Happy New Year Calvin Community! We have just experienced the time of year where we celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ our Lord: Immanuel, God with us! It is my prayer that each and every one of you were filled with the joy of our Savior’s birth.
Do you see what I see? It is amazing what I see going on at both of our campuses each and every day. I am privileged to have some time each day to capture and document some of the many events happening at Calvin Christian. For those of you who do not know, I am adding a piece to my role here at Calvin. Not only am I the upper school art teacher and junior high life leader, I am also devoting a portion of each day to visually communicating the story of Calvin Christian School. In this first installment of “Behind the Screen with Mr. VDP”, I would like to introduce the importance of digital media and visual communications as a part of not only showing what our school is doing, but also getting the word out to others what makes Calvin Christian School unique. I would also like to occasionally “touch base” with you to keep you up to date on some of the ways we at Calvin Christian are working toward connecting with our parent, friend, and broader community about some of the great things that our happening here. Social media is one major part of a broader effort of our school’s marketing department to tell the story of Calvin Christian and how we want to invite others to be a part of this special school.
Social media is crucial in any Christian school’s marketing strategy. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram are social media streams that our school has chosen to utilize. They can be wonderful tools which help us to tell the story of Calvin Christian. One of my goals is to use social media effectively. Remember that social media offers everybody a window into our school and what it is all about. It is my hope that you will enjoy seeing our student and staff accomplishments showcased in a Facebook post with a great photograph to illustrate what went on. YouTube allows us to see major events archived on video, interviews with current students, tours of facilities and short videos about our school. Tweets giving instant updates about a popular game or event will keep you involved. Instagram helps us to feature special photos or ads about upcoming events. Everybody loves to look at photos of our students and what they are involved with each and every day at Calvin.
I can’t do these things alone. The special thing about being in a Christian school is the tremendous parent involvement that helps to support our school. Please consider the following things as we move into the new year here at Calvin:
SHARE posts, advertisements, or videos about Calvin on your own social media networks.
SHARE information about unique events in which our students might be involved in that otherwise might not get featured by the school.
BE EXCITED about what is happening here at Calvin by simply “liking”, or “following” our main social media outlets.
Thank you in advance for your help, support, and passion, for getting the word out about Calvin Christian. I am thankful for this supportive Christian community. I hope by following us on social media, you will see what I see.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Ron Van Der Pol
Visual Communications
CCS Art Teacher
