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Colorful scarves floated effortlessly after being tossed in the air by students as they learned about the career of a dance/movement therapist. In the cafeteria, a rescue dog got plenty of attention as he greeted students listening to Dr. Becca Kursh talk about her career as a veterinarian. And in yet another room, Dr. Jayne Courts Hodgson inflated a pig’s lungs as she talked to students about her career as a medical doctor.

Page students have been watching construction projects near their school all year. They’ve seen the new Learning Center take shape on ground just south of their school and more recently have watched as excavators and bulldozers began preparing ground just west of their school for the new tennis courts.

With dramatic “Survivor” music playing in the background, 18 Page Elementary classroom champions stepped up the microphone on the high school auditorium stage. In front of all their classmates and some family members, the contestants answered detailed questions about books they read.

One by one, Page Elementary fourth-graders used their gloved hand to feel a blackened pig’s lung and watch as a high school student inflated the lung using a foot pump. One side of the lung plumped easily while the other side was used to show the effects of tobacco on the lungs.

Battle of the Books is on again this year at Page Elementary, but without the guiding hand and thoughtful questions from the person who passionately introduced and organized the program at Page more than 10 years ago.

Fourth-grade students in Nikki Witt’s class can wiggle and bounce, twist and rock while they work on their lessons. It is thanks in large part to a grant this year from Thornapple Area Enrichment Foundation for flexible seating options.

After a year off because of COVID, Thornapple Kellogg Odyssey of the Mind teams stepped up this weekend in a big way advancing seven of the district’s nine teams to the state finals.