Fall 2011 Commemorative Anniversary Edition

Transcription

Commemorative centennial edition
FALL 2011 www.timothychristian.com
Commemorative
Centennial edition: Society
The 3 as
FROM THE EDITOR
The Timothy Society: What’s in a name?
Contents Fall 2011
By Caryn Rivadeneira
Writing
His Story
01 society
07 faith
13 academics
18 Arts
22 athletics
Or, they imagine high society—and a school run by the
jet set. Where decisions are made at polo matches and
debutante balls.
While, of course, neither are true, interviewing families
aren’t the only ones on campus who have no idea who
or what the Timothy Society is.
In fact, even though I’d attended Timothy since 1981,
graduated from the high school in 1990, and even though
I attended a supporting church and sent my own kids to
Timothy, until I was nominated to the Board of Directors, I
had never attended a Society Meeting—simply because I
wasn’t sure if I was a member of the Society.
Thousands of lives have been directly or indirectly impacted by Timothy
Christian Schools, so how do you adequately cover that information in
under 36 pages? You don’t. But you can try to revisit some of Timothy’s
most significant milestones and thank God for His Faithfulness to His
Story at Timothy.
So here’s how we tackled this project. We’ve asked people from within
the Timothy Community to research five different threads: The Timothy
Society, Faith, Academics, Arts, and Athletics. These contributors include
Bible teacher Mac Wiener, former teacher, coach, and superintendent Dan
Van Prooyen, Timothy alum Caryn Rivadeneira, and Board Member Mimi
Stanton. The “Commemorative Centennial Edition” of the Reflector is the
result of these authors’ work. Please thank them for their efforts – they
have done a tremendous job!
**Disclaimer time: you might not be mentioned by name or pictured in this
history. Remember – Timothy’s story is not about any of us – it’s about God.
That’s how I’d encourage you to read this history: as a celebration of God’s
faithfulness to the Timothy community. If you’re reading this publication,
your personal thread is woven through the tapestry of God’s Timothy story
whether you are mentioned by name or not.
“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever. His
Faithfulness Continues through all generations.”
What a privilege to be a part of that story! n
Rudi Gesch
Director of Marketing
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
The Timothy Society
Society cont. on page 2
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
Commemorative
Centennial
Edition
We’ve all heard the “History is HIS Story” cliché, but after delving through
the Timothy archives and hearing firsthand accounts of Timothy’s story,
that’s exactly what we find: HIS story. Through the Great Depression,
Two World Wars, and many more times (good and bad), the real story of
Timothy is God’s story. God’s goodness, God’s faithfulness, and God’s love
for the Timothy Community.
Then we try to explain. Because we all understand the
confusion. Society is an odd word. When we mention
it, we know that these potential Society members
suddenly have visions of secret societies—of meetings
that begin with secret handshakes in windowless
meeting halls.
01
Timothy Christian Schools is 100 years old. One of the things that we
wanted to do as part of the centennial celebration was to record the 100
year history of this community. I’ve studied lots of history, but I’ve never
been responsible for recording history. It is a big responsibility, and it’s a
difficult task.
It happens almost without fail. Whenever the admissions committee tells a potential
Timothy family that the purpose of the interview is not about admitting one
particular child—but instead, about admitting parents to the Timothy “Society,”
eyebrows furrow. Heads tilt. Lips pull up in confused smiles.
Commemorative Centennial edition: Society
Left: Timothy students raise the American flag every day
Right: Mr. Davidson leads the entire staff in prayer
It’s such a shame that there is confusion over who is
“in” the Timothy Society. Because it’s such a wonderful,
blessed—and quite inclusive—community of Godfearing people interested in educating children so they
can become all God meant for them.
Who is in the Timothy Society? You are a member of the
Timothy Christian Schools Society if:
You are a parent of a Timothy student (current or alum)
You are an alum of Timothy Christian High School
Or you are a member of a supporting church
That’s a lot of people! And just like being a member
of a family or a church or any community, being a
member of the Timothy Society has its share of thrills
and difficulties. It has its moments of triumph and its
moments we still question. But overall, being a part of
the Timothy Society means we each have a role in the
story of Timothy Christian Schools—a place where God
has brought together many people to continue His
wonderful story. We hope you come away with a sense
of what God has been doing within this community for
the past 100 years—and a sense of hope for what is yet
to come.
TRADITIONS
Timothy Christian Schools has had its share of traditions
through its history. Some make us look back and shake
our heads, wondering what we possibly could’ve been
thinking. Some still make us choke up a bit.
Whether silly or meaningful, beautiful or questionable,
traditions are part of what gives any community
personality. It’s not different with our school.
From the 1966-67 Student Handbook:
The Junior-Senior Picnic: Each year on the first day
of school, the juniors are invited by the seniors to a
social outing.
Work Day: All students are excused from one day
of school to work. Their earnings are turned in to
the Student Council to be used for student services
during that year.
Counter-Courting Week: Each year, a week is
set aside in which the girls may ask the boys for
a date. The girl pays and the boy provides the
transportation. Also connected with CounterCourting Week is the Kangaroo Court, designed to
punish those who break the rules set for CounterCourting Week.
Traditions Still Held Today
Teachers Say Goodbye: On the last day of school,
teachers gather on Prospect Avenue to wave goodbye
02 REFLECTOR FALL 2011
Wing Sings every other week: Grade school students
have chapel in the high school auditorium every other
Wednesday. But on the weeks without chapel, the
students and teachers head to the mini-gym to sing
praise songs together.
Good Night Irene at Octoberfest: No matter the theme
or the other silly songs performed, the final song every
September at Octoberfest is always a rollicking, handwaving version of “Good Night Irene.”
“This Christmastide” at choir concerts: One year, the
returning choir members said they’d refuse to sing
unless “This Christmastide” was included in the
Christmas concert. From there the leap was natural to
include the alumni since that Christmas concert was a
homecoming of sorts. Since then, every year the high
school choir sings “This Christmastide” and alumni are
invited to join in.
Mock Trial Send-Off: Though Mock Trial is steeped with
traditions, most of them are top secret. Only those
involved know what they are. However, one tradition
stands firm—and quite public. Whenever the Mock
Trial team has won the state championship, hundreds
of preschool, grade school and middle school students
line up along Prospect Avenue to wave to the Mock Trial
team as it departs for nationals.
FUNDRAISERS
The cost of Timothy’s tuition does not cover every
expense or need. The school has long been blessed with
a Society that has always stepped in to raise (or give)
additional funds to close that gap. While we’ve enjoyed
many different fundraising methods and clubs, two
in particular (one, an outgrowth of the other) shine
not only for their fundraising ability, but also for their
commitment to building and engaging community.
Friendship Clubs
Timothy’s Friendship Clubs had their roots in the “The
Eunice Society,” a group of mothers who loved Timothy
Christian School and organized in 1924 to meet biweekly to meditate and pray for the school—as well as
to make hand-made items that could be sold to raise
funds for the school. Soon, they had more groups, which
met in individual homes. In the mid-1930s, “daughter”
groups became the Friendship Clubs.
Through the years, the Friendship Clubs not only raised
large sums of money for Timothy Christian Schools, but
they forged strong senses of community among the
women who were a part of them.
Each club—named after a flower—specialized in a
certain area. Many of us remember club tables at the
Annual Timothy Christian Bazaar.
From 1956 to 1976 alone, the Friendship Clubs raised
nearly $200,000 for Timothy Christian Schools.
PIE
In 2004, the Friendship Clubs officially became Partners
In Education (PIE). Instead of many groups—with
individual finances and missions—operating under one
umbrella, PIE streamlined fundraising and communitybuilding efforts.
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
Ever since then, every May, when the meeting rolls
around, I get asked a variation on: “Who’s allowed to go
to that meeting, anyway?”
to their students. As excited as the kids are for summer
to start, it’s a poignant moment for our teachers who
have invested in and loved these students.
03
Left: The 1967 Pep Band
Right: “Good Night Irene” at Octoberfest
The 3 as
Commemorative
Centennial edition: Society
The Lawndale Controversy
While the organizational charts look different, PIE’s
mission remains similar to that of the Friendship Clubs.
PIE seeks “to promote Christian education at Timothy
through hospitality, staff support and fundraising
activities so that parental involvement increases,
Christian community is built and resources are provided.”
In the 2010-2011 school year alone, PIE raised over
$71,000—a dazzling amount in a year in which PIE
didn’t hold their bi-annual auction.
To find out how you can get more involved in PIE, visit
Timothy’s website and look under Community.
DUTCH BEGINNINGS TO DIVERSE PRESENT
God’s hand has blessed Timothy Christian Schools in
many ways. But one of the exciting—and evident—
ways has been through our school’s ever-increasing
diversity. Where the school was founded by Dutch
immigrants and where not that long ago, this new
blonde-haired, green-eyed Swedish girl was “the
diversity,” today shows a much different story.
A quick look at our student body reveals a rich range
in race and ethnicity. Our grade student body today
is about 27% non-white (20% in the high school)—a
remarkable statistic for a suburban, Christian school.
Where once almost every student came from
supporting Reformed Churches, today Timothy has more
than 260 churches represented—including Baptist,
Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Non-denominational
and many more.
And we are a better school because of our increasing
diversity. We praise God for this—that He allowed us to
be a school where each year the student body continues
to more accurately reflect the ethnic variety of His
image-bearers.
We are especially grateful for this considering 40 years
ago, Timothy Christian Schools was center-stage for a
heated Civil Rights debate.
And yet, many people—teachers,
students, and parents—at Timothy
during this time continue to assert
that racism was never the reason
for rejecting students. After all, even
while these students were denied
admission to the grade school in
Cicero, African-American students
attended the high school, which
had moved to Elmhurst a few years
before. And African-American
students attended the Western
Springs campus.
“It wasn’t racism,” one former
teacher—who would’ve welcomed
the students—says. “It was Cicero.”
