The voices of Trinity’s Gospel Choir flooded the Ozinga Chapel Auditorium as they opened the 11th annual Gospel Fest on April 23.

The voices of Trinity’s Gospel Choir flooded the Ozinga Chapel Auditorium as they opened the 11th annual Gospel Fest on April 23.

Sponsored by the Organization of African American Unity (OAAU), the event featured musical performances by Trinity’s Gospel Choir, Royal Priesthood, and Sisters in Unity, as well as Chosen to Worship and Grace and Mercy Ministries, led by Minister Grace Hobson.

“The evening was filled with the Holy Spirit,” said Quinton Parker ’12 of Matteson, Illinois, vice president of the OAAU and member of the Royal Priesthood.

Trinity students, faculty, and friends gathered in the Chapel for a night of fellowship, worship, and praise as the performers witnessed through song and dance.

“It was a great time to come out and worship God in many different ways, whether it was with rap, singing, or dancing,” Parker said. A lot of planning went into organizing the event, he said, but seeing everyone come together to praise God was worth the time. Parker has hopes in future years to make Gospel Fest an even larger success.

“It was great seeing Trinity’s own talent and outside ministries come together to praise God through singing and dancing,” said Tatyana Smith ’11 of Chicago, secretary of the OAAU. “It was also great seeing support from Trinity’s students, faculty, staff, and visitors. I look forward to next year.”

The sun shined brightly on the giant blow-up Einstein and the happy faces of Trinity students and faculty members celebrating the 11th annual OPUS on April 27. OPUS is sponsored by Trinity’s Academic Initiative.

The celebration of student intellectual and artistic endeavor began with a parade though campus, led by the Troll, the traditional bagpiper, and special guests Abe Lincoln and Sinter Klaas. What followed was a day full of student presentations, musical performances, a gallery exhibit, a picnic, and a special Outcry worship service beneath the OPUS tent.

This was the first year that Academic Initiative Chair Christine Carter ’12 of Wheaton, Illinois, helped organize the event. “I have really fallen in love with what OPUS is—a celebration of student achievement, a massive social gathering, and fun,” she said. “To get the fullest experience possible, you have to talk with others. You have to share what you learned and learn from others. So, in ways, OPUS extends beyond a one day event. It generates great conversation on campus for days to come.”

“I think that OPUS is one of the best things we do for our students,” said Dr. Dick Cole, professor of psychology and chairperson of the OPUS committee. “I worked with a great committee this year, especially the students. They were so enthusiastic, committed, and helpful.”

Jon Vanderwoude ’10 of Palos Heights, this year’s Lincoln Laureate, pronounced the official opening of the day. Abby Christensen ’11 of Nampa, Idaho, designed the programs and t-shirts.

OPUS award winners
Tuition Remission Giveaways
Winners included:
$100—Julie Wiltjer, Nola Sawyer, Kelsey Mattson
$150—Ryan Kwaak, Brady Davidson
$250—Allison Stoub, Eric Tucker
$400—Jon Borr
$500—Justin James

OPUS 2010 Committee Members
Faculty
Dick Cole, Chairperson
Mark Jones
Aaron Kuecker
Rose Malinowski
Pete Post
Patti Powell
Laurel Quinn

Students
Kenyatta Bivens
Rita Bootsma
Christine Carter, Chair of Academic Initiative
Abby Christensen
Brady Davidson
Stephanie DeJong
Keli Ooms
Allison Wier

OPUS 2010 Award Winners

Art and Design

Best in Show
Abby Christensen

Design
1st – Brandie Richardson
2nd – Rick Lundskow
3rd – Jenae Van Engen
Honorable Mention – Jenae Van Engen

Painting and Drawing
1st – Abby Christensen
2nd – Melissa Peterson
3rd – Julie Vander Wey
Honorable Mention – Abby Christensen
Honorable Mention – MJ Hegemen

Photography and Printmaking
1st – Emily Vanhoff
2nd – Jenae Van Engen
3rd – MJ Hegemen
Honorable Mention – Erika Huizenga

Sculpture
1st – Emily Vanhoff
2nd – Bridget Earnshaw
3rd – Melissa Peterson
Honorable Mention – Emily Vanhoff
Honorable Mention – MJ Hegemen

Communication Arts

Original Oratory
1st – Lauren Haney, “Animals in the Temple and Coffeeshops in Churches”
2nd – Kenyatta Bivens, “Blindness & in This I Pray”

