaining structure of the affected area collapsed from the weight of the debris. With localized repairs, the remaining portion of the building was ready for opening day as planned on Aug. 19.


Two more forums will be held, on Oct. 9 and Nov. 4 at Lee Middle and High School. The board plans to vote on design plans on Nov. 11. 

The design phase will take place through May, and construction is planned to begin next summer. 

The forum is the first of three sessions to get feedback from the community and to create a renovation plan.

Kevin Polston

Superintendent Kevin Polston said the forums will build on each other.

“We need folks to keep coming because we want the community’s voice to be represented in the final product,” he explained. “This is a community project.”

There are two phases: Phase 1 is redesigning the wing affected by the roof collapse, and Phase 2 involves planning other portions of the building.

Although a financial offer from the insurance company hasn’t yet been made, Polston said the process moves on.

“We’re trying to be patient with that … and we’ll keep the community in the loop,” he said. “I really want to credit our students and staff at Lee. We made the best of the situation, and our students were very patient finding new rooms and not having a locker in the first couple weeks.”

Polston reiterated that the site is safe during construction.

“There are fire walls and locked doors preventing students and anybody from accessing the affected area. Our contractors for plumbing, electrical, fire suppression and technology are designing how to reroute the infrastructure so we can demolish the wing.”


The wing is planned to be demolished in the next six weeks and “won’t impact our school, the learning environment,” Polston explained. 

Creating A Vision

After the presentation, which included site information and a look at design trends by architectural/engineering firm TowerPinkster, community members took part in small group discussions.

Common themes included having flexible spaces, classroom connectivity, comfortable furniture, natural and better lighting, a comfortable learning environment that includes better ventilation and air conditioning, a dedicated auditorium for the arts, and a cafeteria separate from the gym.

Two other popular ideas were to build a pronounced, inviting entranceway — “a new opportunity to embrace people,” a community member said — and a courtyard open to other areas of the building.

“The feedback really resonated with what we’re trying to do; it’s about creating a vision for what the school could be and that’s exactly what we needed,” Polston said. “We had staff, community members, parents; a good cross-section of the community. Even though we didn’t have a high turnout, I think the representation was what we were hoping for.”

Other feedback included:

  • Safe and secure entrances
  • Flexibility to change with trends and needs
  • TVs throughout to inform and update
  • ADA accessibility
  • Include student input
  • Community needs to own the redesign
  • Transparency: what’s going on and why?


A recent photo of Lee Middle and High School shows a closed-off area of the building where the roof collapsed on June 5



Meetings Eased Fears

Cecilia Garcia, a mother of four students, said she’s attending the meetings to make sure they’ll get an updated and modernized building.

“This one has a lot of issues,” she said. “I have three kids in high school and they always complain that it’s too hot in there and they can’t concentrate during class. I want to keep updated as to what’s going on.”

Right after the collapse, Garcia said she was worried about the building and tried to transfer her kids to another district, but was too late to enroll them. 

She said her worries have eased since going to the meetings.

Board of Education trustee and parent Jackie Hernandez, who has two children in middle school, said she wants to make sure they deliver clear, understandable information to the community.

She said one of the primary things her children want is air conditioning.

“It’s very hot in the school,” said Hernandez, who wants access to technology included in the new design, and to make sure a school is built with the future in mind.

Funding Needed

Polston said he has met with legislators multiple times, including with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently to tell their story and get support. He told those at the forum that the community’s voices are being heard.

Polston said the district is asking for stabilization funds for a year to avoid added pressure on the budget if enrollment falls below projections — possible if fears about the collapse prompt some to transfer out of the district.

“We’re monitoring enrollment closely to determine if that would be a solution for us,” he explained.

The district also is pushing for a structural fix for the inequity of school funding.

“A district like ours that has the second-lowest tax base in the state of Michigan on a per-pupil basis … we’re about tapped out as to what we can levy,” Polston said. “When we look at equity for our students, the kids that need the most, unfortunately, tend to get the least in the state of Michigan.

