Spring 2018 - Highland Christian School · (Ronald McDonald House) • etc Clothing Drive ... their classroom iPads. Here they are learning Apple Swift Codes and using code at a level

HIGHLAND CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

Spring 2018

How to Be:....Becoming who He wants us to BE

fromthe cover

From the Principal’s DeskMr. Bob Payne

The Spring School Bell comes out at an interesting time. Jeff Mannion, in his

book, The Land Between, describes our current reality: we are not where we

want to be, but we are grateful that we aren’t where we were! In other words,

we’ve come a long way since September, but June is still ahead!

In this issue of the School Bell, we want to share with you some of the

accomplishments in the journey thus far. Whatever we do at Highland

Christian School is guided by our vision statement which says: HCS students

will be academically equipped, biblically grounded and spiritually nurtured to impact

the world for Christ.

We know what academically equipped looks like and we are committed to

sending Highland Christian students off to high school ready to succeed – so,

in this issue, you will hear about a targeted instruction program called IXL.

We know that 70% of the jobs of the future will require STEM skills, and so

you will read of the ‘E’ engineering skills that our students are acquiring and

the programming skills students use with their Sphero robots.

We also know that both colleges and careers now require collaboration,

critical thinking and communication skills and so you will read of how those

skills are being intentionally developed at HCS as well.

We also know that students do best when they know that they are loved and

special. We hope that you see this in these pages as well.

Finally, we aren’t waiting for our students to become adults before they reflect

on their spiritual growth and put their faith into action, so you will read

about our faith formation journals and also opportunities that HCS students

have to serve.

So we are part-way though this year’s journey, and this year is only part-way

through their academic career, and their academic career has one purpose:

as Ephesians 2:10, our theme verse last year reminded us: they are “God’s

workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.”

HCS MISSION STATEMENTIn order to honor God,we nurture and guide students to see the Father’s creationto sense order in a world saved by Christto serve God through the leading of the Holy Spirit

CONTACT US3040 Ridge Road, Highland, Indiana 46322219-838-0356www.highlandchristian.org

PRINCIPALBob Payne

EXECUTIVE SECRETARYJody Moes

DIRECTOR OF RECRUITMENTAND DEVELOPMENTJodi Lineburg

SCHOOL BELL EDITORRené Fennema

SCHOOL BELL LAYOUTChristina Woo

SCHOOL BOARD Dan AardsmaKeith BoenderDave BosmanRandy DeVries Bridget DeYoungHenry GrootTim SpoelmanJohn SurowiecKyle Van ProoyenGladys VanTil

FOUNDATION BOARD Dwayne EvenhouseDarla KinkadeCraig MenningaMike NatelborgDave NeibertGeorge OostemaWayne ScheeringaJohn SurowiecKyle Van ProoyenDan VoudrieChris Yonkman

2017-18 Boards of Directors

4th grade students visited the Hammond Environmental Center.

Spring 2018 schoolbell 3

Practical Christian Service“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

Jodi Lineburg, Development DirectorVicki Huizenga, Jr. High Bible Teacher

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have the distinct opportunity to show His love to others. One practical measure we embrace and teach is this: Everything we have comes from God and because of His love for us, we love one another. To this end, we practice awareness of others and the meeting of each other’s’ needs. In addition to Student Leadership training, which includes recess duty, classroom help, mentoring buddies and chapel planning, this year we have been blessed to participate in these local (school and neighborhood), national and international opportunities:

• SEC Family House Fire Relief

• Hurricane Relief

• Thanksgiving Food Drive for Roseland Christian Ministries

• Pop Tabs for Elena (Ronald McDonald House)

• etc Clothing Drive

• Service Day

• Letters of Hope for Students at Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, FL

• AR Tithe for World Vision

• GAP Gifts for World Renew

• Partnership with India Gospel League

Spiritual Itineraries

Jodi Lineburg, Development Director/Recruiter

Have you heard us use the term “power standards”? These are those key grade level skills and concepts that every child must learn in order to excel. Power standards guide us as we focus on high levels of learning for all at Highland Christian School. The good news is that our committment to high levels of learning doesn’t stop at academics!

