Joshua Gove recognized for his Excellence in Education
A St. Johns educator known for building and maintaining connections with students during a challenging time has been honored with an Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery.
The award winner, Josh Gove, is an elementary art teacher with St. Johns Public Schools.
The Michigan Lottery established the Excellence in Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public-school educators across the state during the school year.
Winners of the weekly award receive a plaque, a $1,500 cash prize, and a $500 grant to their classroom, school, or school district. One of the weekly winners will be selected as the Educator of the Year and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.
Each winner also is featured in a news segment on the Lottery’s media partner stations: WXYZ-TV in Detroit, FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, FOX 47 in Lansing, and WNEM-TV in Saginaw. The news segment featuring Gove will air this evening in Grand Rapids and Lansing, and then on Thursday in Saginaw and Detroit.
Gove said his love of learning led him to a career in education.
“I have always been drawn to teaching and coaching and have just always loved school. I have had excellent teachers and professors who have inspired me, and I have teachers in my family as well. So many of my jobs throughout school were connected to teaching and education and it just blossomed into a passion and the calling you often hear teachers talk about getting: the call to teach. I have a passion for the arts, creativity, and lifelong learning that also sparked my interest in the education field.”
He said sharing his passions with students and seeing their growth are his favorite parts of being an educator.
“I love being able to share my passions and share the world of art with my students. I enjoy seeing their eyes light up when they make a connection or when they blow their own minds after seeing all that they are capable of accomplishing. I love teaching art because it so easily connects us as human beings but also so easily connects us to culture and all other subject areas in our schools. I also enjoy being able to see my students and student athletes grow and develop their skills as scholars and contributors in the community.”
A parent of a student who attends school virtually nominated Gove for the award. The nomination cited his ability to build and maintain a connection with students virtually during this challenging school year.
“Beginning in March 2020 when schools were closed due to the pandemic, Mr. Gove offered many resources to our students, including lists of educational websites and videos to explore art virtually. He provided direction in a time when so much was unsure. As 2020 continued, he continued to be a touchstone for the students by creating videos of himself reading stories.
“He has maintained a connection with the students in a time of isolation and separation. As school year 2020-2021 began, his efforts for the online community continued to be multi-faceted in his approach while balancing in-person learners at both Gateway North and Oakview South Elementary. When he gives my virtual student feedback, it is specific, connected to technique, celebratory, and personalized. As a result, my student is learning technique while feeling encouraged and seen–all through a computer screen. He calls his students, “Champion Artists” and incorporates many learning experiences into Art: literacy, Spanish, how to treat one another, and empowerment.
Mr. Gove’s motto is, “Trust and believe and you will achieve.” When my student was struggling with a life goal, he referenced Mr. Gove’s motto and had renewed faith that he could achieve any goal. Mr. Gove is having a positive impact on students’ lives beyond the classroom.”
Gove earned a bachelor’s degrees from Alma College and Central Michigan University, and is working towards a master’s degree from Grand Canyon University. He has been an educator for four years, all four with St. Johns Public Schools.
Outstanding public-school educators may be nominated for an Excellence in Education award at or through the websites of the Lottery’s media partner stations.
Excellence in Education award nominees are evaluated on the following criteria:
Excellence – Their work consistently helps students and/or their schools or school districts advance to higher levels of academic achievement.
Dedication – They consistently go above and beyond expectations to help students succeed.
Inspiration – Their work inspires others around them to exceed expectations either academically or professionally.
Leadership – They demonstrate clear leadership skills in their positions with their school or school districts.
Effectiveness – The nominee’s work has clear and positive results on the educational advancement of students within the school or school district.
St. Joseph Parish history video – Part 10
The History of St. Joseph Parish, narrated by Deacon Eric Elstro.
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Part 1 https://youtu.be/Rm2VkFoJvYM
Part 2 https://youtu.be/OiGVhfL2ZtY
Part 3 https://youtu.be/T3zmTWPyxJo
Part 3 https://youtu.be/T3zmTWPyxJo
Part 4 https://youtu.be/AVFyKz4TIz4
Part 5 https://youtu.be/kpUD3AvuyWY
Part 6 https://youtu.be/bBUOjfo-Wuk
Part 7 https://youtu.be/Doa8ZNA7VcE
Part 8 https://youtu.be/k9UHBL1zv-w
Part 9https://youtu.be/Q5_-Ig9aRIg
Remember When – Short history of St. Johns Episcopal Church
From the 1980 History of Clinton County
St. John’s Episcopal Church, located at the corner of Mead and Walker Street has been an organized church since 1864 and marked its 116th year in October of 1980. The present church building is of early English architecture and contains many beautiful memorial stained glass windows. Its membership included many individuals who helped build the village of St. Johns. Its young men served in the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. The [1980] parish family, under the guidance of Rev. Robert Coval, is striving to attain and maintain Christian stewardship in the parish family and missionary areas.
The earliest record of the Episcopal Church service in the present community was before 1853 when the village of St. Johns was first begun, and the Rector of St. Paul’s in Lansing held periodic meetings.
Twelve persons signed and delivered a notice of organization of St. John’s Church, St. Johns, Michigan, on Mav 25,1858. This little Society did not long survive due to a lack or services with a regular priest or place of worship. During the Civil War there were no more parish activities.
