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Connections A HAMILTON DISTRICT CHRISTIAN HIGH PUBLICATION<br />

Fall 2012 Vol. 6 Issue 1<br />

hdch.org<br />

<strong>PROJECT</strong> <strong>BASED</strong> <strong>LEARNING</strong><br />

3-D <strong>PUZZLES</strong><br />

<strong>LIVING</strong> <strong>TESTIMONIES</strong><br />

WIL KAMPHUIS RETIRES<br />

COMMUNITY SUPPORTING<br />

COMMUNITY<br />

hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

1


Connections<br />

HDCH MAGAZINE<br />

Fall 2012 Vol. 6 Issue 1<br />

Principal’s Message<br />

2 hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

Features<br />

3<br />

7<br />

10<br />

11<br />

A Healing Journey<br />

From Barbados to practising<br />

chiropractic in Hamilton<br />

Community Supporting Community<br />

It takes a community to make this<br />

school happen<br />

Our Lives as Living Testimonies<br />

By Nathan Siebenga, Principal<br />

Project Based Learning<br />

Making projects more than just<br />

a grade<br />

Welcome to the latest version of HDCH Connections.<br />

I am thrilled by the work that has been done to produce<br />

this magazine. From the writers to photographers to<br />

designers to printers, many people invested a lot of<br />

themselves. Thanks to those who participated in putting<br />

Connections together.<br />

High School is one of the most in uential times of our<br />

lives. Some of us loved it and others didn’t enjoy it at all.<br />

Regardless of the quality of their high school experience,<br />

people I speak with often talk about it. We all have stories<br />

that connect us with High School.<br />

As you page through Connections, I hope you nd a high school story or two<br />

that you can connect with. If you’ve known us for a long time, re-Connect and<br />

see what’s changed. If we are new to you, I hope that you will see that we are, as<br />

always, committed to unpacking the gifts of Christian teenagers and preparing<br />

them for lives of service after High School. That’s something that hasn’t changed.<br />

Be Be well,<br />

Nathan Siebenga, Principal<br />

Editorial Team<br />

Harry Meester<br />

Charlene Hone<br />

Art Director<br />

Jeanette Obbink<br />

Designers<br />

Kathryn Lee<br />

Contributers<br />

Kate Schooley<br />

Heather Mantel<br />

Nathan Siebenga<br />

Pauline Vandervelde<br />

Nathan DeHaan<br />

Printed in Canada by B&K Printing<br />

Designed by Blueprint Agencies<br />

Return undelivered Canadian<br />

addresses to:<br />

Hamilton District Christian High<br />

92 Glancaster Road<br />

Ancaster ON Canada<br />

L9G 3K9<br />

P. 905.648.6655<br />

F. 905.648.3139<br />

e. info@hdch.org<br />

For advertising information email<br />

ads@hdch.org<br />

Circulation<br />

7000<br />

Subscription<br />

Free to Alumni of HDCH<br />

All contents copyright 2012.<br />

No part of this magazine may be<br />

reproduced in whole or in part<br />

without express permission.<br />

Photos by<br />

Eric Brink<br />

Hans Mulder<br />

David Guichelaar<br />

Victor Van Voorst<br />

HDCH magazine is a biannual<br />

publication of Hamilton District<br />

Christian High.<br />

A HAMILTON DISTRICT CHRISTIAN<br />

HIGH PUBLICATION


Canadian-born Kristy had moved<br />

to Barbados with her parents at<br />

the age of three. Her elementary<br />

years were rife with challenges,<br />

including a school system that required her<br />

to choose an early career path.<br />

She opted for a language-based<br />

curriculum that narrowed her available<br />

options. Soon after, she realized it would<br />

stie her dreams for the future.<br />

“I changed my mind, but I was<br />

stuck,” Kristy admits. She made a<br />

tough choice and left Barbados<br />

in search of a fresh start. “HDCH<br />

gave me the opportunity to do<br />

what I wanted,” she says.<br />

All three maths, biology,<br />

chemistry – these are the<br />

subjects she immersed herself in<br />

when she returned to Canada on her own.<br />

Living with her aunt and uncle, she had<br />

initially planned to attend Ancaster High<br />

but they encouraged her to try Hamilton<br />

Christian District High instead. Kristy found<br />

the transition into faith-based education<br />

remarkably easy.<br />

“I had never been to a Christian school<br />

before and didn’t know what to expect,”<br />

she reects. “It was peaceful. There was a<br />

sense of calm that accompanied being<br />

able to trust one another. I had never<br />

experienced God-centered learning before,<br />

and it was great how it incorporated the<br />

lessons I was learning.” Mr. Plantinga’s<br />

biology class was especially memorable.<br />

“I loved how much Creation was<br />

incorporated into it, how God gave us the<br />

great ability to heal ourselves. It’s where<br />

A Healing Journey<br />

At the age of 16, Kristy Fennema made a life-changing decision. She left her<br />

parents and the country she knew to follow a highschool education in Canada.<br />