When you consider the rest of our vision statement, you might say that we have some “power standards” when it comes to biblical grounding and spiritual nurture as well. During these early years of life, it is imperative that our children develop a solid knowledge of God’s Word. Through work in their faith formation journals, students are encouraged to reflect on what they know about God and how their knowledge of Him changes their lives.

In Raising a Modern Day Joseph, Larry Fowler identifies five “master life threads” in Joseph’s life that our children need to develop. These master threads come together for four key outcomes as we guide students towards spiritual maturity. Namely, they must:

• Acquire wisdom from the Bible

• Understand God’s grace

• Gain a sense of destiny and purpose

• Develop a life-perspective based on God’s perfect plan

Sounds like a good set of power standards, doesn’t it? In some ways, these spiritual “power standards” are the mile markers of a longer itinerary as our children grow to obey, respect, love, and honor God for a lifetime. THIS is the good work God is doing at Highland Christian.

THIS is why we’re glad that you’re part of our community. etc Clothing Drive

Mentoring Buddies

4 schoolbell Spring 2018

SEC Celebrates Our Great United States

Mrs. Karen van Belle, Preschool Director

When Presidents’ Day and the Winter Olympics happen at the same time, we study the letter “U” in preschool! The students had a great time learning about the United States. It was a week full of flags, stars, stripes, and stories of presidents. We wore red, white, and blue, and talked about our country’s flag. We learned about Abraham Lincoln and how much he loved to read and learn. We also found out more about George Washington, who was our country’s first president and fought for freedom.

We made Olympic torches and pretended to pass the flames. We even got to make crowns so that we could look like the Statue of Liberty! Star wreaths, Lincoln hats, and painted flags gave us lots of opportunities to practice our fine motor skills. We’re learning so

much about how to be good citizens, good students, and good friends.

Our country has so many heroes, and one of them paid us a visit! Officer Archer was a United States Marine, and now he’s a police officer. He came to talk to us about how police officers help

people and keep us safe. Thank you, Officer Archer!

Singing “God Bless America” together was a great way to remember to ask God to be with our country. Thank you, God, for our country!

The Extra Mile Chapel Chairs It takes a lot of work most Thursday mornings to set up the gym for junior high chapel. The chair racks need to be pulled out of the closet and then 180 chairs need to be taken off the rack and set up on the gym floor. Mrs. Huizenga was doing this by herself for most of the year until it came to the attention of Don Woo and Caleb Ivie. Now these two young gentlemen come to school ½ hour early on Thursdays to give their teacher some much needed assistance. Thanks, Huskies, for going the Extra Mile to make chapel more enjoyable!


READING IS OUR THING! Leveled Reading Program

Mrs. Shirleen Brown, Kindergarten Teacher

The MORE that you READ, The MORE things you will KNOW. The MORE that you LEARN, The more PLACES you’ll GO.

- Dr. Seuss

IXL: We’re All About Learning!

Mrs. Mandy Aardsma, Fourth Grade Teacher/Testing Coordinator

In order to help each student attain their classroom learning goals, we have started using a program called IXL on our classroom devices. IXL is designed to help each child learn at their own pace, while helping them build confidence in skills that need targeted practice. The program is adaptive and will adjust based on your child’s understanding of the material. By simply clicking on one of these skills, appropriate, targeted practice awaits each learner. The program helps explain the skills, and provides real-time feedback for students, parents, and teachers. We are currently using the program to focus on building our Reading, Language Arts, and Math skills, and the results has been great! As students use IXL both in school and at home, they are more confident learners and able to stay on target.

Who has not read The Cat in the Hat or Hop on Pop or any of the other books by Dr. Seuss? What a wonderful, creative author of many books filled with unusual characters that are loved and read by many children! Reading is such a great way to learn about so many things in God’s wonderful world. That is why Highland Christian has a special program to

help each student in kindergarten, first and second grade increase and enrich their reading

and writing skills on a daily basis. In our Leveled Reading program, each day every child is in a small group with others who are reading at their level. They read through a new book that challenges their reading skills.

Five leveled reading teachers and the regular classroom teachers and aides help

the children develop new strategies to sound out words, work on comprehension and oral

reading and many of the other reading skills. The students also have an opportunity to write about the story in their journals, thus increasing those important writing skills. These small groups allow teachers to give extra help that is needed to ensure that each child is reading to his full potential.

