The Paw Print: Vol. 5 Issue 2

the

Kansas City Christian School 4801 W. 79th St. Prairie Village, Kan.

paw print

Volume 5

INSIDE:

Security p. 3

Issue 2

Jan. 29, 2016

Bible curriculum p. 12

freshmen Athletes p. 14

Table of contents

feature

p. 6-7

Take a personality quiz based on Myers-Briggs and hear from students who share those traits

Feature

p. 12-13

Beyond facility changes, read how has the school evolved over the years

Sports

p. 14-15

Hear from three freshmen athletes about how the freshman class is filling sports rosters

staff Hannah Peterson Print Editor Bryce Johnston Web Editor Maddie Cates Staff Writer Michael Holst Staff Writer Ryan Jantsch Staff Writer Peter Loganbill Staff Writer Mallory Mong Staff Writer Allie Owens Staff Writer Mitchell Paul Staff Writer Olivia Price Staff Writer Jessica Steggerda Staff Writer Kylie Briggs Adviser

I WON THE JEEP! Follow our adventures on Instagram @rockythejeep #opjeep Clifton Alexander

Grace and Owen’s Dad Owner, REACTOR Design Studio Special thanks to OP Jeep for the year of fun!

New Cameras: School upgrades campus security

by Bryce Johnston Web Editor As students returned back to school from the long Christmas break they were greeted by a shiny new fleet of security cameras.

The cameras were installed Jan. 1 replacing the previous camera system which was an older and out-dated model. There are currently 16 cameras posted throughout various parts of the school.

The new cameras left many students confused as to the reason behind their sudden appearance, but the change is really just a continuation of the school’s effort to increase student safety around the campus.

Head of School Bill Glotzbach had planned to update the old camera system since before the start of school this year.

“Technology has changed and we felt like we weren’t getting what we wanted which was visibility in key places around the building,” Glotzbach said. “Even when we would pull images up [from the old cameras] we couldn’t see very well, you know, a face of a person so that was probably the driving factor in it.”

The new camera system can record video at 1080p which makes its quality superior to the older cameras. The new system came in a bundle of 16 cameras which increased the range of vision that the school will have over the campus. Glotzbach stated that they would not have chosen to install that amount of cameras but because of how the hardware was packaged they got the system of 16.

Once students got used to the new system most expressed ambivalence.

“The cameras won’t really affect my day to day life,” senior Connor Christians said. “It might make pulling of a senior prank harder though.”

Overall the new system only represents another step in the continuing advancement of student safety. All schools today are looking toward newer technology to help them be as prepared as possible to deal with any emergencies that arise.

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Staff Editorial

Attitude toward bible class By going to KCC, students are paying for an education enriched

by God’s Word. The Bible teachers are filled with wisdom, including Mr. Chugg who has been at the school for 30 years, and students should readily soak up the knowledge they provide.

Bible classes are what the students puts into them. If the students put effort into applying what they have learned, they will benefit more by the material covered.

On the student’s part, it’s necessary that they apply the material to their own walk with God. If a student is solely memorizing information for a test, they shouldn’t expect to grow in their faith. While at times learning about genealogies or the Edict of Milan can easily become tedious, the material students learn is in actuality of great importance.

Learning the context of the Bible not only allows the student body to be readily prepared to answer the questions of new Christians or others who have not come to faith yet, but also understand God’s Word better themselves.

God’s Word is not boring. Even if a student has heard a story a million times, there is more to it than anyone could ever understand.

Students desire to create a meaningful, personal connection with God through For more on their Bible classes. The Paw Print Staff has a Bible recommendation for the structure of Bible class. curriculum The staff recommends implementing a see pages devotional and prayer at the beginning of 10-11 every Bible class. If students took this seriously, it would allow the Bible classes to cover the required content and allow students and teachers to encourage each other in their faith.

11/11 staff members agree with the views expressed in this editorial.

Right motivation in school I

Peter Loganbill Staff Writer The source of your motivation determines your attitude page 4 | opinion

have been walking into the doors of this school for over 13 years. As I come to the end of my time here, I’ve been thinking about what the source of a student’s motivation and attitude should be during a school day.

