Lee High School sophomore Tavien Bradley knows a good beat and flow when he hears them, but could he do justice through a freestyle rap to describe the legendary duel between Founding Era politicians Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr?
Turns out all it took was some research on the fatal event, an old-school flow and enough confidence to drop this verse: “Two politicians on a mission, Hamilton and Burr just dissin,’ everybody pistol-whippin.’” So begins his 1 minute, 40 second rap.
“I just started writing the lyrics down and they kept coming out of my brain,” said Tavien, who learned to rap from his dad, Tramaine Bradley.
Sophomores and juniors are learning American history and weaving it into raps, poetry and dramatic skits about events and people tied to the American Revolution. All is in preparation for a trip to see “Hamilton,” the Tony Award-winning musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, at the CIBC Theatre in Chicago May 23.
Tavien’s rap caught the attention of teachers, who submitted it for consideration to be presented on stage at The CIBC Theatre the day of the matinee. He will find out if he was selected before the date of the performance, which will also include a question-and-answer period with the cast.
Juniors Nicholas Espinoza, left, and Francisco Martinez present their skit
Old Documents Become New Expression
The district applied for the trip through the Hamilton Education Program, which gives students from Title 1 high schools the chance to attend the musical for just $10 each. The program is a collaboration of Hamilton producers and the Miranda family, and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. A requirement is for students to make their own creative pieces tied to events that took place during the founding of the U.S.
“The idea behind this unit is to understand how the writer of ‘Hamilton’ took primary-source documents and turned them into creative expression,” said English teacher Lisa Britten. “It’s just the idea of digging into history in a different way and having it culminate in an experience that is something they normally wouldn’t get to have.
“It’s a pretty rare opportunity to see this show as it is because it is so popular,” she added. “I’m really excited to take our kids to experience something like this because it will just broaden their horizons.”
Brian Cahoon, department chair of social studies, is helping organize the trip. He said it’s impressive looking over students’ creative pieces and seeing all the events, people and concepts present in each piece. “It kind of makes the history come alive, but it ultimately makes them understand it better,” he said.
Juniors Gabrielle Sainz and Yuribizay Damian presented a rap they wrote together that begins, “I, Benjamin Franklin, born in Boston. … I ran away to Philly with some caution.”
They said they can’t wait to see “Hamilton.”
“It’s an amazing opportunity,” Gabrielle said. “The prices are high and I would have never been able to afford that. With this little project that we put together giving us the opportunity to go there, I’m thankful for that. Putting it together was pretty easy; we just let it flow.”
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.
Rockstar Teachers Series:There’s just something about certain teachers that draws students to them in droves and keeps them checking in years, even decades later. Here, we highlight some of these rockstars of the classroom, in a series proudly sponsored by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum.
Every Saturday, Godfrey Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Tom Wier spends about 90 minutes visiting two libraries and checking out about 40 books. He’s fulfilling requests his students made earlier in the week for books they can’t wait to read. He knows, come Monday, they will eagerly go “book shopping” for the coveted titles he brings to class.
Andrea Sanchez-Parada snaps her fingers during the Rain Dance
“I do everything I can to get the books in the kids’ hands,” said Wier, who has taught at Godfrey Elementary for 36 years. Many families in the low-income, Hispanic community are newcomers to the U.S. who appreciate Wier’s commitment to helping their children develop proficiency and a love for reading. “The students are so excited to get the books they really want to read,” he said.
Punctuating his point, fourth graders’ hands popped up, waving with excitement, to answer questions about the novel “Stone Fox,” by John Reynolds Gardiner, which Wier read in class. They yelled “No!” in unison when he reached the end of a chapter. Not one to end storytime without more discussion, Wier held up a map of the dog-sledding trail to help visualize the mushing journey.
Wier wants students to imagine and enjoy stories. He challenges them to predict what will happen next, adding to the suspense of the chapter to come.
Alexa Hernandez gets a chance to hoop
A Love for the Profession
Less tangible than books, Wier shares something else with his students that makes him so beloved at Godfrey Elementary. It’s the mutual respect that shines through in his steadfast work to engage students. “I try to put myself in their shoes,” he said, noting that he’s constantly working to improve his craft and asking, “What would I like to do if I was learning this?” His goal is for the students to feel cared for, and part of that is by making learning fun. It’s also his goal to reach every student, making sure all of them achieve what they need to in his class.
“What makes him a good teacher is he helps us with stuff and he gets us pumped up,” said fourth-grader Malik Burton.
Wier has spent all his teaching years (except one, when he moved up to fifth-grade) in his Godfrey Elementary fourth-grade classroom. The son of teachers grew up in Wyoming and attended Wyoming Park High School before pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Grand Valley State University and a master’s at Michigan State University.
Though he’s well into his fourth decade on the job, Wier said the idea of retiring makes him feel sad. “I love coming to school,” he said. “I try to bring my ‘A’ game every day. I love the challenge of it and it just doesn’t get old for me. I love what I do.”
Hands go up during discussion led by teacher Tom Winer about the book “Stone Fox,” including a map of the dog-sled map in the story
A ‘Privilege’ to Teach
Wier has a unique perspective on the profession because he knows what it’s like to miss it, he said. After his first three years teaching in the 1980s, the district was experiencing declining enrollment. He was laid off and took a job working with computers. When called back to his classroom three years later, it was an easy “yes.”
Estafani Martinez takes a shot during science basketball. “No dunking, Estafani,” Wier said
“I realize what a privilege it is. I don’t take one day for granted. To have a position like this, when people entrust you with their children, that’s a high calling and I never take it lightly.”
He loves the district, which has become much more diverse over the years, with students coming from many regions including Central America and South America. “I think that’s made us a lot better communicators as teachers, and broadened our scope as teachers,” he said.
Plus, he has flexibility to try new things to meet their needs. “One of the reasons I have passion for teaching is that I’ve had the freedom from the administration and the school board to explore, to take lessons where I want to take them. That is huge.”
Assistant Superintendent Carol Lautenbach said Wier is always thinking about what’s best for students.
“Tom leads from relationships, and he treats everyone with the utmost respect and kindness,” she said. “He is so good at seeing multiple points of view and being the calm presence that every school needs. He has seen every change, trend, initiative and focus that a school district can come up with over time, and he is one of the most enthusiastic learners in the district. If it’s good for students, Tom’s all in.”
Wier is most of his students’ first male teacher, and he said it’s important to serve as a role model for them. From day one, he sets procedures and establishes routines, “getting them to understand my pace and setting those expectations high.”
He embeds character-building programs into his instruction, and does a lot of goal-setting with students — and with himself. “I try to be as open and honest as I can with my students, vulnerable at times… I tell the kids, ‘I’m learning. You’re learning.’
“With his management the students know his classroom rules, and they know they will be held accountable for following them,” said fellow fourth-grade teacher John Hovingh, who sees consistency in everything Wier does. “I have been teaching next door to him for 18 years, and he has only taken a half-day off for personal reasons or sickness. He is literally never absent.”
Over the years, Wier has gotten to know many students and parents. Now he often has the children of former students in his class. “One of the joys for me is having former students come back (to visit) and that happens all year,” he said. “That’s rewarding when they say, ‘You made a difference in my life.’”
Fourth-grade teacher Elizabeth English’s daughter was a student of, “and of all of the teachers, Mr. Wier was her favorite. Whenever she comes to school with me, she always goes down his hallway to say hello to him.”
Teacher Tom Wier gets the class up and moving, a way to keep them excited about school
Rain Dancing and Basketball, all in One Afternoon
It’s always a good idea to move before hitting the books, and in Weir’s class that means it’s time to rain dance, during which he leads students in twisting like tornadoes, clapping like thunder, and drip-dropping like rain.
While a recent dance produced smiles and laughs, it was just one lively activity that morning. A test-prep game of science basketball involved trivia and hoops. After answering correctly about animal adaptations and ecosystems, students had the chance to shoot a ball at a mini Nerf hoop. Successful shooters received a new pencil.
Students say his approach is a great way to learn. “Mr. Weir is a fun teacher because he does fun games with us,” said Abigail Herrera-Hernandez, who had just finished playing science basketball. “I learned more about animals.”
Teachers agree. “Mr. Wier has a calming demeanor and makes learning science fun. He fist bumps his students first thing in the morning to establish personal connections with each of them, and then, throughout the day, makes each student realize how special he or she is,” English said.
But, as in everything Wier teaches, science basketball goes a bit deeper than just test prep. He tailors his questions for each student, knowing their strengths and what will lead them, ultimately, to a nothing-but-net answer. That’s the goal.
“It’s all about making them feel successful.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Wyoming Junior High eighth-graders considered what is arguably the most debated sentence in the U.S. today: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
Like in many discussions surrounding interpretation of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, students’ questions and comments focused on the words “militia” and “well-regulated” and what they mean in relation to the rest of the sentence. Their definitions varied concerning the intention of the amendment.
Prior to the March 14 student walkout protesting gun violence in schools, Wyoming Junior High eighth-graders read and discussed different perspectives — right, left and center — on the amendment, gun rights and what measures should be taken to stop mass shootings.
While learning that much is up to interpretation when it comes to constitutional gun rights, students studied the history behind the amendment and reflected on how they feel it should apply to society today. They then wrote letters to legislators, adding their own voices to the debate.
Brian Juarez-Diaz jots down his thoughts
Considering Various Views
English teacher Shantel VanderGalien said she felt it was important to bring the topic into her curriculum, rather than avoid something on the forefront of students’ minds on days leading up to the National School Walk Out. She used a Mass Shooting Unitcreated by teacher, author and consultant Kelly Gallagher, with sources including articles both supportive and against stricter gun laws. They listened to a podcast, shared in groups to hear different opinions, and considered pros and cons of each side of the gun-control debate.
“I feel like we have to create time and space for our students to reflect on important issues,” VanderGalien said. ”If there is a way I can get them to read, write and think critically about those issues, I want to give them that time and space.”
She said she hopes the unit encourages students to keep up with the news, learn facts surrounding issues, and listen to varying points of view.
“I want them to be informed and make their own decisions,” in an age when people tend to avoid or “unfriend” those with whom they disagree, she said. “I feel it’s important that we don’t hide, shy away or shun people who think differently, but instead we need to to lean into that discomfort, ask questions and seek to understand instead of isolate.”
Eighth-grader Lizzie Ochoa listens to perspectives on the Second Amendment
Penning their Perspectives
Students wrote letters to local politicians including Rep. Tommy Brann (R-Wyoming), President Trump and Governor Rick Snyder.
Researching different sides of the debate provides a better foundation of information, said eighth-grader Trista Werkema, noting, “This is real-life stuff that can happen at any point in our school.”
She said she planned to emphasize in her letter that students’ perspectives matter.
“Just because we are kids doesn’t mean we don’t have knowledge about what’s going on,” Trista said. “We may even be more educated than our parents on it because they’re not reading all these articles and stuff like we are.”
Neveah Morofsky writes a definition of the Second Amendment
Added Marissa Menard, “As we get older, things will progress, social media will progress and that influences the way we think about things, so it’s important for us to know what’s going on in the world.”
She said she planned to push for increased gun restrictions in her letter.
“If this is the world we have to grow up in, it’s not going be a very safe world and we deserve the same opportunity as everyone else had.”
Eighth-grader Aleena Allen said it’s not enough to address just guns. She said her letter would support better resources for mental health.
Aiden Curtis takes notes on editorials about the Second Amendment
“It’s important to learn both sides so we can form our own opinions about what we think about this very controversial topic, so we can say, ‘Hey, this is what we think and we will argue our case and find out what other people think,’” she said.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
From standing in front of a banner declaring “We Can Make the World a Better Place By…,” making paper circles with ideas for completing the thought and posting the hashtag #justiceforparkland, juniors Aliyah Rivera, Seth Martin and sophomore Michelle Rivera collected donations and messages of support to send to students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The Wyoming High students said they wanted to reach out to Florida peers who experienced the Feb. 14 mass shooting at their school.
“It was teenagers who were affected the most, so if we teenagers speak up about it more people will be aware,” Aliyah said.
Seth said teenagers are impacted no matter where they live.
“Just because I’m not in Florida doesn’t mean I’m not affected by what happened in Florida,” he said.
Written ideas for making the world better included “spread kindness,” “help each other,” “be a leader,” and “gun control,” among many others.
They also set up a video camera at the recent Wyoming Fine Arts Festival for people to share messages of sympathy and encouragement. Students are emailing their support to the Stoneman Douglas principal and theater teacher.
Gun violence is a complicated issue that needs to be addressed, Aliyah said.
From left, Seth Martin, Aliyah Rivera and Michelle Rivera create a show of support for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
“There are so many different factors that fall into it. It’s not just one thing. People are so quick to point fingers at just one specific thing, and they aren’t looking at the bigger picture.”
The biggest thing she is an advocate for, she said, are better resources for mental health. “There are not enough people who understand it, who know what it looks like, who know how to help.”
Seth also has ideas for solutions.
“America as it is now can’t do much about controlling guns,” he said, “but they can do a lot about controlling the people who use guns. Doing stronger background checks, trying to keep safer gun control policies will really help.”
Michelle said it was important for them to speak up. “If teenagers don’t do something to help, nothing will change,” she said.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
At 5 p.m., the bus pulls up to the Kent ISD Adult Education Center at Beckwith School in Northeast Grand Rapids and Susan Domeier steps out. Aided by a cane and clad in a black beret and bright pink scarf, the 84-year-old Filipino woman is ready for her class in English as a Second Language.
Susan Domeier laughs at the idea of singing in class while telling classmates she is a drummer, guitar player and singer
Domeier greets teachers and friends and they offer cheerful hellos. The center is a place where there’s camaraderie among students who are learning to speak, read, write and listen in English together, and Domeier likes to spend three hours, two evenings a week there. Her native language is Tagalog, and though she has spoken English for decades, she wants to improve her vocabulary and conversational skills. She carries a notebook filled with words to learn.
