WHS & WMU graduate’s mission: to be a voice for refugees

Grads contemplate life after high school: ‘We will be fine’

Holly Lawrence, Aluet Deng and Girum Merriman come from three different school districts, but they share an optimism about their futures and the good they can do in the world. All three are members of Kent ISD’s Student Leadership Community [https://www.kentisd.org/parents--community/student-leadership-community/], 41 students from across Kent County who met throughout the school year to give input on their educational experience to Kent ISD Superintendent Ron Gorman and other leaders. In this episode of “Study Hall,” we talked with them about the ups and downs of high-school life, their plans for college and careers, and their concerns about what challenges they could face in the future. For more great stories about the changes and challenges of school districts in West Michigan, check out our website, School News Network.org. [https://www.schoolnewsnetwork.org/] And if you have ideas for future programs, feel free to send them to us at SNN@kentisd.org. Thanks for listening, and happy studying!

School resource officers vow to provide students ‘a safe place’

As schools have become ever more concerned with the safety and security of their students, school resource officers have taken on an increasingly important role. Public law enforcement officers trained to work in schools, SROs provide not just protection against bad actors but day-to-day support for students dealing with personal problems, from family issues to medical conditions. We talk with SROs Jon LaSotta and Chad Wells, Kent County sheriff’s deputies whose beat is the hallways of Kent City Community Schools. For more great stories about the changes and challenges of school districts in West Michigan, check out our website, School News Network.org. [https://www.schoolnewsnetwork.org/] And if you have ideas for future programs, feel free to send them to us at SNN@kentisd.org. Thanks for listening, and happy studying!

WHS & WMU graduate’s mission: to be a voice for refugees

Mehran Najafi is deeply grateful to have come as a refugee from war-torn Afghanistan to the United States, where, he says, “you get to have a normal life.” Now a U.S. citizen, the graduate of Wyoming High School and Western Michigan University works with abused and neglected teens and hopes to work for the United Nations [https://www.schoolnewsnetwork.org/2026/02/04/people-supported-me-and-now-i-can-support-others/] helping other refugees around the world.  We talked with Mehran about his four-year journey to America and his efforts to bring the rest of his family, who were approved for refugee status until the Trump administration suspended the program. For more great stories about the changes and challenges of school districts in West Michigan, check out our website, School News Network.org. [https://www.schoolnewsnetwork.org/] And if you have ideas for future programs, feel free to send them to us at SNN@kentisd.org. Thanks for listening, and happy studying!

AI in the classroom: Can it enhance learning without replacing it?

Heads up, everyone: AI has arrived and it’s everywhere, including classrooms.  How can students responsibly use artificial intelligence tools to help them learn, not do their learning for them? How can teachers employ AI to amplify their lessons and keep cheating in check? We talk with two educators on the leading edge of AI-augmented instruction, Aaron Romoslawski in Forest Hills and Michael Kennedy in Grandville, about how teachers are creatively preparing students for a world that will be filled with AI.      For more great stories about the changes and challenges of school districts in West Michigan, check out our website, School News Network.org. [https://www.schoolnewsnetwork.org/] And if you have ideas for future programs, feel free to send them to us at SNN@kentisd.org. Thanks for listening, and happy studying!

How one teacher helps students beat national reading averages

Students in Michigan and nationwide are struggling with reading [https://bridgemi.com/talent-education/m-step-results-third-grade-english-language-arts-reaches-new-low/], but not in Amy Dyksterhouse’s classroom. The fourth-grade teacher at Kettle Lake Elementary School integrates reading skills into all subjects, as part of a K-5 curriculum that takes students from “learning to read to reading to learn.” We talk with her about why Caledonia’s reading scores rank well above state and national averages, and how she engages students with strategies like “brain movies.”    Click here to watch a short video on Amy Dyksterhouse leading a reading activity. [https://youtu.be/LL-zJ5DxlMg] You can download this episode of “Study Hall” by clicking on the embed above, or listen to it right here on School News Network. If you would rather read our conversation, click on the Transcript tab here [https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2283536/episodes/18381385-teen-musicians-find-passion-community-in-the-abc-orchestra]. You can also subscribe to the podcast through the RSS feed here [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2283536.rss], find it on many of your favorite streaming platforms, or listen to more episodes in the player below. A shorter version of this podcast can be heard on WGVU Public Media, 88.5 FM. [https://www.wgvunews.org/] For more great stories about the changes and challenges of school districts in West Michigan, check out our website, School News Network.org. [https://www.schoolnewsnetwork.org/] And if you have ideas for future programs, feel free to send them to us at SNN@kentisd.org. Thanks for listening, and happy studying!