Our Leveled Reading program has helped create confident readers, most of whom are at or above their reading level. Because of this program, we have also seen good increases in our MAPS reading scores. In the month of March we celebrated the birthday of Dr. Seuss and Read Across America. On Friday, March 9, we had a special “Dr. Seuss Day”. We wore our new Dr. Seuss T-shirts and had a special leveled reading lesson using one of the Dr. Seuss books - because READING IS OUR THING! Praise God we can celebrate the gift of reading that He has given each child in our school.

SillyMr. Payne


Fun with Coding!Mr. Rick VanderWoude, Educational Technology Coordinator

This year HCS students have had various opportunities to engage in coding. Students in kindergarten through grade 5 are accessing Apple Playground on their classroom iPads. Here they are learning Apple Swift Codes and using code at a level appropriate for them. Additionally, students have worked on Hour of Code with a code called Scratch. During the first week of December, Mr. Koutz, a parent of three of our students whose occupation is in computer science, came to school and talked to the students, as they worked on Hour of Code activities in the computer lab.

Junior high students have used various means to work with coding, including Khan Academy instructions, Apple Playground, CodeSnaps and Sphero.edu. The last three programs involve the use of apps on iPads, whereby students use codes to program spherical robots named Sprk+. These codes can also be used to program the robots to navigate a path on floor squares that are labeled for different content areas. For example, there may be sixteen squares on the floor with various numbers. The student must program the robot to follow a pathway from left to right, passing over the numbers that are prime. So here you have various skills at work besides coding, that being measurement and knowledge of math concepts.

A favorite activity of our junior high students is presenting the robots to the younger grades. During these visits they showed Sphero doing a variety of coding programs like leading a game of Red Light/Green Light down the hall, giving massages, and Sphero singing songs and using Morse Code to communicate. While demonstrating their coding programs to the primary and elementary students, Advance Tech students honed their presentation and leadership skills building excitement for future students of the Advance Tech classes. So far, the older students have presented to first, second and third grades. The goal is to eventually cover all grades. It’s a great way to engage students and provide meaningful peer-to-peer instruction. We look forward to continuing this throughout the year.

The Extra Mile Real Life Work ExperienceLast summer, Caleb Ivie traveled to Washington D.C. for the National Young Leaders Conference. He stayed in a hotel with two roommates and worked daily in a group of 15-20 other people. The week focused on developing Leadership Skills, Conflict Resolution and Teamwork Building, but what Caleb enjoyed most was seeing the sights of Washington D.C. He saw many of the different museums in the Smithsonian Institution. He also saw the Capitol Building and memorials. The highlight of the trip was spending the night in the National History Museum. They were able to walk around freely, watch movies and sleep in the museum itself. Caleb enjoyed his time and feels that what he learned made a positive influence on his school work and presentations for classes.


Off-Site Learning at the Hammond Environmental Center

Mrs. Sandy Wagenaar, Fourth Grade Teacher

Recycling - is it worth it? Maybe you should ask one of our fourth graders. On Tuesday, February 27, both fourth grade classes, along with their parent chaperones and teachers, boarded the bus for a trip to the Hammond Environmental Center. While there, they made a picture using items that had been donated to the Center to be recycled. During recess, they took turns going down a slide that had been made out of recycled materials. The slide was pretty cool! After lunch and recess, they talked about the nonrenewable resources that God has given us to use. They became miners and

extracted iron from breakfast cereal. The activity had the fourth graders and the chaperones in awe. We learned we need to make wise use of the resources God has given us.

Developing Presentation Skills LIBRARY BOOK REPORTS

Mrs. Judy Zandstra, Librarian

As a part of the library curriculum, elementary students are expected to present books they enjoyed and would encourage other students to read. They present the book’s title, author and genre. Then beginning with the phrase “You should read this book

because….”, they must present the case for their recommendation. Students are developing poise and confidence, public speaking skills and an understanding of how to present information in a clear and appealing way. It has been great to listen to students put forth their opinions and hear the conversation that is generated within the class. It has also been gratifying for the students to see their peers searching for different reading material based on their presentations.


