Western Witness - Fall 2017

In this issue:

Principal’s Perspective

School Weather

Announcements

Consider Hosting an Exchange Student

Memorial Gifts

Second Century of Service Campaign Update

Honor Band

Ag Department Updates

Just My Thoughts

All-State Chorus

Counselor’s Corner

Hull Helping Hull

Hurricane Relief Project

Dordt Math Competition

Netherlands Exchange

Students Experience

Western

Prayer & Praise

Boys Cross Country Season

Teacher Feature

Girls Cross Country Season

Western is Filled with The Sound of Music!

Fast Facts from the Pack

Booster Club Order Form

“Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly as though you were doing it for the Lord and not merely for people.”

Colossians 3:23

Principal’s Perspective

I’ve honestly been all over the place trying to write this article for this issue. I’ve had a lot of different emotions over the past two weeks in my life as a school leader at Western Christian. But I think the emotion I’m feeling today is probably the one I want to have as I write. And that emotion today is joy!

I’ve just finished watching our own Pack Players present “The Sound of Music.” What a wonderful way to finish a week! I was so incredibly proud of the performance the students gave, as well as the countless hours the staff devoted to coach them to that point. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than seeing our students shine. Because I know it’s the culmination of a lot of work done on behalf of them and their teachers/coaches.

I think it was especially healing for many of the people in the audience today. There has been a lot of pain in the Christian school community as a result of the situation at Sioux Center Christian. We will likely continue to work through some of the ill effects of that for many years to come. But today was a time of joy in which we could enjoy, sometimes with tears in our eyes, the beauty in our world given to us by God that we saw in our students through music and drama.

As of late, we have experienced the results of sin. We have felt the evil spirits of the darkness. But as the Psalmist says in Psalm 30:5, “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” My hope for you is that you get to experience some joy to help you get through those dark nights. Blessings to you all!

In His

Service,

Dan Barkel Principal, Western Christian High School

School Weather Announcements:

Should it become necessary to dismiss school or to start late because of inclement weather the following radio stations will be notified to make the appropriate announcements: KSOU (1090 AM, 93.9 FM) – Sioux Center; KDCR (88.5 FM) – Dordt College; KIWA (1550 AM, 105.3 FM) – Sheldon; and KICD (1240 AM, 98.3 FM) – Spencer. Please listen to these stations for school weather information.

Those who wish to receive computer generated phone calls for school delays or cancellations should go into their JMC account and click on “Parent Information”. After that, check the “Emergency/Weather Related” box and make sure your area code is included with your phone number.

For those of you with Twitter, school weather information will be also be immediately “tweeted” on Western’s Twitter page. Follow Western Christian on Twitter at “TheWCWolfpack”.

You can also check our home page at: www.westernchristianhighschool.com for information on weather announcements. Weather announcements will be in the box in the middle of the home page.

Invitation: Consider Hosting an Exchange Student!

Western Christian currently has at least six international students who would like to be enrolled at our school. So why aren’t they? Quite simply, we lack host families willing to host one of these students in their home for a semester or a year. We currently have three Chinese students who are children of pastors who would like to enroll for 2nd semester this year. In addition, we have two Korean and one Spanish student who have expressed an interest to attend Western. We currently pay up to $2000 for hosting a student for a year and half that for a semester. If you feel God prompting your heart to open your home for an international student who would like to receive a Christian education at Western, please contact Dan Barkel, Principal at dan.barkel@westernchristianhs.com or by calling the school at 439-1013. Please prayerfully consider this opportunity to be a Christian witness to the world right in your own home.

We are Most Grateful for Memorial Gifts Received in Honor and Memory of:

Marlyn (Mike) Zonnefeld- Tucson, Arizona. Mike was a graduate of the class of 1962 at Western Christian High School. The Class of 1962 remembered Mike at their recent class reunion in September.

Lena Fedders- Sioux Center. Lena and her husband Ben had five children that attended Western Christian. Jeanette (‘56), Bernard (‘59), Kathy (‘62), Robert (‘67), and Roger (‘72).