I rst got the sense of the path my life<br />

would take.”<br />

Graduating in 2002 at the age of 17,<br />

Kristy pursued an Honours Bachelor of<br />

Health Sciences with a specialization in<br />

Health Promotion at the University of<br />

Western Ontario. She set her sights on<br />

NYCC (New York Chiropractic College),<br />

and began a 3½ year program there in<br />

January 2008. She also completed the<br />

Contemporary Medical Acupuncture<br />

program at McMaster University in 2010.<br />

“NYCC oered a huge variety of<br />

hands-on techniques and I was blessed<br />

to have so many learning opportunities,”<br />

she remembers. “I went in thinking that I<br />

wanted to focus on acute care including<br />

rehab and physio, but was fascinated by<br />

the wellness-based approach. I’m on quite<br />

the journey now, trying to integrate both<br />

into my professional career.”<br />

Fresh out of school, the new doctor was<br />

hired at a rehab-based practice, though<br />

she currently works as an Exam Specialist<br />

at Health From Within, a wellness-based<br />

Burlington clinic that aligns with her<br />

personal beliefs.<br />

“We’re focused on optimizing health<br />

and work to remove pressure from the<br />

nerves in the neck and back, unleashing<br />

our amazing God-given ability to heal<br />

ourselves,” Kristy explains. “It really is<br />

amazing to see how people’s lives can<br />

change.”<br />

She feels right at home with the clinic’s<br />

openly Christian approach.<br />

“Many of our patients who accept<br />

God incorporate Him into their<br />

healing journey and we fully<br />

support them, as we truly believe<br />

that it is through Him that<br />

healing happens”.<br />

Kristy recently started a small<br />

side-business in Ancaster, where<br />

she sees acute-care patients<br />

and practices both chiropractic<br />

and acupuncture. “There really<br />

is more to chiropractic than just back<br />

and neck pain,” she says. “There is a lot we<br />

can do for extremity injuries, shoulders,<br />

tendinitis and more. With proper care,<br />

patients can regain the ability to live their<br />

lives to the fullest.”<br />

Kristy Fennema ‘03<br />

Mr. Plantinga’s biology class was especially memorable.<br />

“I loved how much Creation was incorporated into it,<br />

how God gave us the great ability to heal ourselves. It’s<br />

where I rst got the sense of the path my life<br />

would take.”<br />

hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

3


After 42 years of waiting, HDCH has<br />

adopted a new standard athletics<br />

crest. Designed for use by all sports<br />

teams, the new logo is a collaborative<br />

venture between former Student Council<br />

President David VanderWindt ‘11 and<br />

senior student Bernice Winter ‘12.<br />

HDCH Knights’ name was formally<br />

adopted around 1970. Head of Athletics<br />

at that time was Al Zeitsma, and he is<br />

remembered as saying “If Knights is good<br />

enough for Calvin College, then it’s good<br />

Robert H. Kloet<br />

T.<br />

F.<br />

E.<br />

W.<br />

4 hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

905.522.1616<br />

905.522.7334<br />

rkloet@sympatico.ca<br />

rhkcma.ca<br />

30 Desjardins Court,<br />

Hamilton, ON L8S 3R8<br />

Helping Businesses Achieve Their Objectives<br />

A Crest Worth Waiting For<br />

by Harry Meester ‘72<br />

enough for HDCH.” “Zeits” was a Calvin<br />

alumnus.<br />

There has been an interesting variety<br />

of Knights crests over the years. Student<br />

Councils and sports teams have produced<br />

an arsenal of Knights paraphernalia with<br />

various levels of feathers, hair, armour,<br />

weaponry and facial expressions. There<br />

have been full-body knights, knights on<br />

horses, front and side-view knights. Most<br />

were red and white, some were silver, gold<br />

or black. Coaches had their favorites, and<br />

there was no standard.<br />

Last year, Principal Nathan Siebenga<br />

said: “Enough. We need a good, clear,<br />

standardized athletics crest.” Head of<br />

Athletics Brad Heidbuurt ’95 collaborated<br />

with Recruitment & Advancement Director<br />

Harry Meester ‘72 to work to that goal.<br />

After consultations within the HDCH<br />

sports community and with marketing<br />

specialists, and after piloting the crest with<br />

Senior Boys Basketball for a season, the<br />

VanderWindt / Winter crest has now been<br />

o cially adopted as the crest to be used<br />

across the HDCH Athletics program.<br />

“I’d love to see the new crest painted<br />

at centre court in the gym,” says<br />

Heidbuurt, “and maybe we can get the Art<br />

Department to put it on the gym walls.<br />

That would be really cool.”<br />

At the rate that this decision has been<br />

made, this crest should last a long time.<br />

We may see a new athletics crest in<br />

another 42 years: in the year 2054!


A well-rounded and determined<br />

athlete, Corinna Vanderschaaf pushes<br />

her limits to improve her game. She<br />

enjoyed succeeding as a key player on the<br />

HDCH soccer, volleyball and basketball<br />

teams.<br />

“Knowing that I put my best e ort in and<br />

encouraged others to do so is all, I believe,<br />

that counts,” Corinna says.<br />

Corinna was an extremely versatile athlete,<br />

as she played a variety of positions on each<br />

of the di erent HDCH sports teams she<br />

was on. She was also a leader, being the<br />

captain of the soccer and volleyball teams<br />

last year.<br />

“I would say the biggest highlight for me<br />

was when both the girls and guys soccer<br />

Since he was old enough to hold a<br />

racket, Owen Kurvits was on track to<br />

uphold the Kurvits family badminton<br />

legacy.<br />

Last year Owen took bronze at the<br />

provincial championships (OFSAA) and<br />

moved on to Nationals in Moncton,<br />

New Brunswick. As an HDCH athlete,<br />

Owen competed in the highest level of<br />

badminton in Canada at Nationals - in the<br />

same tournament as two of Canada’s four<br />

current badminton Olympians.<br />

To raise awareness for this trip to Nationals,<br />

Owen took on Principal Nathan Siebenga<br />

(also an OFSAA-competing badminton<br />

athlete in his day) during a school<br />

assembly. The emceed match was a hit in<br />

the HDCH community!<br />

Owen also played goalie on the HDCH<br />

soccer team, leading the Knights to a rstplace<br />

victory, making a crucial save during<br />

HDCH All-Stars<br />

Corinna Vanderschaaf ‘12<br />

Owen Kurvits ‘12<br />

teams went to OFSAA”, Corinna recalls.<br />

Corinna also helped lead the HDCH soccer<br />

team to various successes including a silver<br />

city title, and a gold OCSSAA victory.<br />

In addition to being a well-rounded<br />

athlete, Corinna also participated on the<br />

HDCH Praise Team. Despite her signi cant<br />

involvement, she never wavered in giving<br />

100% of her e ort to her activities. Her<br />

advice to others students is, “Be careful<br />

how you spend your time…make sure if<br />

you are going to be involved in a lot of<br />

extracurricular activities that you are able<br />

to commit yourself fully to it and put all<br />

your e ort in, because e ort is what makes<br />

things work”<br />

shootouts at the city championship game<br />

last year.<br />

Owen transferred to HDCH last year when<br />

his family moved to Hamilton.<br />

“I’ve been to three di erent high schools<br />

now and this was my rst Christian one.<br />

I think the fact that I got to learn lessons<br />

on the court/ eld plus life lessons outside<br />

of sports was my favourite part about it.<br />

Being able to combine God and sports<br />

was truly a blessing that I couldn’t get<br />

anywhere else, other than with my family.”<br />

Owen recalls, “I really enjoyed my year<br />

at HDCH. I had some great coaches and<br />

teachers that are all super friendly and as<br />

close as family.”<br />

Owen is an exceptional HDCH athlete. His<br />

excellence is acclaimed by teachers and<br />

coaches alike.<br />

Used with permission from the Hamilton Spectator.<br />

hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

5


6 hdch.org | Fall 2012 2012g<br />

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Community Supporting Community<br />

It takes community to make this school happen.<br />

It has always been this way.<br />

Last year, after negotiating speci c bursary support for a<br />

two-school family, I contacted a Mom by telephone to<br />

share the good news. She answered her phone in the<br />

produce aisle of the grocery store, and promptly broke<br />

down in tears, so relieved that her child would be able to attend<br />

a Christian high school. Our community surrounded her family<br />

to make it happen.<br />

This school community has grown and thrived for 56 years.<br />

Thousands have surrounded the school with prayer and<br />

support to make it happen. Thousands of families have blessed<br />

and been blessed by HDCH. The Holy Spirit continues to<br />

capture the ideas, inspiration, and imagination of His people in<br />

the Greater Hamilton Area. Through this work, this community<br />

continues to support and build the HD community.<br />

“It has been a great year of community<br />

supporting community! “<br />

Character Learningice Cha<br />

by Harry Meester ‘72<br />

Last year, the HDCH Golf Tournament raised $30 000 for the<br />

school as 140 golfers enjoyed a beautiful day on the links and<br />

dinner at Sundrim Golf Course. Just being together at the<br />

same place, celebrating God’s goodness is as important as<br />

raising funds.<br />

In March, the school hosted Arts Matter, a performance<br />

evening with a speci c focus on raising funds for three arts<br />

projects: relocating the art studio to the main oor with patio<br />

access, improving the sound quality and communication for<br />

our annual dramatic production, and buying a new drum kit for<br />

our band program. That evening we had an opportunity to see<br />

not only how the arts personally impact the development of<br />

students, but also that arts are nothing without a community to<br />

share it with. We raised $23 000 at that event.<br />

Last fall, the annual HDCH Campaign raised over $335 000<br />

to assist with mortgage payments, capital improvements and<br />

bursary support. In order to keep the school as accessible as<br />

we can, we fundraise all capital costs. Tuition covers operating<br />

costs. Hundreds of HDCH friends and families gave generously<br />

to make this happen.<br />

None of this would be possible but for the loving and<br />

dedicated support of the HDCH community, honouring the<br />

work of Christ in building every aspect of Hamilton District<br />

Christian High. When a school is surrounded by a con dent<br />

community that understands how deep the dedication needs<br />

to be, then the future is secure.<br />

Then there’s the family that was looking at property to build a<br />

home in the GTA with a possibility of locating in Ancaster. The<br />

catch was what would the Christian high school culture be like?<br />

How deep would the sense of community be? After meeting<br />

and touring with us, the family had a meeting. Together, they<br />

decided to pick Ancaster. They resonated with the expression<br />

of Christian faith and community at this school.<br />

We invite you to be involved in supporting community.<br />

Golf with us this September. In November, you will be invited<br />

to support the HDCH 2012 Campaign. Next March, we’ll be<br />

inviting your family to come out to a wonderful event that we’re<br />

currently planning.<br />

Let God work in your heart as you decide how to participate<br />

and invest in the future of this community.<br />

It takes community to make this school happen. It has always<br />

been this way.<br />

It’s God’s way of saying: “Be blessed.”<br />

Saturday, September 15th<br />

Sundrim Golf Course<br />

HDCH parent:<br />

“I never could have guessed several years ago, when we managed two Christian school<br />