Indeed, a 1966 issue of Time
magazine calls Cicero, “a symbol of
Northern discrimination—a Selma
without the Southern drawl.”
Cicero got that reputation back in
1951 when an African-American man
rented an apartment in Cicero. Not
In fact, Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. once planned a Civil Rights
march through Cicero—because
of its notorious racism—but was
urged not to by other local civil
and religious leaders. Cook County
Sherriff Richard Ogilvie warned
that the march would be “suicidal.”
According to Time magazine,
Cicero Town Attorney Christy Berkos
said: “The probability of danger
and destruction to human life
and property now has become
a certainty.”
The march—contrary to folklore—
never did happen. (Although
according to the Chicago Freedom
Movement’s website, “Robert Lucas
of Chicago CORE did lead over
250 marchers through Cicero on
September 4, 1966.” Some marchers
wore baseball gloves to catch the
bricks that were thrown at them.)
This rampant, dangerous racism in
the town of Cicero, is the reason
bomb threats to Timothy Christian
Schools were taken seriously. One
Society member said, “To admit the
Lawndale kids would’ve been to
allow them to be killed. We couldn’t
risk that.”
Still, even for those who believed
racism wasn’t the reason, Timothy
was criticized for living in fear, for
not trusting God and not standing
up in the face of that racism to do
what was right.
Although the Board’s decision to
deny admission garnered much
community support, the protests
from the Timothy community soon
began. Timothy alumni at Calvin
College organized a protest march,
letters streamed in, teachers resigned.
A lawsuit was filed against Timothy
on behalf of the Lawndale families.
The Synod of the Christian Reformed
Church endorsed a pronouncement
against Timothy (spawning a
separate debate surrounding a longheld tradition of separation of church
and school, in terms of governance)
denouncing Timothy’s decision.
Christian Reformed Churches from
around the country wrote to the
denominational magazine, the
Banner to rebuke the school.
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
It’s certainly something that’s
difficult to comprehend as we read
that last sentence with our 2011 eyes.
As Christians, we understand that
this seeming racism has no place in
the kingdom of God.
Above: Girls relaxing at recess
Right: Timothy’s most important tradition – prayer
05
In April 1965, a group of AfricanAmerican members of Lawndale
Christian Reformed Church applied
for admission to Timothy Christian’s
grade school in Cicero. These families
were denied admission because they
were black.
only was he harassed
by Cicero police, but
his move sparked
three days of riots
by folks who wanted
him out. The tiny
Timothy community
who lived in Cicero
claims to have had no part in this.
Three thousand National Guardsmen
were required to restore order. As of
the printing of that issue of Time (15
years later!), no black families had
attempted a move into Cicero.
commemorative Centennial edition: Faith
Even still, some called for Timothy
to “Dare to be a Daniel,” as the
saying goes. In response, many cited
Scripture that drew a distinction
between being fearful and being wise.
As one local pastor wrote in support
of the school at the time, when the
Jews plotted to kill Jesus after he
raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus
“no longer moved publicly” among
the Jews.
Those who made this decision knew
they would stand before the Lord
with it. And made it still—after much
prayer and discernment.
We can all appreciate the outrage
felt by this decision, that the desire
to seek justice—without fear—is so
strong in our Christian community
that people would speak out against
this.
And yet—many of those who were
there—still claim it was the right
decision. A decision, for what it’s
worth, that also was made by the
Archdiocese of Chicago, regarding
integration of Catholic Schools in
Cicero. Even as the Catholic Church
bussed African-American students
all over Chicago to integrate their
schools, they did not in Cicero. Out
of fear.
So what do we make of this fear
felt by two sets of God-fearing
institutions?
Even 40 years later, it’s difficult to
definitely discern the will of God,
to know which “side” was right. To
know if God was honored or angered.
People still disagree on this.
By Mac Wiener, Jr.
But what we do know is that God’s
grace is evident. He forgives any
hurts or missteps. And his hand of
mercy and blessing has remained on
Timothy. Because of the community
hostility and the inability to safely
admit African-American children,
Timothy Christian Schools decided
to move its grade school to the
Elmhurst campus—where children of
all races were immediately admitted
(and had been, even during these
debates).
Today, we see God’s hand in our
student population—seeing
greater racial and cultural diversity
than regularly seen in most other
Christian schools. We’ve seen it in
the generations of families who’ve
continued to make up the Timothy
Society even though file folders are
filled with letters that voice their
disagreements.
Through this story—and all through
this school’s mistakes or difficult
stands—this we know is true: God’s
mercies are new every morning. n
One hundred years. One mission. From its inception, Timothy Christian has
remained a strong witness to Christian education. Today the wording of that
mission, “academically prepared Christian disciples,” would have resonated with
the founders of the school. Looking back, we are humbled by God’s providential
care and are grateful for godly leadership that has guided Timothy through all
the changes of the 20th century.
THE NEED FOR A SCHOOL
For Dutch immigrants who settled on the west side of
Chicago in the late 1800s and early 1900s, life centered
on church. When public schools began taking the Bible
out of the curriculum, the Dutch saw the need for
Christian education, even if they did not know how they
were going to pay for it. The Christian school was seen
as a necessary institution to join with the family and
Reformed churches to fight against the growing trend
of secularization in America.
Unlike the church-run schools common among the
Roman Catholics and the Lutherans, the Dutch had
experience in Holland with parent-run Christian schools.
A commitment to their faith and culture spurred on the
Dutch to this great undertaking of Christian education.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Informal conversations about starting a Christian school
began in the early 1900s among Douglas Park Christian
Reformed Church members. The superintendent of the
Sunday School, C. F. Speckman, then invited some people
over to his home. That gathering, held in his living room
on May 4, 1907, was the first official meeting that led to
Timothy Christian. At the second meeting of the newlyformed Society for Christian Instruction on May 9, the
name of the new school was decided: “Timothy School
for Christian Instruction.” This name remained until
September 16, 1931 when it was changed to Timothy
Christian School, named after the Timothy of the New
Testament. He was raised in the Christian faith by his
grandmother and mother and then mentored by the
Apostle Paul. The society met for a number of years,
raising funds, gathering the support of more people and
organizing. Finally, in 1911, the school opened.
CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
A Christian education reinforces Christian values
and contributes to the Biblically-informed faith
development of its students. What a blessing it is
when the entire school community—school board,
administration, teachers, students and parents—rally
around a common set of faith commitments.
Since all truth is ultimately God’s truth, all of education
should acknowledge the supremacy of the Lord God
Almighty. Rev. Reitsma, a high school Bible teacher in
the ‘80s and ‘90s, said when classes explore God’s truth,
then “the ordinary becomes extraordinary.” Teachers are
called to help students hear God speaking through both
special and general revelation. God is creator.
faith cont. on page 8
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
And yet—to many who were there,
many of the decision-makers at the
time—it was about none of the
above. It was about Cicero. About a
town defined by its racial hostility.
Where, according to “All Things Are
Lawful, Not All Things Are Expedient,”
a position paper written by the
Timothy Christian School Board in
October 1969, police and fire fighters
shared the racist sentiment of the
Cicero community. If the school
burned or bricks were hurled at
children, no one would be there to
protect them.
Faith
“Was Jesus afraid? Distrustful?” the
pastor asks.
07
And they did these things for good
reason. As Christians, we are to seek
justice—no matter the cost. We are
to live without fear. We are to trust
God. From the “outside” vantage
point, it seemed clear that Timothy
was being racist or fearful or
untrusting.
commemorative
The
Breakdown Centennial edition: Faith
Center: Before the auditorium was built, hundreds of chairs were set up in
the high school gymnasium for chapel
To treat him as a Sunday-only deity is demeaning and
disgraceful. It could be said that every school day is a
chapel day because Christian teachers are teaching
about God’s world.
Students not only learn what they are taught, but
they also learn by how they are taught. Teachers,
with a sense of calling by God and deep caring for
their students, richly add to the quality of education.
Students are seen as God’s children. And in a sense
we are family—part of the church family and the
Timothy family.
Prayer is a vital
spiritual discipline
and so school days
are punctuated
with prayer. Every
day begins and
ends in prayer. At
times students
are encouraged
to share prayer
requests.
Sometimes schoolwide prayer will
be led via the
intercom. Musical
concerts, plays,
sporting events all
begin with prayer.
Elementary School Chapels
CHRIST IN THE CLASSROOM
CHAPELS AT TIMOTHY
Bible instruction always has been a part of Timothy’s
curriculum. Growing in the knowledge of God’s
Word is naturally a part of a well-rounded Christian
education. Today’s curriculum has been deliberately
planned to cover the entire Bible and have meaningful
reinforcement of Biblical material as students advance
in school. Bible curriculum is developed by teachers
who add their unique flavor to each class. In all grades,
Bible classes are meant to help students grow in Biblical
knowledge, be called to believe in the good news
of Jesus Christ, and be challenged to respond to the
message by loving God and serving others.
Chapels became a regular part of the schedule when the
Initially, Timothy grade school did
Huizenga Auditorium was completed for the 1985-‘86
not have weekly chapels like they
school
year. At first, a faculty committee planned all the
do now. Each teacher would lead a
singing and lined up speakers. Eventually, each grade was
devotional time, which would include
assigned the planning for just a few chapels throughout
Bible readings, prayers, hymns and
the year. Today, you might see a group of second graders
children’s songs. Jane Duiven, who
at the microphone with index cards in hand, opening
began teaching in 1969 and currently
chapel. Prayers and Bible passages are read followed by
singing.
To hear hundreds of children sing together truly
teaches third grade, remembers using
the hymnal Let Youth Praise Him back in is inspiring and can move the listener to tears. Featured
the “old days.” For the occasional school- speakers might include a parent, a minister, a teacher
or other school employee. Upper grade elementary
wide chapel, students would sit on the
students are paired with younger students as their
floor in the gym and perhaps listen to a
“chapel buddies.” They sit together, with the older
missionary on furlough or participate in
students mentoring the young.
a special Christmas or Easter chapel.
