CRUSADER
Russian Duet
Brother and sister come from Russia to play tennis for Seward County Saints, with goals on court and in classroom.
Year 41, No. 2
—Page 4B
SEWARD COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE/AREA TECHNICAL SCHOOL
www.crusadernews.com
September 25 2009
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Liberal, Kansas
Riding dangerously second nature
Will Rector News editor
He walks down the same hallways as any other student. Most people see him as a normal guy, but dig a little deeper and this man shows a dangerous side of his character. Dré Whisennand, a freshman from Hugoton, has been riding motocross competitively for a little more than a year. “Where I grew up there was really no kids, so I just hung out with my siblings and cousins and got in trouble,” Whisennand said. His career has been brief, but he knew from the start it was something he wanted to do. “My cousin Dale invited me to go to one of his races in Texhoma, and it kinda grew on me,” Whisennand said. “I just wanted to race because I loved watching him do it.” Whisennand’s biggest race every year is the Arenacross in Amarillo, Texas, which is coming up Oct. 3.
“You have to be fearless when you are riding.” – Dré Whisennand “There are a lot of people that show up to watch or race, and it is really good to get experience,” Whisennand said. “There are usually 26 riders in my class and I finish in the top 10.” Whisennand’s sister Breonna supports her brother’s dream. “I am really proud of him because he goes out there and tries his best no matter what,” Breonna said. “He hasn’t been racing very long, and he is already placing. I think he can achieve his dream.” Motocross is a dangerous sport, but the riders know the risks that they take. “I love flying through the air. It kind of scares my mom, but she just has to deal with it,” Dré said with a laugh.
His mom said she has learned to deal with it. “I enjoy watching him, but with him being an amateur at the first races it did scare me,” said Vicki Mills, Dré’s mother. “He keeps getting better everytime and goes to more races.” A backflip on a quad is something that Dré would like to achieve. “He said he wants to be one of the guys that can do a back flip on a quad since there’s not very many riders in the world that can do it,” Breonna said. “In March, there was a little kid that was clearing a double that most riders couldn’t clear. He didn’t really have much respect for anybody, so you have to watch out for yourself when you are out there,” Dré said. “You have to be fearless when you are riding.” Dré has plans to buy a dirt bike and switch to two wheels instead of four. “I want to go pro, and the best of the best ride dirt bike’s,” Dré said. “I want to Courtesy Photo build tracks and then be able to race proDré Whisennand competes in motocross races for fun and hopes to one day race fessionally.” professionally. For related story see Moto X, page 3B.
Aranda court date set after campus arrest
Scholarship Auction reflects past profits Morgan Allaman Editor in chief
Will Rector News editor
A Seward County student will face a court date in Morton County on Oct. 1 after being arrested by Liberal police at the Mansions on Sept. 4. Domingo Ray Aranda of Elkhart was arrested for failure to appear, according to a Morton County District Court spokesperson. Aranda was supposed to go to court on charges of writing a hot check in 2007, but failed to appear. Aranda also has a felony warrant from Colorado, but is facing trial in Kansas before being considered for extradition to Colorado. Aranda is being held in Morton County Jail on a $3,000 bond.
Influenza bugs college students Dacee Kentner Crusader staff
The current H1N1 influenza virus is being considered a worldwide pandemic. With the average age of 17 being the most infected age group, this virus is unlike any other in history and can be predicted to affect more collegeage students than any other flu virus. H1N1 is an influenza A virus in which the human population holds no immunity against. “The virus is classified as a pandemic not by severity, but by the area in which it is widespread,” Seward County Health Department Administrator Martha Brown explained. By dictionary definition, a pandemic is a global disease outbreak. The H1N1 virus is found worldwide. It can also be easily spread from person to person. It is commonly called the swine flu because this specific type of flu is derived from pigs and birds. Although this flu has been compared to the Spanish flu of 1918 and the Swine flu of 1976, the H1N1 virus is an entirely new flu. According to Brown, students should take universal precautions, such as washing hands and avoiding hand to hand contact with others. “We cannot emphasize hand washing enough,” Brown said. •See H1N1 Page 3
Crusader photo/ Morgan Allaman
Agriculture instructor Evan Winchester relays a bid of McDonald’s owner George Roldan for the weekend getaway at Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, which sold for $900.
