24 BRAESYDE AVENUE, LONDON, ONTARIO N5W 1V3
SUMMER2019
CONNECTED
COVER STORY
International Block p8 Expanding Our Perspectives
CONNECTED SUMMER2019
Principal Reflections................................. 2 Upcoming Events...................................... 3 New Faces @ LCH..................................... 4 Departing Staff........................................... 4 Pete Minnesma Retirement.................... 6
International Block ........................................... 8 Graduating Class..................................... 12 Stories of Learning.................................. 15 Word on the Street................................ 22 Sports....................................................... 23
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Corrina Cameron, Ross Davison, Mikaelee Macdouell, Bev Faber, Ena Weverink Matt Rock, Svenja Webster Photography EDITED BY: Matthew Atkins, Corrina Cameron, Jacky Dieleman, Gabriella Hoogstra
24 Braesyde Avenue, London, Ontario N5W 1V3 Phone 519-455-4360 | Fax 519-455-4364 Email info@lchonline.ca londonchristianhigh.ca
PRINCI REFLEC These are exciting times at London Christian High! As we look at our rapidly changing world, I don’t think it is an overstatement to say that there has never been a more critical time for a dynamic, relevant, rigorous, Christ-centered education for our young people. Christian schools in general have been in a unique position in recent years, often having the opportunity to reach families and children with the love of Christ through education in ways that other Christian organizations cannot. What a blessing and a responsibility!
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2019
UPCOMING EVENTS
IPAL CTIONS
COMMUNITY BBQ Thursday, August 29, 2019
GOLF TOURNAMENT Thursday, September 19, 2019
Christ. When we read the stories of Jesus, we recognize that
SENIORS’ APPRECIATION DAY
he was a tremendously magnetic figure. He hung out with
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Our model for learning, living and loving is, of course, Jesus
people who were considered to be ‘far from God’. He spent large amounts of time loving people and building into their lives. He constantly pointed others towards the work of God in their life and gave them renewed purpose for living. This is the kind of school that we want to be. We want our students to recognize God as being at work in their lives. We want them to learn and grow in a relationship with Him each day.
GRADE 8 DAY Wednesday, November 13, 2019
We want them to understand their purpose as rooted in Him.
I pray that you will delight in the stories of learning found in this edition of the ConnectED. There are many powerful examples in the pages that follow of our staff and students engaged in purposeful work for His glory. Enjoy!
FALL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Tim Bentum, Principal
Thursday, November 21, 2019 SUMMER2019 ISSUE | LONDONCHRISTIANHIGH.CA // 3
NEW FACES @ LCH
DEPARTING STAFF
WILSON OWUOR
Wilson joined the LCH community in January of this year after teaching in New York City for the past 6 years. He brings unique experience from diverse educational environments. However, this is his first time teaching at a Christian school and he is blessed by the opportunity to work in a school that nurtures students both intellectually and spiritually. Wilson studied in the US for both his undergraduate and graduate degrees. He teaches math and physics and is eager to continue exploring the best ways to inspire his students to enjoy learning and find purpose in what they are learning.
FRANK SWOBODA Frank taught at London Christian High for 17 years. During this time he primarily taught math and science courses and quickly gained the reputation of being someone who was very creative with hands-on learning. Many of his physics classes, for example, included tearing apart old computers and other machinery and figuring out how to repurpose those odds and ends into something new and better. Many students appreciated Frank’s unique approach to teaching and evidence of his creativity and skills in building simple machines and projects is displayed around our school building in various
DAVE GRASMAN
Dave is new to the Finance Department at London Christian High and is looking forward to the new challenge this role presents. He attended Wilfrid Laurier University where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree. Subsequently he went on to earn a professional accounting designation and has experience in both the corporate world and the public sector. When not at work, Dave can be found helping out with various programs at his church, spending time with his family, working on a variety of projects around the house and cheering on his favourite sports teams.
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locations. At the mid-point of the current school year Frank had the unique opportunity to take on a new teaching role at Chatham Christian School. Frank felt called to this opportunity and so we said farewell to Frank at that point in the year at an assembly as well as in some other formats. We would like to wish Frank God’s blessings in this next phase of his journey. We are sure that students in the Chatham region will benefit from his life and teaching. Blessings to you Frank!