Second Century of Service Campaign Update

The students, faculty, and staff are making great use of the new facilities we have at Western. It is like we have a new school. One of the priorities of the recent improvements and renovations included adding an Agriculture and Vocational Tech program at Western. In the first year of the program we had 53 students involved in the FFA program. This year we have 60 students involved in the FFA program. That is almost one-fourth of our school!

Currently, Western has borrowed approximately $3,500,000 from the Western Foundation and various local financial institutions. There are approximately $1,000,000 in pledges and expectancies to be paid yet. As of September 30, we were just short of the $5,000,000 threshold in gifts, commitments, and expectancies toward this project. Many people and businesses have made five year commitments, many have made three year commitments, and still others have chosen to be contacted annually. A lot has been accomplished, but more work needs to be done. Below is a scale of giving we have been working with. The numbers in parentheses are the gifts and commitments we have received at those levels so far.

For those of you who have made commitments and gifts to the project, we would like to thank you for your support. It would be nice to visit with all of you on a one-to-one basis, but that is not feasible considering the many alumni and friends of Western. I do continue to visit with constituents of Western. If I do call, please be willing to at set up a time to visit. If you have not made a contribution to the project/campaign, we want to encourage you to consider a gift at the end of this calendar year. We have a long ways to go and need everyone’s support. You can see by the above chart how many gifts of so many dollars we still need. Enclosed you will find an envelope if you would like to make a gift. If you have any questions or would like to visit with me personally please contact me at 712-439-1013.

Wes Fopma

Director of Development & Promotions

Western Christian High School

Western Senior Selected for Honor Band

For the 4th consecutive year, Mitchell Minderhoud was selected by audition for the Northwest Iowa Honor Band. He will perform in the NWIBA concert at Morningside College on Saturday, January 6. Congrats Mitchell!

Ag Department Updates

Farmer Feed

On October 28, our FFA chapter held our 3rd annual “Farmer Feed,” where we grilled out and served our local farmers dinner as they rolled through our community elevators to drop off their loads! Members served meals at the Doon Elevator, Farmers Coop of Rock Valley, the Hull Coop, Hull Feed and Produce, Hartog Elevator in Sanborn, and Ag Partners in Sheldon.

We would like to thank all the people that came and supported our FFA! Also a huge thank you to all those that donated everything for the meal. Another thank you to all the farmers, and keep safe this harvest season!

National Convention

From October 24-28, seven FFA members and their advisor, Miss Miller, attended the 90th National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis, IN. Encompassing around the theme of “I can. We will.” for the 90th convention, over 60,000 members and guests flooded the streets of Indianapolis as those in and out of the blue jacket were able to attend general sessions, workshops, competitions, tours, participate in service projects, re-connect and network with other FFA members from all over the country. A big highlight from our week included attending general sessions where we were able to hear many great speakers and see many members receive honors and recognitions for their involvement in agriculture. We also enjoyed attending a variety of workshops where we were able to grow in our leadership and agricultural roles and abilities.

Outside of the convention center, we were also able to go on several agricultural tours within Indiana, and in Iowa as well. On our way out, we stopped at the John Deere Headquarters in Peoria, and while in Indiana, we toured Fair Oaks, SureTech (a branch of Winfield), Prophetstown (a historic farm), and Brenneman Pork back in Washington County Iowa. Within our busy schedule, we also were able to make some time for a little fun during our stay in Indiana. FFA and Culver’s teamed up to host Rascal Flatts and Runaway Jane for us on Wednesday night, and then on Thursday night we enjoyed bowling and laser tag; on Friday night, we took it easy with a nice night spent together at a local restaurant and wonderful conversation.

Aside from what what was on the agenda for convention, members, as well as myself, truly had a great, growing week. We learned so much from others, and from each other, and have been able to come back excited and inspired to continually build and develop our skills and abilities in agriculture. Praise be to God for an organization that values agriculture, the future of agriculture, and Jesus Christ. We are so blessed.

