Tech Center students win $1,300 grant & awards at FFA state contest

March 5 thru 7, 2014, students from the Environmental &Veterinary Sciences class at the Muskegon Area Career Tech Center (MACTC) traveled to Michigan State University to participate in the 86th State FFA Convention. The trip was a rewarding one as students brought home a variety of awards as well as a $1,300 grant.

MACTC students Kevin Lewis (Montague), Braxton Wallis (North Muskegon), and Zack Young (Whitehall) received the Outstanding Junior Award. This award is given to high school juniors who have shown exemplarily dedication to the FFA and their Supervised Agricultural Experience Projects. Wallis stated that the award left him feeling very “accomplished.”  Lydia Vanderstelt (Reeths-Puffer), Tiffani Schelske (Mona Shores), and Wallis all received the Academic Excellence Award, which is given to students who have at least a 3.30 GPA. Vanderstelt also earned a Silver Proficiency Award in Diversified Livestock Production and participated in the Arthur Berkey Agriscience Fair. Vanderstelt and Hannah Berry (Montague) both received their FFA State Degree. This is the highest award granted at the state level.

In addition, the MACTC Chapter received the Superior Chapter Award for demonstrating leadership among their chapter, its members, and the community. The chapter also received a $1,300 Glassbrook Grant to be used by the students to help promote beehive health and student learning.

MACTC students also helped run the events and contribute to the future of the FFA. Vanderstelt and Wallis were this year’s Chapter Delegates and voted on various amendments to the State FFA Bylaws and on the State Officers for the 2014-2015 school year. Keziah Brown (Mona Shores) and Brittany Parker (Orchard View) were State Courtesy Corps members and helped seat over 1,100 of the State Convention attendees.

Before heading home, the group toured several of the Michigan State University farms including the sheep, dairy, and horse barns. The students enjoyed the competitions and the campus visit and are already looking forward to next year.

The Michigan FFA makes a difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agriculture education.  

2014 FFA State  Convention

2014 Academic Excellence:  Lydia Vanderstelt (Reeths-Puffer), Braxton Wallis (North Muskegon), Tiffani Schelske (Mona Shores)

2014 State Degree: Lydia Vanderstelt (Reeths-Puffer), Hanna Berry (Montague)

2014 Glassbrook: Braxton Wallis (North Muskegon)

2014 Outstanding Junior: Zack Young (Whitehall), Braxton Wallis (North Muskegon), Kevin Lewis (Montague)

2014 Proficiency Award: Lydia Vanderstelt (Reeths-Puffer)

Left to Right: Back Row:  Zack Young (Whitehall), Keziah Brown (Mona Shores), Braxton Wallis (North Muskegon) and Kevin Lewis (Montague) Front Row: Tiffani Schelske (Mona Shores), Brittany Parker (Orchard View), Hannah Berry (Montague) and Lydia Vanderstelt (Reeths-Puffer)
 

Local students shine in auto collision & refinishing contest

MUSKEGON — Six students from the Auto Collision/Refinishing program at the Muskegon Area Career Tech Center (MACTC) took part in the regional SkillsUSA competition on Thursday, February 27, 2014. MACTC students finished the day with a clean sweep in both the automotive collision and automotive refinishing categories.

The competition between students from the MACTC and students from the Traverse Bay Area Career Tech Center included seven separate timed events.  

Competitors in automotive collision performed tasks in mig welding, metal repair, plastic repair, and estimating. The automotive refinishing competitors were assigned tasks of color blending, masking, panel painting, and estimating.

In the collision category, MACTC students Jack Eddington (Reeths-Puffer) took third place, Nathan Blessman (Whitehall) took second, and Johnathan Andree (Reeths-Puffer) placed first.

In the refinishing category, MACTC students Nathan Smith (Whitehall) placed third, Debra Williams (White Lake Community Education) placed second, and Dylan Graber (Montague) placed first.

Smith was the only competitor to earn 100% on the estimating portion of the competition, which is considered the most difficult portion to earn such a high score.

