Western Witness - Winter 2019

WESTERN CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL

In this issue:

Stewardship Day - Helping Hands

Homecoming

A Honeymoon Phase

Memorial Gifts

Chapel at Western

ACT Practice Sessions

Bargain Alley Coupon

Ag Department Updates

Matching Gift Challenge Fund

Iowa All-State Chorus

School Weather Announcements

Just My Thoughts

Netherlands Exchange Continues

Dordt University Math Challenge

Prayer & Praise

Fast Facts from the Pack

Little Women the Musical

In Memory of Molly Te Slaa

Booster Club Wolfpack Christmas Order

Helping Hands

“The

King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

–Matthew 25:40

Homecoming

Each school year, one of the Student Council’s biggest jobs is to plan Homecoming Week. The goal of the week is to promote school spirit and have some fun building community. Mr. Derek Keizer is the faculty leader of the student council this year. The student leaders decided for something new to integrate a point system in order to increase student involvement. Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and faculty all competed to earn the most points by the end of the week. Activities that contributed towards earning points included Minute-to-Win-It games, a Gaga ball tournament, and a CoEd volleyball tournament. Each group was also judged on how well they participated in the dress-up days. These days included USA Day, Jersey Day, VSCO Girl Day, Squad Day, and Wolfpack Spirit Day.

After five days of intense competition, the Seniors pulled through and claimed their spot at the top of the leaderboard. Juniors were second, with the Sophomores coming in at a close third. The Faculty tried their hardest and ended up in a respectable fourth place while the Freshman had a disappointing performance and came in last place. Overall, it was an awesome week full of fun activities! Homecoming 2019 was one of the most successful years concerning participation; the student council wants to thank everyone who contributed!

A Honeymoon Phase

About four months ago, we started a new leadership role at Western Christian, and we have made it through our initial transition. Showing care, many people ask us how we are adjusting to our “new life” in Hull, IA. The question is genuine, and we are happy to report that we are finding so much joy in this change. When I connect with fellow school leaders, a different question often comes up that is just as genuine, and speaks more directly to my new job: “how is the honeymoon phase, Verwolf?”

Individuals who ask this question have likely experienced a similar transition in their careers. They understand first-hand how the first few months of a “new gig” can feel similar to a honeymoon for a newly married couple. That magical time when your partner is still perfect; disagreements are rare, they make you breakfast each morning, and you are very much in love.

Eight years ago, Rachel and I enjoyed our honeymoon. It was fantastic, but not perfect. We went on a multi-day hiking trip in the pacific northwest. Our luggage got lost between transfer flights, so we wore the same clothes for most of our trip - not exactly what we had in mind. To add, Rachel missed her family like crazy. Marrying me meant spending less time with her close-knit family of eight. The idea of being away from her family started sinking in just one day after our wedding ceremony. Sounds magical, doesn’t it?

We are grateful for an amazing transition to Western Christian. As hard as it was to leave the community we were a part of, the past few months have been filled with personal and professional transformation. We are increasingly hopeful for the future of Christ-centered education at Western, and we thank God for that.

Honeymoon phases are real, friends. And so are breaths of fresh air and other cliche phrases that we often use to describe “new.” I must say, however, that Western does not wish to be thought of as a school in transition, nor an organization that is experiencing a short season of new life. We are asking deep and critical questions about the future of our Christian school. Our preschool students deserve this mindset, and so do their children. So how do we as an entire learning community add depth and relevance to the very nature of Christ-centered education? Do we dig holes or move mountains? Do we build walls or tear them down? Do we offer high-fives, or do we join hands?

I have heard it said before that after the honeymoon phase often comes a power struggle phase, followed by a dead zone phase. And then, if we can make it this far, a partnership phase, and finally a leadership phase - this is where we want all Christ-centered schools to be.

I understand the importance of waiting. In fact, God demands that of us. Read 1 Peter 5: 6-7 or Psalm 37: 34 to learn more. But I can’t hold back my interest in getting to the partnership and leadership phases altogether, and fast! When I consider a honeymoon, I think about tone setting, small wins, and temporary feelings. I imagine the leadership phase to be quite different, perhaps a lifelong journey when people make other people more important than themselves. After all, the work of educating future generations must never be about ourselves. Thousands of alumni from over 100 years of service are impacting a world so much bigger than our small school in Hull, IA. As the authors point out in a recent publication, Mindshift: Catalyzing Change in Christian Education, “Our key measure of success is whether students connect to the Christ story of love in personal ways that motivate and direct them into a life that lives out that story.” This is what we are aiming for here at Western.

