Archives: News Stories

Carnegie Hall is a world famous music venue, and music major Sierra Hernandez ’17 got the chance to sing there this summer.

“I was exhilarated and excited,” said Hernandez, who went as part of the Allegro Music & Dance Academy, where she is a teacher. Along with her own performance, she also worked with her elementary-school-age music students on their pieces. “My students were so good, and I was so proud of them,” she said.

Hernandez plays a variety of instruments, including saxophone, violin, flute, and guitar. She is also taking trumpet lessons. But for her performance at Carnegie Hall, she sang while accompanied on piano and violin by fellow Allegro instructors Victoria Giachetto and Thomas Milschewski. Hernandez wrote the music for the piece, which was based on a poem by Michael McClintock, who gave Hernandez permission to use his work.

It took more than a year of preparations to get ready for both Carnegie Hall performances. That included working on her own piece, and getting her students prepared for theirs. Fifty students from Allegro, ranging in age from kindergarten through high school, participated in the public concerts on June 27.

Hernandez said she initially didn’t consider Trinity as a college choice. “I thought I wanted a big state school. But when I toured those, it was terrifying!” she said. “But when I visited Trinity, it felt fun and secure.”

For the second cohort in a row, 100% of Trinity’s graduating students from our Master of Arts in Special Education Learning Behavior Specialist II (LBS II) program have passed the Behavior Intervention Specialist Exam. By passing the exam, each student’s teaching license will include the Behavior Intervention Specialist Endorsement.

“This is Trinity’s second cohort to take the exam, and it’s the second time that all our students have passed it,” said Professor Sara Baille, assistant professor of special education. “We are proud of all our students for this remarkable achievement.”

Trinity’s Master of Arts in Special Education program was launched in fall 2014, and is the only special education master’s degree program in Illinois to combine the LBS II Behavior Intervention Specialist endorsement with the ability to take the Board Certified Behavior Analyst Examination (BCBA) after graduation.

For many people, work and studies are often characterized with a sense of burden. But there can be a spirit of joyfulness around our work, as Professor of the Year John S. Sebestyen, Ph.D., told those at Trinity’s 58^th Annual Convocation. “What if we didn’t define work as the opposite of play?” he asked.

Wednesday’s convocation took place on the first day of classes for the 2016-17 academic year, welcoming back students, faculty, and staff with a worshipful beginning.

Sebestyen quoted James 3, which urges the wise and understanding to show works by their good lives. Sebestyen suggested three ways to work wisely:

1)    Listening
2)    Understanding
3)    Acting

“There are plenty of opportunities to put these things into place,” he said.

The convocation began with the faculty procession, and Trinity President Kurt D. Dykstra, J.D., provided the welcome. Molly Hofman ’18, campus ministry prayer leader, offered the pray of invocation, and Craig Mattson, Ph.D., professor of communication arts, and Roberto Josiah Rosario ’18, led the litany.

Provost Aaron Kuecker, Ph.D., Dean of Students Mark Hanna, and Student Association President Jordan Giglia ’17, gave the prayers of thanksgiving and procession.

Rev. Willis Van Groningen, Ph.D., Trinity’s chaplain, offered the closing remarks and benediction as the Trinity community embarked on the new semester.

Kate Meyrick ‘17 is a double major in English and music, and she recently combined her interests in an article posted on Think Christian titled “Millennials, Worship, and Hillsong: Let Hope Rise.”

The article explores different styles of worship, and how people of different ages react to those styles. “In my experience, many middle-aged congregants and pastors feel the need for lights-and-fog worship, while many millennials are less enthused about it,” Meyrick wrote.

According to Meyrick, her inspiration for the article began with her transition from leading worship within the Trinity community to leading worship in local congregations. “The atmosphere of worship in church congregations is a lot different than that of the college, and exploring those nuances has been wonderfully challenging–and sometimes frustrating,” she said. “It has really put me in the headspace I need to be in as the student assistant in the Chaplain’s office and Campus Ministries Leader, so I hope that it is encouraging to leaders like me of all ages!”

Over the summer, Meyrick interned with Think Christian, part of Palos Heights, Ill.-based ReFrame Media, where she learned copy editing and publishing skills. She credited Think Christian editor Josh Larsen ‘96, with helping her publish the article on Hillsong, as well as an article on Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of “Beauty and the Beast.”

Along with her studies and work in Trinity’s Chaplain’s Office, Meyrick maintains a blog, ”Further Up, Further In.” The blog name comes from a quote by the character Reepicheep in C.S. Lewis’ ”The Chronicles of Narnia.” “He says it when the kings and queens of Narnia arrive at the gates of Aslan’s Country, urging them to keep moving forward to claim their inheritance at the Garden,” she said. “For me, it reminds me of my journey as a Christian and to constantly keep my focus on God’s call in my life–to glorify him in everything I do!”

There are a lot of perks to being a Trinity student—and you might not even know about some of them! From flowers to oil changes to martial arts lessons, many Palos Heights businesses offer special discounts to Trinity students, faculty, and staff when you present your College I.D.