Science and Engineering Fair

Mr. Derek Van Dyke, Junior High Science

The 2018 Science and Engineering Fair was a huge success! Our 5th grade students created and conducted scientific experiments. They created a hypothesis, controlled their variables, carefully conducted their experiment and recorded the data. Students conducted experiments on cats and colors, bacteria, baseball bats and an experiment on which cups keep drinks coldest.

Our 7th grade students completed engineering challenges. They were required to build a device to meet the criteria they were given and to get that device to perform as well as possible. They needed to test their design and record the data. They then used the results from their testing to make changes to their device in order to make it perform better. This process was repeated over and over in order to create a device that performed really well. Students created multi-vehicles, spinning boats, car launchers and Rube Goldberg machines.

All students were then required to create a display board that highlighted their work and then present that work to a panel of judges at the fair. This year’s projects were some of the best yet and we are so proud of the way our students have applied their knowledge of science and engineering in order to complete these projects. Way to go 5th and 7th graders! We are already looking forward to the excellent work we know will be shown off at next year’s Science and Engineering Fair!

8th grade students enjoyed their much anticipated trip to the Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago, Illinois.


National History Day 2018Founding Feud: Hamilton, Jefferson and Madison

Mr. Rick VanderWoude, NHD Advisor

For the last eight years, some of our junior high students have participated in National History Day, a program which offers students an opportunity to research topics in history that suit their interests. Participants pursue one of five options: create an exhibit, a website, a documentary film, perform a historical drama, or write a paper. Any one of these options would then explore a topic relating to the annual theme. This year’s theme was “Conflict and Compromise”. Highland Christian School’s participant this year was Arie DeYoung.

Arie created an historical website entitled Founding Feud: Hamilton, Jefferson and Madison. This website analyzes the conflict between these founding fathers over the national government’s assumption of state debts from the American Revolution. Hamilton favored this plan in particular because

it would not only unify payments, but establish good credit for the young nation. Jefferson and Madison, who favored the state’s control of their own debts, opposed his plan. Eventually, a compromise was reached leading to the establishment of a national capital located in the South. This location, of course, was on the Potomac River and is our present capital of Washington, D.C.

Following the long, demanding process of choosing, researching, and creating a project, Arie first presented his website before judges at the Northwest Indiana Regional Contest. Highland Christian students participated in the Northern Region Contest, which was held on Saturday, February 24, at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. Here, Arie received a glowing evaluation and medal, which qualified him to advance to the state contest.

The state contest will be held on April 14 at the Ivy Tech Community College downtown campus in Indianapolis, Indiana. Students who finish in the top two places then advance to the national contest. Our students have tended to excel in these contests. For example, in six of the past eight years, our students have been able to finish in first or second place, so Highland Christian School has frequently represented the State of Indiana in one category or another. The national contest will be held from June 10 to June 14 at the University of Maryland in College Park, just a short distance by Metro from our nation’s capital. This gives contestants an excellent opportunity to tour the highlights of Washington, D.C.

Arie DeYoung worked hard this year and represented the school well at the regional contest. We congratulate him for his achievement! Thanks also goes to his parents for supporting him and transporting him to the contest.

The Extra Mile Serving as Page It took some initiative, but she had it! Jazlyn Steele met Senator Melton at the poll booth where her mother was working during the election. Jazlyn approached Senator Melton about ISTEP tests, asking him if he could get rid of them. He informed her that he would try if he was elected. Jazlyn continued to meet Senator Melton and his wife and soon developed a relationship with them.

Through this connection, Mrs. Melton arranged for Jazlyn to go to Indianapolis to work as Senator Melton’s page for the day. Jazlyn was very excited about this. She said the best parts of the day were touring the State Building, seeing a session of the Indiana Assembly (although it was a little boring), and touring the state court house (she may want to be a lawyer in the future). The highlight of Jazlyn’s day though was being in the same room with First Lady Michelle Obama and listening to Mrs. Obama talk about her life. Jazlyn was very encouraged by Mrs. Obama’s trust in the abilities of girls and felt greater trust in herself through this talk.

6th Grade Girls’ BasketballCoach Tim WIltjer

The 6th grade girls’ basketball team had a quick and fun season. Almost all the girls were playing on a basketball team for the first time. Although they didn’t win many games, the season was in many ways a success. The girls worked hard at each practice and their improvement was outstanding by the end of the season. The team included Makenzie Mulderink, Janna van Belle, Jia Ebbens, Moriah Colar, Zion Cooper, Amani Sweezer, Jaida Vaca, Grace Van Ek, Hayden Gorham, and Sophia Oostema.