But what makes a school Christian is much more than
Bible classes, praying, and chapels. It is seeing all of
learning as a Christian activity. This understanding of
education has not changed in Timothy’s 100-year history.
The first yearbooks for Timothy Christian High School,
1955 and 1956, emphasize Christian education in the
opening pages. The forward to the ‘55 yearbook reads,
“We believe that the Light of Christ should shine brightly
in every phase of our lives—spiritual, academic, social,
and recreational.” Because God Almighty is our creator
and Redeemer and because Jesus Christ is Lord over all
things, the light of Christ should shine in every class.
Teachers are instructed, challenged, and held accountable
to integrate the Christian world and life view into all
academic subjects.
Wing Sing
George Bosman joined Timothy in the late ‘60s as a
sixth grade teacher. When his students bought him a
guitar, he taught himself three chords so he could play
for them. His students loved singing in class and soon
other students wanted to join in. With Principal George
Tamminga’s approval, Bosman gathered students from
grades four to six for singing. That is how “Gym Sing”
was born. For the last 15 minutes of school on Friday
afternoons, students would meet in the gym to sing
hymns, Scripture songs and folk songs. The legacy of
Thanksgiving and Christmas chapels have become
yearly traditions at Timothy. In November there is a food
drive with classes competing to see who can fill the
most grocery baskets with food. At the Thanksgiving
Chapel, representatives from ministries from Roseland
and Lawndale communities come to accept the
donations and speak about their work in Chicago.
During December, students are encouraged to bring
a wrapped present to school. In the Christmas chapel,
students come forward to the stage with presents,
which are then given to people from the Humboldt area
of Chicago.
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
We incorporate our faith into every class
09
this singing time continues. Today, elementary students
from the elementary building’s four wings gather
together for “Wing Sings” every other week.
commemorative
The
Breakdown Centennial edition: Faith
Each year there is a chapel theme to help reinforce a
simple, relevant Biblical concept. The theme not only
guides chapel services, but also is emphasized by
teachers in the classroom. A visitor to the school will
see the theme on school bulletin boards and displayed
in classrooms. One year, when the theme was “I am
the vine, you are the branches,” music teacher Ruth
Rottshaefer enlisted popular Christian musician Ken
Medema to write a theme song.
Restoration Projects
Another year the theme was “They will know we are
Christians by our love,” which resulted in the Restoration
Project. Each grade now is partnered with a local or
international charitable organization. Throughout
the year, students learn about their ministries and
correspond with them. Students then are challenged
to put faith into action by doing a service activity and
donating money or supplies. Second and third grade
students have connected with All God’s Children, an
orphanage ministry in Honduras. Sixth grade students
learn about and support the Gweimen Center in Nigeria,
which serves those victimized by HIV/AIDS.
The middle school focuses on more local needs. Students
have a serve project at New to You, the resale store
that supports Christian schools like Timothy. Students
also are challenged to be giving and show Christian
love by serving at Elim, a Christian school for students
with disabilities. These are just a few examples of how
Timothy students grow in faith by being challenged to
live out their faith in a hurting world.
High School Chapels
Early in Timothy’s history, junior high and high school
students attended weekly chapels together in the
Cicero building. Rev. G.R. Youngs, the high school
principal and a Bible teacher, was a frequent chapel
speaker, and the high school choir and band often
performed. In an effort to foster a connection with its
sister schools – Chicago Christian and Illiana – Timothy
student council members sometimes led chapels at
those sister schools. Chicago Christian and Illiana’s
students, in turn, came to Timothy to do the same.
When the high school moved to Elmhurst in 1962, the
gym had not yet been constructed. Rev. Johnson and his
student chapel committee, therefore, led chapels with
smaller groups of students. One such chapel was held
outdoors, with students sitting on the grass. In 1963,
there was an hour of singing Christmas carols in the
hallway around the Christmas tree. For special chapel
services, the school would meet in the sanctuary of
Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church, located just a few
blocks from Timothy.
When the gym was completed in the spring of 1966,
chapels were held there Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Fridays. To protect the floor, a massive tarp was laid on
the gym floor. Hundreds of chairs had to be set up and
taken down for each chapel. After an organ prelude,
most often a speaker delivered a sermon-like message.
The atmosphere was was quiet, attentive, and reflective.
During the ‘70s and ‘80s, a number of chapels stand out.
There was the student-led, in-the-round Easter chapel,
with students sharing their witnessing experiences.
In the 1973-‘74 school year, members of a Bible study
“It is important for students to
hear God’s Word preached,
but also to be able to express
themselves for who they really
are, to be challenged to make
their faith vibrant.”
group went to O’Hare International Airport to share
their faith and then discussed their experiences during
chapel. A humorous chapel on dating was led by Illiana
students. A TCHS men’s teacher chorus organized
and performed at chapel. Students used their talents
in many ways, from singing Handel to performing a
Charlie Brown Christmas skit.
In 1973, 350 wooden crosses of all sizes were
constructed, hand-held to crosses over eight feet tall.
On Good Friday (yes, there was school on that day),
as a witness to the neighborhood and as a symbol of
Christian discipleship, students carried crosses from the
school to nearby Elmhurst CRC. Once there, a service
was held in the sanctuary.
A change was occurring in society during the ‘70s
and ‘80s. People were becoming more open and
expressive in many areas of life. This shift influenced
American churches and their worship style. Previously,
church services were very intellectual without much
expressiveness. Emotion could be seen as weakness.
A healthy balance between the mind and emotions
was working its way into churches. Timothy’s chapels
followed this trend. It was and is important for students
to hear God’s Word preached, but also to be able to
express themselves for who they really are, to be
challenged to make their faith vibrant. Chapels dealt
with problems in students’ lives and there were calls
for repentance. The Timothy school community was
challenged to faithfully walk with Jesus and to be a light
in the world.
This challenge was further developed during the 90’s
when Rev. Jeff Klein joined Timothy as a Bible teacher.
As chapel coordinator, he said he wanted to create
spiritual experiences for students to connect with God.
At the time, some local churches did not have youth
pastors. Klein fulfilled that role by spending time with
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
Above: The worship band
11
Left: Nailing sins to the cross
Middle: A chapel introducing the Tallit, a Jewish prayer shawl
Right: Worship songs are an important part of the chapel experience
Commemorative
Centennial edition: Academics
The 3 as
students outside of school and sponsoring many social
and spiritual events, such as Christian concerts and allnight lock-ins at Timothy. He promoted Christian service
by planning informal service projects. He also had a hand
in establishing a service requirement for graduation and
starting the Lawndale community senior service project.
He emphasized Biblical application and loved to think
outside the box in the classroom as well as in chapels.
Current High School Chapels
Many outstanding speakers have led chapels. One stand
Left: The cross is a physical focal point of every chapel
Right: Prayer groups
BEYOND BELIEF
One hundred years. One mission.
To an untrained eye, the success of Timothy Christian Schools is unbelievable.
Yet we quickly acknowledge the providence of God who carefully shepherded
our school through a century. Beyond Belief. With great faith and great effort, we
seek to take students beyond their commitment to Jesus Christ to become mighty
disciples of Jesus who make a difference in this world for God’s kingdom. To God be
the glory! n
By Mimi Stanton
As much as Timothy Christian Schools
has changed over the past 100 years,
its mission has never wavered. Whether
it is expressed in our mission statement,
“creating academically-prepared
Christian disciples” or stated simply
by our Superintendent Matt Davidson,
“keeping the main thing, the main
thing,” Timothy Christian Schools always
has had its educational roots firmly
planted in God’s word. But that’s just
about all that has stayed the same.
What began 100 years ago in a rented hall on Roosevelt
Road in Chicago serving some 40 students of Dutch
descent, now has evolved into a 23 acre suburban campus
in Elmhurst educating an ethnically- and racially-diverse
population of 1,100. Several educational milestones and
societal changes along way have helped propel Timothy
into the fine academic institution it is today.
According to Twenty-five Years, the publication
commemorating Timothy’s quarter century anniversary,
the first educational committee was formed in 1912 “to
study the work done in the classroom and to advise the
board of the school’s educational methods.” Four years
later, Timothy’s focus on raising its academic standards
was recognized by the Chicago Board of Education when
it deemed Timothy’s education as on par with Chicago
public schools.
In 1920 the school joined the National Union of Christian
Schools and, in 1926, Timothy officially adopted “the
American language as the official language in which all
the business of the board should be transacted.” The
primary language previously had been Dutch. This
change foreshadowed the ethnic and racial diversity the
school would enjoy in years to come.
When Timothy reached its 25-year milestone, it took that
occasion to emphasize its mission. “Pupils have received
at Timothy School not only that which they need for life
in this world, but also given the bread of life, the living
word of God, as their daily diet. That after all is the only
reason for having our own Christian school.”
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
A four-week Lenten chapel series culminated with a
purposeful response. Hundreds of pieces of broken
pottery were scattered across the front of the stage.
Students were challenged to be honest with the
brokenness in their lives and come to Jesus with their sin
and pain. They came forward and wrote their name, the
word “broken” and/or their sin on a piece of pottery and
then placed this piece in a basket at the foot of the cross.
Students spent the remainder of the chapel in prayer.
Many hearts were healed as a result of that chapel.
Academics
13
Today, chapels typically are 25 minutes long and are held
on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And while certain traditions –
such as Thanksgiving and Fine Arts chapels – continue,
new ideas and formats also have been created. Black
history chapels have allowed us to celebrate diversity in
unique, exciting worship experiences. Technology has
played a role in shaping chapels. Students in the audience
have texted questions via their cell phones to a panel of
teachers on stage.
out is Bishop Eugene Tannehill, who served 47 years in
a Louisiana state prison for second degree murder. He
became a powerful preacher and Christian leader in
prison. Soon after he was released, he spoke at Timothy.
