In each Western Witness publication, we integrate a flow of common language from article to article based on an overarching theme. The theme is usually broad enough for writers to take their piece in a unique direction yet provides enough focus to keep our readers connected to a big-picture idea.
Our theme for this Spring 2022 issue is “The Wolfpack Edge”.
Have you ever wondered what is it that gives our school distinction, an “edge” that is off-center from traditional public education or other forms of education around the world? What makes Western Christian a transformational choice for parents who desire a holistic high school education for their children?
Our refreshed mission statement summarizes “the edge” well: We are a Christ-centered learning community upholding biblical Truth, fostering academic growth, and equipping all learners to love God and serve others.
Western Christian holds firmly to the belief that God has established absolutes that are true for all people, in all places, and for all time. Truth exists independently of our knowledge and acceptance of it; therefore, our role is to discover and enjoy it. Western Christian is committed to helping every student seek, know, live, proclaim and uphold Truth; that all things in the world belong to God. We design learning
experiences that invite every student to explore their role in the Kingdom story and equip them to love God and others.
Sometimes I get asked the question, “I know you’re the Head Administrator, but what do you actually do for your job?” My response changes occasionally depending on the audience. For example, my kindergarten daughter thinks I “help kids all day long,” she’s not wrong! Here’s what I really get to do for my job: anything necessary to shape a culture that embodies the mission of Western Christian. I am two and half years in, and I love what I get to do each day.
The truth is that we are not there yet. We have work to do in our learning community! Things happen at Western Christian that do not always represent “the edge” we aim for. In this issue of the Western Witness, my prayer is that you’ll see unique ways our mission intends to permeate everything we do and also consider the role you play in representing “The Wolfpack Edge.” Stay faithful,
Brian Verwolf, Head Administrator
The welding bays at Western Christian are full. The picture on the front cover displays senior student Emily Fedders welding a firewood rack for practical use. Today, more than ever, employers want to hire entry-level employees in the trades who can hit the ground running. Western Christian has made drastic improvements to our agriculture, career, and technical education opportunities over the past decade, and we intend to keep the momentum going!
WESTERN CHRISTIAN
Spring Drive
The Pack Edge Speech
Spiritual Emphasis Chapels
Wolfpack Athletics
Snapshots from School
National FFA Week
Just My Thoughts
Upcoming Events Student Perspective
Springtime is certainly a wonderful time of year to reflect on the greatness of God. We celebrate the renewal of God’s creation, and we are reminded of the new life that all of us have through the death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
The mission of Western Christian High School is rooted in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. As the ascended Lord, He is King of all Creation. Western Christian’s motto “Learning to Serve the King” serves as our call to train the next generation to worship the Lord in every aspect of life.
Recently, a number of students were asked to describe Western with one word. Words like Christ-like, faithful, service, welcoming, and community, were words that our students used to describe their experience at Western. We continue to be excited about what is happening here each day!
The Western Christian School Board has recently approved a 5-year strategic plan. Our Leadership Team has been meeting about what future needs and programming could take place as we plan for the next 5, 10, and 15 years at Western. The future is so exciting!
Each year we conduct a Spring Drive and we set a goal that requires hearty support from our alumni and society
members, and fellow supporters of Christ-centered education.
In 2014, the Second Century of Service Campaign began. The total cost of the project was $7,000,000. We now have $750,000 left to complete this project.
We are asking that you consider helping us eliminate the debt left of this project. We have a goal of doing this by the end of 2022 and we need your help. We feel strongly that this debt needs to be eliminated before launching new strategic initiatives.
Thank You for your continued love and support of Western Christian High School! We hope to wrap this drive up by April 22. Please use the enclosed
envelope for your gift. You may mail or drop it off at Western, or place your gift in a board member’s church mailbox.
Thank you for your consideration of our request! Your gift is tax deductible. If you have any questions or need additional information please contact me at your convenience.
In His Service,
Brad Vis Director of Mission Advancement
Western Christian High School is grateful to receive memorial gifts in honor and memory of:
Douglas and Henrietta Ribbens - Sioux Center.
Doug and Henrietta had six children that graduated from Western. They are Wayne (1969), Bruce (1970), Karl (1972), Tim (1974), Cindy (1977), and Robert (1983).
As a family, we would like to thank the Western Christian community for all of their prayers as we went through our NICU journey with Carver and Maddox. The twins are doing great, and we just ask for continued prayers of steady development these months ahead and safe travels as we continue to make trips to Omaha for doctors visits.”