Coming to school every day is a great sacrifice, and also a great opportunity. Believers need to have an effect on this world for Christ who died for them. An education helps with this. If we do not learn about this world and do not do well in our fields, than we will not have much of a voice in this world.

Thinking of school as an opportunity is difficult.

Many days, I honestly feel sick when I wake up. A lot of people can easily get through a day and have a ton of energy with six to seven hours of sleep. That schedule never worked for me. I need around eight to nine to wake up with any energy, and I typically only get six or less. I do not want to sound sorry for myself, but I want to make it clear that I need something more reliable than a good night’s rest to get through a day with a good attitude.

We have all heard many times that Christ has died for our sins, but that statement will only have

significance and meaning to those who have a personal relationship with him. He gave us the ultimate sacrifice, and coming to school every day and paying attention is a great way for a students to show their love for Him and sacrifice their time to Him. We need to keep Him in mind throughout the day.

Sometimes, I do find school enjoyable. Sometimes, I enjoy learning. Often, I enjoy talking to people. A lot of my peers get by this way. That is all they need to go through a day effectively-- and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that--but it cannot be our only motivation. Christ needs to be there.

I have found it incredibly easy to spend time with the Lord during the morning by reading His Word and talking with Him, and then to come to school, lose any spiritual high, and just want to go home.

But, I can’t allow myself to fall into that pattern.

Christ cannot be something that is only emotional; He is a real person that we need to talk with throughout the day.

We need to keep striving to expand the Lord’s Kingdom, and we need to work for Him, not ourselves.

Living in the moment I

t’s the first day of school after Christmas break. You get back to school, and you start getting back into the swing of things. You and your friends discuss spring break, summer break, next year, graduation, college, and, finally, life after school.

We, as students, are always looking to the next thing, rather than living in the moment that we are in. As soon as something we’ve been waiting for comes and goes, we automatically look forward to the next break. Or the next holiday. Or the next chapter in our lives. But why can’t we just look around and be happy for the moment we are in right now?

Look around you. The things and people in your life won’t last forever. While we are looking forward to the next big thing in our lives, we aren’t appreciating the things that we have in our lives right now.

We don’t realize that at any moment things could completely change and we will long for what we had when we were wishing for something else.

Recently, I’ve had several changes in my life.

My sister moved to Oregon. My other sister to Texas. My friend groups have changed. I have been forced to mature. It’s like I just blinked and suddenly my life is completely different than it was, and

I miss the life I used to have. But--and here’s the ironic thing-- while I had that life, I was longing for the future rather than living in the moment. Now, I have this sense of nostalgia for when my sisters lived at home, when I was young, and when life was simpler. But when I had this simple life, I just wanted to grow up, and I never stopped to appreciate where I was in life and who was involved in it.

Ever since I had this realization, I decided to live in the moment that I am in, whether it be good or bad, because one day I will miss this season of my life. We wait for the future in exciting anticipation, because we hope that those days will be the best days of our lives, but what about today? Who’s to say that our future will be better than where we are right now?

I challenge us, as the student body, to live in the moment. This means to just stop and look around.

To not take the things and people we have in our life right now for granted. To focus on here and now, rather than there and then. I believe that if we practice this, we will be much happier. Are you taking the things you have in your life for granted or are you living in the moment?

Maddie Cates Staff Writer It’s better to focus on the now than wish your life away.

Giving up gluten F

our years ago, after years of my body not feeling 100 percent well, I knew it was time to change the way I was eating. The first step: cut gluten out of my diet completely. I know, it sounds crazy, but the positive changes were worth giving up a few foods.

For those unfamiliar with the term “gluten,” gluten is the protein found in wheat and other grains.

It helps the bread or other grain products keep their shape and last longer. But what most people can be blind to is how processed gluten is now in everyday life, even in food like fruit snacks and candy.

