Life seems to be going along at a normal pace and then suddenly, bam everywhere you look its Olympics. And perhaps nothing was more fascinating than the 2022 Beijing Olympics with its figure skating drama and the ending of a career for a snowboard legend.
At the next Mr. Sid’s Video Series, set for Wednesday, April 20, veterans sportscaster Jack Doles, from WOOD-TV8, will be giving the inside scoop on his recent experiences covering the Beijing Winter Olympics, which was Doles’ 12th Olympic games. Other Olympics he has covered are Calgary, Seoul, Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, Torino, Beijing, Sochi, Rio, Pyeongchang, and Tokyo.
Doles has more than three decades of covering sports, joining WOOD-TV in 1990. Besides the Olympics, Doles has covered the Rose Bowl, the Super Bowl, the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals and the World Series. He’s been to multiple NCAA Final Four tournaments with Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, the Ryder Cup and two Major League Baseball All-Star Games.
The Mr. Sid’s Video Series meets at 2 p.m. There is a hymn sing at 1:45 p.m. The program is free to the public. Marge’s Donut Den is located at 1751 28th St. SW.
Upcoming Mr. Sid’s Video Series are:
May 4: Father Peter Vu pastor of St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church will describe his immigration to the United States after the North Vietnam Victory over the South on April 30, 1975.
May 18: Rick Vuyst from Fruit Basket Flowerland will help you prepare for spring planting – lawn care – wetting your plants, etc.
June 15: Cris Stevens, the Chaplain for the LPGA, will talk about the Pro golfers and the upcoming Meijer Ladies Charity Classic.
July 20: Peggy Maniates, the executive director of the USS Silversides Museum in Muskegon
Forget a pentathlon or decathlon; Southeast Kelloggsville Elementary School students completed up to 20 events for the “Read for the Gold!” March is Reading Month theme.
With the focus on reading at home, fourth- and fifth-graders tallied up points toward bronze, silver and gold stickers for:
reading books from different genres;
reading to family members;
getting a library card;
asking people about their favorite books;
researching authors;
accomplishing other tasks tied to reading.
For medaling, they received prize packages including books, journals, pencils, crafts and other items from Scholastic, said literacy specialist Janna Schneider.
Students also celebrated the month’s Olympics theme by creating flags for their classrooms and receiving their medal stickers during a final ceremony.
“I read for four hours!” said fourth-grader Maraeshia Walker as she picked out a free book.
Students also had the chance to earn a coupon for every 20 minutes they read to earn free books, gave book talks and made bookmarks tied to reading and the Olympics.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Like athletes at the starting line, Godfrey Elementary fourth-graders faced the challenge ahead: Make a Winter Olympics-event themed pictogram using Wikki Stix to create the picture. Do not cut the sticks. Use only three colors, with the main body form in black. Imagine if the Olympics were in Wyoming, Michigan. How can your picture reflect your community?
First-grader Joceline Nunez waves flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Now, go!
Following parameters set by Sarah Wood, district technology and media integration specialist, Godfrey Elementary students blazed through the Quickfire activity, busily twisting, molding and bending Wikki Stix into skiers, skaters, lugers and bobsledders to create their own “official” Olympic pictograms.
Districtwide, teachers took the Olympic theme and ran with it, with an opening ceremony, torch-lighting event (with a paper torch), curling in the gymnasium with teachers and students riding wheeled carts as the stone, ice skating and other events.
Teacher Allison Diaz’s fourth-grade students used the theme during a medal-worthy science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activity. Wood challenges students each week to complete an activity within set constraints and time periods, such as 30 minutes for the pictogram activity. Wood uses Quickfire at the high school level as well, adding connections with careers and occupations.
Center Olympics Day opening ceremonies
After learning about PyeongChang 2018 pictograms, which are based on Korean script, groups of students busily twisted, molded and bent their Wikki Stix into skiers, skaters, lugers and bobsledders. Their Olympic pictograms showed images of how they envision athletes in their local parks and recreational areas. It took brainstorming, quick thinking, collaboration, and a little research on events through links provided by Wood.
First-grader Videl Martinez holds up a Jamaican flag during the Early Childhood Center Olympics Day opening ceremonies
Think Fast
While many STEM activities are open-ended and allow for trial and error, Quickfire differs because it challenges students to go with their gut instincts. The time limit does not always allow for a full planning, design, redesign and explanation,Wood said.
Limiting tools adds difficulty.
“It’s hard at first because they want everything,” Wood said. “(It’s asking,)’If you take some things away, what can you do with as little as possible and still create something amazing?’ … It’s amazing some of the things they come up with.”
Julian Perez and his group added a “W M” for Wyoming, Michigan, to reflect the community in their pictogram
Said Diaz, the fourth-grade teacher, “They are working together toward a common goal, building community and respecting each other’s thoughts that may be coming from different places, and using that to work toward a common vision or theme.”
Fourth-graders Isabela Deleon-Magana and Arianna Escribano created a biathlete, combining cross-country skiing and rifle shooting into their pictogram. They said they are always nervous at the beginning of Quickfires, but are soon working at lightning speed.
“For me, it’s kind of hard. When we work in a group and get good ideas, that’s when it becomes easier,” Isabela said.
Added Arianna, “We work together and create something cool. Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
John Mantalava and Chloe Sullivan work on their Wikki Stix athlete
