Middle school students took in the Meijer Gardens butterfly exhibit and sculpture park on a recent field trip.
Dear Calvary Families,
“Life occurs in the margins.”
I read this phrase in an article that I read some time ago; I have pondered it ever since. So much of the significant parts of life occur, not in the big things, but in the small, unnoticed spaces: daily rhythms, enjoying the moon with someone you love, the smell of coffee in the morning, the feeling of sleeping or waking. We miss the richness of life when we fail to notice these things.
(There is a play, Our Town, dedicated to this concept. We include it in our high school curriculum.)
Calvary Schools’ greatest attributes exist in the margins as well. Our greatest attributes are our people and experiences, which are not showy, but quiet and deeply meaningful.
A few weeks ago, our Cantate Deo choir performed at a festival. We did extremely well — we received a high rating in vocals, a perfect score in sight-reading, and gained an invitation to perform at the state level. We are very proud of this achievement and especially of our hard work. But another significant event happened this past week, and I would like to tell you about it.
On Tuesday, Mr. Sytsma and I held a parent internship at Laketown campus. Prior to our meeting, I authorized a rerouting of our midday student transportation to an off-the-path location just off of Graafschap Road. Miss Polly quietly arranged all of the details and at about noon, Dr. Broussard and the Cantate Deo choir filed off of the bus and arranged themselves in the front lawn of a condo that houses two remarkable women.
I envision what this must have looked like to their neighbors. A quiet 55 and older community, unused to any street travel, and suddenly a large yellow school bus chugs onto the street and dozens of students crammed themselves onto the lawn and sidewalk. A front window opened at the condo and a cheerfully smiling woman awaited her own personal concert, while the other woman enjoyed the music from the side. Our students began to sing, performing some of the same music they had used at the festival. It was a deeply touching moment.
Who inspired these events? Their names are Joe Ann Shelton and Dr. Joyce DeRidder: women who are both lions and giants in faith and deed.
Joe Ann Shelton was a singer with Billy Graham ministries. She is a strong Biblical scholar. She is deeply loving and will guide and counsel with anyone who seeks support or wisdom from her. Dr. Joyce is a “doer” — she is always filled with plans: a summer camp for children of addicts and/or trauma; a comprehensive Sunday school curriculum for her church. She reads voraciously. She has several advanced degrees, including one in gerontology because she “just likes to know things.”
The dynamic duo served overseas in Slovakia for many years. They became addiction specialists so that they could help those in need to find freedom. Today, they are funneling financial support to churches in Slovakia that are helping Ukrainian refugees displaced by war.
Retirement? Hardly! I do not know what it takes to build the kind of stamina, engagement, courage, and compassion displayed by both of these women, but we pray that some of it is found in the kind of intentional schooling we offer at Calvary Schools.
And both of these women have served our school mightily.
Dr. Joyce DeRidder has served on the Calvary Schools board and she was its executive director in the 1990’s, as well as the interim executive director who hired me in 2015. At a base level, she is the reason why our school is the way that it is currently. Joyce and I have been meeting for lunch every month for the past 7 years and it is one of my favorite calendar items to anticipate. Joyce is one of the best-informed and most intelligent people I have ever met.
Joe Ann was the choir director who built up a powerful music ministry through our school. I have often heard veteran staff members speak of our traveling choir, resplendent in black tuxedos, long dresses, and pearls. She trained some of the parents of current students and was a strong mentor to our choir director, Dr. Trent Broussard. She is the reason that our choir is the way that it is currently. At least, she is the progenitor of who we aspire to become.
So what is the most important thing that our school did in all of this? We gave the most important concert of the year to the most deserving person to receive it. And in so doing, we have demonstrated what matters most in life. Our students are taught this lesson, not by what we say, but by what we do (or do not do) and how we do it.
Life occurs in the margins. It occurs when the executive director is in the middle of preparing for an important internship session and a 6th grader smiles and says hello. She wants to talk with me about cats, so I pause, give her my whole attention, and we talk about cats.
It occurs when I am in between sessions and I mention stained glass windows on display and a high school student wants me to see her unfinished work in the art room. I stop, follow the student, and admire the lovely work she is doing.
It occurs when teachers send emails about beautiful moments with your students, or attend a student’s baptism, or ask a senior about job opportunities. It occurs when parents chaperone and drive for field trips. It occurs when you and I chat at the drop-off and pick-up lines. And it occurs when a senior takes charge of our track athletes, of his own volition, when Mr. Laninga was detained over a bussing matter.
We enjoy the big moments as well, but most of life occurs in between.
Thank you, Calvary family, for investing in things that matter, and for investing in our delightfully different type of school. I am proud of you, and proud of what we are building. I am also proud of the people who have shaped us and helped us get to where we are.
Coffee with Administrators
Current Calvary parents are invited to join Executive Director Cheryl Ward and Principal Ben Sytsma for an informal morning of conversation and fellowship. Come and get to know each other, ask questions, and learn more about our passion for a thriving, living education. These sessions are intended to be light-hearted, relational, and informative. Coffee and refreshments will be served.
Friday, April 22nd at 8am
Laketown Campus
Sincerely,
Mrs. Cheryl Ward
Head of School
Calvary Schools of Holland