The Light
March 2024
Preparing Next-Generation Leaders for Christ
"Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" -John 8:12
We pack a lot into these newsletters- be sure to hit "View Entire Message" so you don't miss a thing!
FROM OUR ADMINISTRATOR
Dear Harbor Light Christian School Family,
I am thrilled to share with you the incredible success of our Annual Jubilee Fundraiser! This event is a cornerstone of our school's fundraising efforts, enabling us to continue our mission of preparing the next generation of leaders for Christ. The outpouring of support and generosity from our sponsors, incredibly talented dessert makers, and our community, who donated a wide variety of silent auction items has been truly remarkable. We are immensely grateful for each and every contribution.
In reflecting on the spirit of generosity that was evident throughout the weeks leading up to the Jubilee, I am reminded of the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:11, "You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us, your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." Indeed, it is through the generosity of our supporters that Harbor Light Christian School is able to thrive and fulfill its mission with excellence!
At the Jubilee, I had the privilege of sharing a powerful story that expresses the essence of one thing that sets our school apart. A few weeks ago, I received a text message with the phrase "This is what makes us different," accompanied by a picture of our JV girls basketball team kneeling and praying for an injured team member. Witnessing the hearts of our students boldly and confidently kneeling before God in a public school gym, asking for healing for a teammate, brought tears to my eyes. It is moments like these that reaffirm the importance of instilling in our students a deep understanding of God's love and the significance of a personal relationship with Him.
As we continue to nurture and guide our students on their journey of faith and education, let us be reminded of Proverbs 11:25, "A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed." Thank you for helping refresh the teachers and staff at the Jubilee! It is through our collective efforts and commitment to serving others that we embody the spirit of Harbor Light Christian School and fulfill our mission to shape future leaders who exemplify Christ's love and compassion.
Thank you once again to everyone who contributed to the success of the Annual Jubilee Fundraiser. Your support is invaluable and deeply appreciated. See Jennie Cope's full update below!
In His Service,
Kelly Dutcher, Administrator
Mark your Calendar!
March
19- CTAC Youth Art Show Opening Reception (5:30-7 pm)
20-26 Student Mission Trip to Nashville
22- Spring Break starts (no school this day)
31 - Easter Sunday
April
2- School resumes
12- Elementary Spring Music Concert (6 pm)
19- Elementary Education Fair
25-26 Local Missions Days
Our HLCS Calendar is updated continually and can be viewed at http://www.harborlightchristian.org/calendar
HLCS Sports
- Please confirm events prior to attending
- "vs." indicates the game will be played at home.
- "@" indicates the game will be played at the opposing team's school.
March
NO GAMES
April
4/8 Softball @ Harbor Springs (4 pm)
4/11 Softball/Baseball @ TC Christian (4:15 pm)
4/18 Softball/Baseball @ Ellsworth (4 pm)
4/19 Softball/Baseball vs. Pickford (4:30 pm)
4/22 Softball/Baseball vs. NMCA (4 pm)
4/25 Softball/Baseball @ Wolverine (4 pm)
Please click HERE for the school calendar, which is updated continually.
Our Month in Pictures
The warm weather has our Aftercare kids spending more time out doors. Check out their creation.
A little bit of indoor soccer with a side of pushups!
Our Junior Varsity boys finished their basketball season with poise!
Alumni Spotlight- Graham Terry & Diane Ford
This being Reading Month, we wanted to spotlight 2 HLCS Alumni who are published authors!
Graham Terry:
Graham, a 2017 graduate of Harbor Light, discovered his passion for design during his time at HLCS when he took his first graphic design class at North Central. It was in that class that he found his true calling while working on a project to design three pages for a coloring book. Intrigued by the process, he decided to expand his creation into a larger project, crafting 20 more pages around the theme of northern Michigan. With the support of his father as his “agent”, he ventured to surrounding farmers markets and bookstores to share his creation, eventually publishing it online.
Eight years later, Graham still receives occasional checks in the mail (no more than $10) from the few copies sold on Amazon, evoking a nostalgic smile as he reflects on his time in northern Michigan. Today, Graham resides in Chicago with his beautiful wife, as the graphic designer for Moody Publishers. In this role, he dedicates his time to marketing influential Christian books and contributing to the transformative power of reading.
