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In This IssueRooted in Christ . . . . . . .1,2

CVC Nugget . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

35th Anniversary Events . 3

Alumni News . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Sport Shorts . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Of Note (Graduation) . . . . 6

Transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Looking Ahead . . . . . . . . . 7

Annie Get Your Gun . . . . . . 8 (“Rooted...” continues on page 2)

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• C V C A D M I N I S T R A T I V E P E R S P E C T I V E– by Dr. John DeLeeuw, CVC Superintendent

Our theme for the 2014–2015 school year fits in very well with the fact that we will be celebrating 35 years of God’s faithfulness to CVC. Looking

back at these past 35 years, we gain an amazing perspective of what God can do with a group of committed Christian families seeking to provide an excel-lent Christ-centered education for their children. From its meager beginnings in 1979 at Visalia Christian Reformed Church to its current location, CVC has seen God’s faithfulness first hand. Our present campus consists of 40 acres with 900 students enrolled in Pre-K through 12th grade.

It has been a roller coaster ride of constructing new buildings, acquiring new properties, and handling the growth of hundreds of new students. One can only say that Central Valley Christian School is definitely a gift from God. In no other way could we have attained the growth or the incredible facility that we have without God’s amazing faithfulness.

As I personally look back over my tenure here, I realize that our focus was on growth and buildings and we could hardly keep up with it all. We had much to celebrate but due to the busyness of trying to get the work done, we have neglected to celebrate any of our past milestones. Now that our master build-ing plan will reach its completion this summer and we actually have had a lull in student growth, we have chosen the 35th year as a year to celebrate God’s faithfulness to CVC. We ask for His continued faithfulness and presence as we face the many challenges that lie ahead in the years to come.

I am excited to know that there is a special 35th anniversary committee that has been set up to plan out all the celebratory events for the 2014–2015 school year. I am especially intrigued and excited to witness the unveiling of Kevin Langmaack’s memorial mural that he is working on. It will be a hand painted mural with 1,000 tiles. You will be able to find a detailed description by going on our school website and looking under the tab “support cvc”.

Our author in residence, Blake Hiemstra, is writing a book that will highlight our school’s story. I can’t wait to see how Blake uses his literary genius to weave all that he has researched and the people he has interviewed into our wonderful school story. Thank you in advance for supporting these two worthwhile projects.Blake states it very well in his book:

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Cultivatingresponsible

Christianadults

Valuingacademic

excellence

ConnectingBiblical truthswith everyday

living

ShapingChrist-likebehavior

One question that begs asking at a time like this is “Why 35 years?” Why go through all the hoopla and pomp and circumstance to celebrate 35 years? Why dedicate a book and all kinds of celebratory events at this milestone? “40” is a more prestigious number. It’s only 15 years until the magic 5-0. Why not wait until then and then uncork a celebration akin to a Liverpool soccer championship? The answer to the “Why 35 years?” question has a number of facets. First, CVC has never really taken the time to look back and celebrate any of the milestone years along the way. Sure, some of those anniversaries might have been acknowledged by a few folks leafing through the pages of old yearbooks, but never has the greater school community as a whole celebrated corporately for a whole year. Second, if anyone is familiar at all with this school community, missing an opportunity for a party might be considered a sin of sorts. Third, taking the time to pause and reflect at 35 means that many of the trailblazers are still around. With only a few unfortunate exceptions of folks who’ve passed away, most of the founding fathers and mothers of this school are still around, many of them still active in the school community. To tell CVC’s history at this juncture gives a great opportu-nity to hear it from the mouths of those who lived it.

I mentioned a lull in student growth which is prob-ably somewhat of an understatement. Not just CVC, but Christian education in general is experiencing a struggle to maintain its current numbers. We will do our best to try and market our school more efficiently and effectively, but we want to always remain distinctively Christian or “Rooted in Christ”.

We have learned through these 35 years that God is faithful even though we may have to face some difficult times. We believe we have something worth celebrating and covet your participation as we celebrate together. “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strength-ened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Col 2:6-7. We have much to be thankful for. I am looking forward to a great year!

CVC Nugget

There are many reasons why Chad and I have chosen CVC as a second home for our three girls! At first, we were called by the opportunity to give our children a strong Christian education led by faithful teachers. However, I have to admit I also love CVC because they allow me to practically “live” on campus!

From being a room mom to serving lunch, parents have many opportunities to serve at CVC. When our children reach Junior High, we fear it is time to let go. Our experience has been the exact opposite; the teaching staff encourages parents to spend an entire week living with a group of teenagers in the mountains far from home. Does that sound scary?!