6th Grade Boys’ BasketballCoaches Neil Krooswyk and Dave Sherwood

The 6th grade boys had a great season and tournament. The team was undefeated and finished the regular season with a tournament championship. This team was not only highly skilled, but they showed great character. Students that were playing for the first time fit in well and improved tremendously. This group really enjoyed playing together and their empathy for each other was seen in each game. We look forward to another great season next year. The team included Micah Jones, Andy Spoelman, Isaac Sherwood, Lathaniel Staten, Gram Vander Woude, Tommy Ooms, Christian Fointno, Aviel Garza, and Jack Van Laten.

CheerleadingCoach Lisa Long

The cheerleading squad had an exciting and fun filled year. The squad was coached by Mrs. Roznowski, Mrs. Adamczyk, and Mrs. Long. The team did an excellent job cheering on the 8th grade basketball teams and worked hard for their competition. We are thankful for the girls who cheered this year and look forward to another good job next year. Our cheerleaders included Kayla Ammon, Jordan White, Jaedyn Long, Megan Ruffolo, Madysen Tuel, Addy Hamstra, Skylar Van Til, and Jessie Roznowski.

Thanks girls!

The Extra Mile Cheerleaders Sometimes the extra mile involves sticking it out to the end! All of our cheerleaders showed up to cheer for the 8th grade basketball tournament but these three cheerleaders, Jaedyn Long, Addy Hamstra and Megan Ruffolo stayed until the end. Thanks for persevering and cheering our boys on! You gave your best and we appreciate it!!



8th Grade Girls’ BasketballCoach Derek Van Dyke

The 8th grade girls’ basketball team had an excellent season. The team consisted of five 8th graders and five 7th graders. The girls improved their skills and knowledge of the game tremendously over the course of the season. They used that improvement to play tough against every team that we faced. Approximately half of our games were close and came down to the final minute! We had two great wins against Lansing, where we really got to see our hard work pay off. In the first round of the tournament, we faced Crown Point. Even though we did not win, we played our best and most complete game of the season! Way to go girls! Team members were: 8th graders Citlali Sanchez, Camille Van Laten, Emma Groot, Addison Mosley and Naomi Garcia, as well as 7th graders Brenna Thompson, Cameron Evers, Mia Van Prooyen, Jenna Norman and Addison Bandstra.

8th Grade Boys’ BasketballCoach Neil Krooswyk

The 8th grade boys had a successful season followed by an even more impressive tournament. The team finished third in the conference for the season and was ready for a tournament run. The boys beat the higher ranked Calvin team in the second round to go to the finals in a very close and exciting game. The championship was also very close and exciting, but the team came up short in the last minute. Another highlight was Ahmad Artis winning the three point shootout at the tournament. The boys did a great job and their hard work was seen in the tournament. I am

very proud of this group and I look forward to seeing where the Lord takes them in the years to come. The team included Max Meter, Ashton Holmes, Ahmad Artis, Joey Norman, Gianni Mendoza, Eli McGuffey, Gabe O’Connor, Evan Kuykendall Noah Kieft, and Turnley Horton.

7th Grade Girls’ BasketballCoach Tim Wiltjer

The 7th grade girls had another good season that built on their start from last year. Their record improved from last year and the girls came very close in the games that they lost. The team worked hard all season and had a good finish in their tournament. The girls won the first round and lost a tough championship game to DeMotte. I look forward to seeing the team improve next year and finish strong. The team included Jahdai Sanchez, Mia Van Prooyen, Cameron Evers, Addison Bandstra, Jenna Norman, Brenna Thompson, Audrey Yonkman, Priya Sen, and Cassie Otto.

7th Grade Boys’ BasketballCoach Tim Kuiper

The 7th grade boys had a strong season and in all their losses, the outcome was determined by a few points. This group showed great improvement from last year and great teamwork in the tournament. The boys worked hard in their tournament games and contributions were made by each member for the team to be in a position to win. I am proud of this group and look forward to finishing strong next year. The team included Nico Sytsma, Evan Kuykendall, Terrence Parks, Noah Kieft, Turnley Horton, Caleb Ivie, Caleb Smith, Donny Woo, Nick Dykstra, and Caleb Woodley.


