2024 The Cord
AN ALUMNI PERSPECTIVE
THE PORTRAIT OF A CALVIN GRADUATE
PERFORMING ARTS, SPORTS GRADUATE UPDATES AND MORE!
Welcome WE EDUCATEimage bearers.
WELCOME TO CALVIN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL!
Our theme for this 2024-2025 school year is, Delight in and Create Beauty.
I know I speak for our entire, wonderful team here at Calvin Christian School when I say that living this theme is what we get to do everyday serving here at Calvin! Let me show you what I mean by using our theme for this year to briefly walk through our mission:
The mission of Calvin Christian School, in cooperation with the home and church, is to teach the whole child from a biblical worldview, founded in the Reformation, providing children from Christian families with an excellent education for a life of Christ-centered service.
We delight in the beauty of what God has done in establishing and ordaining the Christian family. Calvin Christian School is made up of covenant families – and we love our families here at Calvin! Together, we create a myriad of educational experiences and opportunities for young image bearers to grow and develop both here on campus and in their homes under the loving care of their parents.
We delight in the beauty of what God has done through Jesus Christ, redeeming us unto Himself for His glory and our good. Jesus is our one and only true Shepherd, and we are His one and only flock (the church), we know His voice (John 10) and He is making us beautiful, just as Jesus is. He has united us with Himself, and as such, we can experience a unity, peace and rest with one another as brothers & sisters in Christ that the world does not comprehend. As we delight in this profound reality, our eyes are opened to the ways we can create Christian hospitality, prayerfully growing in a “life of Christ-centered service.” Following in Jesus’ example, Christ-centered service is truly all about delighting in
and creating beauty in the world, for His glory.
The Scripture we selected to inform our reflection on our school theme for the year comes from Psalm 27:
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
Three things make up our one thing – to dwell in the House of the Lord forever, to gaze upon His beauty and to inquire in His temple. Our faith informs us that this is the outcome of a Christ-centered education where image bearers are being “invited to be formed by God’s Love in Christ” via each and every learning experience, whether in a chemistry lab, performing on stage, hitting a baseball, or enjoying student life activities.
Our annual themes each year come from what we call our Missional Deep Hope graphic art which hangs in every classroom and office on campus (often referred to by some as the “Portrait of a Graduate”). There is an article on page 6 that explains this graphic art , effectively outlining our approach to mission fulfillment.
In closing, we are delighted to get to know your family. Welcome to Calvin Christian School!
In Christ’s Unfailing Love,
Jeff Pratt, PhD Head of School
TO MISSION FULFILLMENT our approach
THE SOVEREIGN TRIUNE GOD & REVELATION
The Triune God of the universe is a God of revelation, and revelation is all about what God does, not what humans do, to:
1. Make known what can be known by human persons about His nature
2. Make known what can be known about the nature of human persons, and
3. Make known and make possible, the way for human persons to be in union with God.
Reflection upon these three points illuminates the reality that all human learning and flourishing will stem from God and His Revelation. Another way to think about this is that apart from God and His Revelation, all human efforts in learning and flourishing will ultimately end in folly and disintegration. Some have argued that the first four words of Scripture in Genesis chapter one succinctly capture this point, i.e. “In the beginning, God…” With the tree in our graphic as a metaphor for human learning and flourishing, it is of paramount importance to understand that everything flows from revelation from our Triune God.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
“The mission of Calvin Christian School, in cooperation with the home and church, is to teach the whole child from a biblical worldview, founded in the Reformation, providing children from Christian families with an excellent education for a life of Christ-centered service.”
Our mission reflects Calvin’s roots in the liberal arts tradition. Because our educational mission is to educate the “whole child,” our approach to mission fulfillment is more robust than just the liberal arts. Our approach is visually captured by a special graphic wall art that hangs in every classroom and office on the Calvin campus. We call the graphic art our “Missional Deep Hope.”
Every organization’s mission statement outlines what it “deeply hopes” is the central outcome of its work. This is undoubtedly true for schools. Sometimes schools might call their “Missional Deep Hope” a “Portrait of a Graduate.” It is important to know how a school defines its “Portrait Of A Graduate;” it is equally important (if not more so) to understand the school’s approach for helping students develop robustly toward this “portrait.”
Simply put, our “Portrait of a Graduate” is that a graduate would know their identity is formed by God’s love in Christ, consequently, to live a life of wonder, worship, work, and wisdom. We desire for graduates to know who they are, and, what they are called to do
Thus, our approach to achieving this “portrait” is by way of a Christ-centered, whole-person education, which can be summed up this way:
1. The Creator God of the Universe is Sovereign, and is Triune – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. All understanding of existence, both God’s and humanity’s, is made possible because the Triune God reveals Himself to us:
• In all that He has created (i.e. General Revelation)
• Through the Holy Scripture (i.e. Special Revelation)
2. Education is primarily formative as opposed to informative.
3. These four questions, in this order, matter:
• Whom to love?
• How to live?
• How to think?
• What to know?
Calvin Christian School’s complete educational program could be thought about in terms of a moment-by-moment invitation to a young person to engage and utilize his/her body, mind, soul, emotions, strength…i.e., their whole being.
Calvin Christian School’s complete educational program could be thought about in terms of a moment-by-moment invitation to a young person to engage and utilize his/her body, mind, soul, emotions, strength…i.e., their whole being. Let’s use a planter box full of rich, vibrant soil as a metaphor.
The boundaries of the box depict the entire educational world offered to the child. The nutrient-rich soil is God’s Word (i.e Special Revelation). What is planted and nourished are specific learning/skill outcomes, using God’s gift of wonder (which animates reason, creativity, imagination, etc.). As God defines, His Word is life itself.
EDUCATION IS PRIMARILY FORMATIVE AS OPPOSED TO INFORMATIVE.
A child’s Christian educational journey is ultimately shaping a child’s understanding of their identity — who they are. It is also shaping their abilities, which then have bearing upon their sense of self, or identity. We believe that all of life is vying for a child’s identity. Pastor and author John Mark Comer said, “for those of us who desire to follow Jesus, here is the reality we must turn and face: If we’re not being intentionally formed by Jesus himself, then it’s highly likely we are being unintentionally formed by someone or something else.” We know from Scripture and the rich historic confessions of Christian faith that a person does not belong to him/herself, but he/she belongs to the Triune Creator, who has redeemed him/her by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Succinctly — God’s Word tells us who we are when found in Christ — a truly loved and fully known child of God.
