‘23-24 Theme Verse: “ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” - 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
When my family moved to Hull five years ago, we liked the idea of sharing a plot in Hope CRC’s community garden. We had heard the Iowa soil conditions make for the best gardens and the thought of fresh green beans and tomatoes gave us warm fuzzies. The best part of it all; the garden was ten feet from our backyard! We tilled, we planted, and we watered. Our kids enjoyed watching the garden grow through the living room window.
Did I mention we liked the idea of growing a garden? The idea was there, sure, but we were so busy transitioning our young family that we completely neglected the plot. The weeds took over and our “garden” became an embarrassment compared to John and Sherry Kooiker’s pristine and lush horticulture haven.
Our gardening adventure reminds me that what a gardener does or doesn’t do really matters. We can plant and hope for the best, or we can plant and cultivate.
Sir Ken Robinson, education and creativity expert, compares teachers to gardeners and we can extend his analogy to farming (because we live in Iowa, after all…) A great farmer depends upon plants growing under their care. Otherwise they are out of business. The irony is that farmers and gardeners can’t make a plant grow.
You can’t stick the root on with a dab of glue, paint on the petals or attach the leaves with staples. The plant grows itself. What we do as educators is create conditions for growth. Great farmers know what those conditions are, and bad farmers do not. The same is true for educators. With great teaching, each student starts to flower and flourish.
Everyone who is part of Western’s society, the one year-olds and the one-hundred-year-olds, are all “plants” and we are all “gardeners.” Gardening is, after all, the original job God gave to man when He “put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). Like Adam and Eve, God has given us “gardens” to tend, and he expects us to work and keep them. And the work we do really matters to the condition of the gardens. In this season of growth at Western, please consider how God is calling you to tend and care for our school community. We need many hands to plant and cultivate the wonderful gift of Christian education.
For Christian Education,
Mr. Brian Verwolf Head Administrator
Our God has boundless resources for learning about His world. Ashley Fedders, current FFA Vice President, works in the greenhouse with seedlings. These plants will be available for purchase later this spring!
IN THIS ISSUE
Spring Drive
Blessing Western Christian Through Your IRA
Memorials
Speech Teams
Wolfpack Athletics
Snapshots from School
Just My Thoughts
Student Perspective
Upcoming Events
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Greetings from Western Christian High School! As we turn the calendar to April, we know Spring is coming soon. God’s Creation will be renewed all around us. I am reminded of the phrase, “April showers bring May Flowers.” I have not lived on a farm for nearly 35 years, yet I have never lost sight of the importance of rainfall, which nurtures everything that we see around us.
Western is completing Year 105 of God’s faithfulness. He continues to “shower us” with blessings. We pray that we will remain faithful and take seriously the calling he is giving us to train the next generation to be disciples of the King. Each day is an opportunity to plant “Kingdom Seeds” that we pray the Holy Spirit will grow in the lives of our students and each one of us. We boldly ask God to “LET IT RAIN.”
Spring is also a very busy season for completing one school year while planning for the next. While we are
thankful for this school year, we are also excited about what is coming next year. We anticipate being over 300 students next year for the first time since 2010.
We ask that you “shower” Western with a gift this April. These gifts will be used for Capital Improvements as we prepare for Year 106. This will again consist of another roof replacement (we have 22 roofs, by the way), a 12-passenger van, and other facility repairs and maintenance.
Thanks in advance for considering to bless the mission of Western Christian High School. As the April showers “rain down” on us this Spring, may these be reminders of God’s faithfulness, our blessings, and the opportunity he gives us to bless others. “LET IT RAIN”
In His Service, Brad Vis
Director of Mission Advancement
Many generous Senior Citizens bless the Western Christian ministry by giving directly from their Individual Retirement Accounts. For those who qualify, IRA gifts offer a convenient, cost-effective, and powerful way to bless our mission.
If you are at least 70 ½ years old, you can give up to $100,000 from your IRA (or $200,000 for couples) and receive significant tax benefits in return.
Western Christian High School is grateful to receive memorial gifts in honor and memory of:
John G Scholten - Hull, IA. John G. was a 1950 graduate of Western. He and his wife Agnus had four children who graduated from Western. Glen (1974), C. Faye (1975), Marla (1980), and Andrea (1984).
John Kroese - Hull, IA. John and his wife Joyce had three daughters who attended Western. Cindy (1978), Sharla (1982), and Barb (1985).
