Walker School Receives $1,000 Award from TalentFirst for Excellence in Early Literacy

WALKER, Mich. — Zinser Elementary earned a well-deserved Early Literacy Recognition Award on Monday, receiving a $1,000 cash award from TalentFirst, a coalition of West Michigan business leaders dedicated to improving education and workforce readiness across the region.

The surprise assembly was organized in partnership with TalentFirst, which presented the award to honor the school's commitment to research-based literacy practices that are making a real difference in the classroom.

"We created the Early Literacy Recognition Award as our way to shine a light on schools, students, and administrators who are doing research-based activities and practices making literacy happen in the classroom," said Kevin Scotts, President of TalentFirst.

Today we're here at Zinser because you are one of those schools shining light to other schools here in West Michigan.

Science of Reading Training Leading Kent County

Much of the praise at the ceremony was directed at Zinser's educators, who have made sweeping investments in their own professional development, largely on their own time.

Principal Brooke Johnston outlined a comprehensive list of what staff has undertaken this school year, including:

• Completing LETRS training
• Attending professional development sessions for the school's new Bookworms curriculum
• Holding weekly PLC meetings
• Visiting each other's classrooms in learning labs
• Rearranging classroom setups multiple times to better serve young readers
• Working closely with reading coach Mrs. Philo

"All of their learning happens on their own time," emphasized Superintendent Gerald Hopkins Jr.

They've been learning after school, on the weekends, and during the summer — and this time takes away from their families.

Hopkins noted that Zinser's elementary teachers, reading coaches, interventionists, and administrators are leading Kent County in science-of-reading training, with every staff member either already certified or currently completing the specialized coursework.

GVSU Students Partner on Literacy Night

The recognition came during National Reading Month, a time when Grand Valley State University students also partnered with Zinser Elementary to host a literacy night focused on phonics and fun for young learners.

GVSU Foundations of Literacy students visit Zinser weekly to read with elementary-schoolers as part of their course work. Professor Pengtong Qu's students collaborated with Principal Brooke Johnston and instructional coach Erica Philo to plan and execute an open house-style literacy night for students and their families.

Kindergartner Rowen Hollemans and his brother, second-grader Willem Hollemans, read and drew scenes from books at Zinser Elementary's literacy night. The GVSU students set up animal spelling and matching activity stations for young students to practice sounding out words, letter by letter, even with deceptive phonemes.

GVSU student Carissa Frayer and Braeden Vorndran facilitated a spelling activity where they presented letter flash cards mixed up, so students could not only rely on muscle memory to spell a word.

"Can a student recognize letters and their sounds to describe it, not just identify the picture from memory?" asked Braeden.

We know it's a dolphin, but scramble the letters and we see if they recognize which letters make which sounds to spell it out.

Student and Family Engagement

The literacy night was designed to engage families and make reading fun and accessible. Kindergartner Ethan Knopp's dad, Josh Knopp, said his son brought home news of the school's literacy event and looked forward to attending as a family.

"He was so excited," Knopp said.

School is school, but coming at night is a little more exciting.

Students and parents spent time reading books together, and GVSU students read picture books with no words, only pictures, to kindergartners. The event took place during National Reading Month, a campaign designed to promote literacy across the region.

Economic Investment in Literacy

For TalentFirst, the investment in early literacy is fundamentally an investment in the region's economic future.

"Good reading skills open the door to everything else you can do in life," said Scotts.

When children learn to read well, it helps them throughout school and into their future careers — and strengthens all of West Michigan.

Leslie Brown, chairman of Metal Flow and a TalentFirst board member, echoed that message with a personal touch. She told students that her company of 250 employees depends on workers who can read well, and that the habits being built at Zinser will follow them for the rest of their lives.

"The more you read, the more things you will know," Brown said, quoting Dr. Seuss.

The more you learn, the more places you will go.

Brown presented Zinser with a $1,000 check on behalf of TalentFirst — a tangible symbol of the community's confidence in the school.

Broader Campaign Continues

TalentFirst celebrated two other schools the previous week and planned visits to additional schools throughout the week as part of a broader March Is Reading Month campaign.

Kent ISD Superintendent Ron Gorman and State Representative Carol Lamble were also on hand to offer their congratulations to the Zinser Elementary team.

The celebration wasn't just for teachers. Principal Johnston made a point of recognizing what students themselves are bringing to the work each day, from structured literacy blocks and shared reading to writing activities, at-home reading with families, and I-Ready practice.

"You're the kids who care about reading," Johnston told students.

And that matters.