NICOLE DAVIDSON
SARAH BAKER
Nicole joined our Learning Commons team at LCH last
Sarah has been been a teacher at LCH and also has shared a
September and supported students and teachers in the
teaching role with her husband, Jonathan, over the past three
classroom these past two semesters. She was loved
years. During that time, she has taught math, French, and led
by all who received her support and will be missed
the Jazz Ensemble for one semester. We have appreciated
here at London Christian High as she transitions into a
Sarah’s work in the math department as she has guided
full-time position with Indwell in Woodstock. Thank you,
students along their journeys in often difficult subject areas.
Nicole, for your gentle spirit, kind heart, and cheerful
Sarah and Jonathan have shared a role at the school while
encouragement to our school community. Your caring
their children have been growing up at home. We would like
nature made an impact on both students and staff in
to wish both Sarah and Jonathan well in this new phase of
the year you were here! Blessings to you on your new
their life. In particular, we would like to thank Sarah for her
career path!
work at the school during the past 3 years and we wish her all the best in this next step of God’s journey in her life.
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RETIREMENT
PETE MINNESMA Mr. Pete Minnesma left his home in Calgary to study at Dordt College (Iowa) where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration, majoring in Accounting and Economics. Upon returning to Canada, he attended Western University’s Faculty of Education earning a Bachelor of Education with a focus in Accounting, Computers, and Marketing. Following a brief time at Hamilton Christian High, Smithville Christian High, and some work as an accountant both in the Netherlands and in Hamilton, Mr. Minnesma settled in London and taught at London Christian High for 35 years (1984 until his retirement in January 2019). Early in his career at LCH, Mr. Minnesma invested a lot of time and energy developing both business and computer courses and programs at the school. He regularly priced, replaced, and upgraded school computers and software. For example, he helped us navigate the technological world as we moved from manual and electric typewriters to Commodore computers, IBM Thinkpads, Apple iMacs (especially for the iMovie program) to our current set of computers and Chromebooks found throughout the school. Mr. Minnesma also developed the computer technology courses and helped students learn the basics of programming, filming and editing.
Pete Minnesma
Over the years at LCH, Mr. Minnesma taught many courses, including Accounting, Economics, Consumer Education, Marketing, Introduction to Business, Entrepreneurial Studies, Computer Studies, Data Processing, Programming, Photography/Video Production, Media, Mathematics, and Civics all while heading the Business and Computer Department at the school. Mr. Minnesma balked when asked to name which he enjoyed most stating, “Favourite… wow, that’s tough. I honestly loved every one of them for different reasons. It’s like picking my favourite child or favourite student. It can’t be done.”
By Marlene Regnerus, Teacher & Ena Weverink, Teacher
While naming a favourite class is difficult, Mr. Minnesma claims he is taking away “a lifetime of good memories” including the following: “Economic TedTalks, Poleconomy, Accounting projects, Programming projects, making
Teacher 1984 - 2019
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webpages, seeing good photography and videos, designing awesome lessons, PowerPoints in ‘technicolor’, connecting with students, and making a difference in students’ lives for culture and God’s glory!” Former student, Riley Chachulski testified to this when he shared at Pete’s retirement event:
“ To say you helped grow my love for business is an understatement….the courses you taught changed my life…. As a Christian going into public education, I can see the difference between my education and everyone else’s. .. Ethics in public college is just a chapter. With Mr. Minnesma, it’s a course. Thank you for everything.” Outside of the classroom, Mr. Minnesma was actively involved in many co-curricular activities such as the annual Grade 12 Retreat at Camp Shalom, and the Eco-Club where he initiated LCH’s involvement in the “Adopt-A Highway” program which had staff and students removing garbage and debris from a section of Highway 401 and 402 twice a year on behalf of the school. Mr. Minnesma served for many years as a board member for the Ontario Christian Schools Teachers’ Association and as a teacher-representative on many committees. For many years he spearheaded our SUD Academy fundraising in which LCH was the primary support of a high school for Sudanese refugees in Kenya. Additionally, he recalls with fondness initiatives such as, “Adopt-a-Whale, Wika Snoox; Vision 2020 projects that included assemblies with MPP’s and MP’s; being a member of the building projects; computer and network installations; staff meetings and debating issues”.