-The Kooima’s
One of the blessings of attending Western Christian is the number of extra activities our students can be involved in throughout the year. It may surprise you to learn that Western Christian offers over 30 different activities under the areas of Academics, Music, Drama, and Athletics.
These activities need to be supported and funded here at Western. Some require more financial help than others. In the past, those with higher expense levels needed additional help from outside sources, and the teachers, directors, and coaches worked to raise their own support. Beginning next school year (2022-2023), Western Christian proposes to change that by relieving the teachers, directors, and coaches of raising funds for their activity.
We are asking businesses and individuals to consider supporting our activities by sponsoring a level of the PACK EDGE.
We know that many of our constituents are asked to support many activities throughout the school year. It is our hope to simplify this by having one request for your support of Western Activities.
Brad Vis Director of Mission Advancement
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This year, Large Group Competitive Speech students tackled some challenging issues when putting together their short film entries. “But It Didn’t Fill Me” was the title of the short film put together by a team of Juniors. The film showed how so many of the temporary satisfactions of this world don’t satisfy in the end. This group received high ratings and advanced to the State Competition. A mix of freshman, sophomores, and juniors wrote a script and filmed a story of a ballerina struggling with immense pressure causing mental instability as
she dealt with body image. Their film was called “It’s a Small Life.” Both films developed meaningful stories that helped viewers internalize how people on edge deal with internal strife.
Individual Speech competition followed just a couple of short weeks after the Large Group competition. Thirteen students attended the Iowa District Individual Speech Contest. Between these students, they gave 16 presentations. Nine of these 13 students moved to the state level on March 12. They worked
hard the past couple of months to hone their skills and push their speaking abilities to the edge.
Eight performances earned a 1 ranking at the State competition. Kryn VanderBerg received special recognition with an AllState Speech nomination. To be awarded All-State, at least two of the three judges must nominate the performer.
This season, Ms. Laurissa Boman coached Large Group Speech and Ms. Bobbi Jeltema coached Individual Speech.
Pastor Zan Ingalls will lead Western’s Spiritual Emphasis Chapels on April 12-13. Pastor Zan will be leading our times of praise, worship, and study of God’s Word. His deep faith in the Bible and contagious enthusiasm about preaching God’s Word promise to be a rich blessing to our learning community. This is not the first time Pastor Zan has come to Iowa all the way from his home in New Jersey, and he is eager to spend time with the Western again. His leadership has richly blessed us in the past, and we entrust God to bless us again as we spend time together. Please join us in prayer for Pastor Zan as he prepares and leads us for two very special chapel days in April.
Wolfpack athletics does not believe in taking it easy. Schedules are tough; players work hard, and frequently the grit of the Wolfpack pays off with victory. The tough schedule and work ethic typically give players an edge over the competition. Another winter season of high school athletics wrapped up for the Wolfpack in February
Six senior girls who were a part of the basketball team selected Hebrews 13:5b6 as something the group would focus on for this season. “For He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.” (Hebrews 13:5b-6) The team did not need to fear because they also spent time focusing on the concept of Identity. Brad Vis, a volunteer coach, started the season by discussing with the girls the importance of Identity. “We don’t find our identity through sports or grades or achievements, but that we are each first and foremost a child of God.” The team wrote five standards and started every practice by setting one of the five standards in front of themselves - One of the standards was “Remember who you are and whose you are.” Coach Vis brought things full circle in our “The Last Practice” (a tradition that began last year) by reflecting on his message that started the season.
As in past seasons, the girls also practiced the mentality of “Love God, Love Your Teammates, Love to Compete.” As stated, having an identity in Christ is first and foremost, but remembering the privilege of being part of a team is a tremendous gift. The basketball season is a journey in which the girls are challenged to embrace the process and find joy in that journey.
The season’s journey did end with a loss to the eventual 2A state runner-up. Coach Negen stated the team finished while playing the best basketball of the year. “We were proud of them for continuing to come to practice each day with a mindset of getting better.” The number of teams who competed at the state tournament we played during the regular season validates how tough of a schedule the Wolfpack plays. Negen also remarked, “we (coaches) believe our six seniors finished well and have a lot to be proud of, and personally, I would like to thank all of them for their commitment and leadership in our program.”