Brenneman Pork, Washington County, IA

SureTech, a branch of Winfield Fair Oaks Farms Indiana Convention Center

Just My Thoughts

He is God; I am Not

I usually try to be insightful and uplifting with my Just My Thoughts, and if you read all the way to the end of this one, it is my prayer that this will be, but it may not appear to be that way from the beginning. The past month has been a tough one for me, and I am not going to pretend it hasn’t been. I have wept for others, but specifically I have wept because of my inability to somehow be able to fix the hurt in the lives of those around me. I am fixer, but so many of the issues occurring recently are far beyond my ability to fix them. So I do what I can, and I pray.

In the last month, my prayer time has taken three frequently uttered pleas to God. First of all, my prayers have been lifted for those who have been hurt. I think of children and adults who in a number of ways and in a number of situations have not been treated as image-bearers of God. Their hearts have been hurt and their trust has been betrayed. My prayer for those who have been hurt has been that they first seek God’s healing, clinging to His promises to heal all our wounds and to wipe away all our tears. I pray that they may seek out godly people to walk alongside them as they heal, so when their own faith may feel weak, the faith of others may go before, behind, and beside them every step of the way. I want to fix their hurt, but I can’t. Only God can fully heal the hurt that exists.

My second frequently uttered prayer has been for those who walk alongside the hurting. May kindness abound. I have often been reminded that high school years are tremendous learning and growing years, and that includes learning and growing in our ability to uphold one another, pray for one another, and walk kindly with one another. I can guide, I can persist, and I can model that behavior, but I can’t supervise or fix every situation as it occurs. Only God can enable us to truly walk kindly with our brothers and sisters.

Finally, my most frequent prayer this past month has been for the young people in my life to grab hold of a real relationship with Jesus Christ and to never let go. I pray that instead of dancing around the perimeter of a genuine and fully committed relationship with Christ, they would heartfully commit today to be all in! I would love nothing more than to somehow inject that kind of faith and commitment into their hearts and lives...but I can’t, only God can do that.

I would love to fix all this, but I can’t, only God can. Psalm 104 recently set in front of me all that God has done–if you need a great reminder of God’s awesome power, I suggest you read it. As I read it, I was overwhelmed with His power and His ability to do great things. It includes these verses: “May the glory of the Lord endure forevermore; may the Lord rejoice in his works–he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.” He looks at the earth and it trembles–I recognize again that the hurts of those around me are in very capable hands, much better hands than my own. I think of the lives I want to cling to Him, and I trust He will call each of His own unto Him in His time and in His way. “I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, as I rejoice in the Lord.” So I end each day, especially the difficult ones, reminding myself to sing His praises and to trust in Him. He is good and His plan is good–He will accomplish all of this in His time and in His way, so I will decide to trust Him completely, because thankfully, He is God, and I am not.

Just My Thoughts, KC

Two Vocalists Selected for the All-State Chorus

Auditions for the Iowa All-State Music Festival were held on October 21 in Storm Lake. The Western Vocal department sent four students to audition: Karissa Walhof, Jonathan Slice, Lindsey Zuidema and DJ Nibbelink. Lindsey and DJ were selected to be part of the 2017 festival in Ames on November 17 and 18. Only about 17% of the students auditioning for the chorus are selected to attend. The concert will be held on November 21 at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames.

Counselor’s Corner

Career Exploration

What do you want to be or do when you grow up? This can be a daunting question for high school students, especially freshmen. Recently freshmen students went through career exploration assessments using the MAP website that is powered by Iowa State University. This site walks students through a series of assessments to help determine where their interests and values lie regarding careers. It also helps the students set up an academic plan to follow that will best prepare them for the career field that aligns with their interests and work values.