Mr. Minnesma is remembered for his good sense of humour, his enjoyment of students and his classes, and his willingness to try new things. In recent years, he initiated the SunLight Foundation Scholarship, a Business scholarship given to a graduating student, and also established the LCH Business Certificates for students who take a requisite number of business courses during their time at LCH. Many students value the hands-on skills learned in his classes, such as photography, filming and editing. They also got a jump on their business and entrepreneurial skills in events he initiated such as the “Marketing Mall” and the “Dragon’s Den”. In the words of senior Josh Buffinga,
“ You changed the lives of generations, … from the art of accounting and economics to general Christian based life advice, you changed the views of every student you taught. You have a bigger impact on society than any business mogul ever could and as your students we recognise that and thank you very much.” When asked for his insights into teaching in a Christian school, Mr. Minnesma leaves us with these words, “Of course, interweaving Christian perspective into curriculum and daily lessons has always been important to me. To the staff, I hope it showed up in my semi-annual staff devotions. I believe it’s one of the gifts I have from God. I’m humbled and blessed to do this work on a daily basis at London Christian High. Soli Deo Gloria!”
May God bless you richly as you move on from teaching Mr. Minnesma. SUMMER2019 ISSUE | LONDONCHRISTIANHIGH.CA // 7
COVER STORY
INTERNATIONAL BLOCK Expanding Our Perspectives
By Gabriella Hoogstra, Vice-Principal & Mikaelee MacDouell, Teacher
We live in an increasingly global world, where it is easy to instantly communicate with people in other countries, and where knowledge travels quickly across borders.
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Where we once would have defined “our neighbour” as someone within our own local space, we now experience “neighbouring” differently. We recognize that while our neighbour across the street is still someone we are called to love, we also recognize that we have global neighbours. Jesus calls us to love our neighbours, and part of that involves going outside of our familiar rhythms and comfortable spaces to see how people in other parts of the world live. This semester, we were pleased to offer International Block (I-Block), in partnership with EduDeo and Toronto District Christian High (TDCH), as a course option to our senior students. This 3 credit block combined a senior interdisciplinary course, a co-operative education course, and a 6 week experiential learning trip to a global destination; this year the location was the Dominican Republic. The rich learning in I-Block comes through experiencing life from a different perspective. This course was
designed to enagage students in a friendship-building experience with those living in a different part of the world. The preparatory courses for I-Block took an interdisciplinary approach to exploring the historical, geographical, economic, political, and social aspects of the Dominican Republic, as well as concepts such as privilege, poverty, missions, social justice, beauty, and living out our faith in practical ways. In an immersive experience in the Dominican Republic, students wrestled with living out the messy and day-to-day challenge of developing relationships across cultures, borders and language. We anticipate that our students’ experience in the Dominican Republic has been a catalyst of personal and spiritual growth in their lives. We know that their time abroad opened their eyes to how God is working in the world and we expect that their worldview and thinking will continue to be influenced by this experience for years to come. During the time in the Dominican Republic in April and May, our students took part in a wide variety of projects and activities. These included daily devotions and worship as a LCH/TDCH group, traveling to remote locations in the Dominican Republic to experience a different reality than experienced in Santo Domingo, regular group debriefing times, playing with young children, labouring on the
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Our students were asked to share their reflections of this transformational experience, here is a sampling of their responses: “ When friends, family, and other supports asked me how my trip was, I am able to quickly inform them with my three word answer of “eye-opening, challenging, and meaningful.” I can testify that this trip has been so much more than that for me. I am thankful that God enabled me to go and observe culture, challenge my perspective on missions, and learn about the identity He has placed over me. As someone who is looking to study counselling in relation to international development and culture studies, I feel that this trip has been a beautifully sweet taste of the calling God has over my life. I would like to thank the LCH community for its continuous support of this new program. Dios te bendiga.” Zoe Lendvay
construction of a new church in a Haitian village, covering several classrooms and school buildings with fresh coats of paint, fixing furniture, revitalizing outdoor school play areas, interacting and building relationships with local youth, lending helping hands to local feeding programs, building relationships with Dominican brothers and sisters and much, much more. Since they’ve returned, the students have spent much time re-acclimating to our culture and reflecting on their experiences with our teacher leaders, Henry Lammers and Mikaelee MacDouell. We feel so blessed that our students could experience such learning at London Christian High - we trust that God will continue His work in the lives of these students, our Dominican brothers and sisters, and our partners TDCH and EduDeo for His glory and global renown.