“Our students deserve the same opportunities, the same access that students anywhere do.”

With the limited funding, Polston said one possibility is a capital campaign to seek donations.

As with the mascot change last summer, the board said they wouldn’t use general funds, and to date have raised over $120,000 in community donations toward that effort.

“We’re going to keep having those conversations to see if we can raise private money to match what the community can raise,” Polston said. “The worst they can tell me is no; I take rejection well.”

For more stories on local schools, visit the School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.

Lee high building update, County strategic plan on latest WKTV Journal In Focus

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By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org

On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus is an update on the June partial building collapse at Lee Middle and High School. District Superintendent Kevin Polston separates the facts from the fictions of the incident and the aftermath. Also, Kent County recently adopted an extensive Strategic Plan that not only sets out its mission and vision but also a set of values that will drive its priorities and goals. With us is both the county’s lead administrator and Wyoming’s own representative on the County Commission.

First In Focus is Godfrey Lee Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Polston, who’s summer took a hard turn in June with the collapse of a portion of the Lee Middle and High School complex of buildings. Recently, he has held a series of meetings to inform parents, the general public and the school district community about the collapse as well as where the district goes from here, both in the short and long term. We invited him into our studios to reach out to our WKTV audience with the information. See the In Focus Video here.

County Administrator Wayman Britt and County Commissioner Harold Voorhees on the set of WKTV Journal In Focus. (WKTV)

Then In Focus is Kent County’s new Strategic Plan, set to cover the years 2019 to 2023 and designed to establish and detail the county government’s, “mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities and goals.” With us is County Administrator Wayman Britt, who after serving as county controller was promoted to the dual role of administrator and controller in early 2018, also joining us is County Commissioner Harold Voorhees, whose District 8 is — as he likes to say “entirely within the City of Wyoming”. See the In Focus video here.

WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.

Snapshots: Wyoming, Kentwood news you ought to know

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Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.

Dr. Seuss


By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Parting is Sweet Sorrow

Marti and Bruce Johns have served as the Studio 28 Flea Market managers for more than 30 years. (WTVK)

After 50 years, the Studio 28 Flea Market is having its last weekend this Saturday and Sunday. The 13 acres the market sits on is in the final stages of being sold, according to officials at Studio C, which oversees Celebration! Cinema and owns the land. Vendors and the market managers, Marti and Bruce Johns, hope people stop by this weekend, between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., for one last walk through and to swap a few memories and laughs. The market is located on Prairie Avenue in Wyoming across from the Wyoming High School.

Structurally Sound

A portion of the roof at Lee Middle/High School collapsed in June. (WKTV)

All those Godfrey Lee students hoping for a delay in school due to the roof collapse at the Lee Middle/High School earlier this summer are going to be greatly disappointed. According to Superintendent Kevin Polston, the building has been inspected and it has been found to be structurally sound. School officials said they are planning for the regular start of school, which for the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools district is Aug. 19.

Just Pinky

“Supporting the fighters, admiring the survivors, honoring the taken and never giving up hope.”


The Kent County Sheriff’s Department has made pink its color. Starting this month, the department is offering pink Sheriff’s Office patches for a $10 donation with the proceeds going to Gilda’s Club and the Kent County Sheriff’s Office Benevolent Fund. To get a patch, go to the pinkpatchproject.com.

Sault Ste. Marie:
More Than Just Locks

While famous for being the home of the Soo Locks, Sault Ste. Marie also goes down in the history books as the first European settlement in the Midwest and the third oldest one west of the Appalachians. Sault Ste. Marie marked its 350th anniversary in 2018. The oldest city in the United States? That goes St. Augustine, Florida, which is more than 450 years old.

School News Network: Godfrey Lee superintendent makes push for reducing absences

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https://youtu.be/b2i3ftKyLHQ

By Bridie Bereza

School News Network

 

Years ago, while teaching automotive service at Kent Transition Center, Mark Larson helped one of his students find employment, and the student loved that job, he recalled.