“The Bishop,” as he is often called, shared his inspirational
testimony with Timothy students, challenging them to
live for Jesus Christ. His command of the Scriptures, and
enthusiastic, forceful, preaching captivated those who
heard him speak.
Superintendent Arnie Hoving spends some quality time
in the elementary school
Throughout the school’s history, Timothy has grown in
size and fortified its academic strength, all the while
maintaining its Christian viewpoint. In 1945, Timothy
merged with Ebenezer School, which added 116 students
to our enrollment.
Arnie Hoving joined Timothy in 1958 as a teacher and
served in various capacities including a sixteen-year
stint as Superintendent. He recalled a painful time in
the school’s history as one that ultimately resulted in
positive change and further growth. It is often referred
to as The Lawndale Controversy. In 1965 several AfricanAmerican students, whose families attended Lawndale
Christian Reformed Church, were denied acceptance to
Timothy’s elementary school because of the toxic racial
atmosphere that engulfed the Town of Cicero, where the
school was located. While considering whether to accept
these applicants, Timothy students and staff received
death threats from the surrounding neighborhood.
“I was principal at the time,” said Hoving. “I felt strongly
that my job was to try to create peace and solve that
situation. We ultimately did that by leaving Cicero.” In
the early 1970s, Timothy’s elementary school joined the
junior and high school campuses in Elmhurst.
Academics cont. on page 14
Commemorative
The 3 as
“Looking back, I see that time as the
Lord using the school to be what it is
today in Elmhurst – one that reaches
out to all cultures and all people
regardless of race.”
According to Hoving, this move to
Elmhurst was a big step in growing
the school’s enrollment, increasing
its diversity and fortifying its
curriculum.
“Once that ball started rolling, we kept growing,” Hoving
said. “In 1978, 97 percent of our student population
came from Reformed church families,” he said. “Ten
years later, 55 percent came from other churches. Today
more than 261 different churches are represented at
Timothy.”
One unforeseen boost to the school’s population
was Timothy’s successful basketball program, which
in the 1974-‘75 season took second in state. “Coach
Don Greenfield put Timothy on the map and also
helped spread our mission,” said Hoving. “That season
legitimized us in the eyes of parents concerned about
private school sports offerings.”
“It was free advertising,” agreed Dan Van Prooyen, who
began teaching at Timothy in 1971 and held several
positions including superintendent when Hoving retired
in 1994. “When local reporters asked us how we were
going to celebrate our victory, Don told them ‘we’re
getting up in the morning and going to church together
as a team.’ People outside our traditional base began to
know who we were – that we were small, that we cared,
that we provided a Christian perspective to education.
That really helped us grow.”
Left: Caring teachers are a cornerstone of a
Timothy education
Middle: Ruth Harkema tells the story of Noah’s Ark
Right: Girls take time to read outside
Hoving and his administrative team pursed a number of
other initiatives to continue to strengthen the school’s
enrollment. In 1978, Timothy was accredited by the
North Central Association (now called AdvancedED). “I
always felt we were a highly-qualified institution.
Now we had an objective association evaluating and
elevating our standing in the eyes of families not yet
associated with the school,” he said.
Another boon to the school was the creation in 1978
of the Timothy Foundation, which started with a
sizable gift from the estate of Tena Huizenga. This
foundation today continues to provide families with
tuition assistance. The foundation also supports faculty
development, new programs and other school projects,
all of which have strengthened the school and enabled
expansions to both the elementary and high school
facilities in the early 1980s.
Keeping enrollment numbers healthy translated into
strong academics. “If you have a small population, you
can’t offer courses needed to be academically excellent,”
Hoving said. As a result, Advanced Placement classes
were added to the curriculum.
Finding the best possible faculty to teach was key. “I
looked for people who not only had strong educational
backgrounds and Christian beliefs but also those who
showed compassion and caring for each student,”
he said.
“Arnie was brilliant at hiring people and then saying,
‘here is your classroom, go at it,’” explained Marve
Wolterstorff, who among his many roles at Timothy
included director of choir, directing plays and
musicals, English teacher and soccer coach during
his 40-year career. “He left us not alone but with room
to grow and always avidly behind us.”
Some might say an unusual number of Timothy
teachers have spent their entire careers at Timothy.
“One of the reasons I’ve stayed is that I’m teaching with
my best friends,” said Scott Roelofs, who has taught
history, coached Mock Trial and several sports during his
entire 32 year career. “We have such a bond. There also
is a great camaraderie between teachers and students,
too. It’s a nice community. And every student can
contribute and find their place here.”
Timothy continued to thrive under Dan Van Prooyen’s
leadership. In 1999, those efforts were recognized by U.S.
News and World Report when Timothy was named an
“Outstanding American High School.” Nearly 1,300 schools
in Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit
and New York were surveyed but only 96 were chosen.
Selection was based on factors such as a challenging core
curriculum, strong academic standards and expectations,
highly qualified teachers, effective training and support
for new teachers, involved parents, mentors to help
motivate students and high attendance rates.
“It was very gratifying to receive national recognition,”
said Van Prooyen. “It also provided us with a great
opportunity to share our mission with families who
now were more aware of our presence in the Chicago
western suburbs.”
With Van Prooyen’s retirement in 2010, Superintendent
Matt Davidson is now ably leading Timothy into its
next chapter. There are exciting changes already on the
horizon and a rededication to our Christian worldview.
“Looking ahead, we are pursuing the addition of stateof-the-art science labs and an expansion of our alreadystrong science curriculum,” Davidson said. “We also
are exploring expanding our business program. The
majority of our graduates ultimately land somewhere
under the umbrella of business. It is our conviction that
Christian schools should lead the way in preparing this
generation of young people for the marketplace. In a
society where business has largely forsaken morality
and ethics, Timothy’s curriculum will better prepare
young men and women to conduct business as a
follower of Christ.”
There are enhancements also further on the horizon
for other areas of Timothy’s campus. “One possibility
might be the addition of a middle school wing to the
grade school. Our middle school would greatly benefit
from a stronger sense of identity, and the existing
middle school wing would provide much needed space
in the elementary grades and for early education. Most
importantly, in our academic program and every other
part of the school, we will hold fast to our robust
conviction to give Jesus the highest place.” n
Academics cont. on page 16
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
During the 1970s, when family size decreased, Timothy’s
enrollment from Christian Reformed church families
sharply declined. To combat that dwindling population,
Hoving and several board members contacted more
than 100 evangelical churches in the five-mile area
surrounding Elmhurst to increase Timothy’s visibility.
15
And even while these changes
were taking place, the school remained steadfast in
maintaining its Christian foundation. “Timothy required
families to profess to be Christians to attend. That
foundation always has been the strength of the school,”
he said.
Commemorative
The 3 as
She notes that Timothy’s classroom teachers work hard
to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each student
and then to customize educational programming in the
classroom. The Discovery Center and the Impact Program
are additional resources for those classroom teachers.
“We believe that children have the image of Christ in
them so they are really special in their own right,” said
Sue Schemper, who since 1999 has been the assistant
principal and curriculum coordinator for Timothy’s
elementary and middle schools. “I firmly believe the
more we view children in that way, the more who they
are intended to become emerges. It’s really a humble
privilege to bring that out in children.”
Creating an optimal classroom environment is essential
for children to learn to the best of their abilities,
according to Schemper, who began her Timothy career in
1980 as a teacher. “It begins in the individual classrooms
with attachment – for students to really feel the
teacher is committed to their success” she said. “Next
is attunement. That is, teachers recognizing the true
identity, needs and gifts of each individual student.”
She describes how each year teachers create a community
within the classroom where there is camaraderie, respect
and where interpersonal skills are nurtured. “Learning
that God has a plan for their lives is really foundational to
being a successful human being,” she said.
“In that nurturing environment, when students are given
an appropriate challenge, and the tools and strategies
needed to solve problems on their own, they can move
beyond that challenge and internalize what they are
learning. That’s teaching resourcefulness,” Schemper said.
Timothy uses both data-driven information, such
as literacy tests, and also teacher input to gauge an
individual student’s level of knowledge. “As best we can,
we offer students the necessary support to help them be
successful,” Schemper said.
Some students receive reinforcing help from the
Discovery Center, and others with gifted abilities can
be instructed in the Impact Program. The goal of each
of these programs is the same – to offer children with
differing abilities an environment in which optimal
learning occurs.
“To accomplish all that God has in mind for them, some
students need different educational programming,”
said Anna Watson, who is beginning her seventh year
as the Discovery Center teacher for grades kindergarten
through third. “Timothy strives to meet the needs of
these students by providing small group instruction,
alternative curriculums, classroom support and a variety
of accommodations and interventions.
“Offering this type of support enables Timothy to
expand the number of God’s children who have access to
Christian education,” said Watson. “It also allows us to be
as inclusive as possible, meeting the needs of many types
of learners.”
“Timothy already has a rigorous academic program,”
Bakker explained. “We teach at about the 80th percentile
but gifted students frequently function at the 99th
percentile. Our Impact Program enables us give them
some time in their day or week when we are teaching at
their level.”
“These competitions help motivate reward-oriented
students and help them sharpen the goals that they set
for themselves,” Schemper said. “When one of my sons
became determined to win the Geo Bee, he slept with an
atlas under his bed for a year. I never could have gotten
him to do that. He needed to want it on his own.”
Bakker notes that one way that Timothy’s Impact
program distinguishes itself from other schools is its
adaptability. She explains that schools that are part of a
large system often have their gifted curriculum set by a
district coordinator who never has met the students in
the individual schools.
Jane Duiven, who has been at Timothy for 35 years and
currently teaches third grade, said she appreciates the
school’s Christian viewpoint. “It’s a blessing to help
give children the foundation on which to build active,
contributive Christian lives. Watching the unfolding
of the wonders and mysteries of God’s world to these
young minds is thrilling,” she said.
