Sophomores Ali Bolt, left, and Addyson Hoffman, help prepare the village of Middleville for a busy tourist season
Thornapple Kellogg — In a classroom typically filled with freshmen learning the ins and outs of world history, students from all grades are instead packed in — some standing, others gathered around desks — ripping apart old T-shirts and braiding fabric into chew toys for dogs.
Next door, a crowd of equal size paints palm-sized rocks in bursts of color with encouraging words meant to be found around the Middleville community as people walk the trails and visit shops.
At Thornapple Kellogg High School on the third Friday of April, students and teachers broke from routine and spent a morning learning how to serve their community. The service day is a tradition that administrators say has been going on for years.
Students get to choose from activities at school or as far south as the Yankee Springs Recreation Area, and some choose projects that are very personal.
Senior Kailee Ancel chose to work on the trails at the YMCA’s Camp Manitou Lin, a place she said she visited regularly in elementary school as a part of Thornapple Kellogg’s special education program. Junior Charlotte Nelson said she wanted to serve in the library as a way to thank librarian Barb Hubers, who is one of her “favorite people in the whole school,” she said.
Here are just a few of the more than 30 service projects:
Evan Liu, a Thornapple Kellogg High School sophomore, chose to spend part of his service morning making sleeping bags for unhoused people in Michigan
Junior Charlotte Nelson chose to clean bookshelves in the library because it provides a calmer place to serve, and because librarian Barb Hubers is one of her favorite people at school
Senior Mia Dickman, second from right, spent her morning at Carveth Village, an assisted-living facility in Middleville, because she served there last year and enjoys hanging out with residents. Also pictured is senior Kelly Lambert, left
Sophomores Aaliyah Rodriguez, left, and Joshelin Zavatza-Nava decorate tags for IV bags at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids
Alec Belson, Middleville’s director of public works, says work done by Thornapple Kellogg High School students to beautify the village saves his small team many hours of labor. Pictured are Matthew Jore, left, Nolan Send and Blake Dykstra
Junior Zoe Linderman, left, and sophomore Shylee Benham-Richards chose to make dog toys for local animal shelters out of old T-shirts because of their mutual love for canines
Freshman Avery Hangerman, left, chose to weed a trailside flower bed because she loves to walk and bike on the path that cuts through the village of Middleville. Also pictured are sophomore Sophia Etterman, middle, and freshman Trygg Hicswa
The kindness stones painted by freshman Quentin Phillips, left, and juniors Madelyn Heany and Claire Norris will be placed throughout the village of Middleville to encourage people as they walk, bike and shop
Senior Kailee Ancel chose to volunteer at YMCA’s Camp Manitou-Lin because she enjoyed going to the camp as an elementary student
Allison Poosawtsee is a reporter covering Rockford Public Schools and Kent City Community Schools. She has spent 15+ years working and writing in the education context, first for her alma mater, Calvin University, and then for various businesses and nonprofit organizations in the Grand Rapids area. As a student journalist, she served as editor-in-chief of Calvin’s student newspaper where she garnered several Michigan Collegiate Press Association awards for her work. Allison is a proud parent of two Grand Rapids Public Schools scholars and a passionate advocate for the value of public education.
Area students were center stage at the annual “Listen. Learn. Lead.” event to share their thoughts about mental health, school safety, engagement and belonging.
