ZEELAND, Mich. - It's one of the most unique educational situations in West Michigan. Zeeland Public Schools split their high school in two back in 2005. Their longtime mascot, named for Zeeland's agricultural heritage, was given a new rival. Now, each year, its the Chix vs. the Dux.
Zeeland's motto is "Feel the Zeel" and you can certainly tell by their "Be Nice" program, which is a staple of many West Michigan schools. It focuses on mental health and anti-bullying efforts.
Even though these schools are separate, they do so much together, including many elective classes. We got to see that first hand in this week's Classroom Crashers.
The classes that the schools share includes their wood shop and metal shop classes, which prepares many kids for potential careers in carpentry and manufacturing.
Zeeland does gym class a little differently too. Kids that don't quite fit in a normal PE class work together and can stay active in healthy in a way that works for them.
Here's another Sunrise Sidelines first. Zeeland has a strong dance program. And as we saw from their performance Friday morning, that curriculum has paid off big time!
Robotics teams are not exactly a first for Sunrise Sidelines, but that doesn't make their work any less amazing. We got to see their bot zoom around while the band played some great music for us.
But the music didn't stop with that hit. Wait until you hear this awesome trumpet solo.
For our messy game, one of the teachers thought of an award-winning strategy. Instead of sticking his whole face into whip cream to get the gummi worms, he just flipped his whole plate over. Is that innovative or is it cheating? You decide!
The winners of the weekly $200 giveaway (yes, we said winners -- both high schools had one) were senior Kyle from Zeeland West who said he's going to take his friends out for dinner after tonight's game, and freshman Hayden won for East. He doesn't yet know what he's going to do with his loot.
We had a wonderful time getting to know the students and staff from both of these OK Green schools. Whether you cluck or quack, you've got a lot to be proud of if you're in Zeeland.
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Matt Gard is the Senior Producer of 13 ON YOUR SIDE Mornings. If you have a story idea, you can contact him on Twitter, @mgard_wzzm13 or by e-mail, MattGard@wzzm13.com.