Mary Ann Van Bemmel - Rock Valley, IA. Mary Ann and her husband Henry had four children attend Western. Gene (1975), Bonnie (1977), Verlyn (1979), and Susan (1988).
Any gifts from your IRA…
• allow you to give substantially without affecting your cash flow
• reduce your taxable income (whether or not you itemize!)
• can be used to fulfill any charitable pledges you’ve made
• will fulfill all or part of your required minimum distributions
Is giving from your IRA the right solution for you? To learn more about this and other intelligent and powerful giving options, call Brad Vis at 605-359-5704 or email brad.vis@westernchristianhs.com
Western Christian Speech had a very successful year of growth and fun. We had 17 students who participated in Large Group Speech in the categories of Short Film, Musical Theatre, Group Improvisation, and Ensemble Acting. Five of the six groups moved on to the State contest. Mya Brands was nominated for All-State with her short film “Lonely.”
Thirteen people participated in individual speech events, including Original Oratory, Poetry, Literary Program, Storytelling, Solo Musical Theatre, Acting, and Radio News
Announcing. Nine individuals moved on to the State contest, which took place on March 9.
Bobbi Jeltema and Anna Bierma, the coaches, are very proud of the hard work done by everyone involved in Speech this year. It’s been a joy to see each person’s growth, desire to improve, and humility in listening to and acting on other people’s suggestions.
Opening Prayer |
Lunch |
Mr Brian Verwolf, Head Administrator
Provided by Beyer Catering, Served by Mr Brad Vis' Faithpack
Special Music |
Provided by Mrs Amie Smit and the Western Christian Orchestra
History of Foundation | Mr Brad Van Heuvelen, Chief Wealth Management Officer at Peoples Bank
Closing Prayer | Mr. Brad Vis, Director of Mission Advancement
Wikipedia defines wrestling as a “martial art and combat sport that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques within a given ruleset.” It is so much more than that. It is discipline. It is physical and mental. It is an extreme rush. What other sport can you be losing by several points and in the last few seconds overturn your opponent and win?! It is a
family which supports each other. It is a tight brotherhood or sisterhood. It is a bond that you can’t explain to someone outside the circle. It is only YOU against your opponent on the mat.
Wolfpack wrestling is a family with a strong bond, and it is incredible to see that the wrestling family is growing. Three lady wrestlers returned this year, and the team grew by one more. These three sophomores and one freshman gained incredible
experience each time they stepped on the map, and each has a huge desire to continue striving to make the state tournament in the following years.
The boys’ season opened with excitement, with almost a full roster and few open weight classes. How wonderful it is to welcome to the team a group of freshmen up to the challenge of wrestling. The season ended with excitement as our seniors reached the goal of competing at the State Wrestling Meet.
Every boys’ basketball team dreams of still competing during March. This year’s Wolfpack team not only competed in March but ended their season with a win, which resulted in a state championship. It was the 11th state championship for the boys program at Western.
Coach Derek Keizer reflected on why this team had success. “This team was special. From players to coaches to managers, I’m not sure I’ve ever been a part of a group that’s been this selfless. They truly played for each other and simply wanted to win.”
The three seniors each stepped up, filling their roles on the team well and helping the team gel. The future is always bright for Wolfpack basketball because so many boys grow up dreaming of playing for the Pack and put in the work throughout the years to make the dream a reality. The returning juniors make next year’s expectations high, as Kaden Regemorter and Karston Moret led the team in scoring.
Van Regemorter earned 1st team All-State honors, and Moret earned 3rd team honors. These honors are special for the players, but the team’s
success is more special. “I just want to thank God for everything; without Him, it wouldn’t be possible,” said Kaden Van Regenmorter. I’m grateful for the group of guys we got. We get along as a team so well, and when you love each other like that, the wins are going to come.”
Twenty-four girls participated/contributed to the Wolfpack Girls Basketball season. As their theme, the team worked to identify their goal and purpose. Always competing well was the goal for competition, but more importantly, winning and losing didn’t define them. “Identity is secure, and God gifts us to fulfill His purpose. The team is irreplaceable and significant to Him” (Ephesians 2:10)
Pack Circles (groups of five to six players and managers) met weekly. During this time, the Pack Circles shared emotional support, coach-selected devotionals, prayed, and connected. This time was a great avenue for the athletes to connect as a small group and grow as individuals together.
This team played the toughest schedule in 3A. With only three seniors on the roster, the team is young, and it will be exciting to watch them grow and compete in the future.
Emery Blankenspoor earned the prestigious Academic All-State Award, which was handed out to her at the State Tournament. Requirements were an ACT score of 27 or higher, a GPA of 3.75 or higher, and top 15% of class rank.
