Poem by Me: "Fifteen"

Wednesday, ‎December ‎07, ‎2016

FIFTEEN

    ~ by Laura-Lee RAHN

‎

I see some wrinkles

And gray hairs a-plenty.

The desks where we sat

Are long gone and empty.

Walking the hallways

where Laughter once played,

I remember full rooms

 where we learned and prayed.

Down come old walls 

making room for the new.

But I still see the pole

where our proud flag once flew.

 Some mem'ries have passed.

 Some years left unseen.

Yet safe in my heart,

you're forever fifteen.

* Dedicated to the former Students from Vancouver Christian Secondary School.

LINK Vancouver Christian School (HOMEPAGE)

LINK to VCS (History)

" ...

By the 1970s and 80s, Vancouver Christian School had become a thriving community of a few hundred students, adding kindergarten and high school classes as the need arose. VCS' mission, to teach children about "all of life under God," continued to draw Vancouver families to the school.  And, it was during this era that VCS truly evolved into the multicultural, multidenominational community that it is today. ..."

YOU Can Post Here Too

Since Mom died, I don't seem to have much heart for keeping up the same amount of posts as before. But I don't want to hinder YOU from posting to the VCSS ALUMNI Blog. This is YOUR blog too. I can add you to this blog so that you have the ability to add new posts to it as well.

You just simply send me your email address and I will plug it into this blog. You will get an invitation in your INBOX to ask if you want to post to this blog. Follow the link to answer "YES" and you can post here too.
It's that simple.

Even if you don't have something to say right now, you might want to set this up as a precaution. If it ends up you DO want to say something in the future that's important, you might not have the time to be waiting on me to get around to checking my email.

Just wanted you to know that this option was available to you and super simple.

And I suspect this Blog will be much improved the more people contribute. I'm happy to start these groups and blogs but, after all, there are MANY great people who attended this school and should be heard.

Love Laura-Lee RAHN (grad 1985)

Send your email to: irene.lauralee@gmail.com
SUBJECT: VCSS Alumni Blog

Vancouver Christian School History (3 schools in 1)

 

 

 

Vancouver Christian School (http://vancouverchristian.org)

The idea of a Christian school in Vancouver was first conceived by a group of Dutch immigrants, with Reformed religious roots, in the late 1930s. The school, first know as “Calvin Christian School” opened its doors in 1949 making it the first Christian school of its kind in B.C.
Enrolment quickly expanded as many Dutch immigrants arrived in the decade after World War II. Shortly after its opening, two new schools branched off into Burnaby (John Knox) and Richmond (Richmond Christian School).
In 1965, the school changed its name to Vancouver Christian School. Property was purchased on Killarney Street where it remained as a K‐7 school until the late 1980s. During the 1960s and ‘70s, the school population diversified as it developed into a truly interdenominational school representing many churches and cultures.
In 1978, Vancouver Christian expanded to include a regional high school by opening a grade 8‐12 program on a new site on Mons Avenue. In 1988, after 10 years of operation, the high school closed its doors with the promise that the dream of a high school would be developed again over time. The Killarney property was sold and the K‐7 school moved to the Mons site.
By 1991, Vancouver Christian had developed the first middle school in British Columbia (grades 6‐8) and had also begun to add a junior high program up to grade 10, in fulfillment of promises made when the high school had closed down in 1988. Although overall the school flourished during this decade, it remained difficult to sustain the junior high program due to the continuing exit of students from grades 7 and 8 into the public school system.
The first decade of the new millennium saw huge enrolment growth at Vancouver Christian and it implemented a full double‐track system.