tuitions without nancial help, that at this point, one Christian school wouldn’t even<br />

be possible. We know how many blessings ow at HDCH for the students who are able<br />

to attend so many prayers were raised. God is good and His blessings were poured out<br />

on us. The sta persons were loving and supportive while they worked with us and<br />

found a solution. We are so thankful that the school was able to help us with bursary<br />

support. Praise be to God!”<br />

g<br />

FOR MORE INFO<br />

905.648.6655 www.hdch.org<br />

hdch.org | Fall 2012 7


Distinction Awards<br />

Each year, HDCH students are nominated by their peers and by sta for outstanding<br />

contributions to student life at the school and in the community. The Distinction<br />

Award is the top tier of awards, recognizing unique and brilliant forms of leadership.<br />

Last year, Emma Hansen and Kat Vos received HDCH Distinction Awards<br />

8 hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

Emma Hansen ‘13<br />

Emma has been an integral<br />

member of many HDCH<br />

extracurricular activities.<br />

She excelled through<br />

outstanding contributions<br />

to Student Council and<br />

several music ensembles.<br />

Her peers recognize her<br />

for her beaming smile and<br />

strong encouragement.<br />

“HDCH has so many valuable learning opportunities. The<br />

curriculum, the extracurricular programs and the incredible<br />

teachers make it so that if you are looking to learn, your<br />

problem will be choosing, not nding. I’m fortunate to have<br />

many opportunities to pursue my musical interests through the<br />

awesome musical groups at HDCH.<br />

This school has been the giver of so many blessings, and I’m<br />

grateful for the opportunities to give back even a fraction of<br />

these blessings.<br />

I wasn’t expecting to love my high school experience this<br />

much, but HDCH is not a typical high school. HDCH has become<br />

a second home for me. There is a place for everyone. You will be<br />

accepted. You will feel connected to the school in a deeper way.<br />

You will have fun!<br />

HDCH is a close-knit faith community. This aspect of my<br />

future education is very important to me. I don’t know where<br />

my post-secondary education will take me, but if the way my<br />

horizons have been expanded through my time at HDCH is any<br />

indication, I’m very excited for what my future may hold.”<br />

– Emma Hansen<br />

Kat Vos ‘13<br />

Kat has a rare combination<br />

of selfl essness and talent.<br />

She has served HDCH<br />

wholeheartedly as<br />

Student Council copresident<br />

and has led us<br />

with energy and creativity.<br />

Kat has also been a<br />

valuable member of the<br />

Praise Team on guitar and<br />

piano, and a source of<br />

encouragement and leadership. She has consistently looked for<br />

new ways to improve our school environment.<br />

“One of my absolute favorite things to do is volunteer at City<br />

Kidz in Hamilton. I work with inner-city kids and teach them<br />

that it’s ok to be a kid, that it’s ok to have fun, that Jesus loves<br />

them, and that we do too.<br />

HDCH has de nitely been a huge part in shaping who I<br />

am. The support that I get from teachers and peers has really<br />

impacted me. HDCH is full of teachers who care about students.<br />

They support you inside and outside of the classroom. HDCH is<br />

SUPPORTIVE - It’s AWESOME!<br />

Being involved in di erent things makes high school fun.<br />

You get to meet new people in the same grade as you or in<br />

other grades as well. HDCH has AWESOME ways to be involved.<br />

There’s something for everyone.<br />

My most prominent HDCH memory was the day that HDCH<br />

stood up and cheered for me. Katelynn and Jocelyn made<br />

a video for me for the My Just Because Competition (http://<br />

myjustbecause.ca). They got the whole school to be in the video<br />

saying that they all wanted to share me with the world.”<br />

– Kat Vos


The Movement<br />

Highlighting Students’ Art & Writing<br />

Adamo<br />

by Maria Simmons ‘12<br />

Hidden Faces<br />

For all of the unveiled faces,<br />

Those with hidden disgraces,<br />

Emotions hiding under obstructions,<br />

Not being shown in the instructions,<br />

Cradles being cast out,<br />

Secretly sending a relentless shout,<br />

People who have feelings,<br />

Who need your healings<br />

Causes of this, we will never know,<br />

Why di erent faces, people show<br />

by Tyler Winter ‘15<br />

The name “Adamo” comes from<br />

a Hebrew word, meaning “son of<br />

the red earth.”<br />

Just as Adam was formed<br />

of the earth, that is our own<br />

heritage, we too come from<br />

intricate weavings of earth<br />

and will return to earth. This relationship between earth<br />

and people never ceases to interest me. When Adam<br />

was cast out of the Garden, there was a new tension<br />

between him and the land that didn’t exist before, one<br />

that resounded throughout the rest of the Bible. Jesus<br />

compares the hearts of humans to the soil of the earth,<br />

saying that his word will take root in fertile soil. Just as<br />

the soil changed when the Fall occurred, the hearts of<br />

mankind changed. We became aware of our fragility and<br />

dependence on God like soil is dependent on water and<br />

periods of rest. We need communion in order to have<br />

nutrients; we need the Sabbath in order to stay fruitful.<br />

This poem means a new<br />

beginning.<br />

It means that people<br />

appreciate me for who I<br />

am and what I do.<br />

Though my talent in<br />

speech craft is more on<br />

my subtle side, I started a novel last year and I am<br />

close to complete.<br />

hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

9


Project Based Learning (PBL) is key to our educational<br />

approach. PBL is a model of learning in which authentic<br />

experiences shape the curriculum of any particular subject.<br />

Students make relevant the ‘need to knows’ of a topic,<br />

subject or discipline through the formation, inquiry, design, re ning<br />

and completion of a project. Projects are often interdisciplinary,<br />

weaving strands and objectives from many subjects to accomplish the<br />

assigned task.<br />

Over the past two years, HDCH sta and administrators have begun<br />

integrating PBL into our classrooms. PBL is a natural t for education<br />

from a Christian perspective. At HDCH, the driving questions of PBL are<br />

rooted in our biblical and reformational understanding of<br />

the scriptures.<br />

Learning through PBL projects encourages students to cultivate<br />

important habits of character, habits that will serve them well through<br />

their lives. They learn resilience as they try new things, sometimes<br />

10 hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

Project Based Learning<br />

Authentic experiences in and beyond the classroom.<br />

Our Lives as<br />

Living Testimonies<br />

By Nathan Siebenga<br />

fail, and try again. They develop competence through in-depth focus<br />

on particular areas of skill and study. Creativity emerges through<br />

the process of answering questions, problem solving and product<br />

creation. Projects designed for a real audience encourage re ection<br />

as students present their work and compassion as they use what they<br />

have learned to help others. Our Celebrations of Learning provide<br />

opportunities for students to present projects to an<br />

authentic audience.<br />

We have seen evidence of exceptional projects as this type of<br />

learning becomes the norm in our classrooms. PBL provides the<br />

opportunity for students to develop key skills, uncover their God-given<br />

gifts, and discover how those gifts and skills can be used in service to<br />

God and to their community. We believe that as our students learn<br />

in this way, their characters will be shaped; they will become living<br />

testimonies as they do the Lord’s work in His kingdom.


