Teacher Spotlight: Marianne Raitz
My name is Marianne Raitz, and I am a First Grade Spanish Immersion and Reading Support Teacher at ZCS. My journey at Zeeland Christian began in September of 2010. I was sitting in the teachers’ lounge of a school I worked at in Costa Rica. I overheard one of the teachers talking about a school…
Read MoreTeacher Spotlight: Makenna Hoekstra
By Megan Smith Makenna Hoekstra chose to teach at Zeeland Christian because of the tremendous impact the school has had on her life. She graduated from ZCS in 2012, went to Holland Christian for high school, and got her education degree at Cornerstone University. She is currently teaching 6th grade Math and Social Studies. Although…
Read MoreTeacher Spotlight: Carla Zastrow
By Megan Smith Being a middle school teacher takes a very special person. Carla Zastrow fits that description perfectly. She has taught at Zeeland Christian for nearly 20 years, and all of them have been in our middle school. Carla started teaching in California for one year, but she found her fit at Zeeland Christian.…
Read MoreTeacher Spotlight: Erin Armas
Written by Megan Smith This year, ZCS welcomed Erin Armas as the new 3rd grade Spanish teacher. Erin’s teaching history includes teaching at a public school in Charlotte, NC, homeschooling her own children, teaching in a homeschool co-op in Guatemala, and even teaching online college and language classes. While serving and living in Guatemala, she…
Read MoreTeacher Spotlight: Kevin Schonewill
Written by Megan Smith Kevin Schonewill grew up out on the Great Plains of South Dakota. His family was extremely musical, and ‘doing music’ in church was part of their identity as a family. In Kevin’s younger years, his father owned a music store, where he would occasionally work. His shared deep connection between music…
Read MoreTeacher Spotlight: Tom Joustra
Written by Megan Smith If you’ve ever walked the halls of Zeeland Christian School, then chances are you’ve run into the smiling face of Tom Joustra. But what might come as a surprise, is when he set off from his hometown in New Jersey to attend Calvin College, Tom didn’t have teaching in mind at…
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Zeeland Christian School Announces Next Middle School Principal
Tim Paauw will be the next middle school Principal for Zeeland Christian School (ZCS). Mr. Paauw is currently the Head of School at Jenison Christian School. Before that Tim was a fourth-grade teacher at Ada Christian School from 2003-2010. Tim attended West Side Christian School through 8th grade and graduated from Calvin Christian High School.…
Read MoreZeeland Christian School Announces Tuition Freeze for 2021-22 School Year
Historically, ZCS has increased tuition annually by 2.5 – 3.5%. This year ZCS hopes to recognize and help those families who are still affected financially by COVID-19. Through the generosity of numerous individuals and organizations and the financial assistance from the Paycheck Protection Program, the ZCS School Board is excited to announce a tuition-freeze for…
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ZCS to Pay for Your Family’s Will Creation
A little over two years ago, a former ZCS parent dropped by the school and asked to meet with me (Peter). He introduced himself and said, “I don’t want ZCS to become a school for rich kids and I don’t want to ask for people for checks right now.” I was puzzled, but since I…
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