When Jamiah Williams sat down to watch the St. Jude Telethon, an annual event dedicated to raising money for children’s cancer research, she did so simply to spend some quality time with her mother. Little did the 9-year-old from Detroit know that just a few months later she, too, would be diagnosed with cancer. “It […]
Dana Hollowell
Bridge Magazine
Posted inSuccess
Ethnic media alliance pushes stories of success, provides community leadership
Michigan is home to a variety of ethnic media outlets: the Jewish News, the Latino Press, the Michigan Chronicle among them. Dr. Hayg Oshagan, a professor at Wayne State University, looked at the outlets and had a vision: What would happen if they were brought together? So, in 2005, he met with editors from the […]
Posted inQuality of Life
State attracts visitors of motor-less bent
For seven days last summer, James Jeske, 66, bicycled along Michigan’s western shore. The 500-mile-long trek took him from New Buffalo at the base of the Mitten to Mackinaw City at the tip of the Lower Peninsula. Jeske did not cycle the peninsula alone, though. He was with 400 other cyclists on the Shoreline West […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Ex-priest loves trees, but not the woods
See that guy digging in the dirt, removing dead trees in the middle of Detroit? How did he end up there? His story starts with a middle-class upbringing in Dearborn. But as a youngster, Todd Mistor aspired to be a priest — a shepherd of flocks, not a steward of trees. And it’s a course […]
Posted inTalent & Education
A Wayne graduate and the class of whenever
The new year brought a new milestone in my life. I graduated from Wayne State University, with a master’s degree in communications/journalism. That fact, possessing a Wayne State degree as an African-American student, makes me something of a rarity, as Bridge’s coverage of the struggles of African-American students at Wayne makes clear. As expected, my […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Risk, analysis make charter math champs
Stepping out of the box is more than a cliche at Canton Charter Academy — it’s an act that’s strongly encouraged, said Principal Catherine Henkenberns, who gives her teachers room to stretch themselves as educators. “I want them to feel free to take risks and to really do what they think is going to be best […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Practice makes perfect (reading scores)
Set in the country on nearly 70 acres marked by rolling creeks, nature trails and nearby farms is Countryside Academy. This green-themed school near Benton Harbor integrates an environmentally based curriculum into learning. Principal Steve Rigoni said instruction revolves around the environment: “Students in English class can be reading about the environment or renewable resources, […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Challenge accepted: Detroit students soar to titles
Bates Academy and Davison Elementary-Middle are just two of approximately 90 Detroit Public Schools campuses that serve children in elementary and middle grades. These two campuses, though, accounted for victories in five of six available categories in Bridge Magazine’s Academic City Championships. Bates Academy scored highest in the 2010-11 school year in 8th Grade Science, […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Paying for 'dream' — house and car cost extra
Eric Skibbe could buy a 2-bedroom, 1.5 bath house in a solid Detroit neighborhood for $60,000. He could buy a nice Ford sedan for $19,500. He could fly from Detroit Metro to Orlando, Fla., this winter for $300, round trip. All these elements of what many would consider the good life could be had for […]
Posted inSuccess
Fencer helps Detroit youth parry problems
Keith Carr, 16, doesn’t talk like most of the other boys at Advance Technology Academy in Dearborn. He uses such words as “en garde” and “marche” and “balestra” – all terms he’s learned as a promising fencer. Athletically built with a wide smile, the high school junior says he hopes to fence in college, where […]