Click here to see a list of participating businesses.

Trinity thanks our wonderful neighbors for their support of the College.

Need research materials? Looking for information you can’t find easily on the internet? Just want to check out a good movie on DVD? You can do all this and more at the Jennie Huizenga Memorial Library.

The library staff—Director Cathy Mayer, Reference and Outreach Librarian Cindy Bowen, Reference Librarian Sandra Taeuber, and Circulation and Access Manager Sarah Hoeksema ’10—can help guide you to the resources that you need.

“The library staff is always seeking inventive ways to best serve the Trinity community,” said Mayer, who joined Trinity in December. “We are working closely with faculty to understand their curriculum needs, and then streamline our collection to meet the current needs of students.”

While the Huizenga Library boasts two floors of wall-to-wall books, that’s only part of the information that is available. “When you walk in to the library, what you see is only a fraction of what we can access,” said Hoeksema, who began her career in the library as a student worker while at Trinity. For example, Trinity is a member of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) and participates in I-Share, a shared collection of more than 22 million items from which Trinity students may borrow. Students may either request to have materials sent to Trinity or can visit any of the cooperating libraries, such as St. Xavier University, and check out materials

Along with all the resources available, the library staff also possesses collective years of experience and knowledge. “If you have to spend more than 10-15 minutes searching for something, just ask us. That’s what we’re here for,” Bowen said. Mayer, Bowen, and Taeuber have Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science, and Hoeksema is currently expecting to graduate next year with a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The library also offers several specialized centers on the second floor, including:

• Ed Vander Weele Curriculum Center
  The mission of the Curriculum Materials Center is to support the Education Department and Adult Studies Education programs by providing educational materials for the use of our teachers in training.

• Rev. Arthur DeKruyter Pastors’ Collection
  The DeKruyter Collection houses books and folders of article clippings donated from the collection of Rev. Arthur DeKruyter.

• Van Namen Dutch Heritage Center
  The Dutch Heritage Center houses materials of historical value related to the culture, customs, and institutions of Dutch heritage in the greater Chicago area. It contains family histories, business records, early letters, church and school records, photographs, and publications, among other things.

• College Archives
  The College Archives contains documentary records related to the history of Trinity Christian College.

Along with providing information, the library also hosts activities like mini-golf. (If you missed the last round, another tournament is scheduled for Fall Fest Weekend Nov. 4-5.) Want to learn more? You can contact the library staff in a variety of ways. Click here to find out how.

Meet the Librarians

Most people only get to see rocket launches on television. But Craig Vander Galien ’17 not only witnessed a SpaceX rocket launch on July 18 from just a few miles away, he served as one of the official photographers for the event. Vander Galien covered the takeoff of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 for SpaceNews from the launch site at Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Vander Galien said he has always wanted to be a space photographer, so he was thrilled to receive confirmation from NASA on July 5 that he had permission to photograph the event. On the advice of his mother, he had contacted SpaceNews to offer his services—and the news agency accepted and offered him press credentials.

“I’ve watched every rocket launch live for the last two years,” he said. “This was a dream.”

He and a friend drove overnight on July 17 to the launch site in Florida. “It felt like the hottest day in the world,” Vander Galien said. He only had about 35 minutes at the launch pad to set up the two cameras he had rented, which had automatic sound triggers. The vibrations from the rocket launch were so intense, he needed to tape the focus settings in place. He also covered the cameras in plastic bags to protect them from debris when the rocket took off. Then, he and the other official photographers watched the launch from about three miles away.

Until he was allowed to return to the launch pad hours later, Vander Galien didn’t know what kind of images the cameras had captured—if any. “I knew the photos I had taken from the causeway with my camera were OK, but I didn’t know how the others turned out.” The pictures turned out better than OK, and SpaceNews featured three of them in its article about the event.

According to SpaceNews, the launch was a success, lifting a Dragon cargo spacecraft into orbit for delivery to the International Space Station, while the Falcon 9’s first stage successfully landed back on land.

Head Coach of the Golf Program

Damon Jensen has been named the new head coach of the golf program at Trinity Christian College.  Jensen will direct both the men’s team that enters its sixth season and the women’s team that made its debut as a varsity program a year ago.

“We are pleased to add Damon to our staff as the new head golf coach,” said Athletics Director Bill Schepel. “With his experience from his years as the men’s coach at Olivet Nazarene University and his own playing career, he will serve our teams well as the programs continue to develop.”

For the past four years Jensen was the head men’s golf coach at Olivet Nazarene University and he served as an assistant to their program for three years prior to taking over. At Olivet, he led a successful program as well as hosted multiple tournaments.  In addition, Jensen has been active as a private lesson instructor to golfers of all ages for nearly three decades.

As a competitor, Jensen has won numerous tournaments and club championships. He has qualified three times for the State Amateur Championships and three times for the Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championships.  He is a member of the United States Golf Association and the Chicago District Golf Association.

