Inside the issue
CB Style P. 12
8th Grade project P. 3
January 2013
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Westminster
Christian
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Westminster Christian Academy
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V
January
2013
$5 Million Year-End Goal Not Met, Moved to July 31
Todd Fuller, director of finance and operations, Laura Klein, Carolyn Holt, and Steve Lauer, director of development, are all members of the Advancement Team. Photos by: Elise Hearne
On Dec. 31, 2012, Westminster fell short of its year-end giving goal, receiving $3.4 million of the $5 million it hoped for. This is the first year-end goal that the school has missed. The new goal date is July 31, 2013 for the remaining $1.6 million.
“Falling short of the goal means that although God has provided just enough to keep our budget strong and healthy to this point in the year, missing the goal profoundly affects how quickly we can move forward on some of our strategic priorities,” said Zach Clark, director of advancement.
Because the school did not reach the $5 million milestone by the end of 2012, WCA must reconsider its long-term strategy and think through the timing and funding model for the future. “Meeting the goal would have pushed us forward on some exciting things we are hoping to work on, such as holding tuition flat for periods of years, becoming debt free sooner rather than later, continuing to increase financial aid, and adding more innovative programs and improvements,” said Clark. Contrary to what many students may think, tuition does not pay for our facility debt, facility improvements or new programs. “Parents paying tuition are paying for the day-to-day experience for the students, teachers and programs. In a very real sense, unless you are a donor,
The Snapp Family Takes on Rome
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a parent who pays tuition is not paying “rent” or any payments on this incredible facility experience or even our most significant new programs or improvements,” said Clark. Giving is what provides for new programs, new facilities and managing any debt. This is why giving and meeting these goals is crucial for keeping tuition flat and improving or adding more programs to WCA. “People who give to Westminster have an ‘ownership’ mentality for Westminster and we continue to ask people to give and take ownership; this is how God works through His people at Westminster,” said Clark. Jim Marsh sent an email to the WCA community saying that we must raise the needed $1.6 million by July 31, 2013 “in order to maintain the financial stability
of the school.” According to Clark, this results from good stewardship, healthy enrollment, and the achievement of our yearly giving goals. Many people have given to WCA over the years, and their giving has impacted people in different ways. Clark recalls one story that stood out to him. “Just as we came back to school from Christmas break, I received a letter from a mother who has applied for future enrollment at Westminster. They’ve not had a child yet attend Westminster, and she sent me a letter saying that she had been praying about what to do with her remaining giving for 2012. She went on to write about what she had seen firsthand, by walking around our campus, that Christ was at work in the lives of our students, families, and teachers, and she knew that God
was directing her heart to give to Westminster, even though they’ve not yet had a student enrolled here. As you can imagine, I don’t get many letters like that with a check enclosed!” said Clark. Even though WCA missed the year-end goal in December, it is clear that Westminster has a strong community behind it. “The past decade at Westminster, we’ve seen nearly $50 million given. This has enabled us to build an incredible campus and an incredible program. Just as importantly, we have had two years of the lowest tuition increases by percentage in our school history while also providing $1.8 million in financial aid. One need only walk around Westminster and see the incredible fruit and impact of the giving of the Christian community,” said Clark.
2 Community
Westminster Christian Academy
January 2013
Let the Games Begin A Midsummer Night’s Dream The Westminster FIRST Robotics team kicks off the new competition season It seems like something from the future, not attainable by high school students. They have six weeks to build one robot. It needs to be able to shoot frisbees, pick more up, and then climb to the top of a tower. There is a small kit of parts to get started, but ultimately the materials are up to the team to be able to purchase. Westminster FIRST robotics team is ready to dive head first into their second competition, appropriately named Ultimate Ascent with all sections of the team doing their part to make it to the FIRST Championships featuring teams from all around the world. FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. The goal of the program, founded by Woodie Flowers, is to inspire young people to get involved in the scientific
community. Westminster has only recently become involved in the program that began in 1992. Last year was the Cyborgcats’ first year as a team. It started as a thought in the minds of curious young students, but it was made possible by a $6,500 grant secured by a parent working at Boeing. From there, the team went far in last year’s season winning the Rookie All Star award. It is the best award a rookie team can win, and that ultimately took them to the World’s competition. This year the team would like to grow even more. “My goal is to make sure that what we learned last year is communicated to the upcoming team members. Our STEM program is still growing, and I believe that the team can become exponentially better from this point. Of course we will also try to win this year as well,” said David Hartmann, senior. This year the team is focusing on growing and learning from last
year to complete the complex game requirements. On Jan. 6 2013, there was an all-day meeting that kicked off the season. It began with a video streaming from NASA that explained only the outlining details of the game. The actual manual was extensive, including many rules and guidelines about the game. The announcement thus kicked off the planning, strategies and long days of work to build the perfect robot. The team is not all about the engineering though. There are many different small teams that make up the large group. There is a drive team that figures out how to move the robot, a scoring team to figure out just how the robot is going to score points, as well as programmers, and engineers. There is also a PR (public relations) team broken into to other smaller categories that is responsible for writing letters to sponsors, taking pictures, documenting what the other groups are doing, writing essays to win awards to get to the Championship, and running the website. “I am a programmer on our robotics team. I tell the robot what to do and how to react when we control it. For instance, when we move a joystick, it moves the way it does because we told it how to react when the joystick moves a certain way. Otherwise, moving a joystick wouldn't do anything to the robot,” said Hartmann. His part of the team is just one portion of the whole. The Westminster Robotics team strives to bring a love of science to more students and building a community where students can express their creativity as well as take part in a learning opportunity. Ultimately that is what the FIRST program is for, but WCA’s team brings something unique to the table as a team that not only expresses a love for science, but also aims to encourage selflessness and encourages the team to come before the individual. Regionals are coming up, and the team is in full swing ready to do their absolute best and not only come up with the best robot, but also the best game strategy.
Part of the team strategizes on how to get the robot to climb during a meeting. Photo courtesy of: Megan Wibbenmeyer
The next two months will be spent preparing for the debut of WCA’s second Shakespeare production, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, premiering March 8.
With the winter months flying by, Westminster’s drama department prepares for another round of Shakespeare. Last year, the company produced a classy and original production of Romeo and Juliet. This brought an enormous uproar to the audience
and received rave reviews. To continue WCA’s line up of renowned plays, the directors at Westminster are excited to take A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a brand new direction. The vision for this play is aiming to keep the action moving forward and bringing the characters to life. Jim Butz, drama, speech and Bible teacher, has new and fresh ideas for an offbeat version of this production. Butz is also casting a vision for the cast and all students embodying the characters of Shakespeare to bring a different style to it. “I really hope that the actors walk away with a new love for language and the theatre. In order for this show to be even remotely successful, the actors will have to work really, really hard,” said Butz. This play represents the idea of whimsical young love, foolish comedy, and serious moments where characters must stand up for what they believe in. There is no silver bullet or specific formula. The memorization for this play will be extremely difficult and not one for the faint hearted. The goal behind performing Shakespeare is to help the students truly become the character that they are, not just a teenager memorizing lines. The hope from all directors is for the audience to feel what the performers are feeling. With such a great writer as Shakespeare, the stakes are high for this play to kick
off as a success. “The pressure is on, and it’s really hard to memorize lines,” said Anna Hagan, sophomore. Furthermore, when it comes to figuring out costumes, blocking
scenes on stage or truly becoming the character, the actors and crew of this production hope that the audience is able to bring home with them the magical story that is A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Nathan Richardson, junior, practices his role of Demetrius after school. Photo by: Andrea Reed
Jim Butz. director, looks over the script while on break. Photo by: Andrea Reed
Community January 2013
3
Westminster Christian Academy
Project Give Well
The eighth grade class plans to raise money to build a well that will improve and save the lives of many in Africa. Students in the eighth grade have taken it upon themselves to give to those less fortunate than them. They have decided to build a well for an extremely poverty stricken community in Africa (the actual community is yet to be determined). Although teachers and parents are assisting these students, the students feel that they should be in charge of this venture and allow
the responsibility of raising money be left to them. “This is entirely a student led project. The eighth grade Bible classes were on a unit focused on how to love others well. The classes discussed who their neighbor was and how to love them better,” said Steve Hall, head of middle school.
