Mrs. Tricia Kiepert

Professional Biography

I began my professional career at the age of 10, when I inherited the family paper route. After a few years of delivering the Holland Sentinel, I worked at two of Holland’s finest ice cream establishments. I also spent many hours babysitting and taking care of people’s pets while they were on vacation. Through it all, though, I never forgot my childhood dream of someday becoming a teacher. After high school, I attended Calvin College and graduated in 1997 with a degree in elementary education and an endorsement in early childhood education. Since then I have taught a variety of grade levels, ranging from 1^stthrough 6^thgrades, at Christian schools in Zeeland, Chicago, and Hudsonville. Over the past few years, I have taken many graduate classes about literacy instruction. However, after taking on a lead teacher role at HCS, I felt God calling me into a path of leadership and am currently pursuing a master’s degree in educational leadership at Grand Valley State University. I am excited about joining the administrative team at Hudsonville Christian as the elementary principal in the fall of 2019.

Personal Biography

I grew up in Holland, Michigan with my parents and three older siblings. I attended Holland Christian Schools where so many of my teachers encouraged me in my faith journey as I grew up. My husband Kevin and I got married in 2007 and lived in Chicago for a couple of years before settling down in Hudsonville. We both love books, learning new things, and seeing new places. In my spare time, I enjoy baking, spending time with family and friends, and hanging out with our cat, Dandelion, watching cooking and baking shows on Netflix

Philosophical Biography

Christian education has played such a huge role in my life. My parents didn’t make much money, but it was incredibly important to them that their children go to a Christian school. I had a great discussion with my parents a while back about their experience of putting four kids through Christian school when their salaries were small. When I asked them why they made so many sacrifices for us, they just shrugged and said that we would be spending more waking hours at school than at home and they wanted us to be in a place all day that would nurture our faith in God.  Simple, yet such a profound decision.

As a teacher for over 20 years, I have been able to experience Christian education in a deep and powerful way. Being a part of the faith development of children is a humbling experience, yet it is so amazing to share with them how incredible our God is and how much He loves them.

As I think about being part of the leadership team at HCS, I think about one word: relationships. I believe that all of our relationships stem from our most important relationship—the one we have with our Father and Creator, God. Hudsonville Christian School is already an amazing example of a Christ-centered community. Staff members care about the students, of course, but they also care about each other and are invested in each other’s lives. My goal as elementary principal is to sustain and continue shaping this beautiful community by building relationships with our families, supporting staff members and helping them grow, and encouraging students to know how much God loves them and to help them discover who God created them to be. It is such a privilege for me to be able to use my passion for kids, learning, and Christian Education at HCS!