Meet The Leader - Mrs. Grinwis!!

Last year we interviewed one of our Team Leaders, Mrs. Westerhof, who is with us this year as well, to learn more about her. This month we're featuring another of our leaders, Mrs. Grinwis!

1. Who are you?
My name is Julie Grinwis, and I live with my husband, Eric, in the Reeths-Puffer school district. I graduated from GVSU several years ago, and now I teach Spanish at Reeths-Puffer Middle School. My husband and I don't have any kids yet (besides the 145 that I teach everyday!). In the summers my husband and I love to be outside. We love to go for walks, go disc golfing, and go for bike rides. During the winter we love to stay warm inside and watch movies or play games with friends. We also just bought our first house, so our newest hobby is unpacking!

2. How long have you been a STATS team leader?

This is my second year being a STATS leader, and I am loving it!

3. What do you enjoy about being a team leader?

I love being a team leader because it is awesome to see high schoolers stepping out, doing the right thing, and being role models for younger kids. Teenagers have it tough, and there is a lot of peer pressure, but it is very encouraging to see students taking a stand and doing what is best for them, not following a crowd. I think it is very important for younger students to see that it is okay (and even better) to make the right choices now in order to have a better future later.

4. What, in your opinion, seemed like the greatest problem/struggle students faced when you were a teenager?

When I was a teenager (not all that long ago), I think that students were faced with the exact same problems they are faced with now, except maybe without the added complication of cell phones. Substance abuse and pre-marital sex were both problems that existed in the student body just as they exist now, and the struggle was choosing whether or not to be a part of the problem or a part of the solution.

5. What do you think is one of the biggest struggles for kids today?

Today I think kids are faced with the same peer pressure issues, and there is also a growing pressure for students to achieve more and more academically as standards are being raised. This added pressure can lead to students choosing to "relax" in unhealthy ways, so the need for groups like STATS is ever growing as students are faced with more and more pressure.

6. Why did you want to be a STATS team leader?

Being a teacher, I see middle schoolers every day and I see all that they are faced with. I wanted to be a positive role model for them, and STATS is a great way for me to do that. Kids regularly see STATS stuff in my classroom, or ask why I am going to be gone for the day, and it is a great platform for me to let them know about healthy choices that they can make to make sure they are being their best. Also, it is awesome to watch a group of creative, proactive high schoolers work to be positive influences in the lives of the younger students.

7. If you could vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

If I could vacation anywhere in the world, I would definitely go to Europe. I studied abroad in Spain when I was in college, and I had the opportunity to go to different places in Spain, France, and Germany. Here in the United States, "old" buildings are 100 or maybe 200 years old. In Europe, old buildings are 1000 or more years old. I would love to go to Greece, Italy, Iceland, England, and many other places that I missed the first time. It would be an awesome thing to experience the history that has happened in these places!