She decided to enroll in the ESL program last year. “I was bored and I said, ‘I don’t like to watch TV all the time,’ and I said I would like to learn better English because some people I talk to and I do not understand what they’re saying.”
Now she looks forward to class. “I love it. I would like to help people. So many people here don’t know how to speak English at all. I feel sorry for them. I like to help them.”
In class, Domeier takes her seat, surrounded by classmates from many countries. They get a kick out of Domeier’s personality and never-ending perseverance.
“I like her funny stories. She wants to know everything,” said student Ayuba Bedaso.
“She is so happy every day,” added Abun Zegata.
“She brings a perspective from somebody who’s a lot older,” said instructor Karen McBurney. “In some ways she’s a real role model of tenacity for the other students. She asks interesting questions” and is “kind, compassionate and generous.”
The Kent ISD Adult Education Program enrolls nearly 1,000 students in Adult Basic Education, High School Equivalency (GED) and ESL programs at locations in Grand Rapids, Wyoming and the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools district.
Susan Domeier works on Olympics vocabulary
A Long-Held Appreciation for School
Like most students in the Adult English as a Second Language program, Domeier has a remarkable story.
She lived in the Philippines during World War II. Her father was an architect who joined the military as a supply sergeant who supplied guns to soldiers. He was wanted by the Japanese, Domeier said. She was 7 when the war started and remembers living in hiding on a boat and in the mountains with her father, sister and mother.
“I like to go to school because I missed four years of school because we always had to hide,” she said. In the mountains, she and her family lived off wild fruits and bananas, too fearful to cook because they didn’t want to draw attention to themselves.
After the war ended, Domeier was able to attend a Catholic school until she was 15 or 16. She became a cook at a restaurant where she met her husband, a German. He immigrated to the U.S. first, and she joined him 1962. She now has five children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Over the years, she worked at a car parts factory and at Meijer. Domeier’s husband died in 2011.
Indeed, one of the oldest students in Grand Rapids, Domeier is also perhaps the most surprising. She often reveals stunners about herself, like that she’s a drummer who played in bars for 25 years with her late husband.
Susan Domeier is always quick to help her classmates and share funny stories
“I am a jealous person. I don’t want him to play in a bar without me,” she said, explaining why she decided to pick up drumsticks and learn to play. “I miss him so much.” She plays “everything,” she said, especially country music. She also plays guitar and sings in the choir for Sts. Peter and Paul and St. Mary’s Catholic churches.
School secretary Michelle Downer sees how Domeier impacts others as a true example that “You are never to old to learn. She has that stamina. She is an inspiration to other students as well as staff.”
Domeier, who shows no signs of stopping anytime soon, said she just enjoys her time hitting the books.
“This is better than sitting in the house or watching TV,” she said.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Students are afraid to fill out college applications and financial-aid forms. Volunteers fear driving to school. Counselors don’t have clear answers for students whose futures in the U.S. are uncertain, and parents are afraid to seek help from the police. In school districts with a high percentage of Hispanic families, wondering what the next day will bring has become the new normal.
Whether legitimate or a result of misinformation, the stress is manifesting itself in different ways.
“I’ve seen an increase in fear and anxiety since President Trump took office,” said Duane Bacchus, Kent School Services Network community coordinator for Godwin Heights High School.
Students who are Dreamers, among about 700,000 young people nationwide who arrived to the U.S. as children of undocumented parents and are enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, wonder if they will be able to go to college or secure financial aid. They feel betrayed by the system, Bacchus said.
“DACA made it worse because people took the risk and put their information out there and look what happened,” Bacchus said. “There’s a lot of frustration, anger, and a sense of ‘you’re not getting me again.’”
In the view of many families, he said, “Your rights and what will be afforded you as an (undocumented) immigrant will be up for grabs every four years, depending who is in power. It’s not doing anything to help anyone gain trust in the system at all.”
Loss of Hope
Nazhly Heredia, KSSN community coordinator at Lee Middle/High School, said she feels a sense of guilt because she and other staff members urged students to enroll in DACA when Obama was in office. Students now wonder if they should have remained in the shadows. “We pushed so hard for those kids to apply,” she said.
Heredia said she’s seen a loss of hope among Dreamers. Many do not remember life outside the U.S. One student told her he just plans to “wait to be sent back.”
“It came out of his mouth so naturally. That is what breaks my heart. I wish I had an answer for them.” Unfortunately, she said, there is no “‘This is what you’ve got to do and this is what you’re going to get.’”
Still, Heredia encourages DACA students to keep working to graduate and go to college. She urges them to stay out of trouble.
Bacchus and Lysette Castillo, a Godwin Heights parent and community liaison, also urge students to focus on education.
“I always tell them education is something that nobody can take away from you,” Castillo said. “There’s hope this time (things) will change and in the meantime you’ve taken the advantage of getting an education. But they are very discouraged.”
A father and his daughter attend a “Know Your Rights” session at Kelloggsville High School
Increases in Calls, Activity
A couple, immigrants from Mexico who wish to remain anonymous, drove from their home in Muskegon on a snowy evening to attend a recent “Know Your Rights” meeting at Kelloggsville High School. The discussion focused on how to react in the event they are approached by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents.
The couple was among about a dozen Hispanic parents and community members, from within and outside the district, who attended the session for information on preparing their families for ICE enforcement. The couple was worried about their son, who plans to pursue a business major in college but is vulnerable to deportation if the government does not provide protection for Dreamers.
“My wife is worried all the time,” the father said, stressing that his children are his main concern.
The Immigrant Rights office has seen a noticeable increase in calls and is overwhelmed with requests for speaking arrangements like the Kelloggsville session. The agency offers a hotline where people can consult with an attorney for counsel and, in some cases, representation. “The increase in people calling on behalf of a loved one being detained has been very stark,” Scholten said.
While her office doesn’t track data, Scholten said they are aware of a number of workplace raids. Most commonly, people are detained after an encounter with local law enforcement, such as a traffic stop.
There are certain places ICE considers sensitive locations, such as schools and day care centers, medical treatment facilities and places of worship. However, it’s unclear if agents will follow people from such locations. Scholten said there have been reports of agents doing so.
Courthouses are not considered a sensitive location, which Scholten said she believes undermines the justice process and makes people afraid to attend court hearings.
Under the Obama administration, there was a clear priority for enforcement to target violent criminals. Scholten said that is no longer the case.
Student Absenteeism Up
About 33 percent of Kelloggsville students are Hispanic. Guadalupe Diaz-Medina, the district’s hispanic community liaison, said she is seeing an uptick in student absenteeism among the families she works with. There is general fear concerning going out in public, and families have been affected by ICE deporting family members.
“The families are having a lot of stress in even bringing kids to school,” Diaz-Medina said, adding that she’s seen increase anxiety among all ages. “The whole family is affected.”
She sees students, some of them Dreamers, react too. Many become withdrawn. “They don’t want to talk about the situation because of the fear.”
She said keeping students out of school is counterintuitive because once a student misses too much school they are referred to truancy court or even Childhood Protective Services.
‘The Family Starts Breaking Down into Pieces’
In the one-square-mile Godfrey-Lee Public Schools district, where about 80 percent of students are Hispanic, Heredia, the KSSN worker, said families are too fearful to attend a session like “Know Your Rights” because they don’t want ICE to become aware of it.
“A lot of our families feel this district could be a target. We deal with situations on a one-to-one basis,” she said.
Yet, sometimes there are no clear answers to the questions families ask.
“I feel like it is so hard when you can’t meet with the family and give them some hope. It breaks my heart,” she said. “You know what they want to hear, but unfortunately there is no easy path.”
Heredia is planning an information session about DACA, hosted by Justice for Our Neighbors, to build awareness district-wide of what students and families are experiencing.
There is often a snowball effect when a person is deported.
Frequently it unfolds like this: A father is deported. The mother is no longer able to pay bills, rent, or to put food on the table. The family moves in with relatives. The mother must work long hours, relying on school and neighbors to take care of the children. Heredia knows of a 19-year-old left to take care of younger children after their parents were deported.
“You can see how the family starts breaking down into pieces,” Heredia said. As a result, children become disruptive and withdrawn and their grades slip.
But Heredia and staff members urge students to keep coming to school, where they are safe learning and interacting with peers. “We try to stress to the parents that kids need to be in school. It doesn’t help the situation for kids to be at home.”
Mostly, she hopes people will learn empathy.
“I just wish people would see each other as people. I hate the feeling of people looking at other people’s faces and automatically building a wall, and I am on one side of the wall and you are on the other.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Chammas Jurado, an immigration attorney, provided information to Hispanic families during a “Know Your Rights” event
It required a few takes for Wyoming’s Parkview Elementary School third-grader Yaretzi Martinez to record her presentation in front of a green screen, so she shared directly with a visitor the details about Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas.
“Gabby Douglas showed us to follow our dreams because she followed her dreams. Gabby won the gold medal when she was 16,” Yaretzi said.
Parkview Elementary third-grader Yaretzi Martinez records her presentation on gymnast Gabby Douglas in front of a green screen
Yaretzi and her novice tech crew, including third-graders Aiyana Velez and Yamileth Ramirez, were recording in the school hallway. She completed her piece after a couple snafus: poor lighting, an accidental press of the delete button and a few noisy passersby.
“She got hurt and didn’t give up,” Yaretzi said of the Olympic champion.
Students in teachers Julie Tessier’s and Michele LeMieux’s classrooms took a multimedia approach to writing biographies. After researching and writing about historical figures and famous people — including Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Michael Jordan, Johannes Brahms, Helen Keller and Amelia Earhart — they recorded their work like mini-broadcasters.
They edited in photos of their subjects to be projected behind them on their recordings. They used iPads, a green screen app called Do Ink, a teleprompter app and a website called Flipgridto create their work.
Many students chose African-American historical figures, tying their work to Black History Month.
Third-grader Manuel Gomez Perez plays his finished presentation on Harriet Tubman on an iPad
Third-grader Manuel Gomez Perez chose Harriet Tubman. “She led 300 slaves to freedom,” he said.
About using the green screen: “It’s fun!” he said. “There’s a giant picture behind you.”
Tessier said she wanted to challenge her students to bring their projects to life, combining writing and technology. She said many of her students studied people who overcame remarkable obstacles, offering a message of perseverance for students.
Multimedia tools support learning in a way students — savvy in technology — are used to. “This is the world they live in,” she said.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
If the U.S. had performed as well as its peer countries between 1961 and 2010, researchers concluded, more than 600,000 deaths of children from birth to age 19 could have been avoided over those 50 years
Happy Valentine’s Day, kids. You’re our top priority.
Except when you’re not. Which is pretty much all the time, if you are to believe the World Health Organization and researchers from Johns Hopkins University Medical School, who have concluded the United States is the “the most dangerous of wealthy nations for a child to be born into.”
Our most recent Valentine’s gift to children was the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida. Fourteen students, a teacher, an athletic director and football coach were gunned down by a suspect believed to be a former classmate and troubled 19-year-old.
A study published on Jan.18 in the journal Health Affairs found U.S. teenagers are 82 times more likely to be killed by firearm than in any other wealthy developed nation in the world. Researchers concluded the wealthy nations most like the U.S. are the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development members Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Before we parse this discussion into one of mental health vs. gun control, let’s dig a bit deeper. Our lack of concern for children begins far earlier than their exposure to gunfire by individuals who can legally obtain assault weapons in virtually every jurisdiction within the U.S.
Our nation’s infant mortality rate is 76 percent higher than the 19 other members of the OECD cited above. That along with all other sources of mortality, including gun and motor vehicle deaths, put children and young adults in the U.S. at greater risk than any other wealthy nation.
If the U.S. had performed as well as its peer countries between 1961 and 2010, researchers concluded, more than 600,000 deaths of children from birth to age 19 could have been avoided over those 50 years.
Let’s think about that a minute. Look around you. Imagine a disaster that could wipe out virtually every man, woman and child in Kent County. That’s what 600,000 childhood deaths represents, as the 2015 census update estimated our county’s population at 636,369.
“There is not a single category for which the OECD 19 had higher mortality rates than the U.S. over the last three decades of our analysis,” wrote Dr. Ashish Thakrar, lead researcher for the Johns Hopkins study.
Students Suffer Academically, Too
U.S. educational neglect is almost as devastating as the disastrous deaths of infants, teenage auto accident victims, and those gunned down in school shootings and other incidents involving weapons.
The Pew Research Center reported a year ago that U.S. educational performance in math, as measured by the Programme For International Student Assessment, lagged each of the 19 OECD nations. American students topped just five of those countries in science and four in reading.
Michigan, of course, is now near the bottom of performance among the states nationwide. That could be due, in part, to the dramatic underfunding of our schools identified early this year in research commissioned by the Michigan School Finance Research Collaborative. That study found general education students with no special needs should receive nearly $2,000 more per year in resources to achieve state standards. Students who are economically disadvantaged, English-language learners and children with special needs require far more resources to meet proficiency on state-prescribed standards.
Nearly every policy maker elected to any state, local or national position higher than dog catcher or drain commissioner will tell you his or her highest priorities are the health, education and safety of children.
I know what my 86-year-old mother would say to those office holders after reading this column. She’d say the same thing she said to me when I argued innocence after failing to meet her expectations. “Actions speak louder than words.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
There are decorated classrooms and then there’s Wyoming’s Gladiola Elementary School teacher Jennifer Blackburn’s decked-out classroom. Seeking to appeal to and stimulate her first graders’ senses and give them a home away from home, Blackburn’s classroom is a student mecca of comfy chairs, whimsical decorations and colors.
At first glance, girls seated at a dining room table could just as easily be having a tea party as doing math. There’s ample student artwork mixed in with twisty borders and loopy streamers. Rather than working at desks or even assigned tables, students settle into camping chairs, antique rockers and wicker seats or choose backrest pillows for cozy reading on the floor. The walls are painted a calming blue Blackburn used at her own house; paper-lantern globes hang from the ceilings and lamps illuminate soft light.
