Our East Grand Rapids community is truly filled with Hearts of Gold. In last few weeks, we have ungone a whirlwind of hardships. Our school lost a beloved student, Kai  very suddenly to complications of a brain tumor. This took everyone by surprise but immediately his life was celebrated with notes on his locker and a day designated to wear his favorite color.

These difficult times  have truly demonstrated the love and acceptance found within our community.  

With such a small school, it is a lot easier to really get to know my classmates and teachers on a very personal level. Many of the teachers in our schools are also the parents of children that go to East Grand Rapids. That means that the tradition of excellence is not only taught in the curriculum, but it is also taught in our homes.

This tradition is not just an academic standard that our school holds us to. It is moral obligation to treat everyone around us with respect while being a positive member of our community.

Our close knit community always finds ways to come together by supporting each other, celebrating the successes, and taking care of eachother in a time of need. East Grand Rapids is built on tradition and that is what makes us so unique. Some of the ways we celebrate those traditions are through athletics and the support of local businesses.

You can always find thousands of East families filling the Pioneer Stadium under the Friday night lights cheering for our football team. Some of these families don’t even have children in high school but, still know all the cheers and support the team.

No matter what season it is there will always be a tradition to be celebrated. One of my personal favorites is the annual Christmas tree lighting. Gaslight is lit up with Christmas lights and our quaint downtown is taken over by children waiting to talk to Santa. It could be ten degrees outside and everyone has a smile on their face enjoying the Christmas obiance.

These small celebrations wouldn’t be the same if we were just faces in a crowd of strangers. Instead, we celebrate alongside our neighbors, our teachers, our colleges, our doctors and our friends. These happy moments make East Grand Rapids the positive place that it is and we need to continue to cherish these moments because our community makes us who we are.