 

About a year after he graduated, he visited Larson and told him he lost the job. “They said I missed too much work.”

 

But it wasn’t that much, the student insisted: “Just like in school: every other Friday.”

 

It’s that sort of chronic absenteeism, defined as 10 percent of missed school time or 18 missed days per year, that Larson, now Kent ISD’s truancy and attendance coordinator, hopes to target with the recently launched “Strive for Less than 5” campaign.

 

All Kent ISD school districts have come on board with the campaign which, as the name implies, encourages students not to miss any more than four days of school per year. It was adapted from successful work already done by Grand Rapids Public Schools in conjunction with Attendance Works and the Doug & Maria DeVos Foundation.

 

GRPS and the foundation shared its materials with Larson and Kent ISD colleagues, who then created the ISD-wide campaign. The foundation also contributed funds toward the materials.

Students who helped make the Strive video strike the “less than 5” pose

 

Absence Makes the… Grades Founder

 

Larson said “Somewhere along the line, the perception of school attendance changed from one of primacy — you attend school unless there’s a reason not to — to one of ‘Well, it really doesn’t matter if you miss school, as long as it’s for a good reason.’

 

“And that’s not true. What we’re learning is any absenteeism, for any reason, is harmful to the learning process.”

 

Last year, 12.1 percent of students in Kent ISD schools were chronically absent, down from 13.9 percent the previous year. Statewide, 15.6 percent of students in public school districts were chronically absent last year.

 

The harm from school absences is measurable, said Larson, whose work has become increasingly data-driven. Every 10 days of absence, he said, equates to a drop in one full letter grade. In as little as five absences, Larson said, there can be a drop in standardized test scores. Declines in grades and graduation rates are evident at 10 percent.

 

“ANY TIME THERE’S CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM FROM SCHOOL, IT’S TYPICALLY A SYMPTOM OF SOMETHING ELSE. OUR APPROACH IS, ‘HOW CAN WE HELP?’”— KEVIN POLSTON, SUPERINTENDENT OF GODFREY-LEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

 

Kevin Polston, superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, said that a few missed school days here and there may not seem like a big deal to a family, but it can quickly put a student on track for truancy.

 

Bill Fetterhoff, superintendent of Godwin Heights Public Schools, stressed the need for what he called “bell-to-bell teaching.” It goes beyond absences, he said: “To start late or leave early can be devastating to learning.”

 

Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Polston says that absences can be indicative of a variety of challenges that students and families face

A Symptom of Something Else

 

“It’s not new information that kids need to go to school,” Polston said. “Our parents say the same thing.”

 

But, he said, issues such a transportation and physical and mental health can be barriers to attendance. Whatever the problem is, Polston said, chances are he’s heard it before. That’s why districts are connected with wraparound services such as mental health services or bus passes — whatever meets the need.

 

“Any time there’s chronic absenteeism from school, it’s typically a symptom of something else. Our approach is, ‘how can we help?’”

 

Polston said that with a few exceptions, unless a student has a sustained fever of more than 100 degrees or is vomiting, they need to be in school

 

A “Strive for Less Than 5” message hangs at the entrance of Kelloggsville Middle School

Spreading the word

 

Getting the word out about Strive looks different, depending on the district. Kent ISD created communication plans and materials  — stickers, videos, posters, and billboards, for example — to help schools spread the message.

 

At Godwin Heights, Fetterhoff said, some schools are using those materials and others are using novel tactics to increase attendance. North Godwin Elementary, for example, is targeting families with a history of absenteeism with a rewards program that awards gift cards for attendance. Polston said teachers throughout Godfrey-Lee have offered incentive and recognition programs to students for attendance.

 

While the coordinated public information campaign is new, absenteeism has long been a focus for the region’s superintendents, Fetterhoff said.

