Districtwide, all students are receiving free breakfast and lunch this school year, and they say it’s a big benefit to families.
“It’s helpful because a lot of people don’t have a lot of money and they have to use money for other things,” said Wyoming Junior High School ninth-grader Carlos Mejia as he ate a healthy lunch of leafy-green salad and fresh fruit. Around him, in the cafeteria, students noshed pizza, cheeseburgers, grilled cheese and submarine sandwiches.
“Now, my parents don’t have to worry about paying for me,” said ninth-grader Hayde Rodriguez.
Joining Grand Rapids and Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, approximately 4,400 students at Wyoming’s four elementary schools, the fifth- and sixth-grade Intermediate School, the junior high and Wyoming High School now have the opportunity to eat school meals at no charge. Also, Godwin Heights Public Schools, which has already offered free breakfast and lunch for kindergarten through eighth-grade students, is expanding free meals to all high schoolers.
Mike Slager, Wyoming and Godwin Heights food service director, said Wyoming has become eligible through the Community Eligibility Provision of the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program. CEP allows schools with a high percentage of low-income familie to provide all meals free without collecting household school meal applications.
Food service workers Cheri Arend and Debbie Sheick serve up lunches, now free for all students
Feeding Hungry Students
“I anticipate we will serve more children,” Slager said. “It erases any sort of a stigma that kids who are eating lunch in the cafeteria are the free-lunch kids. Clearly it is going to enable folks to have more disposable income.”
About 73 percent of students districtwide qualified for free or reduced-price lunch last school year. According to 2018 data, Wyoming Public Schools served 52,417 breakfasts schoolwide, of which 36,140 were free and 5,016 were at a reduced price. The district served 62,805 lunches, 45,242 of them free and 6,669 reduced.
Full-priced lunches were $2.75 for fifth- through 12th-grade students and $2.25 for kindergartners through fourth-graders. Reduced lunches were 40 cents. Breakfast was already free for kindergarten through ninth-grade students and $1.50 for high schoolers.
Principal Jon Blackburn said some families who did not qualify for free or reduced lunch were right on the cusp of qualifying. Also, students would run out of money in their school meal accounts and not reload it.
“This will have a huge impact,” Blackburn said. “Some families were so excited. … It is nice to know every kid will have access to a lunch.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Volunteers help Bowen Elementary School first-grader Peng Thang get fitted, while fifth-grader Rosung, 3-year-old Scofield and father Titus enjoy the moment
Hundreds of parents with their kindergarten through fourth-grade students gathered recently at In the Image, a clothing and furniture ministry at 1823 S. Division Ave. in Grand Rapids, to receive a free pair of new back-to-school shoes. In the Image’s annual “Shoes Help Our Elementary Students” program put shoes on the feet of 1,700 students from more than 39 elementary schools this year. Qualifying schools, which have a high percentage of low-income students, included Kentwood, Grand Rapids, Godfrey-Lee, Godwin Heights and Wyoming schools.
Kelloggsville Public Schools woke up to good news this morning as voters approved a $19.2 million millage request that will construct a new third-, fourth-, fifth-grade building in the district.
The millage was approved with 2,318 yes votes to 1,535 no votes. The millage is actually a continuation of an existing millage. The school’s current millage rate is 7.32.
Kent County also received good news as its proposal, Ready by 5, passed with 142,875 yes votes to 109,513 no votes. The proposal is a 0.25 mill property tax levy that would provide an estimated $5.7 million a year to agencies and programs that support early childhood development programs.
For other city, county, and state election results, click here.
As for board of education elections, there were only two districts that had contested races: Godwin Heights Public Schools and Wyoming Public Schools.
In Godwin Heights, the top three vote getters will join the board. Newcomer David Rodriguez was the top vote getter with 1,847 followed by incumbents David Drake (1,564 votes) and Richard Hamilton Jr. (1,493 votes). Joseph Januska received 1,158 votes.
Wyoming’s Board of Education had one candidate and two write-in candidates running for two six-year term positions. Candidate Brian D. Jirous had 9,255 votes. The two write-in candidates are Adriana Almanza and Jennifer Lewis. Write-ins have to be counted by hand. School officials said they are waiting for the county to count the ballots and should know the results within two weeks.
School Board elections that were unopposed were:
Godfrey Lee Public Schools Board of Education (2 Seats)
Kacklyn Hernandez 1,144
Eric Mockerman 857
Godfrey Lee Public Schools Board of Education partial term ending in 2022 (1 Seat)
Note: In this continuing series, we take a look at some of the 18 boards, commissions and committees that address specific needs within the City of the Wyoming.
Every second Wednesday of the month (except for July and August), you’ll find Dr. Lillian Cummings-Pulliams at Wyoming City Hall. A school psychologist for the Wyoming Public Schools. Cummings-Pulliams is at the city hall as a representative of the district on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission.
She is not a resident of Wyoming, but lives in Kentwood. Since her daughter attends Wyoming Public Schools as part of schools of choice, they have participated in a number of Parks and Recreation programs and because of that, discovered she had an interest on serving on the Parks and Recreation Commission. Once she learned that the school district position was open, Cummings-Pulliams, along with a few others, applied for the open seat.
Dr. Lillian Cummings-Pulliams
“I put a plea into our superintendent to say ‘Hey, if anyone is as passionate as I am about this city and about the committee, then definitely put them in.’ and so I was picked,” she said.
It is an opportunity she has not regretted taking as it has given her an inside look as to what the Parks and Recreation Commission does and the work that goes into maintaining the city’s 21 parks along with the Wyomig Senior Center and library facility.
“When you go to the parks, at least when I do, I think that the parks are just there,” said Dr. Lillian Cummings-Pulliams. “I never have ever considered what goes on behind the scenes to make the parks what they are.”
The Parks and Recreation Commission reviews recreational program and park needs of the community and advises the City Manager and City Council on recommended changes. The commission also plans and coordinates recreational activities and park development.
Ideal Park
Most recently, the Parks and Recreation Commission has been focused on Ideal Park because of the tornadoes that came through in 2014 and 2016, destroying a portion of the park, and the Gezon Park master plan.
There are currently two at large positions open on the commission. For those positions, a person must be a City of Wyoming resident. Because the area public schools play such a role in the parks — several schools are located close or next to a city park — the board has positions for the following schools within the City: Godwin, Godfrey-Lee, Kelloggsville, Wyoming and Grandville. Currently the Kelloggsville and Godfrey-Lee school positions are open. A person for those positions should be a school staff member.
For more information about the city’s boards, commissions, and committees, click here. To apply, click here for the application, which must be sent to the City Clerk’s office, located in city hall at 1155 28th St. SW.
Retiring Superintendent Thomas Reeder spent his career devoted to Wyoming students like these in Maddy Cook’s second-grade class at Gladiola Elementary
Superintendent Thomas Reeder knows how to direct students toward success: remove barriers. He has taken it upon himself to clear pathways, whether it be to get a student to college or teach them to read.
“I’ve tried to implement things to give every kid a shot,” he said. “I feel this huge desire to give back to the community to remove barriers, whatever those are,” said Reeder, who retires June 30 after nine years at the helm of the district.
Superintendent Thomas Reeder hugs goodbye to Yamilet Valentin Poblano, left, and Princess Huff El, saying, ‘I’m going to miss all you guys!’
“When I speak about removing barriers, it is about challenging and ensuring equity and inclusion for all students and families,” he said.
From removing pay-to-play fees for athletics to starting the Wyoming Middle College dual enrollment program so students can earn a tuition-free associate’s degree in high school, Reeder has kept his eye on giving students opportunities they need to thrive. He was instrumental in a region-wide effort to boost reading proficiency and was the grant-writer who made a city-wide after-school program possible.
“Everything in Wyoming for me feels so personal,” said Reeder, from his office in the Wyoming Public Schools Administration Building, just a a street away from the house where he grew up. “I can’t imagine doing anything other than coming here. Our kids are so good…I will miss it tremendously and when good things happen I will watch from the sidelines and cheer.”
Current Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Services Craig Hoekstra will replace Reeder as superintendent July 1. “You have your time and your window. For me, my window has come to an end,” Reeder said. “New leadership, able to to take us to a better place than I could, is necessary. I think Craig will do a wonderful job and has the skill set to do that.”
Superintendent Thomas Reeder passes out a basket of 2-D shapes and shows Yalin Palomino, left, and Christian Pablo-Gomez how to fold them to make a 3-D shape.
Coming Together
Reeder led the district through a time of change, including difficult financial years when he and the Board of Education made tough – though ultimately successful – decisions. He led the consolidation of schools, including:
merging Wyoming Rogers and Wyoming Park high schools into Wyoming High School
consolidating seven elementary schools into four, and two junior highs into one.
adding Wyoming Intermediate School, a fifth- and sixth-grade building, at the former Jackson Park Junior High
adding early-education centers at two of the former elementary schools
closing two alternative education high schools
Blending the maroon of Wyoming Rogers’ colors and the blue of Wyoming Park’s colors, Reeder helped create a unifying mascot, the purple Wyoming Wolves. And he worked tirelessly to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population of students.
Reeder spent 27 years as a Wyoming educator. He graduated from Wyoming Park High School in 1981 and received his bachelor’s degree at Aquinas College, his master’s at Grand Valley State University and his doctorate at Eastern Michigan University. After starting his career as a math teacher in Mason County Central Schools, he returned to Wyoming for a job as a math consultant in 1991. He went on to become the director of instruction and then assistant superintendent in 2002 until he became superintendent in 2009.
“I have wonderful memories of this community. I didn’t see a reason to ever work anywhere else,” he said. “I enjoy the people I work with; they are wonderful, dedicated staff. I love the community. I love the people.”
Board of Education Trustee Mary Vandewater said Reeder’s heart has always been in Wyoming.
“I’m sure everyone will tell you that Dr. Reeder will be known for being the one to combine our high schools, uniting our community. They will also say he’s the one who finally found a way to pass our bond. He’s a genius in math. He’s incredibly frugal and incredibly generous. I’ve worked with Tom for 17 years. (I knew him before his mustache turned gray). The first thing that impressed me about Tom was his deep love of his family. You can see it in his eyes whenever he talks about them. He also has great love and compassion for the children in our district and the struggles they face,” said Board of Education Secretary Mary Vandewater.
“Through the years I’ve known him to make decisions by asking, ‘What will this do for the kids?’ We could count on Tom to be completely honest and to always do the ‘right thing’ Even when it’s not the popular thing to do. I hope he enjoys retirement and all the great things it will bring, but I’ll miss him.”
Ready to Build
One of Reeder’s major goals was to put the district on solid financial footing. While his tenure included several years of budget-cutting, he is optimistic that Wyoming has weathered the storm. “Now we can start building again instead of surviving and reacting,” he said.
With the successful passage of a $79.7 million bond issue last November, following two failed proposals in 2013, Reeder is ready to watch the district transform through investment. Administrators are designing a major renovation of Wyoming High School, with ground-breaking in spring of 2019. District-wide renovations will continue through 2024-2025.
“I feel very blessed that the community supported the bond, the county millage, and the sinking fund. Those three (sources) put us in excellent shape moving forward to take older facilities and do some really good things for our students and staff.”
Superintendent Tom Reeder shows students what a rectangular prism looks like
Reeder considered the 4,200 students who now call themselves Wolves and reflected on the united district. Not only did consolidating schools allow for the addition and growth of programs like FIRST Robotics, Science Olympiad and many clubs, it brought together a family of students and staff, he said. The district enrolls a diverse population of students, representing many countries and languages.
“Our students embrace each other well enough that they are excellent role models for adults,” he said. “They don’t need all those other barriers that adults put in like religion and race and economic status.”
He’s seen the district’s demographics shift over the years and face the reality of a changing economy for blue-collar workers. In 1991, 8 percent of students qualified for free and reduced priced lunches, compared to more than 80 percent today. The number of English-language learners has increased from 25 to about 1,000.
But he always believed in embracing needed change, and said his staff always put children and families first. “I have seen staff, no matter their positions, step in to help parents and kids who have challenges at home, to assure our kids have the best chance they can get.”
Superintendent Thomas Reeder has a bag full of shapes for students to guess — Kaleah Lacy guesses hers is a cone, and it was!
Oriole Park Principal Jennifer Slanger said she has seen Reeder’s love for Wyoming families many times. “Dr. Reeder is one of the most passionate leaders I know. In the 15 years I have worked with him, he continually puts our students first and advocates for what is best for them. He has led out district through challenging situations and, it’s my opinion, we are better for the challenges we encounter,” she said.
“A few examples that come to mind,” Slanger continued: “the consolidation of our high schools; handling the untimely death of students; and persevering through failed bond attempts. All of these situations have worked to bring our district together; that would not be possible without his support and guidance. He is a man that genuinely cares for the staff, students, and families of Wyoming.
Pathways to Success
Despite closing buildings, Reeder created new opportunities to help shape the lives of students after high school. The Wyoming Middle College allows students to receive associate’s degrees by taking GRCC courses beginning in 10th grade, with a fifth year as a high school student on the GRCC campus. Some students double the courses up with Advanced Placement classes. “We’ve had kids who have left our school with 70 some credits and they have no bill,” he said.
