HomeGrand Rapids

Grand Rapids

Dedicated educator overcame ‘life’s circumstances’ to lead GRPS

Grand Rapids Phil de Haan

Dr. Leadriane Roby has had a life full of preparing for unanticipated circumstances...

A veteran teacher adapts to new reality: ‘nothing compares to this’

Grand Rapids Phil de Haan

An elementary school teacher of 40 years says education has never seen anything like 2020...

For IT team, COVID meant turning on a dime to online

Grand Rapids Phil de Haan

‘It really does feel like rebuilding the plane while it’s in the air,’ says IT specialist Craig Ghareeb...

Kept out of classrooms, kids learn from the great outdoors

Grand Rapids Brett Atwood

Moving learning out of the classroom doesn’t necessarily equate to more screen time for students, who can also learn from Mother Nature...

GRPS Faces Unexpected Enrollment Drop

Grand Rapids Phil de Haan

A bigger-than-expected enrollment decline means GRPS will have to address a sudden budget shortfall...

‘See who we are … see GRPS’

Grand Rapids Charles Honey

Many are eagerly anticipating the release of an alumni directory listing tens of thousands of GRPS graduates, to be published in conjunction with the district’s 150th anniversary in 2021...

Even in virtual year, turkey trotters still run for GRPS athletics

Grand Rapids Phil de Haan

Some 1,600 people ran a virtual Turkey Trot in 2020 to support K-12 student athletics at GRPS...

Handyman helps guard employees against sneezes and other hazards

Grand Rapids Phil de Haan

Protective barriers for many GRPS employees were created by a fellow GRPS employee this summer and fall, at a cost far less than purchasing them would have been...

Class of 2021 has ‘test-optional’ choice when applying for college

Issues in Education Erin Albanese

Most schools in the state of Michigan have become SAT/ACT-optional for the Class of 2021 for admission purposes. There are, however, pros and cons for students...

Teacher recruits from Puerto Rico find welcoming new home in Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids Charles Honey

A recruiting trip to Puerto Rico brought two new teachers to Grand Rapids as part of an innovative district effort to address a shortage of bilingual instructors...

A promise for college fulfilled: ‘I’m so grateful’

Grand Rapids Phil de Haan

This fall some 250 students are attending Grand Rapids Community College on a Promise Zone scholarship, including 160 from Grand Rapids Public Schools...

Looking for classroom lessons in the great outdoors

Grand Rapids Phil de Haan

Sally Triant is exploring every GRPS campus in the city, looking for places to turn the outdoors into an educational opportunity...

GRPS to continue virtual-only instruction for rest of semester

Grand Rapids Phil de Haan

GRPS leaders decided to extend the district's 100 percent virtual learning model for the rest of the first semester after the Kent County Health Department announced rapidly rising COVID-19 positivity rates...

New interim director heads foundation support of K-8 student sports

Grand Rapids Phil de Haan

An attorney with both sports and fundraising experience is the new interim director of a program that gives GRPS K-8 students a chance to play sports, regardless of ability to pay...

Deadline set to determine plans for next marking period at GRPS

Grand Rapids Phil de Haan

GRPS parents and guardians have a little more than a week to decide if their students will remain in virtual learning or return to school buildings in a hybrid model for the next marking period...