LANSING CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Pilgrim Journey Summer 2018
LANSING CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
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Contents 03 04 06 08 10 11 12 14
Pointing our Graduates Toward the Kingdom of God Class of 2018 Learning Together Coding Classes Tim Blamer Tribute Ongoing Teacher Growth Alumni Athletics
School Board Tamara Cutler, President Ken Howard, Treasurer Eric Vanden Bosch, Secretary Stephanie Buchalski Rachel Cattron John Maher Vince Tardino Dave Tebben David Toy
Equipping young men and women to engage and transform the world for Jesus Christ.
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Pointing our Graduates Toward the Kingdom of God by Wendy Hofman, Head of school
One of the things I enjoy most about the end of the school year is walking alongside seniors and their parents as they engage in end-of-theyear special events that honor and celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating seniors. The pinnacle event is high school graduation. If you truly want to understand what a Lansing Christian School education is all about, attend a high school graduation ceremony. What families and friends observe when they attend a Lansing Christian high school graduation is evidence that students’ lives have been shaped by the Christ-centered education at LCS. The senior students who present speeches convey, with maturity and conviction, a sense of purpose and understanding about who they are now and who they are striving to be. That is what a Christian education is all about.
to point young people in the right direction, toward Jesus. As we congratulate an amazing group of graduating seniors, we pause to remind ourselves about the purpose and lifelong impact of a Christian education. As we look forward to a new school year and to future graduates for years and generations to come, the LCS teaching staff and administration is preparing to engage in new and relevant work focused on uniting faith, best practice, and student-centered learning in a manner that continues to shape young people and point them towards the Kingdom of God. We look forward to sharing these stories with you in future publications of the Pilgrim Journey. May God bless the graduating class of 2018.
In my conversations with senior parents at events and open houses this spring, I was humbled to hear from a number of parents that sending their children to LCS was one of the best decisions they ever made. For these parents, who have sacrificed and invested in Christian education for many years, I think what they are communicating is not just about how much their graduate knows or what college they are attending in the fall. They are speaking to evidence that their children’s lives have been impacted by an education that is formative, shaping their children to be the kind of people whose hearts, passions, and desires are aimed at the Kingdom of God. The purpose of Christian education is the formation of people who know they belong to Jesus and understand that God is sovereign over all of life. The opportunity in Christian education is to partner with parents and churches in an effort
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Class of 2018 by Andrew Kleyn
In some ways, our twelfth grade students are the embodiment of our objective as a community. The graduating class of 2018 is a high-achieving, passionate, and personable group of young men and women. They are a group that manifests maturity, perseverance, and a commitment to Christ and one another. At their graduation, the class took opportunities to express gratitude to their parents, teachers, and the Lansing Christian community. In this particular class, over twenty graduates attended LCS for twelve or more years. The class was also shaped and enhanced by many students who joined throughout the years, and, as a class, they were influential leaders among the student body. We are grateful for their contributions to Lansing Christian School and welcome them to the community of alumni. We are excited to see the plans God has in store for each of them.
The following is a list of colleges and universities that the 2018 graduates were accepted to for the 2018-2019 academic year. Those in bold reflect colleges students are attending. Albion College Anderson University Appalachian State University Butler University Calvin College Case Western Reserve University Cedarville University Central Michigan University Charleston Southern University Clark Atlanta University Cornerstone University Dordt College Ferris State University Grace College Grand Valley State University Grove City College Hillsdale College Hope College Indiana Wesleyan University King’s College Lansing Community College
Liberty University Michigan State University Nicholls State University University of Northwestern Ohio Northwood University Olivet College Penn State University Point Loma Nazarene University Ringling College of Art and Design Saginaw Valley State University Savannah College of Art and Design Spring Arbor University Taylor University The King’s University United States Army University of Arizona University of California, San Diego University of Michigan University of Toledo Western Michigan University Wheaton College
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2018 Senior Class Verse For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
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Learning Together by Sheila Dykstra
The Benefits of Cross-Grade Level Relationships
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As a preschool through twelfth grade school, LCS has the unique opportunity to form natural cross-grade level relationships among students. These relationships meet a variety of educational, social, and emotional goals.
Throughout the school year, several of our elementary, middle, and high school students worked together to accomplish specific learning goals. From working on animal reports to engaging socially with one another, students at every level benefited from these relationships. These benefits include: recognizing that learning is cumulative and connected, supporting one
another, sharing learning, and forming connections among students. When students form these connections, they develop a sense of belonging and contributing to a community that is larger than their own classroom. As a school we believe these connections are important to our vision for student engagement.
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Coding Classes by Elizabeth Sabins and Omar Bjarki
What is coding? The term “coding” is often used interchangeably with “computer programming.” Computer programming refers to a specific type of problem solving where the goal is to get a computer to complete a task -- this task may involve transforming data, handling information, or controlling a physical device. “Coding” refers to the aspect of computer programming when the plan to complete the task is translated into a language the computer can understand -- these languages require careful logic and rigorous structure.
The ability to interact thoughtfully with computers is now just as important as reading, writing, and mathematics.
