The Cavalier Winter 2018

CENTRAL VALLEY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

THE CAVALIER

WINTER 2018 1

In this issue of

THE CAVALIER

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08

16 12 14 Keeping up with the Kornelises

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Briefs

07

Capital Campaign

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08

Grandparents Day

The View: Bible Story Day

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Real Families

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Alumni Updates

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10

The Best Gift I Ever Gave

On the cover: Grant Highstreet hugs his sister Lizzy during halftime at CVC's homecoming celebration.

To read a little more about the big Homecoming Hurrah just for Lizzy, head to page 11!

Take My Life From the Superintendent’s Desk One night during our volleyball season our girls were playing at home and I was in the gym early watching the 9th grade game. The gym was pretty empty and I was sitting next to one of our high school boys. One of the student trainers was taping up the wrist of a varsity player nearby and the boy seemed quite absorbed with the process. “You seem pretty interested in athletic training. Is that the line of work you’re headed into?”

His answer was immediate and, to be honest, kind of startled me. “I want to do whatever God wants me to do.” He went on to describe some colleges he would consider and his fields of interest, which were varied and included athletic training and full-time ministry. He was wisely keeping his options open and could not be accused of setting his sights too low.

I was impressed with my friend. I was surely not that way in high school. For one, I never attended a 9th grade volleyball game. Two, the superintendent never spoke to me. And three, sadly, “God” would not have been in my answer to that question.

So the boy’s response both impressed me and humbled me.

In this issue of the Cavalier, you will read about the Kornelis boys. They are an impressive lot, to be sure, and, while I did not know any of them in high school, my guess is that God was on their radar when they started exploring careers. I’m glad we decided to feature them in this issue. I love how all of them pursued some type of ministry and how they’re all working hard in the kingdom. If I could change one thing, however, I would have had one of the four brothers pursue a career in, say, auto mechanics.

Central Valley Christian Schools

5600 W. Tulare Avenue Visalia, CA 93277 559.734.9481 admissions@cvc.org

It’s important that Christians are called to full-time ministry, like planting churches, translating Bibles into other languages, writing Christian literature or teaching Bible in a Christian school, but Christians are called to other lines of work, too, like athletic training, farming, accounting, business management and marketing.

Advertising and Content Information:

I will not be surprised if my high school friend turns out to be a pastor of a church some day. Nor will I be surprised if, instead, he goes to school to become an athletic trainer. I checked his academic records and he’s a pretty smart kid, interested in a lot of things; so there is no career for him that would really surprise me. After that brief conversation, I’m convinced that he will go where God leads, and on his way there he will figure out exactly how to serve God in that line of work.

Marissa Carpenter CVCS Marketing Director mcarpenter@cvc.org 559.734.2684

Central Valley Christian Schools is here to proclaim that Jesus is Lord. He is Lord on the mission field and in the pulpit, but he is also Lord in the science lab, on the athletic field and in the barn. We are in the business of training pastors, mathematicians, writers, missionaries, scientists, musicians, artists and dairymen to boldly proclaim that Lordship.

cvc.org

Take my life and let it be, Consecrated Lord, to thee…

Take my intellect and use, Every power as thou shalt choose.

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Keeping up with the Kornelises Over 23 combined semesters of seminary and counting

By Marissa Carpenter, Director of Marketing & Enrollment When I was at CVCHS from 2002-2006, I had the privilege of knowing the Kornelis family, and since I work here now, I still know them, and work with two of them. Three if you count Michael’s wife, Ally. Brian was in my brother Derek’s grade, and was a senior when I was a freshman. Michael was in my grade, and his younger twin brothers, Darren and Kevin were a few years behind us--they were freshmen when we were seniors.

lives, and that they’ve responded to it. As a parent, you want to see your children serving the Lord and that they’re happy in doing it.”

I never had Mr. Tim Kornelis (the original, known as “Mr. K” around CVC) as a teacher, but I have heard stories told of the high level of engagement common in his classroom. A board member told me once that during a classroom visit, Mr. Kornelis asked a question, and nearly every student’s hand shot up; kids were jumping out of their seats wanting to answer. I suppose public speaking and leading run in the family.

BRIAN

A few months ago, a colleague pointed out that three of the Kornelis sons had either attended or were attending seminary.

Shortly thereafter, a fourth Kornelis son began attending seminary.

In conversation with Mr. K, I tried to get to the root of this desire.

