February 2016 - Unity Christian High School

TIDINGS
UNITY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
FEBRUARY 2016
FAITH, EXCELLENCE, SERVICE . . .
1 EOCS Students
2 Student Life
Showcasing UC Students
Adam's Park Christmas
Christmas Concerts
Winter Dance
Winter Art Show
EOCS Students—God's Children and the Future
of Unity Christian High School
3 Heart to Heart
From Courtyards to Classrooms
Unity to Present Flowers for Algernon
6 News & Notes
2015 Fall Sports Wrap-up
EOCS Students Continued
Unity's Spirit Store
7 Development News
Celebration Banquet 2016
Unity Christian Association Meeting
Building Unity—Update
8 EOCS Highlights
Listen to the Architects
10 Alumni News
Alumni Marriages & Births
Alumni in the Military
Alumni Reunions in 2016
11 Revive News
Celebrating our Faithful Volunteers
Have You Heard the Comments?
12 Revive News Continued
Revive is Already Thinking SPRING!
Revive—A Financial Report
Unity Christian High School
5900 48th Avenue
Hudsonville, MI 49426
Phone: 616.669.1820
Fax: 616.669.5760
Website: www.unitychristian.org
Development Office
5340 Plaza, Suite 3
Hudsonville, MI 49426
Phone: 616.662.4011
Fax: 616.662.4006
Email: [email protected]
We have now been
in the new Unity
for five months,
and each day we
experience the many
blessings that this
new facility provides.
The multipurpose space is used each morning
for chapel where we share personal stories,
grow in faith, and worship our God together.
The common areas in our school are places
where our students are able to hang out,
study together, eat their lunch, or meet in
groups during class. The fine arts programs
are very excited about their new spaces and
how these rooms are enhancing the programs
we offer for our students. This list could go
on as the new Unity is simply an awesome
building with incredible possibilities. Thank
you community for your never-ending support!
It is often talked about how this new facility
not only supports our students now, but also
those students who will attend Unity in the
future. Looking to the future we don’t have to
go too far away from where we are located to
see the students who will be attending Unity.
Who are these students? These students
are the ones who are currently attending
Allendale Christian, Borculo Christian,
Hudsonville Christian, Jenison Christian,
Lamont Christian, and South Olive Christian.
These schools, including Unity
Christian, are part of an entity
known as the Eastern Ottawa
(county) Christian Schools, or
EOCS. The families who are
part of these elementary/middle
schools are the future families
who will be part of Unity Christian
High School.
Making the commitment to educate children
with a Christian education is a decision made
by most of our families when they begin
their child’s education in pre-school, prekindergarten or kindergarten. This decision
is a long-term decision as a family looks
at where their child will be educated from
...the new Unity is simply
an awesome building with
incredible possibilities.
elementary through high school. Families
move into Unity’s surrounding communities
because of what this area offers, and an
important part of that decision is to which
schools they will send their children. It is
a blessing that strong Christian schools are
available in these communities so parents
can have confidence that their children will
receive a high-quality education while they
learn and grow in their Christian faith. What
a blessing to know that a child’s mind and soul
(continued on page 6)
Student Life
Showcasing UC Students–In Service, Fellowship
& Sharing Their Talents
Christmas Concerts
Adam's Park Christmas
Around the table starting next to Santa: Anna VanTubergen,
Ellie TeSlaa, Kisa Seerveld, Jake Bosscher, Max Bredeweg, Josh
VanTubergen. 2 in the back: Parker Folkert & Kassie Butterworth
Three holiday
concerts were
provided for the
community’s
enjoyment in
December…
L-R: Kaela Walters, Danielle VanderWal
UC Bands
The annual Adam’s Park performed in Concert, on December 7; the Choirs, on
Christmas Party was December 14; and the Orchestra on December 21. This
once again a huge success. year’s Orchestra Concert was performed in UC’s very own,
L-R: Emma DeVries, Anna Carbone (peaking
from the back), Melissa DeVries, Alexis Sorrell
Throughout the month of acoustically-awesome, multipurpose room!!
November, the 191 residents
of Adam’s Park were adopted by the students and staff of
Winter Dance
Unity Christian. Over 450 students and staff participated in
providing gifts and assembling gift bags for the residents. On
the night of December 2, about 250 students and staff
loaded the buses at Unity and headed to Grand Rapids
to share in the joy of Christmas with the residents. Several of them stood waiting at the door to greet us
and welcome us in. Highlights of the night included:
delivering of gifts, caroling in the hallways, sharing in
Front row (l-r): Sam Hoekwater, Dylan Hoogeboom,
and Caleb Heyboer. Back row (l-r): Chase Rozeveld,
snacks with the residents, singing and fellowship in
William Holwerda, Nathan Hendriksen
the community room, small orchestra groups playing
(From l-r): Kaleigh Bykerk, Heidi Kooienga,
Christmas songs, and watching the interactions of the
Brianne Dykstra, and Kortney Driesenga
students and residents. A great time was had by all and
God was glorified that night.
Winter Art Show
The Winter Art Show was held
on January 14 – 19, and featured
student artwork from first semester.
