Getting to Know Our Grade 9’s
Through the eyes of another it is often that we see. And, in this case, that is true. Gwynne Holder gives her unique perspective on our grade 9 students.
Who is Gwynne? You may already know her and don’t realize it. Gwynne has been part of our TCS community since 2001. Gwynne is the wife of our amazing grade 3 teacher Mr. Holder, a former TCS parent of 3 boys, and now works in the building at Canyon Creek Christian Fellowship. Although the church works independently of TCS, they see and connect with our staff and students on an occasional basis. But that occasional basis changed with the pandemic.
From Gwynne . . .
Since the lockdown began in March 2020, our pastor Justin Bills could see the toll taken on the TCS students and staff. We decided to use our hallway bulletin board to bless TCS by featuring Grade 9 students. Although the purpose of this endeavor was to bless TCS, I was the one who was blessed to get to know these kids! These are kids I would have wanted to be friends with if I were in back in grade 9. Talking to them, I could clearly see the strength of character God had given them. They are kind, respectful, leaders, and rich in their faith. They shared their stories of helping others, overcoming obstacles and growing from their experiences. Each had their own unique story. Their stories included overcoming bullying and persecution, excelling academically despite having learning disabilities, contributing to family business, volunteering in the community, and gaining confidence with the help of their peers. This was a well-rounded, awesome group of kids. If these kids are to be our future leaders, our society will be in good hands!
Here are some of the responses I got to the questions I asked:
- What do you think you have contributed to the TCS community?
Each of the kids I spoke to felt that being kind was so important. The response below summarizes what each student said:
“I show kindness to other people and stand up for others when they are being bullied. I hate to see people being bullied. People can be so mean to others. God says that we should love others as He loves us. We shouldn’t be treating other people badly.”
- How has attending a Christian school impacted you?
“When I came to TCS, I made a lot of Christian friends who have always been kind to me.”
“Coming to TCS was one of the better decisions of my life. I was able to find friends and I am always pushed to do my best.”
“…I am inspired to be a reflection of Jesus.”
“It’s made me more confident in myself.”
- How do you think that you have impacted your general community (outside of TCS)?
“My parents planted a garden at the Midnapore Community Garden. The food we grow goes to the food bank. I helped my parents with this garden. Gardening is something that I can do to spend time with my family and it helps the community.”
“I try to be a good friend. I’m the person you can talk to. I’m that person you can share a secret with. I’m the person you can talk to get something off your chest. I’m the person that lends an ear.”
“I shovel my neighbour’s snow and cut his grass and look after his cat when he is away.”
- Which teacher(s) at TCS impacted you the most and why?
The common characteristics of the teachers they respected the most were kindness, care, and usage of humour to get their points across. However, the following response was unique:
“My Grade 3 teacher taught me how to be a humble leader. You can be a leader without being mean or overtaking people.”
- What do you think you want to do when you finish your education?
“I would love to work in animation.”
“…I think that I would like to go into the performing arts professionally. I am already involved in the performing arts and have my own small business which is offering piano lessons.”
“I want to travel a lot! I want to see the world. There are so many different cultures and religions and histories that I think are really interesting.”
“I don’t really know what I want to do, but, whatever it is, I want to show Christ through it.”
Next year, when you can come back into the building, stop by and say hi to Gwynne and Justin and thank them for being part of our TCS family.