“ This trip was life changing. It has been great to see a different culture in depth, and it has allowed me to wrestle with topics like poverty, white privilege, as well as how blessed I am to live in a country like Canada. I have shared experiences that will impact my life like amazing friendships, different perspectives, and a stronger faith in God. I now see things in Canada differently. Some of these things I have seen a million times but have never really questioned and now realize that some things we do are terrible and inconsiderate. I also now recognize the good things we have here in Canada as well.” Curtis Van Soest “ Our trip to the Dominican Republic changed my perspective on how we should be living out our lives, mainly how thankful we should really be for what we have. Just as we don’t realize how good it feels to be healthy until we’re sick, and we all take happiness for granted until we’ve experienced sadness, so too can I see that we have so much more to be thankful for than I previously acknowledged. We witnessed people who live with so much less in comparison to our own lives, but somehow they put us to shame with how content they are. I will be reflecting on my own life more towards how God may work through me, and what my life has yet in store.” William Vrolyk
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“ This trip has been a valuable memory to me. Before the trip, we read a book called “When Helping Hurts”. At first, I didn’t understand how helping can hurt people and I didn’t really know what poverty was. In China, poverty means to live on the street, with no food, no shelter and being discriminated against by wealthy people. But when I arrived DR, I found that people were friendly and happy about what they have. Helping them doesn’t mean donating a large amount of money but doing what we can do, even though they are small things. This trip helped me make some friends and truly experience the life in the DR. I appreciate that I had this experience to meet so many people, have our wonderful group, and help people.” Love & Peace. Rebecca Guo
“ This trip allowed me to experience a new culture, build friendships and gain a new perspective on poverty. It has opened my eyes to how blessed we are here in Canada. I am very grateful for the experiences that we were able to have.” Megan Prinsen
“ Personally, I’m very thankful for everyone in this team, and the experience we had in the past 45 days. I can see our growth not only in physical work skills, but also in mental support and friendship connections. We have a base that everyone refers as “home”; we share our lives and memories together in this country. Instead of calling our group as “International block team”, I would like to call us as a family. A spiritual family that is unique, loving, and caring.” Sherry Zhang
“ Experiencing the relationships between people in another country opened my eyes to the fact that what many of us lack in North America is a sense of strong community. This trip showed me how important community is to everyone. In the Dominican Republic, people were always willing to help and give us a smile, no matter what the situation was. Our team grew very close to each other and also to some Dominicans. I would never change my decision to go on this trip.” Emily van Leeuwen
“ Reflecting on this trip, now just a few days after our group has returned, I realize how much our experience has meant to me. The trip was a time of learning, growing, and experiencing, as we were immersed in another culture and what seemed like another world. The trip provided me with profound insights into myself, others, and God. It has meant something I could never explain; it was a wonderful experience that has changed my life and my future for the better.” Caleb T. Bouma “ This trip has been such an amazing experience and one that I will treasure forever. Over the course of this trip I have created a strong relationship with God and my faith grew and will continue to grow. I loved getting to know all my teammates and being able to spend good quality time whether it be working, playing, or just relaxing. As a team, I loved working alongside everyone and growing with them through many many unforgettable experiences. Overall this trip has been a life changing experience and one I will never forget.” Jaden Pierson
“ I really enjoyed going on this trip. We got to immerse into a new culture, make strong and lasting friendships, grow in our relationships with God, learn about their slower-paced culture, wrestle with white privilege, and help understand and expand in our knowledge of what poverty really is. One large takeaway I had from this trip is that we, as North Americans, would benefit from building more community with each other. In the Dominican Republic, we were able to see what it’s like when you’re close with not only your neighbours, but the community around you. Every time we walked down the streets, people would smile at us and say a cheerful, “buenos dias!” We felt a real sense of connection with the people there and they were always willing to help. Another thing I’ve learned is to be extremely grateful for the things we have in Canada that we don’t think about, for example, education or health care. I didn’t realize how blessed we are to be in such a good education system until I witnessed a 45 minute class with fewer than half the students paying attention. Overall, this trip has been a great experience for me and one that I’ll treasure forever.” Lauren Wright