If you’re hesitant to read further right now, I understand; I was in the same boat. Going gluten free (GF) has become somewhat of a trend. People go GF for fun, to be healthy, or just because other people want to go GF. Because it has become such a prominent new idea, it can easily be seen as “just a trend.” . And when I first started eating GF, it wasn’t by choice. Health issues forced me to eat without gluten or I was just going to get

more sick.

But a few months after I started the diet, after I let my guard down and just accepted it, I started to notice something: I was feeling a lot better.

I was more focused in school. My grades improved. I started having more energy during the day. So, I started to be less secretive about my diet, letting people know how going GF was helping me. These changes did not happen overnight, or even within weeks. I gave my body time to adjust to the new way of eating, and then saw the positive results.

If like me, you are always lacking energy or just feel off, I would encourage trying out going GF. I know it’s a lot of work to change around your whole plan, so I would suggest incorporating a few GF foods in your diet, along with choosing to not have bread on the side of your meal or having a salad instead of a sandwich. Once you start slowly transitioning into a new way of eating, it will just become habit for you.

Ryan Jantsch Staff Writer Going glutenfree shouldn’t be overlooked as just another trend.

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personality

We a Quizzes

start here!

It’s Friday and you have had a pretty good week, to kick off the weekend you choose to... go to the home basketball game. A lot of people will be going and it’s supposed to be super loud and hype.

It’s now Saturday and there is a large get-together planned.

When you get there, do you immediately head for the middle of the room and join into the conversation, excited to hear there will be a dance party later?

YES!

see if two or three of your close friends want to hang for a little while at a coffee shop.

next category!

Now it’s Sunday, and you’re telling a friend about the get-together you went to yesterday. Do you:

You are now in drama class and are required to take part in the play. You decide...

NO. to audition for one of the lead roles because you enjoy being a part of the action on stage.

remember vividly how you felt about your interactions with people and recall things like conversations and actions.

to sign up for a behind the scenes job, preferring to stay out of the direct limelight.

Now it’s Monday, and you’ve been asked to come up with an idea in class about how the school could be improved.

You begin your brainstorming by completely re-imagining the school, creating your own new systems.

YES!

remember vividly the scene, recalling the smells of the food and sounds of the music.

You’re in science class, today you are learning a very abstract theory.

You are slightly frustrated because you are not learning a more tangible and practical idea.

NO. NO.

YES!

E = Extroverted

i = introverted

n = intuitive

s = sensing

Extroverted people get their energy from being with groups of people. Interacting with others is how they recharge.

They are excited more easily and can enjoy noisy and colorful environments. Being with people is when they feel most energetic.

Introverted people recharge by getting some time to themselves. This doesn’t mean introverts don’t like being around people, just that sometimes their social reserves drain quickly. Being in a quieter environment can help them focus and is sometimes when they feel the best.

Intuitive people are very imaginative. They like to come up with possible hidden meanings in things and actions.

They like to try and guess what’s coming next. When making decisions intuitive people often follow their feelings and ideas about things. They are very open minded people. When remembering situations, events are often characterized by their own feelings about each thing rather than specific facts.

Introverted people recharge by getting some time to themselves. This doesn’t mean introverts don’t like being around people, just that sometimes their social reserves drain quickly. Being in a quieter environment can help them focus and is sometimes when they feel the best.

“I feel like for me it’s very easy to tell others what I’m feeling.”

-junior Anna Schuchardt

“I think that there’s the obvious ‘I tend not to like to be in big groups’ and activities that would be perceived as extroverted that involve a lot of small talk, that’s hard for me... If I’m in conversation with like two or more people I like to just listen.”

-fr e sh m a n Ha nna h Denn e

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Look at your personality through the lens of Myers-Briggs, a popular personality assessment where you receive a four-letter combination, indicating if you are introverted or extroverted, intuitive or sensing, a thinker or feeler, and perceiving or judging.

keep going!

It’s your next class, and you’re asked to pair up with someone.

You make eye contact with one of your friends. On your way over, one of your other friends comes and asks you if want to be partners. You:

almost Finished!