Alexis Winfield, left, and Brooklyn Weenum work at a wooden table
Three years ago, Blackburn became inspired to make her classroom more like home, from colors to furniture to lighting and decor. She’s hung curtains and added seat covers.
“I was trying to meet the different brain needs of students,” said the 18-year Wyoming teacher. She felt traditional classrooms were too sterile and institutional, and wanted a more inviting atmosphere.
“As a classroom it’s kind of like their second home, as well as mine,” she said, noting that she adds more seating and decor as her budget allows.
Appealing to Different Learners
Blackburn studied multi-sensory learning and flexible seating, both based on philosophies that students learn through movement and by using all of their senses. She wanted to give them a place they are excited about, call their own and feel comfortable learning, moving and growing.
Marlee Waldrop, left, and Carly Alonzo settle on the floor to do math
“I was going for an alternative style that provides comfort,” Blackburn said. “This kind of environment lends itself to them having ownership.”
Recently, in the midst of the energetic youngsters, Blackburn conferred with a student about her reading progress, pointing out big improvements. “That’s what we want to see, girl,” she said, offering a high five. Around her, students read and worked independently in spots of their choosing.
“I like to sit at the owl table,” said first-grader Francisco Castillo, referring to the dining room table, which has seats covered in an owl-patterned cloth. His classmate Yudexy DeLos Santos agreed, saying, “It is much more comfortable to sit at.”
But Oscar Hernandez, who said he likes the ABC decorations on the walls, had a different favorite spot: “I like sitting in the rocking chair.”
Blackburn’s goal is to give students opportunity and choice so they are independent learners. “A lot of brain-based learning has to do with movement. It’s student-led.”
In instruction, Blackburn encourages getting out of the seats. Students hop to count “ones” in math, stand like a stick to resemble a base 10 blocks. “It’s not a sit-and-get class,” she said.
To accommodate that, she’s always adding more touches of home to her classroom because she sees how students react.
“There’s a calmness. There’s definitely a pride of ownership in taking care of the items in the room,” she said. “They gravitate to certain areas of the classroom they find comforting to them.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Figuring out who stole Jerrell’s iPad might not sound like a STEM activity. You’re wrong. It is.
Area middle school students took on the case at the “Falling in Love with STEM” annual event sponsored by The West Michigan chapter of the Association for Women in Science.
About 50 students recently took part in the event at Grand Rapids Community College and Grand Valley State University, giving students hands-on experience with projects related to science, technology, engineering and math.
To solve the make-believe theft problem, students tested pretzels, peanut butter, jelly, yogurt and beans for organic compounds to see which type of food residue was left on the device.
At a makeshift laboratory in a GRCC classroom, they put on lab goggles then went to work pouring iodine into beakers (testing for carbohydrates); rubbing food on brown pieces of test paper (testing for lipids); and adding 20 drops of Biuret reagent (whatever that is) into beakers (testing for proteins).
Their tests showed the substance on the book was peanut butter, so peanut-butter-loving Bruce was the one who pilfered Jerrell’s iPad in the make-believe scenario.
Other stations at the event taught students how to identify fossil hash, try a prosthetic claw, fly through space with the power of a telescope and do a magic trick. A scientist from Van Andel Institute was even there to answer any question they might have.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Using glucose test strips, Thoovi Nguyen of Kentwood’s Crestwood Middle School, left, and Hannah Ngo from Walker Charter Academy learned iodine turns to a blue-black color if there is starch in a food
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
Amina Mohamed’s English-language learner students read along with her during story time at Kentwood’s Glenwood Elementary.
“There was an old woman who swallowed a pie, a Thanksgiving pie, which was really too dry,” they read. The story continued, punctuated by giggles and expressions of concern at all of the things the old woman ate.
Books are one tool Mohamed uses to reach her students, first- through fifth-graders who come from 17 countries. While Thanksgiving is as American as apple pie, her classroom is a treasure trove of multicultural books, handpicked herself, that depict students’ countries and cultures. Mohamed sees children make connections as they turn the pages.
Editor’s note:This story contains an obscenity widely reported to have been used by President Trump. We regret having to use the word, but after much discussion decided it was necessary in order to convey the insult felt by Amina Mohamed, and her concern for the self-image of immigrant and refugee students.
“I always tell people that kids are very conscious of their backgrounds,” she said. “They are much more conscious than we think they are. I want them to see a book and be like, ‘Oh, that’s about me!’ and feel that sense of pride and empowerment in who they are.”
Mohamed knows the value of speaking many languages and having roots in more than one culture. She celebrates it with her students, immigrants and children of immigrants, many of whom are refugees. The message she continually conveys to them is: You are American. You are also Congolese or Burmese or Haitian or Mexican or Vietnamese or Chinese or Cuban or Nepalese. Apple pie pairs well with ethnic cuisine.
“I think there is a place to hold onto their culture and be part of this grand American culture,” said Mohamed. “It’s very much possible to do both. Success is not contingent upon the background that you come from. I try to be a living example of that.
“You don’t have to look a certain way or sound a certain way to be successful.”
Amina Mohamed introduces the story during story time.
Let’s Talk about How We Talk
Mohamed, who has taught at Glenwood for three years, grew up in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates. Her mother is from Kenya and her dad from Somalia. She speaks English, Swahili, Barawa and Arabic.
“There is value in knowing another language,” she said, stressing that multilingualism is beneficial for more than just improving career potential. She wants her students to know English, but to keep using their native language too, because it is part of who they are: “There is value in that inherently, just by itself.”
But children are often embarrassed to speak their native language, she said.
“Even those who are born here in the U.S. are very aware that their home culture is very different than the culture of their classmates. They are not the dominant culture. They aren’t white students whose parents speak English. That’s the same background as me. I don’t speak English at home.”
Mohamed moved to Michigan, where she has relatives, in 2011 after her family was selected in the U.S. Green Card Lottery. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education at Grand Valley State University and will graduate from the GVSU master’s program in April.
“There are lots of parallels between my background and my students’ backgrounds,” she said. “Also, given my fluency in other languages, I knew (teaching ELL) was my calling and where I could make the biggest impact.”
Second-grade teacher Adam Munoz said Mohamed brings a unique background to Glenwood, and that she has challenged teachers to rethink instruction so ELL students, who spend a chunk of their days with Mohamed, grasp a deeper understanding of content.
“Miss Mohamed is a huge resource to our teachers, as well as our students,” Munoz said. “Her love and enthusiasm for her students is evident by the smiles, hugs, and high fives that they receive on a daily basis.
“Miss Mohamed is able to relate to her students because she has walked in their shoes, and is able to break down information in a way that students understand.”
Second-grade teacher Jessica Spence said Mohamed has brought important perspectives to the staff and is a “game changer” in education.
“Her background as an immigrant brings with it a passion to give students texts and experiences that are diverse and relatable,” Spence said. “I remember Amina telling about her experience as a reader thinking, ‘Where are characters with names like mine?’
“That is a powerful thought that I, as a white American, have had the privilege not to have to think about growing up. So many of the students we serve do not have this privilege.”
On the whiteboard, Amina Mohamed helps Ka Htoo figure out a math problem
Lifting Up Role Models
Last semester, Mohamed took the idea of challenging students to think deeper and started iLEAD, which stands for Institute for Leadership, Empowerment, Activism and Dialogue. Seventeen Kentwood Public Schools elementary students spent three months researching successful immigrants who have backgrounds similar to their own, including business people, musicians, politicians and activists. Local immigrants also visited to share their stories.
Students’ work culminated in a Student Wax Museum Exhibition, during which local immigrants judged their projects. She plans to start a second cohort of iLEAD.
‘I want them to see a book and be like, “Oh, that’s about me!” and feel that sense of pride and empowerment in who they are.’ — Amina Mohamed, teacher of English-language learners
Mohamed’s vision is to demonstrate that immigrants coming to the U.S. is not a new trend. They have been coming for centuries and many are excellent role models for her students.
“There are lots of people who have walked their paths and they have led very successful lives here in the U.S. Just because people don’t mention that Steve Jobs comes from a refugee background or that Barack Obama’s father was an immigrant, it doesn’t mean they don’t have that background. I wanted them to be able to see that.”
She also wants iLEAD to have a far-reaching effect: “for the larger community to see that immigrants and refugees have had a huge impact here in America. They are not deficient. They are not empty vessels for us to fill in with English and American culture. They have their own culture and they can also have American culture.”
Munoz said students are in awe of Mohamed and many say they want to become a teacher, just like her. “In a sense, they see themselves in Miss Mohamed and (she) knows what the students are challenged by. It is a perfect yin-and-yang relationship.”
Said second-grader Christina Soe, “Miss Mohamed inspires me to do good in school.”
“She’s kind. She’s nice and she helps me with my homework. She helps me learn,” said second-grader Melody Sang.
Third-grader Ruth Sang studied news anchor Betty Nguyen, an immigrant from Vietnam, for iLEAD. She said she now wants to become a news reporter herself.
Amina Mohamed loves to share stories with her students.
Teaching Immigrants During a Polarized Time
Mohamed said she tries to take an unbiased framework when teaching, while not glossing over issues and current events. She wants to teach students how to think, not what to think. But she realizes what she is up against, with anti-immigrant rhetoric and proposed changes to immigration law coming out of the White House.
“I would definitely not have been able to come into this country if it had not been for that lottery. A lot of people I know including myself would not be in the country if (newly proposed laws) would be implemented.”
“I come from a shithole country in his eyes,” she asserted. “We are not deficient. We are not shithole people. We have a culture and we have had an impact here in America. I am not going to wait for my students to say, ‘Do I come from a shithole country?’ I do not want them to get to that point where they ever feel like that.”
That and other current events surrounding immigration are tough issues to address with students, she said.
“What the president says is not a reflection of who they are,” Mohamed said. “Even at a very young age sometimes they are taking it as a joke, as many people do, but this man has power. He is changing laws and policies. I don’t think at this age they have fully comprehended the severity of what this man is doing and the effects of what he’s doing in the long run.”
It is no doubt a complicated, confusing time for immigrant students.
But in Mohamed’s classroom, where books show people’s stories matter and success comes from all ethnicities, religions and countries, students relate to a young teacher who sees herself in them — as they do in her.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Northview school resource officer Deputy Andy Kozal stands in the security vestibule of Northview High School, one of many Kent County schools that have poured millions into security upgrades (SNN file photo)
By Charles Honey, Erin Albanese and Allison Kaufman
Wednesday’s shooting in a Florida high school that killed at least 17 people sent shudders through students, staff and parents in West Michigan, as the nation once again deals with a mass shooting in a school. The massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County brought to more than 400 the number of people who have been shot in more than 200 such shootings since the 2012 murder of 20 first-graders and six adults in Newtown, Connecticut, according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.
Expelled student Nikolas Cruz, 19, was charged Thursday with 17 counts of premeditated murder using a semi-automatic rifle legally purchased. His rampage revived issues of school security, mental health and access to deadly weapons and brought to mind the horrific Columbine massacre of 1999.
School News Network asked local superintendents to reflect on two questions: what their schools have done to protect students and staff from the possibility of a shooter; and what else needs to be done at the state and national levels to reduce the incidence of mass school shootings. They responded in interviews or prepared statements.
Ron Caniff
Ron Caniff, Kent ISD
“As a response to the first question, the issue requires a two-pronged approach: prevention and preparedness. What’s the root cause of the action or behavior? School districts in our area are doing a great job with addressing underlying mental health concerns of students. Resources are best invested in strengthening relationships with all students and building connectedness, but for those who need extra assistance, it’s essential to provide that for them on a proactive basis.
“Preparedness is also absolutely critical. School staff undergo training for active shooter scenarios but obviously hope and pray that they will never have to experience that crisis. In these situations, mere seconds have the opportunity to save lives, so staff members need to know how to react and respond ahead of time so their training kicks in. Schools are also addressing security issues through design and protocols, such as secure vestibules, surveillance cameras, and restricting visitor access.
“As for the second question regarding state and national policy, in Michigan, it seems policy makers believe that the solution may in part rest with allowing open carry of pistols in schools. I wholeheartedly disagree with that approach.
“It’s common knowledge that these tragedies are occurring in America at a rate that far, far exceeds other countries. Why is that? Based on what I’ve read and heard, the biggest contributing variable is the abundance and accessibility of guns. If you don’t believe this statistic, just Google it.
“So for me, the answer is simple: we need fewer guns, not more of them.”
William Fetterhoff
William Fetterhoff, Godwin Heights Public Schools
Fetterhoff said security and training in the district are consistent with what many schools have implemented, including secured entrances, security cameras and mandated school lockdown drills.
But he doesn’t think facility preparedness is at the center of the issue. “First, prayers to the families,” he said, in reaction to Wednesday’s shooting. “That’s 17 more mothers who lost their babies.”
This and other school shootings should no longer be a matter of politics, Fetterhoff said.
“We need to not politicize this and instead look at it as a moral issue in our country,” he said.
Fetterhoff said schools need more financial resources to build relationships in communities, and provide students with access to mental health support and counseling. Youth are faced with huge amounts of pressure and mental illness is rampant, he said. He said the Florida shooter showed many disturbing behaviors.
“The schools need to become a platform for providing and acknowledging support for students to know it’s OK to talk about how you are feeling and what you are thinking,” he said. “We understand that necessity as our communities lean on us.”
Teaching today requires much more than instruction and schools need financial support in attracting “the best teachers that understand teaching today is a holistic endeavor.”
“And for the goodness of society we need to identify individuals (with mental health issues that could pose a danger to others) and pass laws and legislation so they cannot accrue weapons,” he said.
Teresa Weatherall Neal
Teresa Weatherall Neal, Grand Rapids Public Schools
“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to all the students, parents, staff, and the entire Broward County community.
“Any time there is a tragic incident like this, it is good to reflect on all the training, technology, policies, procedures, and facility-related measures that our district has in place to ensure safe and secure school environments.
”We at GRPS take great pride in being a national leader on school safety and security. Our own chief of staff and executive director of public safety and school security, Mr. Larry Johnson, is the chair of the board of directors for the National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officers. In 2008, Mr. Johnson helped secure a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to implement a comprehensive training on critical incidents and crisis management.
