News across Greater Grand Rapids

Boxes, Bags and Better Choices: Students Recycle Their Way into Campus Life
A new academic year has launched at Hope and the Hope Advocates for Sustainability (HAS) student intern team is well on their way to helping promote ways for the campus community to get involved.

Operating millage request to go before voters in November
Rockford is asking voters to consider an operating millage proposal that counts for about 8% of the district’s budget.

History repeats itself with familiar face as new building leader
Former high school history teacher and Thornapple Kellogg alum Danny Thompson is now serving as middle school assistant principal.

Social media: addictive or productive? Can be both, teens say
Is social media as bad for teens as many states and school districts allege? That depends on how you use it, say these two high school students and a mental-health counselor.

Montcalm Area Career Center enrollment reaches 10-year high
Despite having fewer program offerings available this fall, the Montcalm Area Career Center (MACC) is serving more students than it has in a decade. The MACC recorded 312 students at the same point in 2024-2025 and 309 in 2023-24, according to enrollment figures Montcalm Area…

High schools honored for inclusive programming
Two area high schools have achieved 10 standards to earn a national honor based on inclusivity.

Sunflower seeds school students on plant life cycles
Third-graders hunt sunflower seeds in their school’s learning garden to plant next spring, continuing the circle of life.

Building Bright Futures fundraiser returns Sept. 30 to support Greenville students, teachers
When Greenville High School junior James Kinser joined the school’s RoboJackets robotics team as a freshman, he already enjoyed tinkering with electronics and working on projects of his own. Two years later, what started as an interest has grown into something Kinser is…

Enrollment on the rise
After years of declining enrollment, Belding Area Schools may be experiencing a significant reversal. Preliminary enrollment figures have the district on pace to gain approximately 40 students this fall, which would bring enrollment to around 1,680 students — its highest level…

FACULTY FOCUS: Nursing instructor Tabitha Keiffer is exactly where she wants to be
Tabitha Keiffer’s career has come full-circle — first obtaining her nursing education at Montcalm Community College and now teaching it to the next generation of nurses. After graduating from Carson City-Crystal High School, Tabitha obtained her associate degree in registered…

Convergence celebrates community, connection and new beginnings
Montcalm Community College recently received the sculpture Convergence as a gift from project partners to commemorate the opening of Carbonelli Villas, our new student housing building on the college’s Sidney campus. Unveiled during Welcome Week, Convergence symbolizes “where…

MCC offers noncredit classes in October
Learn about stained glass, watercolor painting, AI, playing music and more during Montcalm Community College’s October noncredit courses. Advance registration is required for all courses. Some courses may have a list of materials, or a textbook may be required. Visit…