The Extra Mile Pathways to STEMAna Savic attended the National Youth Leadership Forum: Envision Pathways to STEM at Loyola University in Chicago last summer. She spent her week in classes for wngineering, crime scene investigation and medicine. Ana dissected a cow’s heart and learned how to splint a broken leg while lost in the wilderness but what she loved most was coding in engineering. On Friday, her group presented their work for the week – coding their MBot to travel through obstacles without hitting anything. Ana was happily surprised that their MBot made it safely through the obstacle field.

Ana had to work in a group for this week and increased her team building skills through this. She also learned about leadership and presentation skills while deepening her love of science. She stated that looking back on the week was satisfying because the work was hard but it was fun and increased her skills. She would recommend this program to anyone and hopes to go on another one!

Mrs. Karen van Belle, Co-Director

The HCS Music Department is pleased to announce our Spring Musical – Disney’s Aladdin, Jr.! The cast is preparing for our May 10 & 11 performances. The students would love to share their hard work with you! Come on Thursday to take a photo with characters from the musical, and on Friday you can enjoy a catered, themed dinner before the show.

The Disney story you know and love has been given the royal treatment! Aladdin and his three friends, Babkak, Omar, and Kassim, are down on their luck until Aladdin discovers a magic lamp and the genie who has the power to grant three wishes. Wanting to earn the respect of the princess, Jasmine, Aladdin embarks on an adventure that will test his will and his moral character. He learns that telling lies and deceiving others is not the way to get ahead, and that honesty and integrity are more important than he could have imagined. Along the way, you’ll get to experience a Whole New World!

Mark Your Calendar

May 10 & 11

Emily BantsolasMoriah ColarKayla DuPuySophia OostemaIsaac SherwoodJanna van BelleGrace Van EkLuke Vanden BoutAddison BandstraArie De YoungCameron EversCaleb IvieJaedyn Long

Jenna NormanDanielle RanciferPriya SenRyan SmithMia Van ProoyenJordan WhiteAudrey YonkmanEmma De BoerLoralee De YoungMax MeterOlivia OostemaCamille Van Laten

Camila GarciaHayden GorhamKennedi GreenLaura GrootMicah JonesMadelyn LongTyler MockChase PoortingaAndy SpoelmanAmani SweezerJaida VacaSimeon WashingtonNick DykstraAdeline HamstraAniya HerrodNina Koutz

Jeri-lynn PierceSpencer ReddingJessica RoznowskiMegan RuffoloCaleb SmithNico SytsmaDrew WitvoetDonny WooOlivia MapesBrynn McGuffeyReese McGuffeyElena ParodiAubrey PorterCitlali SanchezParker SchuttThijs van Belle

Honor Roll

High Honor Roll Second Quarter 2017/2018


Jodi Lineburg

Brokenness Amidst The BeautyJulia Zandstra (Class of 2009 and daughter of Kindergarten teacher, Judy Zandsta) speaks hope into the hearts and minds of her patients at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Each day she is confronted with the harsh reality of loss – the loss of health, skill, independence and sometimes the very will to go on; and daily, patient by patient, she has the opportunity to apply the truth of the Gospel to real life situations.

Currently a senior at Chamberlain College of Nursing, she is thankful for the foundation that was laid for her by her family, her church and the community that surrounded her at Highland Christian School and Illiana Christian High School. Now as she wraps up her course of study at Chamberlain and practices nursing at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, she is excited about the future God has prepared for her. There have been many turns along the journey for which she is grateful and one special turn to Nairobi.

How did you end up in Nairobi, Africa? I’ve always had a heart for missions. When I learned that I could complete my community rotation locally or abroad, I was very interested in going abroad. Thankfully, I met the special requirements and had earned consideration for these opportunities. I was particularly interested in Brazil and India, however, these teams were full. Shortly after this door appeared to close, the Director of the Program reached out and let me know that a new opportunity has opened in Kenya and within two weeks I had been accepted.