John Knox Christian School (http://johnknoxbc.org) In 1955, John Knox Christian School opened its doors as a new Christian elementary school serving the New Westminster and Burnaby areas. In the school’s first year of operation it had 65 students in 4 classrooms, with 2 teachers and a principal.
In the 1960s, a second wing with 5 classrooms was added to the school to accommodate more students. Physical Education classes were held in a church meeting hall across the street.
In 1964, a regional Christian high school known as Fraser Valley Christian High School was formed under a separate society, and initially operated on the John Knox campus. Fraser Valley Christian High School moved into a new building in Surrey in 1966.
As the John Knox School grew in the 1970s, and many new students came from the Surrey area, a decision was made to start a new elementary campus across the Fraser River. The Surrey campus opened in 1978 and was known as “John Knox Christian School – Surrey”. In 1986 the Surrey campus formed its own society and became known as “Surrey Christian School”.
Back in Burnaby, John Knox underwent another major expansion in 1995 adding a gym, library, two additional classrooms and administrative offices.
In 2004, under pressure from an expanding student population, John Knox moved its grades 5 to 7 to a new campus in Burnaby leased from Burnaby School District. The leased campus served to relieve the John Knox School of its immediate space issues, and also provided opportunity to revisit a proposal to start a new Christian high school in cooperation with the Vancouver Christian School.
In 2006, the Strategic Planning Committee of John Knox envisioned a new building for the school, and in 2008, a 3‐year capital campaign was launched, the old building was removed and students and staff were temporarily divided between a vacant elementary school in Coquitlam, and the leased Burnaby campus. Construction of the new school began in 2009 and was completed in February 2010, on time and on budget. On March 1, 2010 students and staff moved into the new building. In May 2010 the building was dedicated to God’s glory.

Carver Christian High School (http://carverchristian.org)Around the turn of the millennium, as other Christian schools were developing into K ‐ 12 schools, Vancouver Christian and John Knox began to consider again the idea of developing a regional high school in the Vancouver‐Burnaby area

In September 2005, the vision and hard work of its founders was rewarded when Carver Christian High School opened its doors to welcome 77 students from Grades 9 ‐ 11. A year later, as student enrolment increased, grade 12 was added.
In 2011, in the interest of retaining students who might otherwise go to public school and in the interest of attracting new students Carver expanded its program to include grade 8. John Knox moved its grade 8 students to Carver and Vancouver Christian continued to operate its grade 6 – 8 middle school program

Amalgamation of Three Vancouver Christian Schools

If you haven't heard by now, Vancouver Christian School, Carver High School, & John Knox School  are going to be joined into ONE school, although they will maintain separate campuses. 

This has been in the works for some time now and there has been a LOT of meetings and 'to-ing and fro-ing' and so I haven't mentioned it here at our alumni blog so far. But now it seems that the various people and schools are coming to more concrete decisions and it's time to bring you up to date (as much as I can).

Several of you who read this have children attending one or more of these schools, so this may be old information to you, but there are many of us who have been "set adrift" due to the fact that we have no children enrolled there nor do we give significant donations. (Quite frankly, no matter whom I write to, I don't even get my emails responded to).

However, being ignored has never stopped me before, so I will attempt to piece together here the most up to date and pertinent facts in this merger of the three schools.

Transition to amalgamation

Posted on March 5, 2013 by mbaelde

This Merger Matters site has kept you informed of developments as we have moved forward towards the vote on amalgamation.
At this time we are pleased to share with you the Transition Plan which we hope will lead to a decision by the respective society memberships to amalgamate under a new society, the Greater Vancouver Christian Education Society.

A Town Hall meeting has been scheduled for May 7, 2013 at the John Knox Christian School. Society memberships of both Vancouver and Burnaby, parents, teachers and staff are invited to attend for presentations on the developments and plans to form a new society and an amalgamated K – 12 school. In particular you can learn and ask questions about:

• the Constitution, Bylaws and Governance of the Greater Vancouver Christian Education Society,
• the Mission and Vision of the new Vancouver Christian School operating in 3 campus locations under the names Vancouver campus, John Knox campus and Carver campus
• campus programs, policies and administration,
• the proposed budget,
• the future location of the Carver campus and
• the “special resolutions” required to effect the amalgamation.

The purpose of this Town Hall meeting is to provide information only. We will anticipate questions and provide answers as further questions arise. There will be no vote taken at this meeting.


WHAT'S IN A NAME:

This amalgamated name is consistent with the practice in SCSBC schools to identify a name according to its location as done for Richmond Christian, Langley Christian, Surrey Christian and Abbotsford Christian. The name recognizes that Vancouver is a more widely recognized location than Burnaby and that selecting Vancouver Christian School as a name for the amalgamated school further protects the internet branding advantage that comes with the name. It also pays tribute to the long history established through John Knox Christian School by recognizing this through the campus name – John Knox campus, and acknowledges the history that has been developed at the Carver campus.

