SN 6.12.2021

Page 2/The Sun and News, Saturday, June 12, 2021

Caledonia school superintendent’s report on 2020-

Editor’s note: The follow-
ing letter from Caledonia
Community Schools
Superintendent Dr. Dedrick
Martin is the district’s year
in review for 2020-21.
Dear Caledonia Schools
Community,
Year after year, Caledonia
Community Schools is
improving, and last year was
no exception. After one of
the most challenging school
years ever, our CCS students
and staff have done more
than just make it through,
they have excelled. From our
earliest learners to our gradu-
ating seniors, we continue to

improve and “Cultivate Agile

Learners.”

Here are just a few of our

achievements this year:

Duncan Lake Early

Childhood Center received a

4-star rating from Great Start

to Quality, improving from

the previous 3-star rating.

Great Start to Quality is

Michigan’s quality rating

and improvement system

that evaluates the quality of

licensed programs. On a

scale of 1- to 5-stars,

Michigan child care pro-

grams are scored in different

areas, like community part-

nerships, administration and

management. The 4-star rat-

ing means Duncan Lake

Early Childhood Center

demonstrates quality across

almost all categories of pro-

gram.

While many were con-

cerned that the pandemic

would result in fewer gradu-

ates and fewer students plan-

ning for their future, our

graduation rate remained

steady at 96.3 percent, much

higher than county and state

averages. In the most recent

U.S. News & World Report

“Rankings of Best High

Schools,” Caledonia High

School ranked 93rd best pub-

lic high school in Michigan,

scoring in the top 8 percent.

Schools are ranked on their

performance on state-re-

quired tests, graduation rate

and how well they prepare

students for college.

The Class of 2021 has big

plans: Of our 370-plus senior

students, 59 (16 percent)

graduated with the highest

honors by achieving a GPA

of 4.0 or higher over the

course of their high school

career. Furthermore, 81 per-

cent of graduates plan to con-

tinue their education next

year, up from 76.7 percent.

We also saw a slight

increase in students planning

to enter the military or go

directly into the workforce.

Bottom line, CCS contin-

ues to provide students with

opportunity after they gradu-

ate, whether they choose a

career or college.

I think you’ll agree that

CCS did more than just make

it through this challenging

year. Our staff and students

made the most of it, and I

couldn’t be prouder.

Sincerely,

Dr. Dedrick Martin

Superintendent

Caledonia Community

Schools

Middleville waives amphitheater fees for school bands

Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
After hearing an appeal
from the director of bands at
Thornapple Kellogg High
School, the Middleville
Village Council Tuesday
agreed to let members of the
school’s jazz band perform at
the Downtown Development
Authority amphitheater with-
out charge.
In addition, the council
agreed to take a look at its
policy for use of the amphi-
theater and how school and
church groups might be
exempted from fees for its
use.
The council’s action fol-
lowed comments earlier in
the meeting by TKHS band
director Ray Rickert, when
he expressed disappointment
about roadblocks he says his
students have encountered in
wanting to perform at the
amphitheater.
Rickert pointed to a situa-
tion that happened in October
2020.
“We were all under pretty
strict indoor gathering
restrictions,” Rickert said.
“With about a week to go

before a scheduled jazz band

concert, we at the school

were concerned that we

weren’t going to be able to

hold it because of the severe

limitations on indoor crowds.

The suggestion was made by

one of our students that we

try to play it outside. So I

thought it would be nice to

utilize the new amphithe-

ater.”

So Rickert called the vil-

lage office. He called the

ensuing exchange “disheart-

ening.”

“I was hoping to be greet-

ed with ‘We’d love to show

off that new facility. We’d

love for you to use it. Let me

see how we might be able to

help you.’ ” Rickert said.

“Instead, I was greeted with

‘We needed four weeks’

notice. We could do it with

two weeks’ notice, but no

less.’ I explained that we

didn’t have two weeks’

notice, but the voice on the

other end was unwavering.

“I do not pretend to know

what goes on in the village

offices, but I could not help

but wonder why four weeks,

or even two weeks, were

necessary. It was October,

and I seriously doubt that the

demand was high. I believe

that, if it’s available, it ought

to be scheduled for use.”

As it turned out, new

indoor gathering measures

were approved a few days

prior to the scheduled con-

cert, allowing the band to

play before a limited audi-

ence inside the TKHS audi-

torium, Rickert said.

Rickert then spoke about

some of his students wanting

to hold a jazz concert at the

amphitheater. He said a stu-

dent called the village last

week to ask about the use of

the amphitheater, explaining

that they were associated

with the high school jazz

band.

She was told the use of the

facility would cost $100 if

they wanted power, Rickert

said.

“Quite frankly, I was

shocked that the village

would consider charging the

TK band for the use of this

facility,” he said. “For the 24

years I have been here, we

have provided music for

countless community

events.”

Rickert was later told that

the band could have earned

their amphitheater fees by

performing at the Middleville

Market last Friday. He

learned of that possibility

only one day before, he said.