School News Network: Grant to stock class libraries will be a ‘difference-maker’ for children

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A child from a Godfrey-Lee family holds onto a book she received at a recent literacy event

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

There’s perhaps no better way to inspire students to read than to put good books in their hands. That’s one message of Reading Now Network, and the motivation behind a $15,000 challenge grant from the Guido A. and Elizabeth H. Binda Foundation to enhance elementary classroom libraries.

 

New books should be on the shelves this fall, said Godfrey-Lee Superintendent Kevin Polston.

 

Enhancing the district’s classroom libraries was a key recommendation of the Reading Now Network earlier this school year, after a team of literacy experts visited classrooms, met with teachers and reviewed the literacy program at Godfrey Elementary School and the Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center. RNN is a collective effort of superintendents, school boards and school districts throughout West Michigan to improve early literacy and student achievement across all grade levels.

 

“We are honored that the Binda Foundation and Reading Now Network, in collaboration with Kent ISD, have invested in the students of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools,” Polston said in a press release. “Rich classroom libraries, filled with engaging texts, is a proven strategy to increase literacy achievement. We could not be more excited to do this work alongside our strong partners, to grow the learning of our students.”

 

The gift was given in honor of Vern Boss, retired superintendent of Kent ISD and a retired trustee of the Binda Foundation. The funds were issued as a challenge grant that calls for the school district to raise $15,000 in matching funds from individuals and community partners. Polston said Godfrey-Lee has already raised the funds.

 

The grant should be of great benefit to Godfrey-Lee students, said  Kyle Mayer, assistant superintendent for Instructional Services at Ottawa Area Intermediate School District and a member of the Reading Now Network Leadership Team.

 

“We know that student access to abundant and culturally relevant reading materials is an essential practice in literacy and has been an ongoing focus of Reading Now Network for several years,” Mayer said. “We are so excited and grateful for this support at Godfrey-Lee. It’s going to be a difference-maker for the children. We can’t wait to watch them discover all of the new and interesting reading materials.”

School News Network: Five districts, five strategies to reach ‘Top 10 in 10’

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By Morgan Jarema

School News Network

 

Godwin Heights Public Schools Superintendent Bill Fetterhoff, center, listens as Michelle Krynicki director of instruction, and Title III, speaks to the State Board of Education. (Photos courtesy of School News Network.)

Superintendents from five Kent County school districts got the chance on Tuesday to tout their school improvement initiatives, when State Superintendent Brian Whiston and the eight-member State Board of Education visited Kent ISD.

 

Presenting superintendents were Michael Shibler of Rockford Public Schools; Gerald Hopkins of Kenowa Hills Public Schools; Thomas Reeder of Wyoming Public Schools; William Fetterhoff of Godwin Heights Public Schools; and Kevin Polston of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools.

 

Each presentation included what those districts are doing around one or more of the goals of the State Department of Education’s “Top 10 in 10” initiative to make Michigan a premier education state in 10 years.

 

Luke Wilcox, this year’s Michigan Teacher of the Year, also took part as a representative of Kentwood Public Schools.

 

Kent ISD was the first stop in the state BOE’s new plan to visit two intermediate school districts each year. The board will visit Wayne RESA in February.

 

Here is a brief summary of the superintendents’ presentations.

 

 

Luke Wilcox, Michigan Teacher of the Year, of Kentwood Public Schools, with State Board member Lupe Ramos-Montigny of Grand Rapids.

Rockford Public Schools: Action Model for Success

Since 1989, Rockford has involved the community, businesses, staff and students to help shape the district’s direction and priorities, resulting in three-year strategic plans. The district is currently finalizing its Rams X report for the next three years.

 

Key to that level of community engagement is accountability, said Superintendent Michael Shibler.

 

“This is, quite frankly, the reason we are an outstanding school system,” Shibler told board members. “And it fits your plan, the fact that you need to have stakeholder input to accomplish your goals.”

 

He shared that if an employer tells him an employee who is a Rockford graduate doesn’t have a skill he or she should have gotten in high school, “I’ll bring that student back free of charge to get those skills.”

