On April 9 a single-car crash killed one student from Rehoboth (N.M.) Christian School and injured four more.
Maria Holscher, 17, died as a result of her injuries. Holscher, an exchange student from Germany, attended Rehoboth Christian Reformed Church with her host parents, Bill and Susan Krzymoki. The Krzymokis’ daughter, Jennifer, 18, suffered a broken neck and arms in the same accident. Mag Kim, 17, sustained a broken back and other injuries. Jason Landavazo, 18, and Natasha DeVries, 17, were treated for minor injuries and released the same day.
The students were traveling to Santa Fe for a youth-in-government seminar when their car swerved off the interstate and rolled multiple times.
Holscher’s body was flown to Swisttal-Odendorf, Germany, where she is survived by her mother, Barbara, and brothers Roland, Heiner, and Kai. Rehoboth principal Tim Stuart represented the school at her funeral.
The Rehoboth community also held a memorial service, in which Ron Polinder, the school’s executive director, described Holscher as “this wonderful Maria who came into our lives and blessed us.”
Polinder said the school community experienced an “enormous amount of grief and brokenheartedness and an emptiness that remains.” However, he is encouraged and impressed with “so many colleagues, families, and students with their feet on the ground, their faith and trust in God solid in such a time as this. So we do not despair.”
About the Author
Rev. Bonny Mulder-Behnia serves as family ministries pastor for Rosewood Christian Reformed Church in Bellflower, Calif.