Once again, the Dance team completed a full season: starting to prepare in the summer, performing at home football and basketball games along with area dance nights, hosting a dance camp, and competing at the state competition. Dance season is the longest of any athletic season.
The state competition was held in Des Moines on November 30th. The team competed in three categories
(Lights, Jazz, and Hip Hop). All of their performances were awarded a Division rating and top-ten finishes. Coach Megan Kooima said about the day, “Our team went on the floor and performed so well! They left it all out there. The dancers get one opportunity to perform their routine with just two minutes to show the judges what they have been working so hard on; they don’t get time outs or time to try again. When they walk off the floor, that is it.”
Along with the team competition, two dancers competed as individuals. Haley De Groot earned a Top 30 performance out of 80 dancers, and Addison Rozeboom placed 10th overall. Addison also auditioned and qualified to be a part of the All Iowa Dance team that performed at the Girls State Basketball tournament.
Ninety-four girls, ages kindergarten to 5th grade, attended dance camp on January 3.
Block schedule on Wednesdays and Thursdays was implemented this school year to enhance student learning. Chemistry instructor Mr. Shawn De Stigter said, “Western Christian’s new modified block schedule has been a great addition to the science department! With our previous schedule, chemistry lab experiments generally take two to three class periods. However, now with the extended block time, chemistry students are better able to wonder and hypothesize in a pre-lab setting, set up, complete, and clean up their lab experiment, and make conclusions about their experiment in one block period.”
Mrs. Katie Reitsma has built different activities into her Health/PE classes that wouldn’t have been possible without block schedules. Students enjoyed bowling and ice skating. Reitsma’s P and A class visited Hull Christian and dissected hearts while leading a cardiovascular lesson with the students, and Rock Valley Christian students assisted in dissecting cow eyes.
LEAD II (Senior Bible with Karen Christians) spent a block period playing the board game LIFE, which was the opening activity for the Calling and Career Unit. Students examined how culture defines ‘winning’ in life. The parallels of the game to real life can be eye-opening. One student remarked, ‘Our group at first thought we understood the game… but once we started playing, we realized there were many little things we didn’t know what to do. So, we stopped playing and looked at the rule book.’ Another student noticed what was missing in the game: I think the makers of this game totally missed the religious side of life, like attending church.”
Music students continually excel and participate in special events. Lily Van Voorst and Kyra Visser are pictured with composer/conductor Aaron Perrine at the Northwest Iowa Honor Band on Jan 6, 2024. Maeva Haveman, Jenessa Van Roekel, Olivia Engbers, and Katie Veldman participated in the Northwest Iowa Honor Orchestra on January 25.
Jonah Blankespoor, Thijs van Niejenhuis, Aiden Heldt, Josiah Visser, Allie Wielenga, Laney Van Voorst, Hannah Van Ginkel, and Summer Vis participated in the NW Iowa Choral Directors Association Honor Choir on March 12th. Students were selected by nomination to attend, with over 180 students from area schools.
The FFA Chapter celebrated National FFA Week on Febuary 20-23rd. Each day had its own ‘theme dress-up day,’ a trivia contest, and a find the pig challenge around the school for a prize. FFA concluded the week with Ag Olympics. Throughout the week, students also participated in a change war. Western students generously donated $2915 through the change war to be given to Macy Wassenaar, a Sheldon High School Senior who was injured in a serious car accident earlier this year. Due to the success of the change war, multiple students and two faculty members kissed a pig following the FFA chapel on February 29. Ag was also celebrated on the annual Drive Your Tractor to School Day, March 13.
Praise God…even (especially) when I fail!
The seniors and I have been examining God’s will for our lives, His calling for our careers, and how we define success. Over and over again, we have seen that God doesn’t measure success the same way we often do. He doesn’t require us to finish first; rather, He is delighted when we obey and trust the results to Him. It’s quite easy to celebrate our “successes’’ when they match our expectations and definitions of success. We often celebrate the same things the world celebrates–firstplace finishes, gold medals, and Most Valuable Player labels. But what about the times when we don’t finish first or we flat-out fail? When we pray for God to rain down His blessings on us, what do we do with disappointing finishes and even our failures? Thankfully, God often uses those times as new opportunities to trust Him, as we continue to learn, grow, and practice using everything we’ve been given to honor and glorify Him!
I would love to report that I demonstrate this growth mindset whenever my own disappointment and failure set in, but more often, God allows me to meet up with people
who continue to model that mindset to me.