 

 

 

Wyoming Public Schools Superintndent Tom Reeder tells the board of his district’s efforts to improve reading proficiency.

Wyoming Public Schools: Reading Now Network, Early Literacy and Literacy Coaching

The three components are key to district efforts to improve reading proficiency for all students. Highlighted for the board was the importance and purpose of early literacy work and literacy coaches throughout the buildings.

 

The district increased its reading scores through its participation in the Reading Now Network, a collaborative effort involving 100 districts to boost reading proficiency to 80 percent in 13 counties. Wyoming’s partnership with RNN also led to a $10,000 grant from the Herman Miller company, to help get more books into classrooms and create a more consistent book-leveling system.

 

“We all need to own that our students need to be reading much better than they are,” Superintendent Tom Reeder said.

 

 

Godwin Heights Public Schools: Fostering Shared Responsibility in School Improvement

After establishing a clear purpose and message about sharing the work of improvement, administrators and instructional coaches lead teams in highly focused learning. That begins with thoroughly understanding a district instructional goal and visiting classrooms to see it in action. Debriefing sessions within groups lead to possible steps for new improvements toward the goal.

 

Participants walk away with better understanding, new ways to explore meeting the goal, and a renewed sense of shared responsibility for all students to be career and college ready, said Superintendent Bill Fetterhoff.

 

Fetterhoff said the strategy has three elements: learning labs, where teachers observe, interact with and learn from one another; and administrators are exempt; learning walks, where administrators and instructional specialists create a consistent “lens” to support teaching staff; and school improvement, where participation is a blend of the other groups.

 

“So we see it in three different ways, but all the ways are there to enhance student achievement — to make our principals, our teachers, our coaches better,” Fetterhoff said. “It’s all about the learning communities and how the different cycles overlap. The greatest part about it is the feedback, and that’s been that they have confidence that we are doing this for the right reasons.”

 

 

Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Polston and Assistant Superintendent Carol Lautenbach speak to the State Board of Education, as Michigan Teacher of the Year Lucas Wilcox, right, looks on.

Godfrey-Lee Public Schools: A Broader Definition of Student Success

The district’s design thinking process led to a redesign of its model of student success that addresses the needs of the whole child instead of simply providing content. This includes responding to research that indicates students need the 6Cs — communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, confidence and content mastery – for success in the 21st century.

 

Educating the whole child also means fulfilling needs to ensure students are healthy and ready to learn, through programs like Kent School Services Network.

 

“First, we determine our values, and then we develop goals around those values,” Superintendent Kevin Polston told board members. “When we think about our traditional way of doing school, we’ve maxed out just about all the ways of tweaking how we’ve done that. We need to look at education through a different lens if we are going to significantly transform what we’re doing.”

 

 

Kenowa Hills Public Schools: Competency-based Learning

This paradigm-shifting approach to learning is part of a growing national trend in helping all students reach college and career readiness. In this approach, students move ahead individually as soon as they learn the material, and not together as an entire class. This allows some to move more quickly, while others get the support they need, enabling all to master the content.

 

The district began this shift in 2012 with K-8 mathematics, and has now implemented it districtwide. Administrators say they consistently see students who are more engaged, learning at deeper levels, and taking more ownership of their learning.

 

“It’s the reality of what all schools face: students who are not engaged, are not meeting the rigors and demands of school and they don’t know why,” Superintendent Gerald Hopkins said. “We don’t have all the answers, but we want to continue to learn and to keep looking for them.”
State Board members seemed to appreciate being able to meet superintendents on their own turf.

 

“This is the first time we’ve taken our meeting on the road,” said Eileen Lappin Weiser. “You folks are setting a horribly high standard.”

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

Godfrey-Lee’s new school superintendent on latest WKTV Journal: In Focus 

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New Godfrey-Lee Public School superintendent Kevin Polston visits WKTV Journal’s In Focus set. (WKTV)

WKTV Staff

news@wktv.org

 

On the latest episode of “WKTV Journal: In Focus”, WKTV’s public affairs show, program host Ken Norris talks with new Godfrey-Lee Public School superintendent Kevin Polston about the opportunities — not challenges — his district offers.

