Class of 1985 30th Reunion

"peanut butter and jelly, feels so good in my belly!"

l-r FRONT: Anita, Andrea, Veronica, Karen, Joanne,
l-r BACK: Jeff, Cameron, Amanda, Mark, Alan, Ben, Steve

Graduating Class of 1985 at 30th Reunion  
(Hope I got everyone right?) Love Laura-Lee)

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

Laura-Lee's First Day at VCSS

Since I’ve been going down memory lane about my terrible Fears for the first 42 years of my life, a lot MORE stuff has come up from the dusty corners of my brain.

I started grade 8, for the first time, at a Catholic High School. It was brand new and really big. My family had moved into that neighbourhood and since I was a Catholic, I attended it.

The previous year, Grade 7 at Miller Park Elementary School (which was a public school) was a great year for me. Mostly due to my best friend, Sacha Barrie. We had a total riot! Plus, I also attended Miller Park Elementary with a couple of my younger cousins. It was wonderful. But, my family moved and I had to said “Good-bye” to my best friend, Sacha, and start Mailllardville Secondary School, in Coquitlam at the beginning of grade 8. That was not a great time!

I interrupted drug deals in the bathrooms, got the ‘crap’ kicked out of me several times (which makes it difficult to make friends) and finally got thrown down a flight of 30 cement stairs. Three stories straight down. After the fall, as I looked up into the faces of the girls who had pushed me, their only comment was “The B**** will die next time”.
Needless to say, if I was usually a scared person, being at that school didn’t exactly motivate me to embrace life. My Fears became Terrors.

My Mom and I went to see the vice-Principal AND school counsellor, who both claimed I was a liar and that all their students were nice, Catholic girls and would NEVER behave like that.

I couldn’t stand the constant fear and beatings anymore, so in May of that year, I quit Maillardville Secondary School just 6 weeks short of the end of the year.

The next year I tried the public school. I had to take some grade 8 classes, but then I was going to be bumped into grade 9 classes because I had gotten such high grades for the first 3 semesters at the Catholic school.

But I had my eye on a little, Christian School I had read about in a TV Guide. Yup. The local edition of the TV Guide. I had become a Born-Again Christian a couple years earlier, and when I heard that there was such a thing as a “Christian School” (that wasn’t particularly a Catholic School), I wanted so desperately to go there.

A few weeks and a few miracles later and I had an interview to apply to go to "Vancouver Christian Secondary School" (V.C.S.S). This meeting was with some ‘big-wig’ people, that I had No idea who they were. Even though my family was “officially” still Catholic, AND my parents were Divorced, they let me in.

(*NOTE: Even though VCSS was interdenominational, it was mostly Baptists and Christian Reformed, who adhere to strict Christian codes. So my still being a Catholic and my parents being Divorced were big obstacles to my acceptance)

There was another big problem, since VCSS was such a small school, they didn’t have semesters. If I attended, it would mean taking ALL of grade 8 over again. But even though it meant an extra year of school, I knew God wanted me there, so off I went to my first day at Vancouver Christian Secondary School.

At the other high schools I had been given identification numbers and was told to “NEVER forget your number or the computer wouldn’t know who you are”. But nobody from VCSS had given me my number. They just told me to start on a certain day and go directly to the school office upon arriving at the school.

The three days leading up to that my thoughts untamed:

“That’s it! Go to the office? No more information? Who do I talk to? I had never been in that school before, what if I can’t find the office? Maybe I could ask another student where the office is? What if another student isn’t around? What if the student I ask decides to hate me? What if on the way to the office I get beat up? Will they think I started the fight? They don’t know much about me. Will I have to leave this school too? I’m starting this school weeks late and it’s not the first day of school and I won’t know what classes to go to. Nobody gave me a class schedule. How will I know what class to go to? Who do I talk to about getting a class schedule? How will I explain that I’m a new student? What if they kick me out before I can explain I’m new? What if they find out I’m not a Protestant? I’ll just explain that I love Jesus and maybe they’ll still let me stay. What if they want to talk to my dad and I have to admit that my mom is divorced? How will I prove I was accepted into this school? I don’t have a receipt or acceptance sticker or anything. I don’t have one piece of paper saying I was accepted. I don’t even remember the name of the man who phoned and said I was accepted. I can’t even remember the name of anyone who was at my interview. Maybe Mom remembers the name of someone who was there. I could call her at work, but I’d have to go to the office to use the phone (*NOTE: before cell phones invented). But if I have to ask to use the phone in the office, I’m back to square one again and trying to find my way to the office.”

