Kelloggsville High School students now have a sparkling addition to their building, complete with a repositioned entrance, new gymnasium, two-story media center and classrooms, and plenty of open space. Paint and decor reflect Rocket pride in blue and orange, and natural light streams through new windows.
Construction recently was completed on the new entrance area of the school, allowing students to enjoy the space for the remaining weeks of the semester.
“It’s amazing. It’s a major upgrade,” said senior Anna Jensen.
Principal Kevin Simmons looks out of the new media center.
The project was made possible through a $30 million bond issue passed in 2015. The bulk of it, $27 million, went toward improvements at the high school, 23 Jean St. SW, including demolition of a 1930s wing and the large addition. The entrance of the school now fronts Division Avenue instead of Jean Street. Other renovations are in progress.
A new competitive-sized gymnasium will host varsity games and allows for more practice space. The auditorium has new theater-style seating for 480. A two-story media center outfitted with updated technology will serve as a hub for learning and a community center. The goal is to open some facilities to the public.
“The district realized the high school would be a hub for the community,” said Principal Kevin Simmons.
“It’s like a whole new high school,” said senior Sadie Mitchell.
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April Martinez is the kind of person who asks, “Do you need anything else?” and “What more can I do?”
She’s the student who is ever-present, often helping organize events and taking part in art shows, blood drives, pancake breakfasts, powder-puff games. Others say she’s a natural at uniting people.
“I’m everywhere,” the Student Council president said with a laugh. “I love helping people. We do events that make people happy and bring our school together and that’s wonderful to me.
Senior April Martinez will graduate on May 31
“Where they need me is where I’ll be.”
April graduates on May 31 from Godwin Heights High School, and is headed to Grand Rapids Community College for her associate degree before transferring to Western Michigan University or Aquinas College to major in political science and minor in art.
April has always had big goals and a go-getter attitude, she said, but on many days during high school, there was a lot more on her mind than schoolwork.
During her freshman year, April and her three siblings, the youngest a baby, were put into foster care after being removed from a situation involving abuse. April and two siblings moved in with an aunt, and the baby was placed with a foster family.
“I remember this day so vividly,” she said, recounting arriving at KidsFirst Emergency Shelter, in Grand Rapids. “I couldn’t stop crying. I tried so hard to keep it together. I was worried about how my younger sister was doing.
“The hardest part was my little sister being gone. When they took her, it was the worst year ever.”
April and her sisters and brother remained in foster care for over a year. The usually smiling, happy April acted out at school by being mouthy and disrespectful. She became unmotivated and depressed, even suicidal at times. She would weep silently in the bathroom at school. “There’s a certain stall where I would cry,” she remembered.
She now lives with her grandmother, and with the help of school counselors, her friends and a youth minister at St. Francis Xavier church, she turned things around. “Prayer’s a powerful thing,” she said.
April Martinez gets a hug from art teacher Deanne Base
Putting Others Ahead of Herself
She’s embraced her Student Council work with steadfast commitment. “I’m a very outgoing person, so I like to think of myself as reaching out to people who others don’t always notice and making sure people feel part of school. We’re like a family here. I love it.”
Teachers say April is always thinking about others. “She’s that person who asks, ‘What else do you need me to do?’ ” said Student Council adviser Robin Carlyle. “She goes above and beyond and is kind and considerate. Life isn’t always good for her, but she doesn’t let it get her down.”
Art teacher Deanne Basse said she has “a ton of admiration” for April.
“One of her absolute strengths is to keep her composure and poise and always looking beyond herself. When she is tackling her own aspirations, she is also equally as concerned with everybody else. It makes her a very strong leader.”
April said she wanted to share her story to help other people who face similar challenges and loss. She wants to inspire them to be strong, to turn to others for help and not give up.
“What’s coming is so much better than you ever imagine, if you take the good path,” she said. “You have to go through the storm to see the rainbow.”
Madam President?
Going through the foster care process has inspired April to become more interested in politics, and in the need for social change and to address global issues like human trafficking. She hopes to become a lawyer, and then aim even higher. Yes, that high.
“I’ve always wanted to get into politics and be President of the United States,” she said confidently. “I feel like the world can be changed. I’m a believer that we can fix the world.
“I tend to see the best in the world and people, because I love people. I love the world.”
April said her experiences have shaped her life. “They’ve taught me to be more compassionate and understanding, to be there and help people and not judge them.”
Sound like qualities of a good president?
“Maybe you’ll be interviewing me when I’m in the Oval Office,” she said. “We’ll see what I’m destined to be.”
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In a room at Godwin Heights High School that formerly served as the site for in-house suspension, students now come for help in the areas of college, career and comfort.
The Empowerment Room is a recently revamped space serving a two-pronged purpose: a needed area for decompression and quiet, and a place to think big about the future.
“It’s a humongous paradigm shift,” said school counselor Kristi Bonilla, referring to it as a place of support rather than punishment. “The hope, goal, dream of this is that kids feel like they have a place to reset, recharge, refocus and be empowered.”
Juniors Dominic Donato and Mamadee Diabate take a break.
While the room is still in its infancy, Bonilla and fellow counselor Tish Stevenson envision it as a place where students can take momentary refuge. It could be during lunch, when they have time outside of class, or when the demands of teenage life bubble over and they need to reel in their emotions. They can also use it to channel their energy into preparation for what comes after graduation day.
“We wanted it to be a center for yoga, breathing and reset time,” Stevenson said. “We also wanted it to be a place for community members to meet with students.”
Meetings have already taken place between students and representatives from college, the military and the Urban League, who helped students apply for jobs.
Yoga sessions will begin soon.
Funded by a $1,000 grant from Wyoming Community Foundation, the room’s seating area has space for reclining and relaxing, comfy chairs and pillow. Yoga mats fill a corner bin, ready for poses. Students come in for the peacefulness, to talk to the counselors and eat lunch in a quiet place.
“We have a long day,” Stevenson said. “If you are a teenager mixing in with all the other teenagers in the day, you need a break.”
Equipping Students with Lifelong Skills
Bonilla and Stevenson have both completed training in cognitive behavior modification at the University of Michigan. They are using it to help students become more mindful, aware and rational in reacting to situations.
Yoga helps students deal with stress.
The end goal is to improve learning and develop lifelong skills, plus decrease detentions and suspension using a non-punitive approach. While the school still uses detentions and in-house and out-of-school suspensions, the counselors aim to be proactive in addressing behavior issues.
Common stressors in teens’ lives include test anxiety, social anxiety, family issues and relationships. Those things often manifest themselves as behavior problems.
“Being a teenager is stressful,” Stevenson said.
Juniors Mamadee Diabate and Dominic Donato juggle between classes at Godwin Heights and programs at Kent Career Technical Center, as well as working and volunteering. They both often come to the room to relax and talk with counselors.
“I feel it will be beneficial for our students because there’s a lot of stress going on,” Mamadee said. “I definitely will use it for yoga.”
“It’s kind of a relaxing place to let stuff come out,” Dominic said, “… not talk to anyone, and just be quiet.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Celebrating their year abroad in America are, from left, Natale Aurtenetxe, Elisabeta Karlin, Hang Thi Minh Ha, Triet Vu, Yuka Nagai and Ayaka Kawasaki.
In his year of study at Wyoming High School, Triet Vu learned a lot of things about America and its education system that were much different from his home in Vietnam: the easier curriculum, the pervasive technology, the intensely controversial election. But what he valued most? His fellow students.
“I really like the people,” said Triet, a senior. “It’s so nice. I can just say hi to a random person, have small talk and we’ll be friends. I can feel like I’m getting more sociable and mature.”
Triet is one of 57 students who attended Kent County schools this year through the Educatius Group, a foreign-student exchange program operating in more than 230 U.S. high schools. It also works with some 120 universities to help students like Triet access higher education here; he has been accepted by Grand Valley State University to study nursing next year.
Ayaka Kawasaki, left from Japan, and Hang The Minh Ha and Triet Vu, of Vietnam, were impressed by how engage Americans were in the election.
The foreign-exchange experience has enriched the lives of students and their host families for generations, thanks to a variety of agencies. Boston-based Educatius has provided that experience for students from more than 50 countries in the past 10 years, an increasing number of them in West Michigan. With an office in Grand Rapids, it has grown from 39 students attending area schools in 2014 to 92 this year.
School News Network invited a half-dozen Educatius students to come together in mid-April and compare notes on their school year, which just happened to coincide with one of the most divisive presidential elections in American history. Here they weigh in on that and other, less controversial topics.
What Was Weird?
“I’m really surprised by how much you guys eat fast food,” said Triet, who as he said has become very sociable. “We had a lot of pizza, like, a LOT of pizza.”
For Elisabeta Karlin of Wiesbaden, Germany, who goes by Lisa, it was what she called “spray cheese,” better known here as Cheez Whiz. “I haven’t tried it, but I thought it was weird,” said Lisa, who attends the Rockford Freshman Center.
Ayaka Kawasaki, a junior at Wyoming High School, thought it was weird that students eat in the classroom, something never done at her school in Tokyo.
“We don’t use so many cars as you,” said Natale Aurtenetxe, a sophomore at Rockford High School. “We use more public transport” back home in Bilbao, Spain.
For Yuka Nagai, a sophomore at Catholic Central, it was weird not having the steering wheel on the right side, as in Japan. But it was much easier to get to school than in Tokyo, where it took her 30 minutes by bike, 30 minutes by train and 30 minutes walking – yes, that’s 90 minutes total.
Triet Vu
What Was Hard?
Lisa and Natale were both thrown by how often classes change. Back home they spent most of the school day with the same students.
“I like that you switch and can meet new people,” said Lisa, whereas always being with the same group, “You get annoyed with some people.”
Just physically changing classes at 1,800-student Rockford High was a challenge, added Natale: “It’s like if your locker’s downstairs and you need to go upstairs, it’s really difficult. There’s a lot of people.”
Although he found his studies “pretty easy,” Triet also found the constant class changes at Wyoming High disconcerting. “Teachers ask us to pair up and I’m like, ‘Oh crap, I don’t know anyone!’”
Yuka was taken aback by how much American students discuss topics with their teachers, so unlike the sit-quietly-and-take-notes norm of Japanese students. “If I could speak English more, I’d prefer the American style,” she said.
Hang The Minh Ha
Hang Thi Minh Ha was unnerved by having to give class presentations at Wyoming, which was way out of her comfort zone compared to students’ passive routine in Vietnam. “I was so scared,” Hang said. “I tried my best. It was good for me.”
What Did You Most Appreciate?
“The teachers were really nice to you and really helpful,” Lisa piped up immediately.
For Yuka, it was the ready availability of technology, whether working from an iPad, emailing a teacher or using Google Translate. “In Japan, we have to carry a bunch of textbooks every single day,” she said. “I thought my back was going to be broken.”
For Hang, it was being able to know more people and ask teachers for help after school. That’s not easy in Vietnam, where she said she attended school six days a week until 5:30 p.m., and sometimes evenings if she needed more help.
Ayaka appreciated the diversity of students in Wyoming. “Everybody’s different,” she said. “I like that. Japan’s so boring. Everyone’s the same.”
And What about That Election?
To a person, the students were impressed with how intensely engaged the public was in the showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
“It’s crazy how you guys have all different opinions,” Triet marveled. “American people kind of put me to shame. I know literally nothing about Vietnamese politics. We just can’t have opinions.” On the other hand, he saw here “so much protesting and so much hate. I don’t like that.”
Lisa was also fascinated by Americans’ “strongly different opinions of things. In Germany, you don’t have such a strong opinion about politics.” However, she also sometimes found the election “kind of scary,” like when she heard of people beating each other up.
Hang went to the polling place with her host father, Eddie Tauler, and was impressed. “I saw how Americans care about their government and their president. They have freedom to speak about what they think.” In Vietnam, she added, “You have to be careful what you say.”
