My family and I moved to the Grand Rapids area in 2020. While I am newer to the South Christian community, I married into a family of proud South Christian Sailors, which has given me a deep appreciation for the school’s relationships and lasting impact.

I am a first-generation college student and hold a BS in Public Relations from the University of North Florida and an MBA from the University of Colorado. My professional background has centered on leadership, communication, and team building, with a strong emphasis on connecting people around a shared mission.

I am a mom of two young children. Outside of work, I enjoy scrapbooking and collecting leather postcards as a way of preserving stories and memories. I also love hiking and spending time outdoors, especially when it allows me to slow down and enjoy God’s creation.

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I graduated from Western Michigan in 2013 with an Organizational Communications and Business degree. Following that I graduated from North Carolina State with a Masters in Family and Youth Studies with a concentration in Administrative Leadership. For the last 12 years, I have been coaching basketball at some level. I have made coaching stops at Southeastern University, Western Michigan University, NC State, Grand Valley State and am entering my third season as the Boys Varsity Basketball Coach here at South Christian. My grandfather was a principal in Christian Schools for over 30 years before he passed away and Christian Education was always a part of my life as I grew up and graduated from Kalamazoo Christian. I recently married Brittany Heerema in 2023 and we live in Zeeland, Michigan with our dog Bentley.

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I grew up in West Michigan and I’m so thankful to be serving as an educator. I graduated from GVSU in 2011 (Major: Group Social Studies, Minor: History) and taught for seven years at West Ottawa Public Schools (north side of Holland, MI). I received my Master’s degree in Ed. Leadership from Cornerstone University in 2018, and I’ve been able to serve as a high school administrator since 2019. It is my absolute pleasure to be at South Christian High School and serve the students, families, and staff. My beautiful wife, Kiersten, teaches First Grade within Kentwood Public Schools and we have three lovely daughters, Hadley, Olivia, and Evelyn.

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As I gain more life experience (AKA get older) God reveals more and more evidence of His sovereignty and providence in my life. God used endless childhood hours of exploring the woods to uncover a passion for the natural world to shape me into a biology teacher. He transformed a seemingly chance meeting into a loving partnership and Christian family made up of my husband Matt and our daughters, Morgan and Hannah. He drew me into the blessing of Christian education at Grand Rapids Christian High School through what appeared to be a random Google search. And now, through His network of believers and leaders, God has called me here to help advance the mission of South Christian and I am so incredibly grateful. 

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Although my current role is that of Registrar, for as long as I can remember I wanted to be a teacher, and for 34 years I had the privilege of living that dream in the South Christian English Department. I graduated from Calvin College in 1991 with my B.A.; I received my M.A.T. from Calvin in 1998. I married Scott Wierenga in 1990; our kids are all married and “adulting” quite successfully, and we are thoroughly enjoying our grandchildren. Our daughter and her family are here in town, and our son and his family also recently moved to Grand Rapids.  Our Hong Kong son, who started as an international student at SC as a junior and has hung around ever since, and his family live in New Jersey.   In our empty nester life, my husband and I enjoy spending time with our grandkids, traveling, camping, reading, and hanging out at our place in Saugatuck. Little known facts: my worst job ever was salting deer hides during my parents’ deer processing business in the fall, which paid for our Christian school tuition; I minored in Latin and am certified to teach it (although it’s been 30+ years since I’ve read any); I collect nutcrackers, and I have way more of them than anyone should have; my favorite book of all times is To Kill a Mockingbird; my favorite movie of all times is The Sound of Music.

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I graduated from Western Michigan University with a BS in Physical Education and a minor in English. I received my master’s in Educational Leadership from Grand Valley State. After I graduated from WMU, I spent three years at Western as an assistant basketball coach. I worked at Jenison High School and then Holland Christian High School, where I coached, taught and worked as the assistant athletic director. I am thrilled to be serving at my alma mater as the athletic director where I can use my passion for athletics to impact the student-athletes, coaches, and community of South Christian. My wife Olivia and I have three kids, Mackezny, Carter, and Drew.

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A formative summer experience working at the YMCA in my hometown of Saginaw helped me discover that I find great fulfillment and purpose in working with young people as they learn about who God has created them to be and how He desires for them to live. I have loved my experiences as a Biology Teacher, Coach, Principal, and now Head of School in Christian schools and am continually inspired by the mission of South Christian. I am a product of K-12 Lutheran schooling and a graduate of both Calvin University and Grand Valley State University. My wife, Abbie, and I live in Byron Center with our three boys. 

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I graduated from Grand Valley State University with a BS in Accounting and worked at a Public Accounting firm before coming to South Christian in 2003. I love the busyness of working in the office, helping parents and students, and the variety of jobs that I get to perform. I am married to Jason, a South Christian graduate, and we have two children. Cameron attends Ferris State, majoring in nursing and playing football. Madison is a junior here at SCHS. Our family enjoys golfing together when we aren’t watching the kids play sports.

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My children and I are all graduates of South Christian and I’ve lived in the Cutlerville area for the past 40 years. After many years in the financial services and group health insurance industry, it is a joy to apply recruiting, sales, and marketing skills to the development efforts for SCHS. I’m passionate about Christian education and it is a privilege to assist in shaping the future of SCHS in this role. My two grown children are married and both live in the Caledonia area. Nikki is married to Kevin Daley and they have three awesome children – one at GRCC, one at South Christian and one at Dutton Christian. James is married to Cathy and they have four beautiful children who attend Caledonia Public Schools. Family is very important – especially spending time with my grandchildren. Oh, the joy of seeing the world through the eyes of a child as we engage in new experiences. I also enjoy being out in God’s great creation. Gardening, power walking, and soaking up the sun while reading on a Michigan beach are a few favorites.

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