Valentine's Day Feature: Love at GRCS

In honor of 💗 Valentine's Day 💗 we're featuring some of our GRCS staff couples! 
 

Ann & Rich Bakker

Curriculum Coordinator & RCS Facilities Manager

Ann and Rich have been married for 30 years. They have a dog, Stella, who has been trained to do exactly what she wants!  They love to spend time with their family, including mom, brothers and sisters, and our amazing nieces and nephews.

They met through a group of friends when they lived in the western suburbs of Chicago. Their first date was at Wrigley Field (Go Cubs!).

When asked about a favorite memory, they said it would be impossible to narrow it down to one! They love to travel together and with friends and family. A couple of highlights include biking the Katy Trail with friends, an Alaskan cruise with friends, and many other trips with family and friends.

They have lived in Grand Rapids and worked at GRCS for ten years. When asked what it’s like to work together, they said, “It's great!” Rich works as the facility manager at Rockford Christian, and Ann works at the three elementary schools. They occasionally see each other at work and enjoy the times they see each other when they are both at RCS.

Frank & Kyla Padilla

GRCHS Bible Teacher & GRCMS Intervention Aide

Frank and Kyla Padilla have been married for 21 and a half years. They were married on July 29, 2000. They dated for about a year before getting engaged and beginning our wedding plans. 

Together they have three children and a wonderful standard poodle named Ozzy, who is about a year and a half years old. 

Their favorite food is tacos, and their favorite places to relax are any warm beach!

Frank and Kyla met at church. It was at an ice cream social, and Kyla took the initiative to come over and say hello to Frank in a group of friends, and the conversation began. They later met several times at church and then served in youth ministry with their high school youth group program in Southern California. They served in ministry together, leading service trips and youth camps throughout the year mentoring students. That is some of the greatest joy they each have today. They have led GRCHS Winterim groups for 10 years, both to San Diego and the Dominican Republic, and it gives them a ton of fun time to mentor students and bring their passion for service to their students and community. 

Frank has been working at Grand Rapids Christian Schools for 20 years, and Kyla has been a part of the system for eight years. 

Jim & Kim Primus

CFO & Director of Inclusion Services

Jim and Kim have been married for 31 years. They met in the fall of 1989 in an education class while attending Calvin College. Jim is in his 27th year working at GRCS. He was formerly a high school math teacher and principal and now serves as the CFO. Kim is in her 18th year at GRCS and was previously the assistant principal at the Iroquois Campus and now serves as the Director of Inclusion Services.

Together they have three children: Brent, Kaitlyn, and Mark. Their son Brent lives in LA and works at Lionsgate. Their son Mark lives in Grand Rapids and works at BDO. Their daughter, Kaitlyn, and her husband, Matt, are parents to 7-month old Henry (Kim and Jim’s first grandchild!). Kaitlyn and Mark live in Grand Rapids, where Kaitlyn is at home with Henry, and Matt works at Calder Capital. They also have a 15-year old cat named Twix!

Their favorite memory as a couple was the safe arrival of our first grandchild, Henry James.  

Steve & Christi Tuit

GRCHS Teacher & GRCHS COVID Student Advocate

Christi and Steve have been married for 27 years. Together they have three children, two who have graduated from GRCHS and one who will graduate in May. 

How did you meet?

CHRISTI: We probably first met at a Young Calvinist Convention while we were still in high school, but we got to know each other when we lived in the same dorm at Calvin. It took Christi spending a semester studying abroad and months of letter writing across an ocean for a romantic interest to spark. We started dating the summer Christi returned, and we've been together ever since.

STEVE: To be honest, it took the letter writing for ME to figure out the "romantic interest" part. I was slow. And I'm incredibly grateful that I eventually caught up.

Favorite memory as a couple or family

CHRISTI: One of my favorites is our trip to Ireland with just the two of us. It was great to explore a new place together, enjoy the beauty of God's creation, the friendly people, and travel without needing to entertain our kids at the same time. We are looking forward to a time when Covid isn't so impactful for international travel so we can explore another new place together.

STEVE: During a few of the last years, we've taken a quick trip "up north" as soon as school is over. The time together with just the two of us has been delightful for the same reasons as the longer trip to Ireland, and it's let us get to know some parts of this beautiful state much better.

What is it like working together?

CHRISTI: We first worked together from 2000-2006 at Eastern Christian High School in New Jersey. Steve taught English, and Christi was the Director of Guidance. For the first four years there Steve's classroom was next door to the Counseling Office, but there would be days when we wouldn't even see each other at school, although Steve could be heard teaching through the wall. In 2006 we moved back to Michigan when Steve was offered an English position at GRCHS, and Christi was offered the counseling position at GRCMS. This year we are back together in the same building, but again, we can go an entire week without seeing each other at school. When we were together at Eastern Christian, I think working in the same school made each of us better at our jobs.

STEVE: Working together has been a blessing to us both, I think. In both times working in the same building, we have often walked to school together, occasionally managed to have lunch together, and sometimes shared relevant and appropriate information that helped us both do our jobs better.