northern star - november 2012

7/30/2019 Northern Star - November 2012

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A publication of Northern Michigan Christian ScNovember 2

128 S. Martin St., McBain, MI 49657

(231) 825-2492

www. nm

Exceptional Education, Christ-centere

High School RetreatLast year for the first time we took the entire high school student body away for a two-day retreat. This year, we went again.Both retreats were a blessing as our high school Praise Team led worship, as students interacted with each other during com-munity-building exercises, and as powerful presenters challenged our students to be difference-makers for Christ. But the high-light of each retreat was the On Fire time late in the evening. As students sat around a wooden cross, they took turns going for-ward to light a candle and to talk directly to another student or teacher or God, to ask for forgiveness, to identify a gift they saw,or to thank someone for kindness or support. It was a powerful time demonstrating how Christians in community can be.

This years speaker, Brian Bierenga, a youth pastor from Grand Rapids used the analogy that high school students are not on

the JV team; they are part of Gods varsity squad and are not a team-in-training. Each of us has been gifted by God to be a dif-ference-maker in this world. There have never been two sizes of Pentecost flames, he told the students. He also challengedthem to use their gifts to praise, to encourage, to serve, to enfold, to lead, and more. Brian gave each student a puzzle piece toillustrate that two or three puzzle pieces dont make a puzzlejust as you need many pieces to make a puzzle, so you need

many Christians working together to change the world. This year we also invited area youth pastors to join us, and we werepleased that two leaders of youth groups did. Thank you! It takes all of us working together.


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We are pleased to welcome new faculty members to NMCS. Mrs. Hope Schroyer teaches middle school and high school band as was middle school and high school choir. Mrs. Schroyer is a recent Calvin College graduate. Her husband, Dan, works for Meijer inGrand Rapids.Mrs. Erin Heuker teaches computer classes. She is a graduate of both NMCS and Calvin College. Mrs. Heuker previously taught inMona Shores, Michigan. Erin and her husband Doug have three children at NMCS.Mrs. Jenny Closson is also new to NMCS. She serves as both the Development Secretary and Assistant Athletic Director. Mrs. Clossand her husband Richard have one student at NMCS and a little one at home yet.

Mrs. Heidi Zuiderveen has joined the NMCS faculty as a teacher this year. Heidi has been working as an aide in the Arrowsmith claroom, but this year she has taken over additional responsibilities as the teacher. Heidi spent three long weeks in Toronto this summbeing trained as an Arrowsmith teacher.Last spring Jan Klooster began working with a couple of international students and has expanded her role this year. As the ELL

(English Language Learners) teacher, Mrs. Klooster tutors each of our eleven international students in English grammar and usageand helps them to be successful in their high school courses.Mrs. Krista Winkle and Mrs. Sandy Sieting have joined our kitchen staff. Both part-time cooks have had students at NMCS for a nuber of years and have long been involved with the school on committees and other volunteer positions.Mr. Kyle VanHaitsma is the new custodian at NMCS. Kyle and his wife Tracy both are graduates of Northern Christian and have twostudents currently at NMCS. We welcome all of these new employees!

Welcoming New Faculty

The following was written as an essay assignment by NMCS 8th grader, Kalli Mosher: My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is my hero. Hes been there with me, through it all. To protect, love and guide me. I

can go to Him for anything and count on Him for anything at all and count on Him to guide me. I love Him with all of my heart,and I know He loves me even more than I can imagine. Every day He works wonders in my life, and every day He plans out mylife.

He showed me the way to live for Him. How to love others, set a positive example of Him, look for His light in dark situa-tions and always find the positive outlook. How to do my best in everything and not give up no matter how hard it is, and also, todo everything for Him.

