60th anniversary reunion

Hamilton District Christian High School (HDCH) opened its doors to 10 students in 1956. Student enrolment gradually increased as new grades were added. While property was bought in 1961, the school moved to First Hamilton Christian Reformed Church before the new building was completed in 1962. Organized school sports included bowling and basic gymnastics. These were humble beginnings indeed for the graduating classes of 1963 and 1964, whose grade nine years started in 1959 and 1960.

Fast forward to mid-June of 2024. The 1964 graduating class celebrated its 60th diamond anniversary along with a few members of the class of ‘63. Why a combined celebration? Because the organizing committee, consisting of Drew (’63) and Chris (’64) Schaafsma (Dam) and Henry (’63) and Louise (’64) Lise (Posthumus), had husbands who graduated in ‘63 and wives who graduated in ’64; hence it became a double class reunion. Present were 14 members of the class of ’64 and four members of the class of ’63 along with multiple spouses adding to a total of 28. The organizers allowed lots of opportunities for mixing, connecting and reminiscing, some of it structured and much of it open-ended. The structured parts included a Trivia quiz organized by Ray Elgersma (’64), an afternoon of lawn games, sharing memories of HDCH by Eveline (’64) Stout (Prinsen), and reminiscing and devotional led by Rudy Ouwehand (’64). For the Trivia evening Ray brought 10 books as prizes entitled One Thousand Fears authored by Ineke Neutel, the daughter of Rev. W. van Dijk, who was the principal of HDCH from 1959 to 1964 – the years encompassing both of these graduating classes. The book is an expanded memoir of Rev. van Dijk during the last years of World War II. (A book review was published by CC in June).

One can’t help but wonder how these students made out after graduating, considering the humble facilities and minimal resources of a new high school. One observation by these alumni is that the class of ’64 had (and continues to have) a tremendous esprit de corps.

So what happened to these folks over the years? Three served as pastors, one of whom was also involved in the global distribution of Bibles as executive director of Bible League Canada. At least four served as Christian school teachers at various levels and in various leadership rolls. One of them, a principal, was profiled on the CBC radio program Morningside with Peter Gzowski, where he gave a demonstration of eating a worm as a challenge for his students to read a target number of books. The students surpassed the target; hence, the eating of the worm! One was involved in organizational leadership in the public, private and voluntary sector. One was a graphic designer; one served as a medical physicist in radiation therapy cancer institutes in Ontario but also had global involvement, especially related to development work in low- and middle-income countries. His work was rewarded with an honorary doctorate from Western University in 2014.

Was it easy for us? While we all acknowledge being blessed through our careers, we also acknowledge that the road was not always easy. All of us have had personal struggles, lost loved ones and/or suffered health-related issues. Recognizing that our ages average somewhere between 78 to 80 years, a (large) number of our fellow graduands are no longer with us.

Reflecting on our roots

So what is it that makes quality education? The sampling of this group indicates that neither high school facilities nor high school sports are major contributing factors (although some might argue that having a poor sports program allowed us to put our emphasis elsewhere). I would contend that there are several ingredients to an individual’s education. The key is the home environment. Clearly, our parents had a focussed desire to send us to a school providing Christian education, at a substantial financial cost with family incomes that were not all that high. Some of us travelled from as far away as Owen Sound, Orangeville, Kingston, and Guelph to be educated in Hamilton. What a family sacrifice!

Another feature of quality education is the teaching staff and their keen interest in their students. Clearly, HDCH exemplified a dedicated staff. In those early years, teachers were committed not only to teaching but also to driving small school buses from various nearby towns. We all remember our teachers well from those early pioneering years.

The final ingredient is the foundational aspects of the philosophy of education – the perspective from which it is taught and the meaning that it provides in our practical daily working and living.
This diamond anniversary class reunion was a very significant manifestation of what the meaning of this education has been to us as we celebrate the results 60+ years after graduation. There was already some discussion about meeting again in five years. That would be a ‘blue sapphire’ anniversary! Definitely worth celebrating!