WAUPUN — Central Wisconsin Christian celebrated 75 years of Christian education in the Waupun area last weekend. As part of the celebration CWC held campus tours, an alumni gathering, and a celebration banquet on Saturday, as well as a worship service Sunday morning.
CWC previously held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new additions last August, after the “Diamond Legacy Vision” project was approved in April of 2022. The campus tours included the newly constructed sections of the campus which were still unfinished. The new wings should be complete by the next fall semester.
The Saturday night banquet was attended by over 400 members of the community, including CWC alumni, staff, parents, and students. The banquet meal was cooked by chef Chanse Schomber and served by current CWC students.
Gregg Zonnefeld announced that CWC had received three proclamations congratulating CWC for their achievement, including from Mayor of Waupun Rohn Bishop, Congressman Glenn Grothman, and President of Dordt University Erik Hoekstra in Sioux Center, Iowa.
The program following the banquet dinner was titled in three parts, “Looking Back, Leaning In, Looking Forward.” The first referring to the school’s history, the second referring to the current ongoing projects and the next year of school, and the third referring to the future goals and legacy of Christian education in Waupun.
Zonnefeld began by describing the history of CWC, pointing out the founding members of the school from 1948. The first private Christian school in Waupun was founded as an organization in 1948 when they broke ground on their first building, the Christian Elementary School at 520 McKinley Street. Zonnefeld took time to honor Harold Greenfield, one of the two remaining original founders of CWC, who passed away Saturday morning. The final remaining original founder is Herman Aalsma.
“If you look at the front lobby their names are all listed there,” Zonnefeld said about the founders. “Most of them Dutch immigrant farmers who came to America and found out that education in the United States of America did not include the Bible. And they wanted their children to have a Biblically based education.”
According to Zonnefeld, the founders dug the foundation by hand, “with plough and shovel,” at 520 McKinley, doing their own contracting work as they could not afford to hire a professional. They began classes in 1948 with three classrooms.
Each generation of alumni were invited to stand, from the original 1948 class through each decade until today.
In 1961 they opened up the first Christian High School at the current campus location and over the years both buildings received large additions to fit the needs of the schools. In the 1990s the Waupun Christian schools began a process of merging and officially became Central Wisconsin Christian.
Front: Case Zoodsma, Henry Hofman, John Buwalda, John Buteyn, Ko Homan, Ray Greenfield, Leon Redeker, Rev. Clarence Groot, Eli Winkel, Jake Kamphuis, Joe Aalsma, Gordon Kuik, Sam Buwalda, Sam Winkel, John Bos, Casey Aalsma, Clarence Vande Berg, Garrit
Back: Nick Buwalda, Mike Mulder, Elmer Navis, Dave Ver Hage, Harold Greenfield, Ed Homan, Gerald Greenfield, Herman Aalsma, Otto Kamphuis, Reuben Greenfield, Pete Brandsma, Clifford Visser, Garrit Levey, August Boorsma, Otto Redeker, Isaac Buwalda