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LONDON CHRISTIAN HIGH
Class of 2019
AUSTIN AYIGBE
JOSIAH BAKKER
MEGAN BELL
JULIA BRANDERHORST
TIFFANY BROOS
JOSHUA BUFFINGA
SARAH BULTHUIS
ZACHARY BURGGRAAF
LANCER CAI
EMILY DAMSMA
ABBY DE HAAN
AMANDA DE JONG
COLE DEVRIES
ESTHER DEVRIES
LIAM DYKSTRA
ETHAN FERGUSON
REBECCA GUO
LANA HAAN
SETH HAKLANDER
ABBY HALLMAN
JOEL HORDIJK
OLIVIA HOSMAR
ELAINE HUANG
ERIC HUGHES
CALEB KODDE
PHILIP KOSKAMP
MAYA MEHTA
JAYDEN MIN
EMMANUEL OFOVWE
DEREK OVERZET
BRANDON PENG
LARISSA PICKEL
VICTORIA PICKEL
MAKAYLA POSTHUMUS
MICHAEL PRANGE
KIRA SAARLOOS
LUKE SCHUURMAN
LOGAN SMITS
DEREK SONG
REECE SPARLING
REUBEN SUMNER
KARINA TAO
ANNIKA TAUSCHEK
ETHAN TEBRAKE
LINDSAY VANDENBRINK
ZACH VANDER GLAS
DYLAN VANDERSLEEN
JONATHAN VANDERSPEK
RYAN VANDORP
KATELYN VANROOYEN
COLE VERSNICK
GABRIEL WANG
ABIGAIL WASSING
LONG YANG
NICK YANG
“The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 SHERRY ZHANG
EDWARD ZHANG
STORIES OF LEARNING
“OH THE THINKS YOU CAN THINK”
SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL Drama Production Reflections This year I had the privilege of directing twenty exceptional young adults in LCH’s production of Seussical. After attending LCH productions for several years I was excited to have the opportunity to work with such talented staff and students. When meeting with Mr. Bentum in the summer to share my vision for this year’s production, he encouraged me to “dream big”, a phrase I kept as a reminder throughout the entire process and often encouraged my team to do the same. This production was bold, colourful, and (just a little bit) zany, featuring many of the characters from his books. It was a delight to watch people of all generations pour into the theatre with excitement and anticipation and to later receive emails from supportive community members telling how much the show had impacted their family. The theatre program at LCH is one of the most reputable in the city. Not many schools support a main stage production every single year, providing students with the ability to be involved in at least four productions in their high school career. What we have at London Christian High is special. I praise God for blessing us with a community
that makes productions of this magnitude possible year after year. In their grade twelve graduation interviews several students shared that being involved in the theatre productions at LCH was a highlight of their high school career. It is my prayer that this program will continue to thrive and be a place where students will know they are loved and accepted, not only by one another, but by their Creator. Ashley Berkelmans, Director My experience doing this year’s musical, Seussical, was really amazing. I loved the energy and community the cast had, and I felt so lucky to be a part of it. Being a part of Seussical was, I think, a really great way to start my high school years. Everything we did, like the twice-aweek practices, tech week, and the performances were completely new experiences for me and the other grade nines. Participating in this show was kind of an adventure through learning new things and having fun interactions with the rest of the cast. I’m so glad I was a part of this experience and am definitely doing it again next year! Nadine VanBreda, grade 9 student
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STORIES OF LEARNING Being in a musical production of this size at first seemed intimidating, but as we got nearer to showtime, all that fear turned to excitement. This was my first year to audition for a drama production and it was all thanks to my friends. They convinced me to try after telling me stories from last year. At auditions I was really nervous, but if I didn’t go through with it I would’ve missed out on one of the best high school experiences ever. As an actor, there was a lot of pressure to really live into your character. After achieving that, the script became natural and a lot of that pressure quickly disappeared. The magic really kicked in when the set was done and we all had our costumes on; it was really “Seussy” and beyond expectations. Acting on stage was awesome with everyone being supportive and encouraging. It was more of a family than a cast and we all had so much fun. And there is no better feeling than hearing the crowd cheering and laughing as all that effort and time comes together on the stage. Ethan Schiestel, grade 10 student
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STORIES OF LEARNING
THE GREEN CAFE By Daniel Abbott, Student