One of the final programs he’s launching is a certification program for commercial construction and manufacturing/welding with GRCC to potentially start next winter at the Leslie E. Tassell M-TEC Center.
Reeder has also worked to remove the barrier of low-reading proficiency in all of West Michigan. He was instrumental in the development of Reading Now Network, a collaborative effort in 20 counties to implement best literacy practices across West Michigan. The goal is to boost proficiency to a minimum of 80 percent of third graders through shared data and knowledge. “Certain things in school we should never compete about. We can raise the bar for every kid,” he said.
He also wrote the 21st Century grant application 15 years ago to secure funding for the after-school program TEAM 21, meeting the educational and recreational needs for hundreds of students each school year.
Reeder goes over his “math talk” about shapes with, from left at table, Oliver Hernandez-Ceja, Isis Fitzgerald and Clay Fischer.
Reeder plans to spend more time with his wife, Maggie Reeder, a retired Byron Center High School teacher, his four children and eight grandchildren, plus focus a little on some other goals. “I want to lose 50 pounds, read 50 books and do 50 things for my community,” he said. He said he has heard many “thank you’s” since announcing his retirement. “No one owes me a thank you, it is I who owes all of them thank you’s…for helping me, supporting me, and challenging me in developing our children to become their very best, academically and so much more.”
While he’s leaving the main office, one can guess Reeder will remain a Wolf on many levels.
“You can not think of Dr. Reeder without the word ‘passion’ attached. The district and our families within are his heartbeat,” said Board of Education Treasurer Lisa Manley, commenting that he approached changes, successes and defeats with passion and compassion. “He lived here; he went to school here; he taught here; he led here. No matter the sacrifice, there was always dedication, loyalty and endless hours of behind-the-scenes work. When I think of Wyoming, I think of Tom Reeder.”
Junior Brandon Ratliff (left) dances with a friend during the presentation by guest speaker John Angotti at the Alpha Wolf 11 assembly last week. Ratliff received a Shout-Out from teachers during the assembly.
This year, as part of Wyoming High School’s Alpha Wolf spring program, teachers and students were able to give “Shout-Outs” to others who represented the Alpha Wolf qualities of kind, compassion, and graciousness.
“The thought among some of us teachers was to recognize more students during this champion of character celebration,” said Wyoming teacher John Dolye who along with teacher Jon Bushen organized the Alpha Wolf event.
Teacher Jeff Kordich receives the Alpha Wolf teacher award.
Teachers were asked to consider any student they would like to recognize during the Alpha Wolf assembly. Two students per grade level are recognized and introduced between the main Alpha Wolf 11 recipients. Teachers give each student who receives a “Shout Out” a t-shirt which states “Alpha Wolf 11 Champion of Character” and on the back in large letters “I’ve Got Your Back!” along with an Alpha Wolf 11 lanyard.
After the fall Alpha Wolf assembly, where the the Teacher Shout-Outs were first introduced, students approached Doyle about doing a Student Shout-Out to a specific teacher.
“We thought this was a great student-led initiative,” Doyle said. “We allow one student from each of the three grade levels to select a teacher they feel represents the Alpha Wolf characteristics — kind, compassion, and graciousness.”
Students give the teachers a personalized Alpha Wolf 11 Champion of Character Stainless Coffee Mug with a lanyard and wrist bracelet as well to show their gratitude, he said. The Teacher Shout-Outs lead to the Alpha Wolf Teacher of the Year Award, which is only given during the spring assembly. This year’s winner was Jeff Kordich, a second year teacher to the district. The teacher award is also student-led, Doyle noted.
“We have been so impressed with our student body when it comes to them initiating and adding to this powerful ‘REVOLUTION MOVEMENT’ we call Alpha Wolf 11,” Doyle said.
“We believe that if you lay down the expectation of what kindness, compassion, and graciousness looks like, students will pick it up to run and share it with others — simply amazing.”
Teacher Shout-Outs to STUDENTS:
Dale Cross – 10th grader presented by teacher Jake Ritsema
Callie Seymour – 10th grader presented by teacher Stephanie Rathsack
Guadalupe Rivera-Parda – 11th grader presented by teacher Catye Palomino
Brandon Ratliff – 11th grader presented by teacher Irvin Sigler
Jordan Irwin – 12th grader presented by Mary Alice Miller
Caitlyn Bulthuis – 12th grader presented by teacher Robin Higley
Student Shout-Outs to TEACHERS:
Tom Cornell presented by student Tiffany Le
Jon Bushen presented by student Aliya Rivera
Anna Servo presented by student Long Ho
Clark VerHulst presented by Julyssa Barajas Gutierrez
“Dream big, work hard and make it happen”: That’s the mantra of Craig Hoekstra, a familiar face in the district, who this week was selected as the new superintendent.
Hoekstra is an example of turning that philosophy into reality. After deciding to leave his job as a linen delivery driver to pursue college, the 1990 Wyoming Park High School graduate worked as a night custodian at the former Newhall Junior High. He also took classes to get his associate’s degree at Grand Rapids Community College. From there he worked up the ranks as an educator and administrator, most recently as Wyoming’s associate superintendent for instructional services.
He knows his background resonates with the young people he encourages to aim high.
“It goes to that life lesson of how if we persevere we can achieve everything we have in front of us,” Hoekstra said.
Hoekstra is set to begin in his new role July 1, following Superintendent Thomas Reeder, who announced his retirement last month after serving in the position for seven years.
Hoekstra was interviewed by the Board of Education last week in an open meeting before an audience of staff, administrators parents and community members. The board did not conduct a superintendent search, but considered internal candidates. Hoekstra was the only applicant interviewed.
Hoekstra turned his days of studying all day and working all night into a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, and eventually a master’s degree in educational leadership from Grand Valley State University.
He then began his career in education, starting as a second-grade teacher for Hamilton Public Schools, then serving as principal at three elementary schools before being promoted to assistant superintendent for instructional services in 2015.
He then served as a second-grade teacher at Hamilton Elementary School, in Hamilton Public Schools, for five years; principal at Oriole Park Elementary School, in Wyoming for two years; principal at Hamilton Elementary where he also working as kindergarten-through-fifth grade curriculum director for three years; and principal at Gladiola Elementary, where he was also put in charge of district grants, from 2012 until he was promoted to assistant superintendent for Instructional Services in 2015.
“Every move I’ve made, I’ve been fortunate to have been able to grow my skill set,” he said.
It’s an exciting time to take the district’s head job, as plans for a major high school renovation and investing in district facilities over the next seven years take shape.
“I’m very excited on many ends with all the great things coming up,” said Hoekstra, who credited Reeder for “amazing leadership” during his tenure, which included consolidating schools and creating new community.
“Because of what (Reeder) was able to do to bring the district together, to carry on after him is an absolute honor,” Hoekstra said.
In a press release, Board of Education President Craig Popma said the district and community are fortunate to have Hoekstra take the reins.
“To have Craig’s dedication, drive and passion for our community will provide great leadership for many years to come,” he said. ”I am excited to begin this new chapter, working closely with Craig and driving Wyoming to our next positive chapter.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
The sounds of the violin, vihuela, flute, guitar, guitarrón and trumpet are coming together in traditional song, complete with upbeat Spanish vocals, at Wyoming High School, where a new mariachi band is bringing a festive feel to the music program.
The traditional Mexican band, made up of high school and junior high students, had its debut performance at the district’s Fine Arts Festival in March. The group serenaded visitors with the songs “Canta, Canta, Canta” by musician Jose Alfredo Jimenez; and “Las Mañanitas,” a traditional birthday song sung in Mexico and other Latin American countries.
Mariachi bands are typically hired to play songs requested from the audience. While the Wyoming band hasn’t quite reached that point, they are hopeful to soon play at restaurants, community events and festivals. They also hope to eventually get traditional costumes, which include ornamented jackets and sombreros.
Striking an impressive pose are, from left, freshman Steven Jimenez, sophomore Ower Sales, sophomore Leo Matias, sophomore Omar Zavala, seventh-grader German Cortes, sophomore Hunter Truax and eighth-grader Danely Alvarado
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage
Trumpeter Ower Sales, a sophomore who helped start the band, said he was intrigued by the idea of bringing Mexican music to the school music scene. “Starting a high school mariachi band would help spread diversity and culture to other people,” he said.
Band director Jane Detweiler wanted to start the mariachi band to give Hispanic students a way to perform traditional music
Wyoming Public Schools’ diverse enrollment includes a large percentage of Hispanic students. Band director Jane Detweiler said she wanted to give them a chance to show off the rich flavor of their traditional music. “I felt it was very important that they could learn music from their own culture,” she said.
Students were excited to get involved. “I grew up around this music and wanted to learn to play it,” said sophomore Steven Jimenez, a trumpeter.
“I wanted to expand my genre of musical experience and learn something different,” said sophomore Hunter Truax, who plays the violin.
“It just brings out our culture and who we are,” added Danely Alvarado, an eighth-grade flutist.
Detweiler said it’s been fun learning songs with the students and being part of the culture. The band rehearses weekly.
“I love being in that culture,” Detweiler said. “We have a great family.”
Wyoming Junior High eighth-graders considered what is arguably the most debated sentence in the U.S. today: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
Like in many discussions surrounding interpretation of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, students’ questions and comments focused on the words “militia” and “well-regulated” and what they mean in relation to the rest of the sentence. Their definitions varied concerning the intention of the amendment.
Prior to the March 14 student walkout protesting gun violence in schools, Wyoming Junior High eighth-graders read and discussed different perspectives — right, left and center — on the amendment, gun rights and what measures should be taken to stop mass shootings.
While learning that much is up to interpretation when it comes to constitutional gun rights, students studied the history behind the amendment and reflected on how they feel it should apply to society today. They then wrote letters to legislators, adding their own voices to the debate.
Brian Juarez-Diaz jots down his thoughts
Considering Various Views
English teacher Shantel VanderGalien said she felt it was important to bring the topic into her curriculum, rather than avoid something on the forefront of students’ minds on days leading up to the National School Walk Out. She used a Mass Shooting Unitcreated by teacher, author and consultant Kelly Gallagher, with sources including articles both supportive and against stricter gun laws. They listened to a podcast, shared in groups to hear different opinions, and considered pros and cons of each side of the gun-control debate.
“I feel like we have to create time and space for our students to reflect on important issues,” VanderGalien said. ”If there is a way I can get them to read, write and think critically about those issues, I want to give them that time and space.”
She said she hopes the unit encourages students to keep up with the news, learn facts surrounding issues, and listen to varying points of view.
“I want them to be informed and make their own decisions,” in an age when people tend to avoid or “unfriend” those with whom they disagree, she said. “I feel it’s important that we don’t hide, shy away or shun people who think differently, but instead we need to to lean into that discomfort, ask questions and seek to understand instead of isolate.”
Eighth-grader Lizzie Ochoa listens to perspectives on the Second Amendment
Penning their Perspectives
Students wrote letters to local politicians including Rep. Tommy Brann (R-Wyoming), President Trump and Governor Rick Snyder.
Researching different sides of the debate provides a better foundation of information, said eighth-grader Trista Werkema, noting, “This is real-life stuff that can happen at any point in our school.”
She said she planned to emphasize in her letter that students’ perspectives matter.
“Just because we are kids doesn’t mean we don’t have knowledge about what’s going on,” Trista said. “We may even be more educated than our parents on it because they’re not reading all these articles and stuff like we are.”
Neveah Morofsky writes a definition of the Second Amendment
Added Marissa Menard, “As we get older, things will progress, social media will progress and that influences the way we think about things, so it’s important for us to know what’s going on in the world.”
She said she planned to push for increased gun restrictions in her letter.
“If this is the world we have to grow up in, it’s not going be a very safe world and we deserve the same opportunity as everyone else had.”
Eighth-grader Aleena Allen said it’s not enough to address just guns. She said her letter would support better resources for mental health.
Aiden Curtis takes notes on editorials about the Second Amendment
“It’s important to learn both sides so we can form our own opinions about what we think about this very controversial topic, so we can say, ‘Hey, this is what we think and we will argue our case and find out what other people think,’” she said.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
In October, Wyoming Public Schools Superintendent Tom Reeder tells the board of his district’s efforts to improve reading proficiency.
After 27 years of service to Wyoming Public Schools, Dr. Thomas Reeder announced his retirement which will take effect at the end of the school year.
Reeder began his career as a math specialist/coach in the District in 1991. He then served as Director of Academic Support for a short time before becoming Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction in 2002. Reeder has been Superintendent of Wyoming Public Schools for the past seven years.
Reeder said that he hoped when he retired, that he would be jealous of where the District was heading. And he is. He said, “I have been extremely fortunate to work with a staff who not only shared in an endless list of joys and proud moments, but worked tirelessly to make a difference in the Wyoming community.”
Superintedent Thomas Reeder
The Wyoming Public Schools Board of Education accepted Dr. Reeder’s retirement letter at its March 12 board meeting. “It is an ideal time for me to end this chapter of my life knowing full well that Wyoming Public Schools is in very good hands,” Reeder noted following Monday night’s meeting. “Together we have made a difference. I am proud of all that has been accomplished, but always wishing it was even more or faster.”