This spring was my second opportunity to chaperone the seventh grade class during their annual Science Camp. Once you are able to forget the endless hours of hearing the song “Let It Go” and praying the car sickness will end, you remember the valuable lessons our children received.

The CVC teaching staff provides an experience packed full of hiking summits, crawling through caves, swimming in Hot Springs, discovering constellations, enjoying history and much more. However, this is not the highlight of the trip! Parents watch their teenagers make a personal choice to wake up at 6:00 in the morning to enjoy devotions in the mountains. During group discussions, we see our children share God’s Word openly with their friends. We watch CVC teachers be strong examples of Christ as they passionately teach Biblical messages through song, speech, and even a little dancing (Oh, Mr. Rietema...)!

Thank you CVC Middle School Staff for providing a powerful opportunity of growth to our children! YOU are a blessing! – by Kristin Pinter, CVC Parent

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D u r i n g t h e 2 0 1 4 – 2 0 1 5 S c h o o l Y e a r

CVC Celebrates 35 Years of God’s Faithfulness

Rooted in Christ

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February 1335th Anniversary Celebration Banquet(at the Koetsier Ranch, Admission by Ticket)

Our guest speaker will be former CVC Bible teacher, Pastor Henry Lenkeek. ROOTED: The Story of CVC, a book researched and written by Blake Hiemstra will be available (see excerpt below).

February 143rd Annual Faculty, Friends and Alumni Night of Praise (Chapel)

Spend an evening of celebratory worship lead by current CVC staff, CVC alumni and friends All former ASAPH members are encouraged to participate.

• • ▲ • •CVC is excited to announce: Rooted: The Story of

CVC written by Blake Hiemstra.An excerpt from ROOTED: The Story of CVC

Towards the end of that 1979 summer, in the small ag-ricultural town of Visalia, California, with a population of less than 50,000 residents, 64 youngsters loaded up their backpacks, laid out their school clothes and prepared for a roller coaster ride that is still rolling some 35 years later. Little did those first Kindergarten through 6th grade stu-dents, as they drove to the 1st Christian Reformed Church on that September morning, know that they’d merely be the first actors in the thrilling and unprecedented play that God was writing in the life of Central Valley Christian School.

When a current-day visitor walks across the sprawling campus with beautiful buildings and sees the nearly 1000 students and staff that now call CVC home, it’s hard to imagine the meager beginnings of the school. It’s hard to fathom, that is, unless one considers the power of a benevo-lent God who recognized the simple trust of the pioneers 35 years ago and simply blessed their blind faith beyond what they could imagine. The story is nothing new. It’s the same sort of story that’s been happening for thousands of years. Faithful yet fallible human beings put their blind trust in a God they cannot see to do what they cannot do on their own. And he blesses their efforts in a way that only testifies to his greatness. It’s what he did with the nascent, emerging Acts 2 church. It’s what he did when he turned his faithful servant Abraham into the father of many nations. And it’s what he did, and continues to do with this school.

SAVE THESE DATES!OCTOBER 17Grandparents Day/Fall Festival/Homecoming

HOMECOMING ALUMNI TAILGATE and FESTIVITIES (organized by CVC alumni)

Calling all CVC ALUMNI! Mark those calendars for the Alumni Homecoming Tailgate on October 17. What better way to see old friends and get your CVC spirit on then with a fun tailgate?! Before you go to the game, you and your family can hang out and play fun games, stop by the photo booth, get your CVC spirit garb for cheering, and so much more! Directly following, you can walk right over to the stadium for the big game. You won’t want to miss the festivities! It will be a great time to reconnect and hang out with CVC friends. More details to come.

ANNIVERSARY MURAL UNVEILING – Share the CVC legacy by contributing to this special mural to be unveiled on October 17. See the special insert enclosed with this issueof the Cavalier for more information.

NOVEMBER 14An Evening of Encouragement (Chapel)

GUEST SPEAKER RAY VANDER LAANFounder of the ministry That the

World May Know, Ray Vander Laan is best known for his gift of teaching as he leads tours through the Holy Land. He gives insight into the Jewish culture so that we can better understand scrip-

ture. “Ray’s preaching and teaching ministry is focused on understanding the Bible in light of the historical and cultural context in which God placed it. This perspective on the Bible highlights God’s call for His people to be a transforming influence on their culture. He uses research of the top scholars in the fields of archaeology, history, and Biblical study as tools to explore the Biblical text ever more deeply. His gifts, expertise, and calling are to link that cultural information and the Bible so that its message applies to our lives today in very practical ways.”

