Semester in Review

AUGUST

The excitement of a new year mixed with the nostalgia of old traditions – what a great way to start off the 2017-18 WCS school year! Seniors gathered for one of their first “lasts” on Sunday, August 20, for the Senior Road Rally. The group embarked on a scavenger hunt then enjoyed some dinner together and with their parents before starting their final year at WCS. The next evening, new and returning families flooded the Bunny Hill Quad for the Annual Backto-School Ice Cream Social. The ice cream may have been melting quickly in the August humidity, but that couldn’t keep “The Blue Crew” and U.S. Dance Team from serving up yummy ice cream to hungry kids and parents! The Senior-Freshman Girls Breakfast helped some of our WCS Spartan Girls kick off their school year the morning of August 23. Girls gathered at Ellen and Esther ’18 Beren’s home to mix and mingle before heading off to their first day! On a very sunny second day of classes, the entire campus got together for the first All-School Assembly of the year. Seniors walked younger classes over to the James Ockerman Amphitheatre and Mr. Davis welcomed the school to a great new year. The assembly concluded with everyone singing Dear Collegiate together. Spartan Night capped off our first week of the year with a preview of fall athletic teams, and all in attendance enjoyed dinner and a football scrimmage on a beautiful night!

SEPTEMBER

September started off with a bang, bringing a handy victory to our Spartan Football Team against Rose Hill with a score of 42-0! September 7 and 8, 6th graders traveled to Camp Wood in Elmdale, Kansas, as part of their study of the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. Students learned to fish and canoe and about preserving our prairies and earth. The following week, Early Childhood students enjoyed “Dad’s Day,” and dads got a break from work to rock out with their biggest fans! Eighth graders visited El Dorado to build unity and challenge themselves and each other on the Grizzly Adventures Ropes Course. September 21 marked WCS’ first ever “Day of Giving” and, boy, was it a success! Spartans proved themselves worthy and gave more than $200,000 in one day to benefit the Collegiate Annual Fund Effort (CAFÉ), which works to raise funds each year for campus programs and facility improvements. In the last week of the month, students were busy in and out of the classroom with projects, papers, and athletic events! On September 27, 7th grade English celebrated “Wise Guise Day,” on which each student becomes who he or she considers to be THE wisest being, living or imagined. This is in honor of The Giver, which students read each year. In addition to dressing up, each student has to then present his or her choice with a short speech. While each year brings new choices, this tradition is now in its sixteenth year at WCS!

SEMESTER IN REVIEW

October saw more academic AND social fun for the whole campus along with opportunities to give back to friends and family! Second graders took time to share their love of reading with Early Childhood reading buddies early in the month, then Homecoming rolled in on October 13 and festivities did not disappoint! The weather was beautiful for the AllSchool Picnic and everyone enjoyed a wide array of outdoor activities in the Bunny Hill Quad and around campus. Tiffany Ruan and Cody McNerney were crowned Homecoming Queen and King, the Dance Team and Marching Band entertained a big crowd at halftime, and Spartans secured a victory against Clearwater! The following week, 7th graders visited Abilene, Kansas, to experience the life and legacy of 34th President Dwight D. Eisenhower. On October 20, Lower, Middle, and Upper School students welcomed their grandparents to campus for Grandparents Day. Spartans showed off their work in and out of the classroom and grandparents caught a glimpse into the lives of their youngest family members. Late the next week, 5th graders traveled to Oklahoma to visit the Tulsa Aquarium and the Oklahoma Science Museum, while our littlest students celebrated Halloween with visits to Walter’s Pumpkin Patch and the Enchanted Library. Students enjoyed fall parties and dressed up to show off fun costumes to friends and family in the Mother

Goose Parade.