What did you do while you were there? Chamberlain College of Nursing works with Family Hope Charity and the Marague Hospital in Nairobi. My team worked with local professionals to deliver basic medical care and supplies to the people of Korogocho, Mukuro, Mukuru communities, and the Maasai tribe. We also taught local medical professionals. It was eye-opening to see the depth of poverty in these communities and yet also to witness their joy and hope. In Korogocho, 450,000 people live within five square miles! In spite of their squalid, overcrowded conditions, they celebrate life and care for eachother’s needs.

How did God use this trip in your life? God used this trip to solidify the kind of nurse I want to be. He used it to show me His power and glory and allowed me to see an incredible amount of beauty amidst the brokenness of humanity. The people of Nairobi bore more witness to me in ways far greater than I could to them. I want to practice nursing with empathy and compassion for people exactly as they are. I am so grateful for the heritage I have been given and for the hope I have in Christ.

Congratulations Huskies!Mrs. Joyce Groen, Junior High Geography

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY BEE FINALISTSCongratulations are due the following finalists in the National Geography Bee:

• 4th grade – Nick Neibert, Kendrall Green

• 5th grade – Armaan Sen, Wyatt Bussema

• 6th grade – Micah Jones, Sophia Oostema

• 7th grade – Arie DeYoung, Byron Rideaux

• 8th –Brynn McGuffey, Max Meter

At the end of January, we held our final competition in the gym, with Arie DeYoung winning the final. Arie then had to take the National Geographic online test. On March 1 Arie advanced to the state finals at IUPUI in Indianapolis! On April 6 he will compete with state winners for the National Bee held in Washington DC. Congratulations, Arie, as you are in the top 1% in geography knowledge among students in the world!


Sonshine Enrichment Center Professional Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $390.00

Super Relay Kit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $129.99

Obstacle Course Activity Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $241.87

Mrs. Brown – Kindergarten Magnetic Tins – Phonemic Awareness . . . . . . . . . . . $26.99

Mrs. Zandstra – Kindergarten Sylvania Portable CD Boombox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $28.99

Mrs. De Young – 1st Grade Mothers’ Day Gifts/Projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15.00

United Art & Education Gift Card for Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . $20.00 up to $60.00

Classroom Enrichment and Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . $60.00

Classroom Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $60.00

Mrs. Otte – 1st Grade Photos for 1st Grade Writing Journals . . . . . . . . . . . $75.00

Mrs. Reynhout – 2nd Grade 2 Large Rectangle Book Baskets for Leveled Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $47.99 each

Mrs. Verkaik – 2nd Grade 25 Dry Wrase Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $40.00

Pencil Sharpener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20.50

Mrs. Sylvester – 3rd Grade 1 “Habitat Explorers” Field Trip Workshop at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $135.00

Mrs. Aardsma/Jabaay – 4th Grade Service Day Soup Packet Supplies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $400.00

Mrs. Scheeringa – English 40 Copies of Chasing Vermeer (Scholastic Book). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4.00 each

Mrs. Groen – History World Map Test Set for Ancient Civilizations. . . . . . . $4.95

Ancient Civilizations Map Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7.00

Mrs. Achterhof – Discover Center DC Library Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $60.00

Mr. Rinkenberger – Music 50 Wegner Music Chairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4086.99

Mrs. Zandstra – Library Book Repair Machine and Supply Kit . . . . . . . . . .$1,200.00 To repair books that have become unglued. The cost is approximately the cost of replacing 120 books which will save money and allow us to keep books in good condition.

Mr. Vander Woude – Technology 4 Raspberry Pi Projects Kits – Mini-computer Projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $149.95 each

4 Sphero SPRKT Robots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $129.99 each

Bretford Cube Skyblue iPad Cart Model #TVC32PAC for SEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $859.00

Finance Office GM-X Automatic Electric Stapler, Heavy Duty Jam-Free 25 Sheet Professional Office Stapler Free AC Cord and Staples with Warranty . . . . . . . . . $40.00

Technology Committee Educational Apps for iPads (any amount) . . . . . .$1,000.00

Educational Computer Software Programs (any amount) . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000.00

Lego League Kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $500.00 per kit

iPad Cart and iPads for SEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,000.00

5 iPads and Covers for Discovery Center . . . . . . .$2,500.00

Wish List

Upcoming EventsApril 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Late Start 10:00 a.m.