“My goal was to leave much more than I took and leave the District better than when I came.” He hopes he did that every day for the 550 staff and over 4,300 students he has served. “With all of you, we are Better Together at Wyoming Public Schools.”
School Board President Craig Popma noted the Board will begin the search for Dr. Reeder’s replacement immediately with the intent of having the new Superintendent start on July 1, 2018.
“Dr. Reeder is one of the most dedicated leaders Wyoming Public Schools has ever had. He is a true visionary and a champion in helping grow our schools and community” Popma said. “His drive, dedication, and commitment is why Wyoming where it is today. Dr. Reeder was vital in bringing Wyoming together through some very difficult times. There is no one I would have ever wanted to work with during the consolidation of our high schools other than Dr. Reeder. He was able to take a very difficult situation and make it a positive outcome for our entire district.”
Prior to coming to Wyoming Public Schools, Reeder taught Math at Mason County Central High School in Scottville, Michigan for six years. He graduated high school here in Wyoming and then went on to earn his Bachelor’s from Aquinas, his Master’s in Education from Grand Valley State University and his Doctorate in Education from Eastern Michigan University.
Dr. Reeder serves on numerous community boards as an advocate for the City of Wyoming.
Dr. Reeder and his wife, Maggie, plan to remain close to the Wyoming community and enjoy time with their four children and eight grandchildren.
It required a few takes for Wyoming’s Parkview Elementary School third-grader Yaretzi Martinez to record her presentation in front of a green screen, so she shared directly with a visitor the details about Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas.
“Gabby Douglas showed us to follow our dreams because she followed her dreams. Gabby won the gold medal when she was 16,” Yaretzi said.
Parkview Elementary third-grader Yaretzi Martinez records her presentation on gymnast Gabby Douglas in front of a green screen
Yaretzi and her novice tech crew, including third-graders Aiyana Velez and Yamileth Ramirez, were recording in the school hallway. She completed her piece after a couple snafus: poor lighting, an accidental press of the delete button and a few noisy passersby.
“She got hurt and didn’t give up,” Yaretzi said of the Olympic champion.
Students in teachers Julie Tessier’s and Michele LeMieux’s classrooms took a multimedia approach to writing biographies. After researching and writing about historical figures and famous people — including Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Michael Jordan, Johannes Brahms, Helen Keller and Amelia Earhart — they recorded their work like mini-broadcasters.
They edited in photos of their subjects to be projected behind them on their recordings. They used iPads, a green screen app called Do Ink, a teleprompter app and a website called Flipgridto create their work.
Many students chose African-American historical figures, tying their work to Black History Month.
Third-grader Manuel Gomez Perez plays his finished presentation on Harriet Tubman on an iPad
Third-grader Manuel Gomez Perez chose Harriet Tubman. “She led 300 slaves to freedom,” he said.
About using the green screen: “It’s fun!” he said. “There’s a giant picture behind you.”
Tessier said she wanted to challenge her students to bring their projects to life, combining writing and technology. She said many of her students studied people who overcame remarkable obstacles, offering a message of perseverance for students.
Multimedia tools support learning in a way students — savvy in technology — are used to. “This is the world they live in,” she said.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
There are decorated classrooms and then there’s Wyoming’s Gladiola Elementary School teacher Jennifer Blackburn’s decked-out classroom. Seeking to appeal to and stimulate her first graders’ senses and give them a home away from home, Blackburn’s classroom is a student mecca of comfy chairs, whimsical decorations and colors.
At first glance, girls seated at a dining room table could just as easily be having a tea party as doing math. There’s ample student artwork mixed in with twisty borders and loopy streamers. Rather than working at desks or even assigned tables, students settle into camping chairs, antique rockers and wicker seats or choose backrest pillows for cozy reading on the floor. The walls are painted a calming blue Blackburn used at her own house; paper-lantern globes hang from the ceilings and lamps illuminate soft light.
Alexis Winfield, left, and Brooklyn Weenum work at a wooden table
Three years ago, Blackburn became inspired to make her classroom more like home, from colors to furniture to lighting and decor. She’s hung curtains and added seat covers.
“I was trying to meet the different brain needs of students,” said the 18-year Wyoming teacher. She felt traditional classrooms were too sterile and institutional, and wanted a more inviting atmosphere.
“As a classroom it’s kind of like their second home, as well as mine,” she said, noting that she adds more seating and decor as her budget allows.
Appealing to Different Learners
Blackburn studied multi-sensory learning and flexible seating, both based on philosophies that students learn through movement and by using all of their senses. She wanted to give them a place they are excited about, call their own and feel comfortable learning, moving and growing.
Marlee Waldrop, left, and Carly Alonzo settle on the floor to do math
“I was going for an alternative style that provides comfort,” Blackburn said. “This kind of environment lends itself to them having ownership.”
Recently, in the midst of the energetic youngsters, Blackburn conferred with a student about her reading progress, pointing out big improvements. “That’s what we want to see, girl,” she said, offering a high five. Around her, students read and worked independently in spots of their choosing.
“I like to sit at the owl table,” said first-grader Francisco Castillo, referring to the dining room table, which has seats covered in an owl-patterned cloth. His classmate Yudexy DeLos Santos agreed, saying, “It is much more comfortable to sit at.”
But Oscar Hernandez, who said he likes the ABC decorations on the walls, had a different favorite spot: “I like sitting in the rocking chair.”
Blackburn’s goal is to give students opportunity and choice so they are independent learners. “A lot of brain-based learning has to do with movement. It’s student-led.”
In instruction, Blackburn encourages getting out of the seats. Students hop to count “ones” in math, stand like a stick to resemble a base 10 blocks. “It’s not a sit-and-get class,” she said.
To accommodate that, she’s always adding more touches of home to her classroom because she sees how students react.
“There’s a calmness. There’s definitely a pride of ownership in taking care of the items in the room,” she said. “They gravitate to certain areas of the classroom they find comforting to them.”
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Gladiola Elementary School Principal David Lyon shares how he works to create an equitable environment for students.
By Erin Albanese
School News Network
“What inspires you to come to school every day and teach children?” interviewer Rosie del Valle asked Gladiola Elementary intervention math coach Kristi Baumbach.
Baumbach, who had answered previous interview questions without hesitation, paused. “Now, I’m crying,” she said, as del Valle, web content coordinator for community initiatives for the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation, and her film crew took a break from recording.
After gathering her thoughts, Baumbach answered the question.
“The kids inspire me when I walk down the halls and they smile and are excited to see me, when they are excited to come into my classroom and are excited to learn,” she said, her voice still shaky.
Kristi Baumbach, a Gladiola Elementary intervention math coach, tells her story as a teacher for EDNET, a new website for teachers.
Baumbach, a 14-year teacher in Wyoming Public Schools, is among a group of Kent County educators being interviewed for teacher profiles for the Educational Network of Greater Grand Rapids initiative. The film crew is also spotlighting teachers in Grand Rapids, Godwin Heights, Godfrey-Lee and Kentwood. Several, including Baumbach, are involved in Leading Educators, another Doug and Maria DeVos initiative.
The major components of EDNET, as it’s known, include teacher leadership, principal support, and new teacher induction. It launched its teacher leadership work in partnership with Leading Educators in May 2017.
The EDNET website, to launch in April, will serve as a tool for educators by educators. It will include teacher profile interviews such as Baumbach’s, which document educators’ personal stories, from the moment they knew they wanted to teach, to where they are now.
“The website is an underlying foundation for all of the work — a place to bring educators from across the districts together to collaborate and learn from each other so that we can work together to support all children,” said Ashley Johnson, program officer for education for the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation, which focuses exclusively on local education practice.
The site will also include extensive research and data on education, blogs, and “Teacher Tactics” — effective strategies — submitted by educators from all over the world. Teachers will have ways to contribute content, ask questions and comment.
It’s an effort built out of the desire to come together, said Johnson, a former middle and high school teacher in Washington, D.C., who knows how isolating teaching can be. While talking to educators in the five local districts, a strong desire for a “nexus of collaboration” became clear, she said. “They wanted to talk with each other, listen to each other.”
Jennifer Blackburn, a Gladiola elementary first- and second-grade teacher, said she wants to serve as an advocate for her students.
Learning You’re Not Alone
Baumbach, who has taught at the elementary, middle and high school levels and with English-language learners, said she’s happy to share her story.
“For a long time I thought some of my struggles were just me,” Baumbach said. “As I’ve moved throughout my career and grown, I realized that other educators share that same experience. I wanted to voice that for people who maybe didn’t realize they are not alone.”
Baumbach said she sees the website as a great potential resource.
“Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in what’s not going well. But to slow down and say, ‘We do great things. Kids here do great things’ — to celebrate and highlight it and focus on that is cool.”
Several other Gladiola educators told their stories, including what drew them to the profession, what makes their district unique, their goals, and what advice they would give first-year teachers.
During his interview, Principal David Lyon spoke of the need for equity in education, for awareness of implicit bias and how it is rooted in the U.S. In serving Gladiola, a school with a large ELL population and high percentage of low-income students, he said he works to see potential in every child and teach them to aim high.
“Goals for this year are that we continue to grow our sense of having high expectations for all children,” Lyon said. “There is plenty of research that shows if you set a low expectation, that’s exactly where they will grow. If you set a high expectation they will grow to that too.”
Lyon said he’s excited to be part of the EDNET initiative.
“The phrase that sticks in my head is ‘We are all in this together, alone,’ because we walk into our classrooms and then whatever struggles we are having, we are figuring out by yourself,” he said. “But if you get that opportunity to hear a similar story and hear from somebody else what inspired them, it just gives you that support even if it wasn’t necessarily face-to-face.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
The EDNET team interviews Gladiola Elementary intervention math Kristi Baumbach
It was a tranquil, cafe-like setting: a darkened media center illuminated by an image of a fireplace on a projector screen. Soft jazz music played and artificial candlelight glowed atop tables covered with red-and-white checkered cloths. Students enjoyed the ambiance while busily discovering a buffet of books.
Wyoming Junior High English teachers Shantel VanderGalien and Katie Sluiter, dressed as wait staff, offered Book Tasting to all eighth-graders. The tasting included a sample of 10 books, all with multicultural flavors, for their in-class book clubs. From table to table, students munched chocolate chip cookies and considered menu options – book summaries – to please their reading palates. Entrees included “The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom, a verse novel set in Cuba,” by Margarita Engle and “One Crazy Summer,” by Rita Williams-Garcia.
“I feel it’s different. It’s engaging the students more in reading the books,” said eighth-grader Ashley Lopez, a fan of dystopian fiction. “I’m excited to have a whole list of books to choose from.”
For teachers, the Pinterest-inspired event was a way to offer diverse literary ingredients to inspire students.
“We are big fans of giving kids choice for what they read,” VanderGalien said. “We wanted all of our students to be represented in the literature, so the books we chose have an African American female protagonist, a girl from India as a protagonist, a Latina protagonist. We wanted our students to experience other cultures as well so they can see themselves in literature.” Assigned books last semester had male protagonists.
Malikye Anderson looks over his book list.
Thought-Provoking Reads
Having multicultural books available in the classroom at the diverse school has helped students blossom as readers, VanderGalien said. “It’s brought powerful conversations to the classroom, a deeper understanding for each other and various cultures.
“It’s powerful when students who read about a person who has a similar story to them because maybe they felt alone or isolated, experienced poverty, homelessness or leaving a war-torn country.”
English teacher Katie Sluiter said book tasting is a fun way to expose students to different works, create a community of readers and have them expand their reading repertoire. “They might have never read a book about their own culture, or they might choose a book that’s a window to something they’ve never heard of before.”
Added VanderGalien: “They are able to say, ‘me too, I’ve had that shared experience. Here’s my experience.’ In sharing their voice, students who have been marginalized or quieted find a place in the classroom.”
Eighth-grader Aubray Palma called the book tasting “cool.”
“Usually you get books offered to you that are one genre or culture, and it’s nice to get books from multiple cultures to learn about different things,” she said.
Eighth-grader Trista Werkema jotted “Never Fall Down,” by Patricia McCormick, and “Homeless Bird,” by Gloria Whelan, on her list of books choices. She liked the idea of choosing from multicultural options.
“When our teachers give us hands-on experiences we get more out of our learning,” she said. “It gives us a chance to learn more about what other people around the world are going through. It gives us an outside look because we tend to think only about our own lives and culture, and not consider what other cultures go through.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
From left, Michael Ross, Logan Boukma and Brian Juarez-Diaz participate in book-tasting. (All photos courtesy of School News Network)
In our last newscast for 2017, we take a look back at the Year of the Rooster, according to the Vietnamese calendar. In 2017, the City of Kentwood marked its 50th anniversary with a variety of special events that included a weekend-long celebration in August. Mayor Stephen Kepley was re-elected to a second term as the city’s mayor and newcomers Emily Bridson and Tom McKelvey joined the Kentwood City Commission.
There also was a host of activities in the city of Wyoming as well from its second annual Clean Up Day to the Metro Cruise. Both cities also approved The Rapid millage continuing busing within the cities.
