Tech Center Honors Scholarship, Apprenticeship Recipients
Zeeland Record
Careerline Tech Center recently recognized 49 students for its combined post-secondary scholarship earnings of more than $230,000 at its scholarship awards ceremony at the Engedi Church Convention Center in Holland.
Local businesses also sponsored students to continue their education through a trade apprenticeship that combines job-related technical instruction with structured on-the-job learning experiences.
“These scholarships and apprenticeships offered through local businesses and organizations put our hardworking students on a path to success,” CTC Director Kris Doenges said. “We are grateful for these partnerships between business and education that create real opportunities for our students to grow and thrive.”
Zeeland students who received scholarships at the ceremony included:
• Kendyll Samora (East) – OK Tire Scholarship
• Jonah Harper (East) – Steve DeLeeuw Memorial Scholarship, J. Patrick Twa Tools for Skilled Trade Scholarship
• Cooper Crane (East) – Steve DeLeeuw Memorial Scholarship, Lakeshore Home Builders Association Trades Scholarship
• Gary Hudson (East) – Grand Rapids Community College Hospitality Scholarship
• Jessica Tran (East) – Grand Rapids Community College Hospitality Scholarship
• David Pedroza Alvarez (West) – Dental CTSO Scholarship
• Taylor Venema (East) – Dr. Ronald Deenik Scholarship
• Janese Le (East) – Lakeshore Dental Scholarship
• Emily Kragt (West) – Drs. Maria and Bill Hoekstra Dental Scholarship
• Madolynne Bos (East) - J. Patrick Twa Tools for Skilled Trade Scholarship, Michigan Caterpillar Think Big Scholarship
• Noah VanderVelde (West) – Michigan Association of Physical Plant Administrators Scholarship
• Irene Ondersma (East) – Careerline Tech Center Paraprofessional Scholarship
• Sadie Laarman (East) – First place, Phoenix Challenge Competition
Tech Center students who completed apprenticeships and capstone programs were also recognized at the ceremony. Apprenticeships combine classroom studies with extensive on-the-job training under the supervision of a journey-level craftsperson or trade professional while also completing high school requirements. Through these programs, students earn hours towards their apprenticeships while in high school, saving them time and money.
Three Tech Center students from Zeeland were recognized for completing their capstone programs. They are:
• Avalyn Alofs (West), who works at Woodward FST Inc.
• Bryce VanWort (West), who works at Proto-Tec
• Jonah Harper (East), who works at Grassmid Builders
“It’s inspiring to see so many students recognized for their effort, leadership, and strong work ethic,” CTC counselor Ben Gitler said. “These scholarships also reflect the incredible generosity of the private donors and
businesses in our community who continue to invest in the success of our students.”
Holland Farmers Market Opens for Season
The Farmers Market will be open every Wednesday and Saturday until Dec. 20 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine.
Each season, the market brings together more than 75 local farmers, specialty food vendors, and food trucks, selling fresh fruits and vegetables, bread and baked goods, eggs and meat, honey, maple syrup, jams, gourmet specialty foods, and so much more. Customers are always encouraged to shop early in the day for the best product assortment.
Customers will be able to shop for early spring produce like asparagus and rhubarb, along with leafy greens like spinach, kale, and microgreens, and a number of root vegetable varieties, including carrots, onions, and potatoes. Vendors will also have annual and perennial plants, hanging flower baskets, and porch pots for sale, along with herb and vegetable starters. And as always, customers can find bread, baked goods, sweet treats, honey, jam, maple syrup, fish, meat, eggs and a wide variety of specialty gourmet and ready to eat foods available.
Five new vendors are joining the market this season. Big Dipper Farm, a small, first-generation vegetable farm in Zeeland, will join the market for the first time, along with Wild Dough bread bakery from Hudsonville, Grand Traverse Pie Company from Traverse City, and Naturally Better Soil Products from Freeport. Chicken Scratch Bakery, a popular Indoor Farmers Market vendor from Fennville, will be joining the regular market season for the first time as well.
