Dear HCHS Families,
Welcome to the month of March! This time of the year is always one that sticks out as a high school community because it ironically is one during which the main thing we do as a school is school: There’s a long string of full, five day weeks, the end of the third quarter is on the horizon, and spring co-curriculars are underway. March is an important time when we as an educational community dive deep into our work of equipping minds and nurturing hearts with very few schedule changes and late nights at co-curricular activities. It’s also the season of Lent, which is an important, arguably the most important, time of the liturgical calendar when we re-learn how to wait.
With spring break dangling in front of us, waiting can often cause a feeling of anxious anticipation for the thing just out of reach. And this great dislike for waiting has only been exacerbated by our technology and culture today. We are in a moment of instantaneous gratification when every want can be accomplished and satisfied with a click of a button. With this tendency comes the longing for the next thing whether it be graduating from high school, graduating from college, landing a first job, getting the first promotion, or being able to retire and do the things you’ve put off. This cultural movement ultimately has resulted in a collective desire to get more things done to get to that final destination as soon as possible. John Mark Comer in his book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, addresses how we have gone from sleeping an average eleven hours a night before Edison invented the lightbulb to fewer than seven hours a night after the invention of the smartphone in 2007—all done with a sense of urgency because of a belief that we have a limited amount of time.
Waiting reminds us that we are eternal beings living within a Kingdom that has no end. During a time of waiting and uncertainty on whether he would survive, King David declared, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14). Jesus, likewise, lived within an eternal reality, knowing that he would only have about three years to do ministry, yet taking several occasions to go “out to the mountains to pray, and all night continue in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). Jesus was never in a hurry. He practiced the presence of God because he knew he would rise from the dead—the same resurrection hope we can live into today.
Pastor and theologian Howard Thurman reinforced this idea of eternal hope in his book, The Inward Journey:
“Waiting is a window opening on many landscapes […] It is the experience of recovering balance when catapulted from one’s place. It is the quiet forming of a pattern of recollection in which there is called into focus the fragmentary values from myriad encounters of many kinds in a lifetime of living. It is to watch a gathering darkness until all light is swallowed up completely without the power to interfere or bring a halt. Then to continue one’s journey in the darkness with one’s footsteps guided by the illumination of remembered radiance is to know courage of a peculiar kind—the courage to demand that light continue to be light even in the surrounding darkness. To walk in the light while darkness invades, envelops, and surrounds is to wait on the Lord. This is to know the renewal of strength. This is to walk and faint not.”
Our hope for the Holland Christian community is that we continue to live together under the reality that Jesus is our living King who loves us dearly. During this Lenten season, may we strengthen our deep want and desire for God. May our souls “wait for the Lord more than the watchmen wait for the morning, more than the watchmen wait for the morning” (Psalm 130:6).
With thanks,
Miles Colago, HCHS Principal
General Information
Spring Break: March 29-April 7
If you are planning on leaving early for spring break, please send a note, email Kelli Van Eerden, or call the office at 616.820.2905 before you leave. This will help us greatly with attendance.
Parents & Guardians of the Class of 2024
Help make your child’s end-of-high school career even more memorable by surprising them with a message in the yearbook! Purchase an ad for your senior with this Senior Graduation Ad opportunity. We can accept submissions only until March 18, 2024!
Senior Exam Exemption Policy Reminder
During the second semester, seniors may work towards being exempt from their final exams. To earn this exemption seniors must meet at least one of the following:
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- Have a B average in the course for which there is an exam through the final day of that course;
- Have handed in all homework on time with a passing grade, and have no more than two days absent in that course for the whole semester (for any reason except “school activity.”)
PSAT & SAT for HCHS Students
On Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 8:30am at HCHS, 9th graders will be taking the PSAT 8/9, 10th graders the PSAT 10, and 11th graders the SAT. The PSAT and SAT showcase the classroom skills and knowledge that are essential for college and career readiness. In addition, this benchmark data helps Holland Christian to continuously improve its strong approach towards academic excellence. Students will be dismissed when the testing is finished, approximately 11:30am with no cafeteria services that day. If you are a senior you do not need to attend school on March 20. Tech Center is required for seniors, but juniors will be excused from Tech Center due to the testing.
Athletic Department
Registration on Final Forms for the 24-25 school year begins on April 1, 2024. The athletic department requires a pre-participation physical dated after April 15, 2024, to participate in school sports for the 24-25 school year. Athletes will not be allowed to participate in tryouts until a current physical form is on file with the athletic department. If you have any questions please contact the HCHS athletic department.
- All families with 6th-12th grade potential athletes need to be registered with our online registration system Final Forms. For those already registered for the current year, you simply need to login, select the sports your child is interested in and update any changes to your and your child’s information. This is also the place where you print the updated 24-25 physical form to take with you to your DO/MD/NP/PA appointment and have that individual sign the form.
- For complete information about all athletic opportunities at Holland Christian, please take a look at the Athletic Opportunities page
- For information specifically about summer camps, go to the Summer Camps page.
Athletic Physical Night
We encourage every child to see their PCP for their well-child visit, but also understand that MHSAA preparticipation sports physical requirements do not always align with the annual well child visit with your physician due to insurance requirements. It is beneficial to see your PCP as they know your previous history and can note any oddities, but MHSAA requires that physicals must be dated after April 15.