And on and on my mind rolled. The same thing it’s been saying and the way it’s been behaving for 42 years. The manic fear and worry that never gives me a break or a rest. Never a day off, never a holiday for 42 years!

I did arrive for my first day of school and I did find the school office. I went in the door and a pleasant lady said, “You must be Laura-Lee. We’ve been watching out for you.”

I blurted out, “I’m terribly sorry. Am I late? Nobody told me exactly when to be here. They just told me school started at 8:45am. I hope I haven’t caused any problems.”

She responded, “Oh. No, no, no. It’s only 5 minutes after 8:00. There’s lots of time. I just meant I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

I thought, “Oh no. She’s probably heard that I’m a trouble maker that gets involved in fights in bathrooms.”

The lady continued, “My name is Mrs. DeVries. I’m the secretary. Mr. Van der Kamp is in his office waiting for you.” Then she pointed at a shut door.

I had to walk around a counter, past her desk and then thought, “I hope I’m allowed to be behind this counter.”

I paused outside this Mr. Vander Something’s door, but didn’t know what to do next because it was shut.

“What should I do? Should I just go in? Should I knock and then go in? Should I knock and wait to be asked in?”

As I was debating all these options, Mrs. DeVries said, “you don’t have to knock. Just go right on in. He said to send you in when you came.”

Well, that problem was solved. On to the next …

I opened the door a crack and peeked inside. A dark haired man with a strange beard/gotee type of thing, looked up and saw me. He got up from his chair, came from behind his desk, shook my hand and motioned me to a chair. Then I remembered him from the night of the interview.

At that interview he had barely said two words the entire time. He had sat 2 chairs to my right and just watched me with his dark eyes. He looked like he was trying to analyse me or maybe read my mind. It had made me feel very queer. Now here I was stuck in a room with him and, apparently, he was the Principal of Vancouver Christian Secondary School.

He said a few words of greetings and small-talk and I figured he was probably trying to put me at my ease. Even without massive Fears, anyone’s first day at school can be a bit nerve-racking.

Then he sat up in his chair, laced his hands on his desk and looked straight into my eyes and said quite seriously, “Something of a mistake has been made!”

I thought, “Oh oh. Here it comes! He’s going to give me the boot. They had probably gotten my application mixed up with some good kid’s application and the mistake has just been discovered. Now they’re leaving it to Mr. Van der KAMP to tell me I have to leave”.

I felt so bad that I wouldn’t be allowed to go to this school that it almost physically knocked the wind out of me. But I can’t say I was totally surprised. That’s the way Life is: You think you’re up and then, BAM, you’re down.

Did I really think they would let ME go to this school: Homicidal father, Divorced parents, 'Sort-of' a Catholic, Born Again while watching a Religious TV Show, Not even Baptised yet, Couldn’t get past grade 8? It would have been a miracle just to have been allowed on the property. Of course they wouldn't accept me.

I decided I would make it easy on Mr. Van der Kamp and just quietly leave. After all, it wasn’t his fault they had made this mistake. He was just the guy who had to do the ‘dirty work’ because he had the misfortune of me sitting in front of him in his office.

Before I could get up to leave he said, “Apparently I forgot that your class is going on a field trip today. So there won’t be regular classes. Did you bring a lunch with you? Well. No matter. I’m sure someone will share with you.”

I sat there for a minute just blinking my eyes. I couldn’t get my brain to process what he was saying. “No classes? Field trip? Lunch? A walk in the woods? University of British Columbia? A car full of girls?” The man was making no sense at all. What did that have to do with me being kicked out?

He looked at me and could tell something was wrong. He said, “Don’t you want to go on the field trip, Laura-Lee?”

Now, to my credit. I did recognize my name. But when my mind shuts down I do a very strange thing. I blurt out the truth. He wanted to know if I wanted to go on a field trip at that moment so I answered, “No! I want to go home.” And believe me, at that moment it was the ABSOLUTE TRUTH! One minute I thought I was being kicked out and the next I’m going on a field trip.