Derek Keizer, in reflecting on this season, really highlighted the relationship he has built with the senior players. This was Keizer’s fourth year heading up the program, so the Senior class has extra meaning for him. “This senior class has been special. There aren’t enough words for me to show how I feel about each of these guys. The respect and love I have for each of these guys go way beyond basketball. I appreciate everything they’ve done for the program and am excited for all of them to make an impact outside of the Western Christian! I’m forever grateful for this senior class as we started our journey at Western Christian together. “
The boys’ team flourished this year, ending with a 19-2 record, yet had the season come to an unexpected end in the District championship game; however, wins and losses do not define the season. “Our last game will not be the identity of who this group is. This group was unbelievable on and off the court. Their approach to basketball was second to none, countless hours in the gym working
on their craft. In addition to that, they brought excitement to many people throughout the year and it was much more than basketball. They represented Western so well and brought our program to another level. Our underclassmen have an opportunity to learn from this year and can use that as motivation to build on the previous success of this group,” Coach Keizer.
Galatians 6:5-6 was placed in front of the team at summer camp already. They examined the verse and applied it to the team motto of ‘OWN IT.” In these verses, Paul encourages each to take responsibility to make the best of their life. If doing so, opportunities to share all the good things that the Lord has done and continues to bless us with.
Ty Van Essen reached a milestone in his career on February 13th against Unity when he scored his 1,000th point. Van Essen is now #3 on the all time all-time scorers’ list and ended his career with 1,236 points.
First-year wrestling coach Jessie Regalado highly praised the wrestling team family for being incredibly supportive through good times and struggling times. Going into the season, the wrestlers knew they had an uphill battle at each meet, but they showed up ready to give it their all. Coach Regalado remarked, “Words can not explain how proud I am of them for coming together as a team.”
A successful wrestler holds a strong mindset. Walking onto the mat to face an opponent one on one is not for the faint of heart. The competitive edge can take years to develop. Still, one Wolfpack wrestler, in just his second year of competing, Gavin De Hoogh, pushed through any doubts of his capabilities by beating an opponent at sectionals who had over 30 wins this season.
Sophomore Rylin DeGroot was the one competitor who advanced to District wrestling. The team graduates no seniors, so everyone returns to build upon the work they put in this year.
The Dance team season wrapped up their year as well in February. They performed at three football games, most home basketball games, two-state preview nights, state competition, and two end-of-the-year dance team nights.
Spectators enjoy watching the dance team perform, but people most likely
don’t realize the work that goes into all the routines and the benefits of being on the team. Being a part of the dance team develops confidence since many of the girls have never danced before. The friendships they develop are long-lasting, and since it is a smaller team, the bond is strong through all the grades. Coach Megan Kooima said, “I’ve seen girls help each other ‘clean’ parts of routines and develop leadership skills from leading small groups and kids camp. The girls also learn the value of hard work outside of practice. Sometimes we learn a routine in three practices before we have to perform.”
In the fall, Emily Dejager auditioned for the All-Iowa Dance team and was selected. This allowed her to dance during a girls’ state championship basketball game, a great honor to cap off her senior season!
Lunch Buddies is a new program at Western Christian introduced by Macy Westra, a Junior. This program began in January, and roughly 50 students are participating. Western’s “lunch buddies” eat lunch in classrooms, read books and play games, and play at recess with the elementary students. This program gives K- 3rdgrade students and high schoolers the opportunity to work on their social skills while forming lasting relationships. Giving younger students appropriate role models to look up to is something that even high schoolers can help with and enjoy!
Faithpacks meet each month at Western Christian; at the January 11th meeting, students were encouraged to GO MAD! What exactly does Going MAD mean? For this exercise, the definition was ‘Go Make a Difference!’ One incredible result of this activity occurred in Derek Keizer’s faithpack. Students felt compelled to help make a difference in the life of a member of their group, freshman Adlemi Mejiavargas, whose family suffered a devastating house fire a few days prior. The group coordinated a fundraiser in which students and staff gave a free-will donation for a morning treat after chapel. Casey’s Bakery supplied the donuts, and the Accounting class used their barista skills to make iced coffee. Hot Chocolate was also available.
Western and Unity Christian High Schools joined together on January 13 to raise money to help Vine School System of Christ (VSSC) build a basketball court and buy basketball equipment. The court will provide the opportunity for the VSSC students to compete in basketball and will also be used for daily PE classes and nightly recreation opportunities.
VSSC is a school in Monrovia, Liberia that partners with One Body One Hope of Sioux Center to provide education for 265 students from nursery school through 12th grade. 43 of the students are orphans and reside at Christ Our Hope Orphanage. Another 70 students are from low or no-income families in need of education.
Progress on the court has already begun!
The Worship Arts & Leadership Class held a night of worship on Thursday, January 20! Worship began at 7:00 p.m. in the Event Center. The evening was planned as a final project for this inaugural class. Guests joined together in song and had the privilege of hearing Jennifer Dukes Lee, published Christian writer, speak.
