Holland Chamber Honors Volunteers For Service At Annual Awards Banquet
BY KELLY J. KACZALA — MIRROR REPORTER
Holland Mayor Mike Yunker proposed at the January 3 village council meeting expanding the senior center, where seniors meet once per week in the Lodge at Strawberry Acres Park.
“I would like to work with the board of trustees of Springfield Township to offer a full-time senior center to our seniors,” Yunker said to council.
Currently, an average of 50 seniors, mostly from Holland, meet every Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the lodge and engage in line dancing, Wii bowling, Pokeno, board games, cards, and other activities, he said.
“They also receive a nutritional lunch provided by the Lucas County Nutrition Program at minimal cost,” he said. “This has been a most successful program that has provided these seniors with some friendly entertainment while being able to interact with like-minded seniors, which improves their quality of life.”
Yunker said he wants to explore expanding the center to all Holland/Springfield Township seniors.
“I would like to establish and provide accommodations to do these activities. We’d also have an employee as a director to coordinate activities,” he added.
He said he is thinking about renovating and enlarging the community building as a dedicated senior center.
“It would better accommodate the amount of seniors in both communities and would be a comfortable location for all their activities. It would be less expensive than constructing a new building,” he said.
Yunker’s proposal calls for seniors to meet daily for meals, entertainment and participation in activities.
“Each week, we have to bring out all the senior stuff in the lodge and when we’re done we put it all away. If we have a building dedicated to a senior center, it would be scheduled Monday through Friday,” he said after the meeting. “By having its own building and structure, it gives seniors the ability to come in whenever they want.”
An expanded center would also draw a larger crowd, Yunker said.
“We get some township seniors and seniors in Toledo, but mostly Holland seniors come to the lodge each week,” he said.
Yunker said as people get older, they don’t have the opportunity to mingle with people their own age.
“When you get to a certain age, you don’t have a structured life. With the senior center, they can get out and participate in activities,” he said. “They love to do it, but don’t have a means to accomplish it. Once it gets established, it’ll run on its own.”
Yunker said he’s looked at senior centers in other communities to get ideas for the senior center in Holland.
“I think it’s important to provide opportunity and activities for our seniors,” he said. “They are at a point in their lives where they still enjoy games and friendships, but may not have the means to coordinate this ability.
“So, this is where we come in. We establish this opportunity by providing them a facility and the activity for them to congregate and enjoy one another’s company.”
He said costs and funding sources still have to be determined.
Yunker told council that he would like to meet with Springfield Township trustees and form a committee to discuss his proposal.
“I will be asking the Springfield board of trustees for their support in exploring this idea to expand the senior center for both our communities. I would like to form a small committee to develop a plan on how to get this accomplished. We would then present this plan to our council and board,” he said.
He said it makes sense to collaborate with Springfield Township because the two communities already do so much together. He would like to get a committee together in February.
Andy Glenn, chairman of the Springfield Township board of trustees, said township administrator Leslie Kohli would represent the township on the committee.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Glenn said of Yunker’s proposal.
“I’m interested to see where the committee comes out on this,” he added. “I think a senior center in this area is drastically lacking. I know the Sylvania Senior Center gets used a ton. It really provides a focal point for seniors to get together in the community.
“I think with our township’s size, in combination with the village’s, especially, we need something like this to serve the senior population. Whatever the committee comes up with, in my opinion, the township should support and help make it a reality.”

Extra Science Lessons Served Up During Lunch Period At Holland Elementary
BY NANCY GAGNET — MIRROR REPORTER
Next to a tray of carrots, chicken nuggets and chocolate milk, Holland Elementary fifth-grader Dominic Sprague reviewed his Physical Science Workbook.
“I like learning about science. It’s cool,” he said.
The other boys sitting at his table agreed.
“I like when we do experiments,” Bryce Rodriguez said.
The boys were among the 27 students in Super Science Group, where students spend extra time during their lunch period reviewing lessons.
Fifth-grade teacher Corey Fritch started the group to help students prepare for the fifth-grade science Ohio Achievement Assessment.
“Fifth-grade is the first year that students take a state science test,” Fritch said.
The assessment, however, also includes questions from third- and fourth-grade standards that were not tested during those years of instruction, he said.
“I found that there were a lot of students who needed a structured review to help them recall what they had learned,” Fritch said.
Students read a science chapter and answer five multiple-choice questions and one short-answer question outside of class. Then they meet with Fritch once a week during their lunch period to discuss the main ideas and review the answers.
“For example, the first review we did was over heat. We looked at examples of conduction, which is when heat moves from one object to another through direct touching,” he said.
Because science offers many interesting areas to study, most fifth-graders love doing experiments in class, he said.
“There is almost always a topic or focus that a student can study and enjoy thoroughly,” Fritch said.
It’s the third year Fritch has offered the lunch lessons, which are optional. Approximately one-third of the kids take advantage of it.
“The Super Science Group really seems to help a lot of students recall information that they have forgotten over time or struggled to learn in the first place,” he said.
Fritch, who has been teaching at Holland for six years, said he most enjoys understanding how science connects the universe.
“From the functions of the smallest cell to how light reaches us from the furthest corners of the universe, my favorite part about teaching science is helping students to understand the world around them and see their part in it,” he said.
At the conclusion of the 10-week Super Science Group program, students will enjoy an ice cream party.
According to principal Gary Devol, in addition to programs such as the Super Science Group, teachers also tutor students in the areas of reading and math to help prepare for state assessments.
Students from Springfield High School also tutor students through the Students Helping Other Students, or SOS, program.