During these discussions, one class came up with the idea to raise thousands of dollars and build a well for a community in Africa. “It is a deep well, so it will provide a lot of clean water for a suffering community. There are a lot of diseases that can be prevented from this one well. It will save many people a lot of time. Many children will be able to attend school instead of spending their time getting water,” said Paris Hubler, eighth grade. The eighth grade class discussed many different opportunities to give to others before deciding on building a well. Students met up for a meeting in the room of Nathan Talley, eighth grade Bible teacher, and discussed all the possibilities of how they could give to people who are less fortunate than them. During this meeting, they decided that building a well would be their project. “Everyone was pretty pumped about doing something as we began to learn more and more about what
This photo shows an example of a well that Samaritan’s Purse has built in the past. This clean water well was built for a suffering community in Sudan. Photo courtesy of : Samaritan’s Purse
Blue Man Suits
it meant to truly give,” said Hubler. A few students have taken it upon themselves to lead this project for their class. Hubler has been working as a leader along with fellow students Dean Karanas, Jake Mitchell, and Alex Lawrence. “We get together for lunch meetings and make sure our ideas work with other students who really want to make a difference,” said Hubler. They discussed together how they were going to raise the money needed to build a well. In order to build this well, ten thousand dollars must be raised. “90% of the $10,000 goes to the actual well and labor. The other 10% goes to buying Bibles & teaching that community about Christ,” said Hubler. The class is able to build this well through a organization called Samaritan’s Purse International Relief (http://www.samaritan. org/). Samaritan’s Purse provides multiple relief programs for victims of war, disease, natural disasters, and famine in countries suffering from poverty all around the world. Samaritan’s Purse Mission Statement says, “Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Samaritan’s Purse helps suffering communities, spreading the good news of Jesus Christ within them. This organization
Blue Man Suits
Monograms
ministers to the people that they help, telling them about God’s love and encouraging them to have a relationship with Him. “I think the eighth grade has been moved and motivated to achieve this well because we are growing into our responsibility as Christians to spread Christ’s love and are just starting to see the brokenness of the world,” said Hubler. The eighth grade class is prepared and excited to now begin spreading the word about their project to the rest of Westminster and getting the entire student body involved in raising money for this well. “They are hoping to get the word out in a variety of ways
Hollyberry Cookies
Blue Man Suits
Cotting
Samaritan’s Purse Ministry rehabilitated this well in a community in Mozambique (a country in Southeast Africa). The well improved the health of many people. Samaritan’s Purse provided the village with hygiene, sanitation, and pump maintenance training. Photo courtesy of : Samaritan’s Purse
Cucumber Cucumber Water Water
Spirit Week
#WCAProblems
Hollyberry Cookies
The Gong Spirit Week
Basketball Spirit Week Team Salsa
“Job” No Locks on Lockers
such as a video to the whole school, reminders in the morning announcements, and information about this project in the weekend news sent to parents of W.C.A students,” said Hall. Before sharing their idea with the whole school, members of the eighth grade class conveyed this plan to the seventh grade. Seventh graders were asked to donate money towards the well that would have been used to purchase a Christmas gift for themselves. A little over 2,000 dollars was raised. Now, eighth graders plan to spread the word about this project with the upper school sometime in January. The time for raising money will end on Feb. 14, Valentines Day.
Verastalk “Job”
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“Job”
Catch The #WCAProblems Wave
Bromance Bromance Bromance
Automated Trashcans Bromance
No Clocks
4 Community
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January 2013
COMMUNITY 5
Welcoming Back the Family Improv students talk about the improv family and the alumni
Westminster Christian Academy
TWITTMINSTER
The sound of the fidgeting door knob perks up the ears of every inhabitant in the house. Footsteps resounding throughout the home are followed by the kerplunk of a suitcase. His family shouts, “He’s home!” This relationship is very much like the close-knit community of Westminster’s improv class who has just welcomed back some much loved alumni on Friday, Jan. 11. The class has a completely different feel from any of the others offered at WCA. It is set apart by the obvious family-like
atmosphere created by the students and Helen Scott, drama teacher. “Everyone who has been in improv a long time will tell you it's like a family. Even though some semesters are stronger than others, for the most part everyone bonds on a level that's different from every other class. It's more of a team feel. Also, Mrs. Scott is obviously in charge but gives us the ability to be open, suggest changes, and create [opening acts]. She also cares about all of us and helps us really progress to the best of our abilities,” said Ryan Kelly, senior. The trust and openness within the family is expected of all who participate in it. “In Improv, there are just a few rules. Support your teammates, agree, and give information. We are not looking for show-offs or people who think they are funny, we want team players who put their team and the game before their own ego,” said Scott. This helps the newer members not to feel self-conscious about their acting after seeing performances by the old pros. “As a newbie, it is very intimidating—watching amazing and hilarious veterans like TJ Noa or Jesse Gruneisen go up on the black box stage and have such melancholy about what they do. They make it look so easy! I thought I could never be as funny as those guys. But improv is a very welcoming environment and I'm happy I am a part of it,” said Alec
Cailyn McCarthy Old western movies with the grandparents. It doesn’t get any better folks.
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Lane Penberthy Wanelo is a serious danger to me!!! #iwanteverything #butimbroke
TJ Noa, senior, Drew Straub, sophomore, Nathan Richardson, junior, and Harrison Farmer, sophomore, play an improv game called “Slideshow.” Photo by: Audrey O’Neill
Runge, junior. And the family just keeps getting bigger. The alumni enjoy watching newest students join the ranks as well as watching the returning students get closer to becoming alumni themselves. “It’s a good opportunity to build the community throughout the years,” said Dustin Reppell, class of 2000. The alumni are not the only ones who get excited about alumni improv night. All of the students see it as an amazing opportunity to learn from fellow experienced improvers. “You get to see people that have done this before you and get to learn from them during the show. You also get to see people that you miss and improvise with the greats of past years,” said Jesse Gruneisen, senior. Reppell was the only alumni to perform in the show Friday, but many others were also there from varying graduating classes. The announcer’s voice that has lately accompanied the improv shows belongs to Mike Rohlfing, class of 2005, who has been back recently doing the sound and announcing. “It’s really fun getting people
back together after all of these years. It’s cool to see all of those people of different ages come together,” said Rohlfing. Other alums simply sat back, reminiscing in their seats, as they watched some of their newest family members take the stage. Of these people were Daniel Moore, Ben Stratton, and Alex Smith, class of 2011, and Andrew Gordon, class of 2012. Gordon admitted that the choice to join improv was one of the best he has ever made. “Improv by far was the smartest decision of my high school career,” said Gordon. The warm environment acts as a place students can go to escape the everyday stresses and have fun doing what they love. “You can be whoever you want, wherever you want, whenever you want. You can create worlds out of nothing, dreams become reality, and nightmares vanish into the hilarity of the moment. Me and many others can't imagine our lives without improv class for so many reasons, and these reasons are what bring the appeal and what keep everyone coming back for more,” said Sarah Yousef, senior.
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6 Life
Westminster Christian Academy
Against All Odds
Andrew Eichelberger, freshman, has had to fight through his own personal limitations to become all that he can.
January 2013
Teachers Have Lives Too
Outside of school, teachers such as Emily Roig, Annie Westhoff, and Dale Beachy pursue unique activities that they enjoy.
Andrew Eichelberger, freshman, and his mother Kathy during mom’s practice. Photo courtesy of: Mindy Davis
Everybody is always looking at the star quarterback or the point guard who just made the last-minute shot to win the game, but few people think about the person in the background, the one who perseveres through their own challenges and far surpasses expectations.
One of these people is Andrew Eichelberger, a freshman here at Westminster. Andrew was born and lived his early infancy in St. Petersberg, Russia. The Eichelberger family adopted him at ten months of age. Soon after he came to the U.S., he developed stiffness in his right side and failed use his right hand the way he should. About a month later, Andrew was diagnosed with a rare disorder of the central nervous system called schizencephaly. In many cases, this rare disorder causes blindness and inability to walk, talk or live a normal life. In Andrew’s case, it causes pervasive paralysis of his right arm and severe impairment of his speech. Despite the adversities that he faces, Andrew refuses to be limited by his disabilities. He is very active and participates in several extra-curricular activities at Westminster. Andrew has a passion for football and has played for the Wildcats since seventh grade. “I don’t play football because people want or expect me to, I play because it’s fun,” said Eichelberger. Other members of the team appreciate Andrew’s diligence and
dedication. “Andrew has to work really hard during practices and games to make up for his disability, but he never gives up,” said Nick Bell, freshman. Even more counterintuitive is Andrew’s involvement in the performing arts. Andrew took drama class last semester, and he performed at the end of the semester in Art a la Carte. “On the stage, Andrew’s disabilities are evident, but he doesn’t let it stop him. When the class had to memorize and recite a Shakespeare quote, he stood up on the stage and did it with everybody else. I appreciated how hard he works in my class,” said Jim Butz, drama teacher. Andrew’s family has been crucial in helping him to overcome the challenges he faces. “I’m grateful for my sister, father and mother and all the support they’ve given me over the years,” said Andrew. Andrew’s mother shared her respect for her son. “Andrew has been such a trooper. From the age of 10 months he has attended speech therapy and occupational therapies. He always gives his best effort and he works hard each and every day. When you watch Andrew at a football game, he is having a great time even when he isn’t playing. When the coach gives the call for him to play, he hustles to his position and he plays with his whole heart. His effort and passion make us so proud and blessed to be his parents,” said Kathy Eichelberger. Andrew’s perseverance and positive attitude on life despite seemingly overwhelming disadvantages serve as an example that talent and perseverance thrive in our school, both in the shadows and the spotlight.