Hes a friend to talk to, a daddy to love me, and a God to show me His way. He is my protector, my provider, my rock

and my salvation. No matter how small or how insignificant, my problems always matter to Him, and I am always worth His time.He is someone who will always listen and speak His truth into my life.He tests me, but it will always be for my benefit. He makes me stronger and draws me closer to Him through His tests

and tribulations. I may not understand why things happen sometimes, but it is always part of His perfect plan Hes made for meSo, I am learning to give my life completely to Him and never question a thing He does.

I have been walking with Him for about three years. I gave my life to Him on November 11, 2009, but He still has beenproviding for me my whole life. I may not have a touching testimony as other people may have but I can say that God has alwaysbeen there for me and has made my life pretty easy, so I am extremely blessed and that in itself is truly a wonderful one.

He went through everything for me. People hated Him, gossiped about Him, and tore Him down. And, the worst part,they crucified Him. It was all for us, too. He didnt give up, He didnt quit because it was too hard, but yet, he stuck with it, to theend. He did all of it so we could have a relationship with Him, so we could go to heaven. We still complain, we still say our livesare bad, or not good enough, just because they arent how we want them to be. He makes me think more about how I should

act and think about what I am doing. That makes Him my role model.He made me and my life perfect in His eyes. He showed me the way to live and he loves me to death. He helps me,

guides me and plans out my life. He lived and died for me; he showed me the way to live. Thats why God is my hero.

by Kalli MosherMY HERO

Above, Sandy Sieting, Erin Heuker, Hope Schroyer

Jenny Closson ,and Krista WinkleLeft, Kyle VanHaitsma, Heidi Zuiderveen and Jan Klooster


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Count your blessings; count them one by one So goes the

very familiar hymn. The 2012 summer and fall have beenvery productive for the NMCS agriculture program. 947 lbs.

of produce (tomatoes, beans, squash, sugar snap peas, broc-coli, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, and green peppers) havebeen grown and harvested bythe students in the Ag. pro-gram. Most of this producewas processed in the schools

cafeteria and is now part of thedaily lunch menu. Some of theproduce also was donated to alocal food bank. During thelate fall through early spring,the Ag. students will be experi-menting with growing certainvegetables through the colder

months of the year in thegreenhouse.

In addition to harvestingproduce, the students havecollected 15 gallons of honeyfrom the two school bee hives.A portion of the honey wasbottled and sold at the annual

school auction for $55/jar; a small amount of the honey wasbottled and sold over the counter in the schools main office;

the remaining honey (10 gallons) was sold to Blue Heron Caf

in Cadillac. The students continue to care for our flock of lay-ing hens whose eggs areprocessed for cafeteriause. This year, however,the flock has doubled from15 to 30 hens. Currently,NMCS students also arecaring for seven pigs.When these pigs reach theappropriate weight, thestudents intend to sellthem to interested buyerswhile one or two will be-come the main course of

an all-school pig roast.The most significant development in the program during thelast year, however, is the dual-enrollment collaboration be-tween NMCS and Baker College (Cadillac). NMCS Ag. stu-dents, while enrolled in the NMCS Ag. program, also are re-ceiving four (4) Baker College credits per class. Because ofthe recent passing of a couple of state laws, there is no addi-tional tuition cost to NMCS families.

Middle School Hallway RenovationsFour years ago we began to refresh the school hallways. This summer, that project was completed with the renewal of the

middle school hallway. Eunice Netz and John Netz worked to design and implement their vision for the middle school halls.

Basing the design on a teen devotional book, Live Large, Be Different, Shine Bright, they oversaw the removal of some lockers

and the painting of others, the carpeting of the halls, and the addition of an integrated design focusing attention on Christian

practice. A new lounge area complete with booths, chairs, and tables provides a pleasant area for middle school students to

interact after school and during breaks. We are very thankful to John and Eunice on the occasion of Johns retirement for this

parting gift to the school.

NMCS sophomore Sam Ebels


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The Northern Star is a publicaon of NorthernMichigan Chrisan School.

