Issue 6 SPIRIT WEEK

The Wildcat

ROAR

Spirit Week Volume XV ● ISSUE FIVE ● JANUARY 2016 Westminster Christian Academy

2017

Let’s Have Spirit Another Spirit Week has come and gone. This year was what one might call an emotional roller coaster. After a series of upsets, the sophomore class was a mere twenty-four points away from winning Spirit Week 2017. This year, the competition was fierce and the relationships between grades were undeniably strained.

Pointless tricks were played, harsh words were exchanged, and the tension was high. And for what? Spirit Week is the best week of the school year for a majority of Westminster students, but for many, it is also the busiest, most stressful, and most emotionally draining week of their school year.

On Friday, many seniors were driven to tears after failing to win first place in both lip sync and boys poms. The pressure and need to win can definitely take a toll on a class, but it can also bring a grade closer together.

Every student is working towards a common goal, and each grade must figure out how to work together in order to be the best that they can be.

While some may say that WCA students are too intense about Spirit Week or that it gets far too competitive, nothing bonds a group of people together like competition does. Do we go a little too far sometimes?

Sure, we definitely do. But, at the end of the day, Instagram captions should be changed and comments should be deleted. Cars can be cleaned, and toilet paper can be removed from trees. Apol-

Spirit Week is one of the many things that makes the WCA community unique.

ogies should be said, and forgiveness should be received. Even though we may get too caught up in the competition sometimes, at the end of the week, the Westminster student body is closer than ever. Spirit Week is one of the many things that makes the WCA community unique, and it is a tradition that we here at the Roar hope lives on.

- THE

R

OAR

WILDCAT ROAR STAFF Editors-in-Chief: Katherine Yenzer and Cate Hoogstraten Sports Editor: Sam Dare Tierra Allen Luke Heintz Griffin Andersen Samantha Huber Sporting WCA Editor: Preston Willis Natalie Brown Sydney Johnson Print Editors: Chase Lottmann and Alyssa Shikles Carter McCall Broadcast Editors: Joshua Theus and Andrew Van Horn Gabe Caradonna Staff: Jesse Charles Jonathan Mette Online Editor: Markus Cicka Haley Counts Sophia Moser Social Media Editor: Savannah Mathews Dominic Cusumano Ashley Peterman Business Manager: Cooper Moore Lane Davis Josh Pottebaum Opinions Editor: Madi Koetting Emma Fiala Nathaniel Sems Entertainment Editor: Morayo Ladejola-Oginni Natalie Ford Thomas Shultz News Editor: Alex Lawrence Isabella Francois Alex Token Jordan Haeusser Features Editor: Bridgette Grimm Advisor: Scott Vonder Bruegge 2 ● ISSUE FIVE ● JANUARY 2017

Westminster Christian Academy ● www.thewildcatroar.com

Check out these Broadcast Stories:

TABLE OF CONTENTS THE RESULTS....................4 DRESS UP DAYS...............5 BOYS POMS...................6-7 LIP SYNC........................8-9 ART BOARD.....................10 FILM PROJECT.................11 SW: A HISTORY...............12 GAME DAYS....................13 SW SURPRISES..............14

1st Place

SENIORS

2nd

4th

3rd SOPHOMORES

5th

7TH GRADE

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Westminster Christian Academy ● www.thewildcatroar.com

FRESHMEN

JUNIORS

6th

8TH GRADE

CLASS COLOR

OLYMPIC

HOLIDAY

HOLIDAY

FAMOUS GROUP

BLUE & WHITE

DRESS UP days

Boys Poms

1st Place

Juniors

3rd

Seniors

5th

Seventh Grade

6 ● ISSUE FIVE ● JANUARY 2017 Westminster Christian Academy ● www.thewildcatroar.com

2nd Place

Sophomores

4th

Freshmen

6th

Eighth Grade

LIP SYNC 1st Place Seniors

Sophomores Not Everyone Gets A Chance to Win

3rd

Juniors

5th

Seventh Grade 8 ● ISSUE FIVE ● JANUARY 2017 Westminster Christian Academy ● www.thewildcatroar.com

In a shocking turn of events, the sophomore class placed first in this year’s lip sync competition. This left the seniors with a second place spot and broken hearts, while the juniors took home third. The majority of this year’s performances contained elements of hip-hop, a trend started last year by the class of 2017. Lip sync leaders Abby Charles and Alena Vermillion shocked the judges last year and this year with their advanced hip-hop choreography.

