Our Team

Mr. Ellens

Mr. Jordan Ellens serves as a teacher and vice-principle. After high school, he studied English, Mathematics, and Education at Redeemer University . Mr. Ellens began his teaching career in Carman, Manitoba, at Dufferin Christian School. While at university, he met his wife; they were married in 2010 and now have four children. In 2017, the Ellens family moved to Strathroy, and became part of the Providence Reformed Collegiate community. Mr. Ellens has taught English, Math, Science, Bible, and Philosophy. He loves the vision Providence has for God’s Kingdom and hopes all students will be shaped by that vision and will grow into people who love God and their communities.

Mr. Haklander

Mr. Rik Haklander and his wife, Marya, live on a farm near Poplar Hill, and have three children. Mr. Haklander joined our teaching staff in September 2020. He currently teaches our technology and skilled trades course, construction engineering, transportation technology courses, and the cooperative education program. He graduated from Fanshawe College as an automotive power technician and worked as an automotive service technician for over 35 years. He also continues to work on his farm. Mr. Haklander is excited about helping direct young people in their understanding and appreciation of the trades.

Miss Hiemstra

Miss Jenna Hiemstra was born and raised in Watford, Ontario. She graduated from Providence in 2019 and moved on to complete a 3-year Bachelor of Arts at Brescia University College (Major in French for Teaching). In June 2024, she completed her Bachelor of Education at Western University with a focus on French and General Science. After working part-time as a supply teacher in the Lambton Kent District School Board and teaching Grade 8 at John Knox Christian School, she joined the Providence staff for the 2024/2025 school year. Currently, Miss Hiemstra teaches French, Science, Math, and English courses at Providence.

Miss Janssens

Miss Janssens is our administrative assistant. She lives in Strathroy and attends the Providence URC. She joined our staff in November 2020, coming to Providence with more than 25 years of experience in Christian school office administration.

Mrs. Jones

Mrs. Samantha Jones is a Providence alumna from the Class of 2021. She earned her Bachelor of Arts at Redeemer University, with a focus on Art, Psychology, and English Writing. While at Redeemer, she served as a Teacher's Assistant in the Art program, tutored for several courses, and coached volleyball at a local high school. Mrs. Jones joined the Providence staff in the fall of 2025, where she teaches Physical Education, Art, and a range of humanities courses. Originally from Wyoming, Ontario, she now lives in a small town just south of Ingersoll after marrying her husband, Caleb Jones, in 2025. Outside the classroom, Mrs. Jones loves coaching and playing a variety of sports year-round.

Mrs. Knaap

Mrs. Louise Knaap grew up in Vaughan (part of the GTA), just minutes away from Canada’s Wonderland. She went to York University in Toronto and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics. She went on from there to teach English as a Second Language for several years before meeting and marrying the love of her life, Rudy Knaap (2004 PRC alumni) a dairy goat farmer in Aylmer. Together they have four beautiful redheads which are all in attendance at Covenant Christian School. She has been enjoying getting to know the students at PRC in her work as an EA.

Mrs. Lenting

Mrs. Lenting grew up in the Waterdown area and moved to Strathroy when she married her husband, Rob, in 2006. Together they attend Grace Canadian Reformed Church in Kerwood and have 5 children. Anne has been involved in Covenant Christian School for many years, primarily as librarian. When her oldest child began attending Providence, Mrs. Lenting sought a way to be involved here as well. Anne studied Child and Youth Work at Mohawk College and serves as an EA at Providence.

Mr. Pennings

Mr. Ken Pennings and his wife Belinda have been blessed with six children. He was born and raised in the St. Thomas area. Following secondary studies at Arthur Voaden Secondary School, he studied at Redeemer College from 1992 - 1996. Following his studies at Redeemer, he taught for two years before coming to PRC from 1999 to 2007. Those years hold many good memories for him. He then moved on from PRC and taught at Oxford Reformed Christian School for 5 years. Following the Lord's prompting, he then studied at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI from 2012 - 2016. Mr. Pennings returned to Providence in 2016 and now teaches a broad range of courses in the Humanities.