A reorganization was effected under the old name in April, 1864 and services were held by the visiting Rev. Thomas B. Dooley. Surprisingly the parish family grew in number and a rector of its own and a place to meet were given to the parish. At first they met in the upper floor of the George Stephenson store, rent free, and then at the present_location after it was vacated by the schools in 1866. Plans for building a church were begun and on April 25, 1867, the cornerstone of the new building was laid and in November, 1867 the church was opened for religious services.
The first church was of Gothic design and constructed of wood. It was improved many times and a bell tower was added. Thirty minutes after the completion of Easter services, April, 1892, the church burned.
Plans were drawn for a new structure by Rogers and McFarlan, Detroit Architects. The cornerstone for the new building was laid August 3, 1893. A mortgage of $4,000 was necessary because of financial problems of the times. The first service was the sunrise celebration of the Holy Communion on Easter Day, March 25, 1894.
The indebtedness of the church building was paid off six months before due. Plans were made for the Church’s dedication and it was determined to make June 19, 1898, a day to long remember. The Certificate of Dedication is framed and hangs on the Sacristy wall.
In 1908 a vested choir was organized with twenty five members.
In 1924 three memorial tablets were placed in the church and the American Legion presented a flag and pole.
In 1932 the interior of the church was redecorated and extensive repairs made. The parish list showed 190 baptized persons and 149 communicants.
The following decades have seen the renovation of the church undercroft to provide a modern kitchen and dining room, choir room and restroom, a custom made wooden pulpit, a new brick and stone lighted outdoor sign, new electrical lighting system, organ improvements, new memorial windows, a memorial votive light, a new Church school building, a Garden of all Saints and the purchase of the brick rectory on Walker Street.
A Look Back Again – One last worship service
photos courtesy of Guven Witteveen
St. Johns Episcopal Church was decommissioned on August 17, 2011 after 117 years.
The Episcopal Diocese has offered the building to Clinton County Historical Society, and they are looking for ways to save this lovely and historic old building.
Never before has the Diocese given a church away, and this time they recognize the historic significance of the church and would like to see it saved.
According to CCH president Lynn Gregory and the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum director Diane Carlson, at the present time there are absolutely no grants available from the Michigan Department of Historic Preservation. Michigan tax credits have been deleted. While the church is registered as a Michigan Historic Place, it might need to be listed on a Federal Registry for better chances at some other funding.
The Historical Society has been given until the end of September to to make a decision whether to proceed or refuse the building. If there are no plans in place by that time, the Diocese says that this church is destined for a salvage auction and demolition.
Maralyn’s Pet Corner – The latest word on the dreaded bloat
courtesy of Dr. Patty Khuly
Ever heard of bloat? If you’ve got a large or giant breed dog then I certainly hope you have. In fact, if you’ve got any kind of dog, you, too, should know the basics.
Bloat, otherwise known as “gastric dilatation volvulus” or “GDV” for short, happens when the stomach twists then fills with gas … or is it vice versa?
Either way, the emergency comes in when the vessels that supply the stomach are pinched off. That’s when it starts to die, shock sets in and deadly cardiac rhythms can occur. Dogs MUST get to the ER within 5 to 6 hours if they’re to have a better than average chance at survival.
That means you have to know what to look for: nausea, retching (usually non-productive), abdominal distension (not always visible), restlessness (in the early stages) and depression (in the later stages).
Immediate transport to a veterinarian for decompression of the gas, fluid therapy to counteract all the shock, medications for dangerous heart rhythm abnormalities and––almost always––surgery to reposition the stomach and “tack” it to the body wall to prevent future events.
Looking at the research, it seems that up to 20% of dogs weighing 99 pounds or more are likely to bloat in their lifetimes––usually as they get older––but any dog of any breed can bloat at any time. It’s almost impossible to predict which dogs will bloat and which will live their lives GDV-free.
Sure, we know that very big dogs are more likely to bloat. That St. Bernards, Great Danes and Weimeraners are the top three most affected breeds. We also know that rapid eating, raised food bowls and having a history of first-degree family members who are bloated increases the risk. But all our research has not given us the means to prevent bloating.
That’s especially troublesome because only about 67% to 85% of bloat sufferers will survive…IF they receive treatment. Dogs with no treatment almost invariably die.
And treatment is expensive. Anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000, on average, but significantly more if the process is complicated by other problems (uncontrolled cardiac rhythm abnormalities, the need for partial stomach removal, involvement of the spleen in the twist, etc.).
The good news is that bloat can be prevented to a large extent. A surgical procedure called a gastropexy may be employed to tack the stomach to the body wall in advance of a bloat scenario (to keep it from twisting). It doesn’t always work 100%, but it does a lot of good in the vast majority of cases.
Dogs of predisposed breeds or with relatives who have bloated should be “tacked.” Steps should be taken to reduce eating speed (lots of bowls are made for such a purpose). Food should not be fed from a height (none of those raised dog bowls). And here are some other risk factors that have not ncessarily been proven yet, but that should probably be avoided for now:
– Exercise immediately after feeding
– Decreased food particle size
– Once daily feeding
– Stress
Ultimately, however, knowing what bloat looks like and getting a dog to the vet FAST is the key. It can make all the difference.