Sports physicals through the school allow a way to fulfill the MHSAA requirements when insurance does not cover an additional physical. More information is coming on an all-area physical night this spring, so please stay tuned for a date and time!
Please note: Any parents willing to volunteer their time as any of the following: Physician, nurse, PT, expert crowd control or healthcare professional, please email HC’s athletic trainer, Karianne.
Important Dates
- High school spring sports tryouts: March 11, 2024
- Final Forms registration opens for 24-25 school year: April 1, 2024
- MHSAA Dead Week: July 1-7 no team activities or use of facilities
- MHSAA fall sports pre-season downtime: August 1-11 limited activities for fall teams
- High school fall sports begin: August 12
- Middle school fall sports: Football begins August 19, all other Middle School sports begin August 26
Fine Arts
Living Hope Singers present Showtime! Songs From Stage and Screen
Join us for Living Hope Showcase 2024 on March 15 and 16 at 7pm at the HCHS Auditorium. You won’t want to miss this fun performance of music from Broadway, our favorite movies, and television. Tickets are $10 each, and $1 of every ticket will benefit Upward Bound Ministries. Visit hollandchristian.org/lhshowcase to purchase your tickets today!
Swingin’ The Night Away
The Holland Christian Jazz Bands and the Old Timer’s Jazz Band are proud to present the Swingin’ the Night Away in the HCHS cafeteria on Friday, March 22, from 6:45-9pm. Admission is $5, and goes to support the music program at HCHS. New to swing dancing? No worries! Dance instructors will be on hand from 6:45-7:30pm to teach us the basic steps of swing, so the evening can be enjoyed by novice and experienced dancers alike. Not in the mood for dancing? Come socialize, indulge in some delicious desserts, punch, and enjoy the music of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and more.
Band Extravaganza
Come one, come all to the Holland Christian Schools Band Extravaganza for a wonderful night of music on Wednesday, March 13. HC’s 5th grade, 6th grade, Middle School, and High School Bands will perform at the Jack H. Miller Center for the Musical Arts on Hope College’s campus at 7pm. Hear a wide variety of musical styles and sounds and you won’t want to miss the closer, featuring over 200 musicians combined!
Counselors’ Corner
Testing Information
- All 11th grade students will take the SAT during the school day on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Students do not need to register for this test, and there is no cost for students.
- Upcoming Saturday SAT dates are available in March, and May. HCHS is a testing site for the March date. You can search for other testing sites in our area when you go to the SAT website to register.
- Upcoming Saturday ACT test dates are available in April. You can search for other testing sites in our area when you go to the ACT website to register.
- Here is a chart of the upcoming ACT and SAT dates for the 23-24 school year, including the registration deadlines.
College Financial Aid
The FAFSA process continues to be riddled with delays and frustration this year. At this point, many college financial aid offices have communicated with prospective families regarding the delays. Most estimate that FAFSA related information should be available to families who filed by mid to late March.
The financial aid office of the college(s) you are considering is the best place to go if you have specific FAFSA or financial aid questions.
Scholarships
Internal scholarships offered to current, full-time Holland Christian seniors (this includes Tech Center seniors) are available. Details have been emailed to seniors. These are listed on Google Classroom under the course “HCHS Internal Scholarships.” The due date for these applications is March 28, 2024 by 8am. There is still a list of outside opportunities listed on the HC website under the counseling section.
Seniors’ Honors Night
We would like to celebrate the accomplishments of your seniors by including a list of all merit scholarship recipients in the Honors Night and graduation programs. If your senior son/daughter is receiving a merit scholarship (not financial aid) from a college you know he/she will be attending, please provide Mrs. Silva in the high school office with written verification of the award. You may copy the letter or the email notifying you of the award. Please have all scholarships turned in by Monday, April 22, 2024. Once a student turns in scholarship(s), he/she will receive an invitation letter to Honors Night. Please reserve the evening of Thursday, May 16, 2024 for this event. It is a special night to acknowledge the hard work of our seniors, and we want to celebrate their accomplishments!
College Visits
We encourage juniors to begin exploring specific colleges. Students are allowed two school-related absences per semester for college visits provided certain criteria are met. School-related absence means the absence does not count toward the ten absences allowed. There is a form that the student must fill out, and it must be completed and signed by the college official and returned to the high school office in order for the absence to be cleared. The college visit permission form is available in the high school office and the counseling office. We hope this helps encourage students to explore college/career options without worrying about accruing too many absences. Please note that parents do need to call in the absence ahead of time. Once the completed form is turned in to the office, the absence will get coded as a college visit and will not count against the student.
23-24 School Calendar
Important Dates
March
- 2: Kids’ Stuff Resale 9am-12pm
- 13: Band Extravaganza: 7pm, Jack Miller Center @ Hope College
- 15 & 16: Living Hope Showcase 7pm HCHS
- 22: Swingin’ the Night Away 7pm HCHS
- 29-April 7: Spring break
April
- 8: School resumes
- 20: HCHS Oratorio
- 26: Junior-Senior Banquet
