Ottawa Hills improves,off 'lowest' list

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - At the time of year when students are cramming for final exams, Ottawa Hills High School got its own report card Thursday. And it was a good report.

It's off a national list of the lowest-performing high schools, its students have improved in every subject for state testing and ACT scores have improved by about two points over the past four years -- but there is still a long way to go.

Though its graduation rate of nearly 66% is higher than the district's average, it still lags behind the state rate by nearly 10%.

"For this school to be at the bottom, at the very bottom, basically, and improve itself the way it has the past two years, this is really the story we need," said Michigan Superintendent of Education Mike Flanagan.

Flanagan addressed a full school assembly Thursday as a part of a surprise announcement that one of the school's teachers was named teacher of the year.

"You've made such great academic achievement strides in the past few years it's almost unbelievable," Flanagan told the crowd of excited, cheering students.  

Flanagan pointed out that it helps that the school has excellent teachers, including the newly-named Michigan Teacher of the Year Bobbi Jo Kenyon.

That award, Flanagan said, is that much more important for an urban school. 

"Frankly, some districts' kids are going to do pretty well almost no matter what we do," said Flanagan. "I don't mean that in a demeaning way, but they're not going to have quite the challenges, and to see this school turn itself around and be on the right track is an inspiration and why we're happy a teacher of the year is from here."

"I'm just proud to be working with a lot of children that people write off because there is just so much accomplishment and success here at school with the kids that it's just amazing," said Kenyon.  

She told 24 Hour News 8 that she hopes her victory is a victory for all inner-city school teachers.

"I actually had a parent tell me that my child is not doing well in school because 'you guys are inner-city, and if you were good teachers you could go work anywhere you want,' [but] some of us actually choose to work in this -- in this population. In inner-cities, and I just want them to know there are great teachers and I work with them every day," Kenyon said.

Kenyon has dedication written on her face -- and on her science classroom walls at Ottawa Hills High School. Inspirational signs hang in the front of the room. One reads: Failure is not an option.

"I just want them always facing the kids because I totally believe in every one of them," she told 24 Hour News 8.

She'll be the first to say it's not always easy in an inner-city urban school district like GRPS, and in her 14 years at the school, and 16 in the district, she has seen her fair share of students just not come back to class.

"It's hard to see when kids give up or you no longer see them on your attendance list and you don't know what happened to them or where they are at. It's terrible. It's hard," she said.

But she shared her philosophy that helped her become Michigan's top teacher.

"My big philosophy is to teach these kids as if they're in any school, as if they are all going to Harvard, you know, just give them the same opportunity everyone else would to teach them because they deserve it."

Kenyon, who teaches 9th-graders, went on to say, "The best part is when you can see those freshmen graduate four years from now, and walk across that stage. I mean there's nothing more amazing."