Freeze up a little bit.. You don’t really know what to say because you really don’t want to say no to either of your friends.

State kindly but directly that you already have a partner and the two of you can be partners next time.

A friend asks for advice about what class to take. You help them weigh the pros and cons different classes to make a decision.

YES!

NO.

A friend asks you for advice about a fight he had with another person. It seems like the other person was in the right, but your friend feels that he was wronged. To respect your friend and avoid hurting the other person’s feelings, you just listen and say that you would be frustrated too.

NO.

t = thinker

Intuitive people are very imaginative. They like to come up with possible hidden meanings in things and actions.

They like to try and guess what’s coming next. When making decisions intuitive people often follow their feelings and ideas about things. They are very open minded people. When remembering situations, events are often characterized by their own feelings about each thing rather than specific facts.

YES!

f = feeler

Feelers express emotion openly. The are generally sensitive and care about encompassing everyone’s opinion when working as a group. They are not illogical but care more about a decision that makes everyone happy rather than the most efficient.

You have a paper due tomorrow. You sit down at the computer and:

Stare at the screen, not really knowing where to begin. You have no idea how long the paper is going to take you, but you start writing anyway. You focus well for about half hour periods off and on, but manage to get a solid paper done around 9 p.m.

You are going to have a birthday party this Friday at your house. You....

Get home right after school and grab some snacks and games and lay them out.

You just leave the plans open for the night, ready to see what others will want.

p= Perceiving

Make goals for how much you want to finish every hour. You should finish by 9 p.m. if you stick to the plan.

When you do a tedious task, you try to make the process fun by playing music or having the TV in the background.

NO.

YES!

Plan activities for the party, coming up with fun games and deciding the order they should be played.

Perceivers prefer to be flexible and spontaneous. They are constantly searching for new options and opportunities.

These people tend to be less organized and more reluctant to commitment. Being less concerned about pleasing superiors (like their parents, teachers, or bosses) and more focused on the best decision for them personally, is also a common trait.

j = judging

Judgers would much rather have a set, organized plan than deal with problems as the rise up. Judgers often keep a “mental checklist” to accomplish tasks and appreciate closure and clarity. Tending to be exceedingly responsible, they are usually hard workers.

“Sometimes I do really outlandish things to try and make people laugh; [I’m] trying to make other people happy.”

-sophomore Ian Ko

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It’s 9:30 p.m. and senior Briana James is finally returning home, feet aching from the hours spent balancing all of her weight on the tips of her toes and mind tired from the strain of another long day. After seven hours of regular school classes, James goes on to another two and half hours of ballet and pointe classes at Culture House, the studio where she dances. The schedule is grueling and it takes its toll on James but each night she powers through it, knowing that she is pursuing her passion.

Junior Avery Moore sits in the lobby of The Pulse dance studio taking a rest from her morning classes. Her Saturdays are consumed with these 45 minute pods in which her team runs through their routines. Every movement must be analyzed and “cleaned” making sure that each segment of the routine is clarified. When Moore returns home she is exhausted but all of the work that she put in is necessary to perfect her craft For James, her love of dance originated from her mother who is a dancer herself. Like all of her siblings James began taking dance at a young age. Her mother, who worked at Dramatic Truth enrolled all of the kids in classes at her studio. While her other siblings eventually dropped the activity, her mother’s’ passion quickly became her own.

“Dance is something that I do for me,” James said. “Dance is where I get to express myself.”

For Moore, dance is also an important part of her self expression. “[Dance] is more of a way to express myself about how I’m feeling. When I walk into practice, I can just leave my bad day at the door and forget about everything.” Moore said. “My dance teacher, Elaine, helps initiate the emotional side of dance. For ‘Broken Heart,’ another dance we did at my studio, Elaine told us that the dance portrayed how she witnessed her mom’s stroke, and the movements she made.”