“In Japan, I never saw government as interesting,” Ayaka said. Yuka agreed, adding, “I was so impressed that even younger people (in America) have interest in their government and politics.”
What Was Most Special?
All agreed it was the people – new friends at school and at home, with their host families.
Lisa traveled with her host parents, Shannon and Sara Moore, to see their daughter Michelle compete in Color Guard. She and Natale played on the Rockford tennis team, and Natale went camping with her host family, Matt and Karyll Russell, and helped daughters Karys and Jocelyn with their Spanish Immersion studies.
Hang and Ayaka, who both stayed with Eddie and Jamie Tauler, laugh about eating Eddie’s macaroni and cheese – “The American food I will never forget,” Hang said.
And that’s definitely not all.
“It’s really tough on them to leave, and leave the friends they made,” said Laurie Ledesma, who hosted Yuka and helps coordinate Educatius locally.
Triet agreed. “Basically, friends is what makes the year really special.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Seniors Jailene Rodas-Sandoval junior Thomas Robinson and senior Ramses Larabel play “Happy Birthday” on their electronic instrument, which involves a computer program. (Photos courtesy of School News Network.
Though his rendition of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” was a bit ding-y, Lee High School senior Scott Peuler looked pleased with himself as he finished the tune by hitting glass bottles filled with different levels of water with a miniature drumstick.
Nursery rhymes were the ditties of the day in teacher Steve Feutz’s engineering class, as students demonstrated the connections between engineering and sound. Senior Israel Hernandez strummed “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” on a tiny harp made with wood and rubber bands. Sophomore Jennifer Pablo, juniors Paul Villarreal, Maura Mendoza and Adriana Sanchez and senior Betty Almanzo played “Hot Cross Buns” on a xylophone-inspired percussion instrument made of Pringles cans and cardboard.
Students combined innovation, precision – and a little Mother Goose – to make instruments that created different pitches and notes for the latest project in the class, which started this school year. Feutz, who has taught math for five years, has undergraduate degrees in aerospace engineering and music theory, so fitting a music-themed project into the class was natural.
“Music is my biggest passion, then engineering, math and science,” said Feutz, who sings and plays trumpet and piano.
Juniors Paul Villereal and Maura Mendoza hold up their Pringle-can percussion instrument.
Physics is involved in how sound is created, he noted. Students experimented by using household objects turned into instruments. “There’s four different instrument groups and they all sound a little different,” he said.
The class touches on many types of engineering, giving students an idea of skills needed in the local workforce. The demand for engineers and designers in manufacturing outstrips supply by at least double, according to the West Michigan Talent Assessment and Outlook report, published in September 2016. This is largely due to a shortage of graduates needed to fill vacancies for industrial and electrical engineers.
“My whole goal is to teach them what engineers do and how they do it,” Feutz said. His students learn to follow an engineering design process: come up with an idea, build, test, and improve if necessary.
Every project touches on a different branch of engineering. Students studied aerospace by designing cardboard gliders with egg containers and launching them off the school’s football stadium press box. They studied electrical engineering by creating gadgets that involve circuitry, remote controls, trains and other inventions.
They also built wooden cabinets into existing tables, now in classroom use, and spaghetti bridges, with one group of students competing in the Ferris State University Spaghetti Bridge Competition in March.
“I’ve liked being introduced to different types of engineering,” said Israel Hernandez, demonstrating how his harp strings make lower sounds depending on how taut the rubber bands are pulled. “We’ve done stuff with electricity and wiring – basic stuff – but it was cool to learn. This class gave me an interest in civil engineering.”
Junior Jeffrey Anderson plays his pan flute, made of straws and tape.
Paul Villarreal said he enjoys having the chance to make things by hand. “It helps you learn the basics of what you need to put something together. It takes math to different levels and puts it all together.”
“I’ve done things in this class I haven’t done in any other class,” added Scott Peuler.
The class started as a trimester course, but because of student interest was expanded to include Engineering A B and C, allowing the option for a full year of engineering.
It’s great for students who like to tinker and spend their time making things, Feutz said.
“It’s cool to see kids who don’t like the traditional classroom model, who really like being able to do hands-on things and build,” he added. “They essentially make a mess of the classroom, make something out of it, and make it their own.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Esperanza Mercado and her children, Alex, a Godwin Heights High School senior and Yra, a first-grader, make their way around the fair. (Photo courtesy of School News Network.)
Esperanza Mercado and her children now know how to get the biggest bang for their food buck at farmers markets this summer. Along with learning that, they also heard about programs offered at a local ministry, and talked to health-care providers and business representatives in their own community.
Getting seeds and tiny planters from representatives of Grand Valley Health Plan are (on right, back to foreground) Jonathan Morales, a West Godwin Elementary fourth-grader, mom Ana Morales, and Ashley Morales, a West Godwin second-grader. (Photo courtesy of School News Network.)
North Godwin Elementary School hosted the third annual Health and Wellness Fair with 18 vendors, including faith-based organizations, financial institutions and others sharing information on services in and surrounding the district.
“It provides lots of different resources for families,” said Principal Mary Lang. The population at North Godwin is 88 percent economically disadvantaged, and 49 percent of students are Hispanic. Barriers to accessing resources often include language and transportation, Lang said.
Esperanza and her children, Alex, a Godwin Heights High School senior; Yra, a first-grader; and Doral, a kindergartner, said they were happy to receive goodies, information and ways to connect. They used a “Wellness Passport,” which was stamped by each vendor to enter into a drawing for prizes.
Kenzie Burt, school coordinator intern for Kent School Services Network, organized the fair. “It definitely provides families with knowledge,” she said.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Tomorrow both residents of Kentwood and Wyoming will be heading to the polls to vote on millage proposals.
Residents from the two cities – along with all of Kent County – will be voting on a proposed Kent Intermediate School District Regional Enhancement Millage. The property tax increase of .9 mills would be distributed to all 20 school districts in Kent County for the next 10 years. The amount is about .90 cent of taxable evaluation. For a $200,000 home, the taxable evaluation would be $100,000 with the increase being about $90 per year.
If passed, each district would receive an additional $211 per student each year, which can be used to supplement the funding that comes from the state of Michigan. School officials have stated the funding would be used to help maintain programs, improve services and meet other needs. Each school district will be able to determine how to spend the money. For more information on the district’s plans for the money, clicking on the school’s name which will direct you to the School News Network stories. For more on the millage, click here.
Also, the residents of Wyoming are being asked to vote for flexible funding by opening up its library maintenance millage to help with park improvements. The city is seeking about .16 of the .39 of the mill levy to help with park improvements at four parks, Ferrand, Ideal, Gezon, and Jackson. The nearly $800,000 per year raised would be use to pay a 15-year bond of $4.4 million. The cost for the average Wyoming homeowner would be about $12 a year, according to city officials. For more about the millage, visit WYParks.com.
With colorful petals radiating from a bright orange center, the mandala Circle of Art rug represents the universe and all its connectivity.
For members of Wyoming High School’s National Art Honor Society, it’s also a way of connecting with a program right in their school that helps reduce conflict and unite people.
Sinai Salvador, Cecilia Medina and Bekah Luce created the mandala Circle of Art to symbolize restorative justice
NAHS members and juniors Sinai Salvador, Cecilia Medina and Bekah Luce created the rug at the request of Marilyn Booker, who facilitates restorative justice circles at the high school. Booker wanted a symbol that complemented her practice, and students came up with the design. They showcased the rug at the district’s recent Fine Arts Festival.
Restorative justice, an outreach of the Grand Rapids-based nonprofit Dispute Resolution Center of West Michiganthat started at the high school last school year, is a non-punitive, conflict-resolution program that helps students solve differences using trained mediators.
Connecting, Uniting, Restoring
In restorative circles, students who are having conflicts tell each other through guided conversation with Booker what’s on their minds. They hold something, like a squishy ball, to indicate their turn to speak. The goal is to reduce suspensions and address harmful behaviors in a therapeutic way. It has been successful and was expanded to the junior high this school year.
Booker lays the rug on the floor in the middle of the circles to give students a focal point if they aren’t quite ready to meet eye-to-eye.
“We made the rug to help relieve anxiety with these groups,” said Bekah. “A lot of times the kids don’t feel comfortable and don’t know where to look.”
The circle is a universal and eternal symbol seen in many aspects of life: the sun, the moon, the earth and the universe. Conflict is also a universal and eternal issue in society, Booker said: “In a circle, there is no disconnect. We are all connected in some way, shape, or form. … Part of doing circles is every voice is important.
“We are restoring kids instead of pushing them out,” she said.
Wyoming is a very diverse district, the fourth most diverse in the state, according to the website, Niche. In that context, Sinai explained the depth she sees in the piece.
“You can think of all the colors we connected in the mandala rug as all the races that are connected in our school society,” Sinai said. “That’s why it’s used in the restorative program. It gets everyone together.”
She sees the school’s diversity as a plus for understanding, noting “we all get along. It doesn’t matter where you come from, we all understand that we have different customs, but we all come together because we are all equal.
Restorative justice facilitator Marilyn Booker (far left) hosts a Restorative Circle, with the mandala rug in the center, with, from left, students Kiara Kornoelje, Ashley Elliott, Makenna Vanderstolp and Shay Sees
“It’s a way for the school environment to flourish. That’s also why we picked the flower.”
Art and Its Many Connections
Wyoming High’s National Art Honor Society, which includes 21 students, focuses on creating art that connects with the greater community, school community and with themselves, said adviser and art teacher Robin Gransow-Higley.
In 1978, the National Art Education Association began the NAHS program to inspire and recognize students who have shown an outstanding ability and interest in art, though it’s open to all students.
Wyoming NAHS students organized the district’s recent Fine Arts Festival, which included works from those in grades K-12, plus choir and theater performances, demonstrations by various clubs, face-painting and other activities. Students are also creating a mural representing student athletics and activities.
The club aims to encircle the community it its own way, through art, Higley said.
“They connect with the greater community, school community and with themselves,” she said.
Aa’Naja Miller knows what it’s like to be unable to get her words out right, but when she stood in front of her classmates to talk about stuttering her voice was strong and clear.
The North Godwin Elementary School fourth-grader recently delivered a presentation, “My Experience with Stuttering” to her class. She has struggled with a speech disorder her whole life, and said children often tease her because of it.
“I stutter,” she said. “I can’t help it.”
There was no teasing that day. Instead, students listened in awe. “She looked like a teacher up there,” said classmate Donnie VanHorn. “She was so brave.”
Aa’Naja and North Godwin speech pathologist Sarah Toering created the presentation to give students a better understanding of stuttering. Toering also wanted to challenge Aa’Naja to speak in front of her peers.
“The purpose for me doing this presentation is for kids to know that I stutter, and that you don’t have to rush me because I know I do have to take my time,” she said. “I’m trying, but it just doesn’t come out right.”
She explained what a speech pathologist is, and how Toering has helped her learn strategies to overcome stuttering. She told students that others who have overcome stuttering include Vice President Joe Biden, NFL player Darren Sproles, actress Emily Blunt and late actress Marilyn Monroe.
According to The Stuttering Foundation, roughly three million Americans stutter. Approximately five percent of all children go through a period of stuttering that lasts six months or more. Three-quarters of those will recover by late childhood, leaving about one percent with a long-term stutter. The best prevention tool is early intervention.
Aa’Naja Miller spoke of her experience with stuttering
Aa’Naja included an interactive activity in her presentation, inviting classmates to practice stuttering with partners. She informed them of different types of stutters:
repetitions, which means repeating a word like “Do, do do you like pizza?”
blocks, which means getting stuck on a letter, like “D-d-do you like pizza?”
prolongations, which means holding a sound, like “IIIII like pizza!”
interjections, which means adding words, like “Um, do you, um, like pizza?”
Aa’Naja also introduced strategies she uses to stop stuttering, which include talking slowly, stretching out her words, taking a deep breath before she speaks and moving her mouth and tongue lightly while talking. She often uses her strategies automatically now, without having to think about them.