The first Parkview attendance celebration was a red-carpet affair for students like these kindergartners (from left) Major Weese, Benjamin Ramey, Taeja Gibson, Angel Gonzalez and Marianna Brault being recognized on stage. (All photos courtesy of School News Network.)
Parkview Elementary students shined, smiles spreading from ear to ear, as they walked down the red carpet laid out for them during a celebration of their success in getting to school nearly every day, all day.
Along with the grand Hollywood-style entrance, names of 260 kindergartners through fourth-graders were announced as students walked on stage in the Dan Heintzelman Fine Arts Center, honored for being in class 95 percent or more of the time during the first marking period. They then watched a movie with their families and went home with goodie bags. Beverly Reformed and Wyoming Park United Methodist churches sponsored the event.
The celebration, the first of three planned this school year, promotes family involvement in attendance, said Teresa Dood, Kent School Services Network community coordinator She works on the school’s attendance team with Principal Katie Jobson, social worker Micah Bell, KSSN clinician Staci Wolters, and Sarah Wildman, success coach for the Department of Health and Human Services.
Attendance is a critical piece to success in school, Dood said. “Kids miss critical building blocks when they miss school and days add up so quickly.”
About 8 percent of Parkview students were chronically absent for a range of reasons during the first marking period. The team takes multiple steps to remove barriers that are keeping children from school.
Those include transportation; unstable housing and homelessness; a parent who works third shift; and illness, anxiety and mental health issues. The staff goes as far as to help with car repairs, walk students to school, and connect families with health-care professionals. They make sure classrooms are stocked with hand sanitizer, tissues and cleaning wipes.
Superintendent Tom Reeder applauds as first-grader Kiara Thomas enters the building
Aligned with County-wide Goals
The countywide goal is for students to miss no more than five days per school year, said Mark Larson, Kent ISD’s truancy and attendance coordinator. Last year, Kent County education leaders — including a group of district superintendents, representatives from Kent County Juvenile Court, the Kent County School Justice Partnership and others — created a new policy with common definitions.
According to a study in Berrien County, replicated in other areas, top reasons students are kept home include parent-diagnosed illness, which includes the sniffles or other mild symptoms; routine dentist and doctors’ appointments for which parents pull students out midday and then don’t return; and parents placing a lack of value in attendance, including having older children stay home with younger siblings.
“When you look at it through that lens, it’s important the whole family values regular and consistent attendance,” Larson said.
Kristin Jacob and son, kindergartner Josiah, walk the red carpet to applause
Keeping Track of Days Missed
At Parkview, Dood and the staff review attendance records weekly, noticing patterns of absence early.
“Attendance is often an iceberg issue and really there are a lot of underlying things the family is struggling with,” Dood said. “When we talk to families, we try to look at it in a solution-focused manner: ‘What can we do to help you?’
“There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution to attendance, it really needs to be individual.”
Sometimes the solution is just to stress the importance of attendance, beginning in kindergarten, to parents who have an “it’s just kindergarten” mentality. Stressing appropriate bedtimes is also important.
At the Parkview celebration, parents posed for photos with their children. Tim Agema, father to third-grader Ellie and first-grader Landon, said attendance is a priority for them. The reason? “Of course, education,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. You gotta be there every day.”
“Once you fall behind it’s hard to keep up. Every day matters,” added Kristin Jacob, mom to kindergartner Josiah.
Second-grader Sa’riyah Brown also knows why it’s important to be in class: “If you’re not there you don’t get to be smarter.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Parents also deserve recognition for making sure their students are in school as much as possible.
English teacher Katie Sluiter’s Wyoming Junior High classroom is a testament to the power of words, in the books eighth-graders eagerly grab from her library and in the writing she did to get those 1,000 popular works onto her shelves.
Through blogging and writing for an educational website, Sluiter connects with fellow teachers worldwide. Five years ago, feeling inspired after attending a workshop led by renowned educator Penny Kittle, she posted to her blog, Sluiter Nation, about a transformation she envisioned.
Maddy Roosa has learned to like reading because she has many books to choose from.
“I have this new dream that I want to change my classroom from making kids read books that either they don’t care about, they don’t relate to or they can’t even read because they are below grade level, into a place where kids are reading voraciously,” she wrote.
Sluiter created an Amazon Wish List of popular Young Adult books so people could donate to her classroom. She was intent on morphing her library, which contained titles like “Moby Dick” (“No kid is going to check out ‘Moby Dick'”), into a sought-after collection of titles and genres.
“Books started coming in like crazy from all over the world,” Sluiter said. “I went from 104 lame books to a few hundred higher-interest books in a matter of months.”
It opened up a new world of reading to her students — and a new world of teaching to Sluiter.
“Creating the classroom library is definitely the best thing I’ve ever done as a teacher. It definitely brings joy to my students and obviously to me,” said the 15-year Wyoming Public Schools educator.
As Sluiter’s classroom library grew by way of continued donations, a grant and Sluiter’s second job writing for The Educator’s Room, she enhanced her teaching to include strategies students respond to with enthusiasm.
They are given ample time to read books of their choice in class; they form book clubs; they listen to “Tuesdaaaay…Book Talks!,” during which Sluiter introduces popular new books with quick summaries. Her students have even gone Book Speed Dating, checking out an array of books quickly, circling yes, no or maybe, junior high-style, on paper, to decide which books are perfect matches.
Those matches are sometimes just what a student needs, she said. She’s seen students find books they can relate to because they are finally reading about their culture or shared experiences, or they learn about people different from them and developing new perspectives.
Sluiter recently brought in a brand new stack of 60 books, sorted according to genre. After class, students lined up to check them out, eager to get their hands on new fantasies, historical fiction, teen dramas and thrillers.
Eighth-grader Maddy Roosa checked out “Speak,” by Laurie Halse Anderson. “I’m a lot more interest in reading now,” Maddy said. “I usually don’t like books, but the Tuesday Book Talks make them more interesting.” “A Child Called ‘It’,” by Dave Pelzer, is her favorite read so far this year.
Sluiter’s overarching mission is to help students succeed in school and life, and to reach even reluctant readers, like Maddy.
“If we value reading we need to give our kids time to read,” Sluiter said. “All the research says that reading and becoming better readers is the key to success in high school, college, career.
“The more you read and the better reader you are is really the measure of where you are going to go.”
To help students at every level including special education, Sluiter has graphic novels and audiobooks for listening to while reading.
A Buffet of Choices
Once Sluiter saw the effect of choice reading on her classroom, she realized an even larger potential. “I started meshing the idea of choice and writing with choice in reading. What if my classroom was a big choice fest?”
Since then, students have been given freedom to choose writing topics while still meeting eighth-grade English standards.
Student Sadie Duron said she loves the freedom, while knowing “we still learn what we need to learn.”
“I really love it because not everybody likes the same topics,” Sadie said. “Everybody gets to choose what they want to read and the topic. I feel like I’ve been writing more. After I read a good book I want to write about it.”
Wyoming Junior High teachers say Sluiter’s enthusiasm and creativity have caught on.
“Katie Sluiter creates such excitement about books and reading that I’ve had a student of mine ask to go check out a book she had in her classroom library,” said eighth-grade English teacher Shantel VanderGalien. “She is a wonderful teaching partner and I love to brainstorm with her about creative ideas we can incorporate into our curriculum.”
Eighth-grade teacher Melissa Janz said Sluiter connects with students who have great difficulty reading and writing.
“She does such a great job with developing a love of reading even with our most reluctant readers,” Janz said. “She is always ready to learn and try various reading strategies in the classroom that would possibly reach the students who might not ‘get it’ the traditional way.”
A sampling of books in Katie Sluiter’s classroom
Reading Inspires Writing
Sluiter has seen stronger readers become stronger writers, and she sees the impact of sharing her own hopes, dreams and vulnerabilities in writing. When she started blogging in 2007, she soon identified as a “mom blogger.” Now a mother of three, she wrote about parenting issues and personal struggles, including pregnancy loss and postpartum depression.
Over the years, she stretched her focus to include education in writing for fellow teachers.
“I started writing quite a bit more openly about myself, and realized my process for writing was very similar to what I could be teaching my students. That’s about when I started writing along with my students and showing them a little more of my vulnerable side as a writer. It got much better writing out of them.”
She also was inspired to write about her craft and how she works to meet the needs of her students. “I really enjoyed writing about my job, what I do here, and what goes on in my classroom — the stuff that fills my heart and why I love education even though it’s hard.”
A full heart and full bookshelves: Sluiter shares both with her students every day, proving again and again that the power of words can help fill and refill both.
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Dean Transportation is looking for 50 drivers to serve Kent County schools
Diane Kallemeyn prefers to work as a substitute bus driver for Wyoming Public Schools, but is now covering a permanent route. She arrives at 6:30 a.m. to transport hundreds of students across the district and to Kent Career Tech Center, racking up about 80 miles each day she drives. With a few breaks in between, she finishes driving after school in the afternoon.
“Right now, we are short drivers so I am on a run every day,” she said.
So are many other subs. Area schools are experiencing the nationwide shortage of bus drivers, putting transportation departments in a pinch to get students on the bus in the morning and back home after the final bell at a reasonable time. In Kent County, subs like Kallemeyn are covering routes, dispatchers are driving, and retirees are filling in to transport thousands of children every day. They’ve also consolidated runs and are constantly seeking applications for new hires.
“We’ve tried to be creative,” said Don Hebeler, Wyoming director of operations and support services, who advertises job openings with yard and marquee signs and district-wide emails. He recently had three new drivers going through the training process for four open routes.
Consolidating routes and relying on retirees are some ways districts are covering shortages
Countywide, Dean Transportation is looking to hire 50 drivers to serve Grand Rapids, Sparta, Cedar Springs and Kent City public schools as well as Kent ISD programs. The Lansing-based firm contracts with those school districts and others statewide. Statewide, Dean needs to hire 100 drivers total.
“We’ve seen this for a few years now,” said Ashleigh Wright, Dean hiring specialist. “We are working toward closing the gap by increasing advertising and increasing flexibility with training. We will train non-credentialed drivers and pay for training.”
Wyoming Public Schools bus driver Diane Kallemeyn is a substitute currently covering a regular route because of the bus driver shortage
Why a Shortage?
School officials named several factors at play. More positions in the job market are now available than a few years ago, plus there are strict requirements and fewer perks for drivers than in the past.
With the national unemployment rate at 4.1 percent, people are more easily finding full-time work without frequent split shifts.
‘We are still in need of five drivers. We could use more subs too.’ — Laura Tanis, Kentwood Public Schools transportation supervisor
New hires don’t receive traditional pensions as they did years ago, Hebeler said: “When a lot of my drivers started they got full benefits and a pension.”
In Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, one of Kent County’s smallest districts, they don’t have enough drivers cover field trips and athletic events, said Scott Bergman, supervisor of operations, transportation and custodial services. The district, which parks its fleet at the Wyoming Public Schools bus garage, often uses drivers from Wyoming, Kelloggsville and Dean Transportation to cover needs.
“There needs to be increase in compensation for both custodians and bus drivers,” Bergman said. District driver pay starts at about $14 per hour.
The biggest challenge, Wright said, is finding candidates that meet all requirements: a good driving record including no history of driving under the influence or careless driving; at least seven years experience driving commercially; a valid Michigan license; a passed background check and fingerprint clearance. Candidates must pass a federal Department of Transportation physical and drug and alcohol screening.
“The number of folks who apply and get through the process is one or two out of 10,” Wright said.
Kentwood Public Schools began the school year with 10 open bus driver positions, of 36 total positions in the district. Since then, five were filled. “We are still in need of five drivers. We could use more subs too,” said Transportation Supervisor Laura Tanis.
Don Hebeler, Wyoming Public Schools director of operations and support services, stands near the bus fleet. He and directors statewide need more drivers
Enticements for Recruits
Starting driver pay from district to district ranges from about $14 to $18 per hour. A minimum of hours is often required to qualify for insurance. Dean Transportation wages start at $16 an hour and guarantees a minimum of four hours per school day. Dean also offers full benefits, including health, dental, vision, a 401(k) plan and paid time-off to all drivers.
Caledonia Public Schools, a district covering more than 100-square-miles, has recruited drivers with the offer of a $250 referral bonus and $500 sign-on bonus. The effort led to hiring five part-time substitute drivers who cover field trips, vacation and sick days and after-school athletic events. Two more substitute drivers are still needed, said Transportation Director Brenda Witteveen.
Godfrey-Lee’s Bergman pointed out another issue may be contributing to the shortage. “It’s an awesome responsibility to be a bus driver,” he said. “You are responsible for the safety of those children from the the time you pick them up to when you take them home.”
In today’s fast-paced society, people are commuting in a rush. “We’ve had two dozen people go through our red lights (on buses) since school started and they came within feet of our kids,” Bergman said. “Everyone is in such a hurry these days.”
To learn about an upcoming school bond proposal, high school business students are zeroing in on their neighbors by using the Design Thinking process.