“The trainer model led GRPS to host a series of trainings for staff from public and private districts throughout the region. This grant also led to an assessment of egress points at our schools, complete with installation of new entryway identifications. GRPS conducts multiple school safety trainings and school safety drills throughout the year.
“Additionally, thanks to the voter-approved bond (for $175 million in 2015), GRPS is in the process of implementing more than $10 million in facility and security improvements including renovations to main offices/entryways, security cameras, and other security technology.”
Michael Shibler
Michael Shibler, Rockford Public Schools
Shibler sent an open letter to district staff and families (as did other superintendents) noting the many steps the district has taken to increase safety. Those include the Developing Healthy Kids initiative supporting mental health awareness and suicide prevention; student peer listeners to help classmates; and the statewide OK2Say system for reporting suspicious behavior or bullying. The district’s nine security personnel vigilantly monitor school buildings, he said.
Shibler also pointed to the $11 million spent on security upgrades from a 2014 bond approval, including first-floor shatterproof glass and entryway vestibules that require visitors to be buzzed into the main office. He said the vestibules would have prevented the Florida incident from happening here because a shooter would not be allowed into the building.
“If this guy came into our vestibule, he would certainly be recognized as a person who was expelled from our school” and therefore not admitted, Shibler said.
Nor would anyone be allowed into a building carrying a weapon, as Rockford schools are designated gun-free zones, he said. He supports a complete legal ban on carrying weapons into schools or other public arenas by anyone other than law enforcement, and testified before a Senate committee before the full body in November approved a bill allowing concealed-carry in schools. The bill is now before the House of Representatives.
“We have certainly contacted our representatives to let them know this is unacceptable,” he said. “I can’t imagine they’ll bring it up now.”
However, he sees the No. 1 issue behind school shootings as mental health, which he called an illness that “needs to be treated, just like heart disease.” For students, he added, the problem has been exacerbated by technology.
“Kids today can be bullied and harassed through a cell phone, by people who have no respect for dignity, or courage.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
East Lee senior Mitzi Hernandez holds a proclamation by the Grandville City Council declaring January “National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month”
East Lee High School (part of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools) students recently served as a voice for the millions of victims of human trafficking worldwide, including thousands in West Michigan, by making a presentation to the Grandville City Council in support of a proclamation.
Seniors Mitzi Hernandez and Jadon DeBri delivered research prior to the Grandville City Council’s unanimous approval of a declaration proclaiming January “National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month.” Justin Noordhoek, the students’ social studies teacher, is a council member.
Mitzi and Jadon’s presentation was the result of a study last school year on the Holocaust, which Noordhoek and English teacher Sarah Byrne use as a launching point into a collaborative unit on Modern Crimes Against Humanity. Students at the alternative high school chose to study human trafficking, blood diamonds, child soldiers, life in North Korea, and genocide in Darfur.
Mitzi said human trafficking is an issue many need to know more about.
“It’s a situation we don’t see and we don’t think it is happening, but it really is,” Mitzi said. “It’s crazy how many boys and girls are impacted by this. I felt like it was important for me to go to the City Council because I feel like there should be more awareness about what’s going on.”
The students presented the facts, based on estimates from Women at Risk International, which has locations in Wyoming and Rockford, including that 2,400 minors are being trafficked in West Michigan at any time. Michigan ranked second in 2015 for most incidents of human trafficking because its international border makes it ideal for traffickers. It remains in the top 10.
People are trafficked for prostitution, forced labor, illegal adoption, forced marriages, drug trafficking and even organ transplants. The average cost of a slave is $90.
Making A Difference
For their Modern Crimes Against Humanity projects, students researched facts and news articles, studied the perspective of individuals affected and created newscasts. Noordhoek and Byrne use project-based learning in their teaching, which involves making community connections and working to help solve problems. Noordhoek said his connection with the council offered a great platform.
“They can directly connect what they are learning in school to the real world,” he said. “They saw that actual process in action of, ‘Wow, this actually went somewhere. Government is recognizing this topic we are studying and I played a role in that.’
“For the City Council,” he added, “I just think it’s really fantastic when you have students, young people, acting as leaders and bringing attention to a topic to people in position of leadership that maybe otherwise no one would be a voice for.”
For Mitzi, she’s gained the confidence to address other issues she feels strongly about.
“We should do more and bring out more awareness of many things,” she said. “We should be united. We have to start small to make something big.
“This is making me a stronger person, showing me I can make a change and encouraging me to do more.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
With his lifejacket snug and dripping wet, Kentwood’s Challenger Elementary School fifth-grader Jaden Brown pulled himself up an East Kentwood High School Aquatics Center pool ladder. He had just practiced swimming in deep water with his classmates.
During three sessions at the pool, offered to all fifth-graders from the district’s 10 elementary schools, Jaden has learned the basics of water safety and he’s feeling more confident in the pool. “It taught me how to swim a little,” he said. “I didn’t know how to swim before.”
Leena Karaein, left, and Kelly Le, Challenger Elementary School fifth-graders, get ready to swim
The Aquatic Center, which features two swimming pools and 1-meter and 3-meter diving boards, provides the perfect opportunity to teach swimming as a life skill to many students in the district who don’t know how to swim, said Aquatics Director Joey Sutherlin. He leads the session with Jock Ambrose, high school boys’ swim coach.
Yet, like skills taught in health and physical education, water safety is something all students need to know, Sutherlin said. The district is one of the most diverse in the state, with students from more than 60 countries represented and a large population of English-language learners.
In the U.S., about 4,000 people drown each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including data from 1999–2010. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury death among children ages 1 to 4, and one of the top three causes among persons age 29 or younger.
There is disparity in rates of drowning among some ethnic groups, including African-Americans, with blacks also reporting less opportunities to swim. Swimming pool drowning rates among blacks, ages 5–19, were 5.5 times higher than those among white youth. This disparity was greatest at ages 11 and 12 years; at these ages, blacks drown in swimming pools at 10 times the rate of whites.
Coach Jock Ambrose talks about water safety to Challenger Elementary School fifth-graders
Skills for Life
“It’s lifelong learning. We live in Michigan. We are 10 minutes from natural water in any direction,” Sutherlin said, adding that the district has continued to invest in the pool, while some districts have ended their programs. Grand Rapids Public Schools, for instance, once offered water safety but it fell victim to budget cuts.
If the program saves even just one life it is worth it, he said. “We have to make sure we are not just educating our kids in math, science, English, but that we are teaching them survival skills as well.”
While the fifth-grade three-session course is a way to build the district’s competitive swim program by introducing swimming, water polo and diving to elementary school students, a key component is teaching safety topics. Those include floating, reaching out with an oar or branch to help someone struggling in the water, and throwing them a ring buoy or other floatation device. Students learn to enter shallow water feet first and have the chance to try swimming in deep water.
“We believe there is nothing more important than teaching all kids from a young age all the way through high school, the importance of water safety,” Sutherlin said. “We want to make sure they will be safe when they leave here.”
Challenger teacher Jennifer Ray said she’s seen her students become more interested and comfortable in the water, and even start coming to open swim sessions with their families. “There are definitely some of them who, over the three classes, their confidence in the water has grown.”
East Kentwood also offers high school electives including lifeguarding, and beginning, intermediate and advanced swimming.
Once students get really confident in the water, Aquatics Center staff encourages them try the diving board. Fifth-grader Leilani Moore took the plunge off the 3-meter board.
“It was amazing. I felt like I was flying!” she exclaimed.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Senior Raven Rochelle knows how much self-image affects girls.
“I know, personally, when you are a female, your image is everything,” she said. “The way you present yourself speaks volumes.”
So Raven and other girls on the high school’s Leadership Council joined forces to transform two girls’ bathrooms into vibrant, welcoming spaces. They painted the walls rose and lilac, hung up funky mirrors and decorated the spaces with signs proclaiming messages of encouragement, like “Never Stop Dreaming” and “You are So Loved.”
“The bathroom in a very personal space,” Raven explained. “(Self image) is so important, specifically in high school when you’re the most vulnerable. If you have that little extra something to get through the day, it helps you so much.”
Mirrors adorn the walls
Students in the Leadership Council attended the Jostens Renaissance National Conference in October at Michigan State University, which focuses on creating positive school climate and culture by working together as students and teachers. They left with the ideas to spruce-up the bathrooms, part of a bigger plan to add color and vibrancy schoolwide.
“We wanted to give a feeling of empowerment for girls,” said freshman Shantil Johnson. “We put mirrors in there so they can see how beautiful they are. … It makes you more happy when you walk in.”
Student Leadership adviser Katie Hoffman said the message is about self-worth.
“In our society in general, I feel like girls in particular and women are being bombarded with images all the time of what they should look like,” Hoffman said. “This is a small way we can encourage people that they don’t need to be anyone other than who they are.”
Senior Giselle Rodriguez stands next to a positive message
Spreading Positivity Schoolwide
The Leadership Council’s efforts could expand into the boys’ bathrooms and hallways. Students are painting individual murals on ceiling tiles in a hallway to exhibit Godwin pride. They also hope to create a hallway mural, illustrating what it means to be part of the Godwin family, Hoffman said.
Senior Giselle Rodriguez said their efforts are about creating a welcoming environment, “building our community inside our school and growing together with our teachers, staff members and classmates.”
Hoffman said a brighter environment is uplifting for everyone.
Freshman Shantil Johnson helped with the bathroom redo
“Just adding color adds a sense of excitement, creates better attitudes and a better sense of community. Hopefully that pride in the building will carry over to the classroom and the relationships students are building with their peers.”
Raven said the scope of the project is to bring people together, giving a sense of belonging to everyone. “This is our school,” she said.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Gladiola Elementary School Principal David Lyon shares how he works to create an equitable environment for students.
By Erin Albanese
School News Network
“What inspires you to come to school every day and teach children?” interviewer Rosie del Valle asked Gladiola Elementary intervention math coach Kristi Baumbach.
Baumbach, who had answered previous interview questions without hesitation, paused. “Now, I’m crying,” she said, as del Valle, web content coordinator for community initiatives for the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation, and her film crew took a break from recording.
After gathering her thoughts, Baumbach answered the question.
“The kids inspire me when I walk down the halls and they smile and are excited to see me, when they are excited to come into my classroom and are excited to learn,” she said, her voice still shaky.
Kristi Baumbach, a Gladiola Elementary intervention math coach, tells her story as a teacher for EDNET, a new website for teachers.
Baumbach, a 14-year teacher in Wyoming Public Schools, is among a group of Kent County educators being interviewed for teacher profiles for the Educational Network of Greater Grand Rapids initiative. The film crew is also spotlighting teachers in Grand Rapids, Godwin Heights, Godfrey-Lee and Kentwood. Several, including Baumbach, are involved in Leading Educators, another Doug and Maria DeVos initiative.
The major components of EDNET, as it’s known, include teacher leadership, principal support, and new teacher induction. It launched its teacher leadership work in partnership with Leading Educators in May 2017.
The EDNET website, to launch in April, will serve as a tool for educators by educators. It will include teacher profile interviews such as Baumbach’s, which document educators’ personal stories, from the moment they knew they wanted to teach, to where they are now.
“The website is an underlying foundation for all of the work — a place to bring educators from across the districts together to collaborate and learn from each other so that we can work together to support all children,” said Ashley Johnson, program officer for education for the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation, which focuses exclusively on local education practice.
The site will also include extensive research and data on education, blogs, and “Teacher Tactics” — effective strategies — submitted by educators from all over the world. Teachers will have ways to contribute content, ask questions and comment.
It’s an effort built out of the desire to come together, said Johnson, a former middle and high school teacher in Washington, D.C., who knows how isolating teaching can be. While talking to educators in the five local districts, a strong desire for a “nexus of collaboration” became clear, she said. “They wanted to talk with each other, listen to each other.”
Jennifer Blackburn, a Gladiola elementary first- and second-grade teacher, said she wants to serve as an advocate for her students.
Learning You’re Not Alone
Baumbach, who has taught at the elementary, middle and high school levels and with English-language learners, said she’s happy to share her story.
“For a long time I thought some of my struggles were just me,” Baumbach said. “As I’ve moved throughout my career and grown, I realized that other educators share that same experience. I wanted to voice that for people who maybe didn’t realize they are not alone.”
Baumbach said she sees the website as a great potential resource.
“Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in what’s not going well. But to slow down and say, ‘We do great things. Kids here do great things’ — to celebrate and highlight it and focus on that is cool.”
Several other Gladiola educators told their stories, including what drew them to the profession, what makes their district unique, their goals, and what advice they would give first-year teachers.
During his interview, Principal David Lyon spoke of the need for equity in education, for awareness of implicit bias and how it is rooted in the U.S. In serving Gladiola, a school with a large ELL population and high percentage of low-income students, he said he works to see potential in every child and teach them to aim high.
“Goals for this year are that we continue to grow our sense of having high expectations for all children,” Lyon said. “There is plenty of research that shows if you set a low expectation, that’s exactly where they will grow. If you set a high expectation they will grow to that too.”
Lyon said he’s excited to be part of the EDNET initiative.
“The phrase that sticks in my head is ‘We are all in this together, alone,’ because we walk into our classrooms and then whatever struggles we are having, we are figuring out by yourself,” he said. “But if you get that opportunity to hear a similar story and hear from somebody else what inspired them, it just gives you that support even if it wasn’t necessarily face-to-face.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
The EDNET team interviews Gladiola Elementary intervention math Kristi Baumbach
Dressed in red, resemblant of flaming hot sauce, Kentwood’s Bowen Elementary fifth-grader Yoe Shi Yar played David Tran, a Vietnamese immigrant who founded Huy Fong Foods, Inc.
“I was born in 1945 in Soc Trang, Vietnam. I am 72 years old. I speak Vietnamese. I have the best job in the world: making hot sauce!” Yoe Shi-as-Tran said, enthusiasm evident in his smile. “I immigrated to the United States in 1979 after the Vietnam War.”