“Because we are one unified school system and we know
these students very well, we can adapt our program to
respond to the specific needs of our changing student
body,” she said.
Currently, Bakker is developing a replacement math
program for one grade because such a large group of
students in that grade have been identified as gifted in
math. Instead of seeing these students twice a week,
she will teach them five days a week.
“God has a plan for each student’s life and our teachers
are our greatest resource to help them get there,”
Schemper said. n
Left: Building community in the classroom
Right: Reading the story of David and Goliath
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
Teaching Today
She notes that the goal is for students to know 80
percent of the material discussed in the classroom and to
expand the students’ knowledge base with 20 percent of
new material. Of course, because children are individuals
and learn at different rates, the level of information they
already know can be different for each student.
Ann Bakker, who has taught at Timothy for24 years,
became head of the Impact Program five years ago
when the program expanded to full time. The decision
to expand Impact from what previously had been a
part-time Enrichment Program came after an Education
Committee review. “We realized that because Timothy
had such a large number of gifted students, the program
needed to expand to best meet advanced student
needs,” Bakker said.
To encourage all students to become invested in their
own education, throughout the year Timothy hosts
Geo (Geography) Bee, Spelling Bee and Accelerated
Reader (AR) point competitions. (AR is a program in
which students take tests on books they have read
during their personal time. Points are awarded based
on the length and difficulty of the book, and how well
students answer questions.) To successfully compete in
these competitions, students must log in hours of study
outside of the school day.
17
Students working on some artistic assignments
Bakker said that whether students are served in the
classroom, in the Discovery Center or the Impact
Program, the message at Timothy is clear – it’s okay to be
who you are.
Commemorative
Centennial edition: Arts
The 3 as
These variety shows soon evolved into Octoberfest. But
in its early stages, only faculty and alumni performed.
One memorable performance, according to Tom Day,
who joined Timothy in 1974, was the faculty’s comic
rendition of Pyramus and Thisbe, from Shakespeare’s
Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s a tale of star-crossed
lovers, not unlike Romeo and Juliet.
In the years that followed, an equal balance of students
and teachers were invited to perform material from
selected children’s shows such as Sesame Street and
The Electric Company.
By Mimi Stanton
During those early years, when Timothy used to take
Octoberfest on the road to places like Chicago Christian
High School, Harkema said teachers there told them
they could never get their boys to get up on stage and
be silly like Timothy students would.
Timothy’s Fine Arts program began
with a misunderstanding. So say John
Harkema, Marve Wolterstorff, and Tom
Day as they recently reflected on the Fine
Arts program. What they created holds a
special place in the hearts of students and
faculty alike.
In 1969, Harkema returned to Timothy after a one-year
teaching fellowship at the University of Michigan. “I
was asked to assist Marve in drama and, turns out, he
was asked to assist me,” Harkema said. Wolterstorff was
returning to Timothy after serving in Vietnam.
The two decided to co-direct. Wolterstorff, who had
acted in high school and done some opera in college,
and Harkema, who describes himself as an introvert
who would never step foot on stage, realized that
the only play they both knew was Henrik Ibsen’s “The
Wild Duck.” Some might say selecting a play with
complicated themes set in the 1800s in Norway might
be a risky choice for a newly-formed collaborating
team at a school that didn’t already have a serious
drama program.
But for all the bumps in the road, the two remember
that first production fondly. “It was really fun,” said
Harkema. “We laugh every time we think of the sea
green sets that went up and up and up forever in
“John probably is the person most responsible for
creating an atmosphere here were it was okay to get
the gym. Of course, we knew nothing of lighting – it
didn’t change from the beginning of the play to the
end. Marve and I watched the play that first night with
this bright green thing staring at us. It was awful so
we went off to find out how to set up spotlights and
changed it for the next night. The headline in the school
paper was “Wild Duck Takes a Plunge” but it really
ended up quite good.”
So with Octoberfest annually performed in fall and
plays occurring in fall and spring, Children’s Theater
became the activity during winter. And while no one
remembers the specific origin, the idea may have been
sparked at the Illinois High School Theater Festival,
which Day, Wolterstorff and Harkema and various
drama students began attending in the late ‘70s. One
workshop held there was called Child’s Play.
What they do remember is that Children’s Theater
consisted of a group of 12 or so students who were
selected by Day, Wolterstorff and Harkema to put on
plays of children’s books. There were no costumes, no
props and no script, save for the actual words printed in
the selected book.
There’s no more “Uniquely Timothy” event than our
annual Octoberfest.
It seemed clear almost from the beginning that the
Harkema-Wolterstorff collaboration was going well.
Because plays were held in the fall and spring and
because Timothy then sponsored fewer extra-curricular
offerings than it does today, Wolterstorff said that they
began thinking of ways to fill the void with additional
student activities. “For a few years, we put together
a fall variety show, where we set up card tables in
the gym, offered refreshments and then students
performed whatever they wanted,” Wolterstorff said.
Arts cont. on page 20
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
Arts
“It’s one of the many great attributes of Timothy’s
student body – that it’s okay to be a basketball player
and an actor. It’s okay to be in choir and on the soccer
team. You can be in plays and musicals even if you’re an
athlete,” Day said.
19
“I don’t remember exactly how it continued to evolve
but all of a sudden, it became everyone is included. All
you had to do is sign up,” said Harkema. “Octoberfest
was for people like me, who were horrified at the
thought of getting on stage.”
up on stage, act crazy and have a ball doing it,” said
Day, who had been hired to head drama and also to
teach various subjects including English and speech.
“Students started thinking, if I can do Octoberfest,
maybe I can try out for the play.
Commemorative
Centennial edition: Arts
The 3 as
“We would always pick a few students who you would
never expect to do drama,” said Day. “They could be the
trouble maker or someone who was as quiet as could be.
Students watching the performances would be blown
away at who was on stage.”
“We intentionally picked a few students who were really
far out – who maybe felt they were on the fringe – and
we would draw them into this group,” Harkema said.
“And these kids were willing to be plucked,” agreed
Wolterstorff. “The response was overwhelming.”
“Sometimes students just need someone to tap them on
the shoulder and say, ‘I think you’d be good at this.’
Oftentimes it is just what they need to bring them out
of their shell.” Day said.
One Timothy graduate, who participated in Children’s
Theater, valued her experience. “I was recruited during
my sophomore year,” said Sabrina Lee (class of 2009).
“Being the youngest, quietist and most awkward
member of the group, I wasn’t really sure how valuable
my contributions were. Even though they made me
nervous, I enjoyed performing all the crazy drama
exercises, which pushed me intellectually and creatively
like nothing else ever had. Each practice made me sweat
more than P.E. class ever did. Little did I know that what
I learned in Children’s Theater would travel with me
this summer to Hong Kong, where I helped lead an
English camp in two primary schools. As the designated
grammar teacher for fourth- and fifth-grade Chinese
students, I drew on the improvisational skills I learned
in Children’s Theater to make learning the past and
present progressive tenses fun.”
Children’s Theater performances were held for various
audiences including Timothy’s preschool students and
nursing home residents. “It could be very impromptu,”
Harkema said. “We might pop into a local library and ask,
‘Can we put on a play for you?’ One year, we performed
for a birthday party that we came across at a park where
we had stopped for refreshments.”
Children’s Theater also hosted pizza night for families.
“After dinner, our students would take the younger kids
into different areas of the school and do theater games
with them. Then we would all come together and the
students would perform our play,” said Harkema.
Opportunities for enrichment developed along the way,
such as workshops at the Steppenwolf Theater and one
with Lifeline Theater. “I had been going to see plays
there. They did adaptations like we did,” said Harkema.
“We asked them if they would do a workshop for us.
After coming to one of our rehearsals, they invited us
to their theater for the day. We were in awe watching
this professional theater group work with our kids. They
learned phenomenal technique that way.”
Illinois High School Theater Festival. Another highlight
was Spitfire Grill from 2008, his last production with
Wolterstorff. “It’s an unusual musical with wonderful
spiritual themes that were so poignant that we did a
follow-up chapel discussion in the high school after
everyone had seen it,” Day said.
In his 2011 production, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Day
played Boo Radley. “I had a great exit line that went
something like, ‘and he was never seen again.’ It was
such an apex because the kids knew it was my last play.
It was so special to be on stage with these kids to share
that moment,” Day said.
In 1978, Day and Wolterstorff began collaborating
on musicals, which Day said were
far more work than plays because
of the added choreography, singing “
Sometimes students just need someone
and orchestra elements involved.
to tap them on the shoulder and say, ‘I
Selections often leaned toward
Gilbert and Sullivan, a Wolterstorff
think you’d be good at this.’ ”
favorite.
“I have fond memories of us sitting
by the piano, learning the songs and then heading to
the stage to block out the scenes,” Day said. “It was
a great working relationship that grew into a real
friendship.”
Day said it’s not easy to pinpoint only two or three
highlights out of a 37-year career of directing but noted
that it was a great honor in 1999 to have Timothy’s play
Twelve Angry Jurors selected to be performed at the
Although he has retired from directing, Day still teaches
English and is the department head. Both Harkema and
Wolterstorff retired from Timothy in 2001 and 2008,
respectively. Among them, they have more than 120
years of teaching experience at Timothy. n
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
Dramatic performances present unique opportunities
for Timothy students
21
Left: Wolterstorff and Day often cameoed in plays and musicals
Right: Pirates of Penzance Performed
Commemorative
Centennial edition: Athletics
The 3 as
echoed that sentiment. In the yearbook’s summary
of the game, the words “anger” and “high emotions”
are used.
Athletics
By Dan Van Prooyen
Legendary TC Coach Don Greenfield inspires his team
district winners. Three games later,
Timothy was the Cinderella team of
the entire state tournament, having
beaten Holy Cross, St. Pat’s, and PSLrival Luther North to emerge as IHSA
regional champions.