As you pray, support, and vision with us be challenged to consider each person who may be impacted the unique schooling we offer at Western Christian. Our work is never about us, and always about the gospel.

In mission, together,

Brian Verwolf

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

Loren Bouma-Hull. Loren was a 1965 graduate of Western Christian. Loren served on the Western Christian Board of Directors and served several years as the Business Manager at Western. Loren and his wife Gaylene (‘68) had five children that attended Western Christian. They are Lynnae (‘92), Stephanie (‘93), Lisa (‘97), Kara (‘01), and Brian (‘03).

Menzo Regnerus-Lisbon, North Dakota. Menzo was a 1947 graduate of Western Christian. In a note we received from his daughter in Seattle, she says, “He spoke fondly of his time at Western Christian High School 72 years ago and attributed your institution as greatly responsible for the foundation that made him the kind, caring, steady, Christian man he was.”

Gertrude (Meendering, Vander Haak) Statema-Lynden, Washington. Gertrude and her first husband Lawrence had one son, Larry(‘66) that attended Western Christian.

Chapel at Western

Chapel is an important part of our learning and worship at Western. Each year when students graduate from Western, they are asked to offer valuable feedback about a number of their learning experiences at Western, including chapel. That feedback has been used to make informed decisions on the topics, speakers, songs, and activities selected for chapel this year.

We have been especially blessed with excellent chapels this year. A variety of speakers, some of the brand new faces to Western chapel, have been a direct answer to our prayers to God for meaningful chapel experiences. A variety of ways for students and teachers to lead and participate has urged us to be true participants, not just consumers when we come to chapel. We are recognizing and realizing God’s hands of blessing. Our chapels are fitting naturally into many other areas of our school life as we embrace a culture of prayer, praise, God’s Word, and Christian fellowship throughout the school–what a blessing!

Please continue to pray for our chapel times. May they continue to be an intentional, integral part of all that happens at Western!

ACT Practice Sessions

Early Bird ACT Practice Sessions Available at Western

How would you respond to the following questions?

Correct or Incorrect?

The sun shone brightly until its rays were covered by billowy clouds.

What is the midpoint of the line segment that has endpoints of (3,8) and (1, -4)?

As used in line 35 of Passage #3, the word court most nearly means: a. seek to attract b. romantically pursue

Considering the balanced chemical equation in the passage (M + 2HCL = MCL2 + H2, If 10 Moles of HCL are consumed, how many moles of H2 are consumed?

How many WCHS seniors are willing to come to school at 7:30 in the morning to practice ACT strategies?

The answer to the last question is 22!

In preparation for the October 26 and December 14 ACTs, students gathered at 7:30 am with Mrs. Mary Dirksen on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to discuss various ways to conquer this American College Testing standardized exam in the four areas English, Mathematics, Reading and Science Reasoning. These seniors came with their personal goals, and together we discussed ways to achieve those goals. For most students, we were reviewing pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry concepts because mastery of these basics will ensure students success on more than half of the 60 questions on the Mathematics test, earning them a scaled score of at least 22-24. Others worked on understanding ACT’s rhetorical preferences, and we recalled the rules of run-on sentences and comma usage and much more to increase English scores. To improve Reading, we explored the advantages of “Active Reading” to skim a passage in order to make the best use of the 35 minutes to read four passages and answer 40 questions. Those looking for greater success in Science Reasoning engaged in practice, practice, and more practice to hone the skill of interpreting data trends on graphs and tables.

Students embraced the knowledge that there really is no such thing as being “neurotypical”. We compared what makes our brain function the best individually, but recognized that we all need to rest, refresh, feed, water, exercise, and calm our brains.

If you want to see our students sharing positive energy and encouraging each other to run the ACT race to the best of their ability, check out one of our future ACT study sessions!

The answers to the questions above are: Incorrect, (2, 2), “a” and 5 moles.

Ag Department Update

Fall in the agriculture department is one of my favorite times of the year. First-year members are getting themselves set up for the first time with their Supervised Agricultural Experiences (projects outside of the classroom), learning more about FFA, and learning in the classroom that agriculture is much more than just cows, sows and plows. Returning members are also excited as they look forward to continuing their projects outside of school, bringing new and fresh ideas to the chapter, and digging deeper into more specific agricultural disciplines. Experiencing this momentum at the beginning of the school year always sets us up for the year.

To start the year off, 34 agricultural students traveled to Sutherland to experience Precision Ag Day. This event is put together by the NW IA extension leaders. People were brought in from local businesses, colleges/universities, and other experts to share workshops about upcoming advancements in agriculture. Workshops ranged from learning more about the effects of the new pest, the Gall Midge, to the importance of food safety in the workplace.