NMCS BoardTod Winkle

PresidentRon Brouwer

Jacci Busch Pastor AdvisorBob EbelsDoug Heuker

Mike KrickJoe KulhawickRich LangtonMark LanserSue YountHeidi Zuiderveen

COMET SPORTS NEWSThe 2012 fall season showed much improvement and desire on the part of our student athletes. The boys varsity soccer team, state-ranked at one time, finished fourth overall out of 12 in the Northern Michigan Soccer League and earned a spot in the four-team confer-ence tournament at the end of the season. Senior Trevor Gernaat earned All-District, All-Region, and All-Conference team awards. SenioTaylor Mulder earned All-District, All-Region, and All-Conference certificates. Junior Dylan Lucas earned All-District and All-Conference Hoorable Mention certificates. Senior Tyler Eisenga earned All-District and All-Conference Honorable Mention certificates, and Senior KiffinSmallegan was All-District and All-Conference winner, as well.

In girls volleyball, the varsity team improved beautifully from the previous year and earned a tie for fourth place in the Highland Confer-ence. Senior Jamie Oudman as well as sophomores Brittany Hoekwater and Amanda DeZeeuw earned First-Team All-Conferenceawards. Junior Adri Sigafoose earned an Honorable Mention.

Cross-country also had great success. For the first time members enjoyed complete boys and girls teams that totaled 13 runners throughout the course of the season. Junior Adri Sigafoose became the first girl from NMCS ever to win a medal at the state meet, finising 30th out of more than 200 runners. Freshmen Kylie Lanser and Adri Sigafoose both earned spots on the All- Highland Conferencerunning team.

-Dave SkinnerAthletic Director

Save the date for this yearsChristmas Program. Students

in pre-school through 12th

grade will present Christmas

Around the World on December

20 at 7:00 PM in our school

gym. Bring family and friends

as together we celebrate Jesus

birth!

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOMSeptember saw significant changes in our technology programat Northern Michigan Christian School. Students in the middland high school now have access to laptops. Two carts of laptops are available for student use, either during classes or duing study halls. A class set of iPads also is being used in thehigh school math department and in elementary classrooms, well. Many of the classrooms now use document cameras toenhance lesson presentation. Our new computer teacher, MrsHeuker, is revamping curriculum and helping teachers use thenew technology effectively.

Above, NMCS Trevor Gernaat studies in the student lounge, using

one of the new laptop computers provided by a very gracious gift.

Right, 3rd grader Ryleigh Langton works to improve her math skills

on one of the netbooks.


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Making MemoriesBy Holly Zuiderveen

NMCS tenth graders made memories on No-vember 6but not for themselves. The English 10class was asked by the Curry House of Cadillac to in-terview residents of the Memory Care Unit. The stu-

dents then wrote a short biography about their resi-dent to be used by Curry House staff.

Memory Care residents have memory boxes intheir rooms which hold pictures and mementos. Thenew biographies will be used along with those keep-sakes to comfort residents struggling with memoryloss.

To create the biographies, students took a busto the Curry House, where they were greeted andpaired with their residents. Each sophomore had a list

of interview questions, but sometimes the topicswerent exactly the expected discussions. Residentstalked about travel to Antarctica, shoplifting preven-tion, and even pet alligators.

But the residents arent the only ones who

benefited. During this service project, the English 10class learned to not only turn notes from an interviewinto a biography but also experienced the simple joy ofhelping someone else. According to AmandaDeZeeuw, one of the students, it was good to interact

with older people and get to know them. Fellow soph-

omore Onalee Sneller added, It was something I

found enjoyable. Its interesting to find out about how

people lived their lives.

John Netz RetiresJohn Netz retired this summer after working as the

head custodian at NMCS for more than 30 years. Overthe years, he served for 10 different superintendents.

Everyone who visited NMCS was impressed with how

clean and tidy the school always was kept. John was

honored with an Open House in June, and although he

has retired, John continues to be a regular presence at

school. He is in charge of opening the building every

morning and continues as Transportation Director.