Andrew Eichelberger, freshman, competes in a football game during the fall. Photo by: Rob Eichelberger
Taking part in a photo shoot for their upcoming album, Sarah Haas, WCA alumna, and Emily Roig carry their instruments down an alley. Photo by: Megan Maher
“Hey mom, look! Isn’t that my English teacher? She shops here too? That is so weird!” Very often when students find their teachers outside of the school setting performing regular activities, their
disbelieving eyes and ears have to take a double take. Westminster teachers pursue some of the same hobbies we students do. Often teachers do even more outside of school than we can ever imagine. From raising a family to learning self-defense, some teachers at WCA also have unique interests and jobs that they do. One such teacher is Emily Roig, upper and middle school Spanish teacher, who pens lyrics and records music when having free time under her belt. In high school, Roig participated in the chapel band and even played one of her self-written songs, “The Red Sea.” Today she continues this passion on the side while collaborating with other musicians. She has now joined up with one of her roommates and WCA alumna, Sarah Haas. “Ever since I was little, music was always therapeutic and fun for me. Now, it has become something I am passionate about because I can minister through it. Also it’s a way to get out in the city and meet
other artists, which exposes me to other genres and perspectives,” said Roig. Together, Haas and Roig cowrite songs featuring other local musicians; Mallory Scholten, upper school science teacher, has played viola on one of Roig’s songs in the studio. While Haas plays drums and percussion, she also sings back up for Roig, who strums the guitar and sometimes the ukulele and is the lead singer in their band, The Specks. Conducting private shows and performing at open-mic nights in local places in St. Louis such as Foam and Café Ventana, The Specks possess a folky, acoustic, and very passionate sound. While they have spiritual themes, they try to reach a broader audience. “Although I do a lot of solo projects, I love collaborating with others. And this is why Sarah and I formed a band. Personally, I’m stretched as an artist while still having fun,” said Roig. Another teacher that spends her efforts in other non-school activities is Annie Westhoff, Upper and Middle school PE teacher, who channels her energy into to a nonprofit St. Louis organization called Annie’s Hope. This organization helps kids who have lost someone dear to them cope through the grieving process. Heavily involved, Westhoff became an element in this effort twelve years ago when a friend invited her. Ever since a freshmen in college when she joined, she has been the summer camp program director organizing, scheduling, and counseling. In these camps, kids get to spend
two weeks away participating in all the normal activities one would find in a summer camp. As a cabin counselor, Westhoff oversees children and teenagers find ways to express their pain and grief over a death or someone who is about to pass away. “It’s about walking beside these kids and helping them process through that I am passionate about and also love doing. I just try to walk and talk them through it. They draw pictures of how they feel and explain it from there,” said Westhoff. During the school year, Westhoff contributes through the junior board where young professionals help raise money by organizing different events such as: karaoke night, bake sales, etc. Once in a while, she fills in for a counselor at a support group where kids bond, connect, and talk through their grief. “This group is a tremendous help for young and old kids who need a supportative environment,” said Westhoff. While raising a family and teaching, Dale Beachy, middle school math teacher, has attended two nights classes to train as an emergency medical technician also known as an EMT. During the 2011-12 school year second semester, Beachy went to these classes twice every week while having to take a total of twenty-four hour shifts at the firehouse and riding ambulances. During these weekends when he would go to the firehouse, he also had to go to the hospital. He often worked in the emergency room helping with patient treatment and performing assessments of patient vitals. “I started to take these classes last year because of a couple of reasons: One being I was going to EMT classes back in 1999 when my family and I were in South Carolina, but we moved to come to St. Louis and I wanted to finish something I started. Another was to be ready and prepared to help my family or be of use in the work place if ever a dire situation arose. I don’t want to just be sitting around,” said Beachy. His determination to finish something he began more than a decade ago and desire to help his family whenever helped Beachy complete the EMT classes. As a first responder, Beachy has certain responsibilities if ever he is called to duty such as: CPR, bleeding control, stabilize injuries, apply splints, extracting people from cars, etc. However, there is a limit to what he can do. After passing his classes, which included a hands on test, Beachy is searching for part time job or volunteer positions. However, it is hard to find a position like that because most firehouses have fulltime employees and do not have need for part-time volunteers. For now Beachy will keep on looking so that he will not lose the skills and knowledge he has gained.
Life
January 2013
If you could create a world, what would it look like?
“If I could create a world, it would probably be in the future. I would make it so that it would revolve a lot around sports. Sports would be like politics. Since it is in the future, I would have a lot of technology so we could do things easier.” Josh Pottebaum, eigth grade
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Roman Holiday Westminster Christian Academy
W H E I G H I N G I N
“Nutella Land. Everything there would be made out of Nutella and the drink that everyone had for dinner would be McDonalds sweet tea, because it’s my favorite drink of course. And everyone would only listen to Hoodie Allen’s music.” Mary Kathryn Hancock, sophomore
“I want a world where it is always summer. Chick Fil A would be everywhere and they’d have Chick Fil A sauce rivers.” Esther McGowan, junior Images by Catherine Bakewell
The Snapp family visited Rome over Christmas break, and they got to enjoy many new experiences, such as bringing in the New Year in a new way and visiting different tourist attractions around the city. Bursting fireworks light up the night sky with a multitude of colors as you sit overlooking the vast enchanting city of Rome as the
Eve in Rome and New Year’s Eve in the U.S. In Rome, the people get much more into the celebration and go all out for it. In The U.S. it is custom to gather with family and share a toast or a kiss when the clock hits midnight. Sometimes there are fireworks and people will watch the famous ball drop on T.V. in Times Square. Similar to this, in Rome, the big celebration is held in Piazza del Papolo. There are fireworks, rock and classical concerts, and people dance in the streets. Also, near the Colosseum on Via dei fori Imperial, there is a minutes count down until the New huge firework display and concerts Year. For most people this is only a outdoors. dream or a scene that a person sees One main difference from the in movies. U.S. is that in Rome on New Year’s Normally, people spend New Day thousands of people gather Year’s Eve with friends and family in St. Peter’s Square to celebrate at a party and recieve celebrating the the Pope’s end of the year blessing. and welcoming T h e the unknown Pope has a of the New Worldwide Year. Day of However, for Peace and the Snapp there are family, New parades Years was celebrating much more life, cultural exciting than diversity, just a party and the with friends in goodwill of St. Louis, and the people. their dream It is a became a very special reality. They holiday took an eight since it hour flight originally from New began in York to Rome R o m e . to bring in the E v e r y New Year. person in “Rome is the city absolutely celebrates wonderful and a n d I loved being prepares somewhere weeks in w h e r e advance. everything “One of had so much my favorite history. It was parts of the weird thinking trip was that the roads New Year’s we were Eve because walking on or it was so the building we celebrated went in were t h e r e . some of the We went same places somewhere that famous overlooking artists such as the city and Michelangelo Mary Snapp, senior, Sam Snapp, junior, and Stewie Snapp, freshman went with their parents on a trip there were had been or to Rome and got to explore the city. They saw attractions such as the Coliseum, The Vatican, and The f i r e w o r k s Spanish Steps. Photos by: Mary Snapp going off where Jesus and other people from the Bible “Even though it was hard to everywhere below in the city. It had been,” said Mary Snapp, order, the food there was so was absolutely wonderful,” said senior. yummy and Italy really does have Mary Snapp. The people in Rome all go out The Snapps went to a lot of wonderful pasta and pizza,” said into the street to celebrate and different churches, The Pantheon, Mary Snapp. The Vatican, The Spanish Steps, The rumors about the food being drink to bring in the New Year so it The Trevi Fountain, The Coliseum, incredible proved to be true for was a quite an experience for them. among other places. They had tour them, and they also got to enjoy the On the morning of Jan 1, broken guides take them around different New Year’s Eve celebrations. They glasses covered the streets, but it is places so that they would not miss were able to see the similarities and part of the thrill of the holiday. anything. differences between New Year’s “I was so excited to go to Rome because I love all of the art, the city, and everything there. I would love to go back if I ever have the chance. It was interesting and sometimes confusing to be in a place where people did not speak English,” said Mary Snapp. In Rome, they saw the different styles of building and went on different tours to see the different attractions around the city. “The most exciting part of the trip was probably seeing some of the Roman architecture such as the Pantheon and Coliseum,” said Sam Snapp, junior. They also got to experience the difficulties of understanding another language when it came to ordering in restaurants, trying to get directions, and understanding their tour guides.
8 Opinions
Westminster Christian Academy
The Fabulous Fox vs. The Box Office A review of the new film adaptation of Les Miserables
Musical fans everywhere held their breath in anticipation and fear upon hearing that the musical sensation, Les Misérables, was being adapted as a feature film for the first time. Right after the fervor of Christmas, I settled into my seat at the movie theater, pencil at the ready, preparing my cynical comments before the previews had even played.