Both James and Moore are drawn to dance because it is an emotional outlet. To them dance is more than just set of moves; it is a portrayal of their inner emotions. Often James finds herself in

by Bryce Johnston web editor

Clockwise from left: Junior Avery Moore performs “Broken Heart” PHOTO COURTESY OF AVERY MOORE. Executing a handstand, senior Briana James dances in “Run the World” PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIANA JAMES. Feet poised and balanced, senior Briana James points her toes during her routine PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIANA JAMES.

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the studio doing improvisation to blow off steam. Likewise, Moore sees dance as a coping mechanism that helps her forget all that’s going on outside of her and focus on the present moment.

Of all of James’ performances her favorite was a tap dance in the show “Cinderella” four years ago .

“I liked it so much because the choreographer let us participate in it and it was really showy and exciting to do. It was a recital at the end of the year and it really showed that the arts have a storyline.”

Moore’s favorite performance came during the Nuvo Dance Competition where her team performed a routine called “Broken Heart.”

“I felt the energy of the dancers around me, and I felt like we were all performing at our fullest potential. I remember tearing up because we were all in sync and connected.”

James and Moore have also had opportunities to perform outside of Kansas City. This last summer James spent three weeks in New York going to classes and staying overnight in a dorm to get a feel for what dance school is like.

At the end of the three weeks she was able to put all that she learned into a show she had rehearsed for during her stay. As for Moore she was able to travel to Orlando to compete in Nationals with her team.

While both students enjoy the dancing, they wouldn’t want to see it become an extracurricular activity at school because they believe it would be difficult to create a program that would offer its dancers the same freedom of expression they have felt at their studios.

In the future, James looks to continue on in her dance career whether it is on Broadway or part of a company.

“I want to try a lot of things when I get older,” James said. “I will definitely pursue dance in college but I’m not sure what that will look like right now. I would one day want to run my own dance studio” Moore will compete in Nationals again this summer in Minnesota.

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students reflect on bible curriculum and their personal faith

by Olivia Price and Mitchell Paul staff writers big reason parents enroll their children in KCC is for the opportunity to be a part of a Christ-centered community and receive a strong Christian education.

So, clearly Bible classes are a big deal, a core part of the curriculum, and they intensify upon entering high school. Students learn about specific church history. They investigate the life of Christ. They look further into different worldviews.

Since the school’s founding, it’s goal has been to effectively prepare students to defend their faith and be Christian leaders in the world, and Bible classes play a role in that preparation.

Do students feel prepared, with the help of the Bible program, to be leaders of faith, knowledge, and character who will go out and transform culture upon leaving KCC? Students have differing opinions about the Bible curriculum.

Some wish there was more devotional time during Bible class. “[In middle school], we had devotionals we would do every day, and we had application on the weekends. And although it was a struggle, I think it helped our faith exponentially, because it applied [to] everyday life,” junior Hogan Spencer said. “High school has been more knowledge-based, where the teachers have been throwing concepts and doctrines at us. I feel like the application is almost lost because of all of the facts that we memorize.”

Although prayer is a part of many students’ lives, it doesn’t happen in class on regular basis.

“Back when I was in elementary school and my older siblings were in high school here, I remember every day before first hour a faculty member, a student, or I’d even hear my sister pray for the day. I even remember my elementary school teachers praying before class every day, and my older brother and sister’s high school teachers also praying before class,” senior Josh Swiastyn said. “Throughout all my four years of high school at KCC, only a few of my teachers took time out of the beginning of class to pray, and that has really disappointed me. I wish we’d open up more opportunities once again for prayer back into the school day.”

Some students feel that the constant view of faith from the academic standpoint takes away from the relational aspect of faith.

Regarding adjustments that could be made to the curriculum,

having more of a Bible study element to the class was a common theme.

“I’m one of those people who likes to read straight from the Bible and learn all the history that goes along with it and such,” freshman Camile Hardt said. “So it’d be cool if we could do some more of that.”

Students felt that more direct study of Bible could lead to life application.

“I would just change the curriculum to be more open-ended and more of a Bible study feel,” sophomore Hannah Breth said.

“That could help us to answer questions or develop thoughts for new Christians or friends who have questions about faith.”