It was on to sectionals at Hinsdale
Central, where a highly regarded
20-5 LT team, led by all-state
candidate Owen Brown, awaited.
With an enrollment of 4,850
students, LT was hugely favored
over tiny Timothy. But Timothy’s
rugged defense and a 22-point
“With an enrollment of 4,850 students, LT
was hugely favored over tiny Timothy. ...
The Tribune described [it] as “outlandish
for a team representing a school of only
305 students.”
first half performance by 6’ 8”
George Huisman gave Timothy a
six-point lead after two quarters.
The Chicago Tribune described this
“David vs. Goliath” showdown as
“outlandish for a team representing
a school of only 305 students,” to
have advanced this far in the state
tournament. Early in the second
half, the Trojans lead increased to 12
before LT methodically crept back
into the game, ultimately taking
their one-point advantage with 36
seconds left to play.
The Tribune’s report indicates that
Huisman fouled out with just over
two minutes left and that two of
his fouls were while playing offense.
Seasoned basketball eyewitnesses
– albeit ones with a Timothy bias
– believe a couple of the calls,
particularly the disqualifying fifth
offensive one, were questionable.
Some would say, “We wuz robbed.”
Student writers, with the same bias,
Educational Roots
We must remember that this game, exciting as it
was, is embedded in Timothy’s history and should fall
into a proper educational context. A cursory review of
historical documents from the first third of Timothy’s
century is void of any references to sports teams,
intramurals or even physical education instruction. The
closest reference to a team in the archives from 1942,
for example, is a photo of the nine boys who served
as the safety patrol squad helping others cross the
Recognizing the value of team participation and
realizing that interscholastic teams are available only
to a portion of the student body, Timothy has always
been committed to intramural sports as an extension
of the PE curriculum. In its early years, the popular girls’
equivalent was a club called Girls’ Athletic Association
(GAA). It was so engaging every graduating girl in the
class of 1959 was a member. This level of participation
was the norm in the early years of the high school.
Activities included basketball, volleyball, bowling and
even rugby.
On the boys’ side, Timothy’s commitment to intramurals
has lasted for nearly half a century. Starting in the late
‘60s, Charles
Haack and
George Bosman
started a middle
school Saturday
Morning
Basketball
program for any
boy who wanted
to play.
Some of the early days of the athletics program
at Timothy Christian
Athletics cont. on page 24
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
As Private School League (PSL)
co-champions, Timothy’s boys
basketball team had entered
its second post-season of
competition in the Illinois High
School Association’s (IHSA) state
tournament. In an era before class
divisions based on enrollment
numbers, Timothy had won the
seven-team district competition
that featured most of the local small
schools. The next week, York High
School hosted regionals, where the
larger schools in the state joined
the tournament brackets with
A conversation with Huisman brought back his vivid
memories of most every detail of the game. In warmups he could not make a basket, but at the opening tip
he couldn’t miss. Quickly into the game, he made two
right-handed hook shots from 10 feet out and even one
using his left hand. He said he also realized that the
fundamental footwork drills he had mastered under
the tutelage of varsity Coach Don Greenfield gave him
an advantage over the more physically-gifted Brown,
allowing him to score a total of 35 points for the game.
When asked about the controversial offensive fifth foul,
Huisman remembers the referee claimed he gained an
advantage by hooking Brown with his left arm. Further
pressed, Huisman did not say it was a bad call. He
only offered that in more than 10 years of competitive
basketball, it was the only time he had ever been
charged with that particular foul. From all accounts, it
certainly was a game for the ages.
23
The Big Game
It was March 12, 1969.
Final score: Lyons Township
(LT) 67 – Timothy Christian
66. While this basketball
game went down in the
history books as a loss for
Timothy, many constituents
recall this game as
the most memorable
in Timothy’s nearly six
decades of interscholastic
sports competition.
The Chicago Tribune’s
headline the next day read
“Christians Surprise Lions,
Then Barely Swallowed.”
streets around the building on 14th Street. Physical
education (PE) instruction is the foundation from which
related athletic activities emerge. It has always been
a part of Timothy’s high school curricular program,
which is committed to educating the mind, soul, and
body. Seeing its significance, Timothy added formal PE
instruction into the elementary school level starting
in the 1980s. This gave the school a full-fledged PE
curriculum for all its students K-12.
Commemorative
The 3 as
A variation of that program still exists today. Dedicated
volunteers Ken Huizinga and Bosman gave up dozens
of Saturdays each winter for 30 years to organize the
league and officiate at the games. At its peak, middle
school boys signed up in droves to play because the
coaches were the very same high school varsity stars they
watched on Friday nights in packed gymnasiums.
yearbook, the 1955 Saga, to grasp
that sports was and would become a
focal point of community interest for
decades to come.
The Early Years
There is no doubt that the decision made by the board in
the early ‘50s to offer high school education resulted in
athletics playing a significant role in Timothy Christian’s
history. One has to only review the first high school
The boy’s first basketball juggernaut had to be the
1958-‘59 quintet. Led by Tom Huiner, William Lenters,
and Don Schaaf, the tall and athletic squad still holds
Timothy’s best single season winning percentage. They
Left: 1973 Tennis
Bottom left: 1973 Croquet Camp
TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More
won 20 games, losing only once. The high-scoring team
averaged almost 62 points a game (and this was prior
to the inception of the three point line!). One of their
most intriguing games was against soon-to-be archrival
Chicago Christian. As one early Chicago Christian fan
recalls, their coach knew his crew could not match
the talent and depth of the Trojans so he employed a
stalling tempo of play, causing the half-time score to be
tied 8-8. But the skill and determination of the Trojans
ensured a victory in the end, 31-21.
Growth and Equity
Two major developments in the ‘60s altered sports at
Timothy. First, in the fall of 1961, Timothy joined the
Private School League of Greater Chicago (PSL), an
affiliation that formed the foundation for decades of
tremendous competition until the league disbanded
in the spring of 2009. With this league commitment,
Timothy’s boys’ sports programs quickly expanded to
include bowling, tennis, golf, track and cross country
alongside the mainstays of baseball and basketball.
Girls only competed interscholastically in basketball and
volleyball as first-year PSL members.
The second development, in the fall of 1967, was a
change in the IHSA governing by-laws allowing all nonpublic schools to join the association. For the first time,
private schools were permitted to compete with public
schools in post-season state tournaments, achieving
full recognition in the public eye and in the media. That
merger made possible contests like the Lyons - Timothy
game in 1969.
Middle: 1973 Pole vault; Top right: 1964 Girls’ Basketball;
Bottom right: 1978 Intramural Bowling Champs
But also in 1967, though it only lasted only a few years,
all girls interscholastic teams disbanded. This was a
sad event chronicled in the 1967 school yearbook as a
storied girls basketball program ceased to exist. This
inequity in opportunity to compete, experienced by
almost all high schools and colleges around the nation,
was rectified when a federal law was enacted in June of
1972. Even today Title IX of the Educational Amendment
Act is considered the benchmark legislation in granting
athletes of both genders an equal opportunity to
compete. As a result, Timothy’s girls program resurfaced
with organized teams starting in the fall of 1972.
In 1971, just one year prior to the federal passage of
Title IX, Illinois introduced a class system into its state
tournament format. Competing now in the postseason against schools of less than 750 students,
Timothy’s boys’ basketball program witnessed another
tremendous surge in the mid-to-late ‘70s. In 1975, ‘79,
and ’80, three teams qualified to play in Champaign
as part of the Elite Eight. Several IHSA records were
produced by those teams, which perfectly executed
Coach Greenfield’s fundamental tenets for successful
team play.
Having mastered the strategy of taking good shots,
the ‘79 team shot 30-41 from the floor in a quarterfinal
triumph with a shooting percentage of 73.1% that
still is on the books today. Rugged defense has always
been a hallmark of Trojan basketball and the 18 points
given up in the 48-18 ‘75 quarterfinal victory stands
as the stingiest team defensive effort in the modern
era. And, even though that ‘75 squad fell short in the
championship contest, the game featured the most
combined assists accumulated by both teams,
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
In the first few years of high school
competition, the accomplishments
of the girls’ basketball program
exceeded the boys. Pictured in the Athletics section of
the ‘55 Saga is high scoring Helen (Weidenaar) Blauw. She
fondly remembers a very different game then. Six girls to
a side, three were permanently assigned to the defensive
half of the court and three to the offensive side. No one
girl could take more than three consecutive dribbles
before passing or shooting. The entire first season of
play was limited to games against Chicago Christian,
Illiana Christian and Wheaton Academy. To access
better competition in subsequent years, Timothy’s girls
competed in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) tournaments,
which resulted in many trophies for Timothy’s display
case and even an unofficial state championship.
25
In the high school, even though the number of sports
teams and levels of play increased over the decades, there
continued to be a commitment to intramurals. Larry
Slager led the program for more than 25 years. Many
teams, leagues, and tournaments drew the interest of the
student body. Volleyball, bowling (both co-ed for some
time), basketball, ping-pong, and chess have all crowned
intramural winners over the decades. But for almost 40
years, the most competitive intramural program was the
spirited flag football league. Each season ended with the
seniors challenging the faculty. The rivalry even gained
the attention of The Daily Herald. In 2001, the newspaper
ran an article summarizing the teachers’ 21-6 victory,
highlighting the stellar performance of then 43-year-old
quarterback Scott Roelofs.
Commemorative
The 3 as
pointing to the unselfish play that Coach Greenfield
always emphasized.
Many have distinct memories about a particular game
or season in the history of Timothy sports, but we
must not overlook a decade of dominance in the girls
sports program from 1993 to 2002. Four sports garnered
more statewide recognition than at any other time in
the school’s athletic history and, from 1999 to 2001,
one could argue that Timothy’s girls’ program was the
strongest Class A program in the state.