Northern Michigan Christian School is grateful to God

for the years of faithful service that John has given to

the school. Thank you, John!

SCHOLARSHIP DRIVE

The annual Scholarship Drive for North-ern Michigan Christian School is beingheld this fall. Letters were mailed out inearly November and follow-up calls arebeing made. The funds raised for thedrive are a vital part of the NMCS budget

and enable families who otherwise couldnot afford Christian school tuition to sendtheir children to NMCS. This years need

is $181,900. Please prayerfully consideryour gift as you plan to support the visionand mission of Northern Michigan Chris-tian School. Help NMCS continue to pro-vide exceptional, Christ-centered educa-tion to the next generation of our Chris-tian leaders, Christian servants, andChristian parents. Donations can bemailed to the school or given on-line atwww.nmcs.us.

Students enjoy special

attention from their

grandparents on

Grandparents Day 2012


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THANK YOU!Underwriting for the cost of production and distribution of the Northern Star is provided by the following businesses. Please be sure to

acknowledge, patronize, and thank these sponsors:

Dons Auto Clinic * McBain Auto Service, Inc. * Bandeen Orthodoncs

Dracht Construcon * Highpoint Auto & Truck Center * Schierbeek Bros. Building

International Flair

Ho Chan Jang and

Jack Simons samplingthe cuisine at the

International Dinner

on October 26, 2012

Ho Chan Jang, Jack Simons, JaeWoo Kim, Mina Song, Paul Mauboussin, Katie Simons, Soo Min Lim, Izabela Bojkowska, Kylie

Lanser, Sara DeHaan, Abner Vallecillo, Emily Morgan, Emma Towers, Ana Vallecillo, Olivia Kuiper, Onalee Sneller, Sydney Dick,Hanna Jung, Sherry Zhang, and Yutong Liu at the International Dinner celebrating foods and friends from around the world.

NMCS is celebrating new friends, fun, and food in this first semester with international young people from around the world from France, Germany, South Korea, China, and Honduras! The 11 foreign exchange students in grades 9 to 12 have been experiencing many exciting things besides American history and English grammar such as tubing on Stone Ledge Lake, finding abear paw print after the first snow, receiving electric shocks in winter, seeing a 50-strong flock of wild turkeys, skinning deer,

joining sports teams, preparing native supper dishes to share, expressing themselves during retreat devotions, and realizing thare in the middle of finding their own faith, not just the faith of their parents. Together we are enjoying the beautiful diversity anwonderful sameness of Gods people around the world!

Ana Vallecillo on the High School Retreatat Timber Wolf Lake


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At Northern Michigan Christian School our students are notChristians in waiting. They are not learning today so that

they can be Christians tomorrow when they grow up. We wantthem to claim their faith right now and right here. That meansnot only saying what they believe but also acting on what theybelieve. Faculty is continually looking for ways for NMCS to

become a community of Christian Practice. Head knowledgeisnt enough. Heart attitude isnt enough. We want our stu-

dents to act on what they know and what they believe. Andthey are. NMCS students are practicing mercy, serving withhumility, doing justice, showing kindness, providing for-giveness, and living with joy every day.

Recently, high school students went to Curry House wherethey helped the residents write down their life stories. Theresidents very much enjoy the attention and time thestudents gave them.

Elementary students packed 69 shoeboxes this Novembefor Operation Christmas Child. These boxes will beshipped around the world to become the Christmas pre-

sent 69 children otherwise would not receive. Elementarystudents practice mercy.

A group of high school students serve as Student Ambas-sadors at NMCS. They welcome grandparents, give toursduring Open Houses, and practice hospitality to those whovisit school.

A Praise Team practices after school or during study hallsso that they can lead the student body duringpraisechapels.

A group of middle and high school students has been monitoring the health of the Clam River this fall. The infor-mation they gather helps stewardship efforts throughoutthe watershed.

