Every month The Feather will highlight one student recommended by a teacher and chosen by a Feather staff member. Students are chosen depending upon several factors including and not limited to good grades, class engagement, positive attitude and special extracurricular activities.

The student of the month for November is junior Cate Vander Kooi. Vander Kooi has attended the school since third grade, and enjoys the Christian community. The decision to enroll her at the school was made mostly by her parents Janet and Bill Vander Kooi. Vander Kooi also has one brother William Vander Kooi, ’17.

Fifth grade teacher and mother of two, Janet Vander Kooi reflects on the time when she and her husband made the decision to enroll their daughter at this school. She is also very proud of her daughter and the choices she makes in her life.

“My husband and I made the choice to enroll Cate and her brother at the school,” Janet said. “Before, she was at Bullard Talent and didn’t have the best teacher so she felt like she wanted to transfer to a different school. I am very proud of my daughter.”

Janet is very impressed with her daughter’s capabilities to succeed in the class room. She believes that the Christian environment at FC has made a huge contribution to her academics.

“She is an amazing daughter and fantastic student,” Janet said. “I feel like the Christian environment has had a very positive influence on her choices and it has challenged her in her faith. The community has definitely helped clarify what she believes. I am very happy that she is being recognized for her dedication and hard work.”

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Cate is taking AP Language and Composition with English teacher Andrea Donaghe. Donaghe suggested Cate for the position of student of the month because of her respect, class participation and patience in the classroom setting.

“I have known Cate for two years,” Donaghe said. “Over those years that I have known her, I have noticed how she works out the Caleb Code in her daily life. She seeks truth, speaks life and she serves others. Cate is quiet and kept to herself, but when it is needed she is always willing to voice her opinion. She is very respectful towards others and has a stillness that not everyone exerts.

Some activities that Vander Kooi likes to do include reading books, watching TV and going swimming. This year she is not involved in any extracurricular activities but in past years she was involved in some sports like basketball and volleyball. Her favorite books to read are Harry Potter books, because when she was younger her mom used to read them to her and she has continued reading them as she has gotten older. She also likes watching Jeopardy and Survivor.  

“I consider myself an introvert,” Vander Kooi said. “Some things that I like to do in my free time are read, watch TV and eventually go swimming, weather permitting. Even though I do like doing things by myself I also really love hanging out with friends. I enjoy being able to help some of my friends when they are struggling.”

When Vander Kooi was younger she wanted to be a ballerina. She then discovered that women can do what ever they want and soon became interested in science. She hopes to major in something like psychology, because she really likes helping people. If she could choose where to go to college it would be somewhere close to the coast because she really likes the beach.  

Trisha (Quixue) Cui, ‘18, is one of Vander Kooi’s closest friends. Cui appreciates her humor and her helping heart. Cui also finds lots of little similarities between the two that make their relationship stronger.

“I have been friends with Cate for a while,” Cui said. “When I first enrolled at Fresno Christian I heard people saying lots of nice things about her, and I wanted to get to know her better. This year we have a lot of classes together unlike last year where we didn’t have many together. She has lots of funny jokes, and she is always willing to help me whenever I need it. We also have a lot of little similarities that make our friendship stronger.”

Enjoying spending time with his younger sister, brother William Vander Kooi, explains some things that he like about his sister. He also reflects on some of his favorite memories made with his sister. 

“I am a little over a year older than Cate,” William said. “One thing that I really like about my sister is her sense of humor. She is very funny and I love her jokes. I also like that she is always willing to help others, and go out of her way to do something for someone. She is also very kind to everyone she meets which is something that I love about her. Some of my favorite memories with Cate were made when we travel together. She keeps me company and I just like being around her.”

Interesting Facts about Cate Vander Kooi:

• Her favorite color is yellow.
• Cate went to Bullard Talent and Kratt before coming to Fresno Christian.
• She would consider her Aunt Edie her role model because she has a kind heart, and she is always happy.
• She attends Fresno Christian Reformed Church.
• One of her favorite kinds of music is jazz.
• She is also a big super hero fan and loves all Marvel movies.

For last month’s student of the month read, Student of the Month: Wesley Hinton

This writer can be reached via twitter: @bradendbell and via email: Braden Bell