HDCH Cafe: Managed by staff & students in the LifeSkills Pathway
Submitted by Gabriel Brennan, Cooper Beaton & MacGregor Stirling, HDCH English Students
Back in late September we had a chance to interview Mr. R. Inkster about the HDCH Cafe. Mr. R. Inkster has been closely involved in the cafe process, so he had lots to share.
We heard from him that near the end of the 2024-2025 school year an idea for a cafe had surfaced. An HD parent was enamoured by the idea. She also happened to be an interior designer! She started working with the school to design a cafe where students in the LifeSkills Pathway can work and serve whoever comes their way. It will function as an on campus co-op. Construction on the cafe started over the summer and it was completed before the school year started. The cafe officially launched on September 29th with limited inventory; the aim was to start small and not overwhelm the students working there. Over time as the employees got used to the hustle and bustle, the cafe started introducing more drinks to allure customers. In October, they added freshly baked cookies to the menu.
The cafe will do wonders for not only our school, but our school community. The cafe will provide opportunities for students looking to have a co-op that takes place on school grounds. This also provides an opportunity for them to learn skills that will help them down the road in a workplace. They will learn things like closing, cleaning, stocking, how to serve customers and how to make drinks. At this point in time there is talk about Mrs. Vandervelde’s foods and nutrition class providing baked goods to sell at the cafe.
At HDCH it is our mission to cultivate character, through learning for lives of service to God. The cafe combines a learning opportunity for many students while demonstrating service through hospitality.
Mr. Vedder’s Gr. 12 English class helped with advertising the HD cafe. Over the period of a couple weeks students learned advertising techniques and what makes an effective advertisement. They designed posters and social media posts to promote the cafe. They also wrote in our weekly newsletter, KnightLights, and contributed to this issue of Connections. Working on this helped students feel like they are a part of the school community and living lives of service.
The cafe is open before class and during lunch to serve students when they are not in class. There are over 35 options on the menu, so students can not only get coffee the way they like, but they are also able to experiment with different types of coffee and other beverages. This variety can provide people with new ways to make friends by asking others about how they take their coffee, and
trying out each other’s tastes. Most of the revenue generated from the cafe will be spent restocking shelves and paying for new ingredients. They will also be incorporating the Knight’s Eatery gift cards somewhere down the line, providing students with more convenient ways to pay. Another benefit is that, since there’s a cafe with a wide variety right inside the school, students won’t have to take a detour to coffee shops off campus, preventing them from being late to class.
All in all, the cafe has been a massive success. Students have welcomed the cafe with open arms (and open wallets). Be sure to grab a cup of coffee from the cafe the next time you stop by!
Created in His Image ...Duct Tape Portraits
~ student work from Rachael King’s Gr. 9 Art Class
Artists often create portraits to honour someone’s character, beauty, or legacy. We do this because we are drawn to greatness and want to celebrate it. God made us creative, and when we make art, we reflect His creativity. But sometimes, we can take this too far. We start to treat people as more important than they really are— almost like heroes to be worshipped. The Bible reminds us that only God deserves that kind of honour.
In this project, we chose to honour someone we admire for being a game changer, rule breaker, risk taker, or history maker. We see these people as brave and inspiring. They stood up for what they believed in, even when it was hard. Like many people in the Bible, they are not perfect—but God can still use imperfect people to do great things. When we celebrate their courage, we can also thank God for giving them the gifts and passion that made a difference in the world.
We also recognize that every person’s legacy is complicated. No one is completely good or completely bad. The Bible says “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). That means every person has both strengths and weaknesses. When we remember this, it helps us admire others with humility instead of blind devotion. It reminds us that only God is perfect and worthy of full praise.
When we put people on a pedestal or treat them like they are worthless, we forget that every person is made in God’s image—beautiful but still imperfect, able to do both good and bad. Worshipping someone blindly can make us treat them like only God deserves to be treated, while completely judging or hating someone ignores the image of God that is still in them. When society praises people without thinking or criticizes them without mercy, we lose sight of the truth. Both blindly following and harshly judging others can divide people and make it hard to see our shared humanity. Today, it’s easy to quickly celebrate heroes or tear them down, but God calls us to a better way: “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, NIV).