Dramatic Lit Interpretation
1st – Joshua Moore, “Not Poor Just Broke”
2nd – Julie Wiltjer, “Tomorrow’s Wish”
3rd – Graeme Scott, “Wait Until Dark”

Prose Lit Interpretation
1st – Alisha Riepma, “Black”
2nd – Alex Walsh, “A Conversation with My Father”

Poetry Interpretation
1st – Adam Perez & Jennifer Hill, “What Teachers Make”
2nd – Angela Robateau, “Allow Me to Reintroduce the Christ”
3rd – Ryan Kwaak, “The Farmer & the Lord”

English

Poetry
1st – Marissa De Haan, “Afraid of Non-Sequiturs”
2st – Deborah Swets, “Trapped in the Wrong Meter”
3rd – Brittani Moore, “Mother’s Song”
Honorable Mentions – Kristen Mancini, “Aristocracy in Denial”; and Rebecca Kischkel,
“A Pen, the Middle, and Beyond”

Fiction
1st – Corie Zylstra, “Whispers”
2nd – Marissa De Haan, “Silver Strand”
3rd – none

Non-fiction
1st – Sarah Hoeksema, “January”
2nd – Carrie Timmermans, “Worn Hope”
3rd (shared) – Natalia Wegrzyniak, “Natalia [squared]”; and Lauren Haney, Untitled
Honorable Mentions – Sarah Hoeksema, “Cattleherds”; and Stephanie DeJong,
“The Beauty of Knowledge”

Music

Piano/Organ
1st – HyoJin Moon
2nd – Libby Dykstra
3rd – Autumn Tauber

Vocal Solo
1st – Amy Dockendorf
2nd (tie) – Daniel Thayer and Willie Gesch

Vocal Ensemble
1st – Willie Gesch and Julie Wiltjer

Instrumental Solo
1st – Alexi Zeldenrust
2nd – Christian Busta

“You Be the Judge” Winners
The following presentations qualified for an award based upon audience vote. One presentation from each category was named the audience favorite.

Interim and Community Partnerships
Title: The Ireland Interim: The Land of Green Turned White
Presenters: Amber VanderLey, Kailyn Baum, Amanda Matthew, Giselle McComb, Joni Weidenaar, Erin
Nykamp, Naomi Hansum

Education and Special Education
Title: Sing a Song, Sign a Song
Presenters: Trinity’s Sign Language Club

Communication Arts and Music
Title: Film: The Fallen Wolf
Presenter: Vincent Deng

Theology and Student Groups
Title: Recognizing and Reconciling the Short Comings of Media Coverage during Rwanda Genocide
Presenters: Velvet Woods and Julie Wiltjer

Psychology, Social Work and Political Science
Title: The Christian Reformed Church in the City: What Does It Look Like?
Presenter: Kendra DeBoer

English, History and Philosophy
Title: Republicans and Christian Fundamentalists
Presenter: Matt Barre

Nursing, Biology and Math
Title: Pirates, Ninjas and Banditos: A Study of Howler Monkeys
Presenter: Jennifer Hill

Dr. Mike DeVries ’74, professor of psychology, and his wife Louella ’93, recently accepted an award for their daughter Lara DeVries ’07. Lara is living in Peru and overseeing her organization, the Light and Leadership Initiative (LLI), which she founded just one year after her graduation from Trinity. LLI is a non-profit offering education programs to women and children.

Lara, a graduate of Andrew High School in Tinley Park, Illinois, was chosen to be inducted into the District 230 Foundation Legacy Hall, which highlights graduates the district believes are leaving a legacy for current and future students. That legacy involves setting an example the school district believes to be worth following.

Lara was nominated by Ed Bara, a recently retired history teacher and football coach at Andrew, who teaches Interim and SALT classes at Trinity and has known Lara most of her life.

This year 15 people were inducted. The ceremony was held at Silver Lake Country Club in Palos Heights.

District 230 Foundation Legacy Hall was established to recognize and showcase graduates who exemplify the core mission of District 230: adults prepared to realize their life‐long potential in an ever‐changing world.

Read more about Lara’s work in Peru: https://tcc.trnty.edu/new/archive/110509b/

As an intern with Restoration Ministries in Harvey, Illinois, Brittany Lee ’10 recently melded her passion for soccer with her experience of working with youth.

Lee, of Lookout Mountain, Georgia, is a psychology major and member of the women’s soccer team.

With the help of the men’s soccer team, Lee conducted a soccer clinic on Saturday, April 24, for the kids she works with at Restoration Ministries. On campus, the group of nearly 30 children was divided into small groups, each led by a member of the men’s team.