 

Also on the program, with all the road construction going on, just about everywhere, WKTV hosts a deputy managing director of the Kent County Road Commission as he discusses the public’s role in work zone safety.

 

The new episode will air twice a week on WKTV channels starting this week and running through Oct. 5. Along with all episodes of WKTV Journal: In Focus, the new interviews are also available on YouTube at WKTVVideos.

 

 

In the interview, Superintendent Polston talks, among several topics, about how demographics of his district — which includes a high Hispanic population — is an obstacle to be overcome for some of his students but also could develop in a bilingual asset for future students and graduates.

 

A bilingual student population “is not one that has been traditionally valued because were get measured on the rate of English acquisition” by Spanish speaking students, Polston said. “Over 50 percent of our students qualify for English language services. … I think bilingual is a tremendous asset, especially with the largest growing demographic in our country right now is our Hispanic population.”

 

Prior to taking the position in July, Polston served as Lakeshore Middle School’s principal, but he has worked in the classroom as well as in administration. He received his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, and his master’s in educational leadership from Grand Valley State University.

 

“WKTV Journal: In Focus” will started airing on Tuesday, Sept. 26, and will air on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 6:30 p.m., on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel.

 

For a video of the In Focus interview with Jerry Byrne, deputy managing director of the Kent County Road Commission, see below.

 

 

 

 

School News Network: Superintendents support students in the face of DACA decision

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GRPS Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal, at podium, spoke at a press conference Tuesday following President Trump’s decision to end the DACA program (photo courtesy Grand Rapids Public Schools)

By Charles honey and Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

As a mother and grandmother, Teresa Weatherall Neal knows well the value of family. And as superintendent of nearly 17,000 Grand Rapids Public Schools students, she thinks about the families they all come from.

 

So Neal’s reaction to President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was a strong and swift call to protect students and their families from deportation.

 

“I’m going to fight for them,” Neal said in her office, the day after Trump announced a phase-out of DACA . “I stand with them. I will fight till the bitter end to keep these children in the school system, with their families.”

 

Her remarks followed a GRPS Board of Education resolution denouncing the decision, and calling on Congress to pass legislation enabling undocumented young people to gain permanent residency. Other area superintendents also expressed support of their immigrant students, in light of the decision that removes protection from deportation for children raised in the U.S. by undocumented parents.

Kevin Polston

 

In a prepared statement, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Polston said the district “reaffirms our commitment to providing safe and supportive  learning environments for each student.”

 

“(B)ecause each child’s unique path is an integral chapter in our district’s story, this action by the executive branch will impact our whole community,” said Polston, whose district’s students are 75 percent Latino. “Our diversity is our strength, and our doors are open for all families that hope for a brighter future for their children. We are forever friend and partner on this journey.”

 

Tom Reeder

Supporting Diversity in Districts

 

In Wyoming Public Schools, where 38 percent of students are Latino, Supertintendent Tom Reeder did not specifically address DACA but alluded to government decisions that “have caused significant stress to our families, particularly our children.”

 

“The last nine months have brought great stress upon members of our community – more than I can remember in the past – and greatly impacts our local families,” Reeder said in a statement to School News Network. “Wyoming Public Schools will continue to support all our students and families in the best way possible to ensure safety and the best environment for learning success.”

 

He urged parents to reach out to the district to reduce any barrier to their children’s learning, adding, “In the meantime, we hope that adults will seek solutions in the near future that will always ensure everyone is valued, our most vulnerable are protected, and our core fundamental beliefs revisited.”

 

Kentwood Public Schools is home to a great many immigrant and refugee families, a fact Superintendent Michael Zoerhoff emphasized.

