Motion
Motion
MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES | 10 NOVEMBER 2025
1. Welcome | Marty Speelman
Marty Speelman gave greetings on behalf of the board and welcomed everyone to the meeting. There were 169 attendees present for the meeting, 163 were members. 63 proxy votes were received.
2. Opening Devotions & Prayer | Malika, HDCH chaplaincy intern from Redeemer University
Malika read from Psalm 127 - Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. If we excel, it’s nothing on our own strength. God is building the house. She also read Romans 11:36, and believes that this summarizes the heart of HD.
3. Minutes of Spring Membership Meeting - May 12, 2025 | Marty Speelman
Motion 1: Be it resolved that the membership approve the minutes of the May 12, 2025 Spring Membership meeting as amended. (Dave DeJong | Joel Harsevoort) Carried.
4. Principal’s Report | Duncan Todd
Mr. Todd acknowledged the great turn out and how appreciative we are that so many people care for this place. We are grateful for the partnership of members. Duncan shared some highlights from the past year. Some of the highlights are not always high or joyous, but rather notable. Our school year started out with the difficult news of the passing of one of our students: Rylan.
Gr. 9 day was a great day of community building for the new students. And then our Gr. 12 white water rafting trip.
The new cafe has opened in the cafeteria, it grew out of the Life Skills program, and the possibility of in school co-op experience for those students.
There are amazing learning things happening at our school. In athletics, we teach that character comes first, Christian character.
Duncan also reported briefly on the strategic plan, highlighting the spiritual development of our students.
Another theme is about developing our resources: financial, facility and human resources.
The students are what we are here for. It’s critical that our membership continues to pray for our school and support the work happening here. We have an incredible staff here at HDCH, and we need to continue to pour into them, and their continued learning.
We need to continue to build our trust as a community; as a staff we want to continue to build trust. The staff believe in and are committed to our students.
5. Voting for the Board of Directors | Marty Speelman
Members voted for up to three Board Members. There are 7 nominees.
Motion 2: Be it resolved that the number of Directors for the 2025-26 year be fixed at nine. (Dave DeJong | Herman Proper) Carried.
6. Presentation of Student Learning: SHSM | Staff/Students
Rylie Dreise is a Gr. 12 student in the Special High Skills major program. Sara Whetstone shared some of the highlights of the high skills program. HDCH is in a pilot program for this school year. We will have students who will graduate with a red seal on their diploma. Sara interviewed Rylie, exploring why she is participating in this program. Rylie is very grateful for this experience. It has challenged her emotionally and physically. She’s learned so much about the outside world, the community, her empathy has grown as she realized that everyone has a story.
7. Financial Statements | Sherry Osinga
Marty thanked Sherry for her high detail work once again this year. Sherry presented the financial statements for the 2024/2025 year.
Motion 3: Be it resolved that the membership approve the financial statements as presented. (John DeVries | Nathan Randall) Carried.
Motion 4: Be it resolved that the chartered accountants Millard, Rouse & Rosebrugh be appointed to audit the financial statements for the Hamilton Association for
MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES | 10 NOVEMBER 2025
Christian Education Inc. for the period ending August 31, 2026. (Herman Proper | Justin Colyn) Carried.
8. Student Handbook (Work in Progress) |
Marty Speelman/Leadership
Team
Sara and Duncan shared about the student handbook and the purpose of the handbook. This process began last year, with a goal of making it student friendly language and in one place for the students to access. We received a sneak peak of the handbook. As a restorative justice school, we expect high expectations with high support.
Community Covenant: this is something that all students and staff sign. Every person here is due dignity and respect. We expect to share kindness. We want our students to bring their whole selves to the school, through presence.
Anti-Discrimination at HDCH: this will be a part of the handbook. We live in a broken world, and we need to teach some of the expectations to the students. Every person is a carrier of God’s image.
Sexual Misconduct Policy: this is an internal policy, it is a lengthy and legal document. The Rationale is from Genesis 1:27. This policy is new and it addresses harm from student to student. This long policy is not shared with students, but taught in Gr. 9 and continually throughout their time here. The goal is to teach all our students where these boundaries are and the clear procedures for reporting.