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What will coding classes look like? At the elementary level, students will have coding experiences in which they learn the fundamentals with coding toys, robots, and online coding. The plan at the high school level is to focus on software-aided design, computer science, programming languages, software development, and robotics.
Why is it important for our students to learn how to code? Almost every activity in today’s world involves computing at some level. An understanding of how computers and computer programs work can help people engage better in the computing aspects of their homes and workplaces. The ability to code opens doors for college programs and career paths and allows people the opportunity to contribute more usefully in their careers and hobbies.
Why is it important to have students experience coding at the elementary level? The ability to interact thoughtfully with computers is now just as important as reading, writing, and mathematics. More importantly, we know that God gives each of us unique talents and passions. One of the goals of education at any level is to help students identify and develop their talents so they can pursue their passions to glorify God. We believe the best way to do this is to provide students with a breadth of authentic experiences with real world issues and problem solving.
Almost every activity in today’s world involves computing at some level.
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Tim Blamer Tribute by Andrew Kleyn
After eighteen years of significant service to Lansing Christian School, Tim Blamer has accepted a new position at Unity Christian School in Hudsonville, Michigan. When he announced this news to students and staff, Tim quoted a friend who said, “God opens doors no man can close.” Looking back at Tim’s tenure at LCS, God clearly used him to open doors for others. As a teacher, Tim opened doors for his students to deepen their appreciation for history, economics, and the Bible. In teaching the Old Testament, Tim’s expertise in Israel made the stories from the Bible come alive.
Tim opened doors for his students to deepen their appreciation for history, economics, and the Bible.
As an administrator, Tim helped open doors for students in numerous ways. Through his leadership of spirit week, Tim provided students opportunities to collaborate with their classmates and celebrate their talents and school spirit. In his work with college planning, Tim helped students select colleges to attend and assisted them through the application process. Tim also led senior survival, retreat, senior trip, and the chapel program. Each year, he created the secondary schedule, developed the advising program, and managed student life events. His tireless work provided so many opportunities for others. We are so grateful for all of Tim’s contributions to LCS, and we wish him all the best as he continues to serve Christ’s kingdom at Unity Christian School.
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Ongoing Teacher Growth by Andrew Kleyn
LCS teachers are committed to professional learning and ongoing growth.
Much of our learning takes place collaboratively to further our collective knowledge and experience. For example, this year we took our second annual trip to the Christian Educators Association Convention. The core topic was Cultivating Community in Christian schools which fit perfectly with the LCS theme. We had a chance to hear keynote speakers together as well as attend focused workshops. We also spent the year working and learning in Professional Learning Teams (PLTs), organized around teachers’ individual
goals for their instruction. The purpose of PLTs is to provide a system for teacher learning and growth, increase collaboration among teachers at different grade levels, and to move forward initiatives for the whole school. This year’s teams met monthly and focused on areas such as projectbased learning, implementing technology standards, and developing cross-grade learning partnerships. Engaging in ongoing professional development allows us to teach with greater innovation and intentionality every day. It also models what it looks like to be lifelong, curious learners—an important learning goal for all our students.
Engaging in ongoing professional development allows us to teach with greater innovation and intentionality every day.
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Alumni Once a Pilgrim, always a Pilgrim. While our graduates may be moving on to the next steps in their personal, academic, and professional lives, our alumni are a special part of our community. Numbered in the thousands, our alumni are using their God-given gifts and abilities to live out their personal calling in communities around the world. Our graduates are doing remarkable things, and it is inspiring to see how some of our newest alumni are thriving post-graduation. Here are profiles of just two of our notable young alumni who are finding success and unique opportunities while in college.
Lydia Granger (‘15) by Melissa Keeley
Lydia Granger (’15) has enjoyed her time at Wheaton College, but it may just be the time she has spent outside of the classroom that has influenced her the most. As an International Relations/Spanish major, Lydia says that the college credits she earned through the AP courses she took while at Lansing Christian School, along with some summer courses, gave her the flexibility to pursue off campus programs and internships. Now entering her senior year at Wheaton, Lydia says her time studying abroad and her internship experiences have “provided some of the most amazing times of my life!” Most recently, Lydia took the Spring 2017 semester off so she could pursue an internship at the International Justice Mission’s (IJM) headquarters in Washington D.C. Describing her work with IJM Lydia says, “I had the privilege of working with five sharp women from a handful of countries in the fight to end everyday violence against
the poor, in three regional field offices. I was a piece of the greater mission of the 1,000+ people-powered organization in 17 field offices and five partner offices. IJM is a faith-fueled NGO that serves the world’s most vulnerable to violence, the poor, as it seeks to end impunity.” Lydia’s responsibilities at IJM were varied and gave her invaluable hands-on work experience, but more importantly, it gave her the chance to work with an organization that is addressing violence and injustice against the world’s most vulnerable populations—something Lydia says she has been passionate about for a long time. “Ever since I learned of the overwhelming prevalence of modern day slavery in middle school, it’s been a matter close to my heart and in my prayers. Learning about IJM and how it approaches the overwhelming matter, with God as both a motivator and an empowerer to its work, I wanted to join in.”