Yoe Shi continued his first-person story of Tran, the entrepreneur who created a Sriracha sauce now known around the world for the rooster image on the bottle.
Thaw Kyar Eh presents on Tin Moe, a Burmese poet and teacher.
Yoe Shi, who moved to the U.S. from Thailand at age 6, and 16 other immigrant and refugee elementary students from Kentwood Public Schools, emulated successful business owners, politicians, judges and entertainers during the recent iLEAD Student Wax Museum Exhibition at the East Kentwood Freshman Campus. Students pretended to be wax figures, coming to life for visitors.
The students, who attend several elementary schools, spent three months and many hours on the after-school research project, which was focused on narratives and experiences of American figures who come from immigrant and refugee backgrounds.
In doing so, they learned about possibilities and the potential to build on the strengths of heritage, culture and language in their own lives, said Glenwood Elementary ELL teacher Amina Mohamed.
Empowering Through Role Models
Mohamed started iLEAD, which stands for Institute for Leadership, Empowerment, Activism and Dialogue.The students made up the program’s first cohort.
“iLEAD is specifically focused on centering the narratives of refugees and immigrants, and bringing awareness to how refugees and immigrants are an important fabric in American culture, and the impact they have had here in America,” Mohamed said. “I think many people don’t realize a lot of the famous people we see on TV do come from immigrant and refugee backgrounds.”
She said she wants to provide students with role models, through examples of those who have embraced opportunities and overcome challenges. She knows the immigrant experience personally: She grew up in the United Arab Emirates, her mother is from Kenya and her father is from Somalia.
“My goal is to have the students feel empowered to know they should be proud of their culture, heritage and language, and not view those things as a deficiency,” she said. “They are things to be proud of and to build on. Just because they come from a different country or their parents come from a different country does not mean they are not Americans.”
Mulonge Kalumbula, Grand Rapids Public Schools curriculum supervisor, introduces Bowen Elementary fifth-grader Yoe Shi Yar as a winner of the presentations
‘I Love All of Them’
Meadowlawn fifth-grader Siyani Mahadevan researched rapper/producer/activist Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, or “M.I.A.” “She’s a singer and artist and she really worked hard,” Siyani said. “She had a song on the Billboard Hot 100.” Like M.I.A, Siyani is Sri Lankan.
“We have to work really hard too, to become good at something,” said Siyani, who hopes to become a doctor when she grows up.
Students presented their projects — including facts and photos of the immigrants they portrayed — to judges who are successful immigrants and refugees themselves: Leela Dhakal, a Bhutanese business owner; Anh Tran, owner of Liaison Linguistics in Kentwood; Mulonge Kalumbula, Grand Rapids Public Schools curriculum supervisor; and Sau’l Ulloa, West Michigan Works! refugee career counselor.
“I’m very surprised the students put this many hours of research into this,” said Tran, a refugee from Vietnam whose translation businesses serves 120 languages. “I love all of them.”
Her advice to the students: “Study hard and do not let anything deter you, because America is the land of opportunity. If somebody pushes you down, get back up again.
“If I can do it, you can do it.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Want to know how to prevent accidents in the winter on major highways? Getting refugees without transportation to the Refugee Education Center in Kentwood? How to water your garden from rain water in a more efficient way than you are now?
A solution to a winter driving accident is explained by Santiago Galaviz, left, and Omar Lopez (Photos courtesy of School News Network)
Area students can help. Students from local schools designed their solutions to these problems typically handled by adults, and showed off their work at the first Design Thinking Showcase presented recently by the Kent ISD Career Readiness Team.
Design thinking is about imagination, throwing out wild ideas, not being afraid of failure and a process for reaching solutions, says Eric Kelliher, Kent ISD Career Readiness consultant. It’s where career education involves not just businesses but the community, and it’s being taught to teachers and students in multiple grades all over the Grand Rapids area.
At the Steelcase Town Hall, students set up their projects at tables and told visitors how they worked. Those exhibiting had won contests in which teams from their schools came up with ideas for solving a problem.
The winners were invited to the showcase, where teachers, assistants and more than 50 students showed their work to about 100 parents and business people. Each student was awarded a $100 gift certificate.
Making winter roads safer sounds like what state of Michigan engineers would solve, but an East Kentwood High School team didn’t let that intimidate them. They were students of physics teacher Laura Sloma, and had been studying the physics (like “Why didn’t the cars just stop?”) behind a 193-car pile-up in 2015 near Galesburg. Next they split into teams to create solutions to the problem, and were judged by three Michigan Department of Transportation engineers.
The winning solution involved posts and lights placed a few miles apart on the highway. A red light would show up five miles before the pile-up; a flashing red light would show up three miles before; and a solid red light would be at the two-mile mark. The four-member team’s model showed miniature cars and light poles, plus a video of the 2015 crash.
One of the team’s first ideas was to outfit cars like army tanks.
“You throw out every idea possible, even crazy ideas,” said team member Enrique Lopez, a junior. They moved on to the lights and poles idea, which would be much simpler and cost less. Research behind the final solution involved talking to an accident reconstructionist and people who had at least 10 years of driving experience on winter roads.
Just like in the real world, the work wasn’t easy. “You have to come up with things quickly,” said Lopez, admitting it was stressful.
“It really helped to be applying physics to something that had real-life application,” said Sloma, the physics teacher. “The design thinking process you can apply not only to problems like this, but other problems they’ll find in their careers. It was awesome thing to watch.”
Scarlett Lee reacts to winning a $100 gift certificate
A Shoe, a Dog and Keeping the World Cleaner
Zachary Reep rescued a Doc Marten shoe from being thrown away and his partner Sophia Senz picked up a tacky, chipped, ceramic dog planter at a thrift store. They planted herbs in these and other recycled items to show how “stuff” doesn’t have to be dumped in landfills.
“We can try to make a statement and say this stuff can be repurposed and doesn’t have to serve just one purpose it was made for,” said Zachary, a junior at Kent Innovation High School.
“It holds liquid,” Zachary said of the dog. “Why not? Plus, nobody’s going to want that dog.”
The students even made tea out of the herbs they planted.
“Rather than put the trash in the parks, we figured out how to put the parks in the trash,” said Zachary, who liked how the project connected to real life. “We wanted to show people they played a part in the environment. Everybody’s involved in it, and everyone can make a change.”
His favorite part of design thinking was the brainstorming and throwing out wild possibilities: “It was fun to find out what worked and didn’t work.”
One idea that didn’t make it to the drawing board was a portable garden on wheels. “It was unrealistic and had nothing to do with trash,” Zachary explained.
Thinking Behind the Showcase
The design thinking teacher training and contest were funded by grants from United Way and other businesses.
Zyair Sims tells how the Crestwood community would be able to get to the Refugee Education Center as Dante Hamilton looks on.
“This program met and exceeded our expectations,” said Kelliher, the career readiness consultant. “The teachers did a phenomenal job of embracing this program. It helped students see the connection between education and the real world with problem-solving and critical thinking.” He expects the event to be held again next year.
Crestwood Middle School took on the challenge of finding rides for refugees to the Refugee Education Center in Kentwood. “There are a high number of refugees at school,” said student Zyair Sims, standing by a model of the Creston area. Kentwood Public Schools has about 1,800 refugees and ELL students, who speak more than 60 languages and represent 90 countries.
The students’ first idea was to transport people to the center using Uber, but the cost was too high. Language arts teacher Lakesha Keuchler, coach of the seventh-grade team, says she saw the group’s “a-ha” moment when it decided to figure out how to bring the center to the people instead of the people to the center. Students asked community spots like the library, grocery stores and businesses to provide meeting places for users of the center, and those organizations agreed to do it.
Watering the Garden
Sand Lake Elementary fifth-graders from Tri-County Area Schools built a system last year to use rainwater from the roof of the administration building to water the school’s garden. This year, with design thinking, they took on how to get that water to the garden more efficiently than by watering it with a hose.
One of their goals was to create a system that didn’t use electricity. Students designed a system of PVC pipes with holes to run above the garden. Water collected from the roof went into 50-gallon barrels and was pumped into the garden.
The scope of building the assignment surprised student Mason Walkwitz. “I thought it was going to be a tiny school project,” he said. “We just started in class, then had competition at school, and now we’re at Steelcase.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
It was a tranquil, cafe-like setting: a darkened media center illuminated by an image of a fireplace on a projector screen. Soft jazz music played and artificial candlelight glowed atop tables covered with red-and-white checkered cloths. Students enjoyed the ambiance while busily discovering a buffet of books.
Wyoming Junior High English teachers Shantel VanderGalien and Katie Sluiter, dressed as wait staff, offered Book Tasting to all eighth-graders. The tasting included a sample of 10 books, all with multicultural flavors, for their in-class book clubs. From table to table, students munched chocolate chip cookies and considered menu options – book summaries – to please their reading palates. Entrees included “The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom, a verse novel set in Cuba,” by Margarita Engle and “One Crazy Summer,” by Rita Williams-Garcia.
“I feel it’s different. It’s engaging the students more in reading the books,” said eighth-grader Ashley Lopez, a fan of dystopian fiction. “I’m excited to have a whole list of books to choose from.”
For teachers, the Pinterest-inspired event was a way to offer diverse literary ingredients to inspire students.
“We are big fans of giving kids choice for what they read,” VanderGalien said. “We wanted all of our students to be represented in the literature, so the books we chose have an African American female protagonist, a girl from India as a protagonist, a Latina protagonist. We wanted our students to experience other cultures as well so they can see themselves in literature.” Assigned books last semester had male protagonists.
Malikye Anderson looks over his book list.
Thought-Provoking Reads
Having multicultural books available in the classroom at the diverse school has helped students blossom as readers, VanderGalien said. “It’s brought powerful conversations to the classroom, a deeper understanding for each other and various cultures.
“It’s powerful when students who read about a person who has a similar story to them because maybe they felt alone or isolated, experienced poverty, homelessness or leaving a war-torn country.”
English teacher Katie Sluiter said book tasting is a fun way to expose students to different works, create a community of readers and have them expand their reading repertoire. “They might have never read a book about their own culture, or they might choose a book that’s a window to something they’ve never heard of before.”
Added VanderGalien: “They are able to say, ‘me too, I’ve had that shared experience. Here’s my experience.’ In sharing their voice, students who have been marginalized or quieted find a place in the classroom.”
Eighth-grader Aubray Palma called the book tasting “cool.”
“Usually you get books offered to you that are one genre or culture, and it’s nice to get books from multiple cultures to learn about different things,” she said.
Eighth-grader Trista Werkema jotted “Never Fall Down,” by Patricia McCormick, and “Homeless Bird,” by Gloria Whelan, on her list of books choices. She liked the idea of choosing from multicultural options.
“When our teachers give us hands-on experiences we get more out of our learning,” she said. “It gives us a chance to learn more about what other people around the world are going through. It gives us an outside look because we tend to think only about our own lives and culture, and not consider what other cultures go through.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
From left, Michael Ross, Logan Boukma and Brian Juarez-Diaz participate in book-tasting. (All photos courtesy of School News Network)
“We will see new opportunities for Tech Center students to earn college credit in welding technologies before finishing high school” – Tech Center Principal John Kraus (Photo courtesy School News Network)
The Michigan Department of Education announced that Kent ISD and 13 other ISDs and school districts across the state were awarded Career and Technical Education (CTE) Innovation and Equipment Grants.
The grants are intended to expand programs and purchase equipment in manufacturing-related areas. Kent ISD’s award of $300,000 will be used to purchase welding equipment including high-tech virtual reality training systems, expand current welding units in several Kent Career Tech Center programs, and provide welding training for adults, middle schoolers and in summer camps.
Campus Principal John Kraus said “coupled with robotics, welding technology is present in nearly every manufacturing environment. In addition to the virtual welders, we hope to acquire a high-tech robotic welder that will prepare students for a vast number of unfilled jobs right here in West Michigan.
“And through our established partnership with GRCC,” Kraus added, “we will see new opportunities for Tech Center students to earn college credit in welding technologies before finishing high school.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
From left, Elijah Kibbe, seniorJacky Garcia, junior Luke McGee and seniors Adela Campos and Jackie Lopez participate in a student session to provide input future education efforts. (Photos courtesy of School News Network)
To explain how he learns best, Lee High School sophomore Elijah Kibbe described studying all the ingredients for ice cream treats before he started working at Dairy Queen.
“The first day I got there I messed up everything, even though I had studied how to make a Royal Oreo Blizzard,” Elijah recounted on a recent student panel. “I still messed up every time I had to put the cocoa fudge in the middle. … I didn’t have experience that you have to put the machine to 80 when you make the Oreo Blizzard, or you have to put the machine at 20 when you make a strawberry shake.
“You can have all the information in the world, but if you do not have any experience in it, you can’t do anything with it,” he concluded. “That’s what I learned.”
Philadelphia educators Alex McDonnell and ginger Fifer are helping the district embed the “6cs” into education
What Elijah was putting into his own words, said Philadelphia educator Ginger Fifer, who is partnering with the district on education reform efforts, is that teachers should not be “the sage on the stage” but “the guide on the side.”
Five Lee High students mentioned relationships, experience, and the need to figure things out for themselves as what they value most in education, during an hour-long student discussion session at Kent ISD. Students shared thoughts with Godfrey-Lee teachers and administrators; educators Fifer and Alex McDonnell, both teachers at a private school in Philadelphia; and Andreas Bustamante, a postdoctoral research fellow at Temple University.
McDonnell said Elijah’s emphasis on “doing” things already had him thinking about how to make education more experiential.
“His Dairy Queen point was brilliant,” McDonnell said. “It reaffirms what I do try to do: have students play the role of expert.”
Godfrey-Lee educators listen to student talk about their educational experiences.
Human-Centered Design
The panel was part of Rebel U, the Godfrey-Lee staff’s annual professional development day. The district is undergoing a human-centered design process, funded by the Steelcase Foundation. It has grown to include work to embed the “6Cs,” as described in the book “Becoming Brilliant,” into education.