“Getting second was extremely disappointing because all the girls worked so hard. Though we didn’t get first, I am still proud of all the girls that participated. It was fun to work with them for our last lip sync experience,” said Alena Vermillion, senior lip sync leader.

Since they finished second, the members of the class of 2017 were able to perform at the their last Friday night basketball game. Many seniors saw this performance as an opportunity to prove the merit of their routine.

“It was a tad devastating getting second, but I ended up having the most fun at the last performance despite the disappointment because we really put our all into it to prove we deserved first place,” said Hannah Brown, senior.

Despite the lip sync results, the overall results of Spirit Week made all the hard work and dedication worth it.

“It was an emotional roller coaster, but we all came together at the end of it all,” said Jayla Malloyd, senior.

- Katherine Yenzer, Editor-in-Chief

2nd Place

Seniors Behind the Scenes With the Freshmen Freshman year contains a lot of firsts. It is the first year of high school, it is the first year of finals, and for most Westminster students it is the first year that parents cannot help out with the Big Events such as Lip Sync and Boys Poms.

However despite the chaos, the freshman girls learned a lot, and were excited for their performance.

“From leading lip sync, I have learned how to deal with a bunch of different things going on at once. Trying to please everyone and make sure they are having fun is also a challenge because you are trying to teach a dance at the same time” says Caroline Kopsky, one of the leaders of freshman Lip Sync.

Also, it is challenging to make sure that everyone knows and understands the dance.

“I feel confident that everyone will learn the dance because people only sign up because they want to be there, and in the end, they want to perform well, and in order to do that they have to learn the dance,” added Kopsky.

So while there are many things that can be learned during the first experience, the leaders are already excited for the future.

“I will definitely consider leading Lip Sync next year because it was so fun to get people involved with spirit week,” said Madison Tucker, a leader of Freshman Lip Sync.

It is this sense of community that drives events like Lip Sync, keeping the students involved throughout their high school careers.

- Isabella Francois, Staff Writer

4th

Eighth Grade

6th

Freshmen

Art Board Behind The Scenes with The Juniors After winning last year’s Art Board competition, the juniors gave it their all to defend their title, but ultimaetly fell short of first place.This years theme is “Wonders of the World,” and the junior leaders Bethany Holden and Alyssa Cannon chose the topic of the Eiffel Tower and Paris because they were so inspired by the city’s culture and life.

“We chose this theme because the city is so elegant with vibrant colors and our strategy this year is to bring life to our board through color. We have searched through hundreds of photos online searching for inspiration to compose a board that rightfully captures the beauty of Paris,” said Cannon.

The juniors work really well together because they are not afraid to take criticism and combine ideas to make the board the best it can be.

“When I was failing to come up with a vision for what to put on a side wall Bethany and the rest of the team were able to help and vice versa. With other people’s input we can make the board our absolute best. The board is a collection of all our best ideas,” said Cannon.

The board was coming together just as they envisioned, and they couldn’t wait to see it come to life and share it with the school.

-Ashley Peterman, Staff Writer

2nd Place

1st Place

Sophomores 3rd Place

7th and 8th Grade 5th Place 4th Place

Juniors

10 ● ISSUE FIVE ● JANUARY 2017 Westminster Christian Academy ● www.thewildcatroar.com

Seniors

Freshmen

Film Project

1st Place

Seniors

2nd Place

Sophomores 3rd Place

Films Out of This World This year’s film projects definitely did not disappoint. With filming from moving vehicles and drone shots, the cinematography of the film projects this year was the best it has ever been. The seniors took the win with their documentary style video, the sophomores took second with their vlog-style comedy, the juniors took home third with “Alex Token’s Day Off”, and the freshmen came in last with their basketball themed project.

The competition between the sophomores and seniors was fierce the whole week, and the film project was no exception. Ultimately, the seniors won both film project and overall Spirit Week. This was mainly due to the leadership of seniors, Tom Southwell and Josh Theus.