For us, the names are important and what they represent is equally importance. We’re heading for establishing an amalgamated Christian K – 12 school in Vancouver with campus names that speak to a deep history. This is exciting. Praise the Lord!
Ed Vanderboom



VCS webpage for Merger Information
 

Another School Reunion ?

Wonderment in May
by Ed Loenen  VCSS Art Teacher -
(passed away 2012)

Spring is in the air and everyone is starting to talk about reunions. After all, this is a high school blog. The first Reunion I planned went very well. It wasn't greatly attended but the people who went said they had a great time and would definitely like to go to another one. There have been several people since who said  "I would have loved to have been there but I didn't know about it". I remember that at the time Facebook was upgrading their "groups" section, so the "EVENT" might have been lost in the shuffle. But mostly

there just weren't that many people at our FB Group and not many people spread the word.  I didn't attend for one very good reason: I PLANNED IT FROM 1000 KM AWAY!

Yes. I live in Edmonton now, but I still managed to pull it all together including the location, time, and Event Invitations (and then spent the afternoon of the reunion pacing in my living room chewing on the inside of my cheek).


If I can pull it off from a Province away, then what can YOU accomplish? It's kind of a daunting task but let's start with some ground work and see if we don't have to put this all on one person's shoulders.


Over the years, I have told tons of people stories about my five years at Vancouver Christian Secondary School (or as it came to be 'legendarily' known "Laura-Lee's little Christian school"). Besides many stories about our unique adventures and quotes from some of our more interesting students (that means YOU!) I have also stressed how each class seemed to take on a life of it's own. That we were definitely MORE than the sum of our parts. My own class (1985) demonstrated that a thousand ways over the 5 years we were together.


Now we're in the big, bad world and we must burst from our classes and be a single unit of "ALUMNI". Yes. Our school does not exist anymore, but somehow we have found each other on the Internet. Let's make sure that we continue to "find" each other.  I don't mean we should be like a TV sitcom and be forever 17 and unable to move past our high school days OR (like Romy & Michelle) seek to show "the other kids" that "I'm not a nobody anymore".


We are adults. We have a lot on our plates. Thus is life. So let's join together in a new way.  In those cramped, dark hallways of that tiny school we were merely children trying to find our way through faith, family, responsibility and a million hormones ("HIS-mones" if you're a boy). But we did grow up. Together. And that makes us a "family". So let's act like one. *Encourage each other. *Remember that words last longer when they are used to build up rather than tear down. *Forgive and let go of the past. *See people for what they could be not for the mess they may now be. *Be ready to invest yourself in someone else. *Prepare for the worst but always hope and pray for the BEST!  *And constantly be speaking the truth in love. Love.( Love, love, love). All those things were the real lessons we were learning there. I know because I'm still getting questions about "when is the next reunion?" We need time to reconnect and remember. And you may just find that the good was very good and the bad was so ridiculous you can laugh about it now. And how many wounds has laughter been the bandage for? What a wonderful purpose and a great reason to get together again.


So for the "ground work" let's start by making sure that every single person that you're in contact with who attended, taught or worked at that school knows about our groups.(SEE THE LINKS BELOW)  Post these web addresses anywhere you think an alumni might go. College websites. Church websites. Christian forums and magazines (especially if they are Canadian or Vancouver based). And don't forget to join them yourself. Then, with everyone "here" or "present", we can plan a reunion. And next time we can make sure that everyone who wants to be there,  will - be - there!  Because we all know what it feels like to be "ignored" or "left out" ( after all, we did attend high school).


Sincerely, Laura-Lee Rahn (class of 1985) - putting the MENTAL in "fundaMENTAList"


FACEBOOK: Vancouver Christian Secondary Alumni

BLOG: VCSS Alumni (Google)

TWITTER: VCSS Alumni

REUNION PHOTOS

September 2010
(25th Reunion - Class of 1985)

June 2010 (L-L planned from Edmonton)
(Central Park Burnaby)

Summer 1995

1993
(10th Reunion - Class of 1983)

P.S. Don't forget that if you have a "Google" Account (IE. an email that has "GMail.com" at the end) then you can click on the "FOLLOW" button on this BLOG and get notified of new posts and add posts to the Blog yourself . (Remember: a Google Account is free).

And no matter what email you have, you can always add a comment to any blog OR share it with other sites with the links at the bottom of each entry. (llr)