Diane (DeKorte) Ford (Class of '99):
After graduation from HLCS, Diane attended Calvin College (now Calvin University) and graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She moved to Maui for 6 years and worked at Wyland Art Gallery in Lahaina, and taught art at a private Christian girls' school as well as a kids' summer art camp. After 6 years on Maui, she attended a creative arts discipleship training school with YWAM in Alesund, Norway. Following DTS, Diane moved to Portland, OR and then Yakima, WA where she currently lives with her husband and three children. In 2021 she was published in Stampington and Company's Art Journaling magazine, and one of her goals was to write and illustrate a devotional book- which she finally completed this January of 2024! You can check it out at the link below!
Jubilee Recap
Wow! What an incredible Jubilee this year. We had over 300 of our closest friends attend, along with 65 children in the Kid Zone, and over 50 volunteers helping us pull together this massive event.
We enjoyed a silent auction with beautiful baskets and experiences, many of which were generously donated. We feature hand-crafted root beer to compliment appetizers served by our lovely seniors. There were 4 highly-sought-after raffle baskets, a live auction, dessert dash (always a favorite), and a paddle raise to support the Swordsmen Scholarship fund. This was a PACKED evening that glorified the Lord... and we want to say THANK YOU! I am excited to announce that we raised over $195,000 at this event!
Thank you to all of the students and staff who served, the guests who attended, the volunteers who dedicated their whole Saturday to serving HLCS, the donors and businesses, and anyone we may have forgotten. This event is HUGE, and we couldn't do it without an army of selfless helpers.
Today, we are sitting in gratitude for what the Lord has done and what He is going to do through Harbor Light Christian School. We are truly blessed.
Jennie Cope
Director of Mission Advancement
Murder Mystery Winter Formal
Basketball Districts Recap
At the end of this season, our boys were co-champions of the Northern Lakes Conference with Alanson. They were such a joy to watch this year! A few notes from Coach Roussin:
"The Harbor Light Swordsmen Varsity Boys played for the district championship, hosting the St. Ignace Saints. Unfortunately, they came up on the short end after some foul trouble with a final score 51 to 71. Harbor Light boys laid their hearts on the floor for all to see with the true passion they have had all year. Absolutely nothing to hang their heads about after the season that they’ve had. . .This season has been absolutely amazing! We've had great leadership while coming away with a 20-game winning season. I'm extremely happy." ~Coach Roussin
MHSAA featured HLCS in an article tied to the Solid Rock. Read more HERE.
The Lady Swordsmen’s season came to a close during Semi-finals up in Mackinaw City. The Comets shot the ball very well, ending with a final score of 51 to 17. Anne Chamberlin and Charlotte Gagnon each had 4 points. Makenna Vandock had 9 rebounds to lead the team, which fought for every board. Our seniors Anna Cole and Charlotte Gagnon were tremendous leaders tonight as they have been all season. They helped lead a very inexperienced team to 10 wins. We are proud of their hard work and investment into the future of Lady Swordsmen hoops!
Reading Week Recap
Every March, we celebrate Reading Week in conjunction with Dr. Seuss's birthday.
This year, the elementary students spent some time with HLCS staff member Stephanie Cope and her mom, Kim Overton, reading their recently published book "We'll Never Have a Chicken," which won a Moonbeam Award for Best Illustrations.
The following day was DEAR Day (Drop Everything and Read)! Students wore PJs and brought in their favorite stuffed animals to enjoy good books with.
Next, a horde of volunteers drove all the students K-6 to the Lyric Theater in Harbor Springs for a private showing of the wonderful Dr. Seuss classic, "The Lorax!"
On that Thursday, we saw lots of different book characters roaming the halls!
Finally, we wrapped up with a Cardboard Challenge, where elementary and high school students worked together to create engaging arcade games completely out of cardboard all around the halls (check out the video below)!
It was an awesome week!
Welcome Our New Athletic Director
It is our pleasure to officially announce Rob Vosler as the new Athletic Director at Harbor Light Christian School. We praise God for providing a great fit for our school, kids, and families!