Perhaps when one is a teacher, there is a constant impetus to research, learn more, and obtain not only knowledge, but also wisdom--something that can only come with time and experience.

Mr. K never attended seminary. He didn’t even think about it. (His words.) He went to Calvin College (an institution that figures heavily in this story, as three of his four sons attended there for undergrad, and all four have attended or are going through Calvin Seminary) and he graduated with a double major in Special Education and Elementary Education. This year marks his 33rd at CVC, and five years before that, he was a 5th/6th teacher at San Jose Christian School. So, when you look up “veteran teacher” in the proverbial dictionary, you’ll see a picture of Mr. K. When I asked Mr. K what he made of all four sons attending seminary, he chose his words carefully: “I never encouraged or pushed [seminary]. I actually told them to consider education--it’s a great occupation.” In fact, when his eldest, Brian, floated the idea of his attending seminary to his father, Mr. K thought internally: “Are you sure?” However much Mr. K wondered about his sons’ desires to learn more about theology and the Bible, he made clear to me that he was “thankful that they’re aware of God’s call on their 4

Without further ado, let’s learn more about the next generation of Kornelises. (And coincidentally, the fifth generation of Calvin alumni!)

Year graduated from CVC: 2003 Undergrad Degree: Biblical Studies and Theology from Biola University How many semesters of seminary completed: I did 8 semesters (4 years).

Current position: Lead Pastor of Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Edgerton, MN. First or favorite memory of CVC? I had a really good Bible class with a teacher named Chris Gordon.

He’s now a pastor in southern California. That class had an important role in deepening my love for the Bible.

Why did you choose to go to seminary? What are the benefits of seminary as it pertains to your current occupation or life situation?

I went to seminary as a response to a sense of call to ministry. As a pastor, my education is indispensable and serves me everyday. I take seriously that my official title is “Minister of the Word.” So, to have an intensive education in how to properly handle that Word is essential.

How do you think Christian education helps take on today’s challenges through academia and the holistic process of involving Christ in everything we do?

Everyone has foundational beliefs on which their whole worldview is built. Much of the time, people don’t know how to articulate what their foundation is, or justify it. Christian education is valuable because it grounds everything in God and His Word, but it also gives students the advantage of knowing what their foundation is,

Speak Like A Seminarian sitz in leben: situation or context (i.e. “Let’s not forget the ancient near eastern sitz in leben as we exegete the Abrahamic narrative”) Exegete: interpret

continue studying and continue figuring out what role in education God had for me.

How do you think Christian education helps take on today’s challenges through academia and the holistic process of involving Christ in everything we do?

How would you change Christian education? Would you change anything about your specific CVC experience? If so, what?

How would you change Christian education? Would you change anything about your specific CVC experience? If so, what?

I can’t think of anything I would change. I can say now as a pastor of a church supporting a Christian school, and having my own kids there, I really value close and intentional cooperation between church and school. Neither should try to overstep the other’s bounds. Education in various fields is primarily the role of the school, and spiritual formation is primarily the role of the church.

If I could add anything to our curriculum I think it would be awesome to have Classical Greek courses so that students could read and study Holy Scripture in the original language.

Parousia: Presence or Return (i.e. This text gives an eschatological hint at the imminent parousia of Christ)

THE CAVALIER

and why it is.

The modern world is a great and daunting labyrinth. And try as we might, we cannot ultimately go with our children into it. They must make their own way. But we can give them the thread that leads through it. That’s what education is: leading through [educere: to lead through] or rather empowering children to find and grab hold of that thread that leads through. And in Christian education, the thread we hand our children is Christ. He is the ground and summit of our journey, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. He is the thread that leads through.

Sensus Divinitatis: Sense of the Divine (i.e. God places in every human heart a Sensus Divinitatis)

At some point, all four of you were at CVC at the same time.

What did that look like?

At some point, all four of you and your brothers were at CVC at the same time. What did that look like?

It looked like a clown car. My dad had a tiny ’86 Toyota Camry that all five of us long, lanky giants would pile into and roll to campus.

It was cozy.

When I was a senior, Michael was a freshman and Darren and Kevin were in middle school. It made for a very busy household, and a huge grocery bill. But, I’m thankful for the fact that we still had family meals and family prayer.