Many students felt better prepared to venture out into the world after experiencing the Bible program. Students, particularly seniors who had taken Worldview, appreciated learning about other religious perspectives.

“Mr. Williams repeated everything so much that you almost hated yourself, but to this day I can still remember things he taught us like the worldview definition,” senior Micah Blakely said.

Students who took these classes also feel that they have learned how to understand other religions on a practical level.

“Mr. Chugg and Mr. Williams have both helped understand core beliefs of different religions, allowing us to interact with people of those religions,” senior Kaitlyn Burns said.

Overall, students felt like they were given the tools to defend their faith.

“I think that the classes prepare us somewhat,” Breth said. “Like right now in LOC [Life of Christ] we have been asking tons of questions that new Christians might have, that we need to be able to support.”

Students like the way teachers tell stories from their own lives to relate the material.

“It’s fun listening to the stories Chugg tells about how he approaches people with different beliefs from him,” Hardt said.

An environment that’s open to questions and debates is also appreciated by students.

“When I ask new questions she doesn’t just ignore it, she attempts to answer it and give a reason,” sophomore Kyle Sykes said, commenting on Bible teacher Cayli Pankratz.

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Change iN Focus ALUMNI REFLECT ON HOW KCC’S ATMOSPHERE HAS EVOLVED

by Hannah Peterson and Peter Loganbill Print Editor & Staff Writer Since KCC was founded in 1951, it has gone through many changes, even within the last 15 years. Alumni from four to 15 years ago remember their time in high school and recall the atmosphere as having a great community.

Over the last several years, one intentional shift in the school has been raising the bar with academics. “[It was] average. It’s better now,” alumnus and Bible teacher Nate Wright said. “And there were some fantastic individual teachers, for sure. [The education was] not as rigorous.”

After graduating in 2000 and returning in 2008 as a student teacher, Wright has witnessed changes in student culture. He believes there was more community in the student body when he was student than there is now, and that KCC is a lot more chill

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than it used to be.

“The school has become more lax on superficial rules,” Wright said. “I think the student has more freedom now.”

Wright said the students are now more willing to talk about issues that matter, that it is a lot less awkward for them to state what they believe.

“There is a much more willingness to talk about difficult, real life stuff than there used to be,” Wright said. “[There is] more discussion on the table.”

As far as students’ faith went, Wright said it was a mixed bag.

Some students were truly Biblically grounded, but there were also those who pretended and put on a show of Christianity. He thinks that students now would be more open to admitting that they do not buy Christianity, while back then they would have faked it.

Alumnae and first grade teacher Bailey Spencer started high school at KCC in 2004. She remembers a strong community, a good education, and a stricter dress code.

She specifically remembers that her Bible classes were less focused on Worldview, and her teachers were much older.

“Mr. Kapple, the Bible teacher at the time, went through a variety of subjects, but they were not as based on worldview,” Spencer said. “There is definitely a younger group of teachers now; my youngest teacher was probably in his 30s. The teachers now are more connected with the students than teachers when I was in high school.”

Like Wright, Spencer remembers the unified social atmosphere of the school.

“There were 60 kids in my class and we were a pretty tight-knit group of people,” Spencer said. “The banquets were a huge deal, and people would go all out asking. Upperclassmen made an effort to get to know sophomores and freshmen. The seniors would be like, ‘Hey let’s go do this,’ and invite everyone. Assassins was a big deal back then.”

Spencer sees major changes with the dress code. “[I] had to wear a collared shirt every day, and we didn’t have spirit days,” Spencer said. “If we weren’t wearing a collared shirt we’d have to wear this big blue shirt that said something about dress code on it.”

When Spencer graduated in 2008, alumnus Connor Swiastyn still had one year left at KCC. Swiastyn stated that he thought the education quality could have better, but admits that it is really all he knew and he really enjoyed some of his teachers. “[Anatomy teacher Mary] Alley and [English teacher Connie] Young were really awesome,” Swiastyn said.

Swiastyn recalls that the extracurricular activities were very

successful, for the most part.