A somewhat lower attendance rate and a rough economy didn’t stop this year’s scholarship contributors from cracking open their pocketbooks at the 15th annual Scholarship Auction. The SCCC Development Foundation cleared about $40,000 at this year’s Scholarship Auction, according to Director of Development Tammy Doll. “We raised $40,000 dollars that we desperately needed for scholarships. It’s a very important event, and I hope that everyone who attended the auction purchased something or students who were there remembered who some of the donors were and they will shop at those businesses locally,” Doll said. “Those are the people who support their scholarships.” College president Dr. Duane Dunn expressed his appreciation to those involved. “I am pleased ... the attendance was just behind last year’s, which was a record, and net proceeds was nearly $40,000, the second highest in the 15-year history of the auction,” he noted. The college’s multimedia director Doug Browne made a Powerpoint displaying the items being sold during the live auction, which was a new addition to the Scholarship Auction. The theme of the Scholarship Auction was “Reflections of the Past” in honor of the college and the foundation’s 40th anniversary. Decorations included memorabilia from the past 40 years and birthday favors. The 50/50 drawing collected around $1,000, so $500 was given away and $500 was kept as donations. Also, the lucky draw brought in $1,245. The guest book totaled 371 scholarship contributors and about 10 student helpers, which is approximately 100 fewer people than last year. “I appreciate everyone’s attendance and all of the students who helped us that night because we couldn’t do it without all of the volunteers,” Doll said. “We had a lot of people on campus that stepped in to help.” Among the helpers were the presidential scholars, student ambassadors and student workers. Kelsey Darnell, a presidential scholar present at the Scholarship Auction, saw the behind the scenes labor of her scholarship. “I realized how much hard work is put into the auction, and I saw how many donations there were to help raise money for the scholarship recipients,” Darnell said. “It shows how much the community cares about the college and its students.” Former choir members of the college provided the entertainment for the night, and auctioneer Mike Gatlin called the live auction. The meal served consisted of beef brisket donated by National Beef, pulled pork sandwiches donated by Seaboard, shrimp and dessert bar with a chocolate fountain prepared by Great Western Dining. For related pictures from the Scholarship Auction, see page 8A.
See You at the Pole brings students together Dana Lowen Crusader staff
Waking up early and facing 40 degree temperatures didn’t stop about 20 students who huddled around the flagpole on campus at 7 a.m. Wednesday. Their purpose was to pray for country, town and school. The group started by singing a few praise songs. They then took turns volunteering to pray, and finished with doughnuts and orange juice. “It was freezing cold but the thought of praising God made that better,” said Clair Sims, a
student who attended. The Seward group was part of the national See You At The Pole, with a theme for this year of “Engage: Go and pray…” with the theme verse of II Kings 22:13a, which says “Go and pray to God for me and for the people.” This verse comes from the story of Josiah, who became king of Israel at the age of 8. At the age of 16, he began to pursue God passionately. He got rid of everything that did not honor God and challenged everyone around him to follow his example. When Josiah
heard the scriptures, he was convicted. This is what led him to say what he said in the theme verse. “I was excited to see how many students came this year. It was just a wonderful time of prayer for our country, town and school,” said Nathan Engelman, a CMC leader. “It was altogether awesome.” The tradition of SYATP began in early 1990 in Burleson, Texas, when a group of teenagers were compelled to pray for their friends, schools and leaders. On Sept. 12, 1990, more than 45,000 students in
four different states met around their school flagpoles. By Sept. 11, 1991, the numbers had grown to 1 million and had spread across the country. Now, more than 3 million students participate in all 50 states, along with more than 20 countries. The SYATP Web site says, “See You At The Pole is all about prayer. It’s about you coming together and laying aside all of the labels and groups for one day, to simply engage with God in prayer and connect with fellow Christians in unity around the flag pole.”
Crusader photo/ Dana Lowen
Logan Green, Mikayla Knudsen and Kristin Walter gather around the doughnuts and try to stay warm after the SYATP ceremony.