Skip to main content
High School Newsletter

High School Newsletter: April 2025

Dear HCHS Families,

Welcome to April and to the spring season! In a few years, I will have spent the majority of my life in west Michigan, which has allowed for me to have an increased appreciation for the sun and the end of winter. As a Minnesotan, little did I know when choosing to attend Calvin College that I would experience cloud cover for more than half the year and start looking at weather forecasts in anticipation for the next sunny day. Today, after experiencing Tulip Time and living here for more than a decade, I understand the urge to dance in the streets while being surrounded by colorful tulips and blossoming gardens.

One of my favorite depictions of Jesus comes from the book of John when Mary Magdalene is at the empty tomb and mistakes Jesus for the gardener (John 20:15). This is a curious scene and begs many questions: What was Jesus doing to give Mary the impression that he was the gardener? Was he actually tending to the plants surrounding the tomb with a shovel, hoe, or watering can? This depiction of Jesus has been the subject of artists for centuries, but what this scene beautifully brings to mind is that God once again was caught “walking in the garden in the cool of the day” and his people, instead of hiding their faces in shame, can once again dwell in his presence, tears and all (Gen. 3.8).

This year our theme has been to seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness. As we move into this spring season, one of our deep hopes is that our students may be reinvigorated to participate in the eternal things that God originally designed for us and our flourishing. We were designed to tend to the garden and feel the joy of producing fruit from the work of our hands (Gen. 2:15); we were designed to discover and assign names to God’s creatures and steward them (Gen. 1:26, Gen. 2:19); as male and female, we were designed to increase and multiply and build communities (Gen. 1:28); and most importantly, we were designed to dwell with the Gardner, be in his presence, and see him face to face (Gen. 3:8, Job 33:26). May our students and we not get caught up into a culture that encourages us to accomplish as much as we can before we die, but rather may we get caught up into the incredible love of Jesus, the life made full in following him, and the hope that his resurrection gives to the world.

Thank you once again for your partnership in transforming the world distinctively for Jesus through the discipleship and equipping of each and every student into Christ’s likeness (2 Cor 3:18).

With Thanks,

Miles Colago

General Information

Junior/Senior Banquet: April 26

The Junior-Senior Banquet is Saturday, April 26 at Frederik Meijer Gardens from 7pm to 10pm. Dinner will be provided. Tickets are $75 each and can be purchased online until April 16 at 10pm.   The link to purchase tickets has been emailed to juniors and seniors and can also be found in the High School Daily Announcements. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Koeman.

If you are bringing a NON-HC guest or an HC underclassmen as your guest, you need to turn in a Guest Form (available in the office) and have it approved before you purchase your tickets. You may purchase up to two tickets.

Important Reminders:

  • Bring your ticket confirmation (printed or on your phone).
  • Please dress appropriately. Remember we seek to honor our God as we celebrate.
  • Because this is a school activity, all school rules apply. There is a zero tolerance for all tobacco, alcohol and marijuana products.
  • Students will not be allowed to re-enter if they leave the facility.

Tulip Time Week Schedule

  • Monday, May 5 – Friday schedule
  • Tuesday, May 6 – normal Tuesday
  • Wednesday, May 7 – normal Wednesday
  • Thursday, May 8 – Grandparents Day/ Half Day for Tulip Time
    • 8-8:35 – 1st hour
    • 8:45-9:10 – Chapel-9th & 11th & Tour/Coffee 10th &12th
    • 9:20-9:45 – Tour/Coffee 9th & 11th & Chapel 10th & 12th
    • 9:50-10:25 – 2nd hour
    • 10:35-11:10 – 3rd hour
  • Friday, May 9 – normal Friday

Attendance Reminders for All

Once at school students are required to check out in the office before leaving school. Students must obtain parent and office permission before leaving school at other than normal times. Students must sign in when coming into school after the school day has started.

After 8:10am students must use door A on the east side of the building, as we are a secure campus with all doors locked during the school day. Remember to check in the main office to come and/or go during the school day.

Holland Christian High School operates as a closed campus. Students are not allowed to leave the grounds, especially during their lunch period. Friday is an exception to this rule, as seniors are allowed to leave for lunch. Parents who want to take only their student(s) out for lunch must personally check them out in the office. Youth leaders or older siblings (out of high school) may also sign them out. Students who leave campus unexcused for lunch will receive an after-school detention.

Host an International Student in 25-26

Do you have a passion for other cultures? Do you have a gift of hospitality? If so, please prayerfully consider hosting an international student for the 25-26 school year. Please fill out an interest in hosting form. For more information and to turn in a completed form, please email Kyle Kempster or email Chanho Song our International Coordinators.

Fine Arts

Spring Theatre Production, The Play That Goes Wrong

We invite you to come experience a night of laughs, drama, and a murder mystery gone wrong! May 1-3 at 7pm HC Theatre presents The Play That Goes Wrong – and everything from poisoned actors, falling sets, exploding props, mutinous set crew, and much worse! Despite the catastrophe, the cast fights to keep the play on the rails…after all, “the show must go on!” Tickets go on sale April 8, so keep tabs on the HC Theatre page for more information, and we hope to see you there.

HCHS Choir and Orchestra Oratorio Concert

The Holland Christian High School Choirs and Orchestra invite you to their annual Oratorio Concert as they perform Mendelssohn’s Elijah on Friday, April 25 at 7pm at West Ottawa High School Performing Arts Center (3685 Butternut Dr, Holland, MI 49424). Admission is free.

Holland Christian Spring Band Concert

Join the Holland Christian High School Bands as they present their Spring Concert on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 at 7:30pm at the Jack H. Miller Center for the Musical Arts. Enjoy concert band, symphonic band, jazz music, the Holland Christian drumline, and a tribute to our seniors.

