From the Alumni Board

ALUMNI BOARD

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Phoebe Stokley Hart ’95

It is my privilege to serve as your Alumni Board President for the 2017-18 school year. I am very grateful to be working alongside a wonderful group of board members and staff that dedicate their time and resources to improving our beloved school for future generations, all while upholding important Collegiate traditions. We kicked off the year with our 18th Annual WCS Golf Classic with 18 holes of golf on August 18. The Classic was held at Crestview Country Club and continues to be a great fundraiser for the Alumni Board. The very first graduating class of WCS, the Class of 1967, made Collegiate history in late September by celebrating their 50th class reunion. Nearly all of the graduating class of thirteen was present. What an amazing milestone for our school! We had an excellent turnout for the WCS Alumni BBQ at Homecoming this year, with many alumni back to celebrate their class reunions. We enjoyed a beautiful October evening in the Alumni Tent before the Homecoming football game. Our Board continued a favorite tradition by mailing care packages for the thirteenth year in a row, this time to the Class of 2017. These packages include snacks, treats, and a handwritten note from faculty wishing students well during their first semesters of college. The Alumni Board maintains a $1,000,000 Alumni Endowment that helps defray the cost of tuition for families who demonstrate financial need - one of the things that makes me most proud to be a Spartan and involved with the Alumni Board! Our “brick and mortar” focus on campus this year is the new Middle School Locker Room Renovation. We are all in agreement that these locker rooms need to be completely redone for various practical reasons, but also to match the caliber of the rest of our campus facilities. If you are a parent or alumni and haven’t seen these facilities for yourself (or in many years), please contact the school for a tour. Trust me, once you see the locker rooms, you will see the need for the complete overhaul. Please join me and the Alumni Board in supporting this very worthwhile cause, which will benefit current and future generations of Spartans. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the Alumni Board and our great school.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Camron Chugg ’15

Over the past two years, I served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Rome, Italy. During these two years, my purpose was to invite people to come to Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. My daily schedule was very demanding. I started every day at 6:30 a.m. and exercised, studied the Book of Mormon and Bible, and planned with my companion (another missionary with whom I worked). By 10:00 a.m., I was proselyting in the streets of Italy. During those proselyting hours, we did our best to serve the people of Italy. When we serve our fellow man, we serve God as well. In doing so, we experience an incredible joy. We learn this from reading in the New Testament when Jesus Christ taught “inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” These past two years serving God and man have been the happiest and most fulfilling two years of my life. Of everything that happened over those two years, what I take with me are the memories of the people. The people of Italy will always have a special place in my heart. They are loud, they always talk with their hands, they are always late, but they have huge hearts and they love to give. It was difficult to leave my family here in America to go to Italy, but it was difficult to leave my Italian family when I came home. One memory that is particularly significant to me is when I was transferred from Sardinia to Naples. The first Sunday in Naples, I attended church and saw a well-dressed young man. In that moment, I had the impression that he was the reason for which I was transferred to Naples. Over the next three months, my companion and I made it a goal to watch over and care for this young man. His name is Gennaro (Genny) and he is a twenty-year-old from Naples. When I met him, he was struggling with making good decisions and standing firm for what he believed. Over the next three months, we spent a lot of time with him, getting to know his family, playing soccer with him, reading from the Book of Mormon, and helping him understand what matters most in this life. We saw a significant change in Genny. He was happier and even made the decision to serve a mission himself. We became brothers and are still in close contact to this day. It is impossible to explain in words all aspects of a mission and what it entails. My mission means everything to me and has helped me come to know who God is and His relationship with me. It has helped me to know who Jesus Christ is and what He did for me, that God has a plan for all of us, his children, and that God gives us families as a way to apply His teachings and experience the joy and happiness that He intends for us. Top to bottom: With Genny and Genny’s mom Camron with his companion in Italy Eating gelato in Naples Saying goodbye to friends Roberto, Roberto, and Mariella

2017/2018 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD MEMBERS

Phoebe Stokley Hart ’95................................... President Katie Hill Leiding ’04.............................President- Elect Morgan Wilson Overman ’96..............Immediate Past President Brooke Stokley Finan ’92 ...................... Board Member Adam Kennedy ’00 ................................. Board Member Jeff Boone ’94........................................... Board Member JK Dillehay ’02........................................... Board Member Rebecca Rolph ’94 .................................. Board Member Amy Johnson ’08..................................... Board Member Deanna Dakhil Ternes ’96...................... Board Member Ashley Johnson ’02................................. Board Member Ryan Stuckey ’96...................................... Board Member Katie Hatfield Gunzelman ’07.............. Board Member Matt Maloney ’94...................................... Board Member Mallory Jones Farha ’01 ......................... Board Member Zach Cobble ’08....................................... Board Member April Claassen Shellhouse ’05 ............. Board Member Thomas Greaves ’07................................ Board Member Jason Kice ’96 ........................................... Board Member Casey Baker ’05........................................ Board Member Barbara Stokley ........................Faculty Representative Amar Shah ’02.................Out of Town Representative Blaine Schultz ’89...........Out of Town Representative Trey Anderson ’05 .........Out of Town Representative Sarah Jervis................Former Faculty Representative Tom Davis..........................................................Headmaster Lisa Schooler ......................................Director of Alumni Relations and Digital Media Joan Siefkes Moore ’84..........Director of Advancement Randy Love ’67 .....................Honorary Board Member Randy Storms ’74.................Honorary Board Member

ALUMNI REUNIONS

The Class of 1997 met for their 20th reunion over Homecoming weekend on October 13 and 14. The weekend kicked off with a tailgate by the football field, where alumni met up for food with friends and family. The party continued with a private gathering at the Towne East Carlos O’Kelly’s, hosted by Senior Class President Jon Rolph. On Saturday, alumni met at the Wichita Country Club for an intimate gathering complete with a Mexican fiesta and a viewing of home videos highlighting musicals and other alumni experiences from kindergarten through senior year. A great time was had by all and Mr. Mykel would be proud to know that most of us felt we were indeed living “the good life.”

// Courtney Rowland Marsh '97

The WCS Class of 2007 celebrated their 10-year high school reunion during Homecoming weekend this year. Friday night, there was an excellent turnout at the WCS Alumni BBQ and Homecoming football game, and everyone admired new campus developments and enjoyed cheering on the Spartans. A few groups then met for cocktails and dinner at George’s French Bistro and Chester’s Chophouse. Saturday night, 30 members (nearly 50%!) of the Class of ‘07 and their significant others gathered downtown at Loft 150 at River City Brewery, where they caught up with old classmates and friends. The class enjoyed dinner, drinks, taking pictures, and reminiscing with old yearbooks and the top hits of the early 2000s. Of course, the party did not end there, and the after-party congregated at the home of Gena Camarena. After such a fun weekend, it was a general consensus that another ten years is too long to wait for another reunion! Special thanks to Robert McIntyre and Katie Hatfield Gunzelman for their help planning. // Thomas Greaves '07