From 1994 to 2001, the varsity volleyball team captured
five Class A regional championships, four of them
consecutively from 1998 to 2001. Led by coaches Bill
The Lady Trojans basketball squads had an extraordinary
era of excellence under the very able head coaching of
Liz Metcalfe (class of 1979) in the first half of the decade
and Jill Groenewold (class of 1983) from 1999 to 2002.
From 1995 to 2002, the girls’ teams won seven sectional
championships. In four of those years, Timothy went on
to win super-sectional games, putting the team in the
Elite Eight downstate. And, in 2000, the Lady Trojans
took home the school’s first girls’ state basketball trophy
with their fourth-place finish.
Memorable games over the years must include
the quarterfinal overtime loss to Carthage in ‘96.
Down three points with less than four seconds left
in regulation, Katie (Zeilstra) Prins was fouled while
attempting a last ditch three pointer. During the
strategic timeout just before shooting the free throws,
Zeilstra Prins said she asked Coach Metcalfe simply
to pray for her. With the end-of-game confidence
of Michael Jordan, she made all three shots, forcing
overtime. Or, how about the 2000 super-sectional
victory over St. Benedict, which paved the way for
Timothy’s trophy year? Down 20 points at halftime, the
girls stormed back for an unbelievable 58-54 win.
Above: Dedicating a state championship to the Lord in prayer
RIght: “This isn’t our only race.”
Perhaps the strongest nomination
for girls’ basketball game of the
decade, if not all time, is the 2002
super-sectional triumph over league
foe, the Illiana Christian Vikings.
Not only had the teams split wins
during the regular season, but
former Timothy coach and alumna
Liz Metcalfe was now coaching the
Vikings. In 2001, Metcalfe led the
Vikings to a super sectional win
over Timothy and, in 2002, Timothy
hoped to reverse the outcome.
Because the teams were familiar
with each other, four quarters of
regulation play netted a 38-38
outcome. Each teams’ leading
scorers struggled but Barbie Heerdt
and her Illiana counterpart rose to
the occasion by combining for 31
overtime points through four extra
periods. The marathon was tied 20
different times and remains the
longest game in Class A supersectional history. The palpitating
72-70 final was assured when junior
Fenna Kooima (class of 2003) not
only netted a three-pointer with
under a minute left and but also
blocked a shot on Illiana’s last
possession. The team had adopted
“One God, One Team, One Dream” as
its slogan for the year, and it seemed
most apropos.
Topping the decade of dominance
for Timothy was the performance of
the girls’ track team. Disappointed
by a fourth-place state finish in
1992, returning all-state upperclass leaders Kathy (Greenfield)
Commerret and Heather (Sikkenga)
Bossenga were determined to
make the next season better.
Their determination led the 1993
contingent to Timothy’s first ever
team state championship. It was
a true team performance with 10
events earning valuable points.
In the eight years following, the
“In the 31 years that Illinois had two class
divisions of girls’ track and field, Timothy
garnered the most Class A first-place
trophies, most all-state medals, and the
most relay race all-state performances...”
program earned one state runnerup trophy (‘94) and four team
state championships (‘93, ‘95, ‘99,
and ‘01). This decade of track and
field put Timothy at the top of all
small schools in the state. In the
31 years that Illinois had two class
divisions of girls’ track and field,
Timothy garnered the most Class A
first-place trophies, most all-state
medals, and the most relay race allstate performances, a testament to
great team depth. Today, nearly 70
track alumnae hold all-state medals.
To this day, two-time state
championship Coach Kevin Hackert
emphasizes the importance of
athletes placing team priorities
before individual goals. The ’93
to’95 era did include individual
state champions in Stefanie
(Boerema) Lemkuil and Shannon
(Frigo) Whiteside. But during the
‘99 and’01 championship seasons,
standouts like Laura (Hamilton)
Koopmans, Tefesah Storey, and
Larae (Woudstra) Gutierrez limited
their individual participation in
order to produce championship
relay events to reach team goals. In
fact, Woudstra Gutierrez is the only
trackster in Illinois history to hold
all-state medals in five different
relay events. It was clearly a golden
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
The 90’s: A Decade of Dominance
The girls’ cross-country program won a sectional
championship during the 1992-‘93 school year and
reached its program apex in 2000 and 2001. In
2000, the team qualified for the state finals without
distinguishing itself along the way, but peaked
markedly in Peoria to finish fourth, one place shy of a
trophy. In 2001, with the squad nearly intact, Timothy
found itself in stiff regional and sectional competition
against Wheaton St. Francis and Wheaton Academy. At
regionals, Timothy placed second between St. Francis
and the Academy. At sectionals, Timothy qualified third
behind the Academy and St. Francis. While the team
was clearly one of the top five in the state, another year
without any state hardware loomed as they prepped
for the final race. Timothy’s runners, inspired by Coach
Dick Zylstra and led by all-staters Rachel Reed and
Jenny (Zylstra) Zwagerman, vaulted past both familiar
opponents to take home a state championship.
27
Still etched in many constituents’ memory is the
journey of the ‘74-’75 team that finished as state
runners-up. They lost four of their first eight games
and suffered two defeats to league foe Chicago
Christian, finishing second in the PSL. But rock steady
Jim Folgers, unflappable floor general Howard Hoff,
bulldog defender Dave Woldman, wonderfully athletic
Tony Ratliff and shooting star Bruce VanderSchaaf
molded their diverse talents into a unit that won
23 of its last 25 games. The final outcome was a
disappointment, but not for lack of effort. According
to then-Superintendent Arnold Hoving, their postseason run to the championship game gave the school
tremendous marketing exposure in the Chicagoland
area at a most crucial time when enrollment numbers
were challenging to maintain.
Schepel and Melanie (Koolhaus) Lumkes, the Trojans
developed a competitive program. But their state
advancement was thwarted every time in sectional
competition by Wheaton St. Francis, at times a
nationally-ranked power.
Commemorative
The 3 as
and Bob Huisman thrilled packed bleachers through the
late ‘60s and early ‘70s with their individual basketball
prowess. Their teams provided many lasting memories.
And what about the Carwell clan? Sisters Kellie, Erin,
Emily, and younger brother Jake (along with father
Ken coaching) gave Timothy an imposing presence on
the basketball court from 1996 to 2007 when both
programs were highly regarded.
Giants of TC Athletics
Christian Leadership: Coaches at Timothy
No history would be complete without recognizing all
the coaches who have served Timothy and its athletes
over the decades. Before any league or state affiliations,
it was difficult to find competition. And in the earliest
years of interscholastic competition, programs did not
receive very much budget support, making it a challenge
even to provide adequate uniforms for varsity team
members. So, before an all-weather track was installed,
coaches spent many hours before sun up on school
mornings to line the cinder oval so it would be ready in
time for after school track meets. And who can forget
the training aid designed by coaches to help improve
basketball players’ vertical jumping? In an intense, timed
exercise, players jumped in and out of three semi-truck
tire inner tubes stacked on one another. Coaches did
whatever it took build program quality.
Today’s coaches face very different challenges. Summer
league play is almost considered essential, demanding
even more personal time from dedicated teacher/
coaches. Club teams and traveling squads can pull
athletes away from their high school experience or limit
them to completing in only one sport. The expectations
of success in the win column increases with every year.
Even so, Timothy has been blessed with scores of
dedicated teachers who have extended their Timothy
contribution to include coaching. The bedrock of any
quality high school program begins in the elementary
and middle school. With nearly 70 years of coaching
combined, Ken Huizinga and George Bosman gave
Timothy just that foundation for its young athletes.
During the high school’s early years, Leroy “Bud” Prins
and Henrietta “Hank” Kingma coached boys’ basketball
and baseball, and girls’ basketball and softball teams,
respectively.
There’s no doubt that Don Greenfield shaped Timothy’s
programs for decades. During his twenty-six year
tenure, he not only coached three varsity sports almost
every year, but also mentored many coaches. He taught
dedication, fundamentals, fair play, and how to achieve
excellence. To those mentioned and all others who have
equally contributed, we must say thank you.
Timothy’s faculty and administration
have always encouraged
involvement in an array of varied
activities. Over the years, how many
other communities could attend a
high school music program and hear
most of the boys’ varsity basketball
team strengthening the bass and
tenor sections of the concert choir?
Even so, it’s eye-catching to notice
that some of Timothy’s best athletes performed with
similar excellence in the classroom and in the arts.
Individual students and teams enjoyed quality coaching.
But coaches were also blessed with talented players.
And Timothy has seen a long line of gifted athletes.
Whose names might surface in our storied past? Two
family names are hard to forget. Brothers John, George,
What has always been most important to remember is
that coaches work with student athletes. Few met that
combination description better than Laura Hamilton
(class of ‘01) Koopmans. Hamilton Koopmans ranked
second in her class with a graduating GPA of 4.08. But
Recent success: Volleyball’s first sectional championship
and the Cheerleading team competing at the state finals
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
era for girls’ sports at Timothy and it’s not hard to
understand why – gifted coaches working alongside a
steady stream of very talented young ladies.
Rick Huisman (class of ‘87) is a great example of
balancing theater and sports. Huisman played
basketball but excelled more as a promising baseball
pitcher. As a senior, he found time to act in the fall play.
More impressively, during the spring when major league
scouts were beckoning, he was the Mikado, a role, in
the musical of the same name. Theater experience
apparently didn’t hinder his baseball career, as Huisman
is the only alumnus to make it all the way to the major
leagues with the Kansas City Royals. Today, he returns
to the area in the summer to help his high school
coach, Jim Snoeyink, with Timothy’s baseball camp. It
affords him a chance to help youngsters become better
ballplayers, but Coach Snoeyink says Huisman also
emphasizes to them how valuable it is to take every
29
Left: The 1979 Basketball Team Competes at Assembly Hall
Above: The 2009 Soccer State Champs
Certainly a trailblazer was Randy Veltkamp (class of ‘70).