April 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HCS Preview Day 1:00-3:00 p.m.

April 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Junior High Math Traithlon

April 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Live Auction

April 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Young Authors’ Festival

April 27 . . . . . . . . . . . PTO Donuts for Dudes 7:45-8:25 a.m.

May 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HCS Society Meeting 7:30 p.m.

May 7-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Teacher Appreciation Week

May 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Late Start 10:00 a.m.

May 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Teacher Appreciation Luncheon

May 10, 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Junior High Musical

May 14 . . . . . . . . . Protect Young Eyes Presentation 7:00 p.m.

May 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Band & Choir Concert 7:00 p.m.

May 21, 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEC Last Days

May 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SEC Graduation

for Kindergarten-Bound Students

May 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEC Picnic

May 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Memorial Day - No School

June 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Service Day

June 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Last Day 1:45 Dismissal

June 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8th Grade Graduation 7:00 p.m.


HCS FOUNDATION Mr. Tim Spoelman, Board Member

The Foundation Board is excited to announce that reserve funds held by the Foundation have exceeded $3 million for the first time in its history! Strong gains in the stock market, financial gifts from donors, and the continued success of the etc…thrift store have propelled the Foundation to this significant milestone. The Foundation was formed many years ago to promote the long term viability of the school by growing its assets and by receiving, managing, and administering funds for the exclusive use and benefit of Highland Christian School.

More funds in the Foundation simply means the school has a larger “safety net” to handle potential future financial shortfalls, and any unforeseen financial calamities. It also means that more funds will be flowing back to the school in an effort to keep tuition increases as small as possible. In fact, the Foundation Board is pleased to announce that we will be gifting $100,000 to HCS for the next school year. That gift, coupled with strong enrollment numbers, should serve to keep tuition increases reasonable for 2018/2019.

We praise God for his faithful oversight of HCS and for the many blessings he has poured out on the staff, student body, and friends of the school. Please continue to support the school and the Foundation through your generous financial gifts and also by volunteering, donating, and purchasing items from etc. Every little bit helps us with our mission to raise academically equipped, Biblically grounded, and spiritually nurtured students. The Foundation Board is sincerely grateful for the support of the HCS constituency. THANK YOU!

Thanks For Your Investment In Our Community!

Why do YOU volunteer at etc… A Thrift Store?

Dahlia SacramentoRetirement life has allowed me to lend a helping hand and give my time in a volunteer capacity. It has provided me with a sense of purpose and has been a rewarding experience. I have met very kind and wonderful people at etc… I highly recommend it.

Parent Sort NightScience Fair Judges

Praying for Our Community

Highland ChristianSchool


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Auction Church OfferingsEstate Giftsetc… A Thrift StoreFamily Legacy FundsFoundation FundFundraising EventsGifts of StockHope FundLegacy Prayer PlazaPTO School Improvement FundSGO Scholarship FundTribute GiftsTuition Assistance FundWish List Fund

3040 Ridge Road, Highland, Indiana 46322

219-838-0356

www.highlandchristian.org


Highland Christian School


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YOU DID IT!Congratulate Your Graduate and commemorate their special accomplishment by donating a personalized paver in their honor! Their paver will be installed in the Legacy Prayer Plaza at Highland Christian School and your gift will help reduce tuition costs for future grads!

For more information, call us at (219) 838-0356 x165 or visit our website at highlandchristian.org



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“Train up a child in the way he should go

and when he is old, he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6

HCS AuctionApril 21, 2018

5:00pmDoors Open • Kitchen OpensSilent Auction & Bake Sale

5:30pm Live Auction BeginsYou do not want to miss the fundraising event of the year!Hang out with members of our HCS community, hear about exciting new

opportunities for our students, and take part in bidding for that special item. Some of these items include the latest electronics, unique home décor,

toys for kids of all ages, tools for your next project, women’s and men’s packages, weekend getaways and even Cubs tickets!!!

Food, drinks, dessert and coffee will all be available so come on out, settle in, and be a part of the excitement! We can’t wait to see you there!

Documents

Spring 2018 - Highland Christian School · (Ronald McDonald House) • etc Clothing Drive ... their classroom iPads. Here they are learning Apple Swift Codes and using code at a level