And I was just as thrilled by the movie. Well, almost. Hugh Jackman starred in the dynamic role of Jean Valjean, a convict who turned his life around over the course of several years. While an actor most known for playing an X-Men character may not appear as the ideal choice for a main lead in the musical, Jackman has been in several Broadway productions and has even won a Tony award. Jackman’s character endures many transformations, both physically and emotionally, and he succeeds in showing this. He opens as a frightening, hardened prisoner, but by the end of the film he becomes a loving, frail old man whose death brought a tear to the eyes of my fellow moviegoers. Other highlights included Anne Hathaway’s portrayal of the bold and sacrificial worker-turnedprostitute, Fantine. The role’s famous solo, “I Dreamed a Dream,” could have been an opportunity for Hathaway to showcase her vocal talents, but by singing unedited and live, she instead gave a broken, raw performance. It was all I could do not to applaud—and I could feel this need from the audience throughout the film. Film and theater are night and day: the art of filmmaking is all about subtlety and realism, whereas musicals and plays center on exaggerating life and idealizing the world. The bright, clean costumes I saw in the Fox’s production of Les Mis were traded for torn-up, tawdry rags that portrayed the grit and reality of life in 1800’s France. The drama and grandness of stage acting was replaced with the quiet, heartfelt performances of the film. With the help of camera angles, lighting devices, and special effects, all of the emotions audiences have felt in stage productions of the show have been magnified. In October 2012, I attended a performance of Les Mis put on by Saint Louis’ own Fabulous Fox. The vocals in the show were powerful, the sets unimaginable, the actors superb—of course I was a bit skeptical when I heard of the new production starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and Russel Crowe. There were some difficulties translating the musical, however. For instance, in order to cut down for time, a song or two and several lines of dialogue have been
removed, and often the pacing of the film seems rushed and inconsistent. On the other hand, the movie gets the chance to show-nottell many scenes that the musical didn’t get the chance to do, like Valjean’s escape with Cosette. Another feature that was unfortunately lost in translation was the role of Inspector Javert, played by Russel Crowe. Crowe, unlike his costars Hugh Jackman (Valjean), Eddie Redmayne (Marius), and Aaron Tveit (Enjolras), has never performed on Broadway. Crowe’s musical background is limited— he was in the rock band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts in the 1980s— and it shows. His voice is not the powerhouse required for this role, and his acting seems forced, as though he were reading his lines off-screen. The character of Javert is indeed cold and callous, but I read Crowe’s performance as robotic and underplayed. Despite this, I encourage lovers of the musical to pull through Crowe’s lackluster acting to see the towering sets, staggering effects, and harrowing production design. To capture the film, I must resort the now-taboo word “epic.” Everything about this show is vivid and real and huge, accomplishing what theater directors could only dream of. That’s what I hoped this production would be—a bigger and better version of what theatergoers have come to love. I highly recommend new and old fans of Les Misérables go see this adaptation in theaters, and happily give it three and a half paws for a unique and accurate interpretation of a classic musical.
For high-quality production design but a few pacing issues, I give this film 3.5 paws.
Les Mis also won 3 Golden Globe Awards in the folloiwing categories: Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy, Best Actor: Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Hugh Jackman), Best Supporting Actress— Motion Picture (Anne Hathaway). Graphic by: Catherine Bakewell
January 2013
Upgrade Starts With U
The root of New Year’s Resolutions is society’s aspiration to selfimprove, but such ambition should be placed in upgrading the lives of those who surround us. Kissing at midnight, shooting off fireworks, watching the ball drop, or embracing loved ones are some of the many things we as Americans like to do to start off the New Year. But there is one thing that we’ve all done at one point or another, which at the mere mention of can either cause excitement or apprehension. And that is making New Year’s resolutions. The basis for making a New Year’s resolution is an ultimate desire to become a better person. Whether that’s getting better grades or eating healthier, there are many aspects of our lives that we see as needing improvement. But what so commonly starts off as good intentions gradually become forgotten or pushed aside as old habits resurface. If we would place our focus elsewhere, perhaps we wouldn’t be so quick to give up. The momentum and passion harbored at the start of the New Year could accomplish so much if our goals went beyond ourselves and considered the world around us. By focusing on reforming something outside of ourselves, we go from being self-consumed to selfless. It only makes sense that if we are to make a difference; we are to consider the wants and needs of others before our own. There are two things that everyone can work on this year to make a positive impact on the world we live. They are: our character and how we spend our time. Those are the foundations that we can build off of to achieve our goal of improving this world. Character is essentially who we are and how we live our lives. Everyone likes to be smiled at because it makes them feel special and significant. Try smiling at someone you don’t know, who may look like they may need a little encouragement. Initiate a conversation with your teacher or a staff member asking them about his or her day. Guys, hold the door for a girl as you both walk in to school or the classroom And girls, be very appreciative when guys do so. Manners are a big part of character. Show authority you respect them and gain respect from your peers by saying “please,” “thank you,” and giving eye contact when addressing them. Being polite is such an important but understated quality. Small acts of kindness go a long way. And it’s small acts of kindness that build up to larger ones. Become the friend that your peers are compelled to come to with their problems. This happens by proving yourself to be trustworthy and honest. Avoid gossip; that can only lead to trouble and by no means portrays you as a compassionate and caring individual. Listen to people and be less eager to talk about yourself. Inquire questions and offer advice to show your genuine interest. How we spend our time mostly revolves around ourselves and our individual interests. This is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact it is nearly impossible to avoid, but we should also incorporate
activities where we are giving our time to others. Whether that’s volunteering at a soup kitchen, attending ESL on Wednesday night, picking up litter on the side of the road, or babysitting for a single mom you may know for free, there are many options. Not only will you impact those you serve, but you will feel satisfied at your effective use of time. Our benevolence and time volunteered will encourage others to “pay it forward” by devoting time or interest in others. Could brightening another’s day bring on a domino effect of kindness? The New Year doesn’t have to bring despair over abandoned resolutions. If we concentrate on those around us and how to enhance their lives, we may be surprised at the new people we became and the changes we helped foster by December 2013.
The momentum and passion harbored at the start of the New Year could accomplish so much if our goals went beyond ourselves and considered the world around us.
Editor in Chief - Ellie Straub Print Editor - Parker Briden Design Editor - Sadie Stipanovich Online Editor - Jill Coyne Opinions Editor - Morgan Koetting Sports Editor - Steven Davis Section Editor - Summer Smith Section Editor - Melinda Oliver Features Editor - Jessica Johnson Photography Editors - Elise Hearne and Scott Rupprecht Staff Reed Montgomery Eli Parham Chrissy Talent Eichel Davis Megan Galvin Christian Linhoff Audrey O’Neill Catherine Bakewell
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Christian
Opinions
January 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
A Voice Worth Reading
A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers is an incredible historical romance about a slave girl and her love for a handsome aristocrat during ancient Rome. Romans vainly pursuing immoral passions, Christians being persecuted for their belief in one God who precedes the Roman Emperor, and gladiators lusting after the blood of their next victim plagues the interests of ancient Rome. Legendary Christian author, Francine Rivers, weaves
the stories of a young Jewish slave girl, a handsome aristocrat, and a barbaric chief from a conquered Germanic tribe to craft an intricate tale entitled A Voice in the Wind. This is the first in a series titled Mark of the Lion containing three books. Rivers’ use of a historical time period allows her readers to discover a wealth of knowledge about ancient Rome in a fun, fresh way without opening a textbook. As historical events unravel in the form of a story, readers can
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connect on a deeper level with the historical incidents that occurred as they truly grasp the mindsets and mannerisms of the people. And of course, romance is always the cherry on top to any novel. In this case, the love between Hadassah and Marcus, the humble slave girl and the selfpleasing master’s son, is restricted. Marcus denies himself no pleasure and works hard to create a fortune to finance his every desire. He also enjoys attending the games at the Coliseum to watch gladiators battle to the death and criminals flee from hungry lions. But with the arrival of Hadassah and the evidence of her dedication to her God, he starts to change. Hadassah’s humble and submissive nature affects everyone around her as they notice how she serves out of love rather than obligation. She becomes very dear to the prominent Roman family to whom she is enslaved. Marcus has a social rank to uphold and Hadassah remains firm in her faith to not be unequally yoked in marriage, but circumstances and people can change. Rivers’ portrayal of Julia, Hadassah’s self-absorbed mistress and Marcus’s younger sister,
A Voice in the Wind Earns four out of four paw prints
[
compels readers to harbor feelings of hatred toward this fictional character. Many of her careless decisions negatively affect poor Hadassah; some cause her deep grief and others bring near-death experiences. But all the while Hadassah loves the young girl and continues to care for her in a loving manner, which inspires readers to display genuine love towards others in their lives. Despite the many troubles Hadassah faces, she allows her faith in God to grow as she sees how He guides and protects her. Her devotion to serving the Lord encourages readers; it is not uncommon for their faith to grow and be strengthened as they strive to be close with the Lord like Hadassah. Though the book is long, the 500 pages tell of a truly unforgettable and life changing story. This book is worth every minute you invest into reading it. A Voice in the Wind makes all the qualifications of a good book. This page-turner contains numerous shocking and unpredictable events. It is impossible to not harbor passionate emotions towards the characters, and it leaves you anxious for more.
