It Takes a Community – Friday, December 4, was a special day at Hudsonville Christian Elementary School for many reasons. I am sure you are aware that it was Love Bazaar Day! Students were so excited and to see them walk through the gym with a volunteer parent was very special. The things that made Friday special around school, however, were not just presents and the excitement of the morning. It was seeing so many parents and grandparents involved at school!
Early in the afternoon on that Friday, I was meeting with a family who was considering joining our school. One of the statements they made was “We often ride by this school and see so many people here.” They wondered what was going on. They followed up with “We want to know if parents are welcome and encouraged to get involved at Hudsonville Christian?” I smiled and said, “Let’s take a walk.” They were amazed at the number of parents working with our children in the gym and the one-on-one attention each child received by teachers and parents.
I often reflect on the comment that we have probably all heard before that “it takes a village to raise our children”. I would take that comment a little further and say that it takes a community of Christ followers to raise our children.
It is this same community that stops in my office from time to time and leaves gift cards on my desk with the words “Please spread some joy to those who need it.” At one point, the parents I was meeting with wanted to know if we had any mean behavior from our students at school. I quickly answered by telling them our children are not perfect but that we dealt with that sort of thing from a Christian perspective by those who care for and love them.
Yes, it takes a village and we are very blessed to be a part of that community at HCS!
Serving Him together,
Dan Pott, Superintendent