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

With November came cooler weather and a time for reflecting on what has been, looking forward to adventures ahead, and giving thanks for it all! Seventh graders delved into nature at the Bartlett Arboretum on November 3. Second graders learned about Native American culture, history, and customs, and supplemented their experiences with personal art projects from their favorite selected tribes. Early Childhood kids enjoyed time with new friends, firefighters from WFD Station 18, as part of a yearlong community involvement program. On November 10, the 1st Grade Kindness Crew capped off a cold week by spreading some cheer and greeting students and parents on their way to classes. Fourth grade students proudly presented their “Windows and Mirrors” Heritage Projects on November 16 after researching and studying their own family heritage. That same week, Early Childhood students celebrated their elders and welcomed grandparents to campus for a fun-filled day, and, of course, the “Turkey Tango!” Former faculty member Robin Macy even joined in on the Early Childhood Thanksgiving Program to share a song about “the power of one” (see next page). Lower, Middle, and Upper School band and vocal students gathered the next week with friends and family for the Annual Thanksgiving Concert in the Upper School Gym. “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” capped the concert to kick off what was sure to be a wonderful holiday weekend! Alumni came back to WCS the Friday after Thanksgiving to “work off the turkey” and play hoops against the current Collegiate Spartan basketball teams. Win or lose, Spartans young and old enjoyed some exercise and fun with one another.

THE POWER OF ONE

// Robin Macy, Former Faculty

Teaching at Wichita Collegiate from 1997 to 2003 was a divine privilege. Every day. Motivated students. Inspiring colleagues. Fulfilling. Purposeful. Joyous. Easy. Then one day in 2010 I walked into Dave Hawley’s classroom and saw a striking image hanging on his bulletin board that brought me to my knees. I realized quickly that others chose to walk a distinctively crooked path – the one less traveled, straying far from the smooth-sailing route on which I was traveling. These brave folks fall headlong into the most challenging of life’s mysteries, and seemingly without reserve. Meagan Hawley, Class of 1999, would change my viewpoint from that moment forward. She represents the Power of One - a fearless woman on a mission to help mankind, one Zambian orphan at a time. She doesn’t talk and gesticulate; she is not cajoled or managed. She just quietly does what needs doing, often acting as these children’s sole advocate. Many are at risk, have debilitating diseases, and live in unstable conditions. Meagan is not represented by any formal organization but has carved out her place in the world and has readily found a need that she alone can assuage. I am happy she is no longer an unsung hero, for Meagan Hawley personifies these simple lyrics.

"The Power of One"

by Robin Macy & Kentucky White Crowds and a caucus remain ~ A choir will sing a refrain But leave the work of the army undone to the power of one One strong voice when it’s sung inspires and rallies the young A single hand of someone creates a power of one One sincere deed can make others believe in the end, less can mean more The world starts to breathe ~ she’s got a trick up her sleeve A steady hand can open a door The solitary efforts of one can shine like the light of the sun And that’s when the work is begun ~ it’s called the power of one One small act is a start when done will all of your heart And this will set us apart it’s called the power of one

Listen here: www.wcsks.com/the-power-of-one

People can offer financial assistance to help Meagan Hawley continue her important work at the Haven at Namwianga Mission by sending a check to:

East Point Church of Christ c/o Mission Committee 747 N 127th St E Wichita, Kansas 67206

SEMESTER IN REVIEW

DECEMBER

The final month of the semester went swiftly with lots of activity and opportunities to spread Christmas cheer! School-wide, students found ways to give back to those less fortunate. Early Childhood students led a canned food drive for Our Daily Bread Food Pantry; 6th graders packed over 7,000 meals for international relief organization Numana; and high schoolers offered donations as part of their Angel Tree Project. Students even encouraged one another in the Upper School by delivering fun candy-gram messages to classmates. Middle and Upper School students gifted their friends and family with beautiful music at their Holiday and Candlelight Concerts. Faculty and staff celebrated the season with one another over brunch, and Santa Claus even made an appearance to give kids one last opportunity to share their gift lists! In the last week of the semester, Lower Schoolers sang Christmas carols to lighten everyone’s spirits. The Spartan Basketball Team debuted at home that Friday, too, to a raucous crowd ready to cut loose and enjoy a break with friends and family!