Holland Christian Spring Choral Concert

Join the Holland Christian High School Choirs as they present their Spring Choral Concert on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 7:30pm at the Holland Christian High School Auditorium. Enjoy a variety of music in song and a tribute to our seniors.

Holland Christian Spring All Orchestra Concert

You are invited to join the Holland Christian School Orchestras in the Jack H. Miller Center for the Musical Arts on Monday, May 12, 2025 at 7:30 pm. See the wonderful progression from 4th to high school orchestras, a beautiful picture of education at Holland Christian.

Athletic Department

Registration on Final Forms for the 25-26 school year begins on April 1, 2025. The athletic department requires a pre-participation physical dated after April 15, 2025, to participate in school sports for the 25-26 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 25-26  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 Physicals

Holland Christian encourages every child to see their primary care physician for their well child visit, but also understands the annual MHSAA pre-participation sports physical requirement does not always align with insurance requirements.  Holland Christian’s sports physical night offers a low cost visit that meets the MHSAA requirements, but it is not an alternative to an annual well child visit.  Regardless of where the MHSAA physical is performed, it must be completed by a MD, DO, NP or PA who will check for significant medical concerns that could arise through participation in sports.  The MHSAA physical form must be completed between April 15 and the first practice/try-out for a student to participate in any in-season sport.

For spring 2025, the Holland Hospital & Shoreline Orthopedic Sports Medicine Collaborative schools are collectively offering two evenings for all partner schools on April 16 at South Washington Family Medicine from 6-8:30pm and May 15 at Shoreline Orthopaedic ZEELAND from 6-8:30pm.   Families can register for a physical slot at maroonsathletics.org/Registrations. Holland Christian has 15 available slots every 15 minutes on both evenings.  

Important Athletic Dates

  • Final Forms registration opens for the 25-26 school year on April 1, 2025
  • MHSAA Dead Week: June 30 – July 6  (no team activities or use of facilities)
  • MHSAA Fall Sports Pre-Season Downtime: August 1-10 (limited activities for fall teams)
  • High School Fall Sports begin: August 11
  • Middle School Fall Sports: Football begins August 18,  all other middle school sports begin August 25

Counselors’ Corner

Testing Information

College Financial Aid

The FAFSA process has been much smoother this year, and we’re thankful for this! 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 related questions.

Scholarships

Internal scholarships are available to current, full-time Holland Christian seniors (this includes Tech Center seniors). Details have been emailed to all full-time seniors. These are listed on Google Classroom under the course “HCHS Internal Scholarships.” The due date for these applications is Monday, March 31, 2025 by 8am. There is still a list of outside opportunities listed on the HC website under the counseling section.

Senior Honors Night

We would like to celebrate the accomplishments of our 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 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 received. This does not include need-based financial aid awards. Please have all scholarships turned in by Friday, April 25, 2025.  Once a student turns in scholarship(s), he/she will receive an invitation letter to Honors Night. Please reserve the evening of Thursday, May 15, 2025 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. 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.

End-of-Year Information for Seniors

Reminder Senior Exam Exemption Policy

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:

  • 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.”)

Seniors End of the year schedule

  • May 9: All library fines paid and materials returned (Seniors only).
  • May 14: Textbooks should be returned to the Media Center (Seniors only). If you need any books for your exams just bring them to the media center after your exam.
  • May 15: Honors Evening, HS Auditorium, 7pm (by invitation only)
  • May 19: Senior Exams for students who are required to take them
  • May 20: Graduation Rehearsal (required) – 10am
  • May 20: Graduation Ceremony – 7pm at Central Wesleyan Church
  • June 9-13: Diploma pick up (in the high school office)

After Graduation Party

The “Senior All-Night Party” is May 20. The 2025 graduation party committee has emailed information to parents of seniors. Tickets to the event will cost $20.

Diplomas

Diplomas will be available for pick up from the High School office from June 9-13.  They can be picked up anytime between 8am and 3pm by the student or by a family member. Your tuition balance and all other financial obligations must be taken care of before you may receive your diploma. If your senior is the only child enrolled at HC, or if you have not made previous arrangements with the business office, please contact Terry VanDerKolk at 616.820.2807.  Final transcripts will be sent after these arrangements are made. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Exam Schedule

  • Friday, May 30
    • 8:45am – 10:15am – 1st hour
    • 10:30am – 12:00pm – 2nd hour
  • Monday, June 2

    • 8:45am – 10:15am – 3rd hour
    • 10:30am – 12:00pm – 4th Hour
  • Tuesday,  June 3

    • 8:45am – 10:15am – 5th hour
    • 10:30am – 12:00pm – 6th hour
  • Wednesday,  June 4

    • 8:45am – 10:15am – 7th hour
    • 10:15am – 12:00pm – Makeup slot

Calendar

2024-25 HCS School Calendar

April

  • 4-13: No school, Spring Break
  • 14: School resumes
  • 25: HCHS Oratorio at West Ottawa HS Performing Arts Center, 7 pm
  • 26: Junior/Senior Banquet

May

  • 1-3: Spring Show, The Play That Goes Wrong 
  • 8: Grandparents Day, special schedule, Tulip Time (half day, 11:10 dismissal)
  • 12: Orchestra Concert at Jack Miller Center 7pm
  • 13: Band Concert at Jack Miller Center 7:30pm
  • 14: Spring Choral Concert, HS Auditorium, 7:30pm
  • 15: Senior Honors Evening 7pm
  • 16: Last day for seniors
  • 19: Senior exams
  • 20: Commencement for Class of 2025
  • 26: Memorial Day vacation
  • 30: HCHS exams begin