“There was so much more cohesion among the film crew than other years. I’m so glad we finally had Theus and proper equipment to make the project come alive. Even though we had to rewrite the entire script we got the ball rolling and did so much in such little time,” said Southwell.

The senior film project was just another example of the senior class coming together to make something great happen. The film project took extensive team work, especially after the group had to completely rewrite the script at the last minute.

“In retrospect, the new script was infinitely better,” said Southwell.

The originality and creativity that was behind the senior film project is what ultimately made it stand out amongst the other films, and the equipment that was incorporated added to the film’s success.

Fan favorites, Cooper Moore and Josh Pottebaum greatly contributed to the comical relief of the film as they flaunted their garish dance moves.

“The script was brilliantly designed, and it was very funny to film,” said Cooper Moore, senior.

Overall, the high school film projects continued to be highlights of the week as each grade contributed a creative idea to the event.

- Katherine Yenzer, Editor in Chief - Madi Koetting, Opinions Editor

4th Place

Sophomores Juniors

Freshmen

Spirit Week Through the Years Madi Koetting Opinions Editor

Spirit week in its essence is the annual tradition where students battle against other classes, while also losing their sanity in the weeks leading up to this spirited tradition. This tradition has evolved greatly from its original foundation, and every year since its start in 1990 new traditions have been added to the spirit week experience.

“The idea of spirit week began when my friend, Sue Tameling, used to tell me about her experiences at her high school’s spirit week. I had three daughters at the school during this time and I wanted to promote more events that everyone could get involved in. After speaking to Mr. Marsh, it was clear that he supported the idea, and that is when the idea of spirit week was born,” said Florence Lewis, former director of admissions and creator of spirit week at Westminster Christian Academy.

Lewis explained that the original idea of spirit week derived from humble beginnings, and in its first few years it was centered around dress up days and games. “It really was nothing huge when it first began. We had nothing digital whatsoever, and everything was creative and created by hand” said Lewis.

Some original games that took place in the early years of spirit week included balloon stomp, caterpillar races, chariot races, and tug of war; all of which are still performed at spirit week. The noteworthy performances of boys poms, lip sync, and blue man stomp were added a few years later, but one of the original favorites of the week was the decorating of the hallways.

“Each grade was assigned a specific theme, and the students would go to work and put crazy embellishments on the lockers, ceilings, floors that all incorporated their theme,” said Lewis.

Although spirit week has truly evolved from its original foundation, one thing that has been upheld throughout the years is the competitive nature of spirit week at its core.

“Scores were never revealed until after Wednesday in order to build up the tension between the classes, and rules were orientated every year in order to keep things appropriate,” said Lewis.

Everyone can agree that spirit week is not simply fun and games, rather it is a month long celebration where people prepare for countless hours leading up to the event. Spirit week has not lost its competitive quality, and the past 26 years have kept some traditions and created new ones. The games are still the same, boys poms and lip sync have maintained their crowd-pleasing status, decorating the hallways has transformed into art board, and many more events still contribute to what spirit week was intended to be.

Kent Kehr announces the winners of spirit week in 1990.

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Westminster Christian Academy ● www.thewildcatroar.com

MONDAY Story by

THOMAS SHULTZ

follow on Twitter: @THOMAS_SHULTZ28

Spirit Week kicked off Monday with Ultimate Chicken, Ships and Sailors, Chariot Racing, and , underclassmen tug of war as he seniors came out ready to play on opening night taking 2 out of the 3 games they participated in, and the 7th grade shocked the arena with some surprise wins of their own. The Class of 2019’s struggles in the games continue from last year, with the only bright spot coming in an Ultimate Chicken win over the freshman.

Chariot Racing: 1st: Seniors 2nd: Juniors The senior chariot race team of Steve Webb, Cooper Moore, Weston Schad, and David Kerchoff took the win with ease as the beat the field by a good 3 seconds. The juniors finished 2nd. The 7th grade surprised everyone by taking their field against the 8th and 9th grade due to a questionable freshman team and a general lack of effort from the 8th grade. The sophomore woes continue as Kyle Dolan squandered a good run by Jaxon Halsey to earn 4th place.

Ships & Sailor: 1st Juniors 2nd: Seniors Riley Koester of the juniors outlasted Logan Sells to take the victory in Ships & Sailors. Logan became confused on directions on the last call and did not make it back to the line in time. The Sophomores continue to amaze with their lack of skill in Spirit Week Games as all 6 of their game participants were eliminated by the second call, but don’t think for a second that they weren’t hype.