KEVIN Year graduated from CVC: 2009 Undergrad degree:

MICHAEL

BA in Religion and History from Calvin College

Year graduated from CVC: 2006

How many semesters of seminary completed:

Undergrad degree:

Currently in my first semester

BA in Classical Languages from Calvin College

Current position/occupation:

How many semesters of seminary completed:

Youth Director at Heliopolis Community Church in Cairo, Egypt.

Six semesters

First or favorite memory of CVC?:

Current position/occupation:

My favorite memory at CVC was forming a band with my best friends and then winning Battle of the Bands four years running.

Bible Teacher at CVCHS First or favorite memory of CVC? For a church history report in my dad’s 6th grade class, I (and a bunch of other knuckle-heads) were assigned John Calvin—my dad’s hero. We had to put together a sort of play. We portrayed the Reformer as a fiery Southern Baptist preacher, a Zen Buddhist monk, and finally a WWF wrestler. About the time we had John Calvin body slamming a Catholic priest, I noticed my Ol’ man was not digging it. I pulled the plug. My dad said sternly, “You just portrayed everything John Calvin WAS NOT. You all get F’s.” I thought to myself, That’s fair.

Why did you choose to go to seminary? What are the benefits of seminary as it pertains to your current occupation or life situation?

I went to seminary first and foremost because I loved studying theology and historical theology in particular. Practically speaking, though, as I was finishing my BA, I had discerned that I wanted to go into education teaching theology, but had yet to discern where and at what level I wanted to do that. Seminary was an opportunity to

Why did you choose to go to seminary?: I have lived and worked in the Middle East for the past five years and have developed a passion and heart for the Arab Church and for discipleship, particularly of middle and high school age students. I realized this past year that in order to develop as a leader and better serve the local community and Church, I needed and wanted more training as I serve in the Church overseas.

What are the benefits of seminary as it pertains to your current occupation or life situation?: Calvin Seminary provides me with the theological and pastoral training necessary to best serve the youth at Heliopolis Community Church in my role as youth director and the Cairo community as a whole.

How do you think Christian education helps take on today’s challenges through academia and the holistic process of involving Christ in everything we do?: Because God seeks to reform and redeem the whole person, Christian education is important because it provides opportunities 5

to grow not only academically, but also emotionally and spiritually through relationships with fellow students and support and encouragement from teachers and staff. This prepares students to better engage and bring redemption to the world around them.

How would you change Christian education?: I would put a heavy emphasis on engagement and service with and to the community outside of the school.

Would you change anything about your specific CVC experience? If so, what? : I wish I would have been more involved in sports and extracurricular activities during my time at CVC. CVC was great at offering programs and activities outside the classroom.

At some point, all four of you were at CVC at the same time.

What did that look like?: Honestly, I don’t remember too well. I was in 6th grade when Brian graduated. I do remember piling into our sedan and driving with our dad to and from school, all five of us packed into the car.

DARREN Year graduated from CVC: 2009 Undergrad degree: Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Calvin College after one semester of COS. The major though is a little misleading. It makes it seem as though I studied Religion very broadly. That wasn’t the case; I specifically studied Biblical studies and Christian Theology.

How many semesters of seminary completed: I have completed 8 semesters at Calvin Theological Seminary and graduated just this past May. Current position/occupation: I am an interim pastor at Niekerk Christian Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan.

First or favorite memory of CVC? My first memory from CVC isn’t really all that exciting. Basically, I have faint memories of being in Kindergarten with Mrs. Bouma.

My favorite memory of CVC would probably have to be partaking in battle of the bands during Spirit Week, particularly when I was a freshman. My freshman year we won (actually we won every year) and so we then got to play at the homecoming dance as well, which was pretty awesome.

Really though, my favorite times at CVC were when I was playing music of any kind in the chapel building.

Why did you choose to go to seminary? What are the benefits of seminary as it pertains to your current occupation or life situation?

Apart from feeling called to go to seminary to pursue a career in pastoral ministry, going to seminary just made practical sense. I graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Religion from a small liberal arts school in Grand Rapids, MI. There’s not much that you can do with that. Seminary was really almost a necessity. Though the benefits of seminary are great, seminary was in fact necessary for me now as a pastor. But going to seminary doesn’t strictly limit you to being a pastor. Look at the four of us. Although Brian and I are now both in parish ministry, Brian was once a hospital chaplain, Michael is a high school Bible and Theology teacher, and Kevin is a missionary and youth pastor in Cairo, Egypt. Seminary gives you the opportunity to do so many different things in the 6

field of ministry; it offers versatile degrees.

