Kent City Ridge Run
“The Ridge Run is great because it raises funds for our cross country team as well as other important organizations, and it’s fun to see everybody come out every year to run at our school.” -Cross Country Captain
For more information, contact Jill Evers at 616-678-4210 or jill.evers@kentcityschools.org. We hope to see you there!
2017 Winter Swirl
The Winter Swirl was held in the high school cafeteria on Feb. 18th. Students had a great time at the formal dance with it starting at 8 and ending around 11. The cafeteria looked great with decorations of paper snowflakes from the ceiling. The profits from this dance helped the Junior class for the 2017 Prom. It was a great dance and many people had fun!
National Honor's Society
On Monday March 13th 2017, KCHS inducted its newest members to the National Honors Society. We wanted to know more about NHS so we asked Mrs. Kent, the NHS adviser, some questions and here are her answers.
How many students were accepted into NHS this year? 105 students were eligible to apply, 58 apps were taken, and 40 selected this year. About 10 more than usual. Once you're a member, you're in. You don't have to reapply every year.
What are the criteria for the National Honor Society and what is the application process? 3.0 GPA or better for 10th-12th grade after 1st semester grades have been posted. The Selection Committee reviews applications and they are a vital part to the success of our group. Our committee reads and discusses each application, and we try do everything we can to help kids make the NHS. Our philosophy is inclusive, "You can never have too many positive students willing to do good things." From their applications we look at the number of extracurricular activities, number and types of leadership roles, total hours and types of community service activities, and read through the recommendations and discuss the student's character. After all of this is complete we total the student's score to see if they have met the criteria for their grade level to be accepted into the NHS. Since we rely so heavily on the application and references, it is imperative that students put any and all of their information that pertains to each category. Students' applications should speak to their strengths, selling themselves well.
What does NHS do during the school year? Emphasis is on Scholarship, Leadership, Character and Service. There are 3 yearly activities sponsored by NHS or in conjunction with student government; Veteran's Day Assembly, District Wide Food Drive, and Elementary Field Day. Students frequently work the elementary math and reading nights, carnival, Lion's Breakfasts, etc. Groups generally contact me asking for volunteers and we do not do fundraisers. Students are encouraged to give service in areas that are meaningful to them.
Is there something special for seniors? Seniors can earn Honor Cords which are worn at graduation. They must meet a requirement of service hours to receive Honor Cords and they are typically given at Senior Awards Night.
Any final comments? “This group is a joy to work with. It's amazing how many activities our students choose to be involved with.” -Mrs. Kent”
Drama Club
Kent City High School Drama Club Presents: Little Women. This year the Kent City High School drama department produced the play “Little Women”, which was about four sisters-Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy-whose father is off serving in the American Civil War. The show was directed by Mrs. Brown and starred Breegan Petruska, Isaac and Julia Schnicke, Haley Kozal, Meghan Long, Delaney Fritz, Katie Schneider-Thomas, Kinsey Dever, Caitlyn Rogers, Asia Lantz, Brittany Darling, Katherine Cook, Noah Dietlein, Michael Bubula, and Owen VerSluis.
Sophomore Breegan Petruska said, “I’m really excited for the play. I feel like it will be rock awesome.” Junior Haley Kozal stated “We worked really hard to put this production together and I feel like it definitely shows. We’re extremely excited.” They had four performances, all of which were successful! Good job, Drama Club!
Quiz Bowl
Receiving post-season conference honors were the following: Mathew Maloney and Jacob Podell - 1st TEAM ALL CONFERENCE.
Nathan DuBridge, Mitchell VanOeffelen, and Clay Davis - All-Conference Honorable Mention. Congratulations!
It should also be noted that on Tuesday night, senior Jacob Podell was named "League MVP" for the Grand Rapids Metro Quiz Bowl League - this is an amazing accomplishment. Way to go Jake!
Varsity Girls Basketball
The Kent City Eagles varsity girls’ basketball team was looking for their third consecutive district title, but lost a close game to Western Michigan Christian (53-45). The lady Eagles were leading 22-20 at halftime, but the Warriors outscored the Eagles in the long run. Kaitlyn Geers led the team in scoring with 19 points. It was an even harder loss because it was the final game for the seniors Kaitlyn, McKenna, and Paige. Overall, the girls had a great season earning another CSAA Silver Championship and finishing with a 17-5 record.