When the dust settled and the paint dried, all six MACTC students qualified for state competition. The winning students will now move on to the state SkillsUSA competition, hosted by Fox Ford Grand Rapids on April 11-13, 2014.

“This is a very competitive group of students,” said MACTC Auto Collision/Refinishing Instructor Scott Kaboos, “I am very proud of how everyone competed today.”


Left to right: Muskegon Area Career Tech Center students Nathan Smith (Whitehall), Nathan Blessman (Whitehall), Jack Eddington (Reeths-Puffer), Debra Williams (White Lake Area Community Education), Dylan Graber (Montague), and Johnathon Andree (Reeths-Puffer) will advance to the state SkillsUSA competition in April.

Muskegon Heights native Franklin Latin uses media to inspire youth in Chicago

By STEVE DIMATTEO
Contributing Writer

When you think of Chicago-related news, what comes to mind?

Crime and violence – especially involving youth – has dominated headlines, but Franklin Latin is out to change the perception of urban youth
“You only make the news if you do something bad, never if you’re doing something positive,” Latin said. “You never got the story of the kids that were exceeding the standards or the schools that were graduating students.”

The Westside Writing Project – a program for area students that helps them develop an interest in media and journalism – is not only changing that perception, but is expanding students’ futures as well.

Through digital media workshops, video podcasts, newsletters and scriptwriting, students are making their voices heard in all realms of media.

The WWP even has a show on Chicago Access Network Television, where students come up with content, write their own scripts and create a weekly half-hour live call-in news show for a 12-week period.

Right now, the program has around 60 students from area schools, with more expected to join during the upcoming summer workshop.

As the creator of the WWP, Latin – a 1987 graduate of Muskegon Heights High School and former standout basketball player in both high school and college at Roosevelt University – wanted to give young students in Chicago an outlet to not just explore their own interests, but to get to know the city and world around them.

“We’re [also] looking for youth groups outside of the city, outside of the country,” Latin said. “Students can outreach and see that there’s a big world outside of just their little world.”

In the early 2000s, Latin published a monthly community newspaper called Nitty Gritty News. In that, he created a column where students could write about whatever issues they felt were important.

“The column was very successful and after a few months, expanded to a whole page with 3-4 students submitting articles,” Latin said. “They came up with the title ‘The Ave’ to reflect the issues along Chicago Avenue, a major thoroughfare in the area.”

As the students continued to write about the issues impacting them, and interest in participating continued to build, the Westside Writing Project was started in 2007.

What is most impressive about the WWP is that it has grown primarily through word of mouth and the recruiting efforts of the students themselves. Friends, classmates and siblings have spread the word and helped the program establish lasting partnerships with schools and community centers.

“I would have to say our biggest accomplishment is that we have cultivated a young group of media-savvy youth,” Latin said.

“Last year, we had our first graduating class from the group of youth we originally began with seven years ago.”

Of that group, students have gone on to colleges like the University of Illinois, Iowa State University, the University of Wisconsin and Southern Illinois University to study media.

And the future only gets brighter from here.

Right now, local college students and young professionals are donating their time as the program’s volunteers, but Latin envisions the WWP turning into a full-scale, fully-funded youth organization.

It certainly helps that the group was recently awarded a “Why News Matters” grant for 2014 from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, an initiative described on mccormickfoundation.org as “a grantmaking program designed to enhance news literacy skills and programs in Chicago.”

“We have gotten on the radar of a lot of major funders,” Latin said. “We’re looking to move from the volunteer model to the sustainability model. Hire a staff to come in and expand and continue to deliver these programs.”

When that happens, it will mean more positive things for the students of Chicago-area schools and beyond.

“Having something published, that in and of itself, allows you to see yourself in a different capacity,” Latin said. “Sometimes you have to go against the grain, especially in this city. You have to have some individuality and be a little different and be willing to try new things.”

For more information on the Westside Writing Project, visit http://westsidewriting.org and the program’s YouTube page.