“The kids had a great time and our guys did such a fantastic job,” Lee said.

Trolls players taught the kids basic shooting, passing, and dribbling skills along with fun drills in specific areas of the field.

“This clinic was a chance for the men’s soccer team to connect with a group of less fortunate kids, setting examples of strong character and possibly leading them to Christ through soccer,” said Taylor Conrad ’11 of Colorado Spring, Colorado.

Lunch break gave Trinity students a time to connect with the kids individually.

“Each of our guys reached out to a couple of the kids, showing them attention and love.” said Osvaldo Montelongo ’11 of Omaha, Nebraska.

Conrad, who has also volunteered to work with the kids at Restoration Ministries, said that in addition to providing another way to help the children, the experience also enabled each player to grow as a person as well as a team. “It’s a great feeling to know I can be counted on and make a difference playing the sport I love,” he said.

Concluding the afternoon, the enthusiastic group of children watched the men’s soccer team scrimmage against Prairie State College. They seemed encouraged by the time, love, and attention the Trinity students had shown to them.

Junior Eric Jensema of Oostburg, Wisconsin, gave credit and expressed gratitude to Lee for the work she’s done through her internship and for taking the initiative to organize the event.

Trinity celebrated its diverse culture at the fourth annual Celebration of Asia on Tuesday, April 20. The event, hosted by the Asian American Alliance club, is designed to honor and acknowledge the different Asian cultures on campus.

Students, faculty, and their family members were served food representing various Asian countries including Japan, China, India, and Korea. The meal consisted of stir fry, kimchi, rice, curry chicken, General Tso’s chicken, and almond cookies.

Guests enjoyed performances by John Sianghio, professor of political science; Dr. Yudha Thianto, professor of theology; and HyoJin Moon ’10 of Dong Jak-gu, Korea, who offered a variety of Asian musical arrangements. Guest also participated in a number of Asian games, trivia questions, and the Filipino dance, Tinikling.

“Overall, the event went really well and the guests seemed to enjoy their time,” said Sharon Chun ’11 of Northbrook, Illinois, chair of the Multicultural Committee.

The goal and vision of the Asian American Alliance is to raise more awareness of the Asian culture on Trinity’s campus and promote diversity and acceptance, according to Nicole Ferreria ’13 of Willowbrook, Illinois.

In an effort to develop academic and cultural interchange in the areas of education, research, and other activities, Trinity Christian College has begun working with Chongshin University, a Korean institution sharing a similar Reformed commitment.

Representatives from Chongshin, including President IlUng Chung, recently visited Trinity’s campus and met with President Steven Timmermans and others to identify ways the colleges might be able to partner.

Possible programs could include an exchange of faculty and students as well as joint research projects and academic programs. Efforts toward collaboration are expected to continue throughout the 2010-11 academic year.

Trinity students, under the direction of Dr. John Sebestyen, assistant professor of communication arts, gave the final performance of She Stoops to Conquer, a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, on Saturday, April 24.

Continuing his theme of a comedy for the spring play, Sebestyen chose She Stoops to Conquer for the hilarious subplots and ‘larger-than-life’ characters. The 17th century comedy tells the story of Mr. Marlow who sets out to meet the woman he is to court. Being tricked by her step-brother into believing she is only an innkeeper’s daughter, the subplots and errors begin.

Trinity students, faculty, family, and community members filled a brightly colored theatre at each performance, enjoying the crowd-pleasing characters.

“The audience also seemed to like the constant set changes by the servants and the dramatic set which is painted in pink and purple with gaudy furniture,” said Julie Wiltjer ’12 of Worth, Illinois, assistant director. “The set embodies the silliness and melodrama of the show.”

Junior Bethany Verhage of Moses Lake, Washington, who attended the show opening weekend, said the servants were her favorite characters. “They were hilarious with their own unique little quirks and their scampering and scurrying about stage,” she said.

“It’s nice to hear laughter in the audience,” Wiltjer said. “The cast truly feeds off of the energy of the audience, and it makes the show all the better.”

President Steve Timmermans and the Communication Arts departments joined The Courier staff and friends for a formal night of fellowship and recognition at the first annual Courier Awards Night.

The event, held in the Grand Lobby, opened with a dinner and dessert for all guests, and concluded with a presentation of awards for exceptional work in the student newspaper. Categories for awards included best news piece, best perspectives piece, best sports piece, best review, best consistent column, best feature story, and best picture.