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CVC Alumni News Calling all Alumni! Join in on the homecoming tailgate celebration on October 17. Festivities are being planned by alumni. You and your family are welcome to join former classmates before the homecoming game for:

• fun • fellowship • food • games • photo booth...and more!

Watch for more details.

ReunionThe “Class of ‘94 Reunion” is September 19-20, 2014 at

The Cliffs in Shell Beach, CA. Invitations and information will be in your mailboxes soon. If you do not receive an invitation by July 15, please contact Mike Frings.

GraduationsEmily Leigh (’09) graduated from Biola University this

past May with her BA in Communications with an emphasis on Speech and Drama and a minor in Biblical Studies.

Ariana Sytsma (’09) graduated from Azusa Pacific on May 3, 2014 with her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work.

Mikaela Andreas (’10) graduated summa cum laude from Concordia University Irvine and earned her California Teach-ing Credential. She will marry Nick Duerr in July, and they will move to St. Louis, Missouri where Nick will attend seminary to become a pastor. Mikaela will be the kindergarten teacher at Our Savior’s Lutheran Christian Academy in Fenton, Missouri.

Caitlin Branderhorst (‘10) graduated from Vanguard Uni-versity of Southern California in May, 2014, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology and a minor in Spanish.

Sarah Gibbs (’10) graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English from The Master’s College in May. Sarah is currently serving on her second mission trip to Thailand with Association of Baptists for World Evangelism.

Jillian Hooyer (‘10) graduated from Dordt College in May 2014 with a BA in Elementary Education and a minor in Middle School. She will be teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Math and Science at Mt. Vernon Christian in WA in the fall.

Spencer Jameson (‘10) graduated from Texas Christian University in May with his Bachelor’s in Economics and an Accounting minor. He just accepted a job at JD Heiskell as a staff accountant.

Justin Roeloffs (’10) graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Dairy Science and a minor in Agricultural Business.

Shelby Swanson (’10) graduated from Biola University with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Bible on May 23, 2014.

Taylor te Velde (’10) graduated from Texas Christian Univer-sity in May. She will be attending graduate school at University of the Pacific in the fall to get her doctorate in Physical Therapy.

Jack Tanner Thornton (’10) graduated from Hardin-Simmons University on May 10, 2014, with a BA in Speech Communications and a minor in Leadership Studies. He will be attending Logsdon Seminary in Abilene, Texas this fall and working as a part-time youth minister at First Baptist Church in Clyde, Texas.

Elizabeth Vannette (’10) graduated from Calvin College with a BSN in Nursing. She plans to stay in Michigan and work there.

Jenna G. Veldhuis (‘10) graduated from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas on May 17, 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising with Fashion Media and Psychology minors. She is residing in Dallas and working at the Trunk Club, a men’s online clothing/styling company.

Nicole Marshall (’11) graduated May 10, 2014 from Fresno Pacific University (Summa Cum Laude) with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She will attend Fresno State University in the fall to pursue a master’s degree in Experimental Psychology.

MarriagesKatie Leigh (’03) married Matthew Ringel in October 2012.

They are currently living in Exeter where Katie is an independent event coordinator.

Steven Blevins (’05) married Christina Ochoa on April 27th 2014 at Evergreen Island in Tulare. They are currently living in Visalia where Steven works for USPS, and Christina works at Care Veterinarian Clinic.

Cody Burghgraef (’09) and Savannah Vanderham (’11) were married at the Hyatt in Huntington Beach on April 12, 2014. They are living in Pixley. Savannah is a hairstylist in Visalia and Cody is farming.

Will Brown and Emily Leigh (’09) were married on April 5, 2014. They are currently in the process of moving to Southern California where Emily will be job searching and Will has plans to attend grad/med school.

Taylor Roche and Ariana Sytsma (’09) were married on March 8, 2014 at Tulare Community Church with the reception taking place at Koetsier Ranch. They are currently living in Moore Park, CA.

Kyle Dunn and Hannah Anderson (’11) were married on May 3, 2014. They have made their first home in Fresno.

BirthsLuke and Brittany Bosma (‘03) Doornenbal were blessed

with the birth of their first child, Koen Lucas, on June 20.Ryan (’06) and Tiffany Weststeyn were blessed with the birth

of Kohen Malachi on April 30, 2014. Kohen was welcomed home by his brother, Gavin, and sisters, Kyrie’ and Azaryah.

Jesse (’11) and Macy Jongsma were blessed with the birth of their first child, Jacob James, on May 27, 2014.

AccomplishmentsJustin Roeloffs (’10) and Hudson Hanlon (’10) competed in

and won the National Dairy Challenge in April in Indiana with their two other teammates.