“There was actually a culinary club,” Swiastyn said. “It was fun.

[I participated] sophomore year. It was good.”

Swiastyn believes, overall, the school seemed very “cliche Christian;”however, he does believe a number of teachers were Biblically grounded. “[Science teacher Brad] Belden was pretty solid. And whenever Chugg did a Chapel [it was] pretty solid. Other than that, it was pretty watery.”

When Swiastyn was a senior at KCC alumnus Daniel Loganbill was in his freshman year. By his senior year, current principal Ben Williams was teaching the Worldview class for seniors.

Even though Loganbill only graduated four years ago, since his graduation the English, science, and history departments have already seen a teacher come and go. A few examples are Chad Pirotte taking over for Keith Miller, Lauren Strang taking over for Mary Alley, and Rachel Schulte taking over for Connie Young.

Loganbill loved his teachers and is sad that they are gone. He felt that he received a very good education, particularly from history teacher Keith Miller.

“I learned a lot from him,” Loganbill said. “The textbook that we had was really spectacular, it was a large blue book. He really made it come alive and helped us to understand why it was important.”

Whereas other alumni recalled how close the student body was, Loganbill felt as if the school lacked an excellent bond between the grades or within the grades.

“I had some really good friends in all of the different [grade] levels, but it didn’t feel like there was a tight-knitness. There was a tightness between teachers and students,” Loganbill said.

Loganbill felt especially close with choir teacher Cathy Gamble, who was very established with her role at the time. He expressed disappointment with how the program has been shaken up, with a new choir director each year since Gamble left.

“Music was much stronger when I was there, because we had music teachers that were overqualified that had been there for several years,” Loganbill said.

Overall, the alumni seem to have been satisfied with KCC. Through the years, the school always had some negative and some positive qualities. Loganbill noted that KCC now seems much better branded.

“Character. Faith. Love. Having the goals of the school and the colors of the school put up around the school help to create that image of what we want the school to look like and what we want the school to be,” Loganbill said.

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takeover-Freshmen

by Michael Holst Staff Writer

soccer

This past season the boys soccer program had 11 freshman participating in the sport.

They made up a majority of the junior varsity team and some had time playing on varsity as well. One of those was freshman Sam Swiastyn.

Swiastyn believed that the freshmen are looking to decide their plans for the rest of high school.

“We’re trying new things for us in the first year,” Swiastyn said. “That way we can know what we want to focus on in the future.”

He enjoys the benefit of knowing and being friends with his teammates. He has been playing with some of his classmates including Hudson Young, Andrew Finn, and Caleb Tywater since kindergarten.

“We know each other,” Swiastyn said.

“We can give and get tips from each other without getting frustrated with each other.”

Swiastyn appreciated the attitude the other classes have had toward the freshmen in soccer.

“I really liked how the upperclassman did not think of us as freshmen,” Swiastyn said.

“They thought of us as fellow and equal players.”

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Basketball

The boys basketball program has many promising freshmen. The junior varsity team has freshmen both starting and on the bench, and three freshmen--Mark Trujillo, Caleb Tywater, and Brandon Engel--are on the varsity roster. Engel has been getting significant time on the court on varsity.

Engel likes having his classmates on the team with him.

“It’s nice because they can inform me about practices and stuff like that,” Engel said. “I enjoy working with them.”

Regarding the future, Engel is optimistic, as long as all the freshmen come together.

“We can be really good if we work together,” Engel said. “I don’t know if we’re superstars or anything but we worked together in middle school and we had a lot of success.”

In eighth grade, Engel was on the A-team.

He played with fellow freshmen (then eighth-graders) Carter Schuchardt, Caleb Tywater, Harrison Spencer, Sam Swiastyn, Andrew Finn, Cooper Rovenstine, and Marc Trujilo.

That year, they won the A-team tournament and only lost one game all year.

Baseball

This upcoming baseball season is going to prominently feature freshmen. The rosters are not set, and not everyone who is at the meeting will likely play, but there were 19 students at the first baseball meeting (and one who would have been there but was sick). Eleven of those 19 were freshman.