How do you think Christian education helps take on today’s challenges through academia and the holistic process of involving Christ in everything we do?

The world often very feels very chaotic, and there are so many different worldviews competing not simply for our attention, but for our very lives. But they are all empty. They may look enticing, and they may suck us in, but they will always leave us unsatisfied.

Christian education on the other hand, in part, helps us to make sense of the chaos we see in the world, by showering upon its students a Christian worldview that calms our restless minds and hearts. Christian education loudly proclaims the gospel message that God is in and above all things and that he is redeeming all things. It demonstrates that God has his hands in science, in math, in literature, in history, in health, in art, in all areas of life. In short, Christian education teaches us to see the world through the lens of the gospel, and it raises up students who will go out into so many different fields of study and work, and share that gospel message.

How would you change Christian education? Would you change anything about your specific CVC experience? If so, what?

While I would not change Christian education in and of itself, I would like to see a change in the attitude of Christian education.

Thinking back on my days at CVC, and I see this still today, it seems that parents send their kids to Christian school thinking, “I’ll send my kids to Christian school where they’ll teach my kids what it means to be Christian and what it looks like to live like Christ.” But the reality is that Christian education is an inadequate substitute if kids are not getting this at home from their parents.

At some point, all four of you were at CVC at the same time.

What did that look like?

I’m not really sure. We are spread out enough that we were never all able to interact with each other while at CVC. I know Brian and Michael were in high school together for one year, and there was a year when Michael, Kevin, and I were in high school together, but even then Michael didn’t seem to want much to do with me and Kev. He was probably embarrassed by us, but really, the joke’s on him, because I was embarrassed by him.

MR. K’S FUN FACTS • His great grandfather was a pastor—two areas he pastored were Edgerton, MN (where son Brian is a pastor) and Borculo, MI (where son Darren pastored in summer 2018).

• His mother was a teacher.

• His grandfather was a teacher.

• Three of his uncles were teachers.

• His son, Mr. Kornelis, is a teacher (at CVC).

• His dad worked for IBM as a computer programmer.

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN This year, we are working to secure pledges and donations totaling $4 million in order to begin construction on a muchneeded, exciting addition to our high school campus: an Ag/Shop/Art building, to be built just south of the high school baseball diamond.

High school students enrolled in ART & FFA/AG CLASSES 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19

36% 13% 45% 36% 44% 45%

CONSTRUCTION COSTS: $3,491,354 $ 362,849 - General requirements/fees $ 247,369 - Site Improvements $1,518,711 - Ag Shops $1,362,425 - Classrooms PERMITS, FEES & INSURANCE: $471,000 TOTAL: 3,962,354

AG/SHOP/ART BUILDING Our current art/shop building was built in the beginning of CVC’s history--more than 35 years ago. With the new building, we will have room enough for both an extensive high school art classroom as well as a dedicated graphic art and middle school art classroom. In addition, three kiln areas (two electric, one gas) will be set up for sculpture projects.

FFA and agriculture classes were added in 2016; participation in the program and classes has grown tremendously since its introduction. Included in this project will be a floral cooler, a lab for ag science, and a classroom for other agriculture classes.

Industrial art / shop classes will now have a welding shop, wood shop, a classroom, and a covered metal storage area. The shop area will be able to move into larger quarters, and continue to train up the

next generation to create and fix, weld and maintain.

Over the past 39 years, Central Valley Christian School has had the responsibility and privilege of accomplishing our mission and encouraging young men and women to devote their lives to Christ and honor Him daily by applying what they have learned in an environment that offers a distinctly Christian worldview. Fulfilling this mission would not be possible if it weren’t for the faithful support of many individuals like you, valuable members of the CVC community. Please continue to support us through your prayers, talents, and financial gifts as we strive to honor Jesus.

Please offer us your generous financial support during this Capital Campaign.

DONATIONS CAN BE MADE ONLINE AT CVC.ORG/SUPPORT FFA gives me a chance to serve others, whether that be in leadership roles or learning a new way to develop crops efficiently—FFA provides a way to shape your character and relationship with Christ.

- Morgan Spiro, class of 2019 7

Grandparents Day is always an exciting day on campus; we have a K-4 program, and we host elementary classroom visits so Grandma and Grandpa can see what (and how!) the next generation is learning!

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THE CAVALIER

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t s e B The Gave r e v E iG ft I Christmas is the season of gifts—the ones we get, the ones we give, and Jesus: the ultimate gift! We asked a few 4th and 5th grade students: What is the best present you have ever given or received?