Classmate Donnie said “I learned to stick up for people who have stuttering problems and don’t make fun of them.”
Teacher Lisa Koeman said she had tears in her eyes during Aa’Naja’s presentation. Hearing her speak to her classmates, confidently and knowledgeably was inspiring.
“Aa’Naja didn’t stutter once,” Koeman said. “It was amazing. It was perfect. She acted like she was up on stage and has done this 100 times before. It was just breathtaking.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
On May 2, voters in the Kent ISD region will be asked to approve a 0.9 mill tax for local school districts, generating $211 per student to maintain programs, improve services and meet other needs. School News Network is offering information on what the millage means for each of the 20 districts in the Kent ISD. Today we focus on Wyoming Public Schools. SNN spoke with Superintendent Thomas Reeder
How much revenue would your district gain from the millage in the first year?
It depends on student enrollment changes, but in excess of $900,000.
What would you spend that increased revenue on, and how would this help your students?
“Our focus will be to maintain or improve upon our current staffing related to classroom instruction,” Reeder said, noting that the amount of revenue that would go toward staffing would depend on state funding and whether the district faces a budget crunch. Gov. Snyder has proposed a 1.3 percent increase in the state per-student aid budget for schools.
Other goals are increasing the number of extended-day and summer programs for all students, “from our most at-risk to our most gifted,” with more classes and learning opportunities. Ideas are for computer, band and theater programming.
A Parkview Elementary student picks out a book at his reading level. The district hopes to give every student more learning opportunities with the enhancement millage. (Photo courtesy of School News Network)
The district is also looking at improving technology support and resources at all levels, as well as increasing safety and security at all sites with improved surveillance equipment, Reeder said. Purchasing a bus each year to keep the fleet current is another goal.
The district also would like to add more staff members to work with students experiencing mental-health challenges.
If the millage were to fail, what changes or cuts would you have to make next school year?
“We will continue to make reductions as necessary, attempting to stay as far away from the classroom as possible, but will be unable to add any programming or other resources to the current model,” Reeder said. “The impact depends very much on what decisions are made at the state level related to funding.”
The district faces a projected $910,000 deficit in next year’s budget, depending on enrollment, and has a fund balance of about 10 percent. The recommended fund balance for Michigan schools is 15 to 20 percent, according to the Michigan School Business Officials.
What objections have you heard, if any, from your community, and what is your response?
Reeder said he has not yet heard any objections. He plans to host two community meetings in April to discuss the enhancement millage and a Wyoming Public Schools November bond request that would not raise property taxes.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Alma Arvizu sat down with interpreter and translator Leonicia Rubio at the Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center to talk about conferences and kindergarten next school year for her son, Eric, now a preschooler.
Arvizu, like many district parents, knows who to turn to for help: Rubio and the other bilingual interpreters.
“It helps me,” said Arvizu, an immigrant from Mexico, with Rubio translating. “I understand very little English. I can’t speak it. With Leonicia, I have very good communication with the teachers. I think a lot of parents that don’t speak English go to the interpreters.”
Needs for interpretation and translation are even greater than Rubio and the district’s other translators and interpreters can fill, so administrators are turning to a new volunteer site, ServeGR.com, for help.
The site was started by Grand Rapids-based Westminster Presbyterian Church, where Carol Lautenbach, assistant superintendent of teaching, learning and accountability, attends. It links potential volunteers with opportunities based on their strengths, passions and schedules to find the best fit both for volunteers and those who need them.
ServeGR site coordinator Heather Colletto said the goal is to fill long-term needs.
“What’s so great about the Godfrey-Lee opportunity is that for someone who has Spanish-speaking skills to put to use on behalf of the community, it’s a great lightbulb moment.”
For a school district, it’s a nice way to make outside connections, Lautenbach said. As of early March, five people had already expressed interest in serving as bilingual volunteers, which requires a background check. An orientation will be set in the near future.
Not only will it benefit the district to have more volunteers, Lautenbach said, but it will build awareness about Godfrey-Lee.
“We want to remove as many barriers as we can for people to come in and be involved in our schools. We are also hoping to show them what great schools we are. It’s good for us to showcase the good things we are doing and show that we are welcoming to everyone.”
Join an Awesome Team
Carol Lautenbach
Many ECC parents need help with communication on busy mornings and at dismissal time, Rubio said. There are often parents waiting for assistance. “It would be really nice to have someone else there to help them.”
Interpreters and translators Rubio; Susana Chapa, who works at Godfrey Elementary School; and community liaison Jaime Ramirez, who works at the Administration Building, serve as connection points for parents about their children’s education. They rely a lot on one another to fill the communication needs in the Spanish-speaking community.
“We have an awesome team right here,” said Ramirez.
In the district, 75 percent of families are Hispanic, and 40 percent of students are English-language learners. Rubio, Chapa and Rodriguez write notes and newsletters, make phone calls, and translate at conferences and other parent meetings. They help make sure parents understand complicated terminology on forms, and plan and promote events like Las Posadas, held in December.
Parents have varying levels of English, and basic skills aren’t always enough for parents to receive the information they need, Lautenbach said, especially when it is critical. It’s important they can communicate comfortably.
“If it’s an emotional issue, a child who’s not going to graduate on time, a medical issue, a fight that’s happened, we all want to default to what’s most comfortable for us,” she said, “even if we are fairly fluent in another language.”
She wants parents to receive the right information and provide as much input as possible. “We want to make sure we are providing opportunities for parents to have a full voice.”
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From left, Wyoming Public Safety Department Lt. Jim Maguffee, Sgt. Brian Look and Wyoming Public Schools Resource Officer Rory Allen talk to Wyoming High School students.
It was a question teenage girls of color don’t often get to ask white police officers. “What do you think of the Black Lives Matter movement?” asked Wyoming High School junior Tracy Nunez-Telemin.
As part of a panel of police officers visiting high school students, City of Wyoming Lt. Jim Maguffee shared his thoughts.
Junior Tracy Nunez-Telemin asks officers for thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement.
“First of all I want to say that black lives matter,” Maguffee said. “That’s an important tenet to get across.” He said he doesn’t agree with everything the movement stands for because he thinks it draws incorrect conclusions about policing. Still, he sees its positives.
“I vehemently feel that public discourse is part of what makes America great,” he stressed. “The fact that people can come together and form a movement and call it Black Lives Matter and march in the streets and demand to be heard, man, that’s what makes us so strong. That’s not common around the world. That’s a great thing.”
No Subject Off Limits
In a country where hot-button issues have become increasingly divisive, Wyoming High School students and police officers sat down in the media center to talk about a variety of issues. Police brutality, illegal immigration and diversity on the police force were all addressed by officers queried by students. They said they have sworn to protect everyone in the community, regardless of immigration status. “We are everybody’s police,” Maguffee said.
Junior Tony Joliffi asks officers about experiences making quick judgment calls
The purpose of the panel was for students and officers to learn from each other, teachers said. Discussion spanned a whole school day with several groups attending hour-long sessions. Panelists included Maguffee, Sgt. Brian Look, Wyoming Public Schools Resource Officer Rory Allen and Officer Pam Keen.
It was part of the junior class’ annual book study, in partnership with the Kent District Library’s KDL Reads program. Students read “All American Boys,” by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, a novel about a fictional African-American teenager who is assaulted by a white police officer. The event is witnessed by a white classmate. The repercussions that follow divide a school, community and nation.
For the past three years, juniors have participated in KDL Reads, and compiled essays to create their own book based on themes from the book study. This year, juniors are writing about social justice. “All American Boys” authors are scheduled to visit March 27.
Creating Community Dialogue
Including a visit from police officers in the book study was a way to offer different perspectives in a humanizing way, said English teacher Joslyn O’Dell, adding students often have negative perceptions of police.
“Having actual police officers come in here to create a positive interaction with them will help them move forward,” O’Dell said. “It’s so important we have open dialogue.”
“We wanted to open up the communication between our students and our local police so they can start to see those perspectives,” added media specialist Melissa Schneider, who helps coordinate the annual book project. “It was a hard (topic) because it’s controversial.”
Raul Valdez inquires about diversity on the police force
Wyoming High School has a very diverse student body and addressing racially charged issues can be difficult, she said. “That’s what we wanted to teach them, (that) there are ways to have those difficult conversations that can be meaningful versus just attacking and assuming.”
About Black Lives Matter, Maguffee said he hopes a result of the movement is progress in working together. “I think it’s great that they exist to the point that we can have a good conversation about how to make things better,” he said.
Junior Raul Valdez asked about diversity represented on the City of Wyoming Police Department. The police force is made up of a majority of white males, though there are black, Latino, female and officers of other ethnicities, officers said.
It’s always a drive to match the diversity of the department with the community, Allen told students. “In reality, you guys are the community and when we talk about diversity, ideally you want the police department to look like the high school here, and you’ve got a pretty diverse school.”
‘You Guys are Doing it Right’
As school liaison officer, Allen said he has to respond to very few problems at the high school where 25 countries are represented in the student body. “You guys are doing it right… For the vast majority, everybody plays nice together… It speaks a lot to you guys. Old people like us could probably take a lesson from you guys.”
Junior Tony Joliffi said he appreciated the officers’ visit. “It was a good experience for not only me but everyone in here to hear from police officers,” he said, noting that it reaffirmed his view of police as community protectors. “It was relieving to know that the view I wanted to have of police officers was actually true.”
Maguffee said he it was important for him to attend. “I have an opportunity to come in and talk to these teenagers face to face, learn each other’s names and talk about this problem. Any chance we can do that, we’ve got to seize it, because that’s what’s going to fix things eventually,”
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Kelloggsville Public Schools second-grade teacher Patrick Sokol is working to close gaps in achievement seen in students raised in poverty, and he’s zeroing in on helping students develop “working memory.”
In his West Elementary classroom on a Friday morning, Sokol drew a mixing bowl on a whiteboard in front of his students. He asked them to name ingredients needed to make pancakes. They eagerly answered: “eggs,” “baking powder,” “vanilla,” “flour,” “sugar,” as Sokol wrote the list on the bowl.
“If we get those all in the bowl, we are going to be able to do something with them. We are going to be able to make pancakes. But what if there are holes in the bowl?”
He told students to think of their brains like the bowl: They need to be able to use what they put inside. “If you can’t keep those things in your brain, are you going to be able to do anything with them?”
Isaiah Wiseman and Alivia Walber work together on remembering numbers.
Sokol’s mini-lesson was an introduction to activities aimed to improve students’ working memory. That’s the ability to store and manage information in one’s mind for a short period of time, like remembering a list of items or series of number long enough to apply them to what you need.
During a game called “If I Went,” students named items they would bring to the beach or camping. On their turns, they recalled items named before them in order. “If I went to the beach I would bring food, an air mattress, marshmallows and…,” said Myana Santiago-DeJesus, remembering the items named by her classmates and adding “shelter” to the list.
They also created a string of numbers, adding one at a time, and recalling them with a partner.
Students enjoyed the tasks, taking pride in remembering eight, nine, even 10 numbers in a row, and a list of camping items worthy of the Scouts, but Sokol’s purpose is larger than meets the eye. He is hoping to “fill the gap” in memory function caused by the stressors present in many of the lives of students who grow up poor.
Sokol’s work is part of an ongoing study by Kelloggsville staff, administrators and Board of Education members of Eric Jensen’s book, “Teaching with Poverty in Mind.” In Kelloggsville, about 78 percent of students are considered economically disadvantaged, qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and research shows students who grow up in poverty struggle with working memory.
That could be a factor in the stark correlation between poverty and student achievement. An analysis by School News Network as part of its series “The Burden of Poverty, a Backpack of Heartache,” shows a close correlation between poverty and performance in the 20 school districts in the Kent ISD. In almost all cases, the districts with the lowest family income levels also had the lowest scores on standardized tests.
