Innovation High students interview WWII vets for documentaries

Kent County, MI – They fought in the world’s largest, deadliest war that devastated economies and included the Holocaust and the Atomic Bomb, among other atrocities. And every year there are fewer and fewer still alive to tell about it.

A group of area ninth-graders hopes to preserve the stories and lessons from some of the area’s surviving World War II veterans. More than 100 students from Trevor Muir’s Global Studies and Danee Lucas’s English classes at Kent ISD’s Innovation High School will interview nearly a dozen residents of Sentinel Pointe Retirement Community and create documentaries based on those interviews. They will premiere May 13 during a red carpet event at the Wealthy Theatre. Also on display at the premiere will be artwork created by the students that is based on their experience with the veterans.

Some 16 million Americans served in World War II, and only about 1 million are still living – nearly all of whom are in their 90s, according to the National WWII Museum. In Michigan, surviving veterans of WWII are estimated to be fewer than 28,000, and by 2036 it is estimated that there will be no survivors left to recount their experiences.
April 15
Who: Innovation High students
What: Interviews and filming of Sentinel Pointe residents who are WWII veterans
Where: Kent Innovation High School, 1655 E. Beltline Ave., 49525, Parking Lot 3
When: 9:30 AM, Wednesday, April 15, 2015
May 13
Who: Innovation High students
What: Premiere of documentaries on local WWII veterans, student artwork display
Where: Wealthy Theatre, 1130 Wealthy St. SE, Grand Rapids 49506
When: 6-8:00 PM, Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Please contact us to make arrangements to attend either or both events.
About Kent ISD
Kent ISD is a regional educational service agency devoted to achievement for all students. We provide instructional and administrative services to more than 300 schools, 20 public districts, three non-public districts, and many public school academies and non-public schools within our boundaries. We serve the broader community by helping our schools prepare nearly 120,000 students for school and life success. www.kentisd.org

About Innovation High School
Opened in 2011, Kent Innovation High School offers exciting new concepts in learning, focusing on career-based learning in a team environment for more than 100 students in each grade 9-12 from school districts across Kent ISD. Students spend two-thirds of their day at the school focusing on the four cores: English, Math, Science and Social Studies. They return to their home school for lunch, electives and extracurricular activities.

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