Two teams attended the livestock judging competition at the Clay County Fair in Spencer. Both teams represented the chapter well! Sawyer Rozeboom was able to place in the top 10, and his team composed of Riley Grevengoed and Cade Tiedeman placed 2nd overall for the day.

In the final week of September, four students participated in the district soil judging competition at Dordt University Agricultural Stewardship Center. Students were first given a 50 question multiple-choice test regarding soils knowledge and then were taken out to four pits where they were to evaluate soils based on a setlist of standards. Conner Sybesma, Hayden Van De Stroet, Amanda DeVries, and Colt Hofman placed 12th as a team, and Colt Hofman was able to place 11th individually.

The weather didn’t work as we would have hoped for our 5th annual Farmer Feed at five elevators in the area. Despite the weather, 20 students traveled to Sanborn, Sheldon, Hull, Rock Valley, and Doon on October 24 to hand out lunches to farmers coming through the elevators. It was a joy to be able to serve and thank our local farmers that not only feed us but put in so much work to serve the world this time of year.

October 29-Nov 2 six students attended the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, IN. They enjoyed a full week filled with networking, workshops, tours, time together as a group, and the joy of experiencing agriculture in a variety of spaces. Being able to be apart of an event that includes over 65,000 blue jackets all striving to grow in their leadership and agricultural skills is an experience and memory that each member truly enjoyed during their time in Indianapolis. Bob Goff (author of Love Does) was the speaker at the first general session; his keynote was a highlight of the trip. Goff encouraged members to not only live a life of purpose and pray about what their purpose should be but also to radiate kindness in the process.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25

Kylie Miller Ag Instructor / FFA Advisor

Soil Judging: Colt Hofman, Conner Sybesma, Amanda DeVries and Hayden Van De Stroet

Livestock Judging, L to R: Cade Tiedeman, Levi Schreurs, Blaike Bonestroo, Riley Grevengoed, Shawna DeKam, Jenna Dibbet (in front), Miss Miller, Jaiden Bonestroo, Sawyer Rozeboom, Maggie Kats, Ashley Schmidt and not pictured Emily Fedders.

National FFA Convention attendees, L to R: Sydney VanderPol, Shawna DeKam, Aubrey Kooima, Levi Schreurs, Dolan Van De Stroet and Matthew DeVries Farmener

Matching Gift Challenge Fund

In August, to encourage new donors to give to the Second Century of Service Campaign, Western Christian High School was approached with a Matching Fund Challenge. For every $500 or higher donation given or pledged, from a new individual contributor or a new supporting business, it will be matched from this generous challenge fund. Multi-year commitments of at least $500 a year also qualify. If $500 is donated this year and also pledged to be given next year as well, the challenge fund would donate $1000. The amount of matching funds is $100,000, and as of November 1, $70,000 from new donors have been collected. The Challenge runs through the end of the 2019 calendar year.

These new donations and the matching challenge funds will help knock out the remaining debt from the building project. As of June 30, WCHS owes local financial institutions $1,801,385 at 3.5%, and WCHS also owes the Western Christian Foundation $900,000 at 3% interest.

Recently, Western Christian made it possible for alumni and friends to make gifts online via credit or debit card. In order to donate electronically, you may visit the following website and follow the instructions given: https://www.westernchristianhs.com/support/donate.cfm

Western Christian High School

Second Century of Service Campaign

P.O. Box 658

Hull, Iowa 51239

If you have any questions please contact Wes Fopma at 712-439-1013 or email wes.fopma@westernchristianhs.com.

Iowa All-State Chorus

Congratulations to Sage Hoekstra and Emily Zuidema for being selected for the Iowa AllState Chorus. Auditions were held Saturday, October 26, in Le Mars. For Sage and Emily, both juniors at Western Christian, this is their first time attending the Festival. The long and challenging task of preparing for auditions began at the beginning of August at the Briar Cliff Pre All-State Music Camp. The girls have practiced many hours each week learning the music and developing their vocal technique.

The 73rd annual Festival will again take place on the campus of Iowa State on November 22 and 23. Dr. Aimee Beckmann-Collier, Drake University, will be the conductor of the Chorus.

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 University; 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 on Twitter, school weather information will also be immediately communicated on Western’s Twitter page. Follow Western Christian on Twitter at “TheWCWolfpack”.

You can also check our homepage www.westernchristianhs.com for information on weather announcements. Weather announcements will be in the bright yellow box listed on the top of the page.

