Keystone Academy in Sumpter looks forward to the next 20 years

Students, staff, and important guests celebrated the 20th anniversary of the opening of charter school Keystone Academy on Sept. 29.
J.C. Huizenga, who founded National Heritage Academies in 1995, was present to address the crowd gathered outside on the newly revamped soccer field behind Keystone.
NHA operates Keystone, along with 100 other schools in the nation. Huizenga was present for the opening of Keystone 20 years ago.
“Those 20 years sure did go by fast,” he said, thanking Tom Bowles and Vesta Losen for their visionary thinking.
“Without you both seeking to offer the children of Belleville a better education for a stronger future, Keystone would not exist,” he said.
He recalled that the opening of Keystone was an exciting time, filled with hope for a promising future.
“And thanks to Vesta and the vigilance of our Keystone school board those dreams have come true,” he said.
“The school has succeeded in so many ways, from being recognized as a Michigan Reward School to receiving the NHA Founder’s Award for its emphasis on Moral Focus,” he said.
“The moral focus that we celebrate at Keystone is an important part of the school’s daily routine and it’s done so well here that Keystone edged out 100 other NHA schools to win the Founder’s Award.
“From time to time I get the question: ‘Whose morals are you teaching these students?’ to which I reply, ‘Everything we teach must have a paradigm. And our moral focus paradigm is the four Greek cardinal virtues of temperance, prudence, justice and fortitude. From those root virtues spring the entire virtue tree, and even the early Greek philosphers, names like Aristotle, Plato and Socrates, recognized the importance of these virtues in society,” he said.
He said the school is fortunate to have the leadership of principal Jorvonna Drain and the dedication of an outstanding faculty and staff.
“This is a very different world than when Keystone began 20 years ago,” he continued. “Back then, we couldn’t have even imagined many of the problems that exist in our society today, yet the faculty and staff at Keystone has faithfully prepared thousands of young people with the skills they need to confront these problems.
“It is clear that Keystone has become a beacon of hope in a difficult world, and even though we can’t fully anticipate the problems that will confront us 20 years from now, I’m confident that no matter how difficult our future problems become, the spark that Vesta and Tom began will continue to cause that beacon of hope that we call Keystone to burn brightly over the next 20 years.”
Vesta Losen said the history of Keystone began, in her point of view, 50 years ago when the first child care center opened in the Belleville area.
“We began with a few children in a church and I was elected to direct it,” she said. “We sent our Kindergarten children to Belleville schools, until one year the district said they could no longer pick them up by bus and they would not be allowed to go to the school which adjoins our property. It was said to be financial issue.
“The parents were left in shock and said, ‘Why can’t you teach them here?’ That seemed reasonable, and I agreed.
“So we began with those nine children and they learned well! We included a version of Moral Focus, had very few behavioral issues, and the children learned well. When finished with the Kindergarten material successfully, we just went on to learn more,” she said.
Losen said the students entered the local schools in first grade, ahead of the game. She said people began to notice and talk about it around town, and wanting them to enlarge the school to teach more grades.
“That was never our goal,” Losen said. “We struggled with this question for a few years. But, when I was really pushed by the parents, I agreed to run for the Van Buren School Board to try to encourage the public system locally.
“I acquired a couple of new friends in my life: Lou Kovach, who lives down the street on Bemis, and Tom Bowles, who also agreed to run. Lou sponsored us and Tom and I just worked to get elected.
“We did win by huge margins and served for four years. As was pointed out in last week’s newspaper, we tried to help both educationally and financially. I have to say, ‘I did NOT have the time of my life.’
“Meanwhile, our Kindergarten classes grew to 40-45 students, which was not popular in some areas. I was no longer teaching, but just the administrator.
“Enter: Mr. J.C. Huizenga (one of my favorite people) and National Heritage Academies. I do think Tom had first contact with him and I watched from the sidelines, and Mr. Huizenga and NHA opened up additional schools in Michigan. Whenever he came to an opening ceremony, somewhere in this state, Tom and I would be there and ask, ‘When are you going to help us open a school in Sumpter?’ until, Mr. Huizenga was tired of listening.
“The time came for serious plans,” she said, explaining that Tom Bowles was responsible for so much of the brains and brawn behind the acquisition of the property and the building. He also was the board president for the first years of operation.
Bowles drove from the Upper Penninsula on Friday to attend the celebration and then drove back the same day to tend to his business.
Principal Drain presided at the anniversary festivities and showed what was to be put into the time capsule that would be opened in another 20 years.
Drain gave bouquets of flowers in engraved vases to the four people who had been at Keystone all 20 years, including Losen.