In his book, Jensen, a former teacher who now presents on brain-based learning, explains that constant stressors affect the developing brain, “creating a devastating cumulative effect.”
“The prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, crucial for learning, cognition and working memory, are the areas of the brain most affected by cortisol, the so-called ‘stress hormone,'” he writes, citing brain research from various sources.
“Experiments have demonstrated that exposure to chronic and acute stress actually shrinks neurons in the brain’s frontal lobes–– an area that includes the prefrontal cortex and is responsible for such functions as making judgements, planning and regulating impulsivity and can modify and impair the hippocampus in ways that reduce learning capacity.”
The Jensen book study – which started by reading and discussing chapters – is a long-term project involving ongoing district-wide training, Assistant Superintendent Tammy Savage said.
A Board of Education committee dedicated to poverty is gathering information this year. Administrators and staff members are studying and attending seminars on poverty, have watched a webinar by Jensen and attended a two-day Michigan Department of Education session in November with Jensen on his book. They hope to bring him to Kelloggsville to present.
Gianchrist Mendez-Jimenez and Yuleika Gonzalez-Morales work on remembering a series of numbers. “9, 0, 1, 8, 6, and 2,’” said Gianchrist.
The goal is to apply some of his strategies in the classroom and embed tools to boost student effort and engagement, Savage said. It’s also about developing empathy and understanding of living situations many teachers haven’t experienced.
The district has long been aware of the high level of need and has worked hard to address it, she said. This is about going deeper and examining poverty from different perspectives. “There are a lot of things we are already doing. That was an affirmation for the district. We are already doing a lot of things to connect with students and parents.”
More than just brain development, training involves developing strong bonds with students, which leads to better achievement. “We are focused on student engagement, and it goes back to building relationships with kids,” Savage said. “Research has always proven that student/teacher relationship is key.”
Teachers are doing fast-track relationship builders, recommended by Jensen, in the classroom. For example, they share something personal with students once a week.
“In order to build a relationship with somebody, it can’t be one-sided. It can’t be just the students sharing,” Savage said. “Teachers have to share about themselves too. The more we share about ourselves, the more students are going to feel connected with us.”
Jensen also recommends staff members provide a favor or a show of empathy so powerful that students remember it well; invest two minutes a day for 10 consecutive days with the student who needs it most; and discover three things other than a name about a student each day, every day of the year.
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If Kentwood Public Schools Board of Education Vice President Allen Young was standing in front of a classroom, he would tell students to never give up. He would tell them to use the “Kentwood grit” for which the the district is known, and which he himself has used plenty of.
“I would love for them, whatever dream they have, to make sure they follow it,” said Young, a board member since 2012. “I would have to be really honest with them because I would have to tell them that life brings about changes. There are going to be hills and valleys and curves in the road, but stick to it.”
Kentwood is all about the growth mindset, meaning that people can get smarter through hard work and practice, he said. “Keep exercising that brain. Don’t let it go soft, and also don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
Young, a maintenance coordinator for Linc Up, a community development organization in Kent County, grew up in Arkansas. He remembers being an average student who struggled in some classes. “I had to throw in a little extra grit,” he said.
But his goal was to graduate with honors, which he did in 1973, and enrolled in a trade school. He then worked in the metal distribution industry for many years before working in maintenance.
He and his wife, Johngerlyn Young, have one son, Austin, a 2014 East Kentwood graduate and now a sophomore at Morehouse College, in Atlanta.
For Young, serving on the board has always been about giving back. “I’ve always had the desire to help. I followed my son all the way from kindergarten through graduation, so I have a passion for education and for young people to improve themselves.”
He said the biggest challenge of the job, which requires about 10 hours of work per week, is dealing with the limits of the budget.
“You want to try to not cut anything, but sometimes you have to do that. We try not to do it so it’s going to be a detriment to the students. It can be painstaking.”
Boards of education are the frontline for parents and community members to address issues they feel strongly about. Young said he’s happy they come to him. “I don’t really accept those as complaints,” he insisted. “I accept them as concerns.”
When asked how much the stipend for board members is, Young had to ask a fellow board member. “I didn’t have a clue!” he said about the $40 per meeting rate.
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The completely renovated Kelloggsville High School is taking shape, with the opening of eight spacious new classrooms bordering a large common learning area where students can study, mingle and connect their technology.
A lounge area is a favorite feature of the new commons area.
In the new space, students recently gathered for homework and group work and passed through more quickly from one side of the building to the other. “It is like a college setup,” said Principal Kevin Simmons. Furnishings include a large projector screen, tables and chairs. There’s a lounge area and a platform for students to sit on.
“I personally like it a lot. My favorite part is the comfy chairs and couch,” said freshman Alexandria Demond.
“It’s really cool, the chairs and all the open space we get,” said freshman Tony Cortez.
“If you have extra work, you can do it here and chill with friends,” added senior Terry Michael.
The district started construction last spring on high school improvements, funded by a $33.9 million bond issue passed last February. Of that, $27 million is going into improvements of the high school at 23 Jean St. SW.
The new space is decorated in school colors, blue and orange.
“This is exciting. The most exciting part was coming back from winter break and watching the kids react,” Simmons said.
Still-to-come improvements, to be completed by fall, include a new competitive-sized gymnasium with a second-floor track. The gym will host varsity games, which are currently held at Kelloggsville Middle School, and allow for more practice space. The auditorium will receive theater-style seating for 480; and a media center will serve as a hub for learning and community center. Use of facilities will be open to the public.
Other highlights are a reconfigured parking lot and a new school entrance, relocated from Jean Street to Division Avenue.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Second-graders found the beat playing together on tube-like instruments called boomwhackers, tubano drums, glockenspiels and xylophones to the song, “Welcome back! I’m glad you’re here. Come and listen with your ear!”
The new instruments provide the chance for group activities like making sound effects and creating songs to go along with children’s literature, said music teacher Tami Nelson, who is planning many music-making opportunities for her 450 students, including public performances.
“It’s really nice and it’s awesome we get new drums and new stuff to play,” said second-grader Arianna Wheeler. “We were needing some new stuff. It was nice of them to give us new instruments.”
The majority Hispanic district has a large number of students who speak English as a second language. Through music, they can express themselves non-verbally, Nelson said.
Also, many students aren’t exposed to instruments outside of school. Many families in the community do not have access to instruments in their homes or the funds to purchase instruments for their own personal use, Nelson added.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
In eyeing the needs of the district and planning for the next 30 years, administrators are considering a November bond request that would not raise property taxes.
But first, they are seeking input from parents, teachers, students and community members concerning what facility improvements they would support –– and which ones they want most.
Parents and staff members were emailed links to fill out by the end of January, and a postcard with information about the online survey is being mailed to residents. The board could vote to approve ballot language in late spring.
Voters will be presented with a millage proposal that won’t result in an increase in taxes because existing debt will be expiring. The new millage request will be for the same number of mills or fewer than the mills saved from the expiring debt. A new levy would generate some dollars in 2018, with the balance to come in 2022, to fund upgrades and improvements at its aging facilities.
Because voters rejected two attempts to pass major bond requests in August and November 2013, the district is taking a long-term approach to the plan. If voters approved a request in November, the sale of bonds in spring 2018 would generate about $20 million. When existing debt expires in 2021 and 2022, the district could sell the remainder of the bonds to generate approximately another $45 million, said Matt Lewis, assistant superintendent of finance and administrative services.
The multi-series arrangement allows flexibility, Lewis said. “We can control the amount of the sale so we don’t raise taxes.”
That’s key, said Superintendent Tom Reeder, because “We said we would not return to the public if it would cost them any more in taxes.”
Reeder noted that a favorable market has made it possible to move ahead with a new request. “We said, ‘If the money is available without raising taxes next year, could we start the projects that much earlier?’ ”
The majority of bond funds generated in 2018 would most likely be invested at Wyoming High School, at 1350 Prairie Parkway. “It is the building with the most needs,” Reeder said. “We want the high school to be the flagship of the community.”
Some district needs have changed since the 2013 bond requests failed. The district moved forward with securing school entrances. A 10-year sinking fund levy passed in May — also with no tax increase — generates about $400,000 a year for maintenance such as roof and parking lot repairs.
The survey questions gauge community opinions on immediate and future needs in the district, which enrolls about 4,300 students. It asks for input concerning the following:
enhancing landscaping and elementary playgrounds
improving curb appeal of buildings
upgrades to the fine arts center located at the junior high
adding a new fine arts center on the high school campus
upgrades to outdoor athletic facilities
adding artificial turf at the high school stadium
upgrading indoor athletic facilities
updating labs to support science, engineering, technology and math
dedicated music and art space at the elementary schools
improvements to parking and traffic flow at schools
adding windows to allow for more natural light
technology
grade configuration at schools
In moving forward, the district will form a planning committee involving parents, staff and community members. Community forums will be scheduled.
In a room designated for storytelling at the Wyoming branch of the Kent District Library, Ethel Rodriguez spoke in Spanish with Careni and Joel Solis about ways to best help their son, Ivan, 3, and daughter, Melanie, 5 months, stay on schedule developmentally.
The meeting involved the whole Solis family. Rodriguez, a Kent ISD Bright Beginnings parent educator, led activities that had Ivan clapping gleefully, Melanie smiling toothlessly, mom and dad beaming with pride, and sisters Paola, a sixth-grader, and Alondra, a fourth-grader, joining the fun.
Rodriguez has worked with the family since September. She focuses on helping Hispanic children, from infancy to kindergarten, and their parents. At the library, she taught Careni how to give Melanie a baby massage, beneficial for bonding and emotional development, she explained. She read the family a story, and led a game focused on large-motor skill development for Ivan that had everyone hopping like frogs and galloping like horses.She named colors with Ivan, “verde, green” and counted dinosaurs in a book with him, “uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinco, seis, siete.”
Bright Beginnings Parent Educators are trained and certified in the Parents As Teachers evidence- and research-based curriculum, which they use to help parents learn to teach their children at home. Services include home visits, playgroups, developmental screenings and a network of resources.
Reaching Out to Hispanic Families
Serving Spanish-speaking families often requires going the extra mile. Rodriguez, who is from Peru and is fluent in English and Spanish, is working with 19 Hispanic families from Godfrey-Lee and Godwin Heights Public Schools, districts with a high percentage of those students. She makes twice-monthly home visits and hosts special library sessions that end with family members getting their own library cards. Rodriguez’s salary is partially funded through a $10,000 Grow Up Great grant from PNC Bank.
Jan Sabin, parent educator coordinator for Bright Beginnings, said Rodriguez and other Spanish-speaking parent educators go above and beyond their job responsibilities. They translate for families, make phone calls and help with paperwork. “There are significant extra hours needed for serving families,” Sabin said.
Dad Joel Solis catches the baby’s attention
There are many immigrant families like the Solises whose children are starting school in the U.S. According to the 2015 report Immigrant and Refugee Workers in the Early Childhood Field, by the Migration Policy Institute, “The growth of the U.S. 0-5 population is becoming increasingly diverse. Homes in the U.S. with children ages 5 and under who have at least one immigrant parent now account for all the net population growth of children in that age group in the U.S.”
Overall, Rodriguez’s work is helping the Solises and other Hispanic families have better access to what they need. “I think through programs like Bright Beginnings they can have the opportunity to access and accomplish their goal of why they came here,” she said. “They came here to have better opportunities.”
Stories, Questions and Books
Joel, who works at a packing company, and Careni, a stay-at-home mother, are emigrants from Guatemala. They said they see benefits of Bright Beginnings for their children. Melanie shows signs of crawling, Careni said, perhaps from increased time spent on her tummy. Ivan asks lots of questions, makes up stories about dinosaurs, has learned to hold a pencil correctly and loves to do the “homework” Rodriguez assigns, Joel said.