FOUR QUESTIONS, IN THIS ORDER
These four questions establish the framework for the curricular and pedagogical work in the classroom, as well as the shaping of the overall culture (ethos) of our learning community on campus (rf The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Christian Classical Education by Kevin Clark and Ravi Jain)
WHOM TO LOVE?
Love & Worship God • Love & Serve My Neighbor
In profound, earth-shattering teaching, Jesus tells us all the law and the prophets’ teaching (i.e., all learning and understanding) is summed up by a correct ordering of loves.
• Do we love God with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul and all our strength?
• Do we love our neighbor as we love ourselves
• (Gospel of Matthew 22:37-40; Gospel of Mark 22:29-31)
If we get this question wrong, nothing else pursued can be fully right. Christian writers such as St. Augustine from the 5th century wrote about this as piety, or the correct ordering of loves (or human affections), and thus paramount for the formation of a healthy society.
HOW TO LIVE?
Discover & Describe Order • Discern & Defend Truth • Embrace & Employ Reason
Love & Grow in Wisdom • Communicate & Persuade Graciously
With the Gospel permanently at work, transforming our lives to the image of Jesus, we become capable of loving God and others correctly. Consequently, there is a correct tuning of a child’s heart and training of a child’s body, for the glory of God. As children learn about the history of humanity (e.g., events, art, music, culture, economy, civil life, etc.) in the context of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they develop the ability to discern how to live correctly, in ways which give God all glory, honor, and praise.
HOW TO THINK & WHAT TO KNOW?
Respect & Submit to Authority • Care For & Control My Body • Delight In & Create Beauty
Recognize & Pursue Goodness • Enjoy & • Care for Creation
These questions can be addressed together. Some school programs have forgotten (or ignore) that “learning to learn,” or learning how to think is integrally connected to the efforts to acquire knowledge. This is yet another reason we claim that our whole child Christian education is formative, versus merely informative. At Calvin, we intentionally focus on helping students develop proficiency with the tools for learning. We believe those tools are associated with the beautiful and robust ways God has imbued the human’s mind with the miraculous gift of language, i.e. language with words and language with numbers, dimension, shape and space. The wonderful and also miraculous gift of imagination is fueled by language. In Biblical terms, correct thinking stems from reverence (“fear”) for the Sovereign, Holy Triune God. The results for the student is the development of Godly wisdom (i.e., discernment with knowledge) and winsome abilities to speak into culture (i.e., Godly rhetoric).
THE TRIUNE GOD & REVELATION
First, God reveals (makes known) what can be known by human persons about His nature. This is called “General Revelation” (rf Romans chapter 1).
God reveals Himself as the Creator of order, of profound design and beauty, of goodness and of truth. God created, ex nihilo, all that exists. His creation (i.e. nature) itself reveals that it could not have created itself, and that there is ubiquitous and complex intricacy, which is itself a revelation which defies the capacities of human persons to fully comprehend all that God has declared in His glorious creation (Psalm 19).
God’s Special Revelation is His Holy Scripture, and in it He reveals His Triune nature – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, i.e. one God with one nature revealed in three persons. In addition to being Triune, God reveals Himself as Sovereign, existing eternally with no beginning and no end. God’s Word also reveals that human persons are made unique among all of God’s creation: All human beings bear the image of God. This
revealed truth from God’s Word, also resonates with Natural Revelation, and thus why people across cultures and history recognize the sacredity of human persons.
God’s Word also reveals the fallen nature of all image bearers and their desperate need for redemption, where both God’s perfect justice can be met in the atonement of sin which separates human persons from their Creator, and, where mercy is extended freely. This is the miraculous notion of God’s Grace.
Jesus, who is God the Son, is revealed to us when He took on flesh and became fully man in His Incarnation - the embodied Word of God (John 1). The Scriptures reveal that Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, is the only one who can be the Savior, the Redeemer, of image bearers who are dead in their sins (Ephesians 2:1; Romans 8:10).
Jesus is our Savior because He who knew no sin died willingly in our place, so that God’s wrath was satisfied when image bearers sin was imputed to Jesus, and His righteousness was imputed to the redeemed image bearer, making him a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). And because Jesus rose bodily from the grave, so will His redeemed rise from the dead and be united with the Triune God for eternity. This is what the Triune God has done, and thus what He has revealed in His Divine Revelation. This is the Good News of God redeeming sinful image bearers unto Himself, for His glory and our good. In Jesus and only in Jesus, justice and mercy are in perfect harmony. This is why in Jesus, the Christian enters God’s glorious shalom – rest! (Ps 91:1) And this is why the critical words of our Missional Deep Hope graphic artwork read, “Inviting students to be formed by God’s Love in Christ, for a life of wonder, worship, work and wisdom.” This is the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, soli Deo gloria!
Our approach to creating excellent, whole-child education is visually captured by the graphic artwork that hangs in every classroom and office on the Calvin campus. The words at the top of the poster concisely capture the “deep hope” of our mission statement. We understand that all true image bearer learning and flourishing flow
from Revelation of the Triune God. The twelve statements outline what we believe should happen with the complex and wondrous capacities God has given His image bearers, to be fully human as He intended. This true human nature as God intends is seen most clearly in Jesus Himself.
Founded in the Reformation biblical Formation
Providing an architectural image, think of the gospel being our foundation. The framework of building is the Christian worldview, and the pillar apparatus is the “5 Solas”. Although the phrase “5 Solas” (sola means alone in Latin) may be more recent in its usage, the concepts are rooted in the 16th century Reformation. These five solas distinguished Reformers like Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, John Knox, members of the White Horse Inn in England, John Calvin, and so many others. The reformers were willing to lay their lives down for these solas first and foremost because they believed the gospel itself was at stake. These 5 pillars of truth had a profound effect, changing the very landscape of Europe. Because of these non-negotiables, the gospel was then applied in every area of life in social reforms such as banking, trade and currency, government, prison reform, the ethics of housing and property, architecture, agriculture, and most of all education, which through all the fields of knowledge became new learning centers about God’s character.
