In many ways I watch my beehive like I watch our students at HDCH. I watch them prepare and plan to produce incredible products of their learning. And when the time comes our students have to work hard to produce what they have learned and gathered.  May is a busy time of the year; there are many projects, presentations, and formal evaluations of our students’ work. As well there are many major productions and performances that will happen between now and the end of school year. If you are wondering when things are happening check out our school calendar online and see when the extra-curricular activities are happening.  I want to encourage parents to ask your child(ren) about the projects or presentations that they have coming up. Ask them to show you and spend some time checking out what your children are handing in to their teachers. I am sure you will be amazed by the products that they are producing.

Also, don’t forget to attend the Spring Membership Meeting coming up on Monday, May 7. It is a time to connect with other members of the community and learn about some of the exciting initiatives taking place at HDCH. For more information, please visit our website at www.hdch.org.

**Due to technical difficulties, the podcast could not be posted this week. We hope to have this problem remedied by early next week.

Mr. N. Siebenga

In this issue…

• Make note of some important upcoming events
• Read about the success of our Seniors’ Day
• Learn about several staffing changes taking place in the 2012-2013 school year
• See the exciting things students are doing in and out of class
• Read about our school visit from David Murphy, outfielder for the Texas Rangers
• See how our HDCH Knights have been doing
• Participate in a variety of community events
• Mark your calendars!

The annual Spring Membership Meeting is coming up soon on Monday, May 7. We hope you’ll join us here at HDCH. It’s proven to be an informative night where members can grow as a community. For more information and a detailed schedule for the evening, please visit: http://hdch.org/?p=2708

Spring Play: “Stand and Deliver”

We are very excited to announce that this year the HDCH drama department will present “Stand and Deliver” written by Ramon Menendez and Tom Musca (adapted by Robert Bella). It is a play about Jaime Escalante, a mathematics teacher in a school in a Hispanic neighbourhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he uses unconventional teaching methods, and helps gang members and no-hopers pass the rigorous Advanced Placement exam in calculus.

A fine group of students have been working very hard, four hours a week under the spectacular leadership of our director, Mrs.Boonstra. You won’t want to miss it!

Performances are on May 10, 11, and 12. Tickets are $8 per person or $30 per family. Doors open at 7 p.m. and curtain opens at 7:30 p.m. Come enjoy the show!

Helena Schuurman and Jessica Mostert (stage managers)

HDCH is blessed with a wonderful senior support community.  Yesterday about 250 senior guests celebrated God’s goodness at this school.  As the generations interacted, there was a wonderful buzz in the hallways, classrooms and gym.

There were a wide range of guests at Seniors’ Day. The majority of our guests were grandparents, and many others were senior friends of the school. Our eldest guests were over 90 years old.  Some travelled several hours to attend the event.   A growing number of guests are HDCH Alumni.  Some have been affiliated with HDCH since the 1950s, and others had never been in the school before.

Regardless of their background, the seniors enjoyed an inspiring and enjoyable day of building community. Special thanks to Sheila Koning and the Guild for putting on a delicious luncheon, to Abby Tigchelaar and the Student Ambassador Team for providing excellent hospitality, and to the staff and students for accommodating our senior guests.  Thanks to James Naphtali, Jenna Voortman, Spencer Bijl and Emma Hansen for their “musical appetizers”.

Mr. H. Meester

The next school year will be here before we know it.

Key dates for the 2012-2013 school year have been posted to the HDCH Events Calendar available from our website. So if you’re wondering about when those October PD Days are – or what the dates for March Break 2013 will be – have a look.

Next week, after the Membership votes on the 2012-2013 budget, the 2012-2013 tuition payment forms will be sent to all new and returning families. Please watch for them in the mail.