Bridge Cards and Sun Bucks (Michigan Summer EBT) cards are both accepted at the Farmers Market. The market also participates in the Double Up Food Bucks program, allowing Bridge Card holders to “double up” their spending at the market to get an additional $20 in free tokens to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables. Customers are encouraged to visit the market desk inside the Holland Civic Center for details on using food assistance programs at the market.
Market Bucks gift certificates are also available for purchase inside the Civic Center. Market Bucks are accepted by most vendors and never expire. While a number of vendors accept do accept credit cards, customers are encouraged to have cash on hand or to visit the ATM inside the Civic Center if needed.
AlignWell Chiropractic is also returning to the Holland Farmers Market as the exclusive Community Outreach Partner for 2024. Thanks to their generous partnership, the market will be continuing its popular Bridge Card Incentive Program and Power of Produce program for children starting in June.
The Kids Activities, sponsored by Corewell Health, will also return to the market this summer. The Kids Activities will begin on Wednesday, June 11 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and continue every Wednesday through Aug. 13. Each Kids Activity begins with Market Story Time hosted by the Herrick District Library, followed by a fun, educational, and hands-on activity for kids hosted by a partner organization in the community.
The market will also be continuing its Fresh Market Workshops Series (formerly the Summer Enrichment Series) of classes for adults this season, along with introducing two new lines of Market merchandise featuring the Holland Farmers Market logo and the artwork of the 2025 poster design contest winner.
“AlignWell is excited for another year of partnership with the city of Holland and the Holland Farmers Market,” said Dr. Andrew White, owner, and chief practitioner at AlignWell Chiropractic. “It has been such an honor and pleasure getting to know the makers and farmers that make our market exceptional. We truly appreciate the opportunity to highlight their stories and the importance of shopping locally.”
Walters Gardens Benefit Plant Sale Saturday
Zeeland Record
Walters Gardens will hold its annual benefit plant sale to support Harvest Stand Ministries on Saturday.
The sale will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot of Walters Gardens, 1992 96th Ave. This event will give community members a chance to support a local cause while shopping for high-quality plants.
The plant sale will showcase up to 20 varieties of plug and bare root perennials - all available directly from Walters Gardens. It’s the only time of the year the public can purchase directly from Walters. In addition, experts from the greenhouse will be available to share gardening tips, advice, and insights into fan-favorite varieties.
Each plug will be priced at $3, and bare root plants will be $5. Cash, check, and all major credit cards will be accepted at the event.
All sale proceeds will be donated to Harvest Stand Ministries, a Zeeland-based nonprofit that supports individuals and families in need. Based in the City on a Hill ministry center at 100 S. Pine St., Harvest Stand provides free food, clothing, and resource connections to the community.
For more information about the plant sale or Harvest Stand Ministries, visit harveststandministries.org.
MLB Umpire, Scientist Receive Hope Alumni Awards
Reyburn is an umpire with Major League Baseball whose assignments have included the 2023 World Series. Serum is an organic chemist who spent 26 years at Hewlett-Packard working on mass spectrometry instrumentation and subsequently co-founded his own technology and consulting companies.
In conjunction with the award recognition, Serum and Reyburn will deliver reflections on their career journeys during presentations on Friday, speaking at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., respectively, at the Haworth Hotel. Admission is free.
The annual Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented by the Alumni Association Board of Directors to recognize alumni who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in their chosen profession and have made a positive impact on their community. The award, inaugurated in 1970, is the highest honor that alumni can receive from Hope’s Alumni Association.
Reyburn has been an umpire for the entirety of his career since graduating from Hope.
He majored in sociology at the college, where he played football for two years and baseball for four years, helping the Flying Dutchmen earn MIAA baseball championships in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
Reyburn spent 14 years as a Minor League umpire and fill-in Major League umpire, making his Major League debut in 2008.
He has worked full-time for Major League Baseball since 2014. In addition to the 2023 World Series, some of his noteworthy assignments have included the 2019 All-Star Game; League Divisional Series Playoffs in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023; Wild Card Playoff in 2020 and 2022; and the League Championship Series in 2022.
Away from the playing field, Reyburn is on the executive board for Umps Care Charities, a non-profit organization established by Major League Umpires. He has also been a volunteer for Meals on Wheels.
