HUDSONVILLE, MICH. — There's more than ice cream and salad in Hudsonville! For the third Sunrise Sidelines we visited Hudsonville High School to fly with the Eagles, and boy were we impressed with what we saw.
We got a tour of the freshman center. It has a modern culinary lab, a state-of-the art pool and a performing arts center.
The educators who have molded the young minds of Hudsonville are also impressive. The principal and teachers have nothing but good things to say about the student body. One class takes 26 high school seniors on a trip to the western United States to study the geology and ecology there. That trip was originally organized by the current teacher's father.
One of the most impressive things about the kids at Hudsonville is their commitment to becoming leaders in their communities. They have a leadership academy where students learn about what it takes to be a good leader. A non-profit organization called UGive works with the leadership academy to help other non-profits. Students break off into groups and they eventually make a presentation about non-profits. Then the students vote on which one should receive $5,000 dollars.
The "Links" program gives students the opportunity to help other students. Juniors and seniors get paired up one-on-one to help tutor. Students say they love getting the opportunity to connect with their peers. Their Special Olympics event has been described as one of the school's best of the year. One student we talked to called "Links" the most amazing class she's ever taken.
One of our favorite parts of Sunrise Sidelines is hearing the bands. This year, Hudsonville's band is doing a show inspired by urban performance art. Laura Hartman has seen the show live in person and highly recommends you check it out.
If you've been keeping tabs on Sunrise Sidelines so far, you know we love to end the broadcast with fun and games. But usually we put the staff to the test. This time we decided to mix it up and give the students the glory. So we put Mitchell, Seth and Jason to the test. They didn't disappoint.
Thanks to the Hudsonville Eagles! You are part of what makes West Michigan the best place in the world to live and we were thrilled to visit your school!
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the WZZM 13 app now.
Matt Gard is the Senior Producer of the 13 Morning News. If you have a story idea, you can contact him on Twitter, @mgard_wzzm13 or by e-mail, MattGard@wzzm13.com.