GO ROCKFORD RAMS!

Comprised of 16 different buildings, the Rockford Public School district is highly ranked among parents, students, and academics. This school system offers two early childhood programs for young children to attend before entering kindergarten. After early education programs are completed, children are sent to one of the eight elementary schools to prepare for middle and high school. Entering into middle school, students are combined into either East or North Rockford and will then move on to high school to finish their education before graduating.

At Rockford Public Schools, students are encouraged to take a foreign language with the options of French, German, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. Starting at the elementary level, Spanish Immersion is offered to students which adds a focus on Spanish as a second language. In addition to focusing on teaching a second language, Rockford public schools focus on helping high school students earn college credits before entering college. A unique feature about this school district is the encouragement of online learning for their students. This is done to encourage students to be fluent with technology which will help them in the future with the ability to research for school projects and improve their understanding of technology as they make their way into the working world as adults.

This public school system is also please to offer twenty different sports for their high school students to choose from. Not only do they take pride in the academics that are provided to students, they also look to help students excel outside of the classroom. By offering a wide variety of sports for students to choose from, they are given an opportunity to play more than one sport throughout the school year. These sports are designed to help teach them to work together as a team and encourage healthy physical activity.

DOWNTOWN ROCKFORD

Although downtown Rockford is not nearly as big as downtown Grand Rapids, there are still some great places to stop for a bite to eat. Rockford Brewing Company was founded in 2011 and embraces the White Pine Trail and beautiful Rogue River. Known as beer city USA, this brewery is sure to tingle your taste buds with both their food and craft beer selection. Make sure to stop in on a night when they have live music playing for you to enjoy while you mingle with friends.

Some other great restaurants to visit are Ramona’s Table where they focus on providing a delicious meal made from local and high-quality ingredients. Just down the street, the Rogue River Tavern is a local hang out where you can always find a game on TV. Whether you are stopping in to watch the big game or play a couple rounds of Keno, you are sure to enjoy your time at the tavern. Another fun local hangout is the Corner Bar which was converted from a pool hall to a bar in 2000.

Also in the Rockford area are a number of places to enjoy the beautiful Michigan weather. Starting in Riverside Park and finishing in Cadillac, the White Pine Trail covers almost 94 miles of Michigan and provides a great place for a walk during the warmer months or cross-country skiing in the winter months. There are also a number of great parks to visit in the area. Luton Park is 264-acres of multi-use green space in Rockford. From trails to playgrounds and prairies to hardwoods, this park hosts a number of things to do outdoors.