Melanie watches “Baby Faces” during her baby massage
Rodriguez also puts books into children’s hands and homes. With their new library cards, the Solises can check out books whenever they want, a practice hoped to become a regular activity.”Since you have been coming to my house, I see Ivan is more interested in preschool. Now he wants to go to school,” Joel said to Rodriguez in Spanish. “He used to scribble; now he is more patient and is drawing more specific things by using his imagination.”
See more at: http://www.schoolnewsnetwork.org/index.php/2016-17/banking-better-parenting/#sthash.e7p1o24S.dpuf
In a world where too many people just “talk the talk,” Fred Cox “walks the walk” — a fast stride around the cafeteria, through entryways, down hallways, in classrooms and outside on snowy sidewalks.
While keeping his speedy stride, Cox cleans: picking up trash, wiping tables and shoveling foot-deep snow on winter days. The custodian, called Fred by students and teachers alike at Duncan Lake Middle School, spends school days from 5:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. taking care of the large building that enrolls about 500 sixth- through eighth-graders.
Cox’s quickness shows during the three lunch periods when students enter the cafeteria en masse, complete with the quirks and antics of middle schoolers. On a recent morning, one student needs Cox to retrieve 50 cents from the trashcan; Cox uses a broom handle to fix a handful of drop ceiling tiles knocked off center by wayward balls; a group of boys starts a dice game to win pencils provided by Cox; and several more ask his help with one thing or another.
All in a Day’s Work
“How was your snow day, Fred?” seventh-grader Jack Simons asks during lunch on a Tuesday following a Monday when schools closed because of snow.
“It was fantastic,” Cox answers without a hint of sarcasm. “I spent four hours clearing snow from all around the school exits.”
Cox handles the rambunctious crew with ease, moving seamlessly from sixth- to seventh- to eighth-grade lunch periods, passing out high fives and fist bumps, engaging in conversations and sharing laughs. And his way of connecting with them has caught the attention of staff and students.
“The kids are great,” said Cox, who started this year as full-time custodian after working part-time at Caledonia High School since 2007. “I’m blessed every day, because if you can’t come here and smile, something is definitely wrong.”
Sixth-grader Ethan Dyksterhouse grabs a rag and helps Cox wipe tables after lunch. “Most kids get to know him,” Ethan said. “He’s always positive, giving high fives and having fun.”
Cox worked as an assistant manager at Steelcase for 15 years and then at other companies, doing building and grounds and custodial work. His daughter, Samantha Cox, and late stepson, David Marlink, graduated from Caledonia High School.
At school he’s known for his ability to do custodial and maintenance work, for which Principal Ryan Graham said he’s very grateful.
Custodian Fred Cox takes time to get to know students while he works
“Kids and staff see his hard work ethic. When he sets out to do things, he’s on it,” Graham said. “He works his tail off.”
But more than that, it’s the way students gravitate to Cox that people notice. “Kids who aren’t the jocks or ‘all A’ kids, they respond to Fred,” Graham said.
Cox fixes what’s broken, helps students open jammed lockers, hangs banners, shovels and cleans. He said he works hard to meet the needs of staff and students with “whatever they need me to do.”
His manner is humble. “I try to do everything, jack-of-all-trades master of none…” he said with a laugh.
Food service worker Lori Hoholik said she sees how students light up around Cox.
“I love watching Fred and the way he interacts with kids,” she said. “He’s so good with them. He talks to them. If he sees a kid sitting alone, he goes up to them. He’s always upbeat.”
Little Things
Students note the small ways Cox helps brighten their day. “He gave me M&Ms,” said seventh-grader Kaitlynn Robotham. “I spilled my whole lunch and Fred cleaned it up.”
Added seventh-grader Reagan Weiss: “Once I lost my lunchbox and all the food in it. He bought me a lunch, found my lunchbox and washed it out.”
“He always waves at us in the hallway,” said seventh-grader Lindy Bujak.
Cox treats students with respect and they seem to like that. He calls them “sir” or “young lady.” “He’s very polite,” said seventh-grader Colin Marckwardt. “He talks openly to kids and that’s really cool about him.”
Graham said the respect is mutual. Students make sure they don’t take advantage of their beloved custodian who works so hard.
“They remind each other, ‘Don’t make a mess for Fred!’ ” Graham said.
With flags hoisted high and signs declaring “We Are EK” in different languages, nearly 100 district high school students gathered for a photo. It was a proud display of culture for students who accepted the invitation to represent their flag.
“This is one of the chances to express my culture freely,” said Salem Tessema, a junior from Ethiopia.
It was the culminating activity of the school’s inaugural Culture Week, a celebration and chance for students to share their food, flags, clothing and, at a deeper level, dialogue on what home, traditions and current events mean to them.
While flags waved, students, many dressed in sparkling and colorful traditional clothes, mingled and munched on ethnic foods. They represented the countries they are from: Nepal, Burma, China, Thailand, Bosnia, Congo and many more.
Bizuaye Hu and Salem Tessema are dressed for their Ethiopian culture. (Photo courtesy of School News Network.)
“We wanted to increase awareness about what amazing cultures we have at this school,” said Student Council member Allison Biss. “It’s to gather everyone together, embrace culture and put it on display for everyone in the school.”
Organized by a committee of Student Council members who partnered with English language-learner students, the week opened with “What It’s Like to Be in My Shoes,” discussions held over lunch periods for two days. Students, many of whom are immigrants, shared thoughts on topics around diversity such as cultural appropriation, international relationships, religion, gender roles and the U.S. presidential election.
The timing was right following the divisive election. Students at East Kentwood come from 89 countries and represent several religions, said Advanced Teen Leadership and Student Council teacher Mel Trombley.
“After the election, things were really heated here, so we were trying to figure out the best way to do things,” Trombley said. “It was incredible. … I have not been with a group of adults that had discourse like they did. It was very connected and personal. Kids were really geeked to be a part of it. … It’s so empowering to just be able to talk.”
About 89 different cultures are represented at East Kentwood High School. (Photo courtesy of School News Network.)
Teachers discussed diversity issues in classes, students played a “guess-which-country-the-flag-is-from” game in the cafeteria and answered “If there is one thing I want people to know about my culture it is…” to hang in the hallway.
“I learned a lot about how people felt about their own countries, how people were criticized for their culture,” said Student Council member Ana Tran. “I didn’t know they had to go through all those things.”
Added junior Kylie Dunn, also a Student Council member, “We walk around every day with all these people, but we don’t really know about them. … We got to learn about their culture because when you grow up all you know is yours. It was nice to hear other people’s perspectives.”
Trombley hopes Culture Week will become a tradition Student Council can build on each year. “It’s just the perfect example of how beautiful of a microcosm Kentwood is,” he said.
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The group stood outside the door of the Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center media center. In Spanish, they sang, “In the name of heaven I ask you for shelter, for my beloved wife can go no farther.”
Inside, through the door’s window, another group responded, “This is not an inn. Get on with you. I cannot open the door. You might be a rogue.”
The back-and-forth song continued until someone opened the door, and the parents created a procession to the school’s gymnasium for a feast and fiesta.
Here in the school hallway, parents of preschool through second-grade students were re-enacting the Christmas story of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter at an inn in Bethlehem. They were kicking off the nine-day traditional Mexican holiday observance called Las Posadas, and giving teachers a taste of the season as celebrated in their native country.
Kindergartner Sanely Gonzalez plays with the Nativity
Las Posadas, which means “the inns” in English, precedes Christmas from Dec. 16 to Dec. 24. In Mexico, customarily, a couple dressed as Mary and Joseph knock on homes designated as inns, singing the song until someone lets the couple in.
In Godfrey-Lee, a majority Hispanic district, the volunteer-led evening event was an opportunity for parents to teach school staff members their traditions.
“We learn from each other about culture and food,” said Leonicia Rubio, an interpreter at the school. “Our parents want to share with teachers our traditions.”
After the procession comes fiesta time.
Teaching the Teachers
Dunce Pineda came with her daughters, high-school student Crystal Gonzalez and kindergartner Janely Gonzalez. Pineda said she has fond memories of carrying the Nativity set in Mexico and going from house to house. She likes that the tradition is being carried forward to young people. “I like that the kids get to learn the traditions of Mexico,” she said.
Parents served sizzling homemade dishes and treats including tamales, tacos, sweet bread called concha, Mexican fried cookies called bunuelo, and hot punch called ponche navideno.
“It’s really just bringing people together to build understanding and relationships,” said second-grade teacher Andrea Hall. “This is honoring the strengths our families are bringing to us.”
First-grade teacher Deedee Stasiak said staff members spend every school day with their students, often without knowing some of their treasured holiday traditions. Observing Las Posadas together was a great way to learn more about families and how their students spend the Christmas season, she said.
“I think it’s absolutely wonderful,” Stasiak said. “They feel really special being able to teach us something for a change.”
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When it comes to encouraging students to give it their all, band director Troy Anderson says take the leap and yell “Geronimo!”
By that he means hold nothing back. Blow those horns and pound those drums with gusto.
“Why are you so scared of making a mistake?” Anderson recently asked his Kelloggsville High School band students as they were learning a song. “Please stop being scared of making a mistake. I need you to play big, whether it’s right or wrong. Geronimo. Jump please.”
Anderson leads his middle and high school bands by expecting the best, but still letting students know getting there is a messy process. Mistakes are part of the experience. He finds himself giving the Geronimo speech quite often.
“It’s a way to get them to realize that there are certain things that just aren’t that serious,” he said. As a student Anderson was timid about performing, and, as a result, missed out on experiences. “A lot of times they make mistakes because they’re scared,” he added.
Notes of Praise
Comments from some of director Troy Anderson’s band members, as compiled by fellow musician and student journalist Alexandrea Groters:
Lidia Torres, a senior clarinet player, said Anderson helped her open up and come out of her shell. “He has given every student an opportunity to be a part of the band,” Lidia said. Even if they had financial needs and didn’t own an instrument, “He found a way so that no kid would feel left out.”
Grady Sakshaug, a junior trombonist, said Anderson makes sure everyone understands the music, with a sense of humor. “He forms a connection with the students.”
His passion for students shines through, said Nyla Buggs, a sophomore trombonist. “(He’s) not negative in any way and he always tries to help out in any way he can.”
Instructing Lifelong Musicians
Anderson has spent the last dozen years encouraging Kelloggsville sixth- through 12th-grade bands to take the leap. During that time, band numbers have grown at all grade levels, even tripling at the middle school.
A trombonist, drummer, music writer and gospel music lover, the Northview High School graduate received his degree in instrumental music education at Western Illinois University.
Students are encouraged to go big in Troy Anderson band.
He now directs 264 students with help from assistant band director Amanda VanderMeulen. When Anderson started, there were 64 students in the high school band. Numbers in recent years have ranged between the 80s and 90s. At the middle school, numbers have grown from 27 to about 75 sixth-graders, from 30 to about 60 seventh-graders and from 15 to 50 eighth-graders.
Since his first year, Anderson has opened the high school band room during lunch to everyone, even non-band students, welcoming them to eat and hang out. People schoolwide became more aware of the band.
“You open it up, you let people in,” he said. “It changed a lot of things. It got to a point that we started to get asked to different events we normally didn’t do. … They got to know the kids.”
First- and second-place competition finishes have been numerous, but Anderson said it’s much more important to him to see music become a lifelong part of students’ lives. With middle school students he’s witnessed many moments when students first realize they can play and perform. “I get kids who don’t say a word and by the time they graduate they are section leaders, or drum majors.”
He often watches performances of former students who have gone on to pursue music careers and degrees. “That to me is the best thing,” he tells students. “That you enjoyed it so much here that you’re willing to go on (with music) from here.'”
Anderson’s dedication impresses middle school Principal Jim Alston.
“His passion for the music and band in general is contagious,” Alston said. “So when he travels to the elementary buildings to talk to incoming middle school students, the majority want to take part in band because they see his passion for music.”