Here are the examples of how the 5 solas inform our school:
SOLA SCRIPTURA (scripture alone) is the belief that because Scripture is God’s inspired Word, it is the only inerrant, sufficient, and final authority for the church. Meaning, it is the revelation that Truth is a person. Educationally it inspires us in the areas of theology, literacy, language, literature, logic, language arts, mathematics, speech and debate, and rhetoric.
SOLUS CHRISTUS (Christ alone) is the assertion that Christ alone is the basis on which the ungodly are justified in God’s sight and as the True King, Christ is the rightful governmental authority we ultimately answer to. As 1 Peter 2:13 says, “Fear God, honor the king”. This informs our studies in history, government, school policies, handbook policies, school board policies, faculty/staff structure and development, and our ethics.
SOLA FIDE (faith alone) maintains that the believer receives the redemption Christ has accomplished only through faith (trust). This informs our perception of what’s real, which so many of our students are confused about today in the areas of their identities and bodies. This informs our studies in philosophy, epistemology, ontology, social studies,
hermeneutics (study of interpretation), anthropology, anatomy, and health.
SOLA GRATIA (grace alone) proclaims that all of our salvation, from beginning to end, is by grace and grace alone. As opposed to contemporary narratives, your child’s soul can only find rest in the Lord, no matter how many likes he or she has on their uploaded selfie, or subscribers they have on their video channel, or followers they might have on their Instagram. They are loved and cannot work for our love. This informs our PLACE Services, our student life activities, our clubs, our House system, our faculty/staff fellowship and collegiality, our classroom culture, and our overall community.
Lastly, because of these things the Reformers held fast to the phrase SOLI DEO GLORIA, that God alone receives glory for our salvation. With this, Jesus, the True King, provides us the privilege by inviting us to celebrate Him in his kingdom here on Calvin’s Campus. This informs our work ethic, music, dance, the arts, sports, and every social event that provides fellowship.
It’s these 5 pillars that are at the heart of what we do in expressing worship to the Lord at Calvin Christian School. • Words by David Illman
2024 theme DELIGHT IN & CREATE BEAUTY
THE SCHOOL OF SCIENCE
nature Study
Nature study leading to formal studies is the heart of Calvin’s K-12 School of Science pilot underway on our elementary campus. This short article will speak to why this is the foundation for the science program and fulfills Calvin’s mission of inviting students to be formed by God’s love in Christ love for a life of Wonder, Worship, Work and Wisdom.
At Calvin, we are dedicated to creating an excellent environment of learning. In recent years, the K-12 School of Science curriculum development committee studied and re-designed the high school program focusing on the integration of structure and function. This theme threads physics, chemistry, biology and advanced or topical courses. For example, scope and sequence is enhanced with physics, the study of predictable natural laws, in freshman year complementing algebra and providing a consistent basis for learning the formal process of scientific method. Both conceptual and accelerated courses in all core disciplines of physics, chemistry and biology are offered. Calvin’s high school years culminate with new offerings such as AP Physics (seniors), Honors Field Biology I (juniors), Honors Field Biology II (seniors) and Calvin’s Living Lab where students design in conduct in-ground studies.
This program re-development work has continued in the junior high years, elevating the integrated nature of earth, life
and physical sciences. In 6th grade, students explore not just the abiotic (non-living) elements of earth, but also the relationships and response of biotic (living) elements TO abiotic elements - ecology. This frames up 7th grade to approach life sciences from the integrated view of biological structures and their functions, parts to whole. And 8th grade to explore physical sciences, the basis for physics and chemistry from a structure and function lens.
Given this, close study of what science looks like in the elementary years at Calvin began in January 2024. Based on that, to raise young image-bearers who use their God-given faculties to their full potential, we need to guide and introduce them to a feast of ideas and principles inherently embodied in nature, which will capture their curiosity and wonder. This catalyzes their own, innate learning momentum: attention or the ability to attend. Children will develop their aptitudes so far as their ability to attend to them.
Living, breathing, inherently beautiful- nature is a feast! And it properly reflects the Nature of our Triune Creator - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Because of that, children respond with praise to Him.
Nature study leading to formal studies is the theme for Calvin’s K-12 School of Science curriculum pilot which is currently underway on Calvin’s campus. Some benefits:
1. Just by being itself, nature is an inspiring teacher, an accessible subject-matter expert and engaging author. Nature inspires through its whimsy, beauty and magnitude. Nature is an expert in natural laws and displays them in a completely accessible, relatable, effortless and accurate manner. Without thinking, we engage with nature.
2. Nature study, or observation, reveals real, significant patterns. Which in turn reveal underlying relationships, systems and processes. Which then leads children to wonder.
3. Observation develops attention and the ability to attend, which is a necessary skill for children to mature as a whole child using the faculties God has given them to their fullest potential.
4. Nature journaling in words, pictures (qualities) and numbers (quantities) builds attention. In order to draw something, you need to look closely at it, especially the less familiar parts.
5. Observation, especially to draw something in a nature journal, helps us to notice significant biologic details about that subject that we may not have noticed before.
What does this look like? Nature study encompasses nature walks, collected items on nature tables, and observation activities such as “my secret plant” or sound mapping. It involves reading nature lore, Living Books written in calling ways by experts, not editors. It includes spoken and written narration. It includes nature journaling in words, pictures and numbers which deepens thinking, attention, memory, and wonder.
Through nature study, young image-bearers form lasting connections with the object of their study. This leaves the door open to ponder and grow their own confidence in learning from which to further build in formal studies in the later elementary years and beyond. •
BECOMING GOOD PEOPLE who speak well
THE STUDENT-LED CONFERENCE
It was the Roman educator and rhetoritician, Marcus Fabius Quintilianus, who claimed that goal of education is to become “a good person who speaks well.” In a way, these words are a fitting rationale for the new program we rolled out last school year in the elementary school called “The Student-Led Conference (SLC).”