In Mrs. Barker’s Grade 9 Geography class this semester, we have been learning about a variety of different environmental issues that affect Canada. After telling my teacher that I didn’t really care about this class because I only want to do photography and own a coffee shop, she suggested that we could make my dream come true this semester. So, our class created a pop-up coffee shop for us to discover how businesses can be eco-friendly. We also promoted an eco-friendly way of living and raised awareness of the problems of plastic and carbon dioxide in our environment. I think that the Coffee Shop idea has been a great way to learn about sustainability and the problems with our environment because there’s a lot more hands-on activity. We have also been practicing real-life work skills and there’s been a lot of room to be creative. I met with a
potential venue host, I met the owner of a fair-trade coffee shop called O-Joe’s coffee, and I made business calls and sent business emails. I’ve read over contracts and Health Unit permit forms. I created a playlist for the coffee shop, and was the photographer and videographer at our event. We did a lot to promote sustainability in our Coffee Shop such as getting our resources from local farmers, more specifically Red Barn Berries, Arva Flour Mill, Sifto Salt, and others. We also only used biodegradable cups, napkins, and plates that were composted at Orgaworld after the event. We promoted “Bring Your Own Mug” to promote reusable instead of single-use items. No items used in the production of our coffee shop will go to a landfill. The coffee we used is fair trade, which means no forced labour was used at any point in our coffee supply chain. Also, the farmers of our coffee were paid a fair price to grow and harvest it. I’m very happy with how the Café turned out. It was really a beautiful thing to see everyone work hard together. It was a lot of work, but we accomplished our goal of promoting sustainability to our community.
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STORIES OF LEARNING
MY EXPERIENCE IN INTEGRATED ARTS By Grace Ann Kroondyk, Student
My experience in the grade nine integrated arts class has been full of unique and new learning opportunities. During this semester, we have worked our way through several different units, each with their own final project. So far, we have completed three units. First, we looked at art with the purpose of creating for spiritual expression. During this unit, we talked about what worship was, and how we can worship outside of our churches and private devotional time. The first unit was heavier on the musical side of the arts. We learned what body percussion was, and discovered the unique sounds we could create on our own bodies. At the end of the unit, we were divided into groups and were given the task of making our own performance. We also got the opportunity to listen to a musical ensemble performed to us by several students in a university music class. It was really inspiring! For our second unit, we focused on visual art. We learned about creating art for emotional expression, as well as the expression of beauty. We attempted to answer the questions:
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What is art? What is beauty? Does art have to be beautiful? We talked about how art makes us feel, and learned how to identify the different elements and principles of design within a piece. A guest author and artist came in to show us her work, and we were given the task of creating something beautiful using shadow-boxes. It was a fun challenge. We also completed a unit on Commedia dell’arte. During this unit, we learned the history and main characters featured in these performances. We were shown several videos to help us learn about this style of theatre, and got to design and create our own masks. These masks were later used in the dramatic performances we had to present in groups. The process of writing a scene outline was a new challenge and I think our class did a great job. The Integrated Arts Class was a really interesting course to take and I appreciate the well-balanced blend of musical, visual, and dramatic arts. Our teachers worked really hard to inspire us and their effort is evident.
STORIES OF LEARNING
MOBILE CLASSROOM By Gabriella Hoogstra, Vice Principal & Matt Rock, Teacher
For many children in the Digo community outside Tanga, Tanzania, the idea of attending school is out of reach. Their parents, who struggle to grow crops to feed their families, have little money left over to send them to the city school. Girls are even less likely to receive an education, as traditional culture keeps them working very hard at home. Amani Primary school strives to provide these families with quality education close to home. One current challenge Amani Primary School is facing is the need for updated technology to help students learn and expand their skills. Currently the school has a few old computers housed in a room that serves as a library/office/ computer lab space. This multi-purpose space is not well configured to be used as a learning space for students; with over 300 students at the school, opportunities for productive computer use is limited. Senior students at London Christian High worked in their Design Block (D Block) class to work on a possible solution to this problem - a “Mobile Classroom”.