Challenged to work on something real in their own community, students in teacher Jon Bushen’s Business Marketing Management class needed to determine the needs and desires of voters, said Skylar Pichey, co-president and marketing director for the class. She and classmates each interviewed three neighbors by going door-to-door to hear their thoughts on the 18-year extension up for vote Tuesday Nov. 7. The request, if approved, would generate $79.5 million for district-wide facility improvements without raising the tax rate.
Students considered problems, obstacles, needs, insights and themes in creating a plan to reach voters with bond information
Part of design thinking is empathizing, getting to know what your users — in this case, voters– do, say think and feel. It’s an interesting process, Pichey said. Neighbors expressed support, indifference and some negativity when asked for their thoughts on the bond. Students wrote voter ideas and comments on sticky notes to capture what each person said. “We put them all together to examine their insights,” she said.
Teacher Jon Bushen attended a training on Design Thinking in the classroom offered by the the Kent ISD Career Readiness Department last summer. He plans to use it in several ways this school year, but started with the bond, an issue that affects his students directly. Now they have the chance to offer an important student voice in the bond process, Bushen said.
“Most of the students didn’t really know what the bond entailed in depth, so they had to sit with (Superintendent Thomas Reeder) and (Matt Lewis, assistant superintendent for finance and administrative services) and really ask the questions.”
Design Thinking involves creating a plan based on what you’ve learned about your user, and students are reaching out with information to voters. They passed out information and wristbands at the Homecoming Carnival; they are encouraging students who are old enough to vote with the incentive of free pizza if they head to the polls; they handed on Trick or Treat bags with bond information at the school’s Halloween Trunk or Treat event.
Skylar said she’s had to be straight-forward with people that passing the bond is personal to her. “You really have to make it seem like, ‘I really want this to pass. It’s very important to me.'”
Business student Chyna Johnson Pruitt helped pass out Trunk or Treat bags with bond information on the front
Hoping for a ‘Yes”
Skylar said she believes they are having an impact. Neighbors who first said they didn’t see a reason to vote, seemed to listen.
“I think the school really needs this,” Skylar said, pointing out the crammed hallways and poor climate control. “People look down on us because we don’t have money, because we aren’t Grandville and we aren’t Hudsonville (public schools) but we could be that way.”
Business student Albert Zamarripa said using the design-thinking process showed him it’s not simple to assess the community’s perspectives, and that’s taught him a lot about marketing.
“It’s been a great experience to have this as a project. I’ve never been a part of anything about this. To know you did something for this, it just makes you feel that much better.”
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Tomorrow, Nov. 7, is election day and residents in both the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming have items on the ballot.
City of Kentwood
In the City of Kentwood, residents will be electing their city officials for the next four years. Of the six city positions up for election in Kentwood, only two are contested.
The first race is for the office of mayor, featuring incumbent Stephen Kepley who will be facing challenger Scott Urbanowski. Kepley was elected to the mayoral position in 2013 having served as a city engineer. Urbanowski is president and founder of Humanoid Digital, a digital media company.
The other contested race in the City of Kentwood is a 1st Ward City Commissioner seat with incumbent Jerry DeMaagd facing challenger Emily Bridson. For more on the candidates, see the We the People 1st Ward Commissioner article or view the September 1st Ward Commissioner candidate forum hosted by the Wyoming Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce.
There are also four races in Kentwood that are unopposed. Those are Dan Kasunic, for clerk, Laurie Sheldon, for treasurer, Betsy Artz, for commissioner at large, and Tom McKelvey, for 2nd Ward city commissioner.
City of Wyoming
Those in the Wyoming Public School District, the largest district in the City of Wyoming, will be voting on an extension of the district’s millage for $79.5 million to be used on infrastructure projects. For a detail look at the extension and what the money will be used for, check out the WKTV Journal article by K.D. Norris.
Cities of the Kentwood and Wyoming: The Rapid Millage
The Rapid is seeking a renewal of 1.47 mills. The millage, which has been active for the past seven years, is about a third of The Rapid’s total budget of $44 million, covering about $15.5 million. For more about the millage, see The Rapid millage story by WKTV Editorial Assistant Hannah Haviland.
The shared love of a book was on display in English teacher Shantel VanderGalien’s eighth-grade honors class as she read aloud from “A Monster Calls.” Creating a monster voice with a plummy British accent, VanderGalien revealed her theatrical side.
The young teens, seated in a circle around VanderGalien, interjected with observations like “foreshadowing!” and “simile!” as they listened closely to the narrative.
VanderGalien is devoting about 15 minutes of class time for several days over the next few weeks to read the award-winning book, written by Patrick Ness and illustrated by Jim Kay, to her Wyoming Junior High School students. Riveted, they recently reacted to a chapter-ending cliffhanger at the end of class as if it was /// torture to stop. “Ahhh! No!” they cried, realizing they would have to wait until the next day to know what happened next.
“Everybody likes to be read to,” VanderGalien said.
VanderGalien’s class is among more than 2 million students in 25,000 locations throughout the world signed up for Global Read Aloud, a project started in 2010 with the goal of using one book to connect the world. The premise is to read a book aloud to children during a six-week period and make as many global connections, via online tools, as possible, sharing the book and thoughts. This year, middle school groups had three books to choose from, including “A Monster Calls” — a novel that’s hard to keep on the shelves, VanderGalien said.
“What I wasn’t able to anticipate is the depth of my students’ love for the story,” she said. “Every single time I stop reading, they are like, ‘What! You can’t stop there!'”
Global Rad Aloud connects students around the world through the share loved of books, like “A Monster Calls,”
Picture This
VanderGalien, a 14-year-teacher, said she’s learned over the years why students of all ages connect so well with being read to. It’s made her realize the need to teach vocal inflection and pauses in connection with dialogue and punctuation.
“Students say, ‘I can’t see it in my head when I read, but when you read to me, I can see it,'” she said. “More of how I teach grammar is now embedded in us investigating the reading.”
Students said they enjoy VanderGalien’s dramatic reading.
“I can see it a lot better when she reads it because she does all the voices,” said eighth-grader Aubray Palma. “She is pretty much like a little kid. How she talks like the monster does, that’s what I see in my head.”
Neveah Morofsky said she loves the raspy, scary voice of the monster and the imagination involved.
“I’m a really big reader,” the eighth-grader said. “I read a lot, but it’s a lot of fun having Mrs. VanderGalien read to us. We are thinking of getting her an alphabet rug like we had in kindergarten.
“I really like her reading to us because she does all the voices. She has a lot of fun with it and so do we.”
“We get to learn together as more of a class,” added student Logan Boukma. “For us to be read to, we can understand it better. (VanderGalien) uses cool accents to make it more enjoyable and relatable.”
Another goal is challenging students to summarize, determine themes, analyze texts and complete other required standards using “A Monster Calls.” Students will also use the book in argumentative writing.
A Global Book Club
Global Read Aloud also has a big-picture piece involving universal themes. VanderGalien is hoping great conversations result in connecting online with students in different parts of the world through platforms like Write About.com, Flipogram.com and Google Classroom.
“I really emphasize having a voice in global citizenship. When they start evaluating the themes in the novel and seeing that people halfway around the world are getting the same messages, that’s when global themes become more concrete.”
Students said they look forward to hearing what other students think of the book.
“Everybody gets a different experience from the book and we can talk about it and see where everyone is coming from,” Neveah said.
“They say you should put yourself in other people’s shoes,” Aubray said. “We get to do that and experience what other people think.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Students sit in a circle to listen the teacher Shantel VanderGalien read
Wyoming Public Schools, shown here in a photo supplied by the district, saw its number of students drop in the recent “Count Day” state survey of students. (Supplied)
Some local school leaders were braced for bad news, some confident of good news, as Wyoming and Kentwood area school districts held their public school “Count Day” early this month — a day when the number of students attending their schools directly relates to how much funding they will receive from the state.
The fall count, held Oct. 4, is worth 90 percent of the state per-pupil funding. The spring semester count, from the previous school year, is 10 percent of funding. This school year’s spring count date is scheduled for Feb. 8, 2018.
“We are still in the period where we identify the final number, but that is the formula that is used,” Wyoming’s Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Polston said to WKTV journal. The “count impacts this years funding. We do not receive state aid in September, and begin receiving it in October after fall count. (So) this impacts our current budget.”
The local public school districts, as well as charters, are to receive $7,631 per-pupil for the 2017-18 school year. Godwin Heights Public Schools receives slightly more per student due to a historic loss of a substantial commercial tax base.
Godfrey-Lee counted 1,878 students for the fall count day, 72 below projections and down 84 students for the 2016-17 school year. So, if preliminary numbers hold, Godfrey-Lee would receive less state funding this year than last. But Polston says the district is prepared.
“This is the reason why it is important to have fund balances that can account for shortfalls like this,” said Polston, who is in his first year as superintendent. “We will maintain all current positions and programs, but immediately take a close look at all areas of the budget for both short and long term savings. We are fortunate to have a fund balance that can absorb a shortfall for this year.
“Our Board of Education has a policy of maintaining at least a 10 percent fund balance for times like this. We will need to backfill this deficit with next year’s budget. I’m confident in our team’s ability to strategically prioritize spending with a constant focus on keeping dollars in the classroom.”
His district will also look at the reasons why enrollment dropped.
“We have had a strong growth trend over the past few years, but that didn’t hold this year,” he said. “We are analyzing the areas where we fell short to identify contributing factors. We believe our best solution is to promote our district to our current residents to retain as many as we can in our strong, local, neighborhood schools.”
According to an analysis published on MLive, Michigan has more than 1.6 million kindergarten through 12th grade students in the 2016-17 school year, with about 1 million attending their local public schools. The other half million, or so, attended private or charter schools, or crossed home district lines to enroll in other public school districts.
Kentwood Public Schools is one of the districts gaining students, some from out of the district boundaries.
“We are up 136 — 9,121 total non-audited — students from last Fall count day,” Kentwood Public Schools Superintendent Michael Zoerhoff told WKTV. “The last three years we have seen an upward trend of our enrollment count. We are excited to see that Kentwood Public Schools continues to be a destination district for many families because of the great opportunities provided.”
Godwin Heights Public Schools, according to Superintendent William Fetterhoff, counted 2,166 students after budgeting for 2,145, so 21 over projection and 39 below last year. Fetterhoff told WKTV the trend is not unusual for his district, or across the nation for that matter, and he pointed to a decline in kindergarten through 3rd grade students as one reason.
Wyoming Public Schools, according to the district, counted 4,250, down 70 from last year.
Wyoming Public Schools students. (Supplied)
“4,250 is an appropriate estimate for our fall count … We anticipated a decrease this year,” Matt Lewis, Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Administrative Services for Wyoming Public Schools said to WKTV. “We budgeted to be down 75, and we’re on track to be down between 75 and 80.
“We’re approximately 70 down from last year which is right on projection. … I can’t give you a final number because there are 30 days from the count day during which students can still be counted if they were absent.”
The decline in enrollment is also not surprising to Lewis.
“Wyoming has averaged a loss of 108 students per year since the fall of 2004,” he said. “We’ve done many, many things to address the decline, cutting millions from our operating budget. We’ve become extremely efficient from an administrative perspective, closed buildings when necessary, including the consolidation of our high schools for 2012/13, and made countless adjustments to our contractual obligations and benefit costs. Our employees have (also) taken on a substantial portion of their healthcare costs over this period of enrollment decline.”
In other initial, unaudited numbers from local public districts, detailed in published reports, Kelloggsville Public Schools counted 2,327 students, 102 above projections and 79 more than last year.
Godwin Heights Public Schools Superintendent Bill Fetterhoff, center, listens as Michelle Krynicki director of instruction, and Title III, speaks to the State Board of Education. (Photos courtesy of School News Network.)
Superintendents from five Kent County school districts got the chance on Tuesday to tout their school improvement initiatives, when State Superintendent Brian Whiston and the eight-member State Board of Education visited Kent ISD.
Presenting superintendents were Michael Shibler of Rockford Public Schools; Gerald Hopkins of Kenowa Hills Public Schools; Thomas Reeder of Wyoming Public Schools; William Fetterhoff of Godwin Heights Public Schools; and Kevin Polston of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools.
Each presentation included what those districts are doing around one or more of the goals of the State Department of Education’s “Top 10 in 10” initiative to make Michigan a premier education state in 10 years.
Luke Wilcox, this year’s Michigan Teacher of the Year, also took part as a representative of Kentwood Public Schools.
Kent ISD was the first stop in the state BOE’s new plan to visit two intermediate school districts each year. The board will visit Wayne RESA in February.
Here is a brief summary of the superintendents’ presentations.
Luke Wilcox, Michigan Teacher of the Year, of Kentwood Public Schools, with State Board member Lupe Ramos-Montigny of Grand Rapids.
Rockford Public Schools: Action Model for Success
Since 1989, Rockford has involved the community, businesses, staff and students to help shape the district’s direction and priorities, resulting in three-year strategic plans. The district is currently finalizing its Rams X report for the next three years.
Key to that level of community engagement is accountability, said Superintendent Michael Shibler.
“This is, quite frankly, the reason we are an outstanding school system,” Shibler told board members. “And it fits your plan, the fact that you need to have stakeholder input to accomplish your goals.”