The SLC is an entire day set aside for each student to have a scheduled start time (with no specific end time) to sit at a private table, in a beautiful atmosphere, with his/ her parents to then thoughtfully and systematically share all he/she has learned in their “excellent, whole-child education from a biblical worldview as founded in the Reformation” (to quote our mission). In our fast-paced, microwave, eat-on-the-go culture, being intentional in scheduling an unbound time for parents to fully attune to their child is of paramount value!
Our hope and prayer at Calvin Christian School is that each young image bearer is truly becoming the “good person who speaks well.” To be clear, we know that the only way any image bearer becomes truly good, is to become more and more like Jesus; and we know this is only possible by being formed by God’s Love in Christ. And this is the work of God alone, by His grace alone, through the free gift of saving faith alone (for a good summary of this, check out question and answer #1 & 2 in the Heidelberg Catechism).
Thus, a central hope of the SLC is for students to prepare to “speak well” about their own personal growing faith. We also know from Scripture that image bearers have great capacities with their minds for learning about Truth, Beauty as well as Goodness. How special for the child to share with his/her parents all that has been taking place in their heart, mind, soul and strength in their time at school.
HOW STUDENTS PREPARE FOR THE STUDENT-LED CONFERENCE
Getting to the actual Student-Led Conference day takes a school year of saving and planning. Throughout the school year, students begin collecting and saving work samples from across all curricular areas into their portfolios. Teachers encourage students to keep school work that shows off their best effort, as well as keeping work that shows areas they are working to grow in. Along with collected work samples, students also have written out goals they hope to achieve as the year goes on. As the year progresses, along with help from the classroom teachers, students will then sift through their collections, determining what material best shows their growth as the school year has gone on. They also spend time reflecting on the goal they created early in the school year.
After the students progress through the first three quarters of the school year, they then will shift from collecting
evidence to creating a script to fill in or write out. Under the guidance of the classroom teacher, students work on and complete their scripts, and then spend time practicing reading it out loud. Students will practice reading to their teachers, their peers, and even possibly with students from different grades. The goal is to be confident and comfortable sharing aloud with an audience. On the actual conference day, with little or no teacher guidance, each student escorts their parent(s) to a table to present their binder of material. Students invite their guest(s) to sit across the table from themselves and begin to work their way through reciting their scripts and showing their collected material of their school year. Each parent or guest is given a notecard to take notes to ask questions at the end of the conference. Once completed, our hope is that each student and parent will continue the conversation inspired by the Student-Led Conference. • By J. Pratt and P.
Lapka
the beauty ofGod’s justice the ofGod’s alumni perspective
By Christian Espinosa Schatz, Class of 2014
In my ten years since graduating from Calvin, have pursued a career as an anthropologist, meaning that I try to understand how humans interact with each other and the earth through the cultures, societies, and institutions they have built, and so reflect on what it means to be human. Anthropologists do this through something called “ethnography”, an empirical method that entails living with and among a group of people, sharing food, listening to their life stories, and otherwise participating in their everyday lives. In my case, that has meant living in the mountains of Guatemala where work with a Mayan indigenous group that speaks a language called Mam, one of the 23 Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala today. God has used my journey from Calvin to the Ivy League to Guatemala to teach me that His beauty is inexorably tied to the pursuit of justice, a lesson that resonates with this year’s theme: “Delight in and create beauty.” In the brief words below, I hope to show how God has revealed the beauty of His justice through my vocation and in so doing convince you, dear Cord reader, that God may also be calling you to the work of justice as you reflect on His beauty.
If this year’s theme centers on Psalm 27:4 which states, “… to gaze on the beauty of the Lord, and to seek him in his temple,” this evokes the question, what does it mean to seek the Lord? This is precisely the question posed in Isaiah 58, which describes Israelites who “day after day seek me [the Lord] out.” In a sermon on this passage titled “Justice,” the late Tim Keller observes that these people are following the laws of the Torah, worshiping, and fasting, but in earnest bewilderment ask, “why are we fasting… why have we humbled ourselves and you haven’t noticed.” Keller concludes that “in spite of their moral lives, God is not answering their prayers.”
In God’s stark reply, he defines true worship as an outflow of justice rather than an inward morality: “To loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke… to share your food with the hungry and to bring the wandering, homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to clothe them.” Keller summarizes the lesson of Isaiah 58 by saying “justice is the grand symptom of a real relationship with God.” Moreover, for those who live this life of faith, God promises beautiful flourishing that points both back to the garden of Eden and forward to the new heavens and new earth: “And you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail[…] And you will be called […] the restorer of the streets in which to dwell.”
While I sought the Lord in college, I was caught up in this biblical vision of justice just as felt the vocational call to academic work. I sat with the question – how can I work in privileged, wealthy institutions like Harvard, Cambridge, and Yale and still split bread with the hungry and poor? This question ultimately led me to work with the poor, marginalized indigenous communities in Guatemala’s western highlands. The participants in my research face truly dire life circumstances: they are the survivors of a genocidal war that followed the US-backed coup of Guatemala’s first democratic system, and experience poverty, chronic malnutrition, and systematic exclusion from economic opportunities. And yet, through reflecting on the wisdom of biblical justice, I have witnessed the ways in which Jesus identifies with the poor and how the Holy Spirit comes close to those who mourn.
If this context of poor, indigenous subsistence farmers in Guatemala seems far removed from life in Escondido, I’d remind us that these poor indigenous Guatemalans are our neighbors; and mean that not just in the expansive definition of the neighbor in Jesus’ parable, but also quite literally. Particularly in the last decade, Escondido has received a growing community
of Q’anjob’al and Mam speaking Mayan immigrants from Guatemala, who live and work alongside an already existing community of indigenous and Latina/o immigrants from Mexico. Mayan immigrants in the US face overlapping challenges: Latina/o immigrants can carry prejudices against indigenous immigrants, while white Americans mis-identify them as Latina/o, leading to, among other issues, a lack of proper representation in immigration cases when Spanish is assumed to be an individual’s primary language, when it is in fact a second language they learned as an adult. I believe there is a great opportunity for the church in Escondido in this moment, to seek the beautiful flourishing outlined in the biblical vision of justice through inviting the undocumented, indigenous poor into our homes. As Jesus reminds us in Matthew 25, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Christian and his research assistant conducting an interview with an elder in the community.