The best present I ever gave was to my mom and dad. It was a calendar I worked so hard on in second grade. They loved it so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so much.

-Marie, 4th grade The best present I have EVER given is a PS4 gift card and FORTNITE!!!! HE WENT BANANAS HE WAS GOING CRAZY!!! HE WAS A MONKEY FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!!!!!!!

-Jaxon, 4th Grade I think the best present I’ve ever given was when we got my dad more track and train for his train and his reaction was, like, “Aw, you shouldn’t have!”

-Calvin, 4th Grade

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The best gift I ever received was MLB The Show 17. It was my favorite gift because it was a baseball video game. Also, it is a fun game to play. I enjoy playing it with my Dad. I enjoy it so much that I think you should get it!

-Gavyn, 5th Grade The best gift I have ever given was when I gave my sister a Christmas present. When it was Christmas I would have been in a good mood with Lily (my sister) because usually, I always am mad at Lily. I think I got her a reasonable gift. I think she liked my gift. I put a lot of thought into it, but I’m sure she liked my mom and dad’s gift better because they had a lot more money to spend than me.

-Grace, 5th Grade

The best present I’ve ever given was 100 dollars to my sister on her birthday. Her reaction was, “Thank you so much!!!”

-Tommie, 4th Grade The best Christmas present I have ever given is the lanyards that I made and gave to my mom, dad, aunts, uncles, and grama last Christmas. Everyone loved them and used them as keychains.

-Kate, 4th Grade The best gift I ever gave was a kitten toy that can eat, poop, and purr. Her reaction was very good. She was so happy and played with it all day.

-Aurora, 4th Grade

BRIEFS JJ Lino receives Derek & Heather Carr Scholarship for full ride to Fresno State In October, CVC graduate Juan “JJ” Lino was awarded the first Carr Scholarship, a full-ride scholarship to Fresno State. According to the Fresno State webpage for the scholarship, “The Derek and Heather Carr Scholarship is exclusively for entering freshmen who are graduating from a four-year high school located in the Central Valley. All applicants for this scholarship must be able to demonstrate leadership in his/ her community and exemplified the “be bold” spirit, and/or made a positive impact in his/her community, church, youth group, school or club throughout his/her four-year high school career.” Congratulations, JJ, we’re proud of you!

FFA Collects 213 Bibles for Donation For National Bible Day, CVC’s FFA chapter collected 213 Bibles that were donated to Genesis House of Visalia and Visalia Rescue Mission.

Inaugural Elementary Chili Cook Off Crowns Mrs. Gilbert Winner During the lunch hour for in-service in October, the Elementary campus hosted a chili cook-off. Third grade teacher Tasha Gilbert won with “The Good Chili” which she described as “fresh, filling, healthy, and clean!” She declined to give away her secrets, but it has fresh onions and peppers with a special mix of spices! She was awarded the “golden ladle” which will be passed on to next year’s winner. Rumor has it there will also be a bake-off in December for the Elementary staff.

CVC trades blue for purple for Lizzy’s big Homecoming Hurrah On Wednesday, October 31, CVC swapped out blue for bright purple, to welcome Lizzy Highstreet back to school for the first time in months, after a dual lung transplant at Stanford. Purple is the official color for cystic fibrosis awareness. Lizzy was surprised and delighted as she rode in on a fire truck to school by the hundreds of students lining Tulare Avenue, decked out in purple shirts, hats, and purple streamers in hand.

Homecoming Friday, October 12, our CVC football teams played and won against Hanford West. During halftime, we introduced the homecoming court and crowned the King (Eric Dragt) and Queen (Evin Haworth).

Congratulations, Evin and Eric!

CVCHS Athletic Updates Girls Tennis - Central Sequoia League Champions with a 12-0 Record, Central Section Division 4 Champions, Third Central Section championship in a row (D-5 in 2016, D-4 in 2017) Girls Golf - Lily Bakker finished 5th overall as an individual in the CSL as a freshman Football - Finished 8-2, Co-Central Sequoia League Champions, #2 Seed in D-4 Playoffs

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The View Bible Story Day

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FAMILIES OF CVC The Morris Family Craig & Stacey Spencer (Senior) & Barrett (8th Grade)

WHAT IS YOUR CONNECTION TO CVC/HISTORY HERE? Our initial introduction was through Alex and Donna Newkirk whose children, Ashley & Cody, are CVC alumni. Ashley babysat both our boys and when she wasn’t available, she would recommended her friends. The young ladies had kind, humble, and genuine characters that gave us our first real taste of CVC, and we couldn’t think of a better environment for our children.