He shared that if an employer tells him an employee who is a Rockford graduate doesn’t have a skill he or she should have gotten in high school, “I’ll bring that student back free of charge to get those skills.”
Wyoming Public Schools Superintndent Tom Reeder tells the board of his district’s efforts to improve reading proficiency.
Wyoming Public Schools: Reading Now Network, Early Literacy and Literacy Coaching
The three components are key to district efforts to improve reading proficiency for all students. Highlighted for the board was the importance and purpose of early literacy work and literacy coaches throughout the buildings.
The district increased its reading scores through its participation in the Reading Now Network, a collaborative effort involving 100 districts to boost reading proficiency to 80 percent in 13 counties. Wyoming’s partnership with RNN also led to a $10,000 grant from the Herman Miller company, to help get more books into classrooms and create a more consistent book-leveling system.
“We all need to own that our students need to be reading much better than they are,” Superintendent Tom Reeder said.
Godwin Heights Public Schools: Fostering Shared Responsibility in School Improvement
After establishing a clear purpose and message about sharing the work of improvement, administrators and instructional coaches lead teams in highly focused learning. That begins with thoroughly understanding a district instructional goal and visiting classrooms to see it in action. Debriefing sessions within groups lead to possible steps for new improvements toward the goal.
Participants walk away with better understanding, new ways to explore meeting the goal, and a renewed sense of shared responsibility for all students to be career and college ready, said Superintendent Bill Fetterhoff.
Fetterhoff said the strategy has three elements: learning labs, where teachers observe, interact with and learn from one another; and administrators are exempt; learning walks, where administrators and instructional specialists create a consistent “lens” to support teaching staff; and school improvement, where participation is a blend of the other groups.
“So we see it in three different ways, but all the ways are there to enhance student achievement — to make our principals, our teachers, our coaches better,” Fetterhoff said. “It’s all about the learning communities and how the different cycles overlap. The greatest part about it is the feedback, and that’s been that they have confidence that we are doing this for the right reasons.”
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Polston and Assistant Superintendent Carol Lautenbach speak to the State Board of Education, as Michigan Teacher of the Year Lucas Wilcox, right, looks on.
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools: A Broader Definition of Student Success
The district’s design thinking process led to a redesign of its model of student success that addresses the needs of the whole child instead of simply providing content. This includes responding to research that indicates students need the 6Cs — communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, confidence and content mastery – for success in the 21st century.
Educating the whole child also means fulfilling needs to ensure students are healthy and ready to learn, through programs like Kent School Services Network.
“First, we determine our values, and then we develop goals around those values,” Superintendent Kevin Polston told board members. “When we think about our traditional way of doing school, we’ve maxed out just about all the ways of tweaking how we’ve done that. We need to look at education through a different lens if we are going to significantly transform what we’re doing.”
Kenowa Hills Public Schools: Competency-based Learning
This paradigm-shifting approach to learning is part of a growing national trend in helping all students reach college and career readiness. In this approach, students move ahead individually as soon as they learn the material, and not together as an entire class. This allows some to move more quickly, while others get the support they need, enabling all to master the content.
The district began this shift in 2012 with K-8 mathematics, and has now implemented it districtwide. Administrators say they consistently see students who are more engaged, learning at deeper levels, and taking more ownership of their learning.
“It’s the reality of what all schools face: students who are not engaged, are not meeting the rigors and demands of school and they don’t know why,” Superintendent Gerald Hopkins said. “We don’t have all the answers, but we want to continue to learn and to keep looking for them.”
State Board members seemed to appreciate being able to meet superintendents on their own turf.
“This is the first time we’ve taken our meeting on the road,” said Eileen Lappin Weiser. “You folks are setting a horribly high standard.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Lexis Pearson was a self-described troublemaker when she was in seventh grade. Her poor choices led her to the office of social worker Brooke Davis.
But by her junior year, Pearson had turned herself around to the point of being named an Alpha Wolf 11, a character recognition from her high school for being an “11 on a scale of 10” in the areas of kindness, compassion and graciousness.
She said the role Davis played in helping her change was huge. “If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have graduated high school,” Pearson said. “She was that little bit of motivation I needed; actually she was a lot of motivation.”
Pearson, who graduated from Wyoming High School in the spring, is one of many students Davis has impacted over the years as a school social worker. Now splitting time between Kelloggsville and Kenowa Hills public schools — and, on top of that, providing consulting services for educators — Davis’ presence in the lives of young people, like Lexis, is having a wider impact.
Fellow educators say that what Davis does, for any student, in any way they can benefit, is steer them in the right direction. She offers a listening ear, helping hand, sage advice or just information to get them where they need to go.
Spreading Her Influence
Davis started her career as a counselor in Kelloggsville in 2004. She has returned to the district part-time as a social worker and trainer at 54th Street Academy, which serves students from several Kent County districts. She also works part-time as a social worker at Alpine and Zinser Elementary schools, in Kenowa Hills.
Brooke Davis discusses goals with a student in her 54th Street Academy office. (School News Network)
“Kelloggsville is so excited to have Brooke Davis back,” said Assistant Superintendent Tammy Savage. “Brooke has such a passion for working with students, staff and families and this comes through in everything she does. … Having Brooke back is just like finding a long-lost friend or relative; they have come home and everyone’s life is better because of it.”
When she’s not working with students, Davis is training staff members in various districts through her company, BTD Consulting, on how to reduce suspensions in their buildings. (Not one to shy away from work, she also works retail at Younkers department store.)
She said her roles are about being a servant leader in every aspect of her life. “You always have more to give,” Davis said. “I love being back at Kelloggsville because it gives me the opportunity to work with economically disadvantaged and culturally diverse students. It is really hitting that passion that I have.”
Her passion developed over time. Davis, originally from Detroit, received her bachelor’s degree in communication arts from Aquinas College. “I thought I was going to be a speaker and urban planner,” she said.
But when she began working at St. John’s Home (now D.A. Blodgett-St. John’s), which offered residential care for foster children, she fell in love with the work. She decided to return to Grand Valley State University for a master’s in social work. At St. John’s, she connected with a Kelloggsville principal who hired her to work as a counselor. Over the next five years she worked at the elementary and middle school levels there, then for 11 years at Wyoming Public Schools at the elementary and secondary levels.
Last year she joined the staff at Kenowa Hills and started her consulting firm to work with principals, superintendents and teachers to set up systems concerning student behavior, and to teach them how to look at data to address behavior.
Many students have a hard time re-acclimating to school after they are suspended, she said, which puts them at a higher risk for dropping out. “The nice thing about Kelloggsville is we still have an alternative program that really seeks to get those students into school, and to know the barriers that keep them from learning in a traditional program. It helps them overcome those barriers so they can transition back into a traditional program.”
Brooke Davis sits down with junior Sky Hommerson to help her get back on track in school (School News Network)
The Ability to Connect
Davis said she was raised by good role models, but can relate to students with whom she works. Her parents emphasized education and demonstrated a great work ethic. Still, “I was a little tough as a kid — with really no reason to be be tough — but I was very verbose. I had two parents that loved me, and a great education, but coming from the city of Detroit, I want kids to have those same things that I had.”
At Kenowa, Davis works with the elementary students and does it well, said Alpine Elementary Principal Jason Snyder. “She is phenomenal,” he said. “The thing with Brooke is she has a passion for kids that is unmatched.”
She steps up to meet the needs of every child she works with, going “above and beyond” to make sure that child is successful. “She’s inspiring to me and pushes me to be a better leader,” Snyder said.
‘Little, Life-Changing Things’
Davis said she loves her jobs because she wants to serve others, to share knowledge and resources. That’s the “why” of it: “If you call me and I have it, I’m going to give it you,” she said.
That mentality is what made the difference for Lexis Pearson, the Wyoming grad who now is a certified nursing assistant and works in a nursing home. “To repay Brooke, I would have to give her the world,” she said.
Davis showed her possibilities. Pearson said she had a rocky life at home and was looking at the future through a narrow lens. “I grew up in a rough neighborhood. For me to see an African-American woman who was this successful … She is my inspiration.”
Brooke was just always present, she said. “When trouble came to find me, she was there to redirect me and let me know that the choices I was making were poor.
“It was the little things that counted,” she added. “Little things that, for me, were life changing.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
The Wyoming High Wolves on the field, in the team’s opening-season game and a WKTV featured game. The team will again be featured with WKTV coverage this week. (WKTV)
Wyoming High School head football coach Irvin Sigler III would likely call it an “opportunity” not a “challenge”, but he had to know his team was going to have some growing pains this season after he took over the program midway though the summer.
With new coaches and a new system, the Wolves experienced some competitive, and not-so-competitive, games as it opened the season 0-5 including tough losses to OK Gold Conference powers Grand Rapids Christian and East Grand Rapids.
But with Sigler’s first win leading the Wolves last week, a 33-21 home win against conference foe Middleville Thornapple Kellogg, the coach thinks his team is close to flourishing in the new system.
Wyoming head coach Irvin Sigler (WKTV)
“There’s always that question in the back of your mind, and this game definitively answered it for us,” Sigler said, in an interview with WKTV. “We understand now what it takes to win a game and how to accomplish that. (It was a) major milestone as far as I am concerned. Something we really had to work at.
“The most important thing we did (against Middleville T-K) was battle through adversity. We had a lot of tough situations, some self-imposed with turnovers, and yet found a way to stay together and figure out how to win.”
Wyoming has experienced its share of “tough situations” so far this season.
After staying close until late in its season opening game, a 28-6 loss to Holland, and the Wolves (1-5, 1-3 in the OK Gold Conference) played three of their next four games on the road with a 20-16 home loss to Wayland being their most competitive contest.
After another road game this week, against another conference power — South Christian (5-1 2-1 in OK Gold) — Wyoming will close the season with two more home games, a non-conference tilt against Greenville (3-3, 1-3 in OK White) and a conference game against Forest Hills Eastern (3-3, 2-1).
And Sigler expects his team will continue to grow within the new system and strive to be competitive week-in and week-out, for several reasons.
The first reason is that his team is learning from their sometimes-hard lessons, both on and off the field.
“I tell our kids that a football game is a microcosm of life,” Sigler said. “There will be great things that happen and really tough things. We’ve got be resilient in the face of both. We’ve got to handle both situations with equal grace. Learn how to do that, and you learn how to navigate in life.”
Another reason for optimism is that he has players getting back from injury and players who have set an example for the rest of the team, win or lose.
He said that senior Donnie Buentello and junior J’Darious (JD) Jones, both running backs, have gotten healthy and “are starting to play really well. Donnie is a very quick and shifty runner, JD is a more of a one-cut and slash type player. The compliment each other very well.”
He also said the offensive line has solidified as senior Elijah Harden has moved into the right tackle position and “started playing really well”, as has senior tight end Grant Nabors.
On the defensive side, Sigler praised junior Rush Bash, the team’s leading tackler, as a “big hitter” who is getting comfortable in the new defensive scheme. He also pointed out senior defensive ends Sean Dewent and Travis Wright — “As these two go, our team goes, (and) both had great games against TK. Both … do a great job as leaders on our team.”
Sigler made special point of pointing out senior offensive and defensive lineman Jackson McClure: “Playing both ways on the offensive and defensive line, he’s had a great season and his strength and durability have allowed him to be a two-way player in the toughest of positions.”
The final reason Sigler sees optimism for his team to finish this season and in the future is the work being done at the junior varsity level.
“Our JV team has had a really difficult year,” Sigler said. “They’ve not had the numbers for a game every week — yet they have really toiled to get better and have given a great deal to our program. It’s hard to practice on weeks when you know that you won’t have a game. Yet these guys have really done special work and we feel they are going to have a great contribution to our future.”
That future starts with the teams remaining three games of this season.
The Wyoming against South Christian game, to be played at Byron Center Friday, Oct. 6, is the WKTV featured football game of the week and will be broadcast the night of the game on Comcast Channel 25, usually at 11 p.m., and repeated on Saturday at 11 a.m. on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99 in Wyoming & Kentwood.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/
Teresa Dood, Parkview Elementary’s Kent School Services Network coordinator, brings an awareness that is deep and real to her job linking families with resources.
For her, navigating complicated systems and overcoming seemingly impossible barriers is personal.
From her school office, Dood explains how heartbreaking experiences can, with time, become life lessons that allow her to relate to other families and empathize with what they face. Consider her current battle: Dood is the single mother of three adopted children, one of whom has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and needs a potentially life-prolonging medication that insurance keeps denying.
A year and a half ago, Dood was fostering her son, now 4, and preparing to adopt him when he was diagnosed with Duchenne, a rare genetic disorder that overwhelmingly affects boys and is characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. (He and his siblings’ names are not being published due to privacy concerns.) The typical life expectancy of a person with Duchenne is the early 20s.
Teresa Dood welcomes Parkview students to school during drop-off time
“That was devastating to me: to learn that this little boy who I so deeply love would have yet another challenge outside of other early-life trauma to overcome, that will ultimately end his life,” Dood said.
But Dood’s son is among 13 percent of Duchenne patients with a genetic mutation that qualifies him for a newly approved drug called Exondys 51, a gene-skipping therapy, which was given accelerated approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Said Dood, “It has the potential to give him a typical lifespan.”