Mr. Van der Kamp looked very concerned and leaned over his desk even closer towards me. He paused for a moment and did that “analysing/mind reading thingy” again and said, “What’s wrong? Why don’t you want to go on a field trip? I thought that’s what all students live for. You can tell me what’s wrong.”

To put it quite frankly, I was not used to anyone being that nice or straight forward. Especially not a stranger. I figured that if I didn’t get out of there soon I would make a bigger fool of myself by bursting into tears. And also, the sudden knowledge of going on a field trip with a bunch of kids I didn’t know and to a place I didn’t know sent my fear level right off the Scared Scale. I really, really did just want to go home. To be somewhere peaceful and quiet and try to get my Fears under some sort of control, because they were bursting out all over the place!

But instead, I gently replied to Mr. van der Kamp, “Oh, there’s nothing wrong. I just said that because I was nervous. Of course I want to go on a field trip. Sounds like a wonderful way to start at a new school.” (so much for blurting out the truth)

I stayed at Vancouver Christian Secondary School for 5 years of my life. Those teachers and kids that were so scary became like family to me, including Mr. Van der Kamp.

Five years later, only weeks away from graduation, my class startled me with a little Birthday surprise at the beginning of May. (with presents too!!) We sat around for a few minutes talking and the topic turned to my first day of school. My classmates had remembered it because I came a few weeks after the first of the year AND it was the Field Trip to the UBC Endowment Lands.

Ben (Kocsar) said he thought I was a new teacher. We all laughed at that. I asked him, “Why did you think I was a ‘teacher’?!”
He responded,“Well. You were wearing that blazer. I’d never seen a kid wear a blazer before.”

Karen (Ydenberg) said after seeing me that first day she started bugging her Dad to allow her to wear make-up, because I was wearing make-up.

There were still many people in my class who had been there on my very first day and to hear their first opinions of me was both funny and enlightening. It made me wonder if people really know what others are thinking about them. I don’t think any of my classmates knew how terrified I was on that first day with them. Or even that at the moment while we were remembering it, I was still living with all my massive fears.

Five years of your life is a lot to share with people, and we had shared it all with each other. Somehow we had gone from being fellow students to friends to family members to eternal family members. That only happens while travelling down a long road with many twists and turns, together.

The miracle, at that time, was not that the walls of Fear had fallen (because they hadn't), but that I had been able to love and be loved in spite of them.

My Prison of Fear fell only in 2009, yet it didn’t stop me from experiencing good things in the years before. Maybe that’s what it means to be a Christian and to know Jesus and have him in your life.
In Heaven, we expect everything to be great, to be peaceful, to be joyous. But if you know Jesus while on earth, then you don’t have to wait. He doesn’t take away all our obstacles but simply slips past them to give you tastes of what’s waiting for you. And the Eternal things are worth waiting for … even if you have to wait while in prison. Some Prison walls will fall here, while on earth. But others might not fall until we are out of these earthly bodies (which can also be prisons) and in our Heavenly Homes, ... Forever.

^“ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.^{”
John 8:36-38 (NIV Bible)}

God Let Me Down - YUMMY!

If the Lord is the Lord of them

I joined Vancouver Christian Secondary School  (VCSS) about 6 weeks into grade 8. Prior to that my family had been living in the Maillardville district of Coquitlam, British Columbia and it looked like there was no way that I would ever be able to go to a Christian school. During the summer we had seen an advertisement in the TV Guide for Christian Schools in the Lower Mainland. We were brand new Christians, but we put our faith in Jesus to the test and my family (me, my mother and my brother) started praying in earnest that God would find a way for me to go there.

Summer came and went and the new school year started. I had to start at my neighborhood high school and it was pretty obvious that God had completely let me down. But just when it looks like all hope is lost and there is no way that God is going to come through, He answers prayer in a way we would never guess.
In our case, our sleazy landlords rented the little house we were living in right out from under us. Mom was reading the newspaper and came across a Classified advertisement that seemed rather familiar. We all took a look and recognized the home up for rent was where we were currently living! The land lords were 'upping' the rent by $300 and the move-in date for the new tenants was only 2 weeks from that moment we saw the advertisement.
 