The vision for this semester’s project gave students complete responsibility for the planning and execution of the Mobile Classroom. Each of the 10 students took on a different core element of the project - welding, design, IT, electrical, lighting, flooring, security, insulation, furniture making-- and led the research, design and implementation for their assigned area, developing expertise and leadership along the way. This student-led project design and practical application was intentionally chosen by Design Block teacher, Matt Rock. “It’s more like real life; it’s a different way of learning. Students will leave here with a global awareness and knowing they are doing something to make a difference in the world.” (London Free Press, May 9, 2019) Through the efforts of the students and their teacher, the “Mobile Classroom” was constructed over this semester in the LCH shop. The 40’ steel shipping container which was retrofitted with windows and doors, equipped with built-in desks and seating, and wired for the lighting, computers, and air conditioning. Upon completion, the “Mobile Classroom” will be shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to Tanga. The classroom is expected to be delivered to Amani Primary School by August, in time for a new season of learning.
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STORIES OF LEARNING While the scale of this project was immense, the design and production process followed by the students was essential to keeping the process moving and on track. Here are a few key insights from the Design Block students involved in the process: Caleb Kodde (from London Free Press, May 9, 2019) “I think it’s awesome the way a Grade 12 classroom can make an impact across the globe and make a difference in other people’s lives in Africa,” Dylan Vandersleen - “What I’m going to take away from this is that we don’t really realize the impact this will have on the kids in Tanga. We don’t realize how powerful this project is - it will give them an opportunity they’ve never had before, access to the internet, access to new technology, new tools for learning which gives them a whole new outlook on education and widens the variety of things they can learn. This has been a great opportunity to share God’s light with others.” Austin Ayigbe - “It has been a life changing experience because it has changed my perspective in that I’m doing something for another community. Through this project, we are changing the lives of people in the community that barely has the resources to teach the students. This project is going to be really impactful and life changing to the students. For us personally, this project takes dedication, commitment, and opens our minds to see how the project will be impacting the students in Tanga, Tanzania.”
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Zachary Burggraaf - “What I like about the project is that it’s more oriented to what life is really like - we’re actually working for the real world to make an impact on someone else. Where else in a school are you going to frame something or make designs that impact someone else in the world? You don’t learn this stuff in other places. This is a good class to be in for an experience of something new and important and have purpose behind our learning.” Logan Smits - “I learned about teamwork. In school you don’t really do this in depth of teamwork. Our whole course has been this team - which is really cool. If we didn’t have good teamwork then we wouldn’t be able to get things done. We depend on each other to get to the next step, if someone hasn’t done their job, we can’t do our job. Teamwork and good communication were essential, if we didn’t do these things well, it wouldn’t work.” Julia Branderhorst - “The community support was really impactful for me. Our goal needed a lot of money and we thought that it would be so hard, but the money came in, which shows the community is really behind us. We got the video from the kids in Africa and it feels so good that we can help the kids. We’re so privileged here. Other school work in school is fine, but doesn’t have the same impact as this project. In this project, we had to expand our comfort zones, talk to other people, work through the design process - each of our jobs had to work.”
STORIES OF LEARNING
LEARNING EN FRANCAIS By Bev Faber, Teacher
Late in the semester, our grade 10 French class shared a learning activity with the Grade 6 French class at London Christian Elementary School (LCES). Since both classes had studied a unit on food and restaurants, it was an excellent opportunity to connect in a real French way! The grade 10 students prepared and presented comedic French skits that took place in a restaurant. This was followed by a café where the grade 6 students acted as “servers” and took orders from the senior students. Hamburgers and hotdogs were on the menu! Ice-cream with smarties, marshmallow and candy toppings was ordered and served as well, all en français! To end the event, the senior students played a picture food bingo game with the grade 6 students. This was a beautiful way to connect the two schools and prove that French can be fun! Student reflection by Anna Lise: Going to LCES was a great experience. We got to bless the Grade 6 students by helping them enjoy French class. At first, I was a little bit nervous as to how it would go, but all the kids were great and the entire experience was a blast. We performed skits in French set in a restaurant (café LCES) for the kids and they loved it. They laughed at the jokes, and some understood a lot of what was said. We got to eat lunch with the Grade 6 students which went really well. The kids were engaged the entire time and I think that everyone enjoyed the experience!