]
Worst Movies of 2012 Picture yourself walking into delivered no information about the a movie theater expecting to be cast or the plot. Bryan Cranston, the reasonably entertained, now picture actor who plays Walter White in the yourself walking out of the theater popular television series Breaking with a look of disgust on your face. Bad, makes a brief appearance in These are the movies of 2012 that this movie, which is funny because had that effect fans would on people. have seen it if A Thousand it would have Words starring shown just one a degrading snippet of him Eddie Murphy in the movie’s trailers. is a perfect To top this example of a off, Andrew movie gone Stanton, the wrong. In this director, had film, a mystical only directed tree gives movies such as Eddie Murphy Finding Nemo, a limit of only a and Wall-E, thousand words to say or the tree so why is he will die, and if directing a the tree dies he live-action will die. film? Stanton In an age of clearly did not phenomenal know how to comedies such make action as The Ballad Graphic by: Christian Linhoff scenes look of Ricky Bobby, good because and The Other Guys, there is simply every time there is one, there is just a no place for second rate actors blur of movement that lasts a second in a second rate movie. Almost and then a quick transition to the next clip. This goes on for at least the first twenty minutes of the movie. The CGI is decent, and the voice actors do a great job. But while it delivers these positives, it all comedies these days will not only highlights the negatives. For succeed unless they have an actor instance, Tyler Kitsch, the actor who that is popular at the time, or a well plays John Carter, is terrible in this written plot. This movie has neither. film. He literally sounds and acts like This coupled with bad acting and a mindless brute the entire length of over zealous reactions makes a the movie. Even though he was the formula for a grade D movie. Eddie main character, I still found myself Murphy’s character is supposed to liking the dog alien that follows be a cool, calm, and collected book Carter around more than Carter publisher, but while he shows this himself, which says a lot. In the end, at the beginning of the movie, he I wanted to like this movie, but it constantly contradicts himself with was just delivered in the wrong way. his overreactions. It was supposed to Bad actors and poor plot points left be a comedy but turned out to be the the movie with a sour ending and a opposite of that. feeling that it could have been done The reboot of the 1960’s show better. of the same name, Dark Shadows, That’s My Boy, starring Andy claims a spot as one of the worst Samberg and Adam Sandler, delivers movies Tim Burton has directed. one of the worst cinema experiences While this film has a great cast, of all time. This movie makes Cool (Johnny Depp, Chloe Grace Moretz, Runnings look like a masterpiece. Eva Green, Helena Bonham Carter) First of all Happy Madison, it still ends up failing. Tim Burton, Sandler’s production company, director of Alice in Wonderland, produced the film. Which is already and Charlie and the Chocolate saying a lot because of how they Factory, delivers great visuals, but havent been known to pick the there is a lack of character and actor best films to produce. Movies such as Joe Dirt and Click, have found recognition. The movie wastes no time putting themselves in their roster as well as Johnny Depp in the spotlight, even That’s My Boy. The acting in this though he put up a half hearted movie is atrocious, even for Adam performance the entire movie, but Sandler. Leighton Meester, who fails to address its other characters. plays Samberg’s wife, is probably It literally felt like Green and one of the worst actresses allowed Depp were the only characters that to be on the big screen, as her facial mattered in the movie. Chloe Grace expressions are terrible, her character Moretz, and Helena Bonham Carter, is not believable. The plot is so messed up that it is both great actors, did not get the screentime they deserved. Instead hardly relevant to talk about it unless they got character rolls that didn’t you’re willing to be utterly shocked. fit their acting style and ended up For instance, the main character, making their appearance in the Donny Berger, played by Sandler movie look like a thrown-in addition. himself, is a high school father who In the end, this movie is not became a deadbeat, after wasting all horribly bad, but fails to make full his money after becoming famous use of its cast. Cheesy plot points for getting a woman pregnant. I and some unneeded steamy scenes kid you not, this is the premise for make the movie look like it ran out the movie. The script is filled with of material. It delivers great sets with inappropriate jokes which end good effects, but still leaves you with up falling short of a high school freshman’s standards. The movie is a bad taste in your mouth. John Carter had a lot of potential just bad. It is put together terribly and for a good film, but ended up failing just had a couple of known actors to in not only its ad campaign but also attract audiences. This is one, if not the, worst it production. The poor advertising is demonstrated by trailers that movies in the history of film.
10 C e n t e r S p r e a d January 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
New Albums Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw’s new album is set to drop on February 5, 2013. The title is Two Lanes Of Freedom. He has already released his first single from the album called “One of Those Nights”.
Lady Gaga
TV Shows The Carrie Diaries
The show focuses on a young girl who is a junior in highschool who lives in Manhattan. The show takes place in the early 1980’s and goes through her every day life as a normal high school girl in manhattan trying to figure out who she is and the
Lady Gags’s new album does not yet have world around her. a specific date that it is set to drop. It is planned to come out sometime in 2013. The title of the album will be Art Pop.
WIll.I.Am
His new album is set to drop around February. His album is said to have many collaborations featuring artists such as Britney Spears and Rihanna. The title of the album is reportadly #Willpower.
Movies
Deception
One of the many new ing out in 2013 is Dec based on a female det undercover to the wea grew up in, but she re daughter to solve the rious heiress who use
2 0 3 closest friend.
Haven Hansel and Gretel Witch Safe Safe Haven is based off an original NichoHunters las Sparks book. The release date is set Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters takes a for February 14, 2013. A few of the big dark spin on a childhood story. Hansel names in the movie are Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel. and Gretel are a team of bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world. It is set to come out on January 25.
Olympus Has Fallen
Olympus Has Fallen is the story of a former secret service agent who works to prevent a terrorist attack on the White House. The date of release is not yet set.
Oz: The Great and Powerful
Oz: The Great and Powerful is about a magician who is thrown into a fantasy world who must use his wits to get away from three enchantresses who have special plans for him. The date for release is not yet set.
Photos courtesy of: Wikimedia c
c e n t e r s p r e a d 11
January 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
Phones Android
Android is also planning the release of many new phones during the 2013 year. w series that is comception. The show is They are rumored to release a follow up to the Samsung Galaxy S3 with the Galaxy tective who returns althy family that she S4. It is rumored to have a new screen eturnes as the maid’s size and a better camera. Even though murder of the noto- the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 just recently ed to be her best and came out, there are already rumors on a Galaxy Note 3, which will have a better screen.
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commons
iPhone 5s
Apple is also plaaning on coming out with the iPhone 5s. There are many rumors about what the changes will be for the iPhone. It is rumored that the 5s will have more color options, such as the ones already avaliable for the iPod touch. Also the screen size is said to have a big difference in size and be different then any screen size before.
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Google is planning the release of the next installation of the Nexus 4 with the Nexus 5 coming out later this year. It is rumored to have a cheap price tag just like the 4, and customers also hope it will have 4G LTE data speed.
Tours
George Strait
George Strait has announced his plans for his final two-year far well tour. The tour will be called ‘The Cowboy Rides Away Tour’ and is set to hit many states. His opening act on the tour will be Martina McBride. The tour started January 18th and more dates are set to come.
Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley
Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley are setting off on the ‘Locked and Reloaded Tour’ together starting on January 17th. Not all of the dates have been announced yet. Lambert and Bentley have toured together before and are hitting the road again to continue the memories.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is getting prepared to kick off her Red tour 2013. Her tour is set to kick off in Nebraska on March 13 & 14 and she will be coming to St.Louis on March 18& 19th.
One Direction
One Direction has announced their North American Live arena tour for 2013. The tour is set to kcik off on June 13th in Florida. The tour will begin in June and is set to end in August, but more shows have been continually added. The stop closest to St.Louis so far is in Kansas City on July 19.
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Westminster Christian Academy
Winter Style Guide
Cowboy Boots This winter, cowboy boots are being seen everywhere. They are cute with a short dress as well as with jeans or tights. Really any kinds of boots are going to be a big hit all winter long.
January 2013
Infinity Scarves
This particular kind of scarf is very popular, and especially when it is a cold day, these are going to be on every girls neck this winter. They are cute with a button down oxford shirt and skinny jeans. Also, they are very warm. All types of scarves are being thrown onto outfits to add a little extra style.
Oxfords
Monograms
Monograms are everything. Iphone cases. Necklaces. Rings. Leggings. T-shirts. Vests. Coats. Hats. Cars. Ipods. And so much more. If there is a monogram on it, it’s in style.
Oxford, Long- Sleeve, collared shirts are in style for every occasion. They are good for a nice night out with a cute, short necklace, leggings, and boots. Or they can be worn for a comfy casual breakfast with the girls. Oxfords are good for every event and are a musthave this winter. By: Sadie Stipanovich and Elise Hearne
Christmas Banquet Standouts chosen by The Wildcat Roar Editors
Abby Smith, junior
Sam Canfield, senior
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OPINIONS January 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
The Case Against Compromise Beliebers and Babies
Some say compromise is the only way out of the debt crisis, but what got us there in the first place?
America has always celebrated last second victories. We live for the fourth quarter, the shoot out, overtime. And that desire for glory snatched from the jaws of defeat has reached our nation’s capitol. It’s the bottom of the 9th in Washington D.C. Two outs, two strikes, with the bases loaded. A sixteen trillion mile per hour fastball is hurtling towards the plate and we’ve been firing off foul balls. The recent fiscal cliff debates resulted in nothing more than another long foul ball. The American people didn’t quite lose, but there’s not much to celebrate.
So, how did we get here? The story of our road to the fiscal cliff is a long one, although the highlights are simple to understand. In 2010, President Obama worked with the newly elected Republicans in congress to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for two more years. One year later, the treasury announced that the United States had reached its borrowing limit, and without action the government would shut down on August 2nd. At the 11th hour, Congress decided to raise the debt limit to $400 billion, enough money to get through the rest of 2012, in exchange for $1 trillion in future budget cuts to start tackling the deficit. The conditions required Republicans and Democrats to work together and decide which programs would be trimmed, or devastating cuts to vital programs, called sequestration, would be automatically enacted. Both the automatic increase in taxes with the expiration of the Bush tax cuts and the automatic sequestration cuts were set to occur at the end of 2012, creating what Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke labeled “the fiscal cliff.”