Despite his openness to trial and error, Anderson demands accountability, from his students and from himself — with pushups.
While holding his podium during class, he performed five fast standing pushups after high school band students let him know he had forgotten to pause in the song they were practicing. If a student makes a mistake on the field they drop and give him five or run laps.
One time Anderson owed his students 25 pushups, which he did on the football field during marching band practice. “None of us are above the rules, we all have to follow them, even me,” he said.
Alston said Anderson provides the right mix of nurturing and high standards.
“He impacts them as musicians by allowing them to grow. He challenges them to get better every day. Those students benefit from his teaching style of holding them accountable for the music material, but building great positive relationships with them at the same time.”
Those relationships continue after graduation, Alston added: “Troy always has someone coming back to see him and talk to him.”
Alexandrea Groters rehearses.
Music and Burger King
Anderson, who has performed around the nation and the world, is the music minister at Shepherd’s Arm Ministries and writes music for other churches. He plays drums for the Flat River Big Band, trombone for Big Band Nouveau and in the Grand Rapids Symphonic Band.
But he became inspired to become a teacher while working at Burger King for 10 years, beginning at age 10. He became a trainer and manager by 18, and the job served as an anchor as he worked his way through college.
Even then, “I loved teaching,” he said of leading the Burger team employees. “I love music and I love teaching, so I just put it together.”
He especially loves teaching at Kelloggsville, a very diverse district, because of the differences students bring to the band. In his music appreciation class, he encourages students to bring in music representative of their cultures, from Korean music called K-Pop to African music. They also bring in food, another one of Anderson’s favorite things, and the band banquet becomes a spread of international foods.
“I’ve had so many great kids,” he said. “That’s what I love about the district, even beyond the music. Like any band director, I try to foster a good family atmosphere. I try to pride myself on this being a safe zone.”
The impact of that at the middle school is immeasurable, Alston said. “Band students are some of the most positive, academic students in the building. The more students we have involved in music and the fine arts, the better our behavior decreases and our scores increase. So to have someone like Troy in our building, pushing our students and growing his program, the better we will be as a whole.”
With a consistent message and stellar music, Anderson gives students faith in their own abilities — and the courage to yell “Geronimo!”
“The only thing I do is give them the ball and say here you go. You’re a family,” he said. “Really they do it all on their own.”
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There are books galore in Rebecca English’s high school classroom. New and old and of many genres, they are categorized and in bins along the walls, on shelves and in a closet-turned-library.
There are also bundles of yarn stacked in a container on the floor, wooly materials to be knit into hats and mittens. Several handmade scarves hang from hooks on the wall.
When it comes to connecting with students, English does so purl by purl and page by page. She invites them into her den-like classroom for endless supplies of books and knitting needles, which she said are great mediums to get students to relax, talk and develop a sense of belonging. Their effectiveness is evidenced by teenagers who pop into the classroom to visit her during lunch every day.
They take a seat to read, eat or just start a conversation.
“When you walk into my room, kids always say it’s like walking into a big hug,” said English, who has taught at Godwin Heights High School for 23 years. “I want it to be cozy and nurturing.”
Sophomore Cecilia Montejo said she started writing poetry after being inspired by English. “You can be comfortable here. It’s a warm place inside school.”
“She has this smile on her face and is always happy,” sophomore LLuvia Fuentes said of English. “It’s full of books. It’s like the library in here.”
Three days a week at noon, the classroom becomes Knitting Club, Writing Club or Book Club, all which English advises. Over half-finished scarves, prose or verse, lots of bonding takes place.
“We talk about different situations, laugh and solve all the world’s problems,” English said.
Reaching Out to ‘Invisible’ Students
Teacher Rebecca English has more than 3,000 books.
English teaches special education English and social studies classes, and general education multicultural literature. A native of Grand Rapids, she grew up “with floor-to-ceiling bookcases” in her home. Her parents (her father was an Episcopal priest) stressed giving above everything else.
So as a teacher, English made it part of her job to do more than required. She jokes that a huge chunk of her paycheck goes toward books. Students call her an Amazon fanatic, and the staff at Schuler Books & Music know her by name.
She started the clubs — Knitting Club is in its third year, Book Club in its second, and Writing Club is new this year — to give students another way to be involved with school.
“I basically just saw a big need,” she said. “Our school offers sports, band, choir, art, but sometimes students fall through the cracks. Sometimes certain students do not feel a sense of belonging and feel disconnected from their own high school.”
English herself was once an “invisible student,” she admitted, so said she relates to those who tend to go unnoticed, those at the back of the class, not an athlete or academic superstar.
She also realized another need in Godwin Heights, a diverse district where more than 80 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch rates. “Some of our students come to school and this is their safe haven,” English said. “I think every kid wants to feel special in someone’s eyes, like someone’s caring for them.”
So her room is a sanctuary. During club sessions, students feel safe and free. “Goodbye social media for an hour. Goodbye fast-paced world. Goodbye chaos-filled minds,” English said.
English goes the extra mile in other ways. She brings groups of students to movies that are based on the books they read; she takes them shopping and to lunch. She hunts down the right book for the right student. Senior Zy Scott often spends her lunch hour in English’s classroom with a book in her hand. She didn’t even like reading much before she met English, who introduced her to “drama books,” she said.
Students in Knitting Club have ample material.
“Now I read every day,” Zy said. “She knows what kind of books I like, and we talk about them.”
Principal Chad Conklin said English’s work makes a big difference at Godwin Heights.
“Rebecca has a fantastic heart and passion for our students, and she works hard to ensure all students have an opportunity to connect to a club to build a sense of school pride and self confidence,” he said.
English, who has two daughters, even made sure one teenager had a home. “I had a student who needed a foster placement a few years ago.
Davonte ended up living with English’s parents, and now, at age 20, recently moved out on his own, she said.
“I feel kind of like that’s what I was put on Earth to do, to give back,” she said.
Advocating for Students
She is also her students’ biggest champion. In her ninth- and tenth-grade special education English class, she asks Shakespeare trivia questions. Students rattle off answers on his birthdate, wife, family and theatre. They know a lot about the Bard.
“I’d put them against anyone in the school,” she said. “They are Shakespeare experts.”
English loves to see students accomplish their goals, to see them dare to try new things. When they succeed it impacts others, she insists. In Knitting Club, they learn to make beautiful, handmade gifts and to teach others how to knit.
“The look on student’s faces when they come into the Knitting Club glowing because they were able to make a homemade Christmas gift for their family, is priceless.”
Student Edwin Daniels, also a former non-reader, talks about how he’s already read five books this year because English stocked her shelves with a series he really likes.
But getting to know English is about more than books and knowing Shakespeare, he said.
“We share in here. We share whatever. We’re different shades,” he said, about the ethnically diverse class. “(That students are different) doesn’t matter.”
What matters is the way English makes students know they are always welcome by handing them spools of yarn, a favorite novel or a comfy place to talk.
“I cannot help but smile and feel the joy,” she said. “My students have found their place.”
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After school on Mondays through Thursdays, more than 40 middle school students participate in TEAM 21, where they do homework, eat, play sports and participate in activities.
But a recent night was all about fun, complete with doughnuts and apple cider, slime-making and pumpkin ring-toss. Students participated in Lights On Afterschool, a national event that celebrates after-school programs.
TEAM 21 is run through a partnership between the City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department and Godfrey-Lee, Wyoming, Godwin Heights and Kelloggsville Public Schools. Fifteen schools offer programs for more than 2,000 students ranging from kindergarten to ninth grade.
Launched in October 2000, Lights On Afterschool promotes the role of after-school programs in keeping kids safe, inspiring them to learn and helping working families. The effort has become a hallmark of the after-school movement and annually sees more than 1 million Americans celebrate at more than 8,000 events nationwide.
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It can be a looooong way from when the first sentences are written to when a completed novel hits the shelves. Publishing is a journey often wrought with rejection and lots of revision, said MarcyKate Connolly, author of fantasy books for middle-grade and young adults.
“If there’s anything I want you to take with you today it’s that writing is rewriting,” Connolly told about 50 Lee Middle-High School students who attended the session because they have an interest in writing.
Connolly talked about the roadmap to publishing, which she learned by writing her books “Monstrous” and “Ravenous,” tales geared toward tweens that have been likened to Frankenstein and the Brothers Grimm.
Connolly, of Boston, made a stop at Lee while visiting Grand Rapids Comic-Con, the popular event where sci-fi, fantasy and comic book fans gather. She explained the quest of a writer, including spending many hours in her “writing cave,” the challenge of finding an agent to represent the book, the experience of rejection and the work that continues after a book is accepted for publishing.
And finally, the thrill of seeing the book at stores and in the hands of others.
MarcyKate Connolly signs a book for the Lee Middle-High School media center
A marketing professional by day, Connolly said her love for writing and storytelling kept her going despite more than 300 rejections from publishers. She wrote several books that were never published and received her first offer for publishing after four years of trying.
“Publishing is not something you get into thinking you are going to get rich quick or going to be a mega bestseller overnight,” she said. “You do it because you love it.”
Connolly had to re-assess her goals, at one point. “Why am I doing this to myself?” she recalled asking after getting rejection after rejection. So she continued writing for herself, making up the stories and characters she loved.
Kelly McGee, Godfrey-Lee district media specialist, said Connolly’s visit helped students think about writing as a career and the process of becoming an author. He said he hopes to start a student writer’s group. “I think we have a lot of writers here.”
He said he also wanted students to leave with the message that perseverance is required for accomplishing your dreams.
Connolly’s books were published through HarperCollins Publishers. Her next book, “Shadow Weaver,” is scheduled for release in winter 2018.
She encouraged students to find their “tribe” — other writers they can use for empathy, feedback and critique. And no matter how many failed attempts, she urged students to look at it as getting somewhere.
“Whatever words you write are not wasted,” she said.
Freshman Olivia Clark, who loves writing, said Connolly’s words resonated. “Don’t give up. You’ve got to be strong. There are harsh people out there.”
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Manuel Ochoa’s face lit up in a smile. He had just learned he will exit the middle school’s new School within a School Program at the end of the marking period. After several years working to get on track academically, he will return to the regular classroom.
For the past few weeks in the SWAS intervention program, Manuel has excelled. The seventh-grader covered a lot of ground in history and language arts classes, and had achieved an 80 percent overall score. “I just worked,” he said, explaining his progress. “It has helped me a lot.”
Led by teacher Joe Marsiglia, SWAS has eight students enrolled and is located in a classroom at the end of a quiet wing of the school. Students who have been identified for failing grades and behavior problems– most have been suspended at least once this fall– work on subjects on computers, regularly getting help from Marsiglia. They are together all day, even for lunch.
“We have some students flying through the coursework, which is pretty awesome,” Marsiglia said. “They get to own their learning.”
Students are working at their own pace, most making steady gains.
Eighth-grader Gage Sims recently learned he is on track to exit the SWAS intervention program.
“We are finding behavior is better,” said Assistant Principal Beth Travis. “They are focusing on their work. A lot of the students like the fact that they can put on the headphones and get lost in the academics and shut out the outside influences.”
SWAS addresses several issues to break the all-too-common cycle of poor grades, poor attendance and poor behavior.
“We are trying to think outside of the box,” Travis said. “We need something that’s going to help our students. We are finding it’s a frustrating cycle when they act out and make a poor decision in class. They get sent home for their actions; they come back the next day and they are already behind in their schoolwork, so they act out again.”
The class is the most intensive part of a three-tier system the middle school uses to help at-risk students. At the beginning of the school year, teachers began monitoring students’ grades and behavior if they showed signs of academic, attendance and behavior problems. Marsiglia met weekly with those who showed a continued pattern of problems, discussing behavior goals and grades.
Finally, he met twice a week with students facing suspension and failing grades, even sitting with them during classes to get to know them. From there, staff identified eight students who were most at risk to start SWAS.
