A Brief History

In January, 1908, a committee was appointed to investigate the possibility of establishing a school for giving Christian instruction to the youth.  The encouraging report given by the committee prompted a congregational meeting in March at which a School Board of nine members was elected.  Rev. Pieneman then suggested that Mr. K. Winters of Rotterdam be called to come and instruct the students in the Dutch language in addition to other subjects.  Mr. Winters accepted the call and became the first principal of Hastings Street Christian School, which had been newly erected in central Grand Rapids that summer.  The School was formally dedicated by Rev. Pieneman on September 7, 1908.

After some years had passed, buses were purchased to make it possible for more children to attend the School.  The School soon became overcrowded.  Then, in 1955 a new School was built on a four acre tract on Plymouth Avenue on the east side of Grand Rapids.  This building was dedicated by Rev. W.C. Lamain in the spring of 1957.

Steady growth thereafter necessitated the construction of three additional classrooms in 1964, and science and library facilities in 1974.  During the summer of 1978, existing School facilities were remodeled so that home economics and industrial arts classes could be added to the curriculum.

During the winter of 1981, the School Board felt an obligation to propose to the consistory and congregation an extension of our School through the twelfth grade.  The need was felt for education which would continue in philosophy and practice to place and keep God’s Word as its basis of truth as defended by our Reformed fathers during the critical teenage years of our youth.  This proved to be a shared concern both of the consistory and congregation, so that in February, 1981, approval was given for the proposed high school. 

Later that year, a public elementary school building was purchased, located just west of the existing School, to house the elementary grades K-6.  The original School was then remodeled to provide facilities for the high school students.  The purchase of the elementary building proved to be beneficial as elementary enrollment continued to increase rapidly.  Kindergarten classes became very large and had to be divided into two sections, each with its own classroom.  

During the fall of 1985, a Pre-kindergarten program was added to the curriculum at our elementary School.  This addition provided opportunities for pre-school age children to develop the readiness skills which are needed for success in learning during the early elementary years.

By 1987 all classroom space was in use and the need for additional classroom space became crucial.  In the spring of that year a new building project was begun after congregational approval was given, to construct a 7,000 square foot, six classroom addition to the elementary building. This was completed during the fall of 1987. 

Continued growth in enrollment led to a second addition during the summer of 1990.  A large music room, classrooms and several smaller conference rooms were completed in time for student use during school year 1990-91.

Our elementary resource room was also established in time for the 1990-91 school year. This program provides individualized instructional programs for our students with learning disabilities.  This was a welcome addition for it meant students with significant learning difficulties could remain as members of our school family.

During the summer of 1994 the corporation of the First Netherlands Reformed Congregation of which our School was a part was dissolved.  Our School was reincorporated as an independent entity known as Plymouth Christian Schools Association to be governed by a board of 12 Trustees selected from the First Netherlands Reformed Congregation, Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation and Netherlands Reformed Church of Grand Rapids.

In 1997, Career Week began as a yearly event in which area business men, professionals, and workers, representing different occupations, met in the high school gym to introduce young people to the wide variety of careers available.

In 2003, the electronic revolution reached Plymouth Christian, and Staff Members began utilizing computers to replace grade books and generate report cards. In 2005 PowerSchool was added as an on-line means of communication so that parents could access their child’s records and assignments.

In 2008, the School community commemorated 100 years of Plymouth Christian. A special thanksgiving service was held to acknowledge God’s blessings over the past century. A fund-raising dinner was held, and an anniversary history and video were assembled. That year also saw a major renovation in the elementary, as school rooms and hallways were given a much needed refurbishment. Additionally, a school bus garage was erected and the annual school budget surpassed $2 million dollars for the first time. 

In 2015, the high school received a long overdue addition consisting of three additional classrooms, which were added to the west wall of the school building.

Near the end of the 2020-2021 school year, the Plymouth Christian School Board and the consistories of First Netherlands Reformed Congregation and the Heritage Reformed Congregation decided to reorganize into two separate K-12 schools.  The Plymouth Christian Schools Association will be operated by the [two] Netherlands Reformed congregations of Grand Rapids and utilize the school building located on Plymouth Avenue.  The Heritage Reformed Congregation will operate a school in the Ball Avenue building.