Jessica Paquette ‘12<br />

...working with other people,<br />

making something happen, now<br />

that’s what makes me excited to<br />

be in school!<br />

Senior HDCH English and Philosophy<br />

students produced an offi cial<br />

publication last year through their<br />

classes Mobius is a collection of<br />

musings and writings by students<br />

about personhood, identity,<br />

development, and morality. The<br />

various entries by students are<br />

powerful and insightful. The<br />

development of this book, from<br />

start to nish, was a project that<br />

gave students a hands-on and<br />

practical learning experience.<br />

“I would give the learning from the editing team a ten out<br />

of ten. I love actually having a point to schoolwork! To have<br />

an actual book that I helped publish is a pretty amazing<br />

accomplishment. It made our projects more than just a<br />

grade; it made it something exciting that I could potentially<br />

be part of in the future. It was de nitely a far better learning<br />

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hands on, and taught me so much. It better prepared me for<br />

the work force. Writing papers is not what<br />

I see in my line of work, but working with other people,<br />

making something happen, now that’s what makes me<br />

excited to be in school.”<br />

– Jessica Paquette<br />

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Brantford Christian School<br />

Calvin Christian School, Hamilton<br />

Dundas Calvin Christian School<br />

Dunnville Christian School<br />

Hamilton District<br />

Christian High<br />

Jarvis Community Christian School<br />

Niagara Association for Christian Education<br />

Smithville District Christian High<br />

Trinity Christian School, Burlington<br />

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hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

11


Intelligent Design<br />

Thomas Henshell ‘94 follows his dream while<br />

living a life of service to God<br />

Thomas Henshell never pictured<br />

himself as someone his high<br />

school would want to pro le. He<br />

wasn’t much of a student in the<br />

traditional sense – he took little interest in<br />

the structured pace of a formal classroom<br />

and saw subjects like history and gym as<br />

getting in the way of his interests.<br />

“I only wanted to learn about<br />

computers,” he grins. “I would fail a chemistry<br />

test because I was up the night before<br />

reading 300 pages on programming. If<br />

something went wrong with one of the<br />

school computers, they would pull me out<br />

of class to x it.” The only other thing he<br />

pursued as voraciously was his faith.<br />

“I grew up in the Christian Reformed<br />

Church with a strong belief that Christ has<br />

supremacy over everything. I was never interested<br />

in evolution or a secular perspective.<br />

In the 8th Grade, when my biology<br />

12 hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

teacher asked us to grab our microscopes<br />

and take a look at what God created, it felt<br />

very right to me. By the next year, I was<br />

holding down a paper route to help my<br />

single mom nance my attendance<br />

at HDCH.”<br />

Looking back, the authenticity of the<br />

Christian faculty set the tone for Thomas’<br />

obedient walk with Christ.<br />

“I knew that my teachers really cared,”<br />

he re ects. “They gave 110 percent.”<br />

Thomas fondly remembers Mr. Hordyk,<br />

who helped him found the computer club<br />

and would come and see him at the electronics<br />

store where he worked. Mrs. Rooks,<br />

who taught creative writing, was highly<br />

in uential too; when Thomas broke o an<br />

engagement at the age of 18, Mrs. Rooks<br />

was the one<br />

he called.<br />

Yet while Thomas connected with his<br />

teachers, he remained unconcerned about<br />

his grades. He smiles now at his youthful<br />

conviction that his programming skills<br />

alone were enough to land a lucrative<br />

career. “My Mom was looking at my report<br />

card and wondering what I was going to<br />

do with my life. I wanted a future in the<br />

computer industry, but was barely passing<br />

high school. I needed passing grades so I<br />

could sign up for my OAC year and apply to<br />

the University of Waterloo.”<br />

But God had other plans. “I got Mono.<br />

It went undiagnosed for 6 weeks..” By the<br />

time Thomas recovered, the semester was<br />

half over. He took a job at Future Shop to<br />

test his workplace mettle before the start<br />

of the next term, selling computers and<br />

programming websites on the side. “God<br />

was directing my life, and Mono put me on<br />

the right path,” he explains.<br />

Thomas excelled: he won sales competitions,<br />

trained new recruits and moved into<br />

management training, all the while praying<br />

that God would deliver him out of the retail<br />

environment. His prayers were answered in<br />

1997 when a customer asked Thomas if he<br />

knew anyone who could design software<br />

for him. It was the break Thomas had been<br />

praying for and he was hired on a $2000<br />

contract. After this programming experience,<br />

another customer o ered him a full<br />

time job.