JV Girls Basketball
The JV girls’ basketball team had a great season, even though they had a rough start adapting to the new speed and the fact that there was no Freshman team like past years. This team consisted mostly of Freshmen due to many Sophomore players being pulled up to the Varsity team. The team had three Sophomores: Holly Kosak, Hannah VanWert, and Makenna Bonter. The other players on the team were Freshmen: Joan Carr, Mikayla Loew, Emily Bull, Maddy Maycroft, Kristen Toporski (Team Manager), Morgan DeVoogd, Abby Ignasiak, and Elizabeth Sible. A key game of the season was the second time they faced off against Lakeview. They won this game 43 to 35. The girls worked hard to unite their new team. Holly Kosak said , “I didn’t make new friends, I made a second family, I wouldn’t trade this season for the world.”
Varsity Boys Basketball
JV Boys Basketball
The J.V. boys' basketball team had a great finish to a good season with a hard fought victory over Montague 65-50. Montague wanted to push the tempo with their multiple presses and pressure man defense, but we were able to keep our cool in the first quarter with a 26-18 lead. The Wildcats closed the gap in the second quarter by turning the ball over, but we maintained a three point lead at half: 35-32. At halftime we talked about playing our game and pounding the ball inside and that was the difference. They had no answer for our posts and our guards really crashed the defensive glass.
Brenden Geers led the team with 20 points followed by John Meek with 11. “This year I feel our kids started really growing up and learned to be a ‘Team’ over being individuals. We finished the year with a 15-4 record” -Coach.
"We had a great season it was very fun. I hope we go to State next year." Casey Carew
"We really figured out how to be a good team when we learned that the effort we give is for your teammates and not for yourself." John Meek
Freshman Boys Basketball
The Freshmen boys' basketball team had a great season. They finished it off with a tough battle against Fremont.
Fremont 55 Kent City 46. Fremont made the trip down to The Nest in a rematch from a few weeks ago in which Kent City pulled out a win. We knew it would be a solid rematch and that it was back and forth until a strong 3rd quarter by the Packers. The Eagles could not overcome the 3rd quarter deficit falling 55-46. Leading the way for the Eagles was Spencer Hartley with 15 and Will Wright with 11.
Coach said "This group of boys overcame many challenges this season from players moving teams to illness and injury. This showed strength in players stepping up into new roles and leadership position. I look forward to the next 3 years to see what these boys develop into."
"It was a great season and we progressed well as a team." Tylor Fisk
Varsity Wrestling
Bowling
Senior Update
Here are some important spring dates for seniors & parents to keep in mind:
3/13 – Monday National Honor Society Induction Ceremony at 7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium
3/17 – Friday Early Release - 6-12 Students at 12:45 p.m. and Elementary at 1:00 p.m. Professional Development for All Teachers from 1:00-3:00 p.m.
3/24 – Friday End of 3rd Marking Period, Senior Trip money is due
3/27 – Monday Senior Bash Meeting in the Media Center at 5:30 p.m.
3/31 - Friday to 4/7 – Friday No School - Spring Break
4/14 – Friday Graduation Orders Distribution during Lunch - (Must pay balance by money order or cash only)
4/21 – Friday Early Release - 6-12 Students at 12:45 p.m. and Elementary at 1:00 p.m. Professional Development for All Teachers from 1:00-3:00 p.m.
4/22 – Saturday PROM at Celebration Cinema
5/8 – Monday Senior Awards Night at 7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium
5/19- Friday Early Release - 6-12 Students at 12:45 p.m. and Elementary at 1:00 p.m. Professional Development for All Teachers from 1:00-3:00 p.m.
5/22 – Monday Seniors Last Day
5/23 – Tuesday Senior Class Trip
6/2 - Friday Graduation Rehearsal
6/4 – Sunday Class of 2017 Graduation at 6:00 p.m.
Also remember to turn in money for senior trip and for senior bash.