The event opened on the 14th at 6:00
p.m. with a reception that included
refreshments. Additional viewing
times were open to the
public on Friday, January
15 (8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.);
Monday, January 18 (8:00
a.m. – 1:00 p.m.); and
on Tuesday, January 19
(11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
Chad Lokker, AP Studio Art – Drawing in Marker
Heidi Kooienga, AP Studio Art – Drawing in Colored Pencil
2
On Saturday, January 9, the
Winter Dance—a formal dinner
and dance event open to all
students – was held at The
Pinnacle Center, and chaperoned
by parents and teachers.
Heart to Heart with Dan Landstra
From Courtyards to Classrooms...
We Are Never Done!
“They really made some progress
since yesterday!” “I bet their saw has
switched on and off over a thousand
times.”
“Do you think they will be
finished on time?” “I’m going to miss
coming to class and seeing those guys.”
On the first week of this school year,
students began their schoolwork and
two masons John Boelema and Keith
Ferguson also began their handiwork.
While the students started the process
of discovering and learning, the
masons began the process of planning
and placing thousands of decorative
stone pavers in the courtyard. When
completed the small, brick-sized pavers
would surround a large, blue concrete
cross to form the Unity Christian logo.
The masons had a vision, a mental
picture, of how the process to construct
this giant puzzle would go. Before one
paver was ever set in place, they would
spend a great
deal of time
in planning.
John
and
Keith looked
from several
different
angles at the
dirt space
where the
pavers needed to be placed.
John called it, “doing a layout.” They
took a set of measurements. They
strung lines. They stood back to take
a close look at the layout. Then finally
they double- and triple-checked their
measurements to be certain everything
was just right.
John noticed me watching him from
the window of my classroom. As he
walked over I opened the window and
said, “John, this looks complicated!”
John turned his head to look at all the
stakes, strings, and chalk lines then
said “You have to make sure you get your
initial measurements and placement
right, or it won’t come out right in the
end. The most important work isn’t
what happens at the end, but what you
do at the start. No matter what though,
you always have to stop, measure, and
make sure things look right before you
keep going.”
(continued on page 4)
Unity to Present Flowers for
Algernon February 18, 19 and 20
For this year’s
Wi n t e r
P l a y,
Unity will present
Flowers for Algernon, a play based on the
novel by Daniel Keyes and adapted for the
stage by David Rogers. Theater at Unity is
blessed with a community who supports our
students in their extracurricular activities.
Audiences generally love to gather, laugh,
and then leave the performances uplifted.
However, Flowers for Algernon is going
to be a different theatrical experience…
Audiences will leave this production with
a challenge for self-examination: How do I
treat others who are different from me?
The main character is Charlie Gordon, a
young man who is cognitively impaired.
Although he’s 32 years old, he has the
intelligence of an 8-year-old. Charlie is
a very happy and content person, but he
wants nothing more than to be “smart”
like the people around him. Charlie is
offered an operation that has the potential
to raise his intelligence to that of a genius.
Charlie enters the experiment, and as
his intelligence grows, he becomes more
aware of the cruelties experienced by
people who are like he was. He recognizes
“fun” as mockery, and soon learns that the
experiment is much more important than
he is as a person. Charlie is forced to deal
with memories that he now understands;
memories of rejection and abuse.
Flowers of Algernon is science fiction, and
not the typical play performed by Unity
students. Director Mr. Dan Sanders is
looking forward to the conversations he and
his cast will be having in dealing with the
content of this play. Charlie’s story needs
to be told, and we as Christians need to
3
Joe Strikwerda, Jason Entingh,
Madison Leighliter, and Karley
Michmerhuizen…..our smiley
girl in the background is
Hannah Miedema! J
constantly
be
asking ourselves
the question: How
do I grow in my
relationship with
Christ and my Amanda Hinken and Rose Corner
relationship with my
brothers and sisters who are different from
me? Do I embrace, or do I ignore?
Flowers for Algernon will be performed on
February 18, 19 and 20, at Allendale High
School Auditorium. Ticket sales for these
performances began on February 1.
Heart to Heart continued...
Impressed at the attention to detail, I
responded, “I had no idea that so much
planning went into putting down the
first paver!
Proud of his work, John pointed at the
pallets stacked high with pavers and
said, “We strive for perfection! We know
we’ll never get there but being diligent
pays off at the end of the project.”
In addition to the regular, unmarked
pavers, John and Keith
had to plan for proper
placement of special
pavers throughout the
courtyard—pavers
with names, verses, or
statements engraved on
them.
Five hundred and
sixty members of the
Unity community (and
counting) donated $150
to have a paver engraved
and placed in the
courtyard—a testament
to their commitment to
Unity Christian and God’s faithfulness
to all generations.
I viewed this work right outside my
classroom. The masons and their
meticulous planning and attention to
detail became a daily ritual for my
students and me to observe. Some
students formed a “through the glass”
relationship with the men, tapping on
the window and waving hello each day.
Both men would smile and wave back,
happy to see the familiar faces. (After
the project was completed John told
me he had never worked on a job site
where the students were friendlier!)
Some days the work went quickly.
Some days the work dragged. Some
days, several rows could be put in place
in an area where no extra cuts were
required. Progress was very evident
on these days. Yet, on some days very
few new rows appeared. There seemed
to be little evidence of progress those
days.
After seeing how far John and Keith had
come one particular day, a junior (who
checked progress daily) turned towards
me, pointed out to the courtyard and
with a look of amazement asked, “Did
they work last night?”
Nodding in acknowledgement of the
progress made I said “No, they just
didn’t have to make many cuts.”