Within the Career Assessment section students create a career path based on the results of a Career Values Assessment and Career Interest Inventory. The Career Values Assessment helps students identify primary and secondary work values of achievement, independence, recognition, relationships, support, and work conditions. The Career Interest Inventory helped the students identify their personality type using the RAISEC code. The six personality types included realistic (doers), artistic (creators), investigative (thinkers), social (helpers), enterprising (persuaders), and conventional (organizers). Once they took the assessments, students were able to see which career clusters lined up with their values and interests. With this information students identified a career pathway and list of possible careers within that pathway. Now equipped with this information during individual counselor appointments, the freshmen students will develop a four year academic plan to assist with scheduling which classes will best prepare the students for their desired career path. This plan will be a working document that students can revisit and adjust as their interests change and continue to develop throughout their high school career.

Your Future At Work

Sophomore students will be attending the Your Future At Work (YFAW) career day at Northwestern College in January. YFAW was created four years ago to provide awareness to high school sophomores about the various careers available right here in Sioux County. This event highlights various career paths through interactive breakout sessions and a business expo for the students to explore the career opportunities available in Sioux County. This event is planned for high school sophomores from all the Sioux County high schools. Parents are invited to attend as well. So plan ahead now so that you’re able to attend the upcoming YFAW event on Friday, January 5, at Northwestern College in Orange City. A free lunch at 11 will begin the day’s activities. To learn more about the event and see highlights on the businesses that will be present visit the Your Future At Work Facebook page.

Hull Helping Hull Hurricane Relief Project

Western joined the churches and community of Hull, as well as Hull Christian and Boyden-Hull schools in the Hull Helping Hull Hurricane Relief Project. Household and school items, groceries and money were sent to the Hull-Daisetta School in Texas after it was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey. All Faith Packs raised funds, many Faith Packs collected food items on Stewardship Day, so Western was able to send over 60 backpacks, large appliance boxes full of food, and over $2000 as part of the effort to help those in need. As the loaded truck prepared to leave Hull, Shelly Van Otterloo from the Hull Chamber, led a group of Boyden-Hull and Western students and teachers in a time of prayer to thank God for the generous support of so many for this effort and to ask His blessing on the many hands that would receive the items and money being sent to Texas.

Western Students Attend Dordt Math Competition

The math department is grateful that 12 students were able to rearrange their busy schedules to participate in the Dordt College Math Competition this year:

- Rachel Heynen, Mitchell Minderhoud, Trent VanMaanen, Jaron Harthoorn–seniors

- Jeff DeKam, Chandler Schemper, Sara Sor, Clay VanTol, Trayle Kats, Parker Vis–juniors

- Jamie DeKam, Cassie Van Otterloo–sophomores

The DC Math Challenge included 14 schools and over 200 students. It is a day to simply enjoy mathematics, recognizing and describing the various patterns and consistencies created and sustained by our faithful and consistent God. Every time we solve a problem, whether simple or complex, it reaffirms our God’s faithfulness to His people. Math is such an incredible and useful tool to explore Creation and worship our Savior!

Students jump right into the competition by taking an individual exam in the morning. Numerous breakout sessions were offered. Topics included using logarithms to detect fraud in numerical data, exploring the concept of infinity, finding clues to solve math problems to escape capture, and applying simple theorems to solve complex problems. After lunch, students competed in a 4-person team exam. A team-building activity ended the day, using spaghetti noodles and marshmallows to build a tower in a limited amount of time.

The students worked through a few simple problems, several unique problems, and many challenging problems throughout their day.

Individual Competition: Jeff DeKam placed 2nd in the Junior Division

Team Competition: While our teams just missed the podium, their good rapport with one another while working through difficult problems was fun to watch!

Team-Building Activity: Mitchell Minderhoud, Trent VanMaanen, Jaron Harthoorn, & Parker Vis built the 2nd tallest tower.

Shawn Keizer Math Instructor

Greijdanus, Netherlands Exchange Students Experience Western!

Near the end of October Western welcomed six students from the Netherlands to join us for three weeks as an exchange with Greijdanus School in the Netherlands. Just Nicholaij, Laura de Wit, Wouter Homans, Laura van Leijen, Lindi Bolt and Susan Spanninga (as pictured L-R) are each staying with a different host family from Western. The students are attending classes and getting a taste of education here in Northwest Iowa. They attended district volleyball and football games and were able to see the fall play that our students have been preparing. During their short stay with us, they were able to see the Black Hills with some of the host families. Mr. Barkel also took them to Minneapolis for a weekend. In the spring, Western will be sending six students from Western to the Netherlands for three weeks.