WHEN YOUR FAMILY IS BUSY, WHAT ARE YOU BUSY WITH? Craig is employed by Homegrown Organic Farms which has a unique faith-based leadership foundation. Stacey’s a part-time dental hygienist, full-time mom and volunteers at the school. Spencer and Barrett have the routine of school and play sports most of the year and you’ll find us, as well as two sets of grandparents, at nearly every game. We’ve attended Grace Community Church for over 20 years and are all involved in small groups. (Oh, and the never-ending family chores, of course!)

WHEN YOUR FAMILY IS RELAXING, WHAT DO YOU DO? At home barbequing, pool time, reading, a game on tv and playing with our two labs, Maverick and Tess.

DESCRIBE ONE OF YOUR FAMILY’S FAVORITE TRADITIONS: Our annual summer Lake Tahoe vacation: being on the lake, 14

ropes course, floating on the river, hiking, lots of ice cream and enjoying one of God’s most beautiful landscapes.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT CVC? It’s the whole package! Faith: we get to learn about God and his love for us, every single day. Families: there’s always someone to pick you up and support you; looking at the family involvement with various school activities (concerts, fall festival, sports) is just scratching the surface. Forgiveness: there’s grace and kindness among the school community; we’ve experienced the fruits of the spirit here. Football: we love Friday Night Lights! It’s an awesome time of fellowship with all the students/families enjoying the game, and prayer is central to the game, both for parents to pray over the team pre-game, and for Coach Mason to pray for both teams post-game. It’s pretty special! Also: shout out to Case and Ruben who keep this place so beautiful!

HOW CAN THE CVC COMMUNITY PRAY FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY? We believe in the power of prayer! Please pray for unity in our marriage, peace as we are preparing to send our oldest son off to college, and God’s wisdom to raise our family with humility, love and kindness. As the body of Christ, we want to pray for our school--to encourage one another; there are a lot of hurts and struggles every day right here at CVC, and we want to lift each other up in prayer.

THE CAVALIER

The Rodela Family Jess & Jenelle Elijah (K), Emma (4/pre-K), & Lily (15 months)

WHAT IS YOUR CONNECTION TO CVC/HISTORY HERE? Jenelle has cousins who attended and graduated from CVC. They were very happy with the school and when we moved to Visalia, it was something we prayed about for our children: the opportunity to have a Christian education.

WHEN YOUR FAMILY IS BUSY, WHAT ARE YOU BUSY WITH? This season tends to be busy with school, work, soccer, church activities like MOPS and Awanas, and it’s hunting season. It’s all fun and as the kids are getting bigger, we are finding we are getting busier and trying to find the balance with stuff on the calendar and family time.

WHEN YOUR FAMILY IS RELAXING, WHAT DO YOU DO? We love to get to the mountains whenever we have a chance.

There is something about being there that makes everyone relax. It’s nice to get away from the busyness of everyday life and just be in God’s beauty.

DESCRIBE ONE OF YOUR FAMILY’S FAVORITE TRADITIONS: A tradition my kids were talking about in October was going to the pumpkin patch, corn maze and picking out a pumpkin and carving them! It’s definitely something we look forward to every year!

Another one of our favorite traditions is doing the Christmas shoe boxes. My kids love looking for just the right things to

give to a boy or girl who needs them—it gets the focus outside ourselves and how we could bless someone else.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT CVC? As parents, we love that our kids are not only getting a good education, but also the incorporation of a lot of the same things we try to instill in our kids at home! One day we were talking about forgiveness and Eli quickly responded with “We also need to be compassionate! We are learning that at school.” Then he repeated a verse that he was learning! It’s such a sweet thing to hear your child come home singing worship songs that he sang in chapel and being excited about learning about the Bible along with teachers who care for and love your kids!

HOW CAN THE CVC COMMUNITY PRAY FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY? Please pray that we would continue to be a light in a dark world and that God would use us in the places we work, play, and live. And that ultimately, no matter what, we would give him the glory--in all seasons.