Those cuts—thousands of them—
became the most time-consuming,
tedious part of the project. Precision
cuts were required for the pavers at the
away millimeters until it was how he
wanted it.
Sometimes this process repeated itself
several times until the paver rested in
its place and a satisfied, “that’s-what-Iwanted” look covered Keith’s face.
The courtyard was completed on a
Saturday, the day before the Unity
community celebrated the opening
of our new high school on Sunday,
September 27. I am thankful I have
the opportunity not only to look out
my classroom window and see this
courtyard, but that students witnessed
its creation. This UC legacy courtyard
is a part of the hallowed ground Unity’s
campus is built upon and part of the
student Unity education.
While the work on the courtyard was
taking place outside my classroom
windows, the juniors and I were having
daily conversations about life and faith.
Three “big questions” (as we called
them) framed our conversations:
end of each row the entire way around
the UC logo and around the blue cross
in the center. John’s words echoed in
my mind, “We have to get it right.”
The distinctive, high-pitched “whir-rr-r-r”– the collision of stone and steel
on the edge of a high velocity blade—
followed by swirling stone dust in the
courtyard was always a clear indicator
the cutting and shaping of pavers was
occurring.
We watched the cutting and shaping
around edges, some of the cuts
appeared fairly straight forward. Keith
would skillfully work the blade through
the stone, walk the freshly-cut paver
to where it was to be placed, and set it
with no problems.
Other cuts were not as simple—
involving difficult angles, very small
pieces, or two different cuts on one
paver. For these cuts, Keith often
made an initial cut, brought the paver
to its intended location, placed it, and
looked at it with critical eyes. If he was
not happy with it, he would take it out
and bring it back to the saw, cutting
4
~How can I understand God’s
will for my life?
~Why and how do Christians
pray?
~Can I know that I am saved?
Students discussed these questions
with each other. Students sometimes
respectfully disagreed with each other.
Together, with God’s blessing, we
searched for common understanding as
we looked for guidance from His Word.
We read the Bible. We talked. More than
anything, though, we listened. And…
we learned. We learned that, while
grappling with our “big questions,” we
also had many other questions.
All my students’ questions are
important. So to make sure I didn’t
miss any, as a wrap-up activity I invited
the juniors to write down questions
that came to mind as a result of our
conversations.
One student leaned back in his desk,
threw up his hands and said, “Do you
want us to write ALL of them down?
That could take a while!”
Smiling, and realizing this was not
easy, I reassured him, “Take as much
time as you need!”
Their questions reveal so much of
what occupies the minds and hearts
of Unity students. Here are just a few:
~Where is God in MY struggles?
~How can I be sure God is in my
heart?
~Why does it seem the more I ask
questions, the more questions I
have?
~Why is it so hard to be a
Christian some days?
~Does God ALWAYS answer
prayer?
~Am I looking for God and
listening to
Him in the
right way?
praying about Unity students.
Just as they had been doing for most of
the day, John and Keith were working
under a clear blue sky and bright
afternoon sun; cutting, fitting, and
measuring. Repeating the process
over and over so many times to get
the finished product just the way the
designer intended it… getting it right.
I thought of my prayer while
considering the work taking place in
the courtyard—I believed God may
have intended for John and Keith to
be out there during the school day for
a reason!
I went outside to talk with John. While
I didn’t explain everything that had
been going on in my class I wanted
him to know his excellent work was
appreciated and how the students and
I would miss them when they finished.
“By next spring the gravel will settle.
Frost will have come and gone. Things
can shift,” John said. “Plus, some of
these will come out so new engraved
ones can be put in their place. This
courtyard will be worked on for a long
time. Have you ever seen a road made
from pavers? Sometimes they move a
lot.”
I wished John a good night and said
good-bye.
…Big questions about God that
lead to lots of questions about
faith!
…Two masons working diligently
to construct a legacy courtyard!
…Work that, while difficult and
requiring perseverance fits into
a grand design!
…God using many different
everyday events to help us see His
hand in all things!
~If God is with
me, why can’t
I feel it more?
One particular day
following our “big
question” unit I
was sitting at my
desk after school,
reflecting on a
complex classroom
conversation on
Guests view the courtyard at the September 27 Celebration
prayer. I replayed
different student comments and
Thinking about the completion of the
questions while looking at the stack of
project I asked, “John, what’s the last
papers full of questions regarding life
thing you have to do?”
and faith.
“We have to broom very fine sand into
the space between the pavers. It helps
Turning towards the window I looked
hold them in place,” he said.
into the courtyard and prayed… “God,
help me with this. I want to give
That sounded simple enough. “So,
encouragement and guide each one of
after that you are all done?” I asked.
your children to see You more clearly. It
would be easier, Lord, if I just left this
John got the broad smile of a man
alone and talked about simple things,
who knew a lot more than I did about
but right now I don’t think that is what
pavers and mason work. He put his
You want. Please help me do this well.”
hand on my shoulder, looked me
I finished my conversation with God
and realized I had also been staring at
John and Keith in the courtyard while
Knowing I was out of my league I
replied, “What do you mean?”
straight in the eyes, and said, “When
it comes to pavers, you are never done!”
5
What John said stuck with me…
“When it comes to pavers you are never
done.”
Sitting on a shelf in my classroom is
one of the few leftover pavers from the
project. It serves as a reminder of the
mason’s dedication to their work and
the never ending work of God in the
lives of his children at Unity.