Teresa Dood checks out fourth-grader Madison Dehaan’s glittery arm
However, the drug costs a minimum $300,000 a year for weekly injections — and Dood’s son needs it for the rest of his life.
She has gone through all internal appeals within Medicaid and received repeated denials, because drug studies on Exondys 51 were not expansive enough. Her claim will next go to an external appeal through the State of Michigan. Other families are facing similar battles to get the drug covered.
“My son won’t get back the skills he has already lost, but it will help maintain his skill levels,” Dood said.
She’s hoping if the external appeal is denied, the drug manufacturer, Sarepta Therapeutics, will cover the cost of the drug because her son can provide valuable data for further study of the medication.
She’s That Go-to Person
At Parkview, where approximately 90 percent of families qualify for free or reduced lunch, Dood works with students and families to eliminate barriers to students’ success at school and establish community partnerships to meet larger schoolwide needs.
A Wyoming native, she has formed partnerships with churches, and received grant funding for a monthly visit from a Feeding America Food Truck. She is starting a program called Good Guys to bring in fathers and other male role models to volunteer.
Parkview teacher Lori Schimmelmann said Dood is the go-to person for many needs at Parkview.
“Teresa gives of herself 110 percent for our Parkview kids,” Schimmelmann said. “When we have a student with a need, Teresa is the first person we call. If she can’t help us, she finds us someone that can. She does everything in her power to make sure that our Parkview kids have what they need to be successful.”
Dood has a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Calvin College. She taught for a brief time before switching to children’s and youth ministry positions at local churches for 10 years. After that, she became a site coordinator for TEAM 21, the after-school program serving Wyoming Public Schools, for several years before beginning as the KSSN coordinator five years ago.
“I am passionate about impacting kids and families in our community, and I’m passionate about education,” Dood said. “I also see how sometimes people’s life challenges get in the way of kids being successful.
“I get excited when I see families come full circle from sometimes needing a lot of supports or resources, to becoming empowered and equipping their family to then being able to share that with others.”
It’s Dood’s everyday interactions with students and families that stands out most, said Principal Katie Jobson.
“Teresa does a great job building relationship with families,” Jobson said. “She brings a good balance between understanding what might be a barrier to families, and seeing the education perspective of what schools are trying to accomplish. She’s really good at bridging those gaps so we are all on the same team.
“Her own unique set of personal experience help her understand where families are coming from in a way that other people may not be able to understand,” she added. “That’s always a comfort to families to understand that somebody gets it.”
Learning the System
Those personal experiences include fostering 20 children over the years and raising her adopted children from infancy. Explained Dood, “I describe foster care as having some of the greatest highs and the greatest lows. There’s amazing joy … yet there’s been some really hard stuff too.”
There’s also been a lot of navigating red tape.
Teresa Dood brings her experiences of fostering and adopting as a single mother to her job connecting families with resources
“I have experiences of going through the IEP (Individualized Education Program for special education students) and having a child with significant behavioral challenges, and I know how it is to work the public mental health system in Kent County,” she said.
She also knows about judgment quickly cast on parents of children with mental health challenges. She wants to lift up families and break down stereotypes and stigmas: “I’ve walked the mental health world with my kids and seen how taxing that is with the other kids in the family and the parents.”
So now she walks beside parents, building relationships and being supportive. To them she can say, “‘You know, I get how hard it is. … I get that it’s hard and I get that it’s a sacrifice, but your kid needs you to be part of the solution.'”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
How well students achieve in school is often connected to the income levels of their families. This set of stories explores some of this data and how schools with lower income families are working to remove barriers to student learning
At Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, the Kent County district with the lowest family income, the correlation between M-STEP scores and poverty is stark. More than 90 percent of students qualify for free or reduced priced lunch in the one-square mile district and 27 percent of third-graders are proficient in English language arts. The statewide average is 44.1 percent.
Poverty is a major factor considered in instruction practices, wrap-around services and ongoing education reform efforts. Superintendent Kevin Polston pointed out where Godfrey-Lee third graders fall on a graph (see above) that illustrates the link between poverty and third-grade reading proficiency. “It shows the impact that poverty has on achievement.”
“Ideally, we want to be one of these outliers,” he said, referring to schools on the graph that are high achievers despite high poverty rates. Those, sadly, are few and far between.
There has to be a big-picture approach when dealing with poverty in schools in order to disrupt the impact on student achievement, he said.
Godfrey-Lee is focused on first meeting basic needs, food, water, warmth and rest, so learning can take place. “The basics of life for some kids are not basic,” said Assistant Superintendent Carol Lautenbach.
To meet those needs – so students are in the classrooms ready to learn – the district has in place Kent School Services Network, which provides dental, health and vision services; Kids Food Basket, which provides sack suppers for children to bring home after school, and universal free breakfast and lunch programs.
Those type of things help build foundations for student learning, Lautenbach said, “Those are really tangible ways we are trying to bridge the gap for kids,” she said.
Recognizing Their Strengths
But there’s another piece in educating students in poverty that often gets overlooked: the strengths they already have. “I don’t like the term disadvantaged,” Polston said.
“Any of our folks intimately involved with this are very good at looking at the hidden strengths that we sometimes ask people to check at the door,” Lautenbach added.
Many people who live in poverty, such as immigrant and refugee students are risk-takers because they have to be. Those experiences can be part of creating the foundation for success that goes way beyond knowing content.
The district is using a strength-based Learner Profile based on the6Cs, skills considered vital for success in future careers. They are collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creative innovation and confidence along with content-knowledge. It’s a strength-based system, Lautenbach explained.
But despite their strengths, children who live in poverty often have limited experiences compared to more affluent families. Seeing Lake Michigan, for example, is different than looking at a picture of it. The district works to provide opportunities for students to experience and explore.
“Their worlds are very small and focused on family, or survival or a small geographic area. (We ask) ‘How can we create more experiences for them so they have more to draw on?’ Lautenbach said. Barriers to reaching reading proficiency can include minimal exposure to academic vocabulary, a lack of books in the home or access to preschool programs.
Kelloggsville Staff Focusing on Poverty & Learning
Kelloggsville Public Schools, where 79 percent of students qualify for free and reduced lunch, is also digging deep into meeting the learning needs of students by assisting with basic needs and building relationships. Staff members are continuing a district-wide book study on “Teaching with Poverty in Mind,” by Erik Jensen, a former reading teacher who synthesizes brain research and develops practical applications for educators.
Assistant Superintendent Tammy Savage said students raised in poverty often live day-to-day and aren’t empowered with information about what they can become in the future. She’s not disparaging their parents, she explained, as many are working so hard to make ends meet, they can’t easily focus beyond the present.
“Parents in poverty are in survival mode rather than in the mode of teaching their children what they can be. It’s a cycle and it’s hard to break,” Savage said.
Still, Kelloggsville is making strides, she said, that are reflected in data. On M-STEP, 31.9 percent of third graders were proficient in ELA, but that’s just one piece. “We can pull out data from the classroom that shows huge gains from the beginning to end of the school year.”
Statewide Reading Scores Tend to Follow Poverty or Wealth
This chart provides a visual depiction –statewide — of the impact of poverty combined with test scores in M-STEP 3rd grade reading. Each dot represents a school building. On the left is the percent of students who scored “proficient,” with zero at the bottom and 100 percent at the top. The data below is the percent of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch, a common poverty indicator, with zero per cent of students at the left and 100 percent of students on the right.
Although many high-poverty schools, according to this chart, struggle with reading proficiency, there are also many scoring quite high. These schools, despite issues of poverty, are finding ways to help students read well. Figuring out how they are accomplishing this and duplicating their success is the mission of Reading Now Network. All 20 of the districts within Kent ISD are participants in this network of hundreds of schools.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Five young apple trees grow outside West Elementary School. They are the beginnings of the Beverly Bryan Community Orchard, which could someday flourish with pear, plum and chestnut trees, blueberry and raspberry bushes, and feature benches and mulch for beautification.
The eventual goal is to feed hungry students and offer fresh produce to neighbors. It also provides the opportunity to teach agriculture to students, who will tend, water and harvest the orchard, said Kent School Services Network coordinator Erika VanDyke, who works to connect West students and families with local resources.
The orchard is being developed through a partnership with the Wyoming Tree Commission, called The Tree Amigos. It is named after the late wife of Tree Commissioner Greg Bryan, who donated $5,000 to the project.
Students recently watered the dwarf heirloom trees, checking out the little apples hanging from the branches. “I find it exciting that we are going to have fresh apples,” said third-grader Lyric McPhee.
Habitat for Humanity donated the trees from a downtown lot it is developing. A crew of volunteers recently planted them at West.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
From left, Oriole Park Elementary School social worker Heidi Workman, left, and Principal Jennifer Slanger talk about parenting strategies during Superhero Literacy Night
Plenty of books in the house. Nightly story time. Exposure to words, words and more words.
Those are three components that help a child develop reading skills from birth on, and the more a child reads the better in correlates with achievement. Research shows the more a child reads and is read to at home the better they do in school. A student who reads 20 minutes each day clocks in 3,600 minutes per school year and reads 1.8 million words per year.
So if you’re worried about your child passing third grade beginning in 2019-2020, you can help him or her acquire the required reading skills.
“I think parents feel a little bit like they are left out of this particular equation,” said Lowell Area Schools Superintendent Greg Pratt of the third-grade reading legislation. “The reality is just the opposite. Parents can impact this age group’s reading progress probably more than any other age group. Reading to your child every day can be done very early and can be put in place every day.”
Pratt said the district has and will continue to support parents in helping their children to become better readers. He noted Lowell’s decade-old summer Arrow Readers on the Move program, and that the district sent books home this summer with students who have been needing help with reading.
“We’re surprised how many students don’t have a collection of books to access,” he added. “All those things make a big impact.”
Parents listen to tops during Literacy Night
Parents Offer Insight
Parents attending Superhero Reading Night recently at Oriole Park Elementary School, in Wyoming Public Schools, learned at-home reading strategies and were connected with resources available at Kent District Library.
Mom Dawn Parm said she makes it a priority to support her children’s learning.
“It’s important to support learning, reading and education in general for the kids,” Parm said. “And it’s important for parents to be involved with the kids, so they see their parents are interested in what they are learning.”
Dad Jim Bos said he’s already seen at-home reading pay off with his second-grader, sixth-grader and seventh-grader, who are all reading well above grade level.
“It’s important to be consistent about it,” Bos said. “When my kids were younger, we were always reading one to two books a night with them. Have them try. Not always read to them; give them a shot. Have a variety of books so things stay fresh for them.
He said reading well has helped his children overall.
“When you have good readers, that gives them an advancement terms of all the other academic stuff too,” he said. “Don’t just send them to bed, take a seat with them. Read with them.”
Along with record highs for the month of September comes another first for the month: school closings due to the heat.
Several area schools announced half days due to the high temperatures that were expected to reach 92 degrees today, according to the National Weather Service. Among those schools closing early today were Godfrey Lee Public Schools, Kentwood Public Schools, and Wyoming Public Schools. Godfrey Lee Public Schools also cancelled its TEAM 21 program for today. Kentwood Public Schools cancelled Arch and after school day care todayalong with tonight’s soccer game at East Kentwood High School.
From Kentwood Public Schools’ Facebook the district stated “The temperatures for this evening are again supposed to get down into the mid to low 60s which does cool off our buildings without air conditioning until around noon. We know this will provide some challenges for our parents but we needed to make a decision based on the safety of our students and staff.
From the National Weather Service
“We will again monitor the temperatures on Monday afternoon as the forecast for Tuesday is beginning to cool. We will try to make a decision for Tuesday by the same time tomorrow evening.”
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures for Tuesday are expected to reach 91 degrees with the weather starting to cool down on Wednesday.
School officials recommend residents and participants check with the school or district for delays or cancellations before heading out to attend any school-related function or event.
Editor’s Note:Student Leaders is a series dedicated to students that go above and beyond to serve their school, peers and community
Playing piano moves Becca Hanson’s soul. That’s why she makes it about something bigger than herself. She likes to share that feeling – indulgent, she calls it – with others.
She’s that kind of leader: a poised, soft-spoken doer who realizes the impact that masterpieces by classical composers like Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt can have on people.
“It’s a way to make the audience feel alive with me,” said the Wyoming High School junior. “A lot of times we are so busy that we forget we are alive.”
So after her school and volunteer work is done, she turns to the instrument she’s been playing since age 9 and gets lost in the blissfulness of her craft.
“It’s a way to be a little bit selfish and indulge in how the music feels to play, but it also allows other people to indulge in something that brings up memories for them and happy moments,” she said.
Selfish may be the last adjective one would use to describe Becca, who recently helped better the lives of others in another way. She hosted “Awakened,” a benefit concert to collect food for Feeding America West Michigan food bank at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids. With admission set at one non-perishable food item, she gathered three 27-gallon containers full of food to donate.
“I decided to have the recital for a less selfish cause,” Becca said. “I didn’t feel it was right to go up there and be celebrated myself. There are a lot of things that helped me get to that point. Part of that is seeing how important it is to help the community through my church.”