Students used bright, clashing, and contrasting colours to show that people’s lives are not black and white. Sometimes we want simple answers—good or bad, right or wrong—but life is rarely that simple. Israel once asked for a king because they wanted clear leadership they could see, instead of trusting God’s unseen rule. In the same way, we often want to see people as heroes instead of complex humans. The colours in our portraits remind us that truth is often more layered than we want to admit.
Each portrait is made up of many pieces that fit together in shape but not always in colour. When you look at it, your eyes have to work to put the whole image together. That’s like how we have to piece together what we know about people—their choices, their struggles, their victories, and their failures. The uneven colours show that beauty can exist in imperfection, just as God still works in and through our own flaws.
Finally, when we look at these portraits, we’re not only seeing someone else—we’re also invited to look at ourselves. Each of us is complex and imperfect too. God calls us to examine our hearts honestly, to notice where we are broken and let Him bring healing and wholeness. When we do, we start to understand others—and ourselves—more deeply. This project reminds us that every person, no matter how great or small, is made in God’s image and has a story that reflects both human weakness and divine beauty.
Frank Lloyd Wright ...Artist Statement by Noah VanBruinessen
Frank Lloyd Wright was an influential American architect who lived from June 8, 1867, in Wisconsin, to April 9, 1959, in Arizona. He is best known for his contributions to American architecture, such as the Guggenheim Museum—now a famous landmark in New York City—and Fallingwater, a well-known house built over a waterfall.
I decided to make a portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright because I admire the buildings he designed. I appreciate how innovative his work was and how many of his designs reflected and connected with nature. He showed an incredible amount of creativity in his architectural style.
However, even though he was such a creative man, he was far from perfect. He was known for being narcissistic and careless with his money. He also did not treat his wives well, divorcing and remarrying three times. When I learned this, I actually considered changing the subject of my portrait because it is hard to admire someone who was so unkind and irresponsible.
This reminded me that nobody is perfect and that we shouldn’t think of anyone as entirely good or entirely bad. When we do that, we can miss important parts of their story. I learned that honoring someone truthfully can be difficult because we want the people we admire to be perfect—but they aren’t. Even people who make mistakes are still valuable to God, and those who do wrong can still achieve great things. That doesn’t mean we should ignore the consequences of our actions; we still need to take responsibility and ask for forgiveness.
Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven
Matthew 5:16
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Duncan Todd Principal principal@hdch.org
905.648.6655 x 105
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Sandra Baker Director, Advancement & Admissions sbaker@hdch.org
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Tina VanDyk
Marketing & Engagement tvandyk@hdch.org
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Be The Light
Be The Light
Jesus tells us that we, His disciples, are the light of the world. At HDCH, our students are learning what it means to be the light in their classrooms, in the gym, on the soccer field, on the stage… everywhere on our campus and everywhere they go! They are learning as disciples of Jesus what it means to be a light in our city, in our region, in the world.
We are so grateful for the partnership of faithful HDCH donors who share so many resources with the school: thank you for making this discipleship of our teens possible with your gifts of treasure, time and talent.
Thank you for Being the Light with your donation to HD’s Annual Appeal.
www.hdch.org/giving
Contact: Sandra Baker: sbaker@hdch.org
Mark Your Calendar
Dec 5: Praying Parents & Friends
Dec 11: Christmas Concert
Dec 19-Jan 04: Christmas Break
Jan 9: Praying Parents & Friends
Jan 19 & Feb 25: Build | Preserve |
Give: Ask an Expert Panel
Feb 3: Membership Deadline
Feb 6: Praying Parents & Friends
Feb 7: Check Us Out Open House
Mar 6: Praying Parents & Friends
Mar 12-20: Mission Trip to Dominican Republic
Mar 13-22: March Break
Apr 10: Praying Parents & Friends
Apr 18: Growing Together
Spring Market Fundraiser
Apr 30-May 2: Spring Production: Arsenic & Old Lace
May 1: Praying Parents & Friends
May 7: Seniors’ Day
May 11: Membership Meeting
June 5: Praying Parents & Friends
June 22: Graduation
June 26-27: Mission Trip to Brazil
Build | Preserve | Give
Attending our upcoming Legacy Giving Expert Panels. Christian leaders in estate planning, law and financial matters will answer your questions.
Mon Jan 19, 6:30-7:30pm (on zoom) Wed Feb 25, 10-11am (in-person), includes light refreshments. Register to attend: hdch.org/legacy Questions?
Contact Sandra Baker sbaker@hdch.org
905-648-6655 x 122