High School

Happy summer! With the help of God we finished another great year! I can hardly believe I’m finishing my third year at Timothy. It has been an absolute honor to serve at a Christ-centered, Biblically-based school where Christ is at the heart of everything we do. We have so much to be grateful for, but it’s my job to immediately start thinking about how we can get better. Our staff may get some well-deserved time away, but they will also be taking classes, coming in for curriculum development, and doing additional summer training. Our teachers are the best! 

At our K-6th end of the year assembly I gave the students some challenges after sharing 1Timothy 4:12 with them. I challenged them to get as much positive intake as they possibly can over the summer. This may include the music they listen to (I’m a big fan of K-Love radio), the books they read, and the movies they watch. What we consume is often what we reflect, and we want to continually Reflect Jesus as our theme for the year stated. 

I’ve seen firsthand how screen time can cause unnecessary stress and anxiety in our students. So one of my goals this summer is to be mindful of my kids’ screen time (and even my own!). My family is going to have a family meeting to discuss how much time is okay and what types of games and shows will be appropriate. My children are also going to sign up for the library reading program and have daily reading time! Did you know reading every day is the number one way to help decrease “summer slide.” I encourage your family to do the same. You might be amazed at how these simple changes can affect your child! 

Finally, I want to say goodbye and thank you to Mr. Zildjian Meyer, 8th grade math, and Mrs. Judy Sytsma, 8th grade Social Studies, as they go on to the next chapter that God has in store for them. We welcome several new team members next year and have some internal movement happening. Click here to read more about them. It’s been a great year, but I’m already looking forward to an amazing 2023-2024 school year.

I pray you enjoy a restful summer filled with family time. God bless. 

In Christ, 

Justin Horne, P-8 Principal

This weekend superintendent, Matt Davidson, and longtime high school teacher and Mock Trial coach, Scott Roelofs, were each honored with the Excellence in Education for Meritorious Service award by the Illinois State Board of Education! Mr. Davidson and Mr. Roelofs were among only 490 teachers and administrators recognized statewide. Moreover very few private schools were recognized, and Timothy was the only private school with two award winners! 

Since 1970, the Illinois State Board of Education has sponsored the Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year programs to honor educators who have made significant contributions to public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools. Application materials, which consisted of several essays, recommendations, and even photos and videos, were evaluated by a selection committee composed of representatives from a variety of educational organizations. 

The finish line is in sight! Our 3rd graders are ticking off the days, with the ABC Countdown to Summer. Last week, students in the high school strength training class teamed up with the 3rd graders to celebrate the letter G with Gym Day in Trojan Stadium.

The high school students were tasked with setting up age-appropriate stations and leading them. All the third graders had the opportunity to run the bleachers in Trojan Stadium, push a sled on the turf, and even got a piggyback ride from a high school student. It was indeed a fun (and admittedly, exhausting Gym Day!).

On the surface, it may have looked like just another gym day, but when high school students teach elementary students there’s so much more happening! Teachers are intentionally helping high school students engage in servant leadership, mentor others, and develop relationships. And the younger students have the opportunity to see leadership modeled and get to know “the big kids.”

You can imagine their excitement when a big kid says hi to them outside of a scheduled class. It’s win-win. And it’s just one more way our teachers actively build a Christ-centered community on campus.  

Last Friday, the senior class celebrated their post-secondary plans by wearing their SWAG. From military service, to trade school, to community college, and 4-year colleges and universities, our seniors are prepared to continue to be servant leaders and lifelong learners who fully live out their purpose in the world for Christ! Congratulations to the Class of 2023! 

182. The number of colleges and universities the TCHS class of 2023 has applied to. With May 1 quickly approaching (national college decision day), our seniors are finalizing their post-high school plans, with an impressive list of schools to choose from.

From large state universities such as the Florida State University, University of California-Davis, University of Houston, University of Miami (FL), University of Michigan, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, to highly ranked private institutions such as Carleton College, Grinnell College, Howard University, Pepperdine University, and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Timothy Christian seniors will be venturing off to college campuses across the United States. Watch social media for College Decision Day at Timothy on Friday, May 5. Every senior will wear their college swag announcing their college decision.