Lydia’s work at IJM focused on Latin American countries and utilized both her training in Spanish as well as her coursework in International Relations. Lydia thanks the spanish program at LCS for inspiring her love of the language and says that the rigorous Spanish curriculum and small class sizes at LCS meant that she entered college “well ahead of the game.” Lydia credits the diligence and passion of her Spanish teachers with creating a program that allowed her to enter her college program “confidently conversational” in Spanish. These skills prepared her for coursework at Wheaton, her travels in Latin America, and her meaningful work with the International Justice Mission.
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Lena Shuptar (‘15) by Melissa Keeley
Lena Shuptar’s (’15) passion for dance started long before she began attending Lansing Christian School as a high school freshman. Lena has had a lifelong dedication to her craft, and thanks to her tireless work she achieved a full-ride scholarship to Wayne State University (WSU) where she is a BFA Honors Dance Major as well as a member of the Irvin D. Reid Honors College. During her time at WSU, Lena has had the opportunity to work with an impressive list of choreographers, perform with a number of dance companies, and even choreograph her own work for both solo and group shows. Notably, Lena earned a scholarship to attend the Alvin Ailey 6-week Professional Program in New York last summer, and is looking forward to collaborating with the acclaimed Dance Theatre Organization Pilobulus as well as the Twyla Tharp Companies this coming year. Lena’s studies at WSU are providing her with a unique academic experience that is challenging her to grow academically, creatively, and physically. According to Lena, “I have the opportunity to work with and make connections with other artists across all medias. I have the opportunity to be physical and improve my body every day. I have studied other subjects that are completely
Photo Credit: Bree Birr de Oliveira
outside of my field, yet still relate. The education I’m getting through the Dance Department at WSU is not something that can be learned from a book; it has to be actively practiced, and I love learning this way.” Lena is thankful for the influence and role that LCS teachers played in preparing her to pursue a degree in dance. Lena states “the teachers at LCS are some of the most dedicated, caring, and fierce human beings I have come in contact with (when dealing with teenagers, the demand to be fierce at times is always a must). Many of the teachers encouraged me to do my best and to achieve my maximum potential in whatever I was doing.” Lena credits the faculty at LCS with propelling her forward and giving her confidence in her decision to study dance in college. Lena specifically notes the encouragement she received from Tim Blamer who told her “that the Arts needed more people like [her], someone who might bring light to a profession that doesn’t see too much of it.” While Lena’s senior year at WSU will be packed with opportunities to dance, collaborate with other performers and artists, and to grow in her craft, she is also looking forward to life and career postgraduation. In addition to her studies in dance, Lena has also been working on becoming trained as a professional Pilates instructor. Lena hopes that her combination of dance and Pilates training will allow her to develop programs and classes that enable her to share her gifts while promoting greater body awareness and enhanced performance for both young dancers and elite athletes.
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Athletics Lessons learned on the playing field are life long: sportsmanship, leadership, respect, honor, discipline, and working toward common goals as a team. By providing a Christian foundation for our student-athletes, we hope to instill an enduring source of confidence for the students, alumni, families, and the community.
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1. Lacrosse
2. Tennis
3. Cross Country
Natalie Woodland was awarded MWLCA Division-1 Honorable Mention All-State.
Isaac Johnson, #1 singles player, (third from right), was Regional Champion and qualified for states.
Madison Volz finished in 5th place in the Division 4 state meet.
4. Cross Country & Track
5. Golf
6. Cross Country
Davis Tebben finished in 9th place overall in the Divison 4 state meet. Davis also placed 9th in the Division 4 state meet in the 1600m with a time of 4:38.48, and 12th in the 3200m with a time of 10:28.97.
Boys Golf competed as a team in the Division 4 state finals and finished in 14th place. Parker Jamieson tied for 8th place and Andrew Prieskorn finished in 14th place.
Girls won Regionals for the first time in school history. The team finished 3rd overall in the Division 4 state meet.
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State Champions by Bonnie Binioris
Congratulations to the girls soccer team, and Coach Vande Kopple, on an incredible 13-3-2 season and another championship title!
Led by team captains Kasey Jamieson, Jessie Kruger and Kealeigh Usiak, the Pilgrims defeated the Kalamazoo Christian Comets 1-0 to earn back-to-back Division 4 state titles on Friday, June 15, 2018. Lansing Christian entered the season with high expectations, returning with the majority of their 2017 state championship roster. The Pilgrims’ tenacious defense did not allow their opponents a single goal during the entire post-season tournament which put them in a good position for the state championship game. “Our goalkeeper, Lynn Cullens, and the rest
of the defense were amazing,” said Coach Joel Vande Kopple after the state championship game. Senior forward Kasey Jamieson scored her 54th goal of the season during the first half to secure the win. "Just finishing the game strong, like being back-to-back champs, is pretty crazy and you know it's awesome to finish my senior year with another state championship, but I couldn't have done anything without
this team and the support of this community," said Jamieson.
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