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Alumni Updates

Alicia (Vannette) Mills ’04

Bonnie (Udd) Beach ’06

Lucas Wilgenburg ’07

and her husband Beau, “took the leap, followed a huge dream and moved our family of six from Visalia, CA to Granbury, TX. Our quaint town is located about an hour west of Fort Worth. We bought a 75-acre ranch and we raise, train and breed bucking bulls. There’s always work to be done, animals to be fed, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

We love it here and are grateful we followed our hearts and God’s nudge and chose this crazy adventure!”

married her husband Justin Beach in October of 2008, and they have three children together: Paxton, Evie and Vera. “We’ve done a fair amount of moving around in our 10 years of marriage. We started life together in Chicago, IL and have ended up in Phoenix, AZ to plant a church. Justin and I were both pursuing careers in art fields when we met and got married, so this life is not what we had imagined for ourselves. We are thankful that God has led us to act in faith and serve him through missional work. As our kids have grown out of babyhood, we’ve enjoyed increasing our adventures by going on family hikes and bike rides as often as we can.” Bonnie is a freelance graphic designer, and Justin is a pastor.

“I met my beautiful wife, Natalie while attending Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I played on the men’s soccer team, and she played on the women’s.”

They live in Hanford, where Lucas works on his family’s dairy farm, and Natalie works as an RN. They have two beautiful children: Owen (4) and Evelyn (2).

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Eric Hofstee ’08 and his wife, Melissa, are expecting their third child this year. They have two boys already: Case (3) and Harvey (1), and they live in Southern California, where Eric works as a regional manager at Westcoast Sand & Gravel. Melissa takes care of the boys at home. Their family loves going to the beach, and Eric has fully embraced the Southern California lifestyle, having taken up surfing, which he loves.

Anneke (Verhoeven) Sybesma ’09 and her husband, Michael Sybesma ’07 welcomed son Dirk Michael on July 13, 2018.

Curtis Bosma ’10

Cory Wyse ’12

married Emily Eggen on June 16, 2018. Curtis graduated from Calvin College in 2014 and works at High Ground Dairy in Chicago, Illinois. Curtis is a Senior Risk Management Advisor and Future & Options Broker. Emily is a 2014 graduate of University of Illinois/Chicago and is a Graphic Designer for Pepper Construction Group.

graduated Fresno Pacific and moved to Fresno in 2016. He got married in 2017 to Breanne, whom he met in college. In the beginning of 2018, he was promoted to Head of Quality Control/Coffee Roaster/Production manager at Lanna Coffee Co. based in Fresno.

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DONATE. VOLUNTEER. SHOP. SUPPORT. Volunteer at Used Treasures’ shop today!

559-684-8919 232 S K St. Tulare, CA 93274

01841795

BR AV O FA R M S 559-684-1600 b r avofar m s.co m

5600 W. Tulare Ave. Visalia, CA 93277

Calendar of Events

DECEMBER 3 DECEMBER 4 DECEMBER 6 DECEMBER 10 DECEMBER 10 DECEMBER 18 DECEMBER 21 DECEMBER 22 - JANUARY 6 JANUARY 10 JANUARY 12 JANUARY 14-19 JANUARY 16 JANUARY 17 JANUARY 17 JANUARY 21 JANUARY 25 JANUARY 26 JANUARY 28 JANUARY 30 FEBRUARY 4-8 FEBRUARY 11 FEBRUARY 13 FEBRUARY 18 FEBRUARY 19-22 MARCH 5

ASAPH chamber choir, 7pm, LJ Williams Theatre K/1 Christmas Program, 6:30pm, Chapel 2/3 Christmas Program, 6:30pm, Chapel Mothers Club Meeting, 8am, MMC HS Band/Choir Christmas Concert, 7pm, Chapel 5/6 Christmas Program, 7pm, Chapel Half-Day, 11:30am dismissal Christmas Break - NO SCHOOL Cavalier Shake, Round 1 Tulare/Kings Honor Band Concert CSF Spring Drive Delayed Start, 10:30am school begins Cavalier Shake, Round 2 4th Grade Night of Praise, 6:30pm, Chapel Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL Cavalier Shake, Round 3 HS Winter Formal, 6pm College & Career Night for Sophomores, 7pm Cavalier Shake, Final Round Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week Mothers Club Meeting, 8am, MMC Teacher In-Service Day - NO SCHOOL Presidents’ Day - NO SCHOOL HS Breakout Week MS/HS Band Festival Concert, 7pm, Chapel

Events are subject to change! Please check cvc.org to stay up to date.