The 6Cs include collaboration, communication, content, critical thinking, creative innovation and confidence. Students’ input is being used in determining how to make those skills best fit into instruction. The project involved partnering with Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, co-author of “Becoming Brilliant,” whose team includes the Philadelphia educators.
The student panel was meant to examine ways to leverage student creativity to build on the district’s new learner profile, which gives all C’s the same strength in how to approach instruction.
“We learned a lot today from what the kids are saying they want and see as valuable that align really well with the 6Cs,” said Assistant Superintendent Carol Lautenbach, noting that students and teachers are becoming close to being on the same page with learning goals.
From left, sophomore Elijah Kibbe and senior Jacky Garcia share their thoughts on how they learn best
Student Voices in Learning
Junior Luke McGee said he likes interactive projects, like making a video or music about what they are learning. “I feel like that’s the way I personally best learn, when you able to interact and create something off the top of your own head from what you’ve been taught.”
Students said they love the chance to create things; they want ample opportunities to work one-on-one with teachers. They love the small, close-knit district that operates like a family.
They said they don’t like to ask questions in class — though that doesn’t mean they don’t have them. They said meaningful moments have made learning stick with them in various ways, mostly because they involved real-world experiences.
Let students need lead the way when it comes to technology, Elijah said.
“We have a (recording) studio at our school. Nobody teaches us how to use the studio. Nobody’s like, ‘Here’s the class and here’s the assignment.’ If that were the case, I’d probably never be in the studio. When you have that chance to go in there and learn for yourself and go through trials and errors on your own, I feel like you become a better person.
“I feel like it becomes more enjoyable to learn because you are doing it on your own,” he added. “Sometimes it gets boring just listening to somebody talk and just writing papers a lot.”
‘Push Us to Keep Going’
Teachers asked how they can know when letting learners struggle is too much. Students said as long as teachers are accessible, they appreciate a challenge. But they also don’t like to make mistakes.
“I do not like to struggle. I will scream,” admitted senior Jacky Garcia. “I am terrified of failing.”
Students also said they want to use different methods to reach solutions, and want to know the “why” of things. In math, said senior Adela Campos, teachers often move too fast.
“You guys could explain why you need to find y,” she said. “Why? Where did y come from?”
Admittedly, teens are an indecisive bunch, Adela admitted, when asked if they feel they are being prepared for the future. She said she wants teachers to help them learn about opportunities.
“As we keep growing we are learning about ourselves. It kind of comes down to talking to us. Take some time out of your day to help us figure out what we want to do.”
And finally, they told teachers, don’t give up on them.
“Push us. Push us to keep going,” Adela said. “Keep pushing us to go the extra mile. If we know you guys are there for us, we will keep going and have more motivation.”
To truly address diversity and culture, sometimes you have to get down to the nitty-gritty. That was shown by East Kentwood students who recently discussed issues including gender roles, bridging a disconnect between general education and English-language learner students, and building mutual respect among students and teachers.
Sophomore Jamirea Lacy shares thoughts on connecting with ELL students
As part of a recent Student Council-designed Culture Week, students gathered on two days for Straight Talk during lunch periods.
“It’s about celebrating the vast array of cultures that we have in school because we are the No. 1 diverse school in the state of Michigan,” said senior Edgar Gatsinski, head of the council’s Diversity Committee. “We have a lot of different cultures and (57) countries represented at the school and we, as student council, wanted to celebrate that.”
Among activities that included games to identify countries and flags, and wearing traditional clothes from students’ native lands, Straight Talk was Culture Week’s way of exploring diversity deeper than through symbols and dress.
“I’ve been asking that key question: How can we acknowledge diversity more at East Kentwood?” Edgar said. “We talk about it, but aren’t really doing it.”
Junior Medina Vila waits to share her opinion
He noted the need for better connection among different student groups. “It’s important to me, given the current cultural climate in the world. I feel like this is so necessary. We need to come together in order for progress to be made. By doing this, that is the main goal.”
Overcoming Barriers Starts with Conversation
Students explored the need to better embrace and involve newcomers and to break down stereotypes. They also talked about student-teacher relationships, gender roles and of the risks of trying to fit in at the expense of not being authentic.
“I feel like once some of us step out of our comfort zone, like maybe we see an ELL student in class and we go and talk to them, then maybe other people will approach them,” said sophomore Jamirea Lacy.
Senior Edgar Gatsinski facilitates Straight Talk
“We have to overcome those language barriers that we have,” Edgar said. “There are other ways to connect with them, like sharing common interests.”
Students also talked about what makes it hard to reach out to others: awkwardness, fear of rejection and fear of what other people think. It’s difficult to step out of one’s circle of friends, they said, but there are ways to do it. “If you do talk to someone who is from a different culture, food is a great topic,” said junior Medina Vila.
Students said they have different standards concerning gender roles based on how they grew up. For some, they don’t really exist in their families, for others, gender roles are tied to tradition and heritage.
“I don’t think ‘being a man’ has an exact definition,” said Junior Ana Tran. “A woman can be anything. A man can be anything too.”
“My mom always instilled in me that it’s OK that she worked and my dad chose to be the one who stayed at home, but I feel like it’s a stigma that it can’t be that way,” Jamirea said.
Edgar said he thinks gender roles “are going to subside and be put aside because we are so progressive, noting that he still hears the “be a man” message from the older generation.
Students also discussed how teachers can better understand students and their cultures, especially within a heated U.S. political environment.
“Regardless of whatever political affiliation they have, I feel like they should still be a little more sensitive and a little more keen to what’s happening around them,” Edgar said. “There is a lot of divisiveness currently in the United States, and it would be nice if the teachers paid attention to that and saw where their students are coming from.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
A diverse group of students have straight-forward conversation
The first Parkview attendance celebration was a red-carpet affair for students like these kindergartners (from left) Major Weese, Benjamin Ramey, Taeja Gibson, Angel Gonzalez and Marianna Brault being recognized on stage. (All photos courtesy of School News Network.)
Parkview Elementary students shined, smiles spreading from ear to ear, as they walked down the red carpet laid out for them during a celebration of their success in getting to school nearly every day, all day.
Along with the grand Hollywood-style entrance, names of 260 kindergartners through fourth-graders were announced as students walked on stage in the Dan Heintzelman Fine Arts Center, honored for being in class 95 percent or more of the time during the first marking period. They then watched a movie with their families and went home with goodie bags. Beverly Reformed and Wyoming Park United Methodist churches sponsored the event.
The celebration, the first of three planned this school year, promotes family involvement in attendance, said Teresa Dood, Kent School Services Network community coordinator She works on the school’s attendance team with Principal Katie Jobson, social worker Micah Bell, KSSN clinician Staci Wolters, and Sarah Wildman, success coach for the Department of Health and Human Services.
Attendance is a critical piece to success in school, Dood said. “Kids miss critical building blocks when they miss school and days add up so quickly.”
About 8 percent of Parkview students were chronically absent for a range of reasons during the first marking period. The team takes multiple steps to remove barriers that are keeping children from school.
Those include transportation; unstable housing and homelessness; a parent who works third shift; and illness, anxiety and mental health issues. The staff goes as far as to help with car repairs, walk students to school, and connect families with health-care professionals. They make sure classrooms are stocked with hand sanitizer, tissues and cleaning wipes.
Superintendent Tom Reeder applauds as first-grader Kiara Thomas enters the building
Aligned with County-wide Goals
The countywide goal is for students to miss no more than five days per school year, said Mark Larson, Kent ISD’s truancy and attendance coordinator. Last year, Kent County education leaders — including a group of district superintendents, representatives from Kent County Juvenile Court, the Kent County School Justice Partnership and others — created a new policy with common definitions.
According to a study in Berrien County, replicated in other areas, top reasons students are kept home include parent-diagnosed illness, which includes the sniffles or other mild symptoms; routine dentist and doctors’ appointments for which parents pull students out midday and then don’t return; and parents placing a lack of value in attendance, including having older children stay home with younger siblings.
“When you look at it through that lens, it’s important the whole family values regular and consistent attendance,” Larson said.
Kristin Jacob and son, kindergartner Josiah, walk the red carpet to applause
Keeping Track of Days Missed
At Parkview, Dood and the staff review attendance records weekly, noticing patterns of absence early.
“Attendance is often an iceberg issue and really there are a lot of underlying things the family is struggling with,” Dood said. “When we talk to families, we try to look at it in a solution-focused manner: ‘What can we do to help you?’
“There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution to attendance, it really needs to be individual.”
Sometimes the solution is just to stress the importance of attendance, beginning in kindergarten, to parents who have an “it’s just kindergarten” mentality. Stressing appropriate bedtimes is also important.
At the Parkview celebration, parents posed for photos with their children. Tim Agema, father to third-grader Ellie and first-grader Landon, said attendance is a priority for them. The reason? “Of course, education,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. You gotta be there every day.”
“Once you fall behind it’s hard to keep up. Every day matters,” added Kristin Jacob, mom to kindergartner Josiah.
Second-grader Sa’riyah Brown also knows why it’s important to be in class: “If you’re not there you don’t get to be smarter.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Parents also deserve recognition for making sure their students are in school as much as possible.
Art teacher Amber Warren sees the difference in students who have had experience in art and those who haven’t. The latter have little faith in their artistic abilities, she said. “They are not confident.”
After offering art at reduced levels due to budget constraints for the past few years, the district has restored and is rebuilding programming so that every grade level will get some art instruction.
“I slowly have been building up their confidence,” Warren said of fifth-graders, who haven’t received much art education. After leading them through a basic, step-by-step project to make a Frankenstein picture, “That completely changed their perception on art,” she said.
Third-grader Alivia Walker shows her shape
She recently helped younger students lined up in the hallway at West Elementary build up their savvy with paintbrush, scissors, pencils and even a little DaVinci knowledge. To get their attention, Warren said, “Mona,” to which students answered in unison, “Lisa.” They made lines with their arms, airplane-style: vertical, horizontal, diagonal. She asked them to name textures. “Bumpy.” “Rough.” “Soft.” “Smooth,” they answered.
Students created name monsters, creatures that revealed themselves in the outline of their own names, written in crazy-style letters on paper and cut out. “Mine is like a brain with legs,” said third-grader Zachary VanderMeer.
Students enjoy their time in class so much that she said they work hard to earn art passes to use in Warren’s classroom during recess.
“I’ve learned about warm and cool colors,” said third-grader Kaitlyn Boroff. Added third-grader Pilar Carrillo: “I learned how to make a big flower.”
New art teachers also include Lynette Robinson at Southeast Elementary, and Jake Gless at Kelloggsville Middle School. Krista Bodo heads the high school department, and hosted the district’s first art show last year.
Drawing Out Creativity
Rebuilding the art program is an important way to give children enriching opportunities and creative outlets, said Assistant Superintendent Tammy Savage. Kelloggsville staff and administration members are extensively researching educating students in poverty. About 80 percent of students in the district are economically disadvantaged. “Our philosophy is that all students need opportunities in all areas,” she said. “Every experience they have helps them build background knowledge.”
Third-grader Zachary VanderMeer holds up his name monster cut-out
Warren sees well-rounded instruction as important for future success. She talks to her students about the many careers available in art. “Nowadays, the way society is going creative-based, it teaches them to have those 21st century skills.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
One must think like a big cat when designing a tiger habitat. Where do you like to sleep and play? What keeps you safe? What keeps people safe while watching you? What keeps zookeepers safe in feeding you?
Kentwood’s Discovery Elementary School students in the district’s gifted and talented program, PEAKS, considered the needs of lions and tigers and bears and other zoo animals recently while designing 3-D model exhibits for the new STEM class, Exhibit Design, a John Ball Zoo education program.
“You guys are going to be engineers,” said lead instructor Megan Burkhart, while passing out design kits with animal figurines, miniature structures and habitat pieces. The fourth-graders, working in groups, considered those who would be affected by their designs.
“We need to take into consideration the feelings of the keeper, the animals and the visitors,” student Madison Duffey said.
From left, Owen van der Veen, M.J. Smith and Calvin Ranger work on putting components of a good habitat together
New Tools to View Zoo
Burkhart said the class gives them new perspectives on what goes into design that meets the needs of all users. “When students come to the zoo and they are looking at exhibits, they don’t ultimately think about what went into the exhibit,” she said. “I love that it gives them the opportunity to engineer things themselves. As they go through the zoo after they’ve done all of this, it gives them a new appreciation and insights into all of the new exhibits.”
“Another goal is to show them the variety of jobs at the zoo. A lot of kids think the only job at the zoo is zoo-keeping, but there is a lot more we have here to offer; things they can ultimately do with their future,” Burkhart said
Fourth-grade science standards include animal adaptations, said teacher Joe Westra. The class, which involves biology and engineering, ties in well with new Michigan Science Standards. “Everything about this is consistent with best practice in science education,” he said.
Students said making a zoo habitat is harder than first appears.
Alexander Grzesiak and Madison Duffey create a bear exhibit
“If takes a long time and a lot of hard work, and you can’t do it by yourself,” said Reign Baker about coming up with a design. “If the animals don’t have what they need, they cannot survive.”
The zoo education program also offers the new STEM course, Penguineering, which challenges students to consider ideal habitats through the eyes of a Magellanic penguin and to create a nesting habitat.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
After students spent last school year building a house through the East Kentwood High School residential construction class, Principal Omar Bakri bought it.
Senior John Walma turns a wheel to lift drywall
“I wasn’t planning on it,” said Bakri. “I stopped by the worksite to support the students and teachers. When I walked into the house, my jaw dropped. I fell in love with it right away.”
Bakri and his wife, Ayrica, a third-grade teacher at Explorer Elementary, also in Kentwood Public Schools, sold their Grand Rapids house and moved into the stately home in the Crystal Springs neighborhood with their children, Kian, a fourth-grader and Isaac, 20, in June.
Bakri loves the detail in the five-bedroom ranch, which boasts an open floor plan, brick fireplace, wood floors, cobblestone-bordered tile and 9-foot ceilings. “Everything seems solid, top to bottom,” he said.