“Under current law, on January 1st, 2013, there is going to be a massive fiscal cliff of large spending cuts and tax increases.” -Ben Bernanke Without decisive action, the Congressional Budget Office warned that the United States would plunge into recession for the first six months of 2013. The debate largely dwelled on whether or not to allow taxes to go up on all parties, and if not, whose would or would not go up. Republicans wanted to keep taxes low for all, while Democrats preferred raising taxes on every family earning more than $250,000. The ultimate deal ended up extending the current rate for families who earn less than $450,000 a year with an increase in taxes on income over that. But the most important aspect of the fiscal cliff deal is what was not decided. All these months of
debate have really gotten us is a two month reprieve. On March 1st, America will be knee deep in another debt ceiling battle for the new congress to deal with. Most politicians, pundits, and casual observers place the blame for stagnation on the fringes of the Republican and Democratic parties. They would blame the politicians who refuse to compromise on their principles, who would send the nation into a recession rather than vote for new taxes or cuts to social programs. And surely, those people are at least partly to blame. There is a place for compromise in legislation, especially when the well-being of the nation is at stake.
“I’d rather get 80% of what I want than go off the cliff with my flag flying.” -Ronald Reagan
However, the true reason we are so engulfed in endless debate and delay in the first place is our need to compromise. The nature of our government requires compromise. That was true during the Constitutional convention, when federalists and anti-federalists came together to draft the Bill of Rights and a bicameral legislature, and it’s true today. Sometimes compromise is good. The American constitution is the single greatest legal document in the history of the world and the whole thing is one big compromise. But in today’s political debates, the compromise being discussed is really just a watered down version of two economic plans. Democrats want an increase in taxes on the wealthy in the country. They want to use that increase in taxes to increase spending for the middle and lower classes. Republicans want to keep taxes low on everyone, and they do not think that the government should be spending to the extent that it is. For years, Republicans have had victory keeping taxes low while the Democrats have continued to successfully push for increased spending. Concessions are being given on both sides, and we’ve got ourselves a compromise, but not a good one. The Republican plan only works if both tenants of the plan are enacted. Taxes must go down on everyone and spending must go down alongside it. The same goes for Democrats. They most increase taxes and increase spending for their plan to be effective. For years now, we’ve seen the illegitimate child of these two plans implemented. We’re cutting taxes and increasing spending because both are politically popular. But both have disastrous side effects when not coupled with the coinciding part of their plan. Compromise created a hybrid Republican-Democrat plan that caused the debt crisis. That course of action is directly responsible for the economic panic on the hill.
Both Republicans and Democrats are to blame, because both Republicans and Democrats gave up the most important aspect of effective legislation: principle. Both were willing to sacrifice the most essential parts of their economic plans to puruse more politically popular ones. Cutting taxes will always be popular and spending money will always be popular because they directly benefit people in a simple and visible way. The more difficult tasks of cutting spending or raising taxes have gone by the wayside for generations. In fact, House Republicans are now considering a plan that would allow Democrats to raise the debt ceiling with no new spending cuts. A plan that only stalls a true solution even longer. Obviously the immediate combination of billions in military spending cuts and across the board tax increases in one lump would have been a disaster. Virtually no one thought that going off of the “fiscal cliff” would directly benefit our government. However, our country desperately needs to pursue either significant spending cuts or new revenue. And at this point, possibly even some combination
“All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is a surrender. For it is all give and no take. -Mahatma Gandhi of the two. We have spent generations following the middle road of two economic plans because both parties compromised on fundamental principles. While many are calling for compromise to settle this issue, remember that it is compromise that lead us here in the first place. While compromise may be able to stall the effects of a self-created fiscal cliff, it can never solve the root issue. If Congress wants to really solve the debt crisis, it had two years to do it. During the first two years of the Obama administration, Democrats enjoyed sole control of the government. They could have pursued deficit control, but opted to work on Health Care Reform instead. During this time of divided government, a true solution can not be implemented because a full version of either plan can pass Congress and the President’s desk. This just makes 2014 and 2016 even more crucial. I’ll be rooting for Republican success, but even more important is that one party controls Washington again so we can really see what happens when a true plan is implemented. Without a clear plan, we’ll compromise ourselves to death. Again.
It’s high time everyone remember what’s really important. As a high schooler, it is difficult not to hear some news about celebrites. Even as an adult, it is hard to avoid hearing about celebrities, because so many people follow their lives. For some, it is a strange hobby. But for many others, it is an obsession. And all too often the obsession is taken too far, blinding people to
important issues and clouding their reasoning. On Monday, #cutforbieber trended on Twitter. The trend began as a prank after Bieber was allegedly found smoking marijuana. Soon, however, the prank started a trend, and girls began cutting themselves and tweeting photos of their injuries as a morbid symbol of their sorrow. Clearly their obsession has reached unhealthy levels; no one knows how far these girls will go for their precious idol. Recently, the news of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s baby, or the ‘Kimye’ baby, has flooded the media. Kim Kardashian is pregnant, and Kanye West is the father, except there may be a little scandal because Kim is still divorcing Kris Humphries, which seems to be all Kim Kardashian really does. And people really care about that, as seen by how dominate the issue is. However, in the past few weeks, America has been going through something called the fiscal cliff, which, to put it in simple terms, is when tax rates will begin increasing to the start of President Obama’s health care taxes and some other factors. People in Congress argued against it, saying that the tax increases and further government spending would ruin the economy and country, and some argued for it, believing that the tax increase would actually increase the debt, and then they all just argued, which seems to be all Congress really does. But there can be no doubt that the repercussions of the fiscal cliff, whether good
or bad, will affect everyone in the country. But, unlike the ‘Kimye’ baby, none of the normal people really care, about the fiscal cliff. The average worker may have known about the fiscal cliff, but they didn’t spend their lunch talking about it with their friends. It is far more likely they discussed Kim Kardashian’s baby drama. The girls who believed that cutting their arms was a proper reaction to Bieber smoking marijuana are clearly delusional. And the fact that there are young girls who are so attached to an idol that they are willing to cut themselves for him is, ultimately, sad. It’s also disappointing to realize that people care more about a Kimye baby than the fiscal cliff, and that 15-year-olds value an idol over their health. Nothing is wrong with liking celebrities. And nothing is wrong with caring about them, to a certain extent. And that’s the key phrase. If an obsession with a celebrity-or anything else, for that matter-clouds decisions and priorities, it’s time to stop. That’s what everyone needs to do. Everyone needs to stop and take some time to step back and actually look at their lives and choices and see if what they value is important and long-lasting. Ten years from now, no one is going to care about Kim Kardashian’s baby. Ten years from now, Justin Bieber will be old, and the girls who obsess over him right now are going to be adults who have more important things to do than go to his concerts. But the economic repercussions of the fiscal cliff could last for ten, twenty, possibly thirty years--no one really knows. And the scars from the selfinflicted wounds will last for years and be a constant reminder to the girls of a thoughtless decision they made when they were 11. Some things are permanent. And some things aren’t. And while it’s fine to focus on the unimportant, temporary things, they need to be treated as that--temporary and unimportant. But they’ve treated as permanent and important. It’s time for everyone to step back and make the important things in life important again.
People are also obsessed with One Direction, a popular British boy band.
14 F O C U S O N January 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
s e n e c s e h t d n i h e b b u l C V A : n O s u c Fo
Bianca Esparza-Burr, sophomore, checks the camera to make sure that is in the correct setting.
Brandon stoc k, senior and president, stEar AV Club preperation forts up many compu Spirit Week prac ters in tice.
or, bringsa avidson, isjuni aced on Taylor Der pl at in a cam blaeth d. an big movea st
Josh DeGroot, sophomore, places a camera on a tripod, while inspecting its stability.
Julian Adams, sophomore, observes the monitors, and sound board.
