"Battle Creek has more history per square mile than any other city" in the United States, says often-quoted Mary Butler, who was a well-respected Battle Creek historian. Now residents and visitors can hold some of that history in the palm of their hands by way of a newly-launched app called "Tours of Battle Creek" – just in time for some Memorial Day hometown touring!
“Today, I’m introducing you to a new scholarship program we’re calling the Bearcat Advantage,” said Kimberly Carter, Superintendent of Battle Creek Public Schools in a surprise announcement to a student-packed auditorium this Wednesday. “It will cover up to 100 percent of your college tuition and fees. . . Starting with the class of 2023 we will pay for your college education. This is your bridge and all you have to do is walk over it.”
“When it comes to gun violence and violence in general, there are still going to be people out there who want to hurt others," says Marshall Murdick, a senior, who is helping launch a Battle Creek Central H.S. chapter of Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise Club. "We want to make sure our classmates are O.K. and at least have one friend out there so they will do better in life.”
Raised on a potato farm, Brenda Hunt grew up comfortable on a tractor cultivating the fields. She brought that skill for cultivation to her position as CEO of the Battle Creek Community Foundation, but after 30 impactful years, she says she's ready to step down. And return – at least in part – to the tractor (which she still loves to ride) and her family farm.
Kellogg Community College is strengthening its bridge from associates to bachelors degrees at Grand Valley State University. Credit alignment, programming, and pre-transfer support are part of the collaborative effort. "Our advisors will be coming to KCC to work with these students," says Al Shiflett, Director of Community Engagement with GVSU's BC Regional Outreach Center. "They’ll be Lakers from day one even if they’re not at GVSU yet."
Southwest Michigan Second Wave is thrilled to launch its third cohort of stories from Voices of Youth Battle Creek, a student-paid journalism-training program. Over the next four weeks, we will be publishing the students' passionate stories and artwork that reflect on issues that matter most to them. Read on to learn more.
Since its November launch, ChatGPT has created a stir of controversy. Some local teachers and students can see both its benefits and drawbacks. One Lakeview High School senior says she can see how the AI tool could help with generating essay ideas, but as far as using it in place of her own writing, she says, “It would create an interesting perspective, but it would never be your own work."
On the first publicly-celebrated Earth Day since the pandemic, Southwest Michiganders gathered to plant, weed, and beautify. For the Litter Ladies and Lads in Battle Creek who pick up trash year-round to protect humans and wildlife, every day is Earth Day.
Southwest Michigan Native American Tribal leaders and Western Michigan University are inauagarting a long-desired Graduate Certificate in Tribal Governance. “This program is not only for Native citizens but also for people who don’t have any affiliation with Tribal Communities,” says Ben Brenner, member of the Gun Lake Tribal Council. “I hope it will be the spark that guides people back home to their Tribes."
A unique and artistic barbershop in Marshall is drawing clientele from around Southwest Michigan. In the front, CAMP, a family-friendly barbershop, and in the back, Huntsman's Hound for the "distinguished gentlemen" where clientele can expect to be shaved with razors containing Japanese Feather Blades and with a "teaspooon more of exclusivity," says owner Noah Saber who had plenty of help in bringing his vision to life.
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