Maeve Hammond

Age 9, Michigan

Favorite Subject: Language Arts

Book: Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

Music: country

Extracurricular Activities: soccer, dance, and Ski Club

Hobbies: writing, reading, and bike riding

Maeve loves writing and hopes one day to be a journalist.

"I hope to learn in this experience what it really takes to succeed in journalism today," she said.

Maeve works really hard in school to be a good writer. She also created her own magazine outside of school.

In her free time, Maeve likes to ride her bike and write poems and short stories.

Maeve is in the fourth grade. She has two sisters and one brother.

History and Health in Michigan
The Great Lake State puts health first, especially in Battle Creek

By Maeve Hammond
Scholastic Kids Press Corps

Battle Creek, Michigan, is awesome because each season there is so much to do! Michigan has great weather in its upper and lower peninsulas. Michigan is the “Water Winter Wonderland” and the “Great Lake State.” The name Michigan is Native American ("Michi-gama") meaning large lake. Michigan touches four of the five Great Lakes.

Battle Creek is special in the Great Lake State because it has been known as THE Health City (the San), THE Home for soldiers (the Percy Jones Hospital), and THE Cereal City (Kellogg’s, Post, and Ralston’s). People came to Battle Creek to “get healthy.”

Battle Creek is also known for the special Michiganders who have lived here. (Maybe some day people will think of Battle Creek when they hear my name!) Some important people from Battle Creek are Erastus Hussey, Sojourner Truth, Ellen White, and Dr. John Harvey Kellogg—just to name a few.

Erastus Hussey made Battle Creek a “station” on the Underground Railroad. Sojourner Truth lived in Battle Creek after becoming a freed slave and then became a spokesperson for human rights. She is buried in our Oak Hill Cemetery.

Ellen White turned a small group of Seventh-day Adventists (SDA) into a large group with 200,000 members. Under her leadership, the SDA church grew from next to nothing in Battle Creek to one of the largest publishing houses in the world.

Dr. John Harvey Kellogg also made Battle Creek famous. His story is told in the movie “The Road to Wellville” about a Battle Creek Sanitarium Director. The "San” was famous for its nutritional treatments. It treated its poor and rich clients like kings, movie stars, and presidents. This success went from Battle Creek to your breakfast table as cereal!

Battle Creek is also special because it has looked after the Nation’s wounded soldiers. After World War II Percy Jones had the biggest health care center for amputations, neurosurgery, and artificial eyes. Battle Creek was the first city to put in sidewalk wheelchair ramps in the U.S.! That makes me really proud to be in Battle Creek.

Today we still have the Veterans’ Hospital taking care of those who fought for our country. Citizens of Battle Creek have a bright future, and a history of fighting for people’s rights, and making life better for everyone.