What happens when community is broken? Duncan shared the Restorative Justice Approach:
- Removal from Community
- Reckoning: What happened
- Reflection: How have my actions impacted others
- Restitution: how can I make things right
- Restoration to community
9. Admissions and Philanthropy | Sandra Baker
Sandra shared some numbers on admission to date. The most notable change since 2019 is the drop in international students. In 2019 we had 39 students, and this year we have one international student. For 2026-27, we have 146 prospective families who are talking to us about HD for their children.
CARE campaign, we are grateful for everyone who supported the campaign to date. Our theme this year is Matthew 5:14 - 16. The annual appeal will be going out shortly, this appeal supports debt reduction, tuition assistance for those in financial need, and regular building maintenance.
10. Appreciation of Retiring Board Members | Marty
Speelman
Marty shared the appreciation to the retiring Board members. Steph Haanstra and Danielle VandenAkker are finishing their terms this year. Serving on the Board is a privilege that we get to serve the HD community. Steph and Danielle have both faithfully filled the roles assigned to them.
11. Results of vote for Board Members |
Marty Speelman
Our new bylaws no longer require that we have a motion to destroy the ballots.
New elected Board Members are: Chris Van Berkel (reelected), Gerrit Hagen, Crystal Van Groningen.
12. Miscellaneous | Marty Speelman
None were received
13. Closing
Marty closed the evening in prayer.
Dear HDCH Members,
It is that time of the year again!
A time to get together to hear all the many great things that are happening in the halls, classrooms, board rooms and hearts of HDCH!
We all care for our school and we find opportunities to do that in many ways. Whether through prayer, support, giving, and volunteering, there are many opportunities and ways that we are all needed, valued and working. I applaud you for your constant care for this school and appeal to you to remain committed to that care and to walk alongside us in our tasks here at the school. Many opportunities abound to give back and to roll up your sleeves. This work is rewarding. It is needed and valued and so enriching for our community.
This brings us to another one of those opportunities. The business opportunities in the school. At the spring meeting, we look forward to presenting the budget for the 2026/27 year. This year the finance committee, as in previous years, worked tirelessly with the board to present a budget that is in line with our overall strategic plan. To work to keep Christian Secondary Education as affordable as possible for families, all the while providing a dynamic Chrisitan education experience for our children.
Lastly, I would like to ask for your continued prayer for HDCH. Prayer is powerful. It is answered. We have seen this evidenced in our students and our staff. God constantly provides for us. He provides healing where there is hurt, resources where there is strain, and our God continues to be faithful to us. We know and trust that this will continue to ring true as we continue serving Him in and through HDCH.
In Service to our Savior,
Chris Van Berkel Board Chair
We, the Board and staff of HDCH, look forward to seeing you at our Spring Membership meeting.
We look back on the school year, and 70 school years, with gratitude, as always, for God’s faithfulness and goodness to us.
OF GOD’S GOODNESS
Much has changed in the 70 years HDCH has been operating, and we live in a very different world to the one in which the school opened its doors in 1956, but we are still founded on the truth of Scripture, rooted in the reality of Christ’s coming, His redemptive work and the anticipation of His coming again to make all things new. We are still inviting our students in to a relationship with the living Lord, to learn how all things come under His lordship and how He is working out His redemptive, restorative purposes in everything. They are discovering and developing their own unique gifts and learning how those gifts connect to God’s call to each of them and to the communities of which they are a part: a call to lives of service to God. We continue to be grateful you, the community that prays for our students and partners with us in this vision of Christian education.
At the meeting we will be reporting on our strategic plan and the progress we have made in various initiatives. We will also be presenting for your approval the budget for the 2026-27 school year, which reflects our strategic objectives, and upholds this community’s biblical values of responsible stewardship and faith in God’s provision. I believe the budget balances these two values well in a world that is often fear-filled and uncertain.
We, your staff, are grateful for your unwavering commitment to the founding purposes of this school, for your prayers and your generosity that support us in this Kingdom work in the lives of the next generation. Thank you.
The Cast of the 2026 HDCH Spring Performance: Arsenic and Old Lace.
PROPOSED BUDGET 2026-27 | BUDGET SUMMARY
2026/2027 BUDGET
2025/2026 Proposed Budget
2026/2027 Proposed Budget
Budget - 25/26 Budget)
PROPOSED
2026/2027 BUDGET - CAPITAL FUNDING
PROPOSED BUDGET 2026-27 | OPERATING EXPENSES
2026/2027 BUDGET - OPERATING EXPENSES