God Bless the Broken Road That Led Us All to School

Take a close look at this picture. Does it look familiar? Some of you may think that it’s a picture of Kendra Road in Fruitport. The resemblance is remarkable, but you’ll notice there are actually no potholes in the picture.

 This is Rome’s famous Via Appia, the Appian Way.)  built in 312 BC. It stretches more than 350 miles, and millions of tourist to Italy still use it for hiking, cycling, and horseback riding. It was so well-traveled by the time of Christ that miles of it already had grooves worn in the stones from the cartwheels pounding it through the centuries. (see photo below)

For 23 years, parents and students driving Kendra Road to school have felt like ancient travelers on the Appian Way. Thousands of dollars have been spent on tires, rims, alignments, and other repairs caused by the patchwork of potholes on the road Calvary calls home. Only those who travel Kendra daily know that this is not an exaggeration. This observation is not meant as a complaint to the fine road-workers of Fruitport Township. The fault is not theirs but rather the road itself.

You see, unlike the Appian Way of ancient Rome, Kendra Road never had a proper foundation. We’ve learned from locals, that Kendra Road began as a two track after I-96 went through in the 1960’s.  Over the years, it evolved into a two-lane dirt road. Eventually it was frosted with some pavement, but with the turn of the century came of the school, the mall, Stillwater Springs, and other developments, and the traffic has exceeded the pavement’s capacity. So we thank the road workers who have tried their best to keep up the thousands of potholes through the years, but we are even more thankful for the following announcement:

We have been informed that KENDRA ROAD IS GETTING PROPERLY PAVED THIS SUMMER. That’s right. When we return to classes in the fall, all parents and drivers will have a smooth road as they approach the school. Because Kendra is classified as a local road (rather than “primary”), this work does come at some cost to the school and Kendra residents. We are launching a summer fundraising drive to raise $35,000. About half of that amount is the CCS assessment for the new road. 

The remaining needed funds are for some other timely projects. We hope to hire a bonded tree service to clear away most of the highway brush and 20-year growth in front of the school (between Kendra and I-96). We have been given permission to clear back the foliage that blocks the view of CCS along the fence line.  Unlike the Kendra pavement, all of the this tree-service cost falls to the school. But imagine what Calvary will look like in the fall—a new road and a clear view to the thousands of cars that pass us every day in the commute on eastbound and westbound I-96.

We also hope to make about $10,000 worth of inside improvements to the building that include a new Teacher Break Room (they have not had a Break Room since 2019. Look for additional information about this year-end campaign. 

In the meantime enjoy this video about the broken road that has lead us to Calvary all these years. It may be the last time you see Muskegon County's version of the Appian Way.

Tom Kapanka

God Bless The Broken Road That Led Us All To School