The body of Christ comprises diverse members with various gifts, each equally important as we are all created in God’s image. At Calvin Christian School, we extend the Christian family’s values and aim to reflect the diverse gifts and abilities within our community. Recognizing that children learn differently, we address learning difficulties, disabilities, and social-emotional mental health challenges. Our mission to provide “supplemental services” enhances learning opportunities for all students and streamlines communication among teachers, parents, and administration. These services, which we call PLACE (Planning Loving Advocacy for Christ-centered Education), align with our goal to meet the needs of every family member, supporting individual learning requirements.
Kali Behneman, the Coordinator of PLACE Services, has a background in special education and a master’s in social work. She is dedicated to Whole-Child Well-Being, Calvin’s approach to mental health support. This unique community fosters deep interactions, and as the sole mental health professional on campus, she collaborates with outside mental health providers, administration, teachers, students, and parents to ensure student success. Her passion lies in providing everyone with the support they need to perform at their best, whether through conversation, therapy recommendations, or conflict resolution.
As Christian educators at CCS, we aim to provide a Christian education that benefits all of God’s children. Students thrive when learning alongside peers who differ from them, reflecting God’s sovereign design. Our program aims to be integral to our community, promoting diverse learning experiences that enrich students’ Christian faith and character. The true identity of all image-bearers is found in God’s love in Christ, not through performance measures. Well-formed identities lead to a proper ordering of loves, fostering healthy development and use of God-given gifts. We are blessed to demonstrate Christ’s love within a complete community that embraces diverse abilities.
PLACE Services serves all students, especially those on both sides of the achievement spectrum. We support students who struggle and those who excel. We aim to identify students who quickly master grade-level material to offer enrichment resources. We use MAP scores, academic achievement, and teacher recommendation to identify students that need this resource. These enrichment opportunities include advanced coursework, project-based learning, and access to specialized programs that challenge students to reach their full potential. By fostering an environment that encourages intellectual curiosity and creativity, we help students develop critical thinking skills, a lifelong love for learning, and the ability to apply their knowledge in real-world situations.
As believers, we are inspired by God’s Spirit to see and love one another as He does. To learn more about our evolving PLACE Services, please scan the QR code. Thank you for your prayers and support as we continue to develop these essential services in His time.
SPORTS RECAP2023-2024
The Crusaders’ 23-24 sports year was highlighted by memorable achievements, particularly in both the fall and spring seasons.
In the fall season, the girls volleyball team struggled a bit through the regular season, finishing with a 5-16 mark. Squeaking into the playoffs with a #10 seed, the girls hit their stride, knocking off #7 EAA in five sets followed by a 3-1 win over #2 Preuss. The victories earned the squad a berth in the semi-finals against the #3 seed Calipatria Hornets. Unfortunately, the girls came up short in their bid to make the CIF Finals, losing 3-1 to the eventual CIF champs. The team was coached by Kate Gross and Kara Detrich.
Meanwhile the football team experienced a resurgence after a tough ‘22 campaign. The team finished with a regular season mark of 6-3 and won a first round playoff game at home before falling to #2 seed St. Joseph in the semi-finals. Bernie Thomas led the team in his farewell season, assisted by David Stout and Dave Nelson.
The cross country teams had another excellent season as well under the leadership of long time coach Jonathan Beutlich. Sr. Sophie Memmelaar finished with All League honors and qualified for the State Meet. Meanwhile the boys had a special season, finishing as Pacific League Champions and CIF Div. 5 runners up, which earned them another berth in the CA State Championships where they finished in 7th as a team. The boys team was led by senior standout, John Bitner who set a new school record of 15:33 for 5K, finishing in 9th place in Fresno, the school’s highest ever individual finish at the State Meet.
WINTER & SPRING SPORTS AT CALVIN
The winter season was on the cruel side for Crusader athletics.
The boys basketball team again struggled with numbers, fielding a roster of only nine players. Despite the small roster, the team held their own playing in the Pacific League, earning a 2-8 league mark and 7-11 overall record. The team was coached by Eric Miedema and assisted by Ruben Bons.
The girls soccer team notched a 4-11-1 overall record, but went winless in the Pacific League, after having been moved up from the Ocean League after the previous year’s success. Head coach Brooke Brouwer and assistant Lance Klem led the squad.
Finally the boys soccer team experienced crippling roster losses, struggling to field a full roster for the entire season. This was reflected in their 1-16-3 overall record. They too went winless in the Pacific League after their promotion from the Ocean League. Despite the tough season, head coach Mark Memmelaar and assistant Lyle Faber kept the kids’ spirits up.
Things rebounded in a big way for Crusader athletics’ spring season.
Boys volleyball completed their second season, earning 3 wins overall and finishing 1-5 in their first year in the Ocean League. The team was led by 2nd year coach Clay Joseph, assisted by Ron Van Der Pol. The distance teams lead the boys and girls track & field programs. Senior John Bitner broke Bart Conner’s 25 year old record in the 1600M, running 4:24.57. He also lowered his own record in the 3200M, running 9:32.11. The team was coached by Theresa Hoff, assisted by Dave Nelson and Brad Bitner.
And finally, capping off the sports year in fine fashion, Coach Stephen Johnson’s baseball team went 22-3 for the season, including winning the Ocean League with a 9-1 mark. But they saved their best performances for the post-season, winning four straight and eventually defeating Rock Academy in the Finals to earn the title of CIF 5AA Champions. The team’s first year assistant coach was Danny Gill.
performing arts performing arts performing arts arts
Musicals
It was another amazing year in Calvin Musical Theater! Our image bearers sang, danced and performed for over 3,000 guests in the 20232024 school year!
Our production year started with Finding Nemo Jr. from our Middle Musical cast, grades 4th - 8th, bringing an unrivaled vibrance to the Heritage Center stage. Our cast members transported audiences under the sea with their whimsy and heartfelt portrayals of some of Disney’s quirkiest characters using jaw-dropping sets, clever and brightly-colored costumes and amazing energy and effort from every performer! Our cast and production team were able to take this secular musical and use it to bring glory to our Creator, reminding audiences that our Father is in constant pursuit of our hearts and will never, ever leave us. It was truly a wonderful production.
