Principal

·      BA - University of Northern Iowa, Major: elementary/middle school education, Minor: K-12 mathematics

·      MA - Drake University, Educational Leadership, K-12 Administrative License

·      Administrative Evaluator approval license

·      Superintendent License – University of Northern Iowa - January 2011

·      Currently working on an Ed. D. through the University of Northern Iowa

I love serving at Pella Christian Grade School!  Each day is filled with opportunities to serve students, parents, teachers and friends of the grade school.  I see teachers who feel called to get to know how God has created each child in His own imagine, so they can walk alongside each child as they grow deeper and deeper with a relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is such a blessing to lead an organization with a mission to “challenge students to develop their gifts for a life of service in God’s kingdom.”

Before serving at Pella Christian, I taught three years of 3rd/4th grade in the Pella Community School District.  During this time, I led monthly professional development grade level meetings, led bi-weekly district-wide grade level math meetings, worked with administration to develop and facilitate After School Math Factory for second, third, fourth, and fifth graders to improve mathematical computation, led a district-wide grade level data driven leadership team, was a School Improvement representative, was a Board Advisory Committee representative, and was an elementary leader for Department of Educational Review.  I have also co-authored a book entitled, No Teacher Left Behind. 

I live in Pella with my beautiful wife Nicole.  She is a kindergarten teacher at Lincoln Elementary.  Last year a parent told her, "I thank God that he created the perfect kindergarten teacher!"  On October 8, 2008, Nicole and I were blessed with a beautiful little boy named Roan.  His name means "to run", and we pray that he runs for the Lord.

My father and mother still work in northwest Iowa.  My dad owns DeJong Hardware Hank in Hull, and my mom is an office manager at the Rock Valley Nursing Home.  My older sister is a technology manager at Wells Fargo in West Des Moines, and my younger brother is a 4th grade teacher in South Dakota.

My hobbies include collecting scoreboards/basketball backboards, playing basketball, playing board games, fishing in Canada, and attending Iowa Hawkeye sporting events.

I was blessed with a trip to Israel with Ray Vander Laan during the summer of 2010.  I “walked where Jesus walked” for 14 days with many teachers and parents from Pella Christian Grade School.  If you have an opportunity, please ask me about the trip!

My favorite Bible verse comes from Proverbs 3:5-6.  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall make your paths straight."  I believe that leading needs to be done with a servant heart.  Philippians 2:3-4 teaches, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”