May God continue to bless the Unity
community! May God bless our
calling—developing followers of Jesus
to be leaders—until one day He says,
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
From the front row,
Dan Landstra
Unity Bible Teacher
News & Notes
EOCS Students (continued from page 1)
2015 Fall Sports Wrap-up
Cross Country - Girls 1–4
5th in the OK Green Conference
7th at the Regional meet
Hannah Gaffner finished 15th and qualified for
the State Meet. She finished 118th.
All Conference: Jessica Quist, Hanna Gaffner
Cross Country - Boys can grow and thrive in the fertile, faithnurturing environment of a Christian
school.
2–3
4th in the OK Green Conference
3rd at the Regional meet
27th at the State meet (First team appearance
since 1998)
All Conference: Connor Schwartz
All Conference Honorable Mention:
Travis Hunt
Golf - Girls
Junior Varsity
Varsity
4th in the OK Green Conference
3rd at the Regional meet
14th at the State meet
All Conference: Sara Blauw
All Conference Honorable Mention:
Bri Kamps, Katrina Goebel
Academic All State: Bri Kamps
Equestrians
Tennis
1st in the District
Junior Varsity
Varsity
Football
Freshmen
Junior Varsity
Varsity
4–2
3–2
7–2
5–2
8–3
6–6
5–3–1
3rd in the OK Green Conference
4th at the Regional meet
Qualified for State: Matt Werkman (Finished
Tied for 18th)
3rd in the OK Green Conference
District Champions (1st title)
All Conference: Matt Werkman, Danny Jensen,
Max Bredeweg
Qualified for the Playoffs, winning in the first
round and advancing to the District final.
Soccer
All Conference: Riley Headley, Case Overweg,
Noah Bredeweg, Christian Bos, David Bos
All Conference Honorable Mention:
Tony VanderPloeg, Mitch Dykstra, Nate Bosma,
Cole DeVries, Spencer Ymker, Luke DeGroot
2015 Grand Rapids Press Dream Team:
Case Overweg
Junior Varsity
Varsity
Each of these schools in EOCS is unique
yet all have the same goal—providing
a faith-based education that prepares
their students for success at Unity
Christian High School, and beyond. In
the March Tidings you will have the
opportunity to understand EOCS as
we will highlight each school and allow
them to tell their story of Christian
education. Each of their stories will be
different, but will at the same time show
you how through collaboration these
schools work together for the cause of
Christian education.
In our new high school learning
is exciting for our current students;
and, we so look forward to how Unity
Christian will serve the EOCS families
who are just beginning their experience
in the Christian schools of Allendale,
Borculo, Hudsonville, Jenison, Lamont
and South Olive Christian.
Please
keep the schools of EOCS in your
prayers as we work together to provide
Christ-centered education now and for
generations to come!
11 – 6 – 2
15 – 7 – 5
Jerry DeGroot, Principal/CEO
OK Green Conference Champions
District Champions
All Conference: Ben Besteman, Ben Boers,
Jacob Brinks, Connor Hollemans, Tate Rozeveld
All Conference Honorable Mention:
Andrew Heun, Austin Steenwyk
MHSSCA All Academic: Jacob Brinks, Ethan
Helder, Kobe Persenaire, Tate Rozeveld, Ethan
VanderLaan
Unity's Spirit
Store
All District: Ben Besteman, Ben Boers, Jacob
Brinks, Tate Rozeveld, Ethan VanderLaan
All Region: Tate Rozeveld
All State Honorable Mention: Tate Rozeveld
Swimming - Girls
3–9
6 in the OK Green Conference
31st at the State Meet
th
Qualified for State Meet: Toriana Bierling,
Lydia Bos, Alexis Konynenbelt, Lexi Bryant,
Anna Lutke, Katie Scholma. (Alt. Gabi Chandler,
Jenna Darby)
Volleyball
Freshmen
Junior Varsity
Varsity
10 – 27
33 – 16
10 – 25
Tied for 4th in the OK Green Conference
Lost in the District Semifinal
All Conference: Dana Johnson, Maddy VanDyke
6
The Spirit Store is open every
Wednesday from 2:30–3:15 p.m.
The Spirit Store will also be open
during the following home basketball games during the month of
February: Friday, February 12;
and Friday, February 26.
Development News
Unity Christian
Association
Meeting
ADVANCE NOTICE:
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Plan now to attend the
Annual UC Association
Meeting, to be held at the
Celebration Banquet 2016
An Evening to Enjoy...and Celebrate!
SAVE
THE
DATE!... Unity
Christian High School invites the UC
Community to the annual fundraising
Celebration Banquet to be held
on Monday, April 25, 2016 at The
Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville.
This year’s event will feature (for
your entertainment) ventriloquist
Mr. David Pendleton! A follower
of Jesus Christ, David Pendleton
comes to us highly recommended,
having appeared at Sandy Pines (in
Allegan MI), and as a regular featured
performer at the Blue Gate Theater
in Shipshewana, Indiana. According
to his bio, David’s comedy “…not only
brings the laughs but also delivers
a powerful message.” And, Chuck
Swindoll endorses David as follows:
“David Pendleton’s creativity, clever
Building Unity–Update
To keep our community apprised of the
on-going efforts for the capital campaign
to raise the remaining funds needed to
reach the goal of being debt-free, here is
the latest financial report:
style, and choice humor provide the
ticket to an unforgettable evening!”