Our youngest group of image bearers, grades 1st through 4th, captivated audiences with The Magic Treehouse; Pirates Past Noon KIDS - based on the award-winning book series by Author Mary Pope Osborne. These students truly showcased their blossoming confidence and creativity while keeping audiences smiling and engaged throughout the entire adventure full of fearsome and silly pirates and endearing yet cunning island natives all the while highlighting themes of friendship, honesty, a love for God’s creation and the joy of a good book!
We finished the year with Calvin’s High School Musical production of Mary Poppins - a truly inspiring performance that was as sweet as a spoonful of sugar and as lively as it gets, causing audiences to clap and stomp to the beat of some of the most iconic songs from one of the most popular Disney movies of all time. Our high schoolers worked tirelessly and truly delivered an enchanting mixture of irresistible story, unforgettable songs, breathtaking dance numbers and warmed all our hearts as we were reminded of how God can bring redemption to our own stories through relationship with others.
135 Calvin students performed in Musical Theater during the school year with upwards of 20 more working hard behind the curtain as members of stage and tech crew. Musical Theater truly supports Calvin’s mission of inviting student to be formed by God’s love in Christ for a life of wonder, worship, work and
wisdom in encouraging students to use their God-given abilities to grow in confidence, entertain, worship through song and dance, work together towards a common goal, building community based on showcasing our Creator through creation and giving HIM the glory! We hope you will join us in our cherished Heritage Center for even more from this awesome co-curricular program that touches the lives and hearts of so many.
This year, we are excited to announce the hiring of our new Artistic Director, Miss Anna Younce. Miss Younce comes to Calvin with a profound love of Christ, a robust background in Theatre, twenty years of experience and a Bachelor of Arts degree (Cum Laude) in Theatre from University of California San Diego. Miss Younce is teaching a Theatre Stagecraft class to High School students and jumping right into directing all of our musical productions and we are so excited to see what she brings to this program. To God be the glory!
Upper School music program Upper School
Music is a gift of God. So goes the thinking of Martin Luther, and I tend to agree! Recently, attended a choir festival at Dordt University. As a hundred-plus choir of teens sang, “Come, Christians, Join to Sing” (by Robert Kempton – performed during the October 10 concert) I was moved to heartfelt praise. Whether listening, singing, or playing instruments, Christians have a unique privilege of making music to the Lord. With that truth in mind, I begin my work as the Upper School Music Teacher. It is my goal to foster a musical community that declares the glory of God!
I was born and raised in Northwest Iowa. My husband and moved with our three children to Escondido in 2013. In 2014, began teaching at Calvin as the Elementary Music teacher and later taught 5th grade. Now, In my new position, I am responsible for all the bands at Calvin (5th-High School) and the choral program for 6th-12th grade. I also teach Music Appreciation, coordinate music for Upper School Chapel, and assist as needed in preparing other school events.
As I start this year, the song of those young voices reverberates in my mind as a sweet memory. If you do not have a favorite music memory, please consider making one by joining us at a concert his year. It is my prayer that such an experience would lead you to join the song of praise to our God!
Words by: Emily Lund
EARLY CHILDHOOD education
For the past 21 years, Calvin Christian’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) program has welcomed children ages 2-5 into a loving and nurturing learning environment that emphasizes God’s love, stands firm on biblical truth, and teaches the children who they are in Christ and who God has called them to be. We recognize that every child is uniquely created in His image and it is our job as early educators to appreciate these differences and foster a developmentally appropriate curriculum, where every child can thrive. Our program looks at the whole child, providing fun, play-based activities and hands-on learning that allow our youngest image bearers to achieve various skills as they become developmentally ready.
Young children need numerous opportunities throughout the day to move their bodies and execute large motor activities, so that their minds are prepared to launch into an academic environment with eagerness and joy. To support that need, we encourage learning through active play, such as outdoor time on the playground where children are free to run, jump, climb, ride bicycles, and dig in the sandbox and indoor motor activities like spin boards, balance beams, hopscotch, and can stilts to name a few. Music and movement is also weaved into the daily curriculum, helping to develop our student’s cognitive, physical, and emotional needs, as well as enhance language development. Children naturally relate to rhythm and motion, exuding happiness and squeals of delight when they hear the familiar sounds of a song they know and love. Our days are filled with joyful noise as we sing and dance, practice clapping patterns and recite finger plays, play musical instruments, participate in praise and worship, and use different songs to help the children with transitions throughout the day.
In alignment with this year’s theme, “Delight In and Create Beauty”, we prioritize art as an important part of the early learning environment. The children are provided with opportunities to develop their own creativity through expressive art, where the focus is on the process of creating and encouraging each child’s exploration and effort, not just the end result. We also foster an environment for the children to dwell in the world of imagination and dramatic play. Dramatic play is a powerful tool enabling children to better process and express their emotions and develop social skills that will serve them throughout their lifetime.
Our program is truly a place of wonder, exploration, learning and fun, shepherded by eleven wonderful early educators ready to share Christ’s love. When you step inside the doors, you are greeted by the smiling faces, heart-warming hugs, and the jovial sounds of sweet laughter and excitement of our youngest image bearers “invited to be formed by God’s love in Christ for a life of wonder, worship, work, and wisdom”.
Anyone who has stepped through the doors of our Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) knows they have truly stepped into the incredible WONDER-land of Calvin’s youngest image bearers. It is a world drenched with joy, hugs, smiles, singing, exploration, awe, reflection, experimentation, movement, play, and more play! This is the beautiful environment in which our youngest image bearers are “invited to be formed by God’s love in Christ for a life of wonder, worship, work and wisdom.”
Children as young as two years old (non potty trained welcomed!) Can begin attending our program. Parents have the options of full and half-days, as well as choosing from 2-5 days per week as they determine what is best for their children.
Children in our ECEC are most certainly not in some type of pre-educational holding pattern, waiting for the proverbial school-years to begin. Though fully compliant with state “daycare” licensing for young children, the term “daycare” or even “preschool” for that matter, are not the most accurate or helpful terms we use to describe what our students experience in their day. In line with our Mission, our youngest image bearers are engaged in a full-blown Christ-centered educational whole-child educational program, informed by the robust and time-tested Christian liberal arts tradition. Recently our wonderful ECE teaching team enjoyed a morning of professional development with well-known author and ECE special, Cheryl Swope. She shared a helpful acrostic with our teachers who felt that it beautifully captured the heart of our ECE program – P.R.I.M.A.R.Y.
