Alumni Profile #1 ~
Mrs. Meika Jelsema (Bouma)
6801 Whitneyville Road
Middleville, Michigan 49333
jelsema@charter.net

Graduation Year: 1965

My life right now:
My husband and I own a concrete construction company in the Grand Rapids MI area (Jelsema Concrete Const.). We form, place and finish concrete for commercial and industrial projects. Currently our company is doing all the concrete work for the new Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex at Calvin College (check it out on Calvin's web site!) I attended Calvin, earned a degree in Music Education, taught school for a couple of years before we started our business and our family of 4 sons. I have been music director, worship leader and choir director in the various churches I have been a member at, played organ and piano in churches since I was 16, and currently am the pianist in our church and giving my talents back for the Lord. It is so very rewarding and a whole lot of fun. I also enjoy being a grandma to 3 (almost 4) beautiful children - Austin, Sydney and Dylan. My parents, Rev. Gerard and Margaret Bouma live close by in one of the Holland Home complexes called Breton Woods, and my brothers and sister, who all attended LPCS live out west and over by Detroit. In the summer of 07 my brothers and I took our parents to the Netherlands for 2 weeks to visit our "roots", and it kindled my interest in my earlier life, so I have been checking it all out; that's how I came across your web site.

A favourite memory:
I remember the year the school started in the big old building on Queens St. in about 1961 and we used to go exploring all the nooks and crannies of the place - it was so big we got lost a couple of times. I remember Mr VanderPloeg and Hilda Nauta were the teachers and Hilda lived with our family. My dad was the minister at First CRC in London.
Then the school moved to Barker St. in a really old 2 room schoolhouse, and since the student body was still so small, we used to go off in a corner of the playground and sing campfire songs at recess. Since there were only 2 classrooms, the older kids would help the younger kids learn their lessons - it was like having built-in teacher's aids.
I remember vividly the day in 7th grade that JFK was assassinated and Mr Wm. Vanderploeg the principal came in and told us that. One of those "Do you remember where you were when..." days.
I still have my picture of Grade 8 graduation in London First church when we all tried to look really grown-up. To this day I still have the long dress my mom made for the occasion!
I remember all those tulip bulbs and candy bars that we all had to sell for the cause, and I think our family always did pretty good, because we lived in Oakridge Acres and there were a million houses to go door to door to. And we sure did - the neighbours got pretty sick of us.
I also remember when we moved to the new building which was a WHOLE lot smaller than what I see on your web site today. I think there were 4 - maybe 6 classrooms. And of course Mr. VanderPloeg's (in Gr. 8 it was Van Wieren's) office right off the 7th & 8th grade classroom.

Comments:
Blessings to your school. My dad remembers the meeting at old Mr. Haagsma's farmhouse, and when the question about what the offering should be for was asked, Mr Haagsma said " Christian School" and to see that over 50 years later, those humble beginnings have been so blessed by the Lord, and His faithfulness through the generations is so evident to see. I am proud to say that I was a part of the beginning.