Just My Thoughts

A Truly Excellent Adventure

Many years ago, when I graduated from high school, a movie entitled Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure hit the movie screens. It was not a piece of cinematic genius, so please do not judge my thoughts too quickly because I mentioned that movie. While the film hasn’t crossed my mind for years, the title has been in my thoughts this past week, especially one word: adventure.

During a recent sermon, Pastor Bill VanderHeide shared with my congregation that years ago he started keeping a life/prayer journal. He also shared that he affectionately calls his prayer journal his adventure with God. That made me consider what a journal of my life and prayers should be called.

His sermon text was one that is well-known for many Christians; in fact, it is a verse that many of my students choose for their personal memory verse--Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Pastor Bill challenged us to consider whether or not we really believe God when He declares that: do we really embrace that His plan is graciously good, and do we trust Him to provide real hope for our future? Because if we do, then our lives are genuinely adventures. What we often label as troubles or difficulties could be better labeled as mysteries or surprises. Mysteries or surprises may be unexpected or unplanned to us, but for our graciously good Father, they are our path to hope and a future with Him. The key difference between a tragedy and an adventure is the ending. A tragedy ends badly, hopelessly, often painfully; an adventure ends in a surprisingly good way, where the twists and turns actually deepen the relief and joy when things end well.

This whole adventure idea really challenged me. I will admit it sounded good, but what about when real difficulty strikes? What about the truly tough stuff of life? Then I consider where Jeremiah was when God made this declaration; he was staring at a 70year period of captivity with God’s people in Babylon before God’s graciously good plan would include freedom. That is trust in the process. I consider believers such as Joni Eareckson Tada, a paraplegic since her teenage years, who has created, recorded, composed, and performed for the glory of God. She writes, “The way we lean on God through the dark times will be told and retold when our life on earth is only a distant memory.” That is hope and victory, even in difficulty. I consider our Homecoming chapel speaker and his wife, Rog and Diane Koele, who shared their journey with ALS as it ravages Rog’s body, but they refuse to let it ravage their faith; in fact, their faith is flourishing. That is not a tragedy; that is claiming God’s victory. That is true hope in an eternally good future!

So, I have officially renamed my life/prayer journal. I’m in the first few chapters of it; I might be inclined to say I am not finished writing it yet, but in reality, I am not the author of this story. I have imagined that someday, Lord willing, my kids will be sorting through my stuff (and, believe me, there will be plenty of stuff for them to sort through), and they are going to come across a notebook--or maybe a whole collection of notebooks. They will likely be puzzled by the title written on the front cover and wonder what their crazy mom was up to when I wrote this. But when they open the notebook and start reading, they will discover an incredibly good story filled with many mysteries and surprises, twists and turns, hills and valleys, but ultimately the story will reach a graciously good ending, because no matter where it ends, there will be hope and there will be a future, an eternally good future. I pray that they smile then as the title makes perfect sense for the true story of a forgiven believer’s hopefilled, bright-future life: Jesus and Karen’s Excellent Adventure.

Just My Thoughts, KC

Netherlands Exchange Continues

Six students from the Netherlands once again came to spend three weeks experience the culture in NW Iowa and the surrounding area. Pictured are the Netherland students with their Western host siblings. Western Christian has selected six students to make the trip to the Netherlands Greijdanus College this Spring.

A new and exciting exchange opportunity is also happening this spring when Western Christian will be sending six other students to experience the culture of South Africa. Names of the students selected to travel to the Netherlands and also South Africa will be announced at a later date.

Dordt University Math Challenge

The math department is grateful that 23 students were able to participate in the Dordt University Math Competition on October 15:

- Cassie Van Otterloo, Jamie De Kam, Dolan Van De Stroet, Brandon Kamstra, Ross Vander Berg, Janessa Klyn, Abby Postma, Michael Vander Plaats, Alison Coulander (seniors)

- Sage Hoekstra, Jadyn Faber, Ethan Spronk, Evan Van Donselaar, Jacob Christians, Hanna Kollis, Allison Vermeer, Logan Bacaam (juniors)

- Alexa Klyn, Dylan Petitt, Kyler Heemskerk, Julia Veldman, Maggie Kats, Brayden Van Meeteren (sophomores)

The DU Math Challenge included 13 schools and over 200 students. It is a day to celebrate mathematics through activities, challenges, and collaboration which require students to recognize and describe the patterns created and sustained by our faithful and consistent God. Every time students solve a problem; they learn more about who He is. Math is a wonderful and practical tool to explore creation and worship our God!