Each student has a chance to enter or exit the program each quarter. Three, including Manuel, are now on track to exit, which will open up three new spots for at-risk students.
After eighth grade, Travis said, students with academic and behavior problems sometimes switch to alternative schools. “Our hopes are to keep the students here at school to teach them better behavior choices, and to get them to pass the classes and get them the knowledge they need to move on to the next grade.”
While the program is not punitive, returning to the regular classroom can be a strong incentive for students. “They want to be with their friends,” Travis said. “It’s middle school. They are very social.”
Added Attention Helps
Signs of success include more content students. “Since this has started, none of these students have been suspended,” Travis said. “We have not had one student with one discipline referral.”
Marsiglia said the 1-to-8 teacher-student ratio allows him to get ahead of any potentially bad behavior. “(SWAS) takes them out of a class where they want to be the king or queen. Instead of being the focus of attention, they all have their own individual attention, with me.”
Seventh-grader Teron Collier said SWAS has helped him get better grades.
“There aren’t a lot of kids in the class, so I get help from the teacher more,” he said.
The school’s community coordinator also spends an hour in the classroom each day to provide added support.
There have been other success stories, he said. One student discovered she really likes history and geography. “She didn’t know it until she was in here. Now, she’s so far ahead in that class,” Marsiglia said.
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Kentwood Public Schools, MI — It’s the great pumpkin, Southwood Elementary students, and it’s fun to weigh, measure and catapult through the air.
The school’s family event, “Math + Pumpkins = Best Night Ever!” put orange gourds at the focal point of learning, from guessing how many seeds they contain to finding just how much girth they have. Each student received a free pumpkin, to use in the math and decorating activities.
To culminate the evening, Rick Evans, whose daughter Katelyn Evans is a Southwood teacher, used his homemade catapult to launch pumpkins far into the schoolyard, measuring with markers how many meters they flew, to the “oohs” and “aahs” of students.
First-grader Payton Smith guesses a pumpkin has 900 seeds, with help of mom Susie Smith.
Kindergarten teacher Julie Van Lier said the event was a great way to involve families in math in a unique way with a fall theme. “It’s fun to estimate with a pumpkin, launch a pumpkin,” she said. “We wanted to do something real and meaningful.”
Southwood Elementary School fifth-grader Taeron Grays and his brother, second-grader Dontae Grays, watched as their mother, Holly Grays, began wrapping a measuring tape around the middle of a fat orange pumpkin. “10 inches!” Taeron guessed its circumference. “32!” guessed Dontae.
Then it was off to the scales, where Missy Limbacher, who works in the school lunchroom, challenged students to guess the weight of their gourds. “What do you think: 20 pounds, 30 pounds, 40 pounds?” she asked, as one by one students tested their pumpkins’ weight.
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Forest Hills Public Schools, MI — Retired Forest Hills Superintendent Dr. J. Michael Washburn, long-time mentor and education advisor, received the Educational Advocacy Award from the Kent Intermediate Association of School Boards at its fall meeting.
Washburn served as superintendent of the Forest Hills Public Schools for 21 years and was instrumental in transforming the district into one of the highest performing suburban school districts in Michigan, Kent Intermediate Association of School Boards President and Northview Board Member Tim Detweler said.
“Mike Washburn is a gifted professional who has contributed greatly to the school districts in our region”, Detwiler said. “Our board benefited greatly from his expertise in selecting our last two superintendents, and I’m certain the others in our ISD did as well.”
Since leaving Forest Hills, Washburn served as a consultant to Kent ISD and its member districts, mentored superintendents, was a counselor and strategic advisor to school boards and served as search consultant who guided the placement of new leaders in eight districts, including Kent ISD in 2015.
The Kent Intermediate Association of School Boards is an organization of board members directing the 20 public schools within Kent ISD. The Education Advocacy Award was created in 2004 to recognize those who created better conditions for children, improved student achievement and initiated collaborative programs to encourage student success. Previous winners include a wide range of business and community leaders.
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The county fair stopped by North Godwin Elementary School for Harvest Day, when students met a horse and goats, played games for treats, made crafts and took tractor-hitched hayrides.
The event, which the school has hosted for 12 years, is an alternative to a traditional Halloween party, and involves a half-day of autumn-themed fun, supported by local businesses that provide discounts for food and materials.
Staff members turned the basketball court into a makeshift pumpkin patch, where students picked out gourds. “It’s a beauty! I found a beauty!” shouted one first-grader as he grabbed his mini-pumpkin.
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Hillary Baker and Ellen Zwarensteyn have coached students in becoming so well-versed in government and civics that they take home national awards.
Baker has led outstanding We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution teams, made up of high school students who rattle off informed opinions about different facets of the U.S. Constitution in front of lawyers, judges and professors. Zwarensteyn has coached award-winning high school debaters who argue different sides of complex policy.
But despite their track records in engaging students in civics, politics and government, both educators say there is much work to be done. As the U.S. presidential campaign creeps closer and closer toward Election Day, evidence mounts that good civics education is more important than ever.
Baker and Zwarensteyn are crafting civics curriculum and training teachers nationally, as well as working to get debate and We the People teams in more schools.
“It’s been a real interesting year in how might we craft how we talk about the election and really getting kids to explore issues,” Baker said. “How do you go beyond the candidates and really unearth and look at issues, and be able to talk about the election in a way that promotes deep understanding?”
Baker and Zwarensteyn’s work spans more than two decades at East Kentwood High School. Baker taught civics, Advanced Placement government, and coached We the People for over 15 years. She is now Forest Hills Central High School’s assistant principal. Zwarensteyn coached debate for 15 years and has served as a teacher and coach since 2006. She is on leave to work on other projects focused on civics teaching.
How Have We Gotten Here?
Because of their work, the pair have a sense of the current teaching climate. Many teachers don’t feel up to the task of even including the election in classroom discussion, they say.
“We’ve had civics teachers say they are not going to talk about it at all,” Zwarensteyn said.
But skipping lessons on polemic issues fuels the divide even further, she said.
“That’s the $20,000 question,” Baker said. “Many teachers are afraid to talk about politics in the classroom because they are afraid of backlash from parents or the administration.”
But students quickly pick up on tone and what is considered OK to say. Hateful, insulting talk and rhetoric can be contagious. Knowing how to appropriately conduct political discourse is a vanishing skill set, Zwarensteyn said.
“It’s almost as if someone might have given other people permission to speak that way,” she said. “Honestly, many students are afraid. What we have seen is that they don’t have a fundamental understanding of themselves yet enough to filter what they are hearing in the news.”
Added Baker: “(It’s) that whole idea of civil discourse and how do we appropriately model it in the classroom? How do we engage in ideas and issues, especially when the adults in the national spotlight don’t necessarily do that very well themselves?”
Adults Create the Climate
While students are influenced by candidates, more than anything they mimic other adults, Zwarensteyn said.
“If people at home aren’t filtering or watching multiple news sources or aren’t getting their news from multiple different perspectives, then there’s very little chance for that kid to see other divergent points of view.”
That’s perhaps one reason the country is so polarized, she added: “We only seek out information that confirms an existing bias, and students don’t see that as a particular problem yet. They see news as news, not a perspective.”
Baker and Zwarensteyn are encouraging teachers to think deeper and consider these questions: How do we teach ethical listening to one another? How do we teach what privilege looks like or taking multiple perspectives on an issue? How do we honor different opinions and still have a baseline of civility?
The goal of their far-ranging work is to give students a broader view and deeper knowledge of things that impact their lives.
“These programs are good for all kids,” Baker said. “It’s the kind of learning students are doing that really engages them in current issues and what’s going on around them in their communities, in the state and the nation and even around the world.”
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Esperanza Mercado wants her children — kindergartner Coral, first-grader Yra, and fourth-grader Adrian — to have big goals. “I want them to get their master’s degrees,” she said.
“I didn’t get much education,” she said while attending an English literacy class at North Godwin Elementary School. Mercado’s formal education ended in sixth grade. An immigrant from Mexico, she moved to the United States more than 20 years ago.
She’s attending the intermediate-level class, offered by the Literacy Center of West Michigan and led by Americorps instructors, for two hours twice a week to improve her English-speaking and reading skills. At North and West Godwin elementary schools, where more than 40 percent of families are English-language learners, basic and intermediate classes are offered all school year long. Grand Rapids Public Schools also offers the program.
Mercado already speaks basic English, but wants to build confidence.
Parents study the usage of ‘will go’ and ‘am going to go’ during class
“I want to be able to communicate with people who speak English,” she explained. “I want to help my kids with their homework, attend meetings with no helper interpreting. I want to be capable to speak without someone else to help me.”
The fact classes are held at school is ideal, said Sarah Schantz, North Godwin Kent School Services Network community school coordinator.
“Having it here makes it a lot easier,” Schantz said. “It’s right after school starts. Parents stay for class after dropping off students. Having them here gives them the extra opportunity to stay after class and help out with things that they like to.”
The class helps parents connect in other ways too. It’s for all non-native English speakers, not just Spanish-speaking.
“It helps them be able to communicate with us, with their students, with helping them with homework,” ” Schantz said.
Helping Students Read Proficiently
Marti Hernandez, director of the Family Literacy Program at the Literacy Center of West Michigan, said the program serves a huge need as the Hispanic population continues to grow.
Americorps instructor Kari Moss teaches English
The program’s aims are tied to third-grade literacy, helping parents help their children be fluent readers by then, said Hernandez, a former principal at Burton Middle School. “Our goal is to help the parents learn English so they can be more involved in their child’s education, and be more informed on what’s going on in their child’s school and what the goals are for their child,” Hernandez said.
“It also helps them with employability,” she added. “You need to have some sort of English in order to get a job and to just survive.”
Parents also learn the importance of promoting literacy in the home. Monthly Family Activity Nights are offered for families.
“I am so pleased to see so many of my parents participating in our English Literacy classes,” said North Godwin Principal Mary Lang. “They are so committed to learning the language so they are able to better support their children through their educational process.”
Participant Maria Nunoz, mom to kindergartener Gadiel, sixth-grader Adan and seventh-grader Lorenzo, said she’s continuing to study English so she can better help them in school.
“I help Gadiel with homework, and the alphabet pronunciation,” she said.
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Crestwood Middle School’s new Collaboration Center looks more like a modern professional meeting room than a place seventh-graders complete school work.
Tables are situated for group work; a huge projector screen stands next to walls that serve as whiteboards. An artistic panel serves as a partition for a living-room style area. Small white boards called huddle boards connect to tables for students to scrawl notes. Six TV screens hang on the walls to display what’s projected on the big screen. Everything is outfitted for technology.
“This will have the best up-to-date technology a district can have,” said Superintendent Mike Zoerhoff. “We are trying to give our kids space to be innovative and not be held back by the constraints of a room.”
Crestwood’s Collaboration Center opened a year and a half ago, serving as a pilot for centers in schools district-wide. East Kentwood High School and the Freshman Campus will have centers as well as Pinewood and Valleywood middle schools. Elementary schools, beginning with Bowen, Brookwood, Southwood and Townline, will have redesigned media centers that blend features of a traditional library with the Collaboration Center concept. Centers are modeled after spaces at Steelcase University Learning Center in Grand Rapids.
The projects are funded through the $64.8 million bond passed last November. The plan for technology is ongoing to keep up with district needs and ever-evolving tech innovations over the next 10 years, Zoerhoff said.
Seventh-grade student Madison Catching, while working in the Collaboration Center with her class, glanced at the TV screen above the table where she worked on on a laptop. On the TV was an example of a writing prompt related to her language-arts assignment. “If we are back here and we can’t see (the large screen) we can look up here to see,” Madison said.
Teacher Erika Vann books the room regularly for her class because she loves the learning environment.
“I like how large it is,” Vann said. “The kids can move around. I don’t have to say ‘Shhh.’ They can talk.”