Prayer and Praise

Please lift your praise to God for . . .

• the wedding of Erin Van Ravenswaay (Spanish and Resource Room) to Mr. Tayler Hoekstra.

• a productive and safe Stewardship Day.

• the generosity and creativity that contributed to the success of the Hull Helping Hull Hurricane Relief effort.

• the announcement of a new member of the DeStigter family for Mr. Shawn DeStiger and his wife, Leah. They expect to welcome Baby DeStigter in May.

Please lift your prayers to God for . . .

• Jessica Van Holland, Western class of 2009, as she is receiving treatment for cancer.

• Lindsey Mesman, Western class of 2001, as she is receiving treatment for an infection.

• all those who mourn the death of Eldon DeWild, father of Josh and Matt--Western grads in 2013 and 2011, husband to LuAnn. Eldon passed away in Washington as he awaited a lung transplant.

• Trenton Bass, a young man from Hill, MN, as he continues to work through physical therapy in Colorado, following a football-related injury.

• the family and friends of Jake Roos, a young man from the Sheldon area, who was killed in a truck accident.

• the SCCS family and community as all involved work through seeking out healing and justice in God’s hands and in His time.

• the students at Western mourning the passing of loved ones, dealing with health issues themselves, or struggling with other difficulties. May God’s hand rest on their shoulders at all times.

• the students and staff at Western, as we strive to uphold one another in prayer and intentionally reach out in kindness and encouragement to one another. May our hallways be abounding in kindness to one another.

Boys Cross Country Season Summary

Our boys cross country team this year consisted of 16 boys; we had a successful year this year with a lot of returning runners. We always had a few guys in the top ten in the JV and Varsity races. Both guys’ teams showed a lot of stubbornness this year by competing to the fullest every meet and continuing to get better while working towards one end-of-the-year goal. It was great to see the guys grow as a team this year.

Our guys team was paced by a few runners this year with the other guys coming in not too far behind usually. There was a lot of talent this year for us in different grades, which was nice to see as a coach. This year we had five senior guys–Matthew Van Middendorp, Zach Elbers, Michael VanDenTop, Ben Geels, and Darion DeWeerd. I would really like to thank them for all the help with the younger runners and being great leaders to everyone. They will all be missed next season not only with their talents, but also with their team commitment and leadership roles that they played. We were really blessed to have such a great group of guys this year again. I would also like to thank my three great manages this year– Mitchell Minderhoud, Sara Sor, and Nick Kooima. They made my life much easier!

I want to thank the guys team for being such a great group to coach as well as the parents for their support they give to the team and this sport. God truly blessed us again this year.

Season Highlights:

State Finisher: Jon Veldman - 48th

All District individual: Jon Veldman - 14th

All Conf Individuals: Zach Elbers - 9th, Jon Veldman - 10th, Michael Van Den Top - 12th

Coach Lems

Mrs. Nice is in her second year of full-time teaching at Western and recently wrapped up a very busy and very successful production of The Sound of Music with many of our students.

Mrs. Nice has been married to her husband, Matt, for 16 years, and they have Winni (10) and Calvin (8), and their dog, Hobbes. She graduated from Heelan in 1996 then attended Iowa State, where she graduated with a BA in English Education in 2000. Her first full time teaching job was at Dakota Valley HS in North Sioux City, SD. Before Western, she taught at Davenport West High School in Davenport, IA (a school of 2000 students). After Winni was born, she stayed at home and eventually worked from home for Alpha Omega Company. Currently, she teaches English 9 and 10 at Western and directs the play each fall. She and her family attend New Life in Sioux Center, where she is involved in choir and dramatic events. Her hobbies include reading, working out, singing, dancing, and spending quality time with her family.