They had to constantly be reminded by Snra. Gilbert to “stay behind the blue (then grey) line” and to “settle down.” They did not.

Ultimate Chicken 1st round: sophomores beat freshman and 8th beat 7th The sophomores bright spot of the day came with a convincing Ultimate Chicken win over the Freshman while the 7th grade got throttled by the 8th grade.

Tug of War Underclassman: The 7th grade continued to win with a victory over the 8th grade in girls and boys tug-of-war.

The sophomore guys beat the freshman while the girls fell, both literally and as the result, to the freshman girls.

TUESDAY

BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE

Sophomore Lip Sync The Sophomores pulled off the most questionable upset as they sent the Seniors’ incredible Pinnochio performance home with a mere second place finish.

Junior Boy’s Poms The Juniors pulled off the upset of Spirit Week by snatching 1st place in Poms from the Sopomores

Senior Ducks In A Tub Despite his sterling varsity baseball skills, Senior Logan Sells, was unable to drain ducks into the tub as he finished second to injured Varsity football QB Chad Briden.

Story by LUKE HEINTZ follow on

@LUKEHEINTZ

Tuesday was full of various Olympic sports teams from all over the world. As the “USA” chants filled the arena, grades battled against each other in different games such as Ultimate Chicken, Shoe Relay, and ended Tug of War. In the much anticipated game of Ultimate Chicken the juniors came out and brought down the 8th grade with a score of 4-1.The 10th grade barely edged past the seniors in overtime with a score of 2-1.

The shoe relay was highly competitive as the 7th grade barely beat the 11th grade. To end the day, the grades played the traditional tug of war. The only major upset was the seventh grade over the eighth grade.

Spirit week festivities were in full swing on Tuesday, and they only got better as the week went on.

Freshman Film Project With a not-exactly high def film, the Freshman film garnered a last place finish. They were not aided by their low-priority time slot which forced them to film a typical underdog story at Kirk Day School.

Sporting

WEDNESDAY Story by

JORDAN HAEUSSER

follow on Twitter: @JORDANHAEUSSER

The games started off with Blindfolded Musical Beach Balls, as blindfolded students scramble for beach balls and sit as fast as they can after the music stops.

With multiple grades still in it to the end and lots of ruthless playing, the seniors and the sophomores were the last two grades standing. Although the seniors were pretty confident

coming into the final round, Keaton Greiwe and Jack Patterson pulled the upset and got the W for the sophomores.

We then moved on to the championship game of ultimate chicken between the sophomores and the juniors. The game started out with things looking up for the juniors, but with an exciting turn of events, the sophomores quickly

started dominating the court.

With a less than decent performance by Varsity Basketball star Dominic Cusumano and upcoming Varsity Tennis player, Drew Dempsey, the juniors could not seem to gain any momentum.

The sophomores combined a good strategy with versatile players and did not let the juniors score

the entire game.

With the final score of the game being 2-0, there was no argument that the sophomores were truly the Champions of Ultimate Chicken.

BREAKOUT PERFORMANCES Story by

CARTER MCCALL

follow on Instagram: MCCALLCARTER3

2: Elizabeth Meeks, who is not necessarily known for her athletic talent as much as her talent on the dance floor, was able to outrace everyone in Ships and Sailors along with her classmate Rylie Koester.

1: Mrs. Cusumano stunned the entire school wednesday afternoon where she was the star of the surprise teachers lip sync performance which is definitely a new spirit week tradition. Mrs. Cusumano, a school nurse, shocked the entire crowd and even surprised her own son by pulling off a cartwheel and a round off before finishing with a dab.

3: 7th Grade: With upset victories over the 8th and 9th grade, the 7th Grade girls tug-of-war team took spirit week by storm and was definitely the people’s champion. The 7th grade even came close to knocking off the 10th grade which would have been one of the great spirit week moments in WCA history. The class was not just carried by the tug of war team however as they also won the shoe relay and got 1st place in dress up on Thursday. The Boys Poms team also impressed with their star wars theme.

14 ● ISSUE FIVE ● JANUARY 2017

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