2012-2013 Staffing Announcements

HDCH has been blessed by the work of Mr. Wil Kamphuis, who has taught geography, civics and math (among other things) for the past seventeen years. Mr. K’s heart for mission has been a key part of expanding our school’s vision of where we can serve; many students have joined him for service and mission trips both close to home and internationally. Last fall, he indicated that he would be moving on to other things at the end of this school year. We are grateful for his contributions to this community and look forward to celebrating him at our Spring Arts & Retirement event on Thursday, June 7.  Watch for more details about this event, and plan to come and thank Mr. Kamphuis for his many years of service.

We also have two new hires to announce.

We are pleased that Ms. Kasia Kucemba (soon to be Mrs. Konstanty) will be joining us as our new music teacher. Ms. Kumcemba loves the Lord deeply and she enthusiastically shares her excitement in learning more about God’s grace and love with those who will listen. Ms. Kucemba is a Hamiltonian who received her undergrad at McMaster University and her Masters degree in Music and Conducting at Western. She is a vibrant personality and has a vision for how to praise the Lord through music.  Her dynamic energy and competence in the music and performance will move our program to the place where the character of our students will be developed to praise and serve the Lord.

As well, Mr. Kyle Grootenboer will be teaching Phys Ed here in the fall. Mr. Grootenboer is an HDCH alumnus and was the captain of the HDCH boys soccer OFSAA AA champions.  After high school, he went on to study and play soccer at McMaster University, and then take his teaching degree at Brock University. Mr. Grootenboer is a versatile teacher who has the personality and character to teach many types of students and subjects. His life is Phys Ed, and he has competed and coached at a level that very few Phys Ed teachers are able to. Mr. Grootenboer is ecstatic to begin his teaching career at his alma mater. He will bring a level of excellence, character and a biblical worldview that will bless our PE students for a long time.

Mr. N. Siebenga

Call For Home Stay Families

HD has a unique opportunity for you and your family: you can bless a newcomer to Canada with the gift of hospitality while being enriched by another culture — without purchasing an airline ticket or even leaving your home!

We are in need of home stay families to welcome some of our international students for the 2012/2013 school year.  The commitment involves extending the comforts of home that you already provide for your own family to an international student enrolled at HD.  Our International Coordinator, Jessica Alkema, would love to chat or meet with you to give you more information about this opportunity.  You can connect with her at the Membership Meeting on Monday, May 7, or you can contact her by email at jalkema@hdch.org .

On April 12, Mr. VanEgmond and a small group of students (Derek Ellens, Matt Johnson, Brittany Grier and Maria Simmons) met with guest speaker David Miller, former mayor of Toronto, at the Rotary Club and the Canadian Club of Hamilton for a joint luncheon/forum. David has previously served as Mayor of Toronto, and also as chair of the C40, a panel of the mayors of the world’s largest 40 cities which was discussing how the growth of a greener economy might benefit cities globally. He was speaking about how a creative strategy for dealing with environmental problems and challenges might also benefit the local economy of cities such as Hamilton and Toronto.

A Dramatic Take on Ancient Greece

Drama class has been studying the theatre of the ancient Greeks and the impact that Greek theatre has had upon drama through the ages.  One of the topics we discussed was the way that the Greeks used masks to create character.  As a way to connect with that vision, during this week’s Bridge Day, we made our own masks by creating plaster casts of our faces.  Students worked in pairs to use plaster strips dipped in water and applied to the face to create one-of-a-kind masks.  Next week we will create a design concept about how to decorate them!

 Mrs. K. Boonstra

A Trip to the Olive Branch

On Wednesday, April 25th the Food & Nutrition Class took a warm meal of Shepherd’s Pie, a variety of different cakes, and fresh fruit to serve to sixty-five local Hamilton people for lunch. The class did an excellent job of preparing a delicious meal and serving it to the patrons of this local mission. Our students responded with how much they gained from the experience as they had a chance to share, give and interact with the individuals who entered the Olive Branch that day! It was a blessing for everyone involved!