What first interested you in teaching?

My love for literature first interested me. I simply love reading and talking about books. How have you seen Christ or intentionally serve Christ in your work in the classroom? I see Christ at work every day when students treat each other kindly, when they intentionally think of others, and when I am able to reach them through the gift of literature.

What are the highlights for which you give thanks to be a part of Western?

“It’s been so fun seeing students blossom and grow over the years as they take part in the play. I give many thanks for being able to be a part of that.”

My highlights have been directing the play for two seasons now and getting to know students on different level than on the classroom level. It’s been so fun seeing students blossom and grow over the years as they take part in the play. I give many thanks for being able to be a part of that.

Do you have a favorite Bible passage, song, or quote?

“It is well with my soul” has always helped me in times of anxiety

Girls Cross Country Season Summary

This year our girls team had a building year; we had a small team this year with a total of 11 girls, but it was great to see some new faces join us this year. We stayed pretty healthy this year with the girls team, but without having good numbers, it makes it tough to compete. Despite low numbers, our girls team was fantastic at giving it their all this year.

Our girls varsity team was led by sophomore Whitney Minderhoud in all of the races this year. We had a good group of girls again this year who weren’t afraid to work hard. We had four senior girls running this year– Brianna Kollis, Rachel Heynen, MaryKate Postma, and Sydney Stiemsma. I would like to thank these four girls for the time that they put in over the last four years both in running and helping the program grow as well as helping the younger runners grow.

I would really like thank the girls for being such a great team to coach and their parents for being great supporters and coming out to the meets to cheer the kids on. We must remember to give all the glory of this season to God for the talents that he truly blessed us with.

Season Highlights:

State Finisher: Whitney Minderhoud 18th

All Districts individual: Whitney Minderhoud 5th

All Conf. individuals: Whitney Minderhoud 8th, Sydney Stiemsma 12th

Coach Lems

Western is Filled with The Sound of Music!

The Western Christian High School Pack Players presented “Getting to Know...The Sound of Music.” All actors and crew members lit up the stage (literally and figuratively), as the crowd enjoyed favorites such as “Do, Re, Mi”, “My Favorite Things”, “Edelweiss”, and “Climb Every Mountain.” Opening night included a packed house Thursday evening, November 2. Two matinee performances were offered for area grade school students, and Western welcomed hundreds of students for each of those performances. On Saturday, November 4, the Pack Players pulled out all the stops by performing a matinee for the general public and then their final curtain call took place on Saturday night. The standing ovation on Saturday night was an affirmation of a superb performance by all–actors, backstage crew, lights and sound!

This is the first musical WCHS has put on in some time, and the very first in the newly constructed Event Center. Congratulations to all cast and crew on a job well done!

Fast Facts from the Pack!

• Emilee Heynen made it into the Junior Honor Orchestra that performs down at All-State!

• Some of the orchestra students participated in the Dordt Prairie Arts festival this month.

• We have enjoyed some really great chapels so far this year. Highlights include Alumnus Ross Douma for Homecoming Chapel, Dr. Mortenson on Noah’s Flood, Gale Tien for our Reformation Day Chapel at Hull First CRC, and Rev. Cory Van Sloten for an early Veteran’s Day Chapel. (Pictures below)

• Homecoming 2017 was a great week of fun and school spirit for the Western Family. Special thanks to our Student Council for planning some great activities! (Pictures below)

• Mr. Fenchel’s technology group has been busy wiring an in-house surveillance system.

• Western’s Architecture class has been introduced to the new AutoDesk Revit program for designing houses.

• Two freshmen students at Western Christian High School have been selected to participate in the Opus Honor Choir to be held in Ames on Thursday, November 16. Emily Zuidema and Sage Hoekstra have been chosen for the second time to participate in one of the four honor choirs. Emily was selected in 6th grade and Sage was selected in 7th grade. (Picture below)

Dr. Mortenson

Rev. Cory Van Sloten

Gale Tien

Emily Zuidema & Sage Hoekstra