Han Kim, Media Coordinator, explains to studens what to do with the AV equipment. All Photos by: Scott Rupprecht
January 2013
b i g p i c t u r e 15
Girl Power: The Accomplishments of Women in Modern Day Society
The advances that women have made in society are great and the achievements they have managed to accomplish are highlighted as time continues to tick on. In the ever changing, fast paced lives of today’s budding young women, it seems as though certain social rules and standards aren’t expected. The traditions of the past that women were to live up to no longer exist. From casting off social stigmas like women not being able to work in the corporate
field to abandoning the notion of modesty, times are most definitely changing. There is no denying that women are starting to stand up and take their places in modern day society. Women are not sitting blindly by and letting men lead anymore. They are influential and important factors not only in the home, but in the work place, the media, education and the government. They are changing the definition of femininity and recreating their roles in their families and circles of influences. In past generations, women were still great and powerful but far more limited than they are today. According to the Huffington Post, the gender gap between unemployed men and women in the workplace is steadily closing and is currently at 0.4 percent. These changes, though gradual over a period of time, represent a movement in the structure of society, in general. Women make up about 46.9 percent of the workforce. Job opportunities have opened up to females and allowed young women to venture into different fields. There are no longer jobs that are only set aside for males. There is a crossover that is apparent. “I feel like equality in the work place has increased. I’m personally not going into a male dominated field, but if I were to go into something like business, I might feel more of a challenge. There still seems to be more male CEO’s and owners of companies than women,” said Abbey Andres, senior. Though, it is still a challenge for some women to climb up the corporate ladder or stake their claim in positions of power, it has become increasingly more common and easier to do. The number of women in the United States Senate as of November 6, 2012 is higher than it has ever been. A record breaking twenty
women are set to serve their terms. Two out of the nine Supreme Court Justices currently serving are females. Females who were once restricted to specific gender roles are branching out in every sense of the word. “I have not experienced unfair treatment while working or applying to schools. I don’t personally feel at a disadvantage and I’m very thankful for that,” said Julia Davis, senior. Thanks to the work of women throughout generations, doors for young women have been yanked wide open in education, as well. They are no longer playing a game of “catch-up” with their fellow male students and are in some ways, surpassing them. Young women are taking their education extremely serious. The Department of Education reports that females are less likely to socialize and more likely to study than male students. It also reports that females, on average, make better grades than males—whether this is a result of an internal need to go above and beyond in order to prove themselves or just a simple difference in gender ideals. “Sometimes I feel like I have to work harder because men get jobs over women simply because they are males. I feel like I’m going to have to work hard in college and get good grades and really show my work ethic so I will not get passed over because of my sex,” said Jesi Wydrzynski, senior. In the media, the divide between women of today and women of the past is obvious. The domesticated, sweet smiling women from shows like “Leave it to Beaver” and “I Love Lucy” who slept in their makeup and woke up at the crack of dawn to cook breakfast for their families has left the screen. These images have been replaced by a number of different portrayals and ideas on what today’s woman should look like. In some instances, there is still a small amount of sexism still lingering. Shows like “Gossip Girl”, “Bad Girls Club” and “Teen Moms” cast females in a negative light, making them seem silly, love-sick and catty. “Women are always sex symbols. They are not always the lead and a lot of time their roles are the gold digger and not the ones bringing home the bacon or doing anything especially positive,” said Andres. Other young women at Westminster Christian Academy have recognized this false portrayal of females on television, as well and are not willing to buy into it so easily. “Certain movies and music, in
particular portray women unjustly. Still too often are we reduced down to our sexuality with the sole purpose of pleasing men. I hope that continues to become less and less of the norm as time passes,” said Davis. Though, there are most certainly still false depictions of what a woman is and what she should be in the media, there are shows that counteract those negative ideas. Shows like “Scandal”, “The Good Wife” and even teen shows like “iCarly” redefine society’s ideas of women. Though the leads are far from perfect, the viewer is able to see smart, savvy, educated women doing interesting and important things. “We’re a lot more than most television shows make us out to be. They portray us as simple and one-dimensional so it’s not only refreshing but important to see something different when I turn on my television,” said Annie Rebbe, senior. The media shapes how young women often view themselves. It shapes their self-esteem and can either help or hurt their confidence. It is important that young women see other young women just like them in Congress, in college, and on the television screen embracing who they are and continuing to advance and better themselves. “Women aren’t just emotional, and always wanting attention from men. There should be no job, no look, and no behavior that’s specifically tied to any sex. That’s just ridiculous in this day and age,” said Rebbe. How the women of the present perform will always shape the rolls of women of the future. Things like education, careers and family values must be emphasized while unfounded social stigma’s and an increased emphasis on superficial things like sex appeal minimized. Time has allowed females to branch out and to explore their options and it is only right that they take full advantage of their opportunities. This can only happen if women continue to feel confident in their chances to succeed and personal ability. Sexism is stifling to all people and without women, society would not be able to make the advancements they have made today. “I think things have without a doubt gotten better. Total equality seems to be in the near future for women one day soon,” said Andres.
Westminster Christian Academy
Sam and Eli Parham cover some iconic and influential inventions made in America that have transformed our world.
A Solution Looking for a Problem
The American invented laser was once useless, but now serves as a critical component to many technologies from printers to holograms. Science fiction “zap guns” have long been depicted in movies and on television shows such as Star Wars and Star Trek. The idea of using a highly focused beam of light as a deadly weapon has always existed in comics and superhero novels.
Yet, when this dream became a reality on May 16, 1960 as Theodore Maiman perfected the first operating laser in a lone laboratory of Malibu, California, it seemed useless. His laser was highly impractical and weak. An early model could only cut through a Gillette razor blade, but required a ridiculous amount of equipment and space. And as a result of its poor practicality, many people doubted the usefulness of his invention, calling it “a solution looking for a problem”. But, unbeknownst to them, Maiman’s invention would become the key to many technologies used today. Laser technology has greatly advanced from Maiman’s earliest example. With various sizes and
For example, helium and neon are used in less powerful lasers, such as those functioning in holograms, barcode scanning, and alignment tools. Krypton lasers are used in “white-light” lasers and light shows. Lasers active in industrial engraving and welding use carbon monoxide for a more powerful outcome. Helium-cadmium laser technology is found in printers. From an energy perspective, less powerful lasers are used in laser pointers. Other smaller lasers read discs in DVD and CD players. Lasers can be found at the dentist, in hospitals during surgery, or the dermatologist. Lasers are active in scanners capable of reading anything from barcodes to fingerprints. Lasers even assist military troops with marked targets, missile defence, radar, and guided ammunition. The world’s most powerful laser, known as the “Lawrence Livermore Laboratory’s 1.3 Petawatt monster”, is capable of splitting atoms, creating antimatter, and firing a solid proton beam. When used, it blasts more than a quadrillion watts of power. Maiman’s underestimated
Lasers are active in many machines and technologies used today. Lasers are used in DVD’s, welding, light shows, and surgery. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
strengths ranging from microscopic diode lasers to football field sized neodymium glass lasers, they have a vast majority of uses today. A laser’s light is generated by electrons becoming excited and gaining more energy. When this occurs, a single colored beam of concentrated light is seen. Lasers used in today’s world differ based upon the elements they use to accomplish this electron excitement.
invention has become grandfather of many technologies today. And even though the laser has become a critical part of many profound technologies already, scientists believe that laser technology is still in its infancy. And if the science behind the laser advances as it has in the past fifty years, perhaps the dreamtup weapons of Star Trek and Star Wars will be attainable in the near future.
16 b i g p i c t u r e Westminster Christian Academy
January 2013
[Tech]nological Warfare
Apple ,Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are preping for the biggest tech battle ever, set for 2013 For quite some time Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft kept to themselves and even occasionally helped each other out in little ways here and again. Apple ruled the mobile world, Microsoft was the king of computers, Google ruled the Web, and Amazon sold everything under the sun, including Apple and Microsoft products. Together they made more than a trillion dollars. But in the last year and a half, the mutual agreement has turned into a tech war. Although recently the war has entered into a new realm, Microsoft and Apple have been butting heads before many of their
consumers were old enough to hold a conversation. Back in the 1980s, there were Microsoft and Apple who were at the top of the heap in the tech world. In 1994, the battle was taken all the way to the high courts when Apple sued Microsoft for patent infringement. Now, in 2013, Microsoft and Apple have readied their battle stations like never before. Microsoft, coming off the release of their revolutionary Windows 8 system has made integration over desktops, laptops, and tablet, possible, something that they beat Apple to. Microsoft also made a major step with releasing the Surface Tablet, the first true tablet computer, running Office, virtually the worlds only office suite.