Mrs. VanderVelde

 World History at the ROM

On Wednesday, May 2nd the students taking CHW3M- World History to the 16th Century course went to the Royal Ontario Museum to learn more about ancient history. They also had the opportunity to tour the related galleries with a curator and then manipulate various items that were made before the birth of Christ! To hold items created thousands of years ago was very remarkable and interesting to learn how they were created, used and where they were found. This museum lab is directly related to the museum artifacts that each student will be constructing for our own HDCH Ancient Museum Exhibition this May! It was an informative trip that provided a unique, interactive, educational experience for each student in the class.

Mrs. VanderVelde

A Trip to the AGO

On Wednesday, the grade nine art class visited the Art Gallery of Ontario for their bridge day.  The highlight of the visit was the special Picasso exhibit that is currently taking place.  It is very rare for so many Picasso paintings to be exhibited together in North America and the students will definitely remember this experience.  The afternoon was spent viewing the permanent collection and especially enjoyed the large renaissance and baroque oil paintings, the Group of Seven paintings, and the model ships.  Overall, we had a wonderful time!

Mr. J. DeVries

If you haven’t noticed yet, HDCH has a new sign out front. After a windstorm knocked down the old sign in the fall, some insurance coverage and some incredible work by ZipSigns helped to create a new HDCH sign that is much more dynamic and will soon have a digital display. Swing by the school some time and check it out; it is pretty hard to miss!

Canadian Team Mathematics Contest

On April 20^th, June Zong, Kim Tang, Alyssa Bruulsema, Mark Fennema, ShangLin Zou, and Tyler Sennema visited the University of Waterloo to participate in the 2012 Canadian Team Mathematics Contest. There were 3 events and lecture followed by a banquet to end the day and to celebrate the good work done.  Congratulations to ShangLin Zou who tied for first in the Individual Event.

Miss S. Veenstra

A Visit From David Murphy

In March 2000, after three years of teaching at a Christian Mission high school in Japan, I prayed for God to accept my efforts in reaching students for Christ.  I was discouraged and wondered if I had done enough, because it was very difficult to see any results of my ministry there.  Shortly after these prayers, I read in the newspaper that my childhood sports hero, Tony Fernandez, had signed a contract to play for the Seibu Lions, a team that trained near our home.  After a series of incredible, providential events, I had the opportunity to meet Tony.  He invited my wife, Ruthanne, and me over to see him, and we spoke together for hours — about baseball, mission work, teaching, family, our childhoods, life away from home, the Japanese culture, and life in general.  We laughed together, shed a few tears, and a friendship started that has continued until today.

Through Tony, I have had the opportunity to meet several other Major League Baseball players, and even had the incredible experience of spending a family Christmas Holiday at one of their homes (but that’s another crazy story).  This season, Tony works for the Texas Rangers.  Since they were in town to play the Blue Jays this week, I invited them to come share their lives with our students.  Tony was not with them on this road trip, but David Murphy, one of the Rangers outfielders contacted me saying he would love to have the opportunity to share his story with us at HDCH. Surprisingly, this was only the second time he has spoken to a group of students, and afterwards he said, “I had an awesome time meeting all of [us] today”.  My hope is that the students were encouraged to live their lives for Christ boldly, to stay close to Him, and to stand firm in their faith.

More details from David Murphy’s visit to HDCH can be found at: http://goo.gl/g1qE0

Mr. V. VanVoorst

Festival of Faith and Writing

On the weekend of April 19-21, a group of students (Emily Noordam, Maria Simmons, Brittany Grier, Anika Bosua, Emma Hanson and Christy Janssens) and teacher chaperones (Mrs. Alkema and Mr. VanKampen) drove to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan to attend the Festival of Faith and Writing. This trip proved to be an amazing experience as we were surrounded by people who shared our passion for words and stories. We had the opportunity to sit in on sessions led by recognized and very talented writers such as Hugh Cook, Francisco X. Stork, Ann Voskamp, Shane Claiborne, Marilyn Robinson, Jonathan Safran Foer, Walter Wangerin Jr, and many more. One highlight was sitting in on a powerful and moving poetry reading by award-winning poet Jamaal May during an evening coffee house. The speakers shared their knowledge and creativity with us as they offered new ideas and wisdom, as well as glimpses into their stories. The entire weekend was bursting with inspiration as we continued to learn and deepen our appreciation for the craft of writing.