If you would like to see your alumni news and informationin print, please send an email with all information to:

sdweststeyn@gmail.com

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Sports Shorts SWIMMING - CSL Champions

Corey Rosa and Cheyenne Penn (1 meter diving); Josh Koster (100 yard backstroke); Kevin Gilkey, Jeremiah Teimersma, Justin Bos, Josh Koster (40 yard, freestyle relay)

BOYS TENNISBailey Gong - Singles CSL Champion

TRACK AND FIELD

BoysBronson Espinoza - CSL Champion in shot put and

discus. Bronson also placed fourth in the Central Section in the shot put.

GirlsCVC girls captured the titles of Central Sequoia

League Team Champions and Division 2 Central Section Champions.

Individual League ChampionsGabby Satterlee (800m); Katelyn Vander Tuig (200m);

Vanessa Knevelbaard (400m); Gabby Satterlee (1600m and 3200m); Kyla Danielson (100m hurdles); Katelyn Vander Tuig, Veronica Nederend, Kyla Danielson, and Vanessa Knevelbaard (4x100m relay); Katelyn Vander Tuig, Veronica Nederend, Gabby Satterlee, and Vanessa Knevelbaard (4x400m relay)

Division 2 Section ChampionsVanessa Knevelbaard (400m); Gabby Satterlee (800m

and 1600m); Katelyn Vander Tuig, Veronica Nederend, Gabby Satterlee, and Vanessa Knevelbaard (4x400m Relay)

Gabby Satterlee (800m) finished fourth in the Central Section.

Katelyn Vander Tuig, Shani Slabber, Gabby Satter-lee, and Vanessa Knevelbaard (4x400m relay) finished fifth in the Central Section

Congratulations to all of our CVC athletes for your accomplishments this year!

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Of Note...

Congratulations to the following CVC High School students in their accomplishments and awards. All the students listed in Scholarships and Department Awards are seniors unless otherwise indicated.

High School Awards

Valedictorian - Emma JohnsonSalutatorian - Craig Kampen

ScholarshipsAviation in Action Scholarship - Caleb DanielsonBrad Bosler Memorial Scholarship - Shane MarshallBuckman-Mitchell Scholarship - Justine DuystCabrillo Civic Clubs of California Scholarship - Craig

Kampen, Caitlin Mueller, Justine DuystCentral Valley Optimists Scholarship - Emily ByrdComcast Scholarship - Megan Van GrouwCSF Lifetime Community Service - Emily Byrd CSF Lifetime Scholarships - Emma Johnson, Craig

Kampen CVC Boosters Scholarship - Bronson Espinoza, Craig

Kampen, Marissa Koster, Megan Van GrouwCVC Mothers’ Club Scholarships - Austin Bons, Megan

Van Grouw, Tess Van GrouwDaughters of Hope Scholarship - Kristin StoneDr. Jonathan Rainbow Memorial Scholarships - Madeline

Johnson (10th), Terri Vink (11th)Fine Arts Enthusiasts Scholarships - Austin Bons, Emily

Brown, Chloe KunsJodi Bos Memorial Scholarship - Taylor Van Den BergP.P.A.V. Scholarship - Craig KampenSequoias Visalia Kiwanis Club - Emily Byrd, Joshua

KosterSons of Italy Scholarship - Ashley LamascusSouthern California Edison - Craig KampenVisalia Breakfast Lions Club - Kristin StoneVisalia Community Players Scholarship - Danielle CardenasVisalia Fire Fighters Association - Megan Van GrouwVisalia Medical Clinic - Emily BrownVisalia Sequoia Lions Club - Danielle Cardenas, Kimberly

WhiteWorld Wide Sires, Inc. - Cobi Roeloffs, Jeremiah Tiemersma

Class Verse “Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.

Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm.” – Psalm 20:7-8

Department AwardsArt - Savannah Satterlee, Kimberly WhiteASB Student Leadership - Megan Van GrouwBible - Austin Bons, Emily BrownDrama - Austin BonsEnglish - Emma JohnsonImpact - Caleb DanielsonIndustrial Arts - Cameron StephensonMathematics - Craig KampenNational School Choral - Emily BrownScience - Craig KampenSocial Studies - Austin BonsSpanish - Marissa KosterJohn Philip Sousa - Stacy Leyendekker

Future Plans for the CVC 2014 GraduatesChristian Colleges and Universities - 13

State Colleges and Private Universities - 20Community Colleges - 29

Missions - 2U.S. Marines - 1Employment - 1

66 Graduates, 33 CSF Lifetime Members

Top of the Class Academic AwardsJunior - Peter Toms, Sebastian ElsenbroekSophomore - Bailey Gong, Shanni SlabberFreshman - Madeline Johnson, Jonna Lemstra, Erika