“Folks, I’m not asking to

use the facility whenever we

want. But I am asking that

we be allowed to use it, with-

out a charge, if it’s avail-

able,” Rickert said. “You

seem to want to bring people

downtown, to get people to

patronize our local business-

es. Our two performances

would have done just that.”

Council Trustee Kevin

Smith said he was “shocked”

by Rickert’s statements.

“I think that the notice is

meant to ensure that we have

the right planning and per-

mits, if necessary,” Smith

said. “I am a little confused

as to why that applies to a

school band who participates

regularly for events that we

plan as a committee or as a

village.”

Smith then tied into the

village’s recent community

rebranding effort.

“One of the commanding

principles of our marketing

effort was that we are in tre-

mendous support of our

school,” he said. “This

shocks me a little bit and it’s

upsetting that we would plan

and spend thousands of dol-

lars on a marketing effort to

communicate to our commu-

nity that we support our

school and, in turn, have this

situation happen in such a

short period of time after that

effort.

“I’m disappointed in that.”

Council Trustee Mike

Cramer said the village poli-

cy for use of the amphithe-

ater needs to be reviewed.

“I think that a security

deposit for the bandshell

would suffice, and then an

additional charge if they’re

using electricity for anybody

that’s conducting a nonprofit

activity, as such, like a reli-

gious group or the local

school band. I feel like those

are worthy uses of that band-

shell that don’t require a

charge,” Cramer said.

Trustee Ed Schellinger

sounded a note of concern

about possible implications

of a policy change.

“If we’re going to do this

for our schools and for our

churches, we’re going to

make some people rather

unhappy because: ‘You did it

for them, why can’t you do it

for us?’ ” Schellinger pointed

out. “That’s why our backs

are real thick-skinned.”

Cramer made a motion to

waive the fees for the TK

band students and to have the

village review the policy at a

future date.

The motion passed unani-

mously.

Under the current policy, a

resident wanting to reserve

the amphitheater has to pay a

$100 reservation fee. A non-

profit based in Middleville

would pay a $50 fee.

Someone from outside the

village wanting to reserve

the amphitheater would pay

a $200 reservation fee, while

a nonprofit outside of the

village would pay a $

reservation fee, Village

Manager Patricia Rayl said.

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Families in need can get

help in Gaines Township

James Gemmell

Contributing Writer

Low-income families that

need medical assistance can

receive it now on the Streams

of Hope campus in Gaines

Charter Township, if they

live within the community

development agency’s ser-

vice area.

Catherine’s Health Center,

based in northeastern Grand

Rapids, recently partnered

with Streams of Hope to set

up an office and medical

clinic on the Streams of Hope

campus, at 280 60th St. SE.

Catherine’s is now open at

that location for low-income

families needing medical

assistance.

Streams of Hope is a non-

profit organization that, for

years, has provided food and

other services to as many as

600 low-income households

monthly within about a two-

mile radius of its 60th Street

location, about a quarter-mile

east of South Division

Avenue.

Streams of Hope

Executive Director Kurtis

Kaechele said Catherine’s

Health Center was looking to

expand its services and “now

they’ve taken over part of our

offices and converted them

into a health-care center for

underserved people in our

neighborhood.” The health

center provides medical ser-

vices for those who are unin-

sured or under-insured.

Streams of Hope also has

partnered with the Circles

Grand Rapids nonprofit orga-

nization to offer a new pro-

gram that takes a long-range

approach to ending genera-

tional poverty. Kaechele said

the local program was

“birthed out of Cornerstone

Church.” It is part of a larger

national volunteer group,

Circles USA. He said the

two-year program has pro-

duced great results by tutor-

ing and mentoring low-in-

come people who are “ready

to change their whole life.”

“It helps them figure out

the best way to get out of

debt,” said Barb Nauta, exec-

utive director for the Gaines

Chamber of Commerce. “It’s

really empowering them.”

Kaechele pointed out that

the area Streams of Hope

serves has a lot of transient

residents and many pockets

of severe poverty. He said

they’re doing more outreach

to find those in need, such as

having volunteer youth

groups place door-hanger

signs “just to say, ‘Hey, do

you need food? We have

food. Do your kids need

tutoring? We have a tutoring

program, or GED program or

medical clinic.’ ”

Several companies and

organizations supply Steams

of Hope with food, such as

Trader Joe’s, Target, Costco

and Buist Community

Assistance Center in Byron

Center. Kaechele said

Streams of Hope also pur-

chases food from the Feeding

America West Michigan food

bank.

Food pantries in West

Michigan are connected

through Access Kent, which

distributes food quarterly to

sites countywide. Access

Kent also participates in a

Michigan Department of

Education-funded program

to distribute U.S. Department

of Agriculture food to house-

holds that meet federal pov-

erty guidelines, called The

Emergency Food Assistance

Program (TEFAP).

Meijer has helped out a lot

with Streams of Hope,

Kaechele said.

“The Meijer ‘Simply Give’

program has been very good

to us; donating gift cards so

that we can purchase food,

diapers, whatever we need,

on a weekly basis,” he said.

“It’s a combination of dona-

tions and food that we buy.”