Senior Corbin Butterly hoists up the drywall
Student-Built, Kentwood-Connected
Bakri’s house is among about 25 in the district built by students – with help from professionals – from the ground up. The class, taught for 13 years by Kyle Croskey, has been transforming teenagers into tradespersons since the mid-’80s, providing an invaluable experience. The program sustains itself because the sale of each house provides funding for the next. The district currently owns eight adjacent Crystal Springs lots for development.
Students gain experience in carpentry, windows and drywall installation, painting and assisting with electrics and plumbing. They install outlets, light switches and sinks, cut and polish granite countertops. They add their own design ideas and tweak things as they see fit.
Currently, 34 students are building a 2,700 square-foot, five-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom house, also in Crystal Springs. Students are already putting their own signature on it, modifying the original floor plan to include a wet bar in the basement, an expanded walk-in closet and a fancy, walk-in shower.
Senior Bryce Hansen sits atop a ladder in a new house students are building
Students earn a math credit for the class, and it attracts a diverse group of teens. More than half enter construction or a skilled trade as a career or in a post-secondary program, Croskey said. Others want to learn to “do-it-yourself” at home.
“It’s kind of like a Montessori approach,” said Croskey, who sees students discover aptitudes for different areas of construction, electrics, interior design. “I tell the students, find something you’re good at and get really good at it and the rest of it will come.”
It’s also about having a true sense of what occupations in construction entail. “We want you to have experience and decide if this is for you or not,” Croskey said.
It was the right fit for assistant construction teacher Cam Morris, a 2014 East Kentwood graduate, who took the class his senior year.
“The first time I worked with my hands was in this class,” Morris said. “I didn’t know I wanted to work with my hands for the rest of my life. It 100 percent changed my life and career path.”
A Strong Job Forecast
Skilled-trade professions are in high demand. According to the latest edition of the West Michigan Talent Assessment and Outlook, 10-year growth is projected in construction jobs, ranging from about 7 percent to 34 percent. Last year two students were hired by local companies because of the work they did in the class.
Hands-on exposure to careers creates the kind of connections students need, Bakri said. The class is a great example of the style of learning emphasized lately to build the future workforce. It helps students develop collaboration, problem-solving, creativity and critical-thinking skills. Said Bakri, “What (Croskey) is doing on a regular basis is exactly what we want our core teachers to do on a regular basis.”
Drills buzzed and hammers pounded as students installed drywall on a recent sunny Wednesday.
“It’s just the experience,” freshman Hector Avalos said about why he likes the class. He plans to become an engineer and start his own construction business. “You can look at something and say, ‘I know what that is and I know what that is.”
Senior Shannon McGhee said he’s learned to love carpentry and enjoys the setting of the class. “It’s more outdoors. You get out of the classroom. You do more hands-on things instead of being stuck in a classroom.”
Senior Jeremy Henry said he’s interested in carpentry as an occupation, but the class will help him in the future no matter what. “When I’m a homeowner, if something needs to be repaired I will know how to fix it.”
Senior Daniah Ali had her own reason for taking the course: defiance. “My brother took it and he said girls couldn’t do this.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Seniors Allison Quinn and Chloe Quinn move a piece of drywall
Students trickle in after school, one or two at a time, into a Wyoming High School classroom. They grab a slice of pizza and sit down to discuss issues that affect their lives and community: school, jobs and ways to give back.
Fresh off a service-learning project they chose to take on to promote the November school bond proposal, they discuss what they learned about school millages and voting, and what their school needs most: bigger classrooms, more space, more buses. And while it’s not something a bond would cover, someone mentions food.
The students in the Teen Outreach Program, discuss how most teenagers who stay after school are hungry, having eaten lunch well before noon.
Mikayla Reynold, a Grace Bible freshman majoring in psychology, and John Napper, a business owner, share how Teen Outreach impacted their lives.
“You know, 80 percent of kids here qualify for free or reduced lunch,” said Julian Goodson, who leads the group of ninth- through 12th-graders.
“That doesn’t mean the other 20 percent can always afford it,” a girl responds.
The seed of an idea is planted. “For our next service learning project, let’s come up with a plan to feed people who are here from 2:30 to 5 p.m. for the rest of the year,” Goodson suggests. The students agree.
Combining Leadership with Jobs, Giving Back
The 10-15 students who attend Teen Outreach every Tuesday are learning important connections between what they do now and where they are headed.
Julian Goodson has taught Teen Outreach since 2013
Goodson, a youth development specialist with Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation, started the class in 2013, initially as a way to engage students at risk of truancy. Since then, it has been opened to all students who could use a boost toward school and work success, or who just want to step up as leaders.
The program has three components: leadership or life-skills development; job placement; and community service. It also extends into a Summer Youth Employment Program.
Each student has an individual goal plan with action steps, and Goodson holds them accountable to their plans by checking in with them each week.
Part of the picture, Goodson has found, is helping meet basic needs, which helps them get to school in the first place. That’s why he comes to each meeting with boxes of pizza in hand.
“It’s extremely rewarding. A good majority of them just really need a caring adult,” Goodson said. “That’s true for a lot of youth in general. They just want to know someone cares about them. I just happen to be that person. … I get to know them as individuals and really meet them where they are at.”
The class teaches networking, resume-building and public speaking skills. Students are placed in summer jobs at local businesses and organizations, including the Wyoming Branch of Kent District Library, Goodwill Industries, Family Fare, Applebee’s, Bethany Christian Services and Wyoming Public Schools.
Completion of the Teen Outreach Program, 10 hours of involvement in a service learning project, and a summer job make for a great head start. “That’s a pretty robust resume for a teenager,” Goodson said.
A Unique Ability to Relate
Goodson relates to his students. As detailed in his book, “Thoughts of a Foster Dad,” his own childhood was thrown into turmoil after his mother died and his father was arrested multiple times. With his wife, Stacey Goodson, he has fostered many children, including 2017 Wyoming High School graduate Donnie Alford.
Four years ago, feeling as if he missed his calling to be a teacher, Goodson left the corporate world of sales to work with at-risk youth and foster children. It led him to GRCCT, and to Wyoming Public Schools to teach Teen Outreach. He also teaches at Covenant House Academies, and at Innovation Central High School in Grand Rapids Public Schools.
He faced an immediate challenge at the outset, he said: “How do you get a truant kid to come to an after-school program?” The answer was to build up their self-esteem. Instead of making it sound like a punitive way of getting them to school, students were invited based on their untapped leadership potential.
It was potential senior Zayveon Hymon can now see in himself. He said the class has made a major difference in his life. He worked a summer job at Lighthouse Property Management.
“I wasn’t a great leader,” Zayveon said. “I wasn’t coming to school every day and I wasn’t doing good on my grades. Julian approached me and said ‘I think you can be a leader, you just haven’t shown it yet. If you want to you can join my class.’
“I’ve met lifelong friends and learned how to be a leader,” he added. “My leadership skills improved a lot and, on top of that I learned handiwork (through the summer job). I improved my grades and actually wanted to come to school.”
Envisioning Success
After the bond discussion, students interviewed Wyoming High School graduates and Teen Outreach Program alumni Mikayla Reynolds, a Grace Bible School freshman majoring in psychology, and John Napper, a business owner. Both credit Goodson and the class for helping them turn their lives around.
“I eat, I sleep, I breathe college. I make good grades,” said Reynolds, describing how the class helped her realize success was an option after rocky years in high school. “This class impacted me because it really fine-tuned my leadership skills. I was always an introvert, always quiet and never wanted to step up to the plate. This class pushed me out of my comfort zone.
“It takes a good leader to push you out of your comfort zone,” she added. “It takes a great leader to push you to a place you never thought you would go.”
Turns out, comedian and director Woody Allen was pretty much right when he said 80 percent of success is showing up. In school, as in life, absence is a dead end.
Kent ISD and its member superintendents in 2016 adopted a common definition of truancy as 10 unexcused absences, and chronic absenteeism as missing more than 10 percent of scheduled school time. For an entire school year, that would be 18 days or more absent, whether excused or unexcused. This has been in effect since the beginning of the 2016-17 school year.
While truancy is well known and understood, chronic absenteeism is less familiar, as most absences are excused by parents and, until recently, were rarely challenged by educators. That began to change approximately a decade ago through the work of education researcher Hedy Chang, who is now the executive director of Attendance Works, a national nonprofit seeking to help schools and communities combat chronic absenteeism.
Chang’s research led to the publication in 2008 of “Present, Engaged and Accounted For: The Critical Importance of Addressing Chronic Absence in the Early Grades.” This report found chronically absent students — those who miss 10 percent or more of school — do worse academically. It also revealed that one in 10 kindergarten and first-grade students nationwide miss nearly a month of school each year. In some cities, the rate is as high as one in four elementary students.
Across Kent ISD, approximately 13 percent of students are chronically absent. Like the national studies, the prevalence of chronic absenteeism varies widely from school building to building and district to district but, in virtually every instance, it is greater in buildings and communities serving the economically disadvantaged.
The effects of chronic absenteeism are profound. Kent ISD researcher Sunil Joy found these students are much less likely to become proficient in math or reading. Just one in four are likely to be proficient in math at eighth grade. Worse, low-income students who are chronically absent have just a 10 percent chance of being proficient. Even more startling is the effect on African-American students, with just 3 percent likely to be proficient if they are chronically absent.
Although proficiency levels are somewhat higher for early literacy among chronically absent children, the numbers are just as stark — and the consequences may be more damaging. Just 40 percent of children with this level of absenteeism in their kindergarten through second-grade experience can be expected to show proficiency on third-grade reading tests. Those numbers fall to just 20 percent for low-income students and 10 percent for African Americans. The probable proficiency rate for Hispanic students is slightly above the African-American rate but below the overall low-income proficiency levels for chronically absent students.
Our districts are working hard to get at this problem. The nearly 50 school buildings within the Kent School Services Networkhave a laser focus on addressing the barriers to attendance for students. The social workers and clinicians of KSSN work to identify and attack domestic issues ranging from mental health to inadequate clothing. This work has been underway for a decade and is cited as a national example by the Attendance Works organization as a success story. So, too, is the “Strive for Less than 5” attendance campaign created by the Grand Rapids Public Schools, which is now being studied for implementation across all 20 districts in Kent ISD.
The value of the Strive For Less Than 5 campaign is its uniform message to all children, families and community partners. Attendance is important, and parents and their children should strive for fewer than five absences a year.
So, with a nod to Woody, let’s all make an effort to Be There. Be in attendance. Showing up is a big part of life, and success. But let’s make it 90 percent instead of 80.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Dean Transportation is looking for 50 drivers to serve Kent County schools
Diane Kallemeyn prefers to work as a substitute bus driver for Wyoming Public Schools, but is now covering a permanent route. She arrives at 6:30 a.m. to transport hundreds of students across the district and to Kent Career Tech Center, racking up about 80 miles each day she drives. With a few breaks in between, she finishes driving after school in the afternoon.
“Right now, we are short drivers so I am on a run every day,” she said.
So are many other subs. Area schools are experiencing the nationwide shortage of bus drivers, putting transportation departments in a pinch to get students on the bus in the morning and back home after the final bell at a reasonable time. In Kent County, subs like Kallemeyn are covering routes, dispatchers are driving, and retirees are filling in to transport thousands of children every day. They’ve also consolidated runs and are constantly seeking applications for new hires.
“We’ve tried to be creative,” said Don Hebeler, Wyoming director of operations and support services, who advertises job openings with yard and marquee signs and district-wide emails. He recently had three new drivers going through the training process for four open routes.
Consolidating routes and relying on retirees are some ways districts are covering shortages
Countywide, Dean Transportation is looking to hire 50 drivers to serve Grand Rapids, Sparta, Cedar Springs and Kent City public schools as well as Kent ISD programs. The Lansing-based firm contracts with those school districts and others statewide. Statewide, Dean needs to hire 100 drivers total.
“We’ve seen this for a few years now,” said Ashleigh Wright, Dean hiring specialist. “We are working toward closing the gap by increasing advertising and increasing flexibility with training. We will train non-credentialed drivers and pay for training.”
Wyoming Public Schools bus driver Diane Kallemeyn is a substitute currently covering a regular route because of the bus driver shortage
Why a Shortage?
School officials named several factors at play. More positions in the job market are now available than a few years ago, plus there are strict requirements and fewer perks for drivers than in the past.
With the national unemployment rate at 4.1 percent, people are more easily finding full-time work without frequent split shifts.
‘We are still in need of five drivers. We could use more subs too.’ — Laura Tanis, Kentwood Public Schools transportation supervisor
New hires don’t receive traditional pensions as they did years ago, Hebeler said: “When a lot of my drivers started they got full benefits and a pension.”
In Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, one of Kent County’s smallest districts, they don’t have enough drivers cover field trips and athletic events, said Scott Bergman, supervisor of operations, transportation and custodial services. The district, which parks its fleet at the Wyoming Public Schools bus garage, often uses drivers from Wyoming, Kelloggsville and Dean Transportation to cover needs.
“There needs to be increase in compensation for both custodians and bus drivers,” Bergman said. District driver pay starts at about $14 per hour.
The biggest challenge, Wright said, is finding candidates that meet all requirements: a good driving record including no history of driving under the influence or careless driving; at least seven years experience driving commercially; a valid Michigan license; a passed background check and fingerprint clearance. Candidates must pass a federal Department of Transportation physical and drug and alcohol screening.
“The number of folks who apply and get through the process is one or two out of 10,” Wright said.
Kentwood Public Schools began the school year with 10 open bus driver positions, of 36 total positions in the district. Since then, five were filled. “We are still in need of five drivers. We could use more subs too,” said Transportation Supervisor Laura Tanis.