We desperately scrambled to find a new place to live,  but very few home owners want to rent to a single mother with TWO teenagers. PLUS a dog. It looked like my little Maltese Poodle, Sweetie, might have to leave our family in order for us to find a place to live.
 I had thought God let me down just because I couldn't go to a Christian School. Then, the rug got pulled completely out from under us and I was starting to question whether or not God even liked me.
But, within 1 more week, we had a new home (much, much nicer than the one we left) and my mother had been offered a new job with a promotion and pay raise.
 
The evening of  "Move-Day" we were tired, dusty, surrounded by boxes and munching on Big Macs.  Suddenly a thought hit me and I quickly got up from my dinner and went into my bedroom.
Mom discovered me about 5 minutes later with the top half of my body deeply submerged inside a very large box. When she asked, "What are you looking for?" I popped my red face out of the box and proclaimed, "I have it!"
In my hand was a map of the city and the little advertisement from the TV Guide listing the addresses of the Christian Schools. As my mother and brother joined me looking at the map, which was spread out on a kitchen counter I said, "I was just wondering if we are any nearer to a Christian School".
I discovered that we now lived only 1 mile away from Vancouver Christian Secondary School and since my mother had gotten a pay raise, we were able to afford the tuition.
That was the first of many times that I have eaten the words, " God let me down."

It says in the Bible, "But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:31-32)

Even when I was angry and hurling accusations at Him, Jesus was working out a surprise for me. I spent all the remaining days of high school at "Vancouver Christian Secondary School" which I graduated from in 1985.

In grade 12, about 3 weeks before we graduated, my class started a discussion about the first day I came to school. All those who had been attending the school when I first arrived remembered it (maybe because it also happened to be the day of a field trip). It was very interesting to hear what every one's opinion of me was on that first day. What I remember most about it was how terrified I was. I don't think anyone even knew how scared I was or how much they intimidated me. But as I sat there in grade 12, preparing to  go out into the "real" world and hearing the views of what kind of person I had become, I knew it was greatly because of those who were surrounding me at that moment.

My Science teacher, Mr. Van Oosten, wrote in my last year book, "Blossom wherever you are planted". I've tried to do that, but I know I couldn't have even attempted it unless I had been accepted and loved throughout my high school years. The faith and strength of purpose I had was given to me by the other members of VCSS who had started as friends and somewhere through the years had became family.  
On this Thanksgiving, I remember them with gratitude.

Thanks to all of you for creating a 5 year oasis that allowed me to rest and grow into who I was mean to be. You did it without judgement and by demonstrating Jesus' love to me EVERY day.  You are the "Blessings" I count.

Love Always, Laura-Lee   (Thanksgiving, 2012, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

F.Y.I.: We didn't have to give up Sweetie, either. She lived with us to a ripe old age.

VCSS ALUMNI Twitter Page

LITERATURE vs VCSS

***NOTE: What follows is a story I wrote over at http://www.goodreads.com as a comment on a review of C.S. Lewis' "Out of the Silent Planet" and I thought I would post it on my appropriate Blogs:



"I read [Out of the Silent Planet] in high school (Vancouver Christian Secondary School) and it was also assigned to 8 other people in my class. Besides the 8 of us, the other kids in our class got other books to read. But all of us who read the books had to act out a scene from our respective books.

Now, keep this in mind: The other kids in our class haven't read our book and they don't know ANYTHING about it. PLUS, it takes place on another planet. So how do we act out a scene from a Sci-Fi, inter-planetary story in the front of a tiny classroom ... in 10 minutes or less?

We picked the scene (possible spoiler coming up) where one dude is taken off and tortured by water. We did this because we had a sink in the cloakroom of our class (it had formerly been an old elementary school) and I got the bright idea that we should wet down someone off stage. Guess who got picked. Yup. Me! I kept saying. "But, but, but ... I'm a girl. And the character is a man". (nice excuse eh?) But I had this big perm (it was the 1980's) and hair like Bon Jovi and I thought, "If I've got to do it, I'm going to GO FOR IT!
At the appropriate time I was dragged off stage, into the cloak room and I stuck my head in the sink and drenched it. Then I started yelling at the top of my lungs (I was supposed to be being tortured and I was "in character"). My yelling sort of surprised the other kids in the class who were watching our scene and had just seen me go off into the cloakroom without knowing why. And because of the fuss I was making off stage, the other 8 kids who were in the scene had stopped acting altogether. They kept trying to see what was happening to me in the cloakroom, so they had stopped saying their lines completely. I whispered to them loudly, "I'm okay. Keep going. Say your lines or I can't come back on stage."