Even though I am not coaching Western’s competitive speech anymore, I try to stay in touch with the participating students. Occasionally, one will pop in for a speech idea or some input on their performance. I had a student reach out this year because she was entering a category that was new to her, and she wanted some ideas. We had a great visit one day after school, and I was eager to find her the week after the District Speech Contest to see how things had gone.
It didn’t go so well. I met her in the hallway and pulled her aside, asking how it went. “I got a 4.” I was surprised. A four? That means she was disqualified. That’s hard. She went on to explain that her category has a strict time limit–the entire delivery has to be between four and five minutes–has to be. Her delivery was 12 seconds short of the fourminute minimum, so the judge gave her a 4. It was a fair rating; it followed the rules of the competition, but, “Ouch,” that has to hurt. After the work and preparation, a 4 is a tough thing to see on the Ratings Sheet when they post them for all to see.
All of these things were bouncing around in my mind when that same student quickly shot me a smile and said, “Well, now I know for next year!” and she took off down the hallway.
What a lesson for me. She wasn’t mad. She didn’t decide that speech isn’t for her. She didn’t decide to never try that category again. She didn’t badmouth the judge. She made no excuses, not one. She simply smiled and shared that she is more equipped to try it again next year, and she knows from experience (hard experience) what she’ll do better.
That’s a growth mindset, and that is something I need to learn and relearn all the time. In a world so caught up in success, we leave little room for learning, especially learning by failure. This student gets it. I hope I get better and better at understanding this and living it out. It requires me to stay humble and admit that God doesn’t call me to succeed; He calls me to obey. In His perfect wisdom, He sometimes showers me with results that are easy to accept with open arms–because He allows me to achieve what I set out to achieve. But other times, in His perfect wisdom, He showers me with results I didn’t ask for, ones that are so much harder to accept and understand. And it’s at those times, that I remind myself that He is God, I am not, and as I grow in wisdom, I will trust Him with all of it.
Just my thoughts, KC
Senior students are required to deliver a chapel speech in their speech classes. Classmates then nominate those they feel have a message that will resonate with the whole student body to deliver their speech during Chapel. Breya and Maile were two of these students from the first semester. They blessed the school with their words, and for this student perspective article, they shared the ways that Western has blessed them
My time at Western has shown me how many blessings God has given me in my life. Throughout high school, finding blessings that God had given me was hard. I often looked down on myself and saw how many blessings God had given to others but hadn’t given to me. My time here at Western has really helped refocus my view of blessings. It has opened my eyes to how God has truly blessed me and the others around me.
One example that comes to mind is how blessed I have been in the community. When I signed up for my chapel speech, I was so anxious. In my eyes, I am not a public speaker and could never see myself standing up in front of hundreds
April 12 – Dordt Choir Festival
of people to give my message. The community here at Western reminded me to turn to prayer, and God would walk alongside me no matter my fears. When these encounters occur, they remind me how blessed I am to be surrounded by people like this.
The teachers here strive for you to make the best of every opportunity and guide you in your walk of faith. When adversity would come in my life, God never failed to make a lesson in one of my many classes to be exactly what that hardship was. The teachers constantly challenged me to think deeper about my faith and my walk with Christ to truly make it my own. I have been so incredibly blessed here at Western for the many mentors who have pushed me to make my faith my own and live out God’s special calling for my life.
– Breya Van KleyOne way I have been blessed while at Western is through the support I received from teachers. For example, the week before I was scheduled to give my chapel speech, I received a lot of encouraging
emails and stops in the hallway from various teachers. I remember thinking how incredibly blessed I was to go to a school where teachers genuinely want you to do your best and want the best for you.
I have grown a lot throughout the course of high school, but I never was left to do it alone. The people around me molded and shaped me, especially those in authority over me. My teachers constantly encourage me to seek the Lord throughout everything I encounter and give it all to Him. I have felt the support from my family at Western all four years that I have been here. In high school, having a safe place to go with struggles is essential and very beneficial. Dr. Elgersma, our school’s counselor and soccer coach was that person for me. He gave me insight on not only how to deal with adversity but also how to overcome it. As my time here at Western comes to a close soon, I look back with a thankful heart to the fact that I was given the opportunity to be a part of this community of people.
– Maile Vande HoefApril 16 – Grandparents/Special Friends Day
April 16 – Orchestra Extravaganza
May 3 – Junior/Senior Banquet
May 14 – Graduation
May 22-24 – Exams