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WORD ON THE STREET RYAN GELEYNSE ALUMNUS 2005
Ryan, second from left
In 2001, I entered LCH with the same perspective many other grade nine students have: I just need to survive. Fortunately, the community at LCH helped me do much more than survive. When I reflect on my time at LCH, a few favourite classes stand out - English with Mr. Van Harten and Mr. Davies, who pushed students to wrestle with big worldview questions. Mr. (Eric) Lammers would give me a bonus point on tests if I could come up with an NHL trivia question that stumped him. I loved Mr. Buma’s homeroom class, because he opened the floor to any life questions and always gave an honest, human answer. Outside of the classroom, my involvement in drama productions were a personal highlight, and many of my core high school friendships are still a big part of my life today. I, like many of my peers, found myself drawn to the core of cities – and in my early twenties, I moved downtown Hamilton with a group of friends. Here, I found myself involved with City Kidz – an organization serving children in low income, inner city neighbourhoods. Outside of my day job, I found most of my free time spent in the homes and backyards of the families I was supposedly serving. It was during this time that I met my wife, Amanda, and after marrying we spent our first year living in a MoveIn patch (a movement of regular Christians prayerfully moving in among the unreached, urban poor). We have since moved to a new neighbourhood in 22 // SUMMER2019 ISSUE | LONDONCHRISTIANHIGH.CA
Hamilton and have undertaken a new challenge – parenting. We welcomed our first child, Oliver, last July and I love being a dad and husband. These short glimpses into the development sector – both abroad and in my back yard - began to direct my interests in a different direction. I returned to school and I completed a degree in International Development. After a few years working at World Renew, I now find myself at EduDeo Ministries, working as a Key Relationship Manager, where I work with churches, donors, and schools. I love that I get to facilitate relationships between our global partner communities and those who work alongside us locally and experience how these connections shape our understanding of poverty, education, and community. In reflection, upon graduating LCH, a lot of my choices were driven by a desire to connect with people whose stories were different than mine and I wonder if this is made easier when you’re confident in your own story. My high school years at LCH gave my faith a relational-rootedness and in hindsight it’s easy to see my teachers cared deeply about helping me find my God given purpose. 15 years after graduating, my professional life now intersects with the LCH community again. EduDeo’s International Block Program – provides students and leaders of this trip with a similar relational-rootedness to their faith, particularly as they walk alongside EduDeo’s partner in the Dominican Republic. It’s exciting to think of how these stories will play out when their time at LCH ends.
SPORTS SENIOR BADMINTON
JUNIOR BADMINTON The Junior Badminton team performed well this year and players showed significant improvement throughout the season. Notable regional competition results include: Josh Guichelaar and Tyson Foster (Boys Doubles) - 1st at TVRA and 2nd at WOSSA, Carter Wiersma (Boys Singles) - 1st at TVRA and 4th at WOSSA, Nikki Kuiken and Brooke VanderHeide (Girls Doubles) - 3rd at TVRA. Our athletes also enjoyed participating in the annual two-day Christian High School tournament at Brock University. Notable results include: Josh Guichelaar and Tyson Foster (Boys Doubles) 1st, Carter Wiersma (Boys Singles) - 3rd, Caleb Hoogstra and Kate Hoogstra (Mixed Doubles) - 4th.
The Senior Badminton Team had a total of 17 members this year in a very short and busy season. Prior to our conference meet, we attended 2 mini-tournaments and 3 local invitational tournaments. Our best performance came from Keira Wiersema in girls singles who placed first at the CCH mini-tournament. The boys doubles team, Dylan Vandersleen and Zach VanderGlas advanced to WOSSAA this year. 8 senior members also participated at the Christian High School Badminton Tournament at Brock University in St. Catherine’s resulting in Dylan and Zach finishing in A-Division and Emily Damsma and Liam Dykstra earning a silver medal for mixed doubles in the B-Division.
GIRLS’ SOCCER
HOCKEY The London Christian High hockey team represented our school very well at the annual Christian High School hockey tournament in Hamilton on February 19, 2019. Although it was difficult to get in practice time and develop group cohesion due to weather cancellations, our hockey team came out as champions of the tournament!
There was no shortage of adversity for the girls’ soccer team this season. The initial challenge was to fill a complete roster due to the gaps left by last year’s graduating seniors. The team battled through inclement weather and many injuries to a respectable and hard fought record of 7 wins, 9 loses and 3 ties. Five of the losses were by a 1-0 score reflecting the focus on defense. The team won a season opening exhibition tournament at Redeemer University and finished 2nd in B Division at the Christian High tournament in Hamilton. The season ended with a 4-1 loss to Gabriel Dumont in the LDA semi-final. Great season ladies!
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CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
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