They'd start up their lines again and I'd start yelling again! Every time I yelled (I'm being tortured, remember) everyone would gasp and stop what they were doing. I'd whisper again, "Don't stop. Keep acting or I'll never be able to finish this. I'm waiting for my cue so I can come back on stage!"

So I'm yelling, laughing, and the two guys who were portraying the aliens that had dragged me to my torture were afraid to even come near me. It all seemed so ridiculous that I started laughing even more.
Suddenly, I hear the Principal of the school walk into the room. He had heard the screaming and had come to investigate.
By that time I'd been threatening the other 8 kids to keep going so much, that they kept saying their lines no matter what. Not stopping for anything. FINALLY, I realized that my cue was coming up, but my hair was almost dry. So I took one more massive dunk into the water and the two "Aliens" dragged me back on stage ... unconscious.

When I got back on stage my head was hanging down (and dripping profusely) and I was "unconscious". Dead weight. They had to half carry me back on stage.
Once there, I was suppose to groggily come back to consciousness, look up and say the line, "I can't believe you betrayed me like this, Ransom!" - Which I did.

Between being soaking wet, yelling at the top of my lungs and saying the line with a lot of feeling, the kid playing Ransom (poor Cameron Walker) must have thought I was serious because he quickly responded, "No I didn't, Laura-Lee. I would never betray you!"

By that time the scene was pretty much lost and we didn't know what to do or how to finish and I thought to myself, "this just didn't work out the way it was suppose to".
But the mischievous side of me came out again when I realized my big Bon Jovi hair was still drenched and dripping all over the floor. I decided to shake my head just like a dog shakes after a bath and I covered EVERYONE with water: The kids in the scene, the kids watching, my teacher standing nearby and the principal looking in. They all let out one massive scream when they got hit with the water and curiosity finally got the best of the kids from the other classes and they came to investigate all the yelling and screaming.
Isn't literature wonderful?!!

RANSOM meets a HROSS (Alien) from 'Out of the Silent Planet"

Thanks to the Dads I Never Had

So many of you I met when you were only 13 years old when you first came to VCSS.  I still hold most of you in my imagination as you were when you were those young teenagers. But when I meet you all over the Internet, at sites like Facebook, I see photo after photo of all your children. But it puzzles me because I keep thinking, "You can't be a father of a 16 year old boy, you're only 13 years old yourself ?!"  Back in the "olden" days, when we attended high school, I saw the genesis of what kind of men and fathers you would become. And now as I look at you as you are are now, I know one thing very surely, you are a bunch of really proud Papas!

 As many of you know, all the years I attended VCSS I was one of the very few families that didn't have a Dad at home because my parents had divorced. In the 5 years I attended Vancouver Christian Secondary School  I never once set eyes on my father. I mailed him an invitation to my graduation but he never came. He didn't acknowledged my invitation or accomplishment with a phone call, a letter or even a card. Because of the type of person my fathers was, I spent my years with you always watching your fathers closely. I often heard you talk about your fathers, but mostly I heard you complain about them ("My Dad always wants to know where I am and where I'm going!"). The things you had to "endure" from your fathers were the things I longed for. A father who cared where I was, wondered what I did, asked about my grades at school, or interrogated the boys I was dating. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not stating , "Oh, poor me. I didn't have father", because it was just that fact that brought me to my Heavenly Father.  But this Fathers Day, as you look to your own kids who will probably honor you with gifts, phone calls and maybe a few compliments, may I ask you for a favour?  Look to your own memories of your young days, think of your fathers who made you the people and Dads you are now, and (if you are still fortunate enough to have your father around) give them a "thanks Dad" from you. And maybe say it with a little extra 'gusto' from me, who watched your fathers love you and felt the awe and privilege of  being able to see it. Watching them brought me deeper understanding of what it meant to be loved by my Heavenly Father.

"Jesus, bless all the Dads who love their children enough to pass on God's love through demonstrating it and then bowing out so God can increase while they decrease. Amen."

Happy Fathers Day, my friends.
Love Laura-Lee

"The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less."  (JOHN 3:29-30)

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)

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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)

Where’s the Alumni Newsletter, Laura-Lee?

As you can tell, the VCSS Newsletter I mentioned before is not finished. Nor is it going to be anytime soon. "LIFE" has invaded once again and what I used to consider tough situations deteriorated into "major crazy".