Students jumped right into the competition by taking an individualexam in the morning. Several breakout sessions followed this. Students explored careers in mathematics and statistics, linear dataanalysis with Barbie bungee jumps, computer programming with skittles, math proof survivor, the mathematics of connection, a mathematical murder mystery, and an Amazing Race campus tour. After lunch, students competed in a 3 or 4-person team exam. A math relay ended the day with teams from different schools working together.

Brandon Kamstra, Ross Vander Berg, Logan Baccam, Michael Vander Plaats, Jadyn Faber, Ethan Spronk, Evan Van Donselaar, and Jacob Christians were a part of winning teams during the math relay. They won lots of candy!

Lynae Dadisman Math Instructor

Prayer and Praise

Please lift your praise to God for . .

• The successes of our fall sports teams. Many victories on the court, field, and courses occurred, and in the next issue of the Western Witness, there will be highlights from the Volleyball, Football and Cross Country teams.

• Beautiful music that was shared at the Fall Concert on October 17th. Each musical group delivered numbers filled with praises to our Lord.

• Over a 97% attendance rate by the students for the 1st quarter of the school year.

• Opportunity for prayer and willing hearts to join in. 40 plus students, along with Karen Christians, Mary Dirksen, and Nancy Driesen spent an hour of their time in prayer as a part of the 40 Days of Life Campaign on Monday, October 28 outside of Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls. Western took a bus after school which enabled this positive experience to happen.

Please lift your prayers to God for . . .

• Sheldon Christian as they search for their next administrator to begin leading their school next summer.

• The students and staff of Western that as the weather turns colder and schedules get busier that each one may find time to be refreshed and renewed by God’s warming love.

• The effort being put forth to start up a Pro-Life Pack at Western, dedicated to all things pro-life: prayer, raising wareness, supporting moms and babies and more.

• The continuing fundraising efforts, such as auctions and soup suppers, for Western and all area Christian schools may be bountifully blessed with generous donations.

Fast Facts from the Pack!

• Spanish II classes spent time learning about how to describe people in Spanish by putting together their own family trees.

• Senior Speech students once again enjoyed spending time with some ‘littles’ and possibly revisiting their own childhood when they visited Hull Christian to read a favorite children’s book. This is always a favorite unit not only for the students but also for Mrs. Chrisitans, the Speech teacher.

• The Western Christian Orchestra hosted the NW Iowa Christian School Orchestra Festival on Tuesday, October 29th. Students from many area Christian schools worked together during the day in rehearsals and then held a performance at 4:00.

• Western Christian students have been utilizing new video production software called Wevideo. Some creative thoughtprovoking PSAs (Public Service Announcements) were created for Senior Speech class and Freshman English students produced videos to present their ‘This I Believe Essays.’

Senior Speech Students

Spanish II Family Trees Orchestra Festival Fall Concert

Little Women the Musical

The Pack Players presented Little Women the Musical on Thursday and Friday (Nov 7 & 8) to local elementary students as a matinee. The show was open to the public for three shows on Thursday, Nov 7th at 7:00 pm, and twice on Saturday, Nov 9th, one at 2:00 and the last performance at 7:00.

In Memory of Molly Te Slaa

In memory of Molly Te Slaa, a group of 2006 graduates and classmates of Molly donated funds to the WCHS theater department last spring in her name. The theater department used those funds to create a large set that could not only be used in this fall’s production but for many productions to come. In memory of Molly, a plaque was attached to the base platform of the set so that all who grace the stage will know Molly’s love for theater. In her sophomore year at Western, Molly performed as an extra in Mel Brooks’ musical “All American.” Molly’s Junior year, the performance was “Oklahoma.” She played Aunt Eller. It was Molly’s favorite. As a senior, with minimal guys from her class involved with music and drama, the director chose “Cinderella,” where she was cast as the Fairy Godmother. She played it well. It was a fitting role. She was always a fan of all the Disney princess stories and music. Post high school, Molly also helped one year with a fall play at Western directed by Matt Dengler. The Pack Players would like to thank those graduates of 2006 for making our set what it is today. Molly will forever grace the stage at Western. All of our gratitude and Molly’s passion is expressed best in her favorite Bible verse: Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

The plaque will read:

I know a place where no one’s lost

I know a place where no one cries

Crying at all is not allowed

Not in my castle on a cloud

Le Miserables “Castle on a Cloud”

In loving memory of Molly Te Slaa

Western Christian Class of 2006

Forever to bless us on stage.

With love, Your WCHS Graduating Class and Family Fall of 2019