East Kentwood Freshman Campus: A Foundation for High School Success
East Kentwood Freshman Campus is dedicated to providing a nurturing and stimulating environment where ninth-grade students can confidently begin their high school journey. It focuses on building a strong sense of community and identity as a class, especially as students transition from various middle schools.
Mission and Values
The East Kentwood Freshman Campus, in collaboration with parents and the community, aims to educate all students within a safe and secure environment. The school is committed to excellence, equity, and diversity in education, providing a stimulating learning environment that is clean, safe, and orderly, with an emphasis on academic achievement nurtured by positive relationships. Ethical literacy is also emphasized, recognizing that students' success as adults will rely upon their intrinsic honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness.
Creating a Positive School Culture
The school is grounded in the practices of Capturing Kids’ Hearts and Restorative Practices, which guide the staff in creating meaningful connections, building trust, and fostering a positive culture. A wide range of academic and social-emotional support is provided to ensure that each student’s needs are met, helping them grow as learners and as individuals.
A Brief History of East Kentwood High School
To understand the context of the Freshman Campus, it's helpful to know a bit about the history of East Kentwood High School (EKHS). EKHS is a public high school located in Kentwood, Michigan. The original Kentwood high school, now Crestwood Middle School, opened in 1960. East Kentwood High School was built in 1969 and opened in the fall of 1970.
Since its opening, East Kentwood High School has undergone numerous renovations. These include the addition of the West Wing in 1975 and the construction of the Freshman Campus in 1994. Further construction was completed in 1983, 1986, 1994, and 2006. The 1994 project included a renovation of the fieldhouse and expansion of the West Wing, which involved adding several new science classrooms. In the mid-1980s, a south corridor was completed to shelter students crossing each wing.
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The Freshman Campus Construction and Expansion
The construction of the Freshman Campus in 1994 was a significant milestone. In 2003, an $85.5 million bond was passed that allowed for new construction at the High School Campus, including further work at the Freshman Campus. This work was done to build it to the supportable core of 1,450 students with the moving of office and support staff to a new highly visible wing, and renovation of the previous office space with six classrooms and adding onto the existing classroom wings with 10 rooms.
East Kentwood's Facilities
East Kentwood is one of two public high schools in the state of Michigan to have its own ice arena on campus. In 2003, a new athletic stadium was built with a capacity of over 7,500 along with a new 38-meter pool and a 75-foot community pool. Additional work was done at the 10-12 main campus with the addition of more performing arts space including new practice rooms along with work at the auditorium with more dressing rooms, staging areas, and a new lighting and sound system. Another major project was the expansion of the east wing cafeteria and renovation of classrooms in that wing. The circle drive that has been a mainstay of the school was removed with a new corridor built to link the west and east wings. The new corridor also puts a large commons area in front of the school with the pools, field house, and auditorium on each side. This hallway added 6 entrances, which is twice as many as before, along with creating two courtyards. Beyond the front of the school work the art department was given a remodel which includes a new art gallery. Along with all of this new carpeting has been placed through the school. Furthermore, a south side road was placed between the school and the practice fields along with a possible storage facility were added between the new south road and the field house.
Academic Opportunities
East Kentwood offers 21 Advanced Placement courses. Student assessments for the 2021-22 school year show M-STEP 11th grade proficiency rates (Science / Social Studies) as follows: Advanced %15.8 / 9.6, Proficient %22.0 / 29.9.
A Vision for the Future
The original plan in the early 1970s was to build a second high school, West Kentwood, on the same physical campus as East Kentwood. Although the first vote for a second high school was turned down, it led to the construction of East Kentwood's first swimming pool as well as what was referred to as the Freshman wing.
Supporting Student Success
East Kentwood Freshman Campus understands that students need the tools and experiences they need for a great education. At Equity Focus Schools, students have limited access to resources and learning materials. Every donation funds real needs - pencils, books, lab equipment, art supplies, and more - helping students learn and thrive.
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