Dordt Honor Band was held Febuary 24-26th. Students interested in participating need to be nominated by Mr. Lyle Van Ravensway. After being nominated, musicians rehearse the required music sent by Dordt before submitting an audition video. Western Christian had nine students selected. Cowan Van Kley, Amanda Veldman, Syndey Vander Pol, Maeva Haveman, Sophia Pausma, Trista TenPas, Janae Minderhoud, and not pictured Issac Alexander and Zachary Minderhoud.
Northwest Honor Choir took place on Monday, January 17th. Four students were selected for this choir but due to scheduling conflicts, only Sierra Nielson and Maeva Haveman attended.
The Chambers Singers are halfway through their performance year. Three church services remain on their schedule along with the Minneapolis Tour. While on tour the group will be performing the Star-Spangled Banner at a Minor League Baseball game. In preparation for that performance, they sang at the home boys basketball tournament game on Febuary 17th.
• April 3 First CRC Sioux Center 6:00 pm
• April 10 First CRC Sheldon 5:00 pm
• April 29-May 1 Minneapolis Tour
• May 8 First CRC Hull 6:00 pm
Western Christian students celebrated National FFA Week, Febuary 22-25th. The entire school enjoyed the dress-up days, participating in daily Ag Trivia, cheering on class representatives in Ag Olympics, and learned valuable information at the Agricultural Career Day.
The Officer team invited 18 local businesses to spend a portion of the school day connecting with students and sharing their important role in the Ag-related industry. Anyone interested in participating could sign up to leave a study hall or one class period to attend the fair and network with the businesses.
Twenty-three students competed in sub-district competitions at Central Lyon on the 24th. The Parliamentary Procedure and Chapter Program teams advanced to Districts. Riley Grevengoed placed in the top 10 for the Ag Mechanics competition, the Conduct of Meetings team received a silver rating. Matt Alons received a silver in the Salesman competition. New and second-year members also took the Greenhand or Chapter Quiz. Breckyn Van Vugt placed 3rd in the Greenhand competition.
A few weeks ago, I received an email from an education major at Dordt University. He had been assigned to write a paper after interviewing a teacher who works in the field and the grade level he is interested in teaching. Since he also happens to be a Western grad, I found the entire interview with him enjoyable and insightful.
He asked me the questions I expected; we discussed the challenges and rewards of teaching high school Bible. He asked for examples of teaching techniques and applications of what I learned during my college education and my following years of experience. As our time together drew to a close, he shared that he had one more question, and it is that question that has given me much to think about since that day. He asked me to describe my ideal high school Bible classroom student.
I don’t know when, if ever, I have seriously considered how I would respond to that question. Oh sure, I have dreamed with other teachers about walking into a room where all students are alert and motivated, talkative about academic topics, eager to dig into projects/
April 1 FFA Banquet
April 15 Good Friday, No School
assignments with no complaints and possess a great sense of humor (especially when it comes to laughing at every joke delivered by me). But that’s a teacher’s daydream, right? When it comes to real students, in real classrooms, for real moments and days and months and an entire year of learning and growing together, what describes my ideal student? I paused, and I considered a few of my top priorities when it comes to students, and then I thoughtfully replied with two words: confident and curious.
Confidence was the first ideal that came to mind. I love working with Western freshmen and seniors in Bible classes, and I greatly value confidence. Students who have a firm foundation on which their faith is growing are a delight. Confidence of faith obviously shows itself in different ways and varying degrees with high school students, but that confidence empowers them and encourages others. In Foundations of Faith, the freshmen and I spend important time studying and discussing our confidence in the Bible. We trace God’s flawless words throughout the Old Testament, unveiling chapter after
chapter of an incredibly beautiful plan of redemption for His people. We are filled with confidence and awe for our God. In LEAD II, the seniors and I build confidence by spending time daily in God’s Word; we wrestle with knowing and obeying God’s will for our lives so we can make confident (and courageous) decisions to follow Him. We articulate a confident Biblical worldview to shine a light in a desperately dark world. The world needs confident Christians.
But next to confidence, I delight in seeing curiosity in my students. Confidence can sometimes lead to arrogance or apathy, but both of those can be wiped out with curiosity. Curiosity admits that there is more to learn. Curiosity prompts us to listen more than speak. Curiosity pushes us to see ourselves as lifelong learners. I love working with students who ask questions, think courageously, and love to wonder. Curious eyes are never dull; a curious expression shows engagement. Curiosity pushes us to deepen our foundation so we can stretch out and grow! The world needs curious Christians.
