Summer 2025 update from the head of school

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful summer filled with rest, recreation, and renewal. It’s been a busy season at Eastern Christian School as we eagerly prepare to welcome new students, staff, and programs. Below are some exciting updates:

Spiritual Theme

The spiritual theme for 2025-2026 is “Abide in Christ,” with John 15:4-5 as our key verses: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (ESV) Our administrators and teachers are using this theme to focus our hearts and minds as they plan devotions, lessons, and chapels.

Community

We anticipate another year of strong enrollment and look forward to welcoming new students, families, and staff members at the end of August.

We extend our congratulations and gratitude to those staff members assuming new roles. Leah Genuario will lead our admissions efforts as the director of enrollment. Justin Van Dyke will expand his responsibilities as the director of marketing and communications. In Midland Park, Bridget Rainville will teach physical education and health; Elizabeth Rachuri will serve as the leave replacement for second grade. At the high school, Yoon Kim will teach math and Korean; Sheri’ Blands-Pearson will serve as the dean’s office coordinator.

We also look forward to welcoming new staff members. In Midland Park, Elizabeth Botbyl will teach kindergarten; Jesse Fritsch will teach art; Amanda McLaren will serve as a paraprofessional; and Allan Campbell will serve as a custodian. 

In Wyckoff, Christina Strange and Sarah Martin will teach fourth grade; Yebon Kim will teach sixth grade social studies and Bible. In seventh and eighth grades Erik Olson will teach social studies; Julia Cho will teach writing. McKenzie Paladine will teach art.

At the high school, Jackie Ingis will teach art and yearbook; Kelly Steenstra will teach English; Sam Yang will teach Bible and serve as the discipleship and service coordinator; Lauren Tapia will teach middle and high school choir and serve in the TESS department; and Susan Olson will serve as the front office manager. Nicole Woudenberg will join the enrollment office as the admissions counselor.

We will officially welcome newcomers at our opening in-service and through social media. We still have a few openings for the fall. As always, word of mouth is our most powerful recruitment tool. Do you know anyone who might like to join us at EC? Please encourage them to apply!

Facilities

Our maintenance and custodial crews have been working hard to clean and refresh our buildings before the school year starts. Walls and floors throughout the buildings have been brightened with new paint and finishes, and parking lots in Midland Park and North Haledon were sealed and striped. The high school gym has been refreshed with a refinished floor, new color scheme, wall pads, bleachers, and audio system. In Wyckoff, our faculty and staff will enjoy a redecorated break room. 

Construction on the six new classrooms continues at a rapid pace on the Wyckoff campus. We are in the midst of a significant and meaningful time in our school’s history. That school building first opened its doors to EC students and their families in 1959, and the last addition was more than two decades ago. In the fall, you will be invited to support the new wing through the Building on a Firm Foundation capital campaign. This full-scale community effort will include parents from all three campuses, as well as grandparents and alumni. 

Program

Eastern Christian School is dedicated to providing a distinctively Christian education. Rooted in faith, excellence, and community, our five-year strategic plan outlines priorities to reinforce and enhance the school’s commitment to Christian education, ensure excellence in all areas, and embrace an expanding community. As part of that plan, we want to celebrate last year’s accomplishments, including the implementation of a new math curriculum, an expansion in our enrichment program in Wyckoff, the successful launch of the high school honors academy, a re-envisioned internship program (WINGS) and the introduction of Advanced Placement (AP) classes. 

This year, we look forward to building on and strengthening our academic offerings with a refreshed Bible curriculum and additional high school electives, including Korean. Fifteen of our teachers are serving as early adopters in Teaching for Transformation, a framework for teaching biblically. We appreciate their commitment to lead the way this school year as we anticipate full adoption of the model in the 2026-2027 school year. 

I hope you enjoy the last few weeks of summer. I look forward to seeing everyone in person at the end of August.

Sincerely,

Ruth Kuder
Head of School

By: Ruth Kuder

Ruth Kuder is the Executive Director & Head of School of Eastern Christian School

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