“The guy said he usually hired university<br />

graduates, but there was<br />

just something about me. That’s<br />

when I knew it must be God-led.”<br />

Thomas gave his notice at Future Shop<br />

and took two weeks to learn all he could<br />

about programming HTML before starting<br />

at Toronto-based Image Impression.<br />

Suddenly, God was putting him through<br />

a whole new kind of school: he learned<br />

about business management, sales presentations<br />

and closing deals. His division<br />

generated $400,000 in annual revenue,<br />

creating the early online presence for such<br />

notable clients as Auto Trader, Yamaha and<br />

Bank of Montreal.<br />

With a healthy work portfolio and an<br />

even healthier ego, Thomas left to start his<br />

own art reproduction business. He and his<br />

family were defrauded of nearly $90,000<br />

by a criminal, an experience he describes<br />

simply as “humbling.”<br />

“I was engaged to my wife, and made<br />

no money in the rst 9 months of our<br />

marriage,” Thomas recalls. “A Christian<br />

customer reached out to me, but I told him<br />

that I didn’t need people to pray for me<br />

-- I needed someone to cut me a cheque.<br />

He did just that and showed me what the<br />

faithfulness of God’s people is all about.<br />

People showed me so much love and<br />

made sacri ces so I would be OK.”<br />

Meanwhile, Thomas prayed about what<br />

to do with his business and one day felt<br />

a clear answer: God told him to go get a<br />

job. He obeyed, and within 24 hours was<br />

employed at GroceryGateway.com, making<br />

more than enough to make up for what he<br />

had lost.<br />

Yet all was not well. Thomas still harboured<br />

signi cant anger about the failure<br />

of his business.<br />

“There was so much rage,” he remembers.<br />

“It was too much. I couldn’t live my<br />

life with that anger hanging over me.” With<br />

God’s help, he pursued his only option. “I<br />

remember the moment I decided to forgive<br />

the man who defrauded me. It lifted a<br />

huge weight from my shoulders, but I still<br />

pressed charges to stop him from doing<br />

the same thing to other people.”<br />

He was also feeling the call to be more<br />

evangelistic, and launched a programmers’<br />

Bible Study group at Grocery Gateway.<br />

“Explaining my faith to others really<br />

helped me reclaim it for myself. I realized<br />

that Christ is the master programmer – he<br />

programmed the universe, and was there<br />

to help me step out of my comfort zone. I<br />

have called out to the Lord many times on<br />

my journey, and often felt His presence.”<br />

Following an upper management<br />

shakeup, Thomas was assigned a new boss<br />

who had little patience for his innovative<br />

nature. Thomas ended up leaving<br />

the company. Shortly afterwards, Grocery<br />

Gateway led for bankruptcy. God had<br />

delivered Thomas out of harm’s way.<br />

Short-term contracts followed. Thomas<br />

received job o ers, but nothing was the<br />

right t. He saw opportunities to strike<br />

out on his own but was reluctant to be an<br />

entrepreneur once again. Four companies<br />

approached him, one with a letter of intent<br />

for $100,000. Thomas established Nuway<br />

Software and was back in business.<br />

“This time, I wanted to do things God’s<br />

way, not the world’s way,” he says. “I wrote<br />

out nine pages of corporate principles. I<br />

would give 30 percent of my pro ts to the<br />

church. I built Nuway on faith and integrity,<br />

which our clients found refreshing.”<br />

Seven years into Nuway’s success,<br />

God impressed on Thomas the desire to<br />

pursue his childhood passion of designing<br />

computer games. With an eye on<br />

the smartphone market, he established<br />

MirthWerx, a new gaming division, and<br />

last February released his rst gaming app<br />

to rave reviews. Non-violent Catch the<br />

Monkey invites players to distract a hoard<br />

of adorable invading monkeys in order to<br />

protect a hapless farmer’s potato crop.<br />

A second MirthWerx title, Sushi World,<br />

is currently in testing and will be ready for<br />

public release this fall.<br />

“Every day I see signs that the Lord is<br />

in this,” says Thomas, “I know the Lord is<br />

behind it. It’s what I’ve wanted since I was<br />

6 years old. I pray I am not being tempted.”<br />

Catch the Monkey Gaming App<br />

A gaming app created with Thomas’ childhood passion<br />

of designing computer games.<br />

People often tell Thomas that he will<br />

fail, yet he and HD classmate Alex Lin<br />

continue to pursue their game-building<br />

dreams. They give thanks for the naysayers<br />

who help them to see where they would<br />

be without God’s help.<br />

“The wounds that we receive in this<br />

world the Lord has healed quickly,” re ects<br />

Thomas. “I move forward as a witness to<br />

what the Lord has done in my life, and in<br />

gratitude to God, who continues to do<br />

amazing things!”<br />

hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

13


1956 - 2012<br />

14 hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

School footprint triples<br />

by Harry Meester ‘72<br />

In 1966, HDCH turned the ripe age of ten years<br />

old – and I was eleven. I watched my older<br />

siblings go to HDCH, knowing that I had two<br />

years to wait. Two years is a long time when<br />

you’re eleven. But the school would change by the<br />

time I got there.<br />

HDCH’s rst ve years had been spent bouncing<br />

through a series of temporary locations in church<br />

basements, and in 1961 the school had a twostorey<br />

eight-room building of its own on Athens<br />

Street. Within just a few years, booming enrollment<br />

and building limitations made it obvious that the<br />

new building needed to grow.<br />

The school board dreamed big and proposed<br />

the building of a proper gym, a stage for theatre<br />

productions, a proper science lab with the most up<br />

to date equipment, more washrooms, classrooms,<br />

storage, and a real school o ce. The footprint of<br />

the new building would be triple the size of the<br />

original one.<br />

A budget was xed, and in 1967 the board<br />

bought as much building as they could; however,<br />

there was no money for a general contractor.<br />

In September 1968, the new wing was open.<br />

Mayor Victor Copps came in an o cial city car to<br />

address the grand opening of the new wing and<br />

gave a rambling speech. My school is famous, I<br />

thought. The mayor is here!<br />

My rst grade nine experience was in a brandnew<br />

French classroom with new desks, and new


teacher Miss Sybersma. We sang Sur le pont d’Avignon / L’on y danse, l’on y<br />

danse /Sur le pont d’Avignon / L’on y danse tous en rond. Later I found out<br />

that there is an elaborate dance associated with the song. But we didn’t<br />

dance. We just sang about dancing.<br />

Many great things happened in the new gym. We had heavy ropes<br />

dangling from the rafters to teach us rope-climbing skills. I remember<br />

freezing in pure terror near the gym ceiling on those cursed ropes, with<br />

teacher Al Zeitsma coaxing me back down. I remember acting in Cry,<br />

the Beloved Country and giving a Student Council election speech in the<br />

gym. And I remember many, many “Chapels” on Wednesday mornings.<br />

We had our rst bona de intramural sports program, and hosted several<br />

tournaments. We had bazaars, talent festivals, and community events. I<br />

even recall attending wedding receptions in that gym. The 1968 wing<br />

served HDCH well for 21 years.<br />

However, the 1968 addition had some issues. Somehow the building<br />

inspector had missed the unsupported concrete block wall on the second<br />

oor which threatened the rst oor science lab. This was not good. The<br />

o ce was small, and sta had few e ective work areas. The gym oor<br />

had unforgiving tiles, not wood. And I always wondered about the new<br />

entrance that still required guests to climb up and then climb down a<br />

staircase. The gym had a balcony, which was a mixed blessing;when<br />

windowless classrooms were built on that balcony in the mid 1970s, it<br />

became obvious that better solutions were needed. Classes were taught<br />

in the kitchen and the church basement next door. Temporary portable<br />

classrooms stayed about 15 years. We wore the wing right out.<br />

It was the 1980s, and I was now teaching in an original section of<br />

the building which somehow felt safer than the addition. The building<br />

committee reported that new wing was living a life of its own, settling at a<br />

di erent rate than the original building. To help spruce things up a bit, the<br />

art department decided to add colour to the halls. With funds from selling<br />

garbage bags and greeting cards, teacher Erna deVries bought a palette of<br />

paint colours, and I was part of a team that changed the lockers from military<br />

green to a rainbow of colours. Ultimately, the costs of doing a complete<br />

building renovation was only marginally less than building a new building<br />

from scratch. When HDCH moved to the Glancaster campus in 1989, the<br />

new owners felt that the best use of the addition was to remove it.<br />

For its time, the building had been functional. When the 1968 wing was<br />

torn down, it was replaced with a community garden and a church parking<br />

lot - a little variation on Joni Mitchell’s Pave Paradise and Put Up A Parking<br />

Lot. Nothing remains but memories and some photos. And the original<br />

building has been transformed into a food bank.<br />

HDCH community event ca. 1970<br />

It’s a mystery!<br />

Who is this woman? Join the conversation on the HDCH Alumni<br />

Facebook page.<br />

hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

15


In Loving Memory<br />

The HDCH community mourns<br />

the tragic loss of Grade 11<br />

student Kenton Van Pelt. Kenton<br />

passed away last summer<br />

while swimming at the family<br />

cottage. His friends and family<br />

remember him as an energetic<br />

and passionate young man who<br />

loved Jesus. Kenton went on<br />

our Haiti mission trip last spring,<br />

played on the badminton team<br />

and enjoyed the outdoors.<br />

A scholarship fund has been<br />

created in Kenton’s honour to<br />

support short-term mission<br />

trips for students that attend<br />

HDCH. Donations can be sent to<br />

Hamilton District Christian High.<br />

16 hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

Class of ‘62<br />

By Nathan DeHaan ‘08<br />

On June 29, 2011 the rst meeting was held to plan class ’58-<br />

‘62’s reunion, and the enthusiastic response made planning<br />

a pleasure. On Saturday, June 23, 2012, twenty- seven people<br />

gathered at Redeemer University College to celebrate the 50th<br />

reunion of the HDCH graduating class of 1962. Fourteen alumni, eleven<br />

partners and two former teachers came together for an afternoon of<br />

fellowship, photos and fun. Some came from as far as Nova Scotia and<br />

Belize.<br />

No name tags were worn at this reunion. Attendees were encouraged<br />

to gaze carefully into the eyes of their former classmates and remember<br />

them, adding to the intrigue and curiosity of the event.<br />

Students were graced with the presence of two former teachers, Bert<br />

Witvoet and Jess Persenaire, who both recognized their students’ various<br />

quirks from fty years ago, which they themselves much appreciated.<br />

From a CD, everyone guessed and sang along to songs from the 1950’s.<br />

They also spent time looking at baby pictures, sharing memories, telling<br />

humourous stories, and catching up.<br />

Everyone remembered Principal Rev. VanDyk and some of his unique<br />

ways and unforgettable words, “You should not be optimistic. You should<br />

not be pessimistic. You should be realistic.”<br />

Many alumni reminisced paying their tuition fees of $2.50 every<br />

Monday morning. They recalled their rst “campus” in a church basement,<br />

where chemistry experiments were performed in the church kitchen!<br />

Various clubs were formed to encourage leadership skills and team<br />

participation. The drama club held the most members!<br />

Even though the current HDCH is much larger than the original,<br />

students today share the same sentiments as Grace Vanstaalduinen ’62,<br />

that HDCH has an amazing community and atmosphere. Fifty years have<br />

passed and HDCH still excels in student-teacher relationships and the<br />

building of community. Despite drastic changes since 1962, the Christian<br />

community has and will always remain central in the minds of HDCH<br />

alumni.<br />

Class of ‘62<br />

Everyone remembered Principal<br />

Rev. VanDyk and his famous<br />

words still echoed in the students’<br />

ears today, “You should not be<br />

optimistic. You should not be<br />

pessimistic. You should be realistic.”