Becca, the daughter of Teresa and Jeffery Hanson, said she visited Iquitos, Peru, where her mother comes from, at age 9, and that’s when she became interested in helping eliminate hunger.
“Iquitos is a particularly impoverished part of the country,” she said. “I realized food is really hard to come by. I grew up always being aware that some people just can’t eat and I realized I’ve been taking that for granted.
“I wanted to make a difference because do I even deserve to live if I have the advantage of having so much wealth and extra to give to other people? Do I even deserve to live if I don’t give?”
One of the Best
Teachers said Becca’s leadership stands out in many areas. At Wyoming, she serves as vice president of Key Club and is in National Honor Society. She played the oboe last year in the St. Cecilia Philharmonic Orchestra, is in choir and Science Olympiad and plans to join the debate team.
“Becca looks for opportunities to use her strengths to make those around her better,” said math teacher Eric Retan. “Through years of hard work and an incredible ability, she is one of the best piano players I’ve ever witnessed … Becca consistently demonstrates kindness, compassion and generosity in my class. She shows genuine concern for others in class. She also has a very strong work ethic.”
“She regularly puts hours of work into her piano playing, and she approaches other areas of school and her life with that same fervor,” added English teacher Dan Lorenz.
Becca plans to host more concerts for Feeding America. She continues to study piano under the tutelage of Hope College Music Professor Andrew Le and is considering plans for college, flirting with the idea of Ivy League schools. But she isn’t sure she wants to major in music. “I’d really like to major in aerospace engineering,” she said.
That might not be a big surprise to science teacher Stephanie Rathsack.
“I have found her to be very creative not just in music, but in science,” Rathsack said. “In Honors Chemistry she was always willing to work hard to make a new lab idea come to completion. She is an excellent classmate and student.”
Still, however Becca spends her days, one can bet she will continue to find her place at the piano, filling the room with music and helping change the world, one masterpiece and one can of food at a time.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
GRPS Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal, at podium, spoke at a press conference Tuesday following President Trump’s decision to end the DACA program (photo courtesy Grand Rapids Public Schools)
As a mother and grandmother, Teresa Weatherall Neal knows well the value of family. And as superintendent of nearly 17,000 Grand Rapids Public Schools students, she thinks about the families they all come from.
So Neal’s reaction to President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was a strong and swift call to protect students and their families from deportation.
“I’m going to fight for them,” Neal said in her office, the day after Trump announced a phase-out of DACA . “I stand with them. I will fight till the bitter end to keep these children in the school system, with their families.”
Her remarks followed a GRPS Board of Education resolution denouncing the decision, and calling on Congress to pass legislation enabling undocumented young people to gain permanent residency. Other area superintendents also expressed support of their immigrant students, in light of the decision that removes protection from deportation for children raised in the U.S. by undocumented parents.
Kevin Polston
In a prepared statement, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Polston said the district “reaffirms our commitment to providing safe and supportive learning environments for each student.”
“(B)ecause each child’s unique path is an integral chapter in our district’s story, this action by the executive branch will impact our whole community,” said Polston, whose district’s students are 75 percent Latino. “Our diversity is our strength, and our doors are open for all families that hope for a brighter future for their children. We are forever friend and partner on this journey.”
Tom Reeder
Supporting Diversity in Districts
In Wyoming Public Schools, where 38 percent of students are Latino, Supertintendent Tom Reeder did not specifically address DACA but alluded to government decisions that “have caused significant stress to our families, particularly our children.”
“The last nine months have brought great stress upon members of our community – more than I can remember in the past – and greatly impacts our local families,” Reeder said in a statement to School News Network. “Wyoming Public Schools will continue to support all our students and families in the best way possible to ensure safety and the best environment for learning success.”
He urged parents to reach out to the district to reduce any barrier to their children’s learning, adding, “In the meantime, we hope that adults will seek solutions in the near future that will always ensure everyone is valued, our most vulnerable are protected, and our core fundamental beliefs revisited.”
Kentwood Public Schools is home to a great many immigrant and refugee families, a fact Superintendent Michael Zoerhoff emphasized.
Mike Zoerhoff
“The strength of our Kentwood community is our diversity and the tapestry of cultures that make up our school district,†Zoerhoff told SNN. “We will continue with our mission to provide an education of excellence and equity to all the children who come through our doors. Kentwood Public Schools is a family and we will continue to support our family members in any way possible.”
The Trump administration’s decision, announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, would end the DACA program enacted by President Obama in 2012. It allows young people brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents, to receive temporary permission to work, study and get driver’s licenses, renewable every two years. To qualify, applicants must have clean criminal records, be enrolled in school or serve in the military. About 800,000 are current recipients.
This week’s decision officially ends the program in March and halts new applications now, but those whose permits expire before March 5 can apply for a two-year renewal. Trump called on Congress to pass immigration legislation to replace it,and tweeted that he will “revisit this issue” if Congress does not act.
‘It’s About Humanity’
In Grand Rapids Public Schools, which enrolls about 4,000 Latino students, the program’s cancellation may affect between 500 and 1,000 students, said spokesman John Helmholdt. Although most are Latino, some come from other countries, he said, adding the district has “a moral obligation” to support their families and “get Congress to take action to do what’s right by kids.”
“This has a negative impact on social/emotional learning,” Helmholdt said. “Now students and their families are not focused on the children’s education and getting homework done. They’re having fear for what does this executive order mean, and what do they have to do to make any kinds of preparation in the event Congress doesn’t take swift action.
“This is the insanity of this new administration,” he added. “It’s evoking this fear, anxiety and us vs. them mentality that has no place in public education.”
The GRPS school board statement said members were “deeply disappointed” by Trump’s decision, and urged Congress to pass the Development, Relief and Education for Minors (DREAM) Act, introduced in 2001 but never approved. The board called DACA “crucially important to public education,” noting teachers working under the program help fill a need for teaching English-language learners.
“We believe students brought to the United States as children must be able to pursue an education without the threat of deportation, and have a pathway to fully participate in the American society as citizens,” the board said. Board President Wendy Falb and Superintendent Neal spoke out at a press conference on the day of Trump’s decision, along with a DACA recipient with children in GRPS and Roberto Torres, executive director of the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan. Neal later called the decision unjust and “unconscionable,” causing trauma to families, students and staff.
“To disrupt the lives of kids is so wrong,” Neal said. “We should be focusing in on educating these kids. I shouldn’t worry about whether my kids are going to show up because they’re afraid to come out of the shadows.”She urged superintendents, city officials and companies across the area to find out how many families are affected, then work to craft a legislative solution.
“I don’t think it’s a Republican or Dem thing,” she added. “It’s about humanity.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Other positions you have held in education (title, school, district, state):
Sixth-and-seventh-grade social studies teacher at Jackson Park Junior High School
9th and 10th-grade social studies teacher at Wyoming Park and Rogers High schools
Assistant principal at Wyoming Junior High
Assistant principal at Wyoming High School
Head varsity football coach at Wyoming Park High School
How about jobs outside education? My dad owned a roofing and siding business and I was the “cutter boy.” I would cut the siding and he would hang it. I also cut grass for my brother’s landscape company, worked part-time for a plumber, delivered products for Kent Rubber Supply, loaded trucks for East Jordan Iron Works, maintained grounds for South Kent Recreation Association and worked in a plastic molding factory.
Spouse/children: I married my high-school sweetheart, Melissa DeJarnatt. We went to West Elementary School together but we didn’t know each other then because she was two grades ahead of me. We have a daughter, Madisyn, 11; and a son, Kolten, 8.
West Elementary Principal Josh Baumbach was once a student there
Hobbies/Interests/Little-known talent: I love to hunt deer, rabbit and raccoon with my dad and brothers. I’ve coached football for the past 14 years. I enjoy reading books. My twin brother and I participate in Spartan Races. I can wiggle both ears or just one, and I can do a poor impersonation of Donald Duck.
What kind of kid were you at the age of students at this new school?
I was an active kid. I played outside all the time with my siblings (five brothers and a sister). We would catch salamanders, hunt for frogs and turtles in Buck Creek, build tree forts behind our house, ride snowmobiles, swim and play sports. We spent a lot of time at Buck Creek, and every time we left the house our parents would say, “Don’t come back wet!” Without fail, one of us would fall in the creek and we’d wait for hours before coming home so our clothes would dry.
The biggest lesson you have learned from students is… to forgive and forget and to laugh every day.
Finish this sentence: If I could go back to school I would go to grade… fifth grade, as a student in Ms. Donovan’s class. She challenged me to be a better student and person each and every day.
If you walked into your new school building to theme music every day, what would the song be?
“Happy,” by Pharrell Williams
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Wyoming’s Parkview Elementary School teachers demonstrated their love for new school supplies at the Teacher Resource Store, where they left with cartloads of notebooks, pencils, folders, paper and the promise to “pay it forward.”
“Oh my gosh! Look at how cute these Post-it notes are!” one teacher squealed, delighted to receive a full bag of whimsically decorated sticky notes for her classroom.
As teachers prepared their classrooms this summer, they took advantage of a new resource aimed to alleviate the cost burden of school supplies in low-income schools.
The Storehouse of Community Resources, located in a portion of Frontline Community Church, 4411 Plainfield Ave. NE, includes the Teacher Resource Store. There, teachers from schools with at least 70 percent of students qualifying for free and reduced-lunch rates can shop together as a staff twice a year for just $50 per school. Recently it was Parkview teachers’ turn to stock up.
World Vision donates supplies
“There are so many things I buy at Meijer all summer long,” said Parkview teacher Angela Clum, whose cart was filled with necessities. “It is tremendous that we can have this as a resource.”
Former teacher Jessica Johns started the volunteer-run Storehouse last October with supplies from World Vision, a global humanitarian organization. It also includes the Essentials store, where low-income families can shop monthly for toiletries, household goods and hygiene items.
Johns, a former teacher at inner-city schools in Indiana, said Teacher Resource Store helps fill a need tied to social justice. A Frontline Church member, Johns served on the missions and outreach team and worked to start a community center. That idea evolved into the Storehouse.
Parkview teachers Angela Clum, left, and Holly Moog shop for supplies
Relieving Cost to Teachers
Teachers, especially in low-income schools, spend hundreds of dollars annually to stock their classrooms, and many students rely completely on schools for supplies, said store coordinator Michaela Krull, a Grand Rapids Public Schools elementary school teacher.
“We really want to help the teachers that don’t have really strong parent ability to offer financial help,” Krull said. “Those teachers are buying everything – 100 percent of their school supplies.
“I’ve been a recipient of these supplies, and I know how burdensome it can be financially to buy all those things yourself.”
When Krull first utilized the store as a shopper in April, she realized what a gift to the community it was. Items coveted by many a teacher — Expo markers, ASTROBRIGHTS paper and pre-sharpened Ticonderoga pencils — were available for the taking. “We posed for pictures with the supplies and everything, we were so excited.”
Parkview teacher Elissa Lauer prepares to stock her kindergarten class
So far, Wyoming, Godwin Heights, Godfrey-Lee, Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Wyoming and Northview public schools teachers have shopped, and more schools are on a wait-list. Johns hopes to serve more schools in the near future.
Besides the $50 per school fee, the only other requirement is that teachers “pay it forward” in some way that involves their students and community.
Parkview Principal Katie Jobson said about 90 percent of her students are economically disadvantaged.
“This frees up teachers to use resources in other ways,” Jobson said. “It’s fantastic and what a neat message to pay it forward.”
The City of Wyoming Tree Commission, also known as The Tree Amigos, is partnering with Wyoming Public Schools and Kent School Services Network to plant the Beverly Bryan Community Orchard on the West Elementary school grounds. To get the project going, Tree Commission Vice President Greg Bryan donated $5,000 for the orchard, named in memory of his late wife. Bryan also donated an additional $5,000 for the commission’s street tree program. Additional funding has been pledged as well.
Originally, the partners had agreed to begin planting fruit trees next spring. However, when Habitat for Humanity of Kent County Neighborhood Revitalization Coordinator Ben Johnson contacted West Elementary KSSN liaison Erika VanDyke with the opportunity to rescue apple trees from a lot to be cleared for housing, the Amigos jumped into action. On Saturday, Aug. 26, the commission members hope to assemble a group of volunteers to dig up 12 trees and replant them at the school.
The orchard will provide opportunities for children to learn about where their food comes from through hands-on experience planting, tending and harvesting the orchard. It will also expand academic opportunities in various areas of study through Arbor Day Foundation curricula. As the school has a very high free and reduced lunch rate, the orchard will increase food insecurity by providing fresh fruit and berries for students and families. Students will be able to eat the fruit as snacks and with lunch during the school day and take fruit home to supplement their family diets.
“When Erika and I first met to discuss how the tree commission and West Elementary could partner on a project, we decided that an orchard would involve parents and students in a fun, healthy school project,” said Tree Commission Chair Stelle Slootmaker. “We also plan on sharing the harvest with nearby neighbors as a means of growing community. And of course, these trees will also increase the City of Wyoming’s tree canopy, the commission’s major goal.”
If you’d like to help rescue the apple trees and plant the orchard, please email TreeAmigosWyoming@gmail.com.