He competed in an era when three-sport participation
was the rule and he was no exception. If you look in the
1969 yearbook, you will see him in the basketball team
photo. The cross-country page cites his accomplishment
as a district medalist in state competition. But his track
feats have given so many a reminder of what can happen
when talent, work ethic and motivational coaching
merge. During Veltkamp’s high school era, there were
no class divisions based on enrollment so he competed
against everyone in the entire state. His junior year, he
became Timothy’s first all-state runner with a fifthplace finish in the 880-yard run, but in his senior year
he became Timothy’s first state champion, winning the
same event in a time of 1:52.3. Inspired by his high school
experience, he became a four-time Big Eight champion
and NCAA runner-up at the University of Oklahoma. In
a wonderful gesture of appreciation,
Veltkamp gave his Big Eight first
place medal to Coach Greenfield.
such a commitment to the classroom didn’t deter her
from participating in three sports all four years of high
school, ten seasons at the varsity level. She was the
starting point guard on the 2000 girls’ basketball team
that finished fourth in the state. More impressively, she
was a crucial contributor to the 1999 and 2001 track
state championships, amassing 10 all-state medals.
Commemorative
The 3 as
opportunity that an encouraging high
school atmosphere provides.
or perfectly accurate listing is the thread that the
highlighted five provide for the next generation –
excellence on the playing surface as part of a balanced
high school life with a willingness to give back and
share their experiences.
Under the Radar
While some sports garner a huge fan base and much
publicity, others are considered “minor sports.” It’s too
easy to forget sports that aren’t spectator friendly
(e.g. cross-country, golf) or aren’t as familiar to the
public because they lack significant national exposure
(softball, tennis). In the state of Illinois, it is also more
difficult to gain recognition in a sport with no class
divisions such as tennis. So, congratulations to Marcus
Zeilstra (class of ‘05), who qualified for state tennis
finals all four years despite facing top-level competitors
from Hinsdale Central and other
large local schools. Many excellent
players in both the boys’ and girls’
“And most importantly, let’s pray that all
tennis programs have faced the
same decidedly uphill battle. What
our opponents recognize that we not
about individuals who chose a
only wear the name of Christ on our
sport that Timothy didn’t even
offer? The state medal-winning
uniforms, but honor Him in the way we
Hoving sisters (Dawn class of ‘90
coach and compete, win or lose.”
and Kristen class of ‘92) trained in
pre-dawn hours at local swimming
pools for an opportunity to gain
state recognition under the name of Timothy Christian.
There are many other all-staters, and individual state
And although golfers compete on the largest “playing
champions would could and probably should be added
field” of all, it’s a sport likely watched by the fewest
to this list. Perhaps more important than an exhaustive
spectators. So, congratulations to Brian Kaczmarek who,
in relative obscurity, claimed all-state honors in 1993
and to many of his male and female partners who have
been state finalists over the decades. All athletes who
competed under the public radar deserve a genuine
place in Timothy’s roll of honor.
With Timothy embarking on a second century of
Christ-centered education, what looms ahead for
interscholastic sports? Timothy looks forward to
continued participation in the recently-formed Metro
Conference. As the smallest school in the league,
Timothy nonetheless competes favorably with larger
schools like Riverside-Brookfield and Glenbard South.
Recent Athletic Excellence
Based on recent accomplishments, our current teams
are carrying on that tradition of excellence. Traditionally
strong programs are still providing lasting memories.
Witness the 2006 boys’ basketball team that posted a
Timothy all time winning game total on its way to a 29-2
season. And, in 2011, another girls’ track relay team took
home a state championship as the 3200-meter relay
posted a school record time of 9:36.35.
It is also encouraging and a credit to the administration
that other programs have emerged and excelled. In
2007, the girls’ soccer team became the school’s first
soccer squad to represent the school as a member of
the Elite Eight in the state finals. Only one year later,
the boys’ soccer program took home the school’s first
soccer state trophy, finishing second. And the very next
year, Coach Rudi Gesch led a hungry group of returning
athletes one step further, claiming Timothy’s first ever
boys’ team championship with the 2009 Class A soccer
win. It came in a thrilling fourth overtime victory on a
“golden goal” by Corey Phillip (class of ‘11).
Just this fall, the boys golf team finished with their
best result in program history, bringing home a third
place trophy from the class 1A state meet. Volleyball
also made program history with their first sectional
championship. And for the first time in 22 years, the boys
cross country team competed down state.
As the IHSA introduces new sports, Timothy has added
them when feasible. Cheerleading is one example. In
only the fourth year of statewide competition, Timothy’s
cheerleading team brought home the 2010 state runnerup trophy in the small squad division.
Beyond memorable performances, let us look forward
to the continuance of more important patterns. While
the 21st century fan can sometimes go far beyond
appropriate partisan support of the local team, let the
four IHSA sportsmanship banners awarded to Timothy
over the years remind us all to remain good sports.
In spite of our culture’s alarming elevation of sports’
importance and misguided idol worship of too many
tainted superstars, let Timothy keep its resolve and offer
student athletes varied opportunities to participate with
a proper perspective on competition balanced with a
zeal to excel. And most importantly, let’s pray that all our
opponents recognize that we not only wear the name
of Christ on our uniforms, but honor Him in the way we
coach and compete, win or lose. To Him be the Glory! n
REFLECTOR FALL 2011
Philip Sikkenga (class of ‘97) also played three sports
throughout his high school career. Like Boerema
Lemkuil, he was a three-time state champion in the
hurdles. He is the only Timothy athlete to hold an
individual state record, accomplishing that feat with his
110-meter high hurdle winning mark of :13.93 in 1997.
At the time, it was the all time state mark. Today, it still
stands as the best Class A effort ever. Sikkenga went
on to an illustrious college career at Calvin College. But
where is he today? Back at his alma mater alongside his
high school mentor, John VanderKamp. Sikkenga is the
most recent example of another great Timothy tradition
– alumni coaches.
31
Stefanie (Boerema) Lemkuil (class
of ‘95) was another three-sport
athlete. All-conference in volleyball
and basketball, she was a key starter
on the first girls’ basketball team
to make a downstate appearance.
In track, she also garnered 10 allstate awards – winning three state
championship medals as a hurdler.
Despite her commitment to athletics,
Boerema Lemkuil could never put
down her violin. In fact, in the middle
of the ‘95 state basketball run with
only a few days between games,
Boerema Lemkuil’s parents took her
out of state to audition for a college orchestra position.
Her coaches and teammates universally call her the
personification of a team player.
Commemorative Centennial Edition: special feature
Timothy Capital Milestones
1980
Tripp Avenue school sold.
September 1927
September
1911
Board purchases 50
foot corner lot at Tripp
Ave. and 13th Street.
1947
Two-story schoolhouse opened at 14th
Street and 59th Avenue, with five classrooms
completed. Remaining five classrooms,
playrooms and assembly hall completed in
November ‘27.
1941
1931
1921
Two rooms added,
which turns building
into a two-story brick
school house.
1911
1972
Enrollment soars
to 600. Third phase
of expansion is
underway. Plans
include construction
for a full four-year
high school.Property
at 1225 S. 60th Court,
Cicero, purchased.
March 1918
Society decides to
begin construction
on new high school
in west suburban
Elmhurst.
1950
New school dedicated
and taken into use
(Tripp Ave and 13th
Street).
Western Suburbs
Christian School of
Western Springs
merges with Timothy.
This results in
two separate K-6
campuses.
1961
Residence at 1244
S. Austin, Chicago,
purchased to be
used as a teachers’
dormitory.
September
1912
1971
1962
The Society approves
a building project for
Elmhurst campus.
Six classrooms added
to west side of junior
high. Grades 1 to
6 from the Cicero
building move to this
addition. 59th Avenue
building is sold.
New high school in
Elmhurst completed.
1965
A gymnasium,
industrial arts and
music wing added to
the high school.
1981
January 1927
1984
Due to increased
enrollment, Society
approves an
expansion for both
the grade school
and the high school.
1985
South wing,
consisting of a
library-media
learning center and
six classrooms, is
added to existing
grade school
building.
Fall 1985
High school moves
into new fine arts
wing. Entire campus
makes use of new
auditorium.
2011
Capital campaign
begins to add five
classrooms to
the high school,
remodel two
others: Science,
orchestra, and
media programs
are primary focus
of project.
The most recent capital
expansion project added
space to the elementary
building in 1995 to 1996.
2011
Ebenezer School
amalgamates with
Timothy. Enrollment
jumps to 461.
Overflow pupils
taught at Warren
Park Church.
100-ft. corner lot in Cicero purchased
(14th Street and 59th Avenue).
1971
June 1925
The 60th Court,
Cicero, building
is sold. The junior
high moves to a
new building on the
Elmhurst campus.
2001
1946
1951
School begins in a
large hall on the 2nd
floor of a building on
Roosevelt Rd (then
called 12th Street)
between Harding and
Springfield Avenues.
1961
August 1911
1970
Cornerstone
ceremonies held
for the new Timothy
Christian High
School on 60th
Court.
1991
1955
East wing, consisting
of all-purpose room,
media center, and six
classrooms, added to
the Elmhurst campus.
Western Springs
elementary school
sold. Students there
join grade school in
Elmhurst.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
New Market, IA
Permit No. 8
188 W. Butterfield Rd.
Elmhurst, IL 60126
Address SERVICE Requested
SAVE THE DATE
April 21, 2012: Celebration of a Century
Location:
Chicago Field Museum
South Entrance
A very special night that only
happens once in a century! A
formal banquet to celebrate
God’s faithfulness to the
Timothy community for 100
years. Exhibits will be open
and feature a special “Timothy
Through Time” display.
North Entrance
Sue the Dinosaur
Photos © The Field Museum

Fall 2011 Commemorative Anniversary Edition

Transcription

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