Plan now to attend, and invite your
family and friends to join you at a
table! In appreciation of your faithful
support, we invite you to come and
enjoy dinner on us! We ask only
that, as this is a fundraiser, you come
prepared to give to Unity Christian
High School through a designated gift
or pledge. We hope you’ll join us for
this wonderful evening of celebration
and fellowship! A formal invitation
will arrive with the next issue of
Tidings. To make an early reservation,
contact the Development Office at
616.662.4011, or email development@
unitychristian.org. Reservation
deadline is Friday, April 15.
Development Conference Center,
5340 Plaza St., Ste. #2, in
Hudsonville, Michigan, at 7:00
p.m. An agenda, proposed budget
and School Board Candidate Bios
will be published in the March/
April Issue of Tidings. All Unity
supporters who have given to
Unity, (through PACE, tuition
payments, Athletic boosters,
Music scholarships, the capital
campaign, etc.) are members
of this Association, and your
presence is requested.
To hear David Pendleton’s faith
story in his own words, visit:
http://www.anythingcantalk.com/
Then, click on the YouTube video,
“Ventriloquist David Pendleton tells
his story...”
$ 21,311,417.21
Cash spent
$ 4,500,000.00
Outstanding pledge balance
$ 2,900,000.00
Pledges/gifts needed to be debt-free!
($ 6,935,000.00)
Borrowed to date
$ 122,468.11
Loan interest paid to date
As you can see, we still need to raise $2.9 million. Please keep these efforts in your prayers… If you would like to give to
Building Unity—either by increasing your previous gift or pledge, or giving an additional gift—please contact Jack Lutke
at 616.662.4011, or email [email protected]. Thank you for your support!!
7
EOCS Highlights with Jack Postma
Best Seat at the New House: The Story of Unity
Beginning in the May 2015 issue of Tidings, Jack Postma began a series on how the new Unity Christian High School would continue its
mission of Developing Followers of Jesus to Be Leaders at the new school. His series began with the thoughts and comments from the 2015
soon-to-be graduates, from the juniors who would lead their classmates at a new facility, from community members as they watched the
progress and completion of the construction, and from the teachers and staff as they experienced what the new facility offers. Jack’s reflections encompass how far Unity has come in 16 years—from the March 15, 1999 meeting and the commitment made to pass on the faith at
a “new” Unity Christian High School—to today, where the new Unity radiates from its 110 acre-campus on 48th Avenue, just a mile and
half west from its original 1953, 10-acre, Oak Street campus in Hudsonville.
“This “new” Unity is fully equipped and fully prepared and more passionate than ever with passing on the Christian faith with each of its
631 students, grades 9-12,” said Jack. “To God be the glory for what He has done bringing the Unity people this far into the 21st Century!”
The Story Continues...
Listen to the Architects: Interpreting
God's Grand Design for His Children
Within days of the decision in March
1999 to build a new Unity, the UC
leadership and school board firmed up
its relationship with GMB Architects
and Engineers of Holland, Michigan.
Mr. David Wilkins was selected as the
project leader. David has been on the
project from its start until its completion
in 2015! That’s 16 years, a long time
considering high schools can be built in
15 months!
I wondered, “What kept David and
the GMB staff excited about the Unity
project for those 16 years?”
campus and then designed the school,
they always kept in mind, “We are
designing for a high school Christian
learning community, for students 14-18
years old, for generations to come.”
David and his staff focused on designing
space flexible for different settings—a
large space for the entire community
and separate spaces for many group
and individual activities. Students and
staff in common space and yet having
private space. “And,” David added, “We
wanted to allow student movement, not
to restrict it.”
I met with David in early
December, four months after
the new Unity opened, and 202
months since he started the
Unity project!
So when David and his staff laid out the
“I never doubted it would be built. My
excitement was sustained and grew
during the 16 years anticipating how
God was going to make it happen. And
He did!”
This has been an exciting 16-year
effort being obedient to God’s call
to provide Christian education in
His timing. It has been a blessing
to express in an architectural form
what the Unity learning community
is all about, and humbling to
experience a deeply committed
community effort to see it through.”
- David Wilkins AIA, NCI,
Managing Partner, GMB +
Architects; and Father of
Unity Students Class of 2001,
2014, 2016
During our meeting, David
recommended I meet with
Ben Scholten, a 2006 Unity
graduate and GMB architect,
who joined David on the Unity
project in 2013.
David talked enthusiastically
about Unity. “I was excited
when Unity selected GMB for
this project, and I remained
excited the entire time.”
Along the way David had
explained how he and his wife
Susan chose to live in Hudsonville and
chose to have their children educated at
Hudsonville Christian and Unity. Susan
and David identified with the Christian
school community’s passion for passing
on the Christian faith and for wanting to
make sure an excellent Unity education
would prepare their children well for the
21st Century.
is proving its space is so well used. We
see educational excellence in Christian
community happening.
Architechts David Wilkins
and Ben Scholten
During the design phase, interpreting
God’s grand design for Unity, David
said he and his staff captured the Unity
vision. “We matured from thinking
about constructing a bricks-and-mortar
building to thinking about constructing a
hallowed place for Christian community,
a concrete expression of community.