P REPARATION AND PRACTICE
An indispensable foundation for liberal arts and sciences is established by the myriad intentional ways our teachers engage students and help them practice good hard work while having fun.
R ECITATION AND RHYME
By way of songs, rhymes, games, play and more, recitation and rhyme foster linguistic and conceptual readiness.
I MAGINATION AND IMITATION
In these primary years the imagination is paramount to the correct shaping and ordering of loves (rf Augustine), where children sort out their God-given capacity to discern right from wrong and goodness from evil. Ironically, good imitation leads to the development of creativity.
M USIC, MOVEMENT AND MANNERS
Primary education, simply (yet profoundly stated) is a musical education! Music is not only one of the seven liberal arts, but it is essential and frankly miraculous in how it shapes a child’s soul and animates his/her natural and insatiable desire to move. Children move in musical ways. The inculcation of manners is critical for developing a healthy and Christ-like understanding of serving others and gaining wisdom.
A ESOP AND ARITHMETIC
Children in the primary years are naturally wired to delight in fables which teach moral and often biblically sound worl dview lessons. Arithmetic is another of the 7 liberal arts, and core to developing a strong number sense for which each image bearer has capacity to delight in God’s wonderful world.
R EADING AND WRITING
Of course the central goal of Christ-centered education is teaching the children the transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Christian faith is historic and it is one big, true story. Image bearers are made by God to love words and love stories, which are so often the ways we access what is Good, True and Beautiful. For these reasons we want to help children love reading and also express themselves in early childhood development writing.
Y EARNING
Often our culture sentimentally sees childhood as an end in itself, but of course this is not God’s plan. As we all grow and develop throughout our life, day-by-day, we need mentors and the wisdom of those who go before us. We desire for children to yearn, ultimately to be discipled as a covenant child to grow in his/her relationship with God in Christ, such that one day God works through them to disciple others.
• Words by Dr. Jeff Pratt
2024 graduates
College & CounselingCareer
College and Career Counseling at Calvin Christian School is dedicated to guiding students in their academic and professional journeys. The department is rooted in the Reformed understanding that each individual is an image bearer of God. It aims not only to prepare students for future careers but also to deepen their understanding of their divine purpose.
2024 COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES
Abilene Christian University
Azusa Pacific University
Baylor University
Biola University
California Baptist University
California State University-Long Beach
California State University-San Marcos
Calvin University
Carnegie Mellon University
Charleston Southern University
Colorado Christian University
Concordia University-Irvine
Corban University
Covenant College
Dordt University
Geneva College
George Fox University
Gordon College
Grand Canyon University
Grossmont College
Grove City College
Hope College
Illinois Institute of Technology
Kansas State University
Loyola Marymount University
Marquette University
Northwestern College
Oregon State University
Palomar College
Pepperdine University
Point Loma Nazarene University
Providence Christian College
Purdue University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Samford University
San Diego State University
The Master’s University and Seminary
The University of Alabama
Trinity Christian College
United States Coast Guard Academy
United States Naval Academy
University of California-Berkeley
University of California-Davis
University of California-Los Angeles
University of California-San Diego
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Florida
University of Kansas
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
University of Oregon
Utah Valley University
Vanguard University of
Southern California
Washburn University
Westmont College
Wheaton College
Whitworth University
Lisa Smits, our College and vocational guidance counselor, has been a part of the Calvin community for over 20 years and has an insider’s perspective on the unique and specific needs of Calvin families. She provides individualized guidance, ensuring students’ unique talents and aspirations are nurtured. This “concierge college counseling” helps students navigate college applications, career planning, and scholarship opportunities with a tailored approach.
“Helping families navigate this process is the best part. When I can come alongside a family and help them assess their needs and expectations, it encourages communication between Seniors and their families, promoting the maturity they will need to head off to college. see so much growth in them over their last year of high school. Calvin graduates are a unique and impressive group.”
Our philosophy inspires students to seek vocations that align with their God-given talents, emphasizing the importance of glorifying God in all endeavors. We encourage students to recognize their abilities and strengths through guided exploration and introspection. This approach aids students in selecting colleges and careers where they can live out their faith as image-bearers of God.
Ultimately, the College and Career Department at Calvin Christian School goes beyond conventional academic and career preparation. It equips students to lead lives that honor God, are grounded in Reformed theology, and are ready to make meaningful contributions to society as disciples of the Creator. This holistic approach ensures that Calvin graduates are not only academically and professionally prepared but also spiritually fortified to positively impact the world.
A YEAR INreview
THE LAST YEAR AT CALVIN INCLUDED MINI OLYMPICS, ANOTHER GREAT UPPER SCHOOL SERVICE DAY, UPPER SCHOOL INTERIM CLASSES, THE CELEBRATION OF MR. BILL STOUT, HOUSE CUP, CONCERTS, MUSICALS, DUTCH FESTIVAL, AND SO MUCH MORE.
Dutch Festival
On Saturday, April 20, the campus of Calvin Christian School was bursting with excitement for the much anticipated Dutch Festival. This biennial tradition takes place every other year and celebrates the school’s heritage while raising funds for the future. It has long been an event with activities for people of all ages - fun games for children and plenty of fellowship, good food, and entertainment for adults.
This year, guests attending likely heard the Town Crier, watched Calvin Christian’s 3rd and 4th graders perform the Klompen Dance wearing Dutch wooden shoes, and might have spied Apron Oma around campus.
Though this event provides a fun-filled day for kids and adults alike, one of the main goals is to raise funds for the school. This is done when
or
Each Dutch Festival raises funds for two causes: The Legacy Fund and a special campus project. This year, that project is an elementary school playground remodel. Thanks to the countless hours of planning and preparation by the Dutch Festival Committee and all of the guests that participated in some way, the fundraising goal was met with over $167,000! There are over 200 elementary students that will be eagerly looking forward to returning from Christmas break in January 2025 to play on their new playground! •
APPLYING TOcalvin
For over 60 years, Calvin Christian School has partnered with Christian families from communities across north San Diego county. It is our desire to have a student body that reflects the family of God. Therefore, we encourage all Christian families to consider attending Calvin regardless of denomination or economic status. We’re happy to be serving families from over 70 different churches around the county.