Don Hebeler, Wyoming Public Schools director of operations and support services, stands near the bus fleet. He and directors statewide need more drivers
Enticements for Recruits
Starting driver pay from district to district ranges from about $14 to $18 per hour. A minimum of hours is often required to qualify for insurance. Dean Transportation wages start at $16 an hour and guarantees a minimum of four hours per school day. Dean also offers full benefits, including health, dental, vision, a 401(k) plan and paid time-off to all drivers.
Caledonia Public Schools, a district covering more than 100-square-miles, has recruited drivers with the offer of a $250 referral bonus and $500 sign-on bonus. The effort led to hiring five part-time substitute drivers who cover field trips, vacation and sick days and after-school athletic events. Two more substitute drivers are still needed, said Transportation Director Brenda Witteveen.
Godfrey-Lee’s Bergman pointed out another issue may be contributing to the shortage. “It’s an awesome responsibility to be a bus driver,” he said. “You are responsible for the safety of those children from the the time you pick them up to when you take them home.”
In today’s fast-paced society, people are commuting in a rush. “We’ve had two dozen people go through our red lights (on buses) since school started and they came within feet of our kids,” Bergman said. “Everyone is in such a hurry these days.”
Every weekday at about 1:30 p.m., Sheila Gurd arrives at West Godwin Elementary School to deliver hundreds of sack suppers from Kids’ Food Basket to classrooms, making sure no kindergartner through fourth-grader will go hungry at night.
By the time she arrives, Gurd’s likely already been volunteering at the Godwin Middle School, helping with fundraisers or Popcorn Day. At West Godwin, she recently popped 200 bags of popcorn for Family Night.
Gurd, whose children are second-grader Camblouw and eighth-grader Aidan, is the “go to” parent volunteer at West Godwin, which currently lacks a Parent Teacher Organization, said secretary Kristi Bast. At the middle school, Gurd is on the PTO.
A humble person who said she doesn’t ever want a title, Gurd just likes to help out.
Sheila Gurd delivers sack supper to students at West Godwin every school day
“I love seeing the kids’ faces every day. I love to help and deliver the Kids’ Food Basket food,” she said. “I’ve been here from Day One, very involved. I want to show other parents I want to be involved. I like to do it.”
She also likes to be present in her children’s school day. “Knowing that they know I’m in the building, if they have the problem, I’m right there to assist them.”
Gurd, a Wyoming native who graduated from Wyoming Rogers High School (now Wyoming High School) in 2000, is also a gold medalist in the pentathlon for Special Olympics Michigan.
Bast said Gurd is filling a big need at the school, which has a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students.
“(Without Sheila) we would not be able to get by, honestly,” Bast said. “We don’t have enough staff members. There’s not extra money or extra people. She’s been very good about coming in and being a volunteer with us.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Southeast Kelloggsville teacher Lynnea Roon lifted up a vial containing water that had turned a bright blue, taken from a portion of Buck Creek that flows through the schoolyard.
Jimmy Nguyen examines a feather through a microscope. (All photos courtesy of School News Network.)
“That’s a lot of phosphate!” a fifth-grader observed.
Next she showed a vial of water tested for nitrates that had turned a light shade of pink. “It’s not crazy bright red, so that’s good,” Roon said.
On a recent sunny fall day, fifth-grade students trudged along the squishy creek bottom to collect water samples for analysis in Roon’s new Science Lab class. Roon received a $1,000 grant from the Michigan Water Environment Association and American Water Works Association Michigan Section for water-related activities. She purchased 13 pairs of rubber boots, 13 nets, microscopes and water testing kits.
“When we test water we are testing the health of the something called the watershed,” Roon told her students. “We want to make sure the watershed is healthy. We want to make sure water entering the watershed is healthy.”
She introduced them to sources of water contamination like pesticides and fertilizers, water runoff from city streets and lots, factories, landfills and hazardous waste dumps.
Roon said the creek study ties in with a fifth-grade standard of learning about environmental impacts, and teaches students about being good stewards of the planet.
With net in hand, Karissa Cummings walks through the creek
After collecting samples from the creek, students looked at them, and other items like leaves, feathers and creek creatures, through microscopes and tested the water for dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphates and pH level.
“What I like is I got to see if we could find anything weird in the creek that is affecting it,” said fifth-grader Oscar Ramirez. “It’s like we’re mini-scientists!”
They also learned the Buck Creek Watershed is part of the Grand River Watershed, which eventually flows to Lake Michigan. “What happens here continues down the river to Lake Michigan,” said fifth-grader Abram Merdzinski.
“I learned that if you put garbage in the water it can make all the animals sick and their species could die out,” said fifth-grader Denaly Hill.
Reviving the Science Lab
Science Lab was reintroduced to the school last year after being cut five years earlier. The focus is on bringing to students hands-on, out-of-the-classroom experiences that align with Michigan K-12 Science standards, which are based on Next Generation Science Standards. Each class of third-fifth graders takes the course for one hour a week to enhance the science curriculum. They have also completed flower dissection, made marble roller coasters and will soon tend a greenhouse with tomatoes, cilantro and other vegetables.
“We are trying to make science come alive,” Roon said. “There are so many students who don’t know jobs exist (in the science field) and that they can get out there and experience these things.
“They definitely get excited,” she added. “You can see it through and through with their smiles.”
A favorite phrase of Roon’s is, “When you do, you remember.”
“I try to give them experiences they take with them and remember,” she said.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
A goal at the high school is for every student to receive college credit from at least one class before they graduate, said Evan Hordyk, the district’s executive director for secondary education. Well-established Advanced Placement (AP) opportunities, plus a middle college launching next fall, will make that possible.
East Kentwood students are already tallying up college credits by choosing from a slate of 21 AP classes. Soon they will be able to earn a free associate degree from Grand Rapids Community College by completing a fifth year of high school while dually enrolled as a college student.
It’s a way to give students a head start, in a setting where they feel comfortable. “We offer a very supportive family environment here, so taking a college class where they have those supports can help them be more successful,” Hordyk said.
From left, East Kentwood High School students Nisa Brooks and Adilene Garcia are earning credit in AP art
Adding a Fifth Year = Associate’s Degree
The district will begin the Middle College with its first cohort of 10th graders next fall. Students will take college courses at East Kentwood along with high school courses, and then finish a fifth year on the GRCC campus. Successfully completing the program will earn them a general associate degree with credits transferable to most four-year colleges and universities. Other Middle College programs established through GRCC partnerships include Wyoming High School, Cedar Springs High School and Ottawa Hills High School. Kenowa Hills High School has a partnership with Davenport University.
“The most obvious and biggest benefit for students and parents is that the tuition is covered,” Hordyk said. Considering a student entering a four-year university right after senior year pays an average of more than $20,000 including room and board, the savings is potentially huge and places students a year ahead of schedule.
“We have an opportunity for students, whether they have an economic need or not to walk out of here with an associate’s degree,” said Principal Omar Bakri.
For several years, East Kentwood students have pursued dual-enrollment opportunities with GRCC, Kendall and Davenport, with more than 100 students participating last school year.
Dan Clark, dean of academic outreach for Grand Rapids Community College, said this partnership is their sixth middle college partnership. Programs are filling a need, especially for economically disadvantaged students and those who are the first in their families to attend college.
“It definitely allows and provides greater opportunity for access and success for particular students who, it was probably a foregone conclusion, weren’t going to go to college,” he said.
Programs have also led to increased collaboration between high schools and GRCC. “If institutions can partner in a way to benefit students, families and the community, it’s a win-win-win all around,” Clark said.
A Reputable AP Program
East Kentwood has also built one of the most comprehensive AP programs possible, with 21 classes including AP courses in science, English, math, economics government and art. The high school last year earned a silver medal from U.S. News and World Report for achievements including having 35 percent of students take AP tests and, of those, 73 percent pass them.
These courses give students college-level opportunities they otherwise might not have. They aren’t just for the highest achieving students, Hordyk said.
“One of the things we are quite proud of is that in 2017, 1,000 AP exams were taken. If you go back five years, just under 600 were taken, so we’ve almost doubled that number.” The success rate of a passing score, a 3, 4 or 5 on the AP exam, has remained high. “We’ve added a lot of kids and they are still very successful.”
East Kentwood is the most diverse school in the state (as ranked by Niche, a data organization) with students from more than 60 countries represented. Much of the increase in AP enrollment is from students of various ethnicities, “groups that haven’t traditionally been part of AP,” Hordyk said.
Graduate Justin Lai, a University of Michigan freshman pursuing a degree in computer science engineering, recently stopped in to visit his AP physics teacher Laura Sloma. He took nine AP classes before graduating last spring and said he was glad to have the head start. “As far as preparation goes, it was nice to have a harder workload to prepare me for college.”
A bank was robbed. Fifteen suspects – all middle-school staff members – had their mugshots taken, each holding a dollar bill up to their forehead. Algebra students were notified.
The CSI team was waiting on video surveillance to confirm the perpetrator’s height, and once known, they would be able to quickly and easily identify the culprit using data collected by students.
“The CSI team is calling on you, the mathematics experts, to use your knowledge of scale factor to find the actual heights of each of the subjects,” assigned math teacher Heather Richards.
Antonio Valenzuela and Brianna Morris work to win points during math Jeopardy!
Over two class periods, eighth-graders used math to figure out the height of each suspect by calculating the true dimensions of a dollar bill, translating it to the photo-sized dollar and relating it to the height of the suspect in each photo. They eventually learned – Richards announced the conclusion made from video surveillance – the robber was 5 feet 10 inches.
From there, they used a slate of clues to pinpoint… dun-dun-dun… English teacher Jacob Deubner as the thief.
The CSI investigation was the brainchild of Richards, who has taught at Kelloggsville Middle School for nine years. She said she wanted to teach scale factor in an interesting way, and crime-scene sleuthing is one of many approaches she uses to engage her students.
Known to jolt young teens’ attention with scavenger hunts, her old-school rap savviness or trivia knowledge of obscura such as how frequently the average human being flatulates in one day (14 times), Richards brings liveliness to teaching, funneling positive energy into every coefficient, quotient and sum. She describes her school day as “hours of endless mathematical fun,” a statement that contains no sarcasm.
With dry erase pen on whiteboard, she demonstrates an alternate way to solve an algebraic equation, her face lighting up with delight. “Isn’t that cool?” she asks, her giddiness growing exponentially.
Richards earned her bachelor’s degree from Grand Valley State University and her master’s from Marygrove College in Detroit. She taught in Belleville Public Schools for three years before being hired in Kelloggsville.
She said she likes to spice up the subject she loves and pass it on to her students. “I like teaching in general. I like being able to influence kids and kind of run the show in here and be a positive role model on top of teaching. I love teaching math. I’ve always been good at math. I have a math brain.”
She also makes sure her students always have access to instruction, through video lessons on her website and YouTube.
Kelloggsville Middle School teacher Heather Richards smiles as she shows how to solve an algebra problem using a chart
Teaching Deep in Simple Ways
Master mathematicians-investigators Pablo Vicario and Matt Zaiger were the first students to name the robber in the CSI activity. They said the activity shed light on the “When are we going to use this question?” often posed in algebra class.
“It was a really fun activity,” Matt said. “We were able to use our clues and math skills to figure out who the robber was.”
The woman behind the activity was not lost to them. “I would say math is my favorite subject… I like Mrs. Richards,” Matt said. “She teaches us ways to make math a lot easier than other ways that make it confusing.”
Added Pablo: “Before, math was an OK subject for me. I did it, I was good at it, but then with Mrs. Richards, it was really fun. She explains it way better. She’s the best teacher.”
Where did that ability come from?
In 10th grade, Richards, a Wyoming native who graduated from Wyoming Rogers High School in 2001, had a math teacher who presented different ways to solve equations through various activities. She showed that traditional algorithms didn’t have to be the automatic go-to. That gave Richards a sense of what kind of math teacher she could be.
“I always try to come up with alternative methods of learning stuff,” she said. “The idea has always been to give students the deeper conceptual-type understanding. Then I show them another way, and another way, and another way.”
Principal Jim Alston said Richards’ love for learning is contagious.
“Her personality is very energetic, very much like that of a middle-school student. They respond well to her and the enthusiasm she brings to her classroom. Her interest is so high for the subject that it rubs off on the students,” he said. “They see her excited about what they are doing for the day and all of a sudden they are excited, and sometimes they don’t even realize it. Her love for math and teaching math is what the students see and appreciate every day.”
From left to right: Ayanna Thompson, Alexis Shoemaker, Lacy Sleet and Loida Benavidas work to rack up the points
To the Final Jeopardy! Round
Pop into Richards’ class and there’s likely to be motion, discussion and students engaged in math. To prepare for a test, Richards recently hosted a Jeopardy!-style game show, with students in groups of four who answered questions that ranged in difficulty to amass points.
“Scientific notation, c’mon!” Richards shouted, as they worked to come up with the right expressions.
“You can’t just sit with a textbook and grasp it,” she said. “They have to be able to experience math.”
Her annual scavenger hunt is another example: The hunt is based on using clues with coordinates on them to find the location of math problems.
“She interacts with us. It makes it easier to comprehend,” said eighth-grader Antonio Valenzuela.
“She’s fun. She teaches well and she makes us understand it and goes over it and over it until we get it,” said Stephane Garcia-Palacios.
Richards is also likely to be stopped in the hallway by a student with a math question, and she’s ready to walk them through it.
Principal Alston said students have a comfort level with Richards that helps them learn.
“On top of her love for math, she builds such good relationships with her students,” he said. “She does this by letting students know who she is as a person. She has a great sense of humor and she uses that to her advantage to reach her students on a more personal level. Her students love being in her classroom because they never know what to expect in there. They know that she will hold them responsible for their work, but that she will help them along in any way she can.”
Meanwhile, the Jeopardy! game proceeded, and students jotted down expressions and calculations as fast as possible, throwing up their answers on mini-whiteboards. Somehow, a question about rapper Jay-Z was thrown in. Points racked up and students showed they were ready for the next day’s big test. They knew they could do math.
And it’s a safe bet that if host Alex Trebek ever states: “This teacher was known as the best middle-school math teacher,” Kelloggsville students will answer “Who is Heather Richards?”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