Editor in Chief Ashley Veurink ’12 of Corsica, South Dakota, and Assistant Editor Lauren Haney ’11 of Monroeville, New Jersey, organized the event, with the help of communication arts professors Dr. Craig Mattson and Dr. Annalee Ward, who served as judges, and Courier advisor Sarah Zylstra, who presented.

“My personal goal with this event is that it lays the groundwork for future awards nights,” said Veurink. “I see great importance in publicly thanking and rewarding all those involved with The Courier because the student newspaper is such a public thing. The guests had a great time, and I greatly appreciate the Trinity services we were able to utilize in making the event happen.”

Recipients of the 2010 Courier Awards:

Best News Piece:
1st place – “Mail & Print Center” by Anna Gesch
2nd place – “Remember to Always Get a New Plate” by Ashley Veurink
3rd place – “Molenhouse Student Center” by Shannon Smith

Best Perspectives Piece:
1st place – “I’d Boycott if I Was Allowed” by Rebecca Vander Wilt
2nd place – “Hope Is Rekindled: Resurrecting Trinity’s Spiritual Flame” by Drew Van’t Land
3rd place – “What Is Your Superpower?” by Sasha Blasen

Best Sports Piece:
1st place – “A New Addition: Amy VanHal” by Nicole Hill
2nd place – “History in the Making: Austin Warner” by Lauren Nelson
3rd place – “Trolls Soccer Comes to an End” by Jenny DeRuiter

Best Review:
1st place – “The Wild Things of Humanity” by Sophia Briseno
2nd place – “Owl City: Who’s the Man?” by Brandie Nicole Richardson
3rd place – “Forgotten God” by Mike Merlino

Best Consistent Column:
1st place – “Word on the Street” and music reviews by Brandie Nicole Richardson
2nd place – “Tony’s 10” by Tony Perri
3rd place – “How To…” by Manny Vega

Best Picture:
1st place – “Jamie King’s perfect free throw” by Dan Jongetjes
2nd place – “Human ice skating train” by Kailyn Baum
3rd place – “Joseph Lerner” by Nicole Hill

Best Feature Story:
1st place – “The Evolution of South Hall” by Lauren Haney
2nd place – “Fashion Favorites for Formal” by Kailyn Baum
3rd place – “Fashion Forward 2010” by Lauren Nelson

The annual 30-hour Famine event began on Wednesday, April 14, when Trinity students joined together to raise awareness of the problems facing developing areas in the world.Meeting in the Molenhouse Student Center, 144 students began the 30-hour fast.

“By fasting, we are attempting to understand what it is like to be hungry, though it barely compares to what people go through every day,” said junior Sarah Force of Trenton, Michigan, who led the event.

The focus this year was on clean water, acknowledging that many people in the world walk miles to collect water, most of which is unsanitary. The aim was to remind students of how blessed they are daily by the availability of clean water.

The 30-Hour Famine, sponsored largely by Acting on AIDS, received help from 12 different committees on campus, including Acting on AIDS, Brother 2 Brother, the Council for Exceptional Children, the Courier, Men’s Ministry, Trinprov, Outcry, Random Acts of Kindness, Res Life, Service Committee, Social Justice Chapter, and Women’s Ministry.
Together, the participants raised money to help support their sponsor children as well as a project with “charity: water,” a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

With tremendous support from students and committees, the fundraising event exceeded the goal of $1,020.

On a tiny section of Trinity’s 60-acre campus, students, faculty, and staff gathered around a young Kentucky Coffeetree being planted in honor of Earth Day.

Prayers were offered, Psalms were read, and the song “Earth is Gift of God’s Creation” was sung as the tree was set in place.

The words of the song written by Edith Sinclair Downing capture the essence of Trinity’s Earth Day celebration and the campus’s commitment to be good stewards of the God’s creation.

Tending space within earth’s garden,
Honoring the future there,
We can serve with God as partners,
A community of care.

The tree was donated to the College by Dr. Laurel Quinn, professor of nursing, and her husband Bill, owner of William Quinn and Sons, Inc. in Alsip, Illinois.

Although native to the area, this species is rare and only the second of its kind on Trinity’s campus, which boasts many varieties, all of which have been painstakingly mapped out by Dr. Frank Hensley, professor of biology, and the Campus Ecological Stewardship Advisory Group.

According to Hensley, the Kentucky Coffeetree is fast-growing and reaches a height of approximately 70 feet, making it an excellent canopy tree. For several months of the year, however, the tree can appear to be dead as this species is the last to sprout leaves each spring.