 

Mike Zoerhoff

“The strength of our Kentwood community is our diversity and the tapestry of cultures that make up our school district,” Zoerhoff told SNN. “We will continue with our mission to provide an education of excellence and equity to all the children who come through our doors. Kentwood Public Schools is a family and we will continue to support our family members in any way possible.”

 

The Trump administration’s decision, announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, would end the DACA program enacted by President Obama in 2012. It allows young people brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents, to receive temporary permission to work, study and get driver’s licenses, renewable every two years. To qualify, applicants must have clean criminal records, be enrolled in school or serve in the military. About 800,000 are current recipients.

 

This week’s decision officially ends the program in March and halts new applications now, but those whose permits expire before March 5 can apply for a two-year renewal. Trump called on Congress to pass immigration legislation to replace it,and tweeted that he will “revisit this issue” if Congress does not act.

 

‘It’s About Humanity’

 

In Grand Rapids Public Schools, which enrolls about 4,000 Latino students, the program’s cancellation may affect between 500 and 1,000 students, said spokesman John Helmholdt. Although most are Latino, some come from other countries, he said, adding the district has “a moral obligation” to support their families and “get Congress to take action to do what’s right by kids.”

 

“This has a negative impact on social/emotional learning,” Helmholdt said. “Now students and their families are not focused on the children’s education and getting homework done. They’re having fear for what does this executive order mean, and what do they have to do to make any kinds of preparation in the event Congress doesn’t take swift action.

 

“This is the insanity of this new administration,” he added. “It’s evoking this fear, anxiety and us vs. them mentality that has no place in public education.”

 

The GRPS school board statement said members were “deeply disappointed” by Trump’s decision, and urged Congress to pass the Development, Relief and Education for Minors (DREAM) Act, introduced in 2001 but never approved. The board called DACA “crucially important to public education,” noting teachers working under the program help fill a need for teaching English-language learners.

 

“We believe students brought to the United States as children must be able to pursue an education without the threat of deportation, and have a pathway to fully participate in the American society as citizens,” the board said. Board President Wendy Falb and Superintendent Neal spoke out at a press conference on the day of Trump’s decision, along with a DACA recipient with children in GRPS and Roberto Torres, executive director of the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan. Neal later called the decision unjust and “unconscionable,” causing trauma to families, students and staff.

 

“To disrupt the lives of kids is so wrong,” Neal said. “We should be focusing in on educating these kids. I shouldn’t worry about whether my kids are going to show up because they’re afraid to come out of the shadows.”She urged superintendents, city officials and companies across the area to find out how many families are affected, then work to craft a legislative solution.

 

“I don’t think it’s a Republican or Dem thing,” she added. “It’s about humanity.”

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

School News Network: New school chief aims to ‘build trust and relationships’

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Godfrey-ee Superintendent Kevin Polston chats with ninth-grader Jose De La O, at right and his sister, Alejandra De La O, a 2011 Lee High graduate (School News Network)

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

Superintendent Kevin Polston is greeting people in the neighborhoods, school and local businesses. He’s talking to students, letting them see he wants to know each of them, what they like to do, what grade they are in.

 

Reaching out is key, he said, in keeping momentum going forward in the district, which has experienced successes and growth in recent years.

 

“I want people to get to know me and build trust and relationships,” said Polston, who started as superintendent July 1. “I don’t take the responsibility lightly of parents trusting us with their children for the better part of their day. That’s an honor and responsibility that I take seriously: to be good stewards of that time, resource and trust that parents give us.”

 

Polston, 39, the youngest superintendent in Kent County’s 20 traditional districts, takes the reins from David Britten who retired from the post after nine years.

 

Staff members said they look forward to the vigor and fresh insight Polston can bring to the job. His purpose as an educator complements doing just that.

 

Polston meets with students at Lee Middle-High School

“My mission in education was to change the world,” Polston said. “The people that came before me made great sacrifices so I can have opportunity. I take that responsibility as, ‘How can I provide those opportunities as a school leader for our students, here?’

 

“One of our responsibilities is to provide a better future for our youth, and there’s no better vehicle to deliver that than through education.”