Serum received a B.A. in chemistry from Hope College and was awarded a Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry, with his research directed toward mass spectrometry, in 1969 from the University of Colorado. Following his graduate studies, he taught and did research at the University of Ghent, Belgium. He spent a year at Rice University as a Welch Fellow, and then joined the staff at Cornell University as Director of the National Institutes of Health High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Facility.
Serum joined the Hewlett-Packard Company in 1973 as Applications Chemist for Mass Spectrometry. He subsequently held a number of management positions, including Technical Support Manager for Mass Spectrometry in Europe; Marketing Manager for Mass Spectrometry and Spectroscopy at the Scientific Instruments Division; Research and Development Manager at the same division; and R&D Manager for the Avondale Division (Laboratory Automation and Chromatography Instrumentation).
Beginning in 1984, he held Business Unit level positions as Operations Manager for Laboratory Automation Systems, Automated Chemical Systems Operation and Analytical Group Research & Development Manager. In 1992, he was named General Manager for Mass Spectrometry, Infrared, and Protein Chemical Systems. He also founded HP’s Bioscience Products business, served as chairman of HP's Bioscience Council, and co-chaired the Hewlett-Packard R&D Council and the Pharmaceutical Business Council.
Serum retired from Hewlett Packard in August 1999 to co-found Viaken Systems Inc., where he was a director and served as executive vice president and chief operating officer. He has been a venture partner with Flagship Ventures, and until retiring in 2011 served as president of Scitek Ventures, a science and technology consulting firm that he founded in 2002.
In 2002 he was elected as a lifetime National Associate of the National Academy of Sciences, and in 2004 he was elected to serve on the Visiting Committee for Advanced Technology of NIST. In 2005, Serum was named to the President’s Advisory Board for Advanced Technology at the Research Corporation.
Serum remains actively involved in the future of science and technology in the U.S., and has testified several times in Congress related to this topic. In 2013, he organized and chaired a National Workshop at NIST on advanced technology related to an improved measurement “diagnostic” for Lyme disease.
He is an active member of First Presbyterian Church of West Chester, Pa., where he is a ruling elder, has chaired multiple committees, leads a weekly men’s group Bible study, and founded the “First Crew” Mission Team. .
Active in the life of the college, he served on the presidential committee on the “Future of Hope College, and has returned to campus many times through the years as an invited speaker, including for multiple science seminars; a keynote speaker during the dedication of the A. Paul Schaap Science Center; and a keynote speaker for the conclusion of the college’s summer research program in the natural and applied sciences. He and his wife, Marilyn (Hoffman ’66), have also established a scholarship fund at the college.
Hope’s Milestone Weekend is timed and named in conjunction with one of the most significant dates in the college’s history. May 14 is the anniversary of when in 1866 the college received its charter of incorporation as a college of liberal arts from the State of Michigan.
The weekend will feature a variety of activities for all alumni, family and friends of the college. There will also be events for the 50-Year Circle (all alumni whose graduating classes are from 50 years ago or more) and a reunion for the 50-year Class of 1975 on Friday and Saturday. The complete schedule and registration information are available online at hope.edu/milestoneweekend.
Zeeland Esports Team Wins State Title
Competing against more than 70 schools and 400 students statewide, Zeeland's Rainbow Six Siege team, led by Evan Schuberg, Richard Lovejoy, Ethan Malefyt, Drake Conley, Isaiah Lett, and Brent Strabbing, secured the state title. They triumphed over Montrose Hill-McCloy High School in the semifinals and clinched victory against the previously undefeated East Kentwood in a thrilling three-match overtime finale.
The Valorant team, led by Dave Dong, achieved a commendable third-place finish. Additionally, Zeeland was represented in the Super Smash Bros. Solo competition by Isaac Sietsema and in Mario Kart by Alex Long, both of whom qualified for the state finals and competed with distinction.
MiHSEF, a nonprofit organization founded and operated by Michigan educators, aims to provide an empowering, educational, and competitive varsity esports environment for high school and middle school students across the state. The Spring 2025 State Championships marked one of Michigan's largest in-person high school esports events, featuring 15 champions crowned across various games.
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