I had to leave my apartment on March 30, 2011. I had only a few days to get out and save a few things because of the waterfalls (literally) coming from my kitchen and bathroom ceilings (and I was in a basement suite). My landlady wouldn't fix it and I didn't have the money to move my belongings. I saved a few boxes of things (about 1/2 dozen) and my coffee table. Then on my way out of the building, I fell down a flight of stairs and awoke to discover myself surrounded by 5 , big, handsome firemen. That normally would have been a GOOD thing but they were trying to keep me from panicking because of my injuries and the fact that my purse strap had wrapped around my neck twice and was cutting off my circulation.


So here I sit, many months later, in a dingy hotel room, with winter nipping at my heels and Jack Frost at my nose. It was - 6 Celsius today and I am still no closer to finding a home. What makes it harder is that my mother is sleeping in the bed next to me. Almost 2 months ago , her kitchen sink became a water fountain (not to be confused with a water fall) and neither of us can walk , nor have a car and are a goodly amount in debt, while we watch our options dwindle. Yet it is a huge coincidence to find ourselves in the same boat. And, quite frankly I don't believe in coincidences. It probably looked pretty bleak to those Hebrews who had their backs to the Red Sea and Pharaoh's men ready to slice them to bits from the other direction. But what did Moses say to them? "Let the Lord fight for you. you need only to stand still"


So I think you may understand why the VCSS Newsletter has gone to the bottom of my list of priorities. (Maybe somebody else will take up the idea.) Yet, I received some mailed that was being "held" for me and discovered that Vancouver Christian School sent me something to "hit me up" for money. (Good luck with that guys) But once again, I wandered back, in my mind, to a gentler place and time. Where our greatest troubles was a test score or a new pimple.


Now we are all grown up and we must learn the lesson that "God has no grand-children". You either belong to Him or not. You follow or not. You must make a conscious decision to pick up your cross daily, deny yourself and follow wherever he leads.Christianity is no longer something you stumble into or "give it a try". It is a choice. The ultimate choice!


Two things come back to my memory again and again: When Alan Dunlop was forever practicing the hymn, "Freely we have received; now freely give" and what Mr. Van Oosten wrote in my last yearbook, "Blossom where planted". A hundred times a day those 2 thoughts run across my mind. It's my job to grab hold of them and invite them to stay a while. Just like I wish I could do with each of you. It is my desire and prayer that you each reach the "breakthrough" point when you surrender that last piece of yourself. You no longer keep that one last cookie in the cookie jar. I'm not saying I prefer not knowing where I will be from day to day or what will happen to me, BUT , Jesus reveals himself to me EVERY day. Sometimes to say deep, important things and reveal startling revelations or just to share a silly joke , because He knows I love them best. But when I realize that the Maker of the stars, knows me by name, I can understand the reaction of men like the prophet Isaiah (who told God he was of "unclean lips") or Peter (who said, "Get away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!"). Somebody told me once that , when they were with me they never felt so guilty but so accepted at the same time. That is our Jesus. Correcting us constantly, yet loving us totally. He has filled my hands with blessings because they were not full of other things. And I find great strength in my weakness because it's at that point I must lean hardest on Him. He will gather me under his wings and I will rejoice. A deal where we certainly come out with the bigger end of the straw.





So now I head off to bed this early Sunday morning, knowing that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God found in Christ Jesus (Romans 8)



Oh No. Not Winter Again!

And my Love to you all, my extended & Christian family.

Forever and always, your Laura-Lee Rahn (VCSS grad 1985)



Beautiful Alberta Sky

P.S. DON'T FORGET TO CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS AN HOUR.

VCSS Alumni Newsletter Coming Soon

Soon I hope to start publishing our very own Vancouver Christian Secondary alumni newsletter.

It looks like we have been left to fend for ourselves when it comes to keeping in touch with each other. VCS as a High School no longer exists. (Carver has taken up that role). So I am hoping to start a newsletter for all of us who attended the Mons/Haida Campus when it was a High School (whether you graduated or merely attended).

Keep watching this blog for news about this coming newsletter.

NOTE: I will be contacting several of you personally about contributing to the first issue. For now, the best thing to do is to invite and inform as many people as possible who attended Vancouver Christian [Secondary] School.