And Jack, you are seeing it. Already
in the past few months, the new Unity
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I met with Ben in the Unity
commons and he started our
conversation… “My excitement maxed
immediately when David told me I’d
be on the project, and it stayed at that
level during the entire project! There
were times my excitement caused me to
lose sleep, but it was a good loss of sleep.
New ideas just kept coming!
“We were faced with building what
needed to look like a school for the 21st
Century and function like a Christian
learning community. We were to build it
with 12-foot pre-cast panels (as compared
to blocks and mortar), within our budget
and something the community would be
proud of. The panels really made it a
very efficient building to construct and
the budget drove a dynamic design—a
design specific to Unity. In other words,
a dynamic, non-traditional building
for education that was traditionally
excellent. There is no ‘cut-and-paste’ of
other designs in Unity!
“We talked and prayed and sketched
how best to integrate community, chapel,
commons, classrooms, music rooms, shop,
gymnasium, etc. into one facility. The
commons was to be a place for students
and staff to circulate, congregate,
educate, eat and fellowship. Classrooms
were placed in close proximity to the
upper and lower floor commons.”
“I thought deeply (yes, and lost sleep)
about my 4 years at Unity, asking myself
‘How can we duplicate—no, how can
we enhance—that experience for all
students?’ I thought about all the student
pockets around the Oak Street campus…
little pockets here and there, the parking
lot, the courtyard, the hallways, hallway
corner seats, break and lunch zones,
all spread around the periphery—and
taking all those special, necessary, outof-the-way spaces and bringing them
into a commons gathering place.
“We committed to maintaining the Unity
educational design, its educational
classrooms; because Unity has proven
that the learning which occurs in its
classrooms is among the best in the
State. This is reflected in the test scores,
job performances, college admissions and
my own experience.
“We wanted the entire building to feel
like a learning commons. The collegial
feel is very intentional. Unity students
were ready for this. They have proven
over the years to be mature learners.
The collegial feel helps Unity students
be increasingly responsible for their own
learning, a necessity in the 21st Century.”
Ben paused, so I took the opportunity
and asked, “Everyone is telling me the
acoustics are outstanding throughout
the entire building—chapel, gymnasium,
music rooms, commons, and classrooms.”
“Our goal is not to rely on audible
enhancements,” Ben readily explained.
“Therefore, we paid special attention
to height, angles, and materials for
best acoustics specific to each area and
its use.”
“Ben,” I continued, “People coming into
this building mention the colors. They
say the colors are cheerful, uplifting,
giving life to the place. Jerry Victory,
Unity’s custodian, tells me every time he
greets and leads visiting teams to their
locker room, he overhears students say,
‘Wow! I wish my school looked like this.
This is awesome.” He overheard a boys’
varsity player, sitting in the stands prior
to his game when asked by his coach to
come to the locker room, say, ‘Coach, you
can’t take me away from the sweetest
gym I’ve ever been in!’ The colors, Ben…
how’d they come about?”
We matured from
thinking about
constructing a bricksand-mortar building
to thinking about
constructing a hallowed
place for Christian
community...
“Oh, yes… the colors! ” Ben responded.
“Deciding what colors to use was huge!
We met with Unity students to get their
thoughts before selecting colors. We
wanted color and texture and lots of
natural light to enhance the commons
and educational spaces. We admit, we
were a little apprehensive wondering
how these non-traditional colors would
be accepted. (Ben did not say if deciding
what colors to use caused him to lose sleep.
You think…?) The reaction has been
wonderful. Everyone seems to comment
on the colors. I hear it’s positive. It’s
been an exciting three years.”
When I was a student at Unity,
the goal of a new school was
already underway and there was
anticipation for a new facility. The
Unity story is an example of how
God’s timing is bigger than any of
us. There are so many reasons –
known and unknown – as to why
this plan became fruitful when it
9
did. I am so blessed to be affected
by God’s timing as it relates to the
building project; to be able to learn
more about Unity’s vision and help
create a place for it to thrive. We
can see what a biblical community
looks like throughout this entire
effort as different members of the
body offered up their talents. When
previous classmates, parents,
Christian education supporters,
etc. rally behind a vision like this,
I know I am doing the work I am
called to do.”
- Ben Scholten, Architectural
Designer; Unity Class of 2006
With David and Ben leading to interpret
God’s grand design for Unity in the 21st
Century, the new Unity began emerging
on the 48th Avenue campus May 2014
and radiated completion August 2015!
It’s another chapter of how a passionate,
God-inspired, God-lead, community is
passing on the Christian faith to its
children in the 21st Century. To God be
the glory. Thank You Lord, for allowing
us to be part of that story.
But wait, there is more…Tradesmen and
laborers were needed to transform the
paper design into real life buildings. In
a profound manner, Unity tradesmen
and laborers took what David and Ben
designed on paper and constructed
the new Unity at 30% below what it
would have cost if put out for a general
public bid.
So join me next month as co-construction
managers Marcel VanderLaan and
Doug Kloostra tell their stories…
stories of God’s timing on when to
build. It was the “Perfect Storm” of subcontractors with heart, of tradesmen
getting it right, of passionate laborers,
of a community volunteering their time,
skills, work, money and prayer—All to
make sure the Christian faith is passed
on to their children.
Thanking God for His story,
Jack Postma,
Principal Emeritus 2012
See Jack's article on "Divine Community"
on page 11.