Rob comes to us with a passion and history of participating in Christ- Centered athletics. He and his wife, Velva moved to the Harbor Springs area about 10 years ago after raising their kids who all graduated from Southfield Christian School. Two of his three kids went on to play sports in college.
Here is what Rob had to say about the position:
"I am excited to join the HLCS team. Through a long list of athletic experiences with both myself and three children, I have a strong vision on how I believe representing Christ through athletics should look like. I believe in excellence through discipline, preparation, effort and character all while working towards the goal of representing Christ with a shining light. I’m excited to work with coaches and athletes to continually strive towards this goal."
We are so grateful to Shelda Blair for stepping in and managing the basketball season for us. Thank you to our AD position interview team members: Shelda, Jeff Jakeway, Clark Hewitt, Erin Barnes, Jennie Cope, and Mike Paulus, and thank you ALL for your prayers through this process.
Nashville Mission Trip Preview
This group of students, along with Mr. and Mrs. Beckman and Pastor Alex, will be spending time in Nashville from March 20th-26th working primarily with the urban homeless population. Please keep them in your prayers! They will be excited to share news with all of you when they return about everything they witnessed God do.
Harbor Light Students Stand Out
8th grader Porter Jacklitch traveled to Sioux Falls, SD this month to compete in the Amsoil National Snocross series and finished with a 3rd place podium in his Jr. 10-13 class! This is Porter's 8th year racing snocross and this season he is competing in the Transition Boys 9-13 class as well as the Jr. Boys 10-13 class. In total he plans to compete in 140 events both here in Michigan and traveling cross-country with the national tour. He is currently the points leader in our state and top 10 in his national classes! He just earned two state championship titles and now qualifies to enter the Amsoil National Showdown this April in Duluth, Minnesota.
Porter Jacklitch
This is Porter's 8th year racing snocross and this season he is competing in the Transition Boys 9-13 class as well as the Jr. Boys 10-13 class. In total he plans to compete in 140 events both here in Michigan and traveling cross-country with the national tour. He is currently the points leader in our state and top 10 in his national classes! He just earned two state championship titles and now qualifies to enter the Amsoil National Showdown this April in Duluth, Minnesota.
Linus Vork
8th Grader Linus competed in the Midwest Cubing Tournament this month, placing 2nd in Skewb and 3rd in the 2x2! Linus’s best time for solving a 3x3 Rubik's cube was 10.66 seconds and 2.08 seconds for 2x2.
Landon Jakeway
9th Grader Landon traveled down to Central Montcalm with his AAU Basketball Team (String Music), along with students from Cheboygan, Boyne City, and West Branch, and won the championship!
Easter
Easter is a special time for believers, and our teachers go all out to share the stories surrounding everything that happened during those days. Our Elementary Principal Katherine Johnson wrote an Easter Holy Week curriculum for the Kindergarteners that beautifully walks through the Easter events, with illustrations by Ms. Megan Johnson. Mrs. Paulus prepares a Seder meal with her 5th graders to teach them about the Passover and the significance of those events as they relate to Jesus and his promise for mankind. Below is a video that Mrs. Baker showed her class.
We Need Substitute Teachers- Can You Help?
Do you have a heart to help out at Harbor Light Christian School? Do you have a passion to work with kids? Do you need a little extra pocket money? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then we have a spot for you!
HLCS is currently looking for substitutes for the following areas:
- Preschool Classroom Aid – hours will vary
- Elementary Classes – assume the duties of the regular classroom teacher typically 7:45-3:15
- Middle & High School Classes - assume the duties of the regular classroom teacher typically 7:45-3:15
Please contact Lisa in the main office at 231-347-7859 if you are interested.
Prayer Requests
Here are a few suggestions for how you can support our school in prayer:
HLCS Seniors as they transition out of HLCS; for their future paths and that they honor God and their families in their choices and lives
For safety and joy for the Nashville Mission Trip; that they serve well
Safety for all of our families during Spring Break
Staffing needs for the 2024-2025 school year
DO YOU HAVE A TESTIMONY?
Has HLCS had a positive or life-changing impact on your life or that of someone you love? Please share these stories with us so we can keep letting others know what a wonderful difference we can make! Send your experience to jcope@harborlight.org.