When Conrad and Anne Guichelaar enrolled<br />

their son John at HDCH in 1968, they knew they<br />

were into Christian high school for the long haul.<br />

Seven children and 27 years later, daughter<br />

Susan completed her OAC credits at HDCH in<br />

1995. We believe that’s an HDCH family record.<br />

And that was the same year that granddaughter<br />

Amanda started.<br />

Conrad and Anne are grateful for Brantford<br />

Christian School and HDCH. “Nazi occupation<br />

meant I couldn’t nish my schooling in Holland,”<br />

says Conrad. “I’m self-taught, and that was<br />

hard. I’ve found success by relying on the Lord’s<br />

blessings.”<br />

To say that Conrad and Anne are committed<br />

to Christian education is an understatement.<br />

“There was never a question about Christian<br />

schools,” says Conrad. “If we had to do it over<br />

again, we wouldn’t do it any di erent!” Citing<br />

From the past to the future<br />

When Conrad and Anne Guichelaar enrolled their son John at HDCH in 1968,<br />

they knew they were into Christian high school for the long haul.<br />

the importance of having the home faith values<br />

consistent with school values, Conrad found<br />

time from the farm to get involved with school<br />

leadership. Conrad represented Brantford on<br />

the Board of Directors from 1992 – 1998, and<br />

served as Board Chair from 1995 – 1998. The<br />

culmination of his term as Board Chair was<br />

seeing the completion of the central addition to<br />

the building.<br />

Conrad is happy to see his grandson Matthew<br />

in grade 9 at HDCH in 2012. The generations of<br />

Guichelaars continue from the past to the future.<br />

Chris Van Berkel<br />

Broker<br />

Rachel Harsevoort<br />

Sales Representative/Licensed Assistant<br />

direct: 905.517.0861<br />

toll free: 1.877.648.4451<br />

email: chrisvanberkel@royallepage.ca<br />

email: rachelharsevoort@royallepage.ca<br />

address: 1122 Wilson St. W. Ancaster ON L9G 3K9<br />

We’re NEVER too busy for YOUR referrals<br />

www.chrisvanberkel.ca<br />

generation to<br />

generation<br />

hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

Conrad with grandson<br />

Matthew Guichelaar ‘15<br />

17


Victor Van Voorst<br />

After coming back from Japan, I<br />

attended a workshop in Waterloo. The rst<br />

question I asked when I got into the room<br />

was, “Is Wil Kamphuis here”? He responded<br />

with a, “Yes, I am Wil!” In no time at all, I<br />

recognized that Wil was a special man<br />

of God. He was very interested in my life<br />

in Japan, and how I got involved with<br />

mission work there.<br />

Soon after I started at HDCH, I became<br />

ill and had to take some time o. One<br />

day, I heard a knock at the door, opened<br />

it, and there was Wil, coming to see how<br />

I was doing. Wil went out of his way to<br />

Burlington to check up on me and pray with me. Again, Wil is an<br />

amazing, caring, man of God.<br />

After working with Wil for a few months, I began to clearly<br />

see that he really enjoys working with kids who would rather be<br />

outside of the school environment, working hard on practical<br />

projects. Wil also cares deeply, and probably most importantly,<br />

about the students’ spiritual well-being. He is one of those<br />

teachers who gets frequent visits from former students. He would<br />

often ask them, “Do you still love the Lord?”<br />

I was also very impressed with how easily Wil could strike<br />

up conversations with strangers in public. During our many<br />

geography trips to Kensington Market together, he would chat<br />

with people and start with the simple question, “So, what is your<br />

story”? He would use this as his launching pad into sharing the<br />

good news of Christ.<br />

Wil is a very trusting believer. If there was ever a risk involved<br />

with class trips, or the many mission trips overseas that he led,<br />

he would pray and trust that God would take care of everything.<br />

To the casual observer, it may look as though Wil was a little bit<br />

careless and someone who didn’t take care of important details;<br />

to those who know him well, he simply had a strong faith, and let<br />

God take care of the details.<br />

Wil is an encourager, a fantastic story teller, and a very caring<br />

18 hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

A Lasting Impression<br />

After 21 years at HDCH, Wil Kamphuis retires<br />

man. He will be missed more than he<br />

knows…by students and sta alike.<br />

Nate Slofstra ‘12<br />

Mr. Kamphuis is truly one-of-a-kind.<br />

It’s amazing how he interacts with the<br />

students at HDCH. He puts a smile on<br />

everyone’s face and is always willing to<br />

talk whenever you need to. He is a warmhearted<br />

man lled with the Holy Spirit.<br />

Mr. K has travelled to many countries<br />

where the less fortunate live to reach<br />

out his helping hand. He hosts so many<br />

mission trips. The stories from those trips<br />

and all the experiences he’s had with<br />

people are very inspiring. Over the years<br />

that I’ve known Mr. K, he’s shown me many ways that I can help<br />

people within my community.<br />

“He will be missed... by students and staff alike”<br />

Mr. Kamphuis has given me many opportunities and has shown<br />

me how I can help people. I think very highly of Mr. K as a “wise<br />

old man”. He’s always there for me when I need him and I have no<br />

problem being there for him.<br />

Mr. Kamphuis always has a saying for things, like “short trip” or<br />

“don’t put that in my tea ya crazy hooligans”, (people were playing<br />

jokes on him with his tea). Once Mr. Kamphuis understood how<br />

‘YouTube” worked he would always incorporate videos into his<br />

teachings. Mr. Kamphuis always joked around with his students<br />

and they would just joke back.<br />

Mr Kamphuis can never be replaced. I’m honoured that I was<br />

given four years with him. I wish him many more years as he<br />

moves on from HDCH. I do plan on staying close to him since he is<br />

a good friend of mine.<br />

Maxine VanAmerongen ‘13<br />

Mr. K is easy-going. He understands that students have a life<br />

outside of school and that things don’t always work out. He wants<br />

you to do your best and gives you options that he knows you


will enjoy, if you like art he lets you do a painting for a project<br />

rather than a PowerPoint, if you are struggling with something<br />

he is always willing to be there and talk it out with you and I<br />

appreciate this very much. He is also fun-loving and is willing to<br />

challenge you. Mr. K likes getting reactions out of people and<br />

always seems happy, even when students try to bother him.<br />

Mr. K has just always been there; if there is something stressing<br />

me out or upsetting me he will ask me if I am alright and if he<br />

can do anything, and he means it. His words are not just hollow<br />

or curious, he is honestly concerned.<br />

It may not sound like much, but his easy going personality has<br />

taught me along the way. Mr. K has helped me learn not to stress<br />

so much.<br />

578 Upper James Street<br />

Hamilton, ON L9C 2Y6<br />

Digital & Offset<br />

Printing<br />

Brian & Kathie Bezemer<br />

bezemer@bkprinting.ca<br />

905.574.0822<br />

TF 1.800.247.0155<br />

Fax 905.574.0677<br />

• Business Cards<br />

• Newsletters • Books<br />

and everything in between<br />

Jessica Mostert ‘13<br />

First o , every day is Mr. K’s birthday. I hear students yell<br />

“Happy Birthday Mr. K!” At least three times a day in the halls. He<br />

just takes it in stride, “Oh yes! Thank you! Happy Birthday to you<br />

too!”<br />

I remember we went on an Eco-Serve trip with him last year<br />

and he decided that we should take a late-night hike. So we all<br />

grabbed our ashlights and went down the path. Mr. K eventually<br />

decided the path was too boring so he took us on a “wilderness<br />

trek.” This adventure caused us to hop over a fence, crawl under<br />

a fence, jump over fallen trees, and climb over massive rocks. We<br />

eventually found our way back but I have no idea how.<br />

Mr. K is an awesome part of HDCH. He knows everyone and<br />

will stop you in the hall just to ask how you’re doing or what’s<br />

new. His passion for Christ is evident and he shares that passion<br />

with every one of his students. He is honest, sometimes to the<br />

point of bluntness but that is who he is! And we love him for it<br />

because we know that if Mr.K tells us something, it is to build us<br />