Alumni News
Alumni Marriages & Births
Marriages
Kirk Brouwer (‘07) married Emma Miller on
April 18, 2015.
Births
Willem Jack Baillargeon was born to parents
Joe (UC Teacher) and Lisa Baillargeon on
December 18, 2015.
Claire Elianna Blom was born to parents
John and Alyssa (VanderHeide ’09) Blom on
November 16, 2015.
Hannah Sue Blech and Chase David Blech
(twins!) were born on November 12, 2015 to
parents Jeff and Kari (VanRandwyk ’02)
Blech, and welcomed by big brother Owen (3).
Savannah Grace Busscher was born in
Arkansas and adopted on November 14, 2015
into the family of Todd and Sarah (Pols ‘02)
Busscher and big brothers Chase (8), Karston
(6) and Hoyt (3).
Tessa Lynn DeYoung was born on December
4, 2015 to parents Scott (‘04) and Sara
(Jongekrijg ‘05) DeYoung, and welcomed by
big sister Aubrey (17 mos.)
Timothy John Dulmes was born to parents
John and Nicole (Mulder ‘04) Dulmes on
December 11, 2015.
Hannah Joy Elgersma was born to parents
Doug (‘07) and Elisabeth (Leetsma ‘06)
Elgersma on July 7, 2015.
Evinn Michael Gruppen was born on
November 7, 2015 to parents Scott (’00) and
Jill (Haak ‘03) Gruppen, and welcomed
by his big sisters Ella (8), Brooklyn (5), and
Cassidy (3).
Willem Allan Jipping was born to parents
Brett (‘06) and Brittany Jipping on
December 7, 2015. Blake Karl Larson was born to parents
Joe and Jennifer (Wustman ‘07) Larson on
December 11, 2015.
Evelyn Marie Spears was born on November
19, 2015 and adopted by parents John and
Janie (Herrema ’02) Spears.
Gideon Hanford Sytsma was born on
October 26, 2014 to parents Kyle and Michelle
(Gruppen ‘98) Sytsma, and welcomed by
siblings Benjamin (8), Lydia (6), and Zachary
(5).
Matthew Dean VanDuyn was born to
parents Brian and Michelle (Miedema ’05)
VanDuyn on December 7, 2015.
Sophia Joy Veltema was born to parents
Adam and Kristin (Dyke ‘04) Veltema on
September 4, 2015.
Please submit any Alumni birth
or marriage announcements to:
[email protected],
or call 616.662.4011.
(PLEASE NOTE: To celebrate our newest
little ones, we have a FREE “UC Blue
Crew” Onesie that parents/grandparents
may pick up from the Development Office
at 5340 Plaza St., Hudsonville MI. Please
call or email the Development Office and
we’ll put one aside for you. Thank you!
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Anna Leona Bussis was born on January 23,
2016 to parents Steve (‘00) and Julie Bussis,
and welcomed by big brothers Micah (5), David
(3) and Jonathan (3).
Aurora Grace Nelson was born to parents
Matt (’09) and Jessica Nelson on August 3,
2015.
Alumni in the Military
UPDATES: Cameron Ritsema (Class of 2009) has completed his service in the U.S. Marine Corps. Give thanks to God for Cameron’s
safekeeping, and please remember all of our young people listed below in your prayers—and their families as well:
Class of 1987: Chad Geers; Jeff Rozema
Class of 1994: Eric Alan Brew
Class of 1996: Jeremy Molendyk
Class of 1998: Allen Broene; Joon Kee Lee (Patrick Crans)
Class of 1999: Derk Nyenhuis; Ron Thenn
Class of 2000: Steve Bloem; Rick Martinus; Clayton Poortenga
Class of 2001: Seth Allen; Darin Elgersma; Kyle Glashower;
Drew VerHage
Class of 2002: Bryan Flietstra
Class of 2003: Adam Bosma; Jeff Dekkinga; Katy Driesenga;
Justin Oosterbaan (Air Guard); Brian Tucker;
Eric VanBeek; Brian VandenBerg
Class of 2004: Kody Fennema; Justin Hatchner;
Ryan Zandstra
Class of 2005: Brett Jackson; Chris Kitler;
Andrew Niewiek; Stephan Thenn
Class of 2006: Jay Baum; Joshua Lankheet;
David Van Abbema
Class of 2007: Aubrey Bosma; Brandon Dragstra;
Drew Grooters; Quynn Schaaphok; Rachel Scott;
Bobby Sorensen; Lauren Zandstra
10
Class of 2008: Michael Dekker; Kyle Emelander;
Brandon Zomerlei
Class of 2009: Corbin Durek; Kent Schaaphok; Tyler Stroven;
Joshua VanBelzen; Ryan VanVels
Class of 2010: Randy Dragstra; Tyler Wiersma
Class of 2011: Austin Dornbush; Jon Mohr;
Chris Poolman
Class of 2012: Ethan Ritsema
Class of 2013: Wyatt Johnson; Charlie Vrieland
Class of 2014: Jacob Herzog; Gavin Miedema; Joshua
TerKeurst; Nathan VandenBosch
Class of 2015: Trevor Vedders
The names of the Alumni listed above have been submitted by their
families for recognition of their service to our country. If you know of
other Unity alumni currently serving in the military, we would like to
recognize and honor them in the Tidings. Please send their information to [email protected], or call the Development Office
at 616.662.4011. Also, if you have updated information on any of the
Alumni listed, please call or email the Development Office as soon as
possible.