Mrs. Pieterman

Mrs. Pieterman grew up in the Hamilton area but moved to London during her teen years. Good thing, too, as this is where she met her husband, Art. They were married in 1991 and have been blessed with five children, all of whom have now graduated from Providence. The Pietermans are members of Pilgrim Canadian Reformed Church in London. Mrs. Pieterman joined our staff as a part time Educational Assistant in 2016. Now our full time Learning Assistance Coordinator, Mrs. Pieterman oversees our Learning Assistance department, and recently earned her Special Education Specialist certification. She also teaches a variety of courses, including Civics and Learning Strategies, English and History.

Mr. Vander Deen

Mike Vander Deen has served as Principal of Providence Reformed Collegiate for over ten years. Raised in Strathroy and a proud graduate of PRC (Class of 2001), he began his teaching career at Heritage Christian School in Jordan, Ontario, where he taught from 2006 to 2014. Since joining Providence in 2014, he has taught part-time while serving as principal.
At Providence, Mr. Vander Deen has taught a variety of courses and is dedicated to integrating design principles and intent into every aspect of Reformed Christian education. He holds a B.A. and B.Ed. from Redeemer University and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Calvin University. In 2019, he completed the Executive Management in Christian Schools program at the Van Lunen Centre.
Mr. Vander Deen and his family live near Mt. Brydges and attend Providence United Reformed Church in Strathroy.

Mr. Stewart

Mr. Logan Stewart was born in Grand Junction, Colorado and immigrated to Canada with his wife Klara in 2017. He received a Bachelor's degree in Bible from The Master's University in 2017 and an MA in Christian Theology from Fuller Seminary in 2023. He teaches Bible, World Religions, and English among other courses.

Mrs. Vandermeyden

Mrs. Pam Vandermeyden lives in Appin with her husband Marty and their five daughters. She earned an Honours B.A. in History from Western University and subsequently completed her Bachelor of Education at Western's Althouse College, with a focus on teaching high school English and History. Pam teaches courses across the Humanities and Arts disciplines. She serves as guidance counsellor, supporting students in their course selections and helping them discover and embark on pathways that will lead them to use their gifts to glorify God and serve others.

Mrs. VanWynsberghe

Mrs. Jessica VanWynsberghe is a past student from Providence who recently received her undergraduate degree at Redeemer University in Biology. She completed her teaching degree at the Niagara University. One can find her playing or coaching a variety of sports and hopes to contribute to the athletic world at Providence. Mrs. VanWynsberghe serves as the Athletic Director. In line with her passion for science, she will be teaching Biology, Science, Math, and Phys. Ed.

Mrs. Wattel

Mrs. Ebelien Wattel currently lives in Kerwood with her husband Peter, and they attend Grace Canadian Reformed church. They were blessed with three daughters who attended and graduated from Providence. Mrs. Wattel has served the Providence school community in many capacities through the years - as librarian, bus driver, and volunteer admin assistant, to name a few. After taking a year off from Providence when her youngest daughter graduated, she came back as an EA in 2018.

Mr. Westerveld

Mr. Joel Westerveld was born in the small town of Iona Station, where he lived for the first 20 years of his life. After spending some time in the trades, he decided to pursue further education and enrolled at Redeemer University. At Redeemer, Mr. Westerveld majored in History and Philosophy and minored in Business. In 2024, Mr. Westerveld married Emma, and in December of 2025, they welcomed their first child, Liam. Mr. Westerveld began teaching at Providence in 2026, primarily teaching humanities and business-related courses.

Ms. Xu

Ms. Phoebe Xu was born in Wuhan, China. She was introduced to Christianity in the 1980s and became a Christian in 1995. She holds degrees in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, and Education from Wuhan University of Technology, the University of Detroit Mercy, and the University of Windsor. Ms. Xu moved to Canada in 1999 and has over 16 years of teaching experience at Maranatha Christian Academy. She completed an Honors Specialization in Chemistry at Western University in 2018. Ms. Xu began teaching at PRC in 2019 and currently teaches Chemistry, Physics, general science, and Mathematics.