Michelle Obama welcomed WMCAT, other national arts winners to White House
Nov. 15, 2016; MLive
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology was among 12 arts organizations honored by the White House Tuesday, Nov. 15, for its dedication to enriching and transforming the lives of young people through the arts.
… WMCAT Executive Director Daniel Williams accepted the award Tuesday with Keloni Seawood-Walton, a spring graduate of GRPS’ Montessori theme school, who studied fashion and photography teen labs and has now transitioned to the apprenticeship program as a Grand Rapids Community College student.
State awards local nonprofit $175K to conduct preschool pilot
Nov. 15, 2016; MLive
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The state has allocated $175,000 for the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative (ELNC) to conduct a pilot to evaluate the relative impact on vulnerable children of one versus two years of preschool.
… “This research will lay the foundation for the case to publicly fund 3-year-old preschool for vulnerable children,” said ELNC founder and CEO Nkechy Ekere Ezeh.
(This article doesn’t mention it, but Nkechy Ekere Ezeh is a GRCC alumna.)