GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Teachers welcomed students back to Gerald R. Ford Academic Center on Monday with cheers, a pop-up dance party and a red carpet to kick off the first day of school.
The majority of districts in Kent and Ottawa counties will welcome students back Aug. 24, 25 and 26, while a handful will start the week of Aug. 31.
As the Grand Rapids Public Schools prekindergarten through eighth-grade students streamed through the doors Monday, some confidently headed inside while others clung to a parent for a few extra moments before beginning the new school year…