up, and we know that he means it. And that is really special.<br />

Wil is an encourager, a<br />

fantastic story teller, and<br />

a very caring man. He will<br />

be missed more than he<br />

knows…by students and<br />

sta alike.<br />

Melinda Flokstra<br />

Sales Representative<br />

905-912-2941<br />

melinda. okstra@century21.ca<br />

melinda okstra.com<br />

hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

19


Justin Cook ‘91<br />

Karin is one of the most committed educators that I’ve ever<br />

met. Her passion is to create dynamic relationships that lead to<br />

amazing learning. Her classes enjoy the energy that she brings<br />

to their communal time together. She loves seeing her students<br />

succeed, and she focuses her energy into that goal. She helps<br />

them to see the purpose in their learning, and she models for<br />

them such a high work ethic. She has helped us in the Languages<br />

Department understand the importance of assessing student<br />

writing as part of their writing process as opposed to at the end<br />

of the process where it serves little purpose in their learning. She<br />

also expresses her love for learning outside of the classroom.<br />

She has also committed to the other ne arts at HDCH, helping<br />

to direct and produce stimulating and challenging drama like<br />

Stand and Deliver, Annie, or A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well<br />

as community dramas. We have seen and heard the fruit of her<br />

20 hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

Let’s Talk Teachers<br />

Sta Sta Sta Sta Sta Sta Sta Sta Sta Sta Sta Sta Sta and Students re re re re re re re re re re re re re ect on much-loved teacher, Mrs. Boonstra ‘84<br />

work with our HDCH praise team, as they lead our worship in<br />

our churches and in the professionally produced praise CD “One<br />

Voice” that they released this spring. These accolades speak to her<br />

professional gifts, but what we most love about her is her integrity<br />

to us relationally. She wants to know and honour students and<br />

sta personally. She takes on the burdens of others, sometimes at<br />

personal expense; she wants to speak for those who struggle to<br />

speak and sing with those who have found their voice. (She’s also<br />

an amazing sister who is often willing to share her lunch with her<br />

little brother!)<br />

Meghan Vanderkruk ‘10<br />

I guess what made Mrs. B stand out for me as a teacher was<br />

that she is so passionate about English. It is so evident that she<br />

loves literature. But what really makes her light up is when she<br />

sees her students understand the literature. When they contribute,<br />

when they nd insight in the plot, she gets so excited. This is<br />

because she is more passionate about learning than literature. It’s<br />

not enough to just “get by” in Mrs. B’s class. If you allow yourself<br />

to be stretched and challenged, she is more than willing to work<br />

alongside you as you discover the literature, but more importantly,<br />

as you discover yourself. I am so thankful I allowed Mrs. B to<br />

repeatedly rip my papers apart, to challenge my contributions in<br />

class, and to help me uncover insights that, without her guiding<br />

me, I never would have found. It’s not so much that I walked<br />

out of English knowing about Hamlet, or Flannery O’Conner, it’s<br />

that I walked out a more disciplined student and person. Mrs. B<br />

is always there for a smile, a chat, a hug – whatever you need,<br />

in or out of the class, she is there. Even though I am an alumna,<br />

when I come back to HD, Mrs. B makes me feel like family. I can<br />

honestly say being in Mrs. B’s class changed my life, and it sparked<br />

a passion in me for writing, learning, and academics.<br />

Jenna DeGroot ‘13<br />

One thing I will never forget about Mrs. B is the time she<br />

decided to play a little trick on me when I skipped her class. My<br />

friend, who chose not to skip class, was texting me keeping me<br />

posted on the situation in the classroom. I was telling her how I<br />

was so scared Mrs. B would be mad at me. She was my favourite


teacher and I did not want her to be disappointed in me. What I<br />

didn’t know is that my friend was telling Mrs. B, as well as the rest<br />

of the class, everything I was saying. I was receiving texts from<br />

my friend saying how Mrs. B was furious! She was not impressed<br />

at all. At this point, I was freaking out. I told my friend that I was<br />

coming back because I felt so bad. When I got back to the school,<br />

I ran right to my English class thinking I was about to get a huge<br />

butt kicking from Mrs. B. As I walked into the classroom, everyone<br />

turns and looks at me laughing. I look at Mrs. Boonstra and she<br />

bursts out laughing, walks over to me, and gives me a hug. This is<br />

the kind of teacher that keeps HDCH interesting. Not only is she<br />

an amazing teacher, but she cares about her students on a way<br />

higher level. I am so thankful and will always respect her for this.<br />

Kat Vos ‘13<br />

One role model that de nitely pops to mind is Mrs. Boonstra.<br />

Mrs. B is so dedicated in so many ways to so many things. I’ve<br />

experienced her WONDERFULNESS while being on Praise Team.<br />

She is fantastic at “showcasing” everyone’s talents on praise team...<br />

whether it is leadership ability, awesome guitar solo ability, or<br />

a beautiful voice. But the thing that strikes me is that Mrs. B is<br />

not just dedicated to Praise Team. She does the play, she helps<br />

organize music tour AND she teaches English. She is always caring<br />

for others. She helps students understand their homework, and<br />

she is always ready to have a listening ear. Her heart is just SO<br />

BIG. She is the best person to have for support - whether it is<br />

academically or personally. Mrs. Boonstra will always give 110%.<br />

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22 hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

Pauline VanderVelde<br />

Our trek included many unique<br />

experiences that provided the perfect<br />

opportunity to truly assess and<br />

analyze our own faith and western<br />

culture which we would discuss<br />

during our evening devotions.<br />

HDCH has been focused on creating<br />

cultural bridges within di erent<br />

communities around the world through<br />

various international trips. The vision<br />

of creating a cultural bridge within China became<br />

a reality when Mrs. Alice Murakami took the role<br />

of trip coordinator and began to organize a ten<br />

day adventure for March Break 2012. With travel<br />

plans underway, Mr. VanKampen and I started to<br />

develop cultural bridges within the walls of HDCH.<br />

With the help of our own international students,<br />

Chinese lessons were o ered during lunch on<br />

Fridays, and a trip fundraiser was organized as well<br />

as an International Chinese Festival. These were<br />

all planned to develop a greater awareness of<br />

Chinese culture, to make connections with our own<br />

International students and to build relationships<br />

between the students who would be travelling<br />

to China.<br />

CHINA TRIP 2012<br />

Building Cultural Bridges<br />

By Pauline VanderVelde<br />

On March 7th our China trip began in the capital<br />

city, Beijing, which is fteen times larger than<br />

Hamilton, has a population of over 20 million, and<br />

is renowned for its historical, cultural and political<br />

in uence within this diverse country. Our entire<br />

group immediately bonded with Kenh, our Chinese<br />

guide, who toured us through the ancient MING<br />

tombs, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and<br />

to the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall of China<br />

does look like a “watchful dragon” as it covers over<br />

21,000 km and is built on the very top of rugged<br />

mountains, through dry deserts ending right on the<br />

ocean shoreline. We saw where the soldiers lived<br />

all along the wall fortresses to protect the country<br />

from northern invaders making it a ‘living castle.’<br />

We did not expect the sheer height, steep slopes,<br />

high winds, and vastness of this wall. From this we<br />

could easily envision the toil of those who worked<br />

to build it and understood how this became the


world’s longest graveyard. We also toured a Jade Factory, Silk boil water upon arrival in our hotel rooms to brush our teeth. This<br />