Middle school students stay after lunch to wipe tables ashumble service to the greater school community. Again this year, the junior class will spend Spring Break in

the DR, building a house and school classrooms. In asmall way and for a few people, they will be doing justice.

A couple of high school students daily help elementaryspecial-needs students get off and on the bus, practicetheir reading lessons, or show kindness in other ways.

At the recent high school retreat, students sat around awooden cross. As the spirit moved them, they went for-ward, lit a candle, and addressed another student orteacher. They identified spiritual gifts they recognized inthat person, asked for forgiveness from that person, orexpressed their thanks for who that person was or what heor she had done.

I could go on. And, if you look over the rest of this NorthernStar, you probably can add some examples yourself. At thehigh school retreat in November, Pastor Brian Bierenga toldstudents that at Pentecost there were not big and littletongues of fire; every believer received the same sized flame.He challenged students to understand that they are not Gods

junior varsity team. They are on the senior team and in the biggame. As they learn and grow, they also are identifying theirown spiritual gifts. And as they use them, they are developingthem and growing them for use today and tomorrow in hisKingdom. In the words of St. Athanasius, they are becoming

by grace, what God is by nature.

Superintendent Rick Klooster

Third grade students Carter Quist, Megan Bennett, Lauren

Closson, Karly Crowe, Ben Moore, Jonas Lanser, Chase Wal-ter and Ethan Clark practice mercy by collecting and packing

Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.

NMCS students practice stewardship by monitoring the

health of the Clam River, Fall 2012

NMCS students identify, develop,

and practice using their

spiritual gifts for service to God.


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December 4 Geneva Dodde BD

December 11 Betty Taylor BD

December 15 Bob Shaarda MMDecember 17 Jack & Nancy VanDrie AV

December 26 Don & Linda Ellens AV

December 27 Doug Baas MM

January 3 Andrew Tacoma MM

January 5 Bill & Mary Dracht AV

January 6 John Borgman MM

January 23 Tena Bazuin MM

January 30 Frank Jager MM

February 4 Harv & Ruth Lutke AV

February 5 George R. Mulder MM

February 12 Emily Mulder BD

February 12 Sy Buning MM

February 14 Gerald Koop BD

February 23 Clara Jager MM

February 23 Fred Westmaas MM

March 5 Boyd Allen Tacoma MM

March 15 Gerrit Koster MM

March 18 Gerald Hoekstra MM

March 21 Lewis (Bud) Agema MM

March 26 Titus Agema MM

March 27 Harriet Borgman BD

MM= Memoriam, AV = Anniversary, BD = BirthdayFor a minimum gift of $50.00, the NMCS Commemorative Calendar (formerly the NMCS

Interest Wheel), provides a means for you to annually commemorate an individual orevent. Contributions may go to the NMCS Building Fund, Endowment Fund, or TuitionAssistance Fund. Please call the school (231) 825-2492 for more information about

participation in this program.

Nonprofit Organization

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDMcBAIN, MI

Northern Michigan Christian School Association128 Martin St.McBain, Michigan 49657

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

March 28 Ken & Beth Zuiderveen AV

March 29 Jordyn Dracht BD

April 7 Al & Carol Koster AVApril 7 Margaret VanderMeulen MM

April 12 Rich & Jen Kramer MM of Loved Ones

April 15 Nellie Tacoma MM

April 24 Ken Mulder MM

April 29 Dawn Brinks MM

May 4 John Brouwer BD

May 6 Mark & Dawn Ebels AV

May 8 Roland & Julane Lamkin AV

May 11 Jay Pluger MM

May 14 Bill & Jeanette Westmaas MM

May 25 Virgina DeHaan MM

May 26 Jess & Kate Jager MM

May 27 Jim & Karen Pluger AV

May 27 Garry Baas MM

May 31 Danny Ray Hoekstra BD

northern star - november 2012

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