Roeloffs, Mariah Westra

Eighth Grade AwardsGerrit Griffioen Memorial Scholarship - Janelle

GaalswykCavalier of the Year Award - Nathan Cortez, Sadie

Elsenbroek

AUGUST11 HS Boosters’ Club Meeting, 5:30 pm

- Gym11 K-8 New Family Orientation, 6:30 pm

- Elementary MMC12 HS New Family Social, 6:30 pm - MPR13 School Begins, 11:30 dismissal13 Mother’s Club Meeting, 8:30 am - Gym13, 14 MS New Parent Orientation, 7:00 pm

- MPR15 Picture Day15 HS Back to School Dance, 8:00 pm

- Elementary Pavilion25 CSF Fall Drive Begins (Aug. 25 – Sep. 5)26 K-6 Back to School Night, 7:00 pm

- Elementary MMC28 MS Back to School Night, 7:00 pm29 Senior Sunrise, 7:00 am - HS Stadium

SEPTEMBER1 Labor Day - No School1 Boosters’ Pancake Breakfast, 7-10:00

am - Elementary Pavilion1 Volleyball Car Wash, 7-10 am - Gym1 Cross-Country 5 K, 7 am - HS Parking

Lot2 HS Back to School Night, 6:30 pm

- Chapel6 Jr. Cheer Clinic - 8:30 am - Gym8 College Night for HS Seniors - 7:00 pm

- MPR12 Jr. Cheer Performance during Varsity

Football Game24 See You at the Pole, 7:30 am - in front

of gym

OCTOBER10 End of 1st Quarter13 HS Boosters’ Meeting, 5:30 pm - Gym

Foyer13 HS Choirs/Band Fall Music Concert,

7:00 pm - Chapel13-16 Elementary/MS ITBS Testing13-17 HS Spirit Week15 HS Senior CSU Mentor Workshops

- during school day15 9th-11th Grades PSAT/PLAN/Explore

testing - during school day17 Grandparents’ Day Program, 12:15 pm

- Gym; Open House - 1:15-2:00 pm17 Fall Festival - 2:00-5:00 pm17 HS Homecoming Dance, 9:30-11:00 pm22 MS Choir/Band Fall Music Assembly

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Transitions: Sweet Sorrow of PartingMarlene Compaan (pictured below) has decided to retire after 27 years of

service to Central Valley Christian Schools. Her dedication to your children will long be remembered. Many of you may have had Mrs. Compaan as your teacher and now some of you may have had the privilege of her being your child(ren)’s teacher. She will be remembered for many things, but what stands out is her dedi-cation to Jesus Christ and her desire for all of her students to come to a saving knowledge of Him. We at CVC wish her the best and pray that her retirement years will be filled with happiness, rest, and the enjoyment of sharing more time with her own children and grandchildren.

Kristin Datema has very much enjoyed her time with us at CVC. Unfortunately for us, she received one of those “offers you can’t refuse.” Her former high school physics teacher is retiring and suggested to the school that they hire Kristin as she would be a perfect fit for their school. This move will bring Kristin back to her alma mater and family. Kristin has done a wonderful job in her eight years at CVC of building up our physics program and creating an AP physics class. We wish her the best as she goes back to Michigan and pray that God will lead the right person to us to fill her vacancy here.

Alyssa Oliver has taught World and US History for us over the past five years. She actually started with CVC as a student teacher and due to a late resignation was hired on. We were blessed that she was already familiar with CVC and could hit the ground running. She has played an integral role in our Social Studies de-partment over these past five years. We will miss her enthusiasm and cheerfulness but wish her the best as she will now focus her attention on her young family.

Shalom Mr. Ploegstra! Some say that change is good, but it can also be bit-tersweet. That certainly is the case with Mr. John Ploegstra leaving the middle school after ten years of dedicated service. Mr. Ploegstra has contributed much to the development of the middle school program over the past decade. His many talents and creative and adventurous spirit brought life and vitality to CVCMS. He will be missed. Our consolation is that Mr. Ploegstra will not be going far, as he has accepted a position at his church, Abounding Grace. We wish him the best and that our paths will still continue to cross from time to time.

After eight years of leading the youngest children on the CVC elementary campus in music, we bid farewell to Diane Bearfield. Thank you Diane for your energy and enthusiasm that was infused into every program over these years. Each program brought encouragement to the audience as the children sang to the glory of God!

Presented by CVCApril 3 – 5, 2014