Factory, a Chinese Tea Room, the Silk Market as well as the 2008 also explained why everyone drinks tea in China because water<br />

Summer Olympics site.<br />

must be boiled before you can drink it. Throughout the entire stay,<br />

From Beijing we ew over the Great Wall of China to Inner his number one concern was to provide as many opportunities<br />

Mongolia and observed the diversity from wheat ats, to<br />

as possible for each of us to explore, learn and appreciate his<br />

mountainous terrain, the Gobi desert, and even massive man- homeland. The one comment he did share with the students<br />

made mineral mountains. We observed small villages of 300,000 was that he felt his government had too much control and to be<br />

people that were developed in various pockets for manufacturing thankful that we were Canadians. I was humbled by his ability to<br />

within these rural regions. Our destination was the Mongolian care for our group as each student carried more ‘spending’ money<br />

Bayannoer School #1 which reminded us of a university campus in their pockets each day than his parents would earn in an entire<br />

as 3,300 students attend this school with approx. 2,000 living on year. Our trek included many unique experiences that provided<br />

campus and it was here that our students were provided the red the perfect opportunity to truly assess and analyze our own faith<br />

carpet while we toured the facility.<br />

and western culture which we would discuss during our evening<br />

From Inner Mongolia<br />

devotions. Together we<br />

we ew south to the<br />

focused on how God was<br />

largest megacity in China,<br />

shaping our lives while<br />

Shanghai. This southern<br />

we were learning and<br />

city has earned the title<br />

experiencing so much in<br />

of the “high rise capital”<br />

China. On the nal night<br />

and as a group we<br />

in Beijing, we shared ways<br />

reected on the fact that<br />

that we could continue to<br />

the population of just<br />

shape the lives of others<br />

these two cities, Beijing<br />

especially within the halls<br />

and Shanghai, is more<br />

of HDCH.<br />

than our entire country<br />

It is my personal hope<br />

of Canada! We had the<br />

that we continue to foster<br />

chance to visit the Yu<br />

the love of Christ through<br />

Gardens which is an TOP ROW Jonathon Spain, Mr. Miedema, Victoria Miedema, Katelynn Allemang, Natasha all the dierent cultural<br />

architectural wonder as<br />

well as the Bund with its<br />

Knier, Mr. VanKampen SECOND ROW Guide Kenh, Christina DenBoer, Jessica Rumph,<br />

Amanda Demik, Kristen Woudstra, Larisa Torres Esparza, Calvin Koning FIRST ROW<br />

Mrs. VanderVelde, Mike DeWeerd, Melissa Vuyk, Alysa Beech, Kelsey Mantel, Justin<br />

bridges we’re creating.<br />

The initial cultural bridge<br />

bright city skyline at night. VanderVelde, Julius Shen. (Mrs. Murakami)<br />

developed within China<br />

We travelled further by<br />

will continue as a group<br />

bus to Suzhou where we toured gardens that match the ancient of students are coming from the Bayannoer School #1 this<br />

wonders of the world with labyrinths built out of stone that had coming 2012 – 2013 school year and it is our hope that positive<br />

been excavated from a lake in the region. While in the labyrinth, connections will continue to develop with our own International<br />

we experienced how one must continually turn in the same students enrolled this fall at HDCH. March Break 2012 was a<br />

direction to avoid getting lost in the rocky maze. We spent two remarkable journey lled with so many unique experiences,<br />

separate occasions shopping in an ornate area of ancient wooden interesting food, historical information, new cultural connections<br />

buildings housing a unique variety of shops while backing onto and the chance to grow together in our walk with the Lord. It was<br />

the Shanghai slums which is the poorest region of the city. a blessing to travel with our HDCH students who represented<br />

Personally, I was impressed with our guide’s ability to continually both our school and country as followers of Christ and to watch<br />

support his country while providing a clear historical window into each student learn and grow along the way. I look forward to<br />

the diverse regions of this land. He clearly expressed the value of how our school will continue to build on this cultural bridge we<br />

drinking water as NO water in China is safe to drink so we were<br />

taught to never waste even a drop from our water bottles and to<br />

have established going forward.<br />

hdch.org | Fall 2012<br />

23


3D Puzzles<br />

By Heather Mantel ‘14<br />

High school. It’s a place where we made thousands of<br />

memories, and made lots of life-long friends. We all have<br />

or have had a favorite class, whether because of the<br />

class itself, the students in it, or if we’re good at it. For me,<br />

technological design, commonly known as drafting, is that class.<br />

Sure, it’s not for all people, but what kid wouldn’t have fun playing<br />

on computers for the entire class?<br />

Student creativity takes shape<br />

In this year’s drafting class, we designed 3-D puzzles on the<br />

program Auto-CAD, and then we all watched in fascinated glee as<br />

a laser moved slowly back and forth across a sheet of plexi-glass,<br />

transxed as we saw our ideas and creativity take shape right before<br />

our eyes. It was a lot of work, and, for me, was very stressful at times.<br />

My group and I made a pirate ship. As we began, we looked online<br />

at pictures of other puzzles, and tried to think of how we could<br />

make something that awesome. We were given a lot of freedom<br />

in how to make them, which was probably why it was so much<br />

fun. We weren’t assigned something to create; we could come up<br />

with an epic structure that was all our own, straight from our own<br />

brilliant minds. We could go as easy or outrageously complicated<br />

as we wanted, and all of the nal puzzles were completely dierent<br />

from each other.<br />

First we drew our ideas on paper, and then split the work up,<br />

taking bits and pieces of the puzzle and working collectively on<br />

Connections<br />

Return undeliverable Canadian address to:<br />

HAMILTON DISTRICT CHRISTIAN HIGH<br />

92 Glancaster Road<br />

Ancaster, ON Canada L9G 3K9<br />

P. 905.648.6655<br />

F. 905.648.3139<br />

e. info@hdch.org<br />

how to bring the<br />

puzzle to life. With our<br />

ship, I made the hull<br />

of the ship. I designed<br />

ribs to stretch across<br />

the entire thing, and<br />

then made a “spine”<br />

for it. The hardest part<br />

of the entire process<br />

was either guring out<br />

how we could actually<br />

make our idea work,<br />

or having to run back<br />

and forth to our group<br />

members, sharing<br />

ideas or making sure<br />

the pieces t together.<br />

Heather Mantel<br />

Designing the<br />

3D Plexi-Glass Sculptures were<br />

created using Auto-CAD<br />

puzzles took about<br />

seven class periods<br />

to make, and then cutting the pieces out with the laser and<br />

actually constructing them took anywhere from three to ve days,<br />

depending on how complex the parts were and if you had to make<br />

last minute changes, or if you broke pieces and they had to be recut<br />

if you couldn’t glue them back together. We had one pirate ship,<br />

a dragon, a tiger, a bridge and a bi-plane. The nal products looked<br />

amazing, and we were all really proud of how we had actually<br />

managed to create something all on our own. This project was by<br />

far one of the most fun things we’ve done all year.<br />

Publication Agreement No.<br />

40049160

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