 

Identifying with Newcomer Experience

Polston shares with many Godfrey-Lee students the experience of being raised in an immigrant family. Polston’s mother, Elizabeth Polston, immigrated from Palestine as a child. The family was proud of their culture, which was ingrained in his upbringing.

 

“Arab Americans are very familial. It’s a very close-knit community,” he said, relating it to the largely Hispanic Godfrey-Lee community. “There’s a lot of parallels with the Latino and Hispanic community and the community I grew up in.”

 

He remembers realizing as a ninth-grader, while attending a primarily Caucasian school near Lansing, that people wondered about his background. Friends would ask, “What are you?” when inquiring about his ethnicity. “It was really people trying to get to know me but they didn’t have the words to ask.”

 

Still, over time, he became aware of perceptions and double standards when it comes to different ethnic groups. “You soak up all those things. They are either implied or explicit; regardless, they have an impact on you.

 

“The brain has this desire to categorize and compartmentalize information and we have to actively work to disrupt our natural reaction to things. That’s where education comes in. That’s where relationships come in.”

 

Superintendent Kevin Polston takes a look at senior Adriana Sanchez’s schedule

Seeking ‘Something More’

Polston said he was very happy as a middle school principal in Grand Haven, but always sought “something more.” He was executive director of an after-school program that served low-income students. He also chaired a committee focused on diversity. “When you look at the places where I had a choice to spend my time, it was with populations that are similar to the populations here,” he noted.

 

He’s already caught on to the family atmosphere in Godfrey-Lee.

 

“The school staff is so committed here. They care deeply about their students, and they work tirelessly to deliver the best instruction possible. It’s more than instruction, it’s the best possible education.”

 

Staff members said they are embracing possibilities.

 

“We are excited to see a new face in that position, though we’ll miss (Britten),” said Tom DeGennaro, a high school social studies teacher. “We look forward to new ideas and a different energy level. Change can be exciting.”

 

Said Brett Lambert, Lee High-Middle dean of students, “The room is full of positive energy and we’re ready to roll.”

School News Network: Godfrey-Lee’s new district chief values community diversity

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, , , ,

Kevin Polston

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

The Board of Education has selected Kevin Polston, principal of Lakeshore Middle School, in Grand Haven Public Schools, as its new superintendent.

 

The board plans to negotiate a contract with Polston, with his first day on the job expected July 1.

 

“I’m really excited and grateful,” said Polston, 39. “When I looked at Godfrey-Lee the thing that jumped out was the culture and commitment to supporting families.”

 

Polston has served as Lakeshore Middle School principal since 2011 and as assistant principal there for two years before that. He received his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies – human resources and secondary social studies education at Michigan State University, and his master’s in educational leadership from Grand Valley State University. He has also worked as a curriculum specialist and social studies teacher in Grand Haven Public Schools.

 

“Godfrey-Lee schools really serve the community and that’s been a central focus of my philosophy in education,” he said of the small, majority Hispanic district in Wyoming.

 

Polston will replace nine-year Superintendent David Britten, who will step down June 30.

 

“Kevin Polston brings a lot of really good experience in the kind of work he’s been doing,” said Board of Education President Eric Mockerman. “He expressed excitement about the initiatives we’ve been doing in the district.”

 

Polston, whose mother was an immigrant from Palestine, said he has always embraced diversity in education.

 

“A passion of mine has been working with our staff on climate and diversity and being an advocate for persons of color,” he said.

 

He is the second educator selected for the position. In March, Carlos Lopez, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment in Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, in Plymouth, declined an offer for the job.

 

Polston was selected from a second pool including three other finalists:

 

  • Scott Riley, superintendent of Camden-Frontier Schools, in Camden;
  • Coby Fletcher, principal at East Lansing High School;
  • Michael Pascoe, principal of City High/Middle School and Center for Economicology in Grand Rapids Public Schools. Pascoe was also interviewed as one of two final candidates.

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.