Give me a room full of confident and curious students, and together, we will flourish. We will stand firmly on what we know is God’s truth as we ask big questions to continue our growth. Confidence and curiosity are great for not only students but also for all who follow Christ.
Lord, make all of us confident and curious followers of You! Amen.
Just my thoughts, KC
April 20 Grandparents & Special Friends Day
April 29-May 1 Chambers Tour
May 6 Junior-Senior Banquet
May 11 Spring Music Concert
May 17 Graduation
May 27 Last Day of School
In and out of class, the learning opportunities at Western Christian are quite endless. These opportunities also present a unique chance to build and grow the students’ faith foundation. Choosing Western Christian (a Christian Education) provides an edge for the students as they encounter ways to apply faith into each classroom they enter and through all of the different co-curricular activities where they dedicate incredible amounts of time.
Two senior students who have taken full advantage of co-curricular opportunities are Darcy Alons and Dylan Petitt. Both of them would arrive at school long before the 8:30 bell for different practices over the years, and also, both of them made sure to make academics a priority as they planned for their futures.
The music department has been blessed by the contributions of both Alons and Petitt. They also both competed athletically. Alons spent countless hours practicing and performing on the dance team throughout high school; however, she described FFA as a considerable part of her life. “I joined FFA as a freshman, not knowing what to expect, and from the start, my love for the organization took off. In my junior year, I became part of the officer team. I’ve learned skills like organization and communication that I know will benefit me for years to come.”
Petitt shared high praise for his co-curricular experiences at Western. “Co-curricular activities helped me realize talents and
abilities that I did not even know I had. It brought out qualities in me that I had not even unlocked yet and caused me to assume leadership roles beyond the classroom. They also made my high school experience much more enjoyable. I was able to focus on my interests and talents, as well as meet new people and build relationships with teachers.”
Specific classes that helped guide these students into their future careers were Drafting and Natural Resource sand Ecology for Alons. She plans to pursue a degree in Horticulture with possible landscape design. Working with the school greenhouse has solidified this interest for her. Petitt’s career aspirations are in the medical field. He credits Mr. Shawn De Stigter and Mrs. Katie Reitsma for helping develop his plan. “I would say that Mr. DeStigter, during freshman physical science and through honors chemistry, helped me actually to love science. His passion and enthusiasm for what he was teaching was contagious, and it helped to solidify my thoughts of going into medicine. I would also say that Mrs. Reitsma and P&A class has also helped to solidify my love for the human body. The class is challenging and pushes me to study and work harder, which is giving me an ‘edge’ going into college next year.”
As seniors, it would be natural to be anxious and ‘on edge’ for what comes next after high school. These two feel peace moving forward because of the foundation that Western and their parents have provided for their faith. “Chapels have been a great blessing throughout my four years. We’ve had some amazing speakers and even some repeat ones that I’ve enjoyed. Someone within Western who automatically comes to mind is Mrs. Christians when discussing faith foundation. Mrs. Christians always shows a positive attitude and provides a lot of great encouragement in her classes, especially LEAD II (Senior Bible)”, stated Alons. Petitt added to this sentiment by
saying, “Western Christian has helped me realize that no matter what path I go down, God will always be with me. Mrs. Christians during LEAD II has helped me a ton with this topic. She has taught me that as a Christian if I seek after and love God as my primary task, I can decide with confidence about my future. My future is already in God’s hands.”
A Christian Education is a commitment for parents. But for these students, their parents never questioned making that commitment. Darcy Alons spends 40 minutes on the road each morning to get to school. But the many miles have been no deterrent for her or her father, Jon Alons, “Yes, it’s a commitment but the miles are with it to be involved with like-minded people to educate our future leaders in all aspects of life.”
Lora Petitt, Dylan’s mom, shared their family’s reasons for selecting Western Christian. “We chose Western because we wanted Dylan (and all our kids) to receive a Christ-centered education. Equally as important is the opportunity to grow in relationship: with God, understanding of self, and in community with others and the world around us. We believe that WCHS has provided Dylan the space to be challenged both academically and spiritually throughout the past four years. Through the variety of classes, co-curricular activities, and relationships with teachers, we have seen Dylan be stretched and challenged, and grow. While he is well prepared academically for life after high school, we are thankful for the foundation he has to be a leader in a variety of other ways as well and most importantly for the faith foundation that he can stand firmly on as he enters this next season of life.”