SN 8.28.2021 DONE

The Sun and News, Saturday, August 28, 2021/ Page 19

Caledonia’s realignment takes effect

Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
Caledonia Community
Schools kicked off its first
week of classes this week
under the district’s new
realignment plan.

After years of two middle

schools in the district serving

students in the sixth through

eighth grades, Kraft

Meadows and Duncan Lake

schools now serve separate

student bodies. Kraft

Meadows is now an interme-

diate school, serving fifth-

and sixth-grade students,

while Duncan Lake remains

a middle school, housing stu-

dents in the seventh and

eighth grades. Elementary

buildings in the district are

now kindergarten through

fourth grade.

At Paris Ridge Elementary

School, students continued

an annual tradition with a

flag-raising ceremony.

“The ceremony usually

occurs during the first week

of school, after classrooms

have had time to establish

some routines, before they

come together as a whole

school for the first time,”

Paris Ridge Principal Kris

Vydareny wrote to the Sun

and News. “New staff mem-

bers are introduced, school-

wide expectations are set for

the year and students are

taught the ‘official’ Paris

Ridge cheer.”

Staff members assist in the

raising of the school flag,

Vydareny said.

“The Paris Ridge flag flies

under our American flag

each day reminding staff and

students that they are both

part of a greater community

(our nation) as well as their

school community,” he said.

“The event usually involves

some loud chanting and defi-

nitely some music – provid-

ing an energizing launch into

the new year. This ceremony

is repeated toward the end of

the school year where they

say goodbye to staff and stu-

dents who are leaving and

lower the flag symbolizing

the closing of the school

year.

“It is an exciting time for

both staff and students to

welcome in the new school

year.”

At Caledonia High School,

new Principal Bill Martin

began his duties. Martin was

hired by the school board

earlier this month after he

had been a middle school

principal in the Grand Rapids

Public Schools.

At Dutton Elementary

School, classes had to be

reduced to half-day this week

because of the heat. Students

were released at noon each

day. In a letter that went out

earlier this week,

Superintendent Dr. Dedrick

Martin said that Dutton is the

one school in the district that

has limited or no air condi-

tioning.

“While we are fortunate to

have recently passed a bond

that will rectify this issue in

the future, we currently must

rely on fans and a limited

number of portable air condi-

tioners for this location on

high heat/high humidity

days,” Martin wrote in the

letter. “A combination of

portable air conditioning

units and fans will continue

to be utilized to help keep the

heat from reaching danger-

ous levels within the build-

ings on most hot days.”

The current Dutton

Elementary is slated to be

closed at the end of the 2023-

24 school year. A new Dutton

Elementary School is pro-

posed to open in the fall of

2024 in the area of 76th

Street and Patterson Road.

Martin said that, while the

first couple of days had its

challenges as far as transpor-

tation of students, the system

showed improvement the

rest of the week.

“I expect that, by the end

of next week, we should be

in a nice groove,” he said.

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

Proposed Flood Hazard Determinations for

Kent County, Michigan (All Jurisdictions)

The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency

has issued a preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), and where applicable,

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Students at Paris Ridge Elementary School kick off the school year with their tra-

ditional flag-raising ceremony.

Teacher Todd DeJong gives instructions to his sixth-

grade English and language arts class at Kraft Meadows

Intermediate School.

Students in Rebecca Wood’s sixth-grade English and language arts class at Kraft

Meadows Intermediate School work on a lesson tied to Grant Wood’s “American

Gothic” painting.

New Caledonia High School Principal Bill Martin, right, shares a laugh with

Assistant Principal Jim Crites on the first day of classes.