Class Reunions in 2016
MARK YOUR CALENDARS...
The Class of 1956 is planning
a 60-year reunion for Fall
2016. Watch future issues of the
Tidings for details. Or, contact
Molli (Marilyn Schut) Brunsting
at [email protected].
The Class of 1961 is planning
a 55th class reunion to be held
on Saturday, April 30, 2016 at
the new Unity Christian High
School facility, 5900 48th Avenue,
Hudsonville. Please contact Dr.
Betty Velthouse at bavhouse@
umflint.edu or Garry VanderPloeg
at [email protected]
for more information.
Is your class planning a reunion
event in 2016? Please contact
the Development Office at
[email protected],
or call 6l6.662.4011, to publish this
information in the next issue of the
Tidings.
(Class Officers/Reunion
Planners: Class lists are available
from the Development Office.)
Revive News
Celebrating Our Faithful Volunteers
One of the key factors in the success of revive
is the dedicated and faithful volunteers who
serve so selflessly, and are so committed to the
Christian schools of Eastern Ottawa County.
So, when one of these “VIPs” has a special
birthday, the staff at revive wants to honor
them…
Maxine Nederhood started working at revive
when it first opened its doors five years ago, digging
through the piles of donations before we even had
enough volunteers to keep up or knew what we were
going to do with it all.
Since then her trusty Buick—“Big Blue”—has
faithfully brought her to revive almost every Tuesday
and Thursday morning, and often on Saturdays, too. Only the fiercest Michigan
weather could keep her away. She arrives ready to tackle whatever’s on the
donation table, even if the pile is taller than she is and even when the job is
sorting bras and underwear!
Have You Heard
the Comments...?
A school is a school is a school!
Isn’t it? Why are you always
talking about community and
about Unity as a school known to
pursue educational excellence in a
Christian community?
A community of loving people
is God’s signature… When I
am in community, I experience
what might be called “fullness
of heart.” The human heart is
forever empty if it is closed in
upon itself. In community—the
divine community especially—a
heart comes alive. To experience
community is to know the joy
of belonging, the delight at
being known and loved, the
opportunity for giving and
growing, and the safety of
finding a true home.
- John Ortberg
Unity—a divine community—is about
being a school where the hearts of
students and teachers come alive for
God and for others and for learning.
It’s God’s grand design.
Lord Jesus, may it always be so.
Jack Postma,
Principal Emeritus 2012
And, Maxine delights all the volunteers that get to work with her. They continue to laugh at her antics and quick wit. She
can deliver a good line before she even has her coat off and always maintains a good sense of humor.
Maxine is also loved by her 4 children, 12 grandchildren, and 23 (with number 24 on the way!) great grandchildren, many
of whom have graduated from Unity. A Unity mom and grandma, she is happy to support the current families of our
Christian schools through her work at revive. And we are so blessed to have her.
Clearly, Maxine is a remarkable woman, but we can’t end her story here without also sharing that she turned 90 years old
a few weeks ago! Yes… 90! We celebrated at revive with balloons, cake, and lots of well-wishes from friends and family.
What an inspiration and example she is to us of serving others and serving Christ all life-long. May God continue
to bless you, Maxine! Thank you for blessing so many of us…
11
Non-Profit
US Postage
PAID
Permit No. 17
Grand Rapids, MI
UNITY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
5900 48TH AVE. HUDSONVILLE, MI 49426
Revive News continued...
Revive is Already Thinking SPRING...!
Check these end-of-season sales coming up:
Feb. 15-20: 50% off ALL clothing, shoes, purses, accessories,
and more! Plus get all Winter Sporting Goods at 50% off.
Feb. 22-25 (Monday – Thursday): ALL clothing, shoes,
purses, and accessories just 94 cents each! And Winter
Sporting Goods are 75% off all this week!
Feb. 26-27 (Friday – Saturday): Fill a revive Bag with as much clothing, shoes, purses, and
accessories as you can for only $10!
Please note… Revive will be CLOSED on Monday, February 29, to switch the store over to SPRING
merchandise!
Don’t miss revive’s Reopening on Tuesday, March 1, at 10:00 am to find a store full of new arrivals in spring
and summer clothing, accessories, home goods, floral arrangements, furniture, and more!
Revive - A Financial Report
Below is a look at some of the impressive numbers coming out of
revive, all to God’s Glory!

This October was revive’s highest sales
month ever at $63,896.15!

To date, this puts revive at over $2.4
million in total sales since October
2010! God is so good!

Amazon book sales through December 2015: $18,420.19*

eBay sales through December 2015: $10,225.64* (240 items sold)

Scrap metal earnings through December 2015: $20,968.64*

World Mission earnings through December 2015: $18,682.33*
Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10am – 5pm;
Tuesday, Thursday 10am – 7pm;
Saturday 10am – 3pm
Phone: 616.662.3375
Email: [email protected];
Website: www.ReviveResale.org;
3675 Baldwin Street, Hudsonville, MI 49426
(*Note: These numbers reflect a cumulative total since revive’s opening, and
not an annual total.)
As we begin a new year at revive, we look back at the last five years and thank
each of you for your support. God has surely blessed revive with donations,
volunteers, and growing sales numbers. Thank you for being a part of that
and helping us support our Christian schools.
www.facebook.com/
ReviveResaleStore