They also are savvy with the technology, and working on it while working together comes naturally, Vann said. “I tell them, ‘You are going to be doing this all your life. Collaboration is a part of everything.'”
Principal Don Dahlquist said the center is perfect for cross-curricular learning and projects that take on a new level of innovation. Even physical education teachers use it. “It really allows the teaching staff to be creative,” he said.
Funding for Safety, Security and Technology
Since the bond issue’s approval the district has purchased eight new buses, eliminating double runs and adding video camera for increased safety and security. Twenty-eight buses will be replaced over 10 years.
Parking lots were resurfaced at Endeavor and Townline elementary schools and exterior lighting was replaced.
More than 750 laptop computers were purchased district-wide. The plan is to purchase more than 5,000 Chromebooks over 10 years.
Artificial turfs were replaced at Falcon Stadium and Pat Patterson Athletic Field.
Projects planned for summer 2017 include a site plan renovation at East Kentwood High School to improve traffic flow and entrances.
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When you see red lights on the school bus start flashing in front of you, it always means stop, right?
And when you see yellow hazard lights flashing down low on the school bus in front of you, it always means you can keep going, right?
The simple answers: Red means stop. Yellow means you don’t have to, but be careful.
Confused? Many drivers are, said Fred Doelker, safety and training director for Dean Transportation, which provides bus transportation for all but two of the 20 school districts in the Kent ISD. Explaining what red and yellow school bus lights mean is part of his job.
The key difference is whether those yellow lights are flashing on the top of the bus above the windows, or the hazard lights are flashing below the windows. (See an illustration of the difference)
When the big yellow lights next to the red lights on top of the bus are flashing, motorists should prepare to stop. That’s because the red lights will come on soon and the red stop sign will be put out.
Doelker compares it to a car going through an intersection. When you see a yellow traffic light, you know the red light will come on shortly.
When It’s OK to Pass
“The confusion comes in with the yellow hazard-light stop,” Doelker said of the lower yellow lights at the middle of the bus. “Lots of times when drivers see these, they don’t know what to do, but they think they should stop.”
That’s wrong. When these yellow hazard lights are blinking, you can drive around the bus with caution.
Doelker gives another example: You’re driving down the road and meet a bus with red lights and a stop sign displayed, so you stop. You wait until the red lights go off and stop sign is down, and you pass the bus. You drive a ways farther and see another bus with yellow hazard lights on and wonder if you can go around it. Yes, you can — cautiously.
Another “should-I-stay or should-I-go” situation that confuses motorists occurs when buses are traveling multi-lane, divided roads (like the East Beltline), he explained. You stop when you see a bus ahead of you put on its flashing red lights. A car on the opposite side of the divided road drives past the bus, even though the vehicle has its red lights flashing. Then you mutter, “Why does that driver get to go and not me?”
The multi-lane, divided road is what makes the difference in this situation, Doelker said. If there is a median dividing the highway, you don’t have to stop for a bus on the opposite side of the road with red lights on. However, if there is no physical barrier between opposing lanes, red lights mean all drivers must stop.
Darryl Hofstra is transportation director for Forest Hills Public Schools
A Chronic and Dangerous Problem
Darryl Hofstra, Forest Hills Public Schools transportation director, said cars passing by buses illegally is a significant problem in his district. “It’s chronic,” he said, adding that each bus driver probably sees several every day, and most of the time it’s cars approaching from the front.
Hofstra, who gets behind the wheel of a bus when the district is short on drivers, was on the Michigan Association of Pupil Transportation board for 12 years. He still serves on a state school bus safety legislative committee.
In a 2015 survey by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, Michigan bus drivers reported 1,031 illegal passes of the 1,543 buses that participated. That’s more than 10,000 illegal passes in one day, if applied to all stops.
Doelker finds it “frightening” several thousand illegal “pass-bys” can happen in one day. “I don’t know why people go around,” he said. “I don’t know if they don’t know any better, if they don’t care or if they’re distracted.”
His concerns are grounded in long experience. A nearly six-year veteran of Dean Transportation, in March he received the Richard H. Austin Long-Term Traffic Safety Award from the Michigan Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission. He also worked for 32 years as community safety coordinator with the AAA Auto Club Group.
Doelker put together a proposal for the Michigan Department of Highway Safety Planning earlier this year. It asked for funding to study why drivers are illegally passing school buses during student loading and unloading. However, his proposal was not funded.
Dean Transportation encourages districts to design routes with pickups only on the right side of the road, because they say it’s safer. The state of Michigan requires and provides 24 hours of bus safety training, plus six hours every two years of continuing education.
Fred Doelker is the safety and training director for Dean Transportation
Students Need to be Taught
Accidents nearly always involve the bus a student rides, not a motorist driving by illegally, Doelker said. “Students do something unexpected — like run to the bus before it is stopped — and the bus driver doesn’t see it.
“We really encourage bus drivers and parents to work together and teach their children to be safe at school bus stops.”
After two students were killed when the car they were driving ran into the back of a Coopersville school bus in 2011, Rep. Holly Hughes, R-Montague, introduced a bill to add more lighting to buses. A pilot study tested in 10 school districts, including three buses in the Forest Hills district, put LED lights with words on the back doors of the bus. “Caution — Stopping” flashed in amber when a bus prepared to stop. “Stopping — Do Not Pass” flashed in red when the bus was stopping.
Hofstra advised motorists to take bus safety seriously and personally.
“Whenever you see a school bus, use extreme caution,” he said. “Think of it as though you were a parent or grandparent and those were your kids in the bus.”
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East Kelloggsville Elementary School kindergartner Ricky Brooks threw his arms around Student Service Coordinator Christie Alexander in a big hug. “Thank you!” he exclaimed.
Alexander had spent a few minutes with Ricky, helping him line up paperclips to make shapes during a class activity. Since meeting him on the first day of school, she has gotten to know Ricky well by checking on him every day.
He thrives from the positive attention, said teacher Kathi Burke. Alexander’s job is to provide students with someone to turn to if they need a break or need to talk, and students, including Ricky, benefit from it. “It makes a kid feel needed,” Burke said.
“Some of the kids just need a break… a walk in the hallway,” Burke said. They come back ready to listen after a little time with Alexander. “Five minutes is usually enough.”
Kindergartner Ricky Brooks gives Christie Alexander an impromptu embrace
Covering the Spectrum of Need
A few blocks away at West Kelloggsville Elementary School, Student Service Coordinator Sara Cinadr checked third-grader Jayden Mast’s blood sugar level and administered an insulin shot to control his diabetes. At the same time, they discussed what was making Jayden a little “grumpy.”
And at Southeast Elementary School, Student Service Coordinator Bilal Muhammad spun a basketball atop his finger and tried to pass it onto the fingertip of fifth-grader Lily Vandergeld in mid-rotation. Before that, he greeted students on the way to recess, taking note of every student who walked by. “Christopher, where are your glasses?” he asked one student.
Alexander, Cinadr and Muhammad began the new full-time district positions in September. They are modeled after Kent School Services Network, a countywide program that brings social and medical services to students’ schools and homes. KSSN is run through a partnership with local districts and Kent ISD, and Kelloggville’s Southeast Elementary School had a KSSN community site coordinator and clinician for several years.
To provide equitable services to all elementary schools, the district, which has a high-poverty population, hired its own staff to fill the roles, said Tammy Savage, assistant superintendent for the district.
“We’re an extra support, and we support in whatever way we’re needed,” Cinadr said.
Muhammad is a former athletic director for Riverside Middle School in Grand Rapids Public Schools; Alexander is a former high school guidance counselor, elementary school counselor and has worked in juvenile justice and with Child Protective Services. Cinadr is a former GRPS teacher.
Positive Forces
Sara Cinadr gives third-grader Jayden Mast an insulin shot
The student service coordinators focus on attendance and behavior and form relationships with students during recess and lunch. They check in on students who need extra attention. They communicate with families and make home visits to establish rapport with families and emphasize the importance of attendance.
“We provide positive feedback for students and see them at least twice a day to talk to them about what good choices they are making and say, ‘Keep up the good work,'” Cinadr said.
She can relate to teachers who need a helping hand. “Coming from the classroom, I loved teaching; I loved my students, but there were so many needs that I saw that I couldn’t meet on my own, with having to balance the academics, and the relationships, and the calling home. And the this. And the that.”
Muhammad grew up in a single-parent home with his mother, a school principal. He looks to her as a role model for how to build relationships with students.
“We know it’s all about ‘it takes a village,’ ” he said.
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When students choose to learn about a topic they care about, Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center teacher Lindsay Blume sees the potential for genius to emerge.
Her English-language learner first- and second-grade students last school year researched topics ranging from a dog’s life cycle to how studios make movies, how to make a pizza and how to take care of cats. Why? Because they wanted to — and were given the chance.
Blume set aside time for Genius Hour to create a product from research, like a board game where you collect ingredients for pizza and a how-to book on cat care. It was up to the students to create what they wanted. Genius Hour is a simple concept that allots time for students to choose something they want to learn and work on a “pet project” about their subject.
She shared the process, which she hopes will expand to more classrooms and grade levels, at Rebel U. It was the district’s sixth annual professional development day that provides teachers with opportunities to learn how teaching and learning can be transformed through the use of technology.
Rebel U traditionally has focused on technology integration, but now is tied to a broader theme: human-centered design, an approach to problem solving that incorporates the wants and needs of end users of a product or service in every stage of the design process. (Conversely, think of a service that doesn’t consider its recipients’ true needs, like a winter coat drive for Costa Rican children. No matter how well-meaning, the service is likely not helpful.)
The district received a $250,000 grant from the Steelcase Foundation to re-imagine schools for the small, mostly Hispanic, low-income district over a two-year span using the human-centered design process. It focuses on the real needs of Godfrey-Lee students. Teachers said they’ve been challenged by the program, now in its second year, to be innovative and take risks. Genius Hour is an example of an idea that sprung from human-centered design thinking, Blume said. Instead of telling students what they need to learn about, student get to choose. That leads to more passion and innovation.
At Rebel U, teachers embraced new ideas as they headed into the school year. Questions discussed during a brainstorming question were: How can we use podcasts to connect with community members? How might we connect families with Kent District Library resources? How can we use virtual reality to enhance lessons?
Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center Principal Peter Geerling adds ideas on sticky notes about serving students best
Learning the ‘Who’ of It
The focus is on the “who,” said Superintendent David Britten.”That changes the outlook of the classroom instead of just focusing on what someone told you your kids should be learning. It’s what you think as an adult they should be learning. You focus on who they are and design learning around that.
“School’s got to be different than it was for the benefit of our kids, and technology is one tool.”
Genius Hour shows the possibilities of both technology and human-centered design in the classroom, and Blume said she wouldn’t be doing it without the opportunities available through human-centered design.
“It has helped me to step outside the box and know that I have the administrators’ and the whole district staff’s support to try new things. I’m encouraging my students to do the same thing,” Blume said. “We don’t have to adhere to the rigid ‘sit and let me give you information.’ The students are discovering it for themselves and that makes it a lot more meaningful.”
Kelsey Koetje, a first-and second- grade special education teacher, introduced Green Screen at Rebel U. The video-making program puts students in front of a green poster that comes to life behind them, integrating images into a topic they are presenting on. When it comes to how her students learn best, Koetje said human-centered design has given her the confidence to “figure it out.”
“Our district is very supportive of trying new things and figuring out what your specific students needs and going from there,” Koetje said. “We do have those high standards they want us to meet, but also encourage us to take risks and try it and if it doesn’t work you try something new.”
As part of the human-centered design process last year, a 19-member district team interviewed Godfrey-Lee families about their hopes and dreams. Hearing from those families impacted the thinking of Godfrey Elementary School Principal Andrew Steketee about how to involve them even more at school.
“It’s been all about opening up communication with our families,” Steketee said. “It has really opened my eyes. We can do so much more to invite them in, to get on the same level as each other.”
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