Nelson Schutte is one of the freshman excited about the season.

Schutte knows that the freshmen have a lot potential and ability, which is why he suggests that so many are trying out for sports.

“We have an athletic group of guys,” Schutte said. “I think a lot of them share an interest in sports and we connect through that.”

He expects that in time, this will become a special group.

“When we’re seniors, if we get bigger, we could be serious competitors in basketball, soccer, and even baseball,” Schutte said. “That will all come with experience.

Experience is really going to help us.”

He believes that the freshman this year will help the team reach one lofty goal.

“State,” Schutte said. “We should get to State.”

*There are freshmen competing in track, but there is not a significant amount of freshman track athletes anticipated.

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from the web www.kccsnews.com

Cheerleaders adjust to many changes

by Mitchell Paul staff writer With all of the hype surrounding the basketball programs, the cheerleading program is often overlooked. Fans are so focused on the court and the players, while the cheerleaders are on the side working hard. They put in preparation and practice but receive little recognition.

“In the past couple years, I feel like the cheerleaders haven’t gotten much credit for the work we’ve put in,” Jessica Steggerda PHOTO BY MAYA MASTIN said. “But this year, we’ve gotten Celebrating a point, sophomore Abby Swafford and the rest of the a lot more credit for our work, cheerleaders lead the crowd during the boys basketball home game especially compared to last against Oskaloosa on Jan. 8. year, which is nice because we are able to become involved in more events like the auction and pep rallies.”

One major change in the cheer program this year is the new coach. The cheerleaders welcomed alumnae and former KCC cheerleader, Kristi Smith-High. Smith-High graduated in 1997 and went onto to cheer for the University of Kansas and the St. Louis Rams.

With all of Smith-High’s experience, she brought her own style along with her.

“We stand on the opposite side of the baskets, a lot closer to the players,” sophomore Annelise Madderom said. “We also do a lot more defense/offense cheers as well as a lot more dancing.”

Another major change in the program is the number of new cheerleaders. Three new cheerleaders --freshmen Sky Barratt and Libby Paul and sophomore Abby Swafford-- joined the team alongside the veteran cheerleaders: sophomores Jessica Steggerda, Annelise Madderom, and Sophie Kieffer, and junior Paige Hardt. Furthermore, the squad lost two seniors, leaving only one upperclassmen.

“I actually enjoy being the only upperclassmen on the squad,” Hardt said. “I view it as a challenge and I like that.”

With new coaches and cheerleaders, the team dynamic has changed enormously.

“It’s weird because we have a brand new squad and a brand new coach, and it is hard for all of the new things to work perfectly together,” Madderom said.

One challenge the group has faced is the lack of experience. With several new faces and minimal practice time, the group hasn’t had the opportunity to learn new cheers as often as they did last year.

“We definitely have to review a lot of cheers since we don’t have a lot of inexperience,” Hardt said. “Practices are spent reviewing more than learning, but that time allows us all to improve our cheers.”

Humans

KCC

of

Ben Simmons, freshman, 14 “At Youthfront two years ago, I accidentally stood up and said my name was ‘Bun’ during Bible quizzing.

My counselor had our flag and said, ‘Go Bun!’ and it has stuck ever since.”

Brief News Spring play announced Drama teacher Brian Miller announced that the spring play will be “Blithe Spirit,” a story about a man, Charles Condomine, who accidentally summons his wife from the dead.

Unfortunately, he is remarried and his current and former wives despise each other. Auditions will take place the second week of February.

Scholar’s bowl success The Scholar’s Bowl team placed fourth in their meet on Jan. 25 at Gardner-Edgerton and fourth on Jan. 21 at Maranatha.

senior earns athletic scholarship Senior Connor Christians received the $2000 Minsky’s College Soccer Scholarship. Minsky’s teamed up with Pizza Czar and Sporting KC player Graham Zusi to give the scholarship.

Christians plans on playing for John Brown University.

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