Grandville — The kids at Cummings Elementary have some big plans for their futures. We spoke to two students, Aria Waalkes and Jacqueline Riordan, about their dreams and how school is going to help them accomplish whatever they want to achieve.
Aria Waalkes
Fourth grade; teacher Val McCloskey
What is your dream? When she gets older, Aria says she wants to become a baker.
“I like cooking stuff, and baking cookies and cakes. I like giving it to my parents or bringing (it) to school and giving it to my teachers.”
She says her favorite goodies to make are chocolate brownies and chocolate-chip cookies, and says they earned rave reviews from her teachers last year — she hasn’t yet had a chance to bring some in this school year.
How can school help you achieve this dream? Aria said her teachers have always encouraged her love of baking. She also appreciates the school’s library and technology resources, where she can look up information and techniques related to the craft.
“My third-grade teacher said she was really going to miss the baking I brought. And my fourth-grade teacher already said she can’t wait for the cookies.”
What is your favorite thing about school? Besides recess and hanging out with her friends, “I like writing stories, like about football and soccer,” Aria said. “I like the Detroit Lions, and I also play soccer.”
Jacqueline Riordan
Kindergarten; teachers Pam Steele and Liza Moorlag
What is your dream? “I want to be a teacher.”
Jacqueline said the teaching profession looks interesting “because you get to tell the kids what they get to do, and it is just probably fun.” Inspired by her current teachers, she said she might consider becoming a kindergarten teacher one day.
What is your favorite thing about school? The kindergartner said she really likes her teachers and the times when they get to take little brain breaks to play with toys. Her favorite subject is math, “because I like when you get to work with numbers and things.”
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