Jensen earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Governors State University in 1993 and an advanced degree in law enforcement from Northwestern University in 2005.

Interim Women’s Basketball Coach

The Athletics Department of Trinity Christian College has named Bill DeRuiter as the interim head coach of the women’s basketball team.  DeRuiter, who served as the program’s assistant coach last season, will fill the vacancy left upon Kurt Gruppen’s resignation from the position in July.

“I am very grateful that Bill has consented to step in and serve as our interim head coach this year,” said Athletics Director Bill Schepel. “His familiarity with Trinity and with the team will make him an asset to the program and allow for a smooth transition for the players.”

DeRuiter gained experience with the women’s basketball program and the team members as the assistant coach last year.  During the season he was active in all aspects of the program, including practice planning, scouting, game strategy, and recruiting. In addition he took care of many of the administrative duties.

“I am very excited and blessed to have this opportunity,” commented DeRuiter. “The women on the team are dedicated student-athletes. I am thrilled to be able to coach them and look forward to continuing their growth on and off the court.”

Previous to joining Trinity’s coaching staff, DeRuiter also coached various sports at the high school level. He assisted the boys’ basketball, baseball, and football teams at Chicago Christian High School from 2005-09 and was on the basketball coaching staff at Evergreen Park High School from 2011-13.

DeRuiter is a 2009 Trinity graduate with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and history. For the past two years he has served as Director of Alumni Relations at the College, a position he will leave as he transitions to full-time responsibilities in the Athletics Department in August.

The Athletics Department at Trinity Christian College announces the hiring of Jackie Manrique as their new head softball coach. Manrique, a former NCAA Division II player, comes to Trinity from North Park University, where she has served as an assistant coach for the past three seasons.  She takes over the program from Coach Missy Bolhuis, who directed the team for seven years and resigned the position after the 2016 season.

“We are very excited to have Jackie on board to lead our softball program,” said Athletics Director Bill Schepel. “She brings with her some valuable collegiate coaching experience, a number of viable recruiting connections, and an enthusiasm and energy that I’m confident will revitalize the program.”

At North Park, Manrique assisted with all aspects of the softball program, but especially worked with the pitchers and catchers.  In addition, Manrique has given private pitching instruction for the past five years and conducted various pitching clinics.

Manrique pitched collegiately at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota from 2010-2013. As a relief pitcher for the Huskies, she posted a 3.57 earned run average in her freshman year and a 3.92 ERA as a sophomore before injury limited her in her junior season. During her time at St. Cloud she received All-American Scholar-Athlete honors.

A Chicago native, Manrique was a four-year player at Lane Tech High School, where she led the Indians to three straight conference titles. She was a three-time all-conference selection and served as a team co-captain all four of her seasons.  In the summer of 2009 she also competed on Team America with elite softball players from around on the country.

“I am extremely excited to be a part of the community here at Trinity Christian College,” said Manrique. “I cannot thank Bill Schepel, Josh Lenarz and the rest of the search committee for this tremendous opportunity. It was evident within my interview process that the entire college is committed to the success of each student. I look forward to meeting the team and watching them grow athletically, academically and spiritually.”

Manrique earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations in three years and graduated in 2013 from St. Cloud State University.  She went on to receive a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from North Park University in 2016. She has immediately assumed her coaching duties at Trinity.

Children might not remember specific lessons, but they remember the teachers who taught them—even if teachers don’t always see the impact that they have.

That is the advice that Prof. Kelly Lenarz ’99, assistant professor of education and coordinator of Adult Studies special education, gave a group of professional teachers and Christian education volunteers during a recent training session at Bethel Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Oostburg, Wis.

Along with emphasizing the role that teachers play in the lives of their students, Lenarz offered practical tips and education theory interspersed with clips from “Peanuts” cartoons and “Ferris Buehler’s Day Off.” Lenarz encouraged the approximately 40 attendees to get students to talk. “If you have to talk, you have to think,” she said.

The session, which also involved a teacher appreciation dinner, included teachers from local Christian and public schools, as well as Bethel OPC ministry volunteers.

A native of neighboring Sheboygan, Lenarz said she was excited to return to Wisconsin to lead the training session at Bethel OPC. Working with church volunteers was particularly rewarding, she said. “Helping with children’s ministries often seems like the default volunteer option for those who perhaps don’t feel qualified to sing in the church choir or serve during worship,” Lenarz said. “I wanted to remind them how valuable they are and to give them some practical strategies to do what they do well.”

The training was very useful, according to Rev. Dave Veldhorst, associate pastor at Bethel OPC. “Kelly’s teaching was warm, winsome, insightful, and very practical,” he said. “So many good tips to use in the classroom in drawing out good responses from students” According to Veldhorst, one of the attendees said that the bar is usually set low for church volunteers. “She said by bringing in a professor in the field from Trinity, it made her feel honored and it made her believe teaching with excellence was important.”

To learn more about Lenarz, and to contact her about teacher training opportunities, click here.