Calvin Christian School is committed to a threefold partnership between the family, church and school. We desire to provide young people with a sound education from a Biblical worldview in order to deepen the student’s faith and develop their abilities for a life of service to God and their neighbors. Calvin is blessed to see second and third generation families enrolling their children because of the value they placed on their own time here.
APPLYING TO
CALVIN
The Calvin Christian School admission application can be completed online. Visit our website at www.calvinchristian.school and click on Admissions > > Overview.
DISCLAIMER
FEES - 2024/2025 SCHOOL YEAR
Application Fee … $100 (non-refundable)
A non-refundable Re-Enrollment Deposit is required for each returning family in the spring.
TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Any family may apply for tuition assistance through the Tuition Assistance Program. Families may qualify for up to a 50% discount on their tuition. The application period begins for 2025/2026 on January 1, 2025. Visit www. calvinchristian.school and click on Admissions >> Tuition & Fees Program
Contact Calvin Admissions to find out how to schedule a tour or to have your questions answered. We look forward to hearing from you.
Heather Souders
Director of Community Life 760-520-8435 admissions@calvinchristian.school
LEARN MORE ABOUT CALVIN
We encourage you to learn more about Calvin Christian School! Browse our website, attend an open house, take a VIP tour, or talk to a Calvin family! Visit our website www.calvinchristian.school and click on the Schedule a Tour button to come and visit our beautiful campus.
We offer Early Childhood Education programs for children ages 2 through Kindergarten Prep as well as a fully-accredited elementary, junior high and high school program. We understand that the cost of a private education may present a challenge to many families and that’s why we offer a need-based tuition assistance through the Legacy Fund.
Calvin Christian School admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights and privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded, or made available to students at the school. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, and ethnic origin in administration of our educational policies, admissions policies, athletic, and other school administered programs, nor in the hiring of faculty or administration.
All admitted Calvin Christian School families must agree with the Statement of Faith, abide by the policies and procedures found in the Handbook for Parents and Students, and sign the Calvin Christian School Pledge of Cooperation.
TUITION 2024/2025 SCHOOL YEAR
We will publish the 2025/2026 tuition rates in the spring of 2025. Typically, tuition increases slightly every year.
3-day Kindergarten… $7,636
5-day Kindergarten… $11,748
Grade 1-5… $11,748
Grade 6-8… $13,133
Grade 9-12… $15,443
TUITION PAYMENT OPTIONS
Families must remain on the payment schedule agreed upon with the School via Blackbaud Tuition Management. In most cases, these schedules can include payment in full on August 1, quarterly payment or monthly payments for 10 or 11 months.
If an account is delinquent, continued enrollment will be reviewed by the Board. Any family who withdraws a student during the school year is required to pay for the entire quarter during which they were withdrawn.
Scan me to learn more!
A LEGACY OF generosity
THE LEGACY FUND
According to the Barna Research Group, 73% of U.S. parents are concerned about their children’s spiritual development and formation of their faith.
There are 12,350 school hours in school between kindergarten and graduation. With children spending more hours a day at school than at home, a school’s role in nurturing the whole child’s mind, body and spirit and in building and bolstering the foundation of their faith is as important as ever.
CALVIN CHRISTIAN IS ABLE TO SUSTAIN AN EXCELLENT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN GREAT PART TO OUR MANY GENEROUS DONORS. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO ALL OUR FINANCIAL SUPPORTERS!
As we move into the future and as the cost of a quality, private Christian education rises faster than inflation, we must focus our investment to help families continue to access the great education that Calvin offers. A goal of our annual fundraising every year is the Endowment’s Legacy Fund. The Legacy Fund helps families who are not able to afford the entire cost of the great, private Christian education we are providing here at Calvin.
The generosity of this community allows the school to continue to provide an education to students from Christian families, where they are invited to be formed by God’s love in Christ for a life of wonder, worship, work, and wisdom every time they enter a classroom. Calvin desires to provide this education no matter the economic circumstances a family may be in. With that in mind, we are happy to report that approximately 33% of our families receive financial support from the Legacy Fund.
BUILDING A LASTING FUTURE
The purpose of Calvin Christian School’s Endowment Fund is to provide a strong financial base for the school. The endowment fund began in 1986 with a starting balance of $18,000. Now, 38 years later, the endowment fund has grown to $2,653,939 The Endowment Fund accepts and manages gifts (in most cases, tax deductible) of property, securities, life insurance, bequests, memorials, cash and other forms of contributions for the benefit of Calvin Christian School.
The goals of the Calvin Christian School Endowment Fund are
1. To provide need-based tuition assistance, through the Legacy Fund, to all families who sincerely desire a Christian education for their children.
2. To help show the Christian community the wide variety of opportunities for stewardship other than cash gifts.
3. To encourage using opportunities where Christian stewardship can be applied to furthering God’s kingdom.
Gifts to the Endowment Fund are held in trust in separate accounts with only a portion of the earned income from the principal investment used to aid the school. The undistributed earnings are reinvested into the fund, allowing it to grow. In other words, it’s a gift that keeps on giving every year.
WAYS TO GIVE TO ENDOWMENT
• Gifts in a Will
• Non-Cash Assets
• Income for Life
• Stewards Fund
• Talk with a Planner
• Child Named Charity
To learn more about these opportunities to support Calvin, please use the QR code, contact the school office at advancement@calvinchristian.school, or call 760-489-6430.
CALVIN’S GOVERNING BOARD
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Mr. Jeff Cooper
Mr. Johnny Tiersma
Mr. Mark Steenstra
Dr. Josh Van Ee
Mr. Aaron Faber
Mrs. Audrey Brouwer
Mr. John Van Otterloo
Mr. Mark MacVey
Mr. Mark Veldkamp
ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
Dr. Jeff Pratt HEAD OF SCHOOL
Mr. David Illman UPPER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Mr. Paul Lapka ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Mrs. Sonja Downs
Mrs. Cheryl Kramer DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Mrs. Heather Souders
OF
