SAC Sound-off: You get one question
March 6, 2012
We asked the members of the Student Advisory Council to pick someone they wish they could meet, and tell us why. Here are their answers:
Ancestors
Carly Joseph, Pontiac Notre Dame junior
I would ask all of my grandparents about what it was like when they were growing up.
Elle Lehman, Portland St. Patrick senior
I would ask anyone in my family who lived hundreds of years ago what it was like where my family came from, and why they moved to America.
Visionaries
Tyler Wilson, Rudyard senior
I would ask Martin Luther King Jr. how he was so brave.
Maria Buczkowski, Detroit Country Day senior
I would ask Albert Einstein to convince my teachers to have a daydreaming class in school, since he developed the theory of relativity by daydreaming.
Entrepreneurs
Alissa Jones, Muskegon Catholic Central senior
I would like to ask Steve Jobs how he came up with the idea of the Ipod gadgets.
Bailey Truesdell, Grand Blanc senior
I would like to ask Warren Buffett how he made his billions.
Sports Legends
Kevin Beazley, Detroit Catholic Central senior
Michael Jordan: What are the little things that nobody knows about or sees that brought you to the top?
Matt Freeman, Owosso junior
Bear Bryant: What does it take to become the leader he was?
Evan Lamb, Rogers City junior
Joe Paterno: I'd ask how it felt to have touched the hearts of so many people throughout the years.
Kings (of rock-n-roll)
Lena Madison, New Buffalo senior
I would like to ask Elvis Presley if is he is dead or alive still.
Bedford's Gandee Honored for 'Spirit'
March 13, 2017
By John Gillis
Special from NFHS
Hunter Gandee, a student-athlete at Temperance Bedford High School, has been selected as the 2017 Section 4 recipient of the “National High School Spirit of Sport Award” by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
The National High School Spirit of Sport Award was created by the NFHS to recognize those individuals who exemplify the ideals of the spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics.
The mark of a “good big brother” is often to what lengths he might go to assist his younger siblings.
That sense of familial assistance has perhaps never been taken to the extremes that Hunter Gandee has repeatedly done for his younger brother Braden.
A standout student, Hunter is a junior with a 3.92 grade-point average and a member of the National Honor Society.
On the sports side, Hunter is in his third season on the varsity wrestling team, and participates in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling during the offseason. He's also a member of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council.
While those accomplishments are unquestionably outstanding, they might pale in comparison to what he has done for Braden.
Born with cerebral palsy, Braden has limited use of his legs. Nonetheless, Hunter has taken it upon himself to help Braden know what it feels like to walk long distances – and he’s done it three times. Organized for the purpose of raising awareness of cerebral palsy, Hunter literally carries Braden on his back for long walks known as “CP Swaggers.”
In 2014, Hunter carried Braden 40 miles from the Bedford Junior High School wrestling room to the University of Michigan’s Bahna Wrestling Center. The following year, they upped the trek’s mileage to 57 miles.
However, that couldn’t foreshadow what was to follow in April 2016 when Hunter carried Braden on his back an amazing 111 miles – some 14 miles more than the first two walks combined.
About the Award: The NFHS divides the nation into eight geographical sections. The states in Section 4 are Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Nominations for this award were generated through NFHS member state associations and reviewed by the NFHS Spirit of Sport Award Selection Committee composed of state association staff members.
While the national winner will be recognized June 29 at the NFHS Summer Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, the section winners will be recognized within their respective states and will receive awards before the end of the current school year.
PHOTO: Hunter Gandee, second from right, carries his brother Braden as part of their effort to bring awareness to cerebral palsy. (Photo courtesy of The Cerebral Palsy Swagger.)