Tag Archives: Potter House

Robots invade East Kentwood for annual competition

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By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

At the end of the week, the school bell may signal the start of the spring break for many, but hundreds of students and their families will be filling the East Kentwood gym for the fifth annual Kentwood District Robotics Competition.

About 40 teams are scheduled to compete at the FIRST Robotics event which is this Friday and Saturday. This includes host team East Kentwood’s Red Storm, Wyoming High School’s Demons, Potter House’s Tactical Hams, and the community team Code Red the Stray Dogs. 

“I love it,” said Kris Lima-Viana, from Potter House Tactical Hams about participating in FIRST Robotics. “It is like one of the best things I have ever done in my life. It is very, very intense.”

Top Dawgs: Code Red Robotics the Stray Dogs took home the prestigious Chairman’s Award at the 2018 event. This honor automatically qualified them for the state competition. (WKTV)

Started in 1992, FIRST Robotics is an international competition that is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of engineers and technologists through a robotics competition. FIRST stands for “For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”

Each year, the challenge is revealed in January with teams having six weeks to building a robot that can accomplish specific tasks. This year’s challenge is Destination Deep Space with teams having to construct a robot that can put hatch panels on a “cargo ship” and fill them with cargo and then escape from the harsh planet Primus.

“I like to see the kids learning,” said Justin Van Etten, coach and mentor for the Wyoming High School Demons. “it is skills they don’t normally get in the classroom. They get machining knowledge. They get welding knowledge. They get knowledge of how to use a grinder and a saw. Stuff that academics does not normally teach you, and just being able to see them do something with their hands and show that they are good at a bunch of different stuff that is not classroom related.”

Color coordinated fans are ready to cheer on their team. (WKTV)

The program’s ultimate goal is to encourage students to purse science and technology careers by showing how everyone’s contributions not only build a robot, but a team.

“Robotics is really like a sport for anyone,” said Audrey Marsman, a member of the East Kentwood Red Storm. “You don’t have to just be interested in building a robot. There are a lot of things that are behind the scenes that aren’t just hands on on the robot that anyone can get involved.”

The free family event starts at 8 a.m. on Friday with matches taking place until 7 p.m. On Saturday, activities start at 8 a.m. with elimination round taking place in the afternoon. Awards are at 5 p.m. There are several different awards, including Chairman’s Award, which qualifies a team to automatically move on to the state competition. For more about the event, click here.


There’s no mystery to how well the Potter House students did in presenting C.S. Lewis classic

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“The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe” cast from Potter House. (Meochia Nochi Thompson)

By Meochia Nochi Thompson
WKTV Community Writer

The Potter’s House Elementary and Junior High School fourth- through eighth-grade students “did it again” with a successful production of “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” directed by Janae K. Dean, founder and director of Children’s Creations! The dramatization was a reenactment of the C.S. Lewis’ classic, part of the Chronicles of Narnia.

“This is a story of love, faith, courage and giving…it is a true celebration of life,” as stated in the story’s synopsis. 

The magical journey and mysterious tale of good versus evil takes place in Narnia where the great lion, Aslan (Jacob Caballero), protects all the innocent creatures of the land from the cruel White Witch (Shaelia Hoeksema), who threatens to overthrow the kingdom unless the prophecy is fulfilled. Four unsuspecting siblings, Lucy (Sofia Brinkerhoff); Susan (Abigail Ponstine); Edmund (Kayler Erazo) and Peter (Malachi Verwys),  happen to wander upon an old wardrobe and find themselves in the middle of a life changing adventure that leads to their true life’s purpose. 

Every detail from the costumes and makeup to the set design, lighting and sound were meticulously, phenomenal for such a young group. 

Portraying the White Witch was Shaelia Hoeksema (center) and the Lion was Jacob Caballero. (Meochia Nochi Thompson)

“I wanted to do some unique and creative things with the hair and makeup this year,” said Director Janae Dean. “I shared my vision with family and friends of the cast and received some fantastic help from many people who made the vision a reality.”

Although the school year had plenty of snow days, the absences did not stop the entire cast from displaying expert acting skills and teamwork. They managed to memorize hours of lines with superb English accents that never faltered. There were very few slip-ups to the trained ear the first public performance but nothing apparently noticeable to the excited elementary school students and parents amazed by the characters and further intrigued by a great rendition of a story very well done. 

They share a dream which will be celebrated at the Cesar E. Chavez March and Community Gathering

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The Cesar E. Chavez Social Justice March starts at 11 a.m. and will be along the Cesar E. Chavez Way (Grandville Avenue).

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

They have a dream: a dream of dignity, respect, and protection for all and for this year’s César E. Chávez Social Justice March and Community Gathering — set for Thursday, March 15 — it will be the DREAMers who will be honored.

 

“Since 2012, we have been working with and encouraging the DREAMers to stand in solidarity,” said CEC Community Gathering Leader Suzanne Hewitt. So this year’s César E. Chávez Social Justice March and Community Gathering will focus on and honor the DREAMers, Hewitt said.

 

Community members, students and business leaders will kick off the day’s activities with the César E. Chávez Social Justice March at 11 a.m. The march will start at the Cook Library Center, 1100 Grandville Ave. SW and head down the César E. Chávez Way (Grandville Avenue) to the Potter House Chapel, 810 Van Raatle Dr. SW.

 

At the Potter House Chapel, there will be a community gathering at around 11:30 a.m.

 

Committee to Honor César E. Chávez Chairperson Lupe Ramos-Montigny

Chávez dedicated his life to workers’ rights, empowerment  of the poor and disenfranchised, civil rights, economic justice, environmental justice and peace. He co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, later the United Farm Workers union, along with Dolores Huerta. After his death, he became a major historical icon for the Latino community with streets, schools and parks named after him. In the Greater Grand Rapids area, Grandville Avenue was renamed the César E. Chávez Way and there is a Grand Rapids elementary school, César E. Chávez Elementary.

 

César E. Chávez National Holiday was established by Los Angeles volunteers who organized and led the effort in California. The legal holiday bill was signed into law on August 18, 2000. The holiday is celebrated in California on César E. Chávez’s birthday March 31. This marked the first time that a labor leader or Latino has been honored with a public legal holiday.

 

For several years,  Committee to Honor César E. Chávez has hosted events and social justice activities in remembrance of Chávez and the contributions he made to the Latino community. The committee is chaired by Lupe Ramos-Montigny, who currently sits on the State Board of Education.

 

All are welcomed to participate in the annual Cesar E. Chavez Social Justice March.

After the gathering, there will be a 2018 César E. Chávez Unity Luncheon at MAYA Mexican Grill and Bar, located in the Rogers Plaza at 1020 28th St. SW. The luncheon is at 1 p.m. and is a fundraiser for a Grand Valley State University scholarship that honors Ramos-Montigny. Tickets are $50 per person or $500 for a table of 10. For more information or tickets, click here.

 

For more on the 2018 César E. Chávez Social Justice March and Community Gathering, visit the Committee to Honor César E. Chávez’s Facebook page.