Rochelle Heyboer – 8th Grade
Email: rheyboer@hchr.org
Classes Taught: 8th Bible, 8th Science
Bio: An interesting fact about me is that I was in the first Kindergarten class to go all the way through Heritage Christian School. After HCS, I continued on to Covenant. I got my Bachelor’s Degree from GVSU. I worked for GVSU at the Annis Water Resource Institute (AWRI) for about a year. Next I embarked on my favorite job of all: motherhood. I am married to Tomm Heyboer and we have six Children, four of whom still attend HCS. One of our children attends Covenant and the other is attending Calvin University. Now that all of my children are in school, I am excited to be teaching Bible and Earth Science. Heritage Christian has always been a big part of my life and I’m very thankful for this amazing community and opportunity.
Jason Holstege – 8th Grade
Email: jaholstege@hchr.org
Classes Taught: 7th Science & Math, 8th History, 3rd grade Latin
Bio: God, in His good providence, led me to become a teacher at Heritage Christian School where I have been teaching since September, 1999, after receiving my teaching certificate from Calvin College. My undergraduate work was completed at the University of Michigan (B.A., Latin) in 1997, and my master’s degree work was completed through the University of Florida (M.L., Latin) in 2009. In addition to my regular classes listed above, I’ve been teaching 1st- and 2nd-year college Latin independently since 2002 to a variety of students, most of whom were preparing for seminary. As for extracurriculars at school, I am a First Lego League coach for Heritage’s Lego Robotics teams, and I formerly coached the 6th/7th grade division of our Math Pentathlon program. In all of these roles, my goal is to help students understand that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10), and therefore my teaching is focused on Christ our King and the Word of God as our rule of faith, life, and learning.
Elizabeth VanPutten – Eighth Grade
Email: evanputten@hchr.org
Classes Taught:
Bio: I graduated from Hope College with a double major in English and Biology in 2017. Although I did not originally intend to go into education, I worked as a tutor and writing coach throughout college and found that I loved helping my fellow students learn. I then had an opportunity to spend a year in Hong Kong teaching English language learners. After moving back to Grand Rapids, I worked as a research technician studying Parkinson’s Disease at Van Andel Institute for three years. Along the way, God led me to see how my interests and experience could equip me to be a teacher, so I went back to school to obtain my teaching certificate and earned a Master’s degree in Secondary English Education from Western Governors University. As a teacher, I aim to cultivate wonder and to equip students to be effective communicators and life-long learners in the light of God’s Word. On the personal side, I love to read, write, and explore God’s creation with my husband, Austin.