Christy Janssens

Last Tuesday, the HDCH track and field team competed in the Christian High Track and Field Championships at York University – our first outdoor meet of the season.  Our team competed very well, and finished second overall in the team standings.  Congratulations to Josh Huisman who won the midget boy’s individual title and to Michelle VanderMeer who won the senior girl’s individual title.  Steve Voorberg smashed the HDCH senior mens’ javelin record with a throw of 46.25m.

The following athletes took first place in their respective events at the Christian High Championships:

Chelsea Bezemer (long jump)

Aaron DeJong (1500m)

Samantha DeVries (100m, 200m)

Josh Huisman (Triple Jump, High Jump)

Michelle VanderMeer (Triple Jump, Long Jump, High Jump)

Steve Voorberg (Javelin)

Lorelei Wiebe (800m, 1500m)

Our team competes again at the Mark Graham Memorial Track meet on Thursday, May 10th at the Mohawk Sports Complex in Hamilton.  A week later our team will compete in the city championships, also at the Mohawk Sports Complex.

Mr. O. Webb

The World of Sport

Spring sports are well underway at HDCH, and students have been enjoying the opportunity to improve their skills and play in tournaments.

Our track and field team finished second overall at the Christian High Meet this week.  Special mention goes to Josh Huisman and Michelle VanderMeer who won the overall title in their age categories.  Chelsea Bezemer, Aaron DeJong, Samantha DeVries, Lorelei Wiebe and Steven Voorberg earned first place in their respective events.  Steve also smashed the HDCH 800g javelin record with a throw of 46.25m.

We are also eagerly waiting Owen Kurvits’ competition in Senior OFSSA badminton this weekend in Stratford.  He mesmerized staff and students at our athletic assembly last week in a three game challenge match against Mr. Siebenga so we know he is bound to do well. Good luck Owen!

The badminton season has wrapped up with a fun, but competitive tournament with 300 other Christian high school students. Congratulations to Taylor Bremer and Steph Huisman for a third place finish in Sr. Girls doubles and Sarah VanBeek and Teri Hartman for a fourth place finish in Jr. Girls doubles. Erin Kurvits had a great week winning a gold medal in Jr. girls at the Christian tournament and a silver medal at SOSSA.  Well done all.

Despite the cold, rainy conditions, our soccer teams are winning games and doing well.  Hopefully the weather will improve for them in the busy month of May.

The lacrosse team continues to play once a week at various locations, and though they are not successful on the scoreboard, they are learning to love the game as much as their coach, Mr. Apers.

Stay tuned for more exciting results!

Miss Heusinkveld

Join Beginnings Family Services on Saturday, May 12 at 12:30 p.m. for a high tea luncheon held at Rehoboth United Reformed Church (77 Glancaster Road, Ancaster). Tickets cost $30 or $15 for children 12 years and under.

The afternoon will also include a silent auction, balloon pop and musical entertainment. For tickets call 905.528.6665 or email info@beginnings.ca. All proceeds benefit the work of Beginnings Family Services.

Unity Basketball Event 2012

Saturday, June 23 from 12:30 to 4 p.m.

Cathedral High School (30 Wentworth St. N., Hamilton)

$10 admission

Join us for our most entertaining event of the year featuring a 3 point shootout, dunk contest, Unit Game featuring Liberty Prodigal Sonz vs. Hamilton Police, and a halftime show featuring Shaddie Swag.

For more information, check out www.libertyforyouth.org. Don’t miss the fun!

May 10-12: Spring Play

May 23-26: Music Tour

June 1: Spring Banquet

June 12: Last Day of Classes

June 13: Wonderland Trip

June 15-21: Exams