“The Surface tablet is Microsoft’s way of telling the world that it’s ready to move on from the desktops and laptops that put the company where it is today,” said a recent CNET article. Microsoft also entered the phone business a few years ago, and is planning to release a line of Windows 8 Phones, taking another jab into Apple’s market dominance. While Microsoft had finally taken steps to get back on top market wise, Apple hasn’t been sitting around waiting for its tide to change. As of now, Apple is the king of tech, no questions asked. Apple is worth over 600 billion dollars, and it is the most valuable company in the world. But with all that success some analysts are saying that Apple might be setting itself up for failure. “Apple may be king of the tech
hill these days, but many experts say that just gives the company more areas it needs to defend,” said a recent MSN article on the big four of technology. While Apple is not always the inventor of products, they do seem to be the perfector of products. The company didn’t invent the tablet, which had been around since the early 2000s, or the walkman that had people knocking their heads for years before the ipod came along, but they transformed both. Maybe it was Jobs, maybe it is brand loyalty. Whatever it is, its working, for now as least. Google, who has single handedly ticked every one of the other companies off, has made three very big, enemies. Google ruled the web for years. Google purchased Youtube, the undisputed king of web video. Google also nudged Apple the wrong way
when it introduced the Android OS. The system’s growth made the iPhone’s user growth seem like it should be in the kiddy pool, and today accounts for over 50% of total phone users on the globe. The battle between the two led to Youtube and Google Maps being removed from the iPhone 5. Google has managed to not make too much of an enemy out of Amazon, but did leave a bad taste in their mouth when they launched Nexus Tablets, competing head to head with the Amazon Kindles. But Microsoft was the first one to really step on Googles toes with Bing, which quickly became Google’s only real competition. Amazon, the new kid, is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with, and is a big target on these companies’ radar. For a while Amazon sat back quietly making billions of dollars in book and other sales. But in 2011, Amazon evolved to a real force ready to compete with the sales of mobile device makers everywhere. The Kindle Fire was released, and with it so was Apples brigade ready for battle. The Kindle Fire was at one point selling more than a million units a week, and this continued for almost two months. The Fire family, which now includes four new and improved models, put a nice size dent in the iPad’s dominance, becoming the second most owned tablet as of January 2013. But as Amazon continues to be in constant war with Apple, swirling reports that an Amazon
Phone is coming in 2013, the company might turn the heads of Microsoft and Google. As of now the war is in a transition stage with four big companies. Microsoft will win the computer race and has potential to become a leader in the tablet market, after people realized they can be used for more than Angry Birds and playing music. Amazon has the best chances to become a tablet leader as more reports swirl that the next generation of Fire tablets will include an office suite. Google’s wide range of Android phones will most likely keep it at the top of the phone charts, and Google search isn’t going anywhere for a very long time. Apple is harder to predict. Many companies do not stay on top uninterrupted for long. But Apple, because of its great products will most likely stay in the top three of the cell, tablet, and computer markets, and it begs the question. Is it better to be number one in one area, or runner up in many? Even with changing trends, most can guarantee that each of these companies will be around for a long time, and with it they will most likely toss up the top spots in the market of the consumer pocket. Its a war between Apple, the innovationist, Amazon, the people’s digital highway, Google, our gateway to the web, and Microsoft, the old faithful, and a winner isn’t as clear as black and white, and isn’t so cut and dry.
Going Green: The Full Story Examination reveals that the truth about eco-friendly cars is that they are not so green after all. In a world of ever-increasing awareness of the footprint that cars leave on our planet, many are relying upon what car companies define as ecofriendly. But companies have taken advantage of the trust that their customers give them, and the truth about green cars is not all it appers to be.
The big kid on the block of the eco-friendly cars is the Toyota Prius. Driving around town in a in this car brightens its drivers’ moods because they feel like they are doing the world a favor and telling others that they do care about humankind and their planet. Also, the car that produces this friendly image comes with great craftsmanship and high gas mileage. Many are sold by these ideas, but sadly when the Prius is cross-examined, the truth that the car is not world-saving material is seen. What Toyota has really done with their Prius is given it a unique drivetrain (way of getting power from the engine to the wheels). The car is really powered by a normal engine, just like that of any other car today. But instead of the engine turning lots of heavy, energyreducing rods and gears to make the
wheels move, it runs a generator, which then charges a battery. This battery then sends power to electric motors, which eventually make their way to spinning the wheels. In other words, the engineers at Toyota have replaced the complex drivetrain of the traditional car with an even more complex one of their own. But as is the reality with anything, they have had to sacrifice something to get such a fuel-efficient car. This, ironically, is eco friendliness. Batteries do not just grow on trees. Batteries are made up of many materials, and one of these is nickel. Nickel is found in the ground and therefore requires lots of energy to mine and extract. One of the plants that exports a significant share of this material is located in Sudbury, Ontario, and is known for its massive emissions. After the nickel has been mined, it is shipped to more locations in order to make a battery with other materials. Transporting this nickel around the world emits even more pollution thanks to the help of airplanes and boats.
So there is the idea. While the Toyota Prius may seem eco friendly to drivers, a brand-new Prius on the showroom floor has already been responsible for a heavy dose of emissions. Sadly, this reality applies to more cars than just the Toyota Prius. It also includes all-electric cars like the Chevy Volt, Nissan LEAF, and Fisker Karma, because they
also have batteries. Even worse, when a Chevy Volt is plugged into the garage power socket, the chances are high that a coal plant is charging it! Coal plants produce so much pollution that their smoke stacks must be hundreds of feet tall in order to make sure that they do not ruin air quality for residents. Unfortunately, the belief that one can benefit the world
through hybrid and electric cars tends toward merely easing the conscience. Average cars with normal engines and drivetrains that deliver high mileage rates that would meet the hybrid standard do exist. There are reasons someone would want to buy an electric car. Unfortunately, the green argument doesn’t hold up as one of the better ones.
There’s more to the picture
s p o r t s 17
January 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
The Chosen Come
WCA’s entry into the Metro League means that the best WCA athletes are selected to all-conference teams at the end of the season. Every year, a special group of athletes are selected to allconference teams based on their success throughout the season in their particular sport. It is not an
easy task to earn this honor, and it is not always easy to determine who will be accepted into this group of elite athletes. “The teams that are part of the Metro League have all-conference teams that are selected by the coaches. There are a few sports where all conference athletes are automatically determined by how they did in their conference meet,” said Todd Zell, athletic director. The decisions by the coaches and athletic directors are made based on the performance of each player and the requirements for the
all-conference team. “The coaches from each team get into a room together and select the players. Coaches will nominate their own players and then there are votes,” said Cory Snyder, head varsity football coach. After players have been nominated and the voting begins, there are many different statistics that coaches look at to decide who will be an all conference athlete. “Coaches look at statistics from the season, statistics from conference games only, and players that stood out during games to decide the all conference team,” said Snyder. But not every conference and sport follows the same guideline when it comes to choosing who will make the all-conference team. “The requirements for making the all-conference team depend on the sport. The athletic directors and coaches establish a set number of players to be on the all-conference team for each sport,” said Zell.
All-conference performers Jesse Gruneisen, senior, and Justin Creighton, sophomore, play in the football game against Bishop DuBourg during Carnival on Oct. 13, 2012. Photo courtesy of: Shutterfly
First team Westminster all conference athletes from fall sports: Reagan Dykhouse, Laura Tarantino, Kyle Kinner, Justin Creighton, Jesse Gruneisen, Brett Bond, Coby Nye, Jordan Wolf, Ciara Younger, Brooke Cusumano, McKenna Montgomery, Jack Dohr, Ben Evans, Kristen Ahlbrand, Jessica Johnson, Sydney Seabaugh, Anna Bergman, Annie Schafly, Hannah Stipanovich and Megan Tilley. Second team Westminster all conference athletes from fall sports: Brink Thompson, Michael Weston, Chris Cacciarelli, Tristan Becker, Maddie Ottsen, Emily Heyl, Jensen Holt, Summer Smith and Ellie Bettlach. Nearly every sport has allconference teams that are determined by the coaches, but there are a few exceptions. “Boy’s swimming has a conference meet but no allconference team, and boy’s volleyball and girl’s lacrosse do not participate in the all-conference tradition. Every other sport has a conference team though,” said Zell. There are many purposes for the making of an all-conference team, but the main motive is clear to all that participate in it. “All-conference teams main purpose it to recognize students who had an outstanding season,” said Zell. One of the ways that these talented all-conference athletes are recognized is through a banquet. “At the end of every year, there is a banquet which recognizes the player of the year in each sport, and every all-conference athlete is invited to the event,” said Zell. This year is Westminster’s first year fully in the Metro League, and Westminster has had great success producing many all-conference athletes. While there always seems to be controversial picks as to who is accepted into this elite club, the goal of this club is simple: Find the most talented high school athletes
Girls Basketball Rivalry with MICDS Intensifies
Varsity comes back to beat Rams after falling to them early in the year. Competition. Noise. Tension. These are just a couple of the necessary ingredients for a good rivalry. For Westminster, that rival is MICDS. “For some reason, MICDS just knows how to get under our skin. When playing against MICDS, there’s nothing more that I want to do than to beat them,” said Hannah Stipanovich, junior forward. The rivalry for the girls began in 2010. MICDS was an established powerhouse, expecting to go undefeated throughout the year and win state. Westminster was rebuilding their program, with current coach Steve Stipanovich
in his first year with the team. After beginning the year with a respectable 8-6 record, the girls traveled to MICDS to play the undefeated Rams. After a back and forth battle, Westminster won 47-41. This was the first meeting they had won between the schools since 2007. The humiliated Rams vowed revenge in districts. But the Cats stunned them again, defeating them in the finals and taking first place in districts. They were the only team to beat MICDS that whole year, as the Rams dominated every other team they played. By defeating the Rams twice as huge underdogs and ruining their perfect season, Westminster had made themselves an enemy. The next season brought more success to the Cats. Westminster beat the Rams two more times at MICDS, before playing them in the momentous Coaches Vs. Cancer game. Held at the Scottrade Center, this was one of the biggest games of the year for both squads. Both MICDS and Westminster had no school that day for the 9AM start. There was also a lot of media attention for the charity event, fueling the adrenaline and hype
going into the game. And once again, Westminster rose to the occasion, hammering MICDS for the third time that season. Earlier this year, the Rams finally broke through, beating Westminster in the championship of their own Christmas Tournament 54-43. This broke their 5 game losing streak against the Cats throughout the past two years. MICDS used their small size and quickness to force 32 turnovers in the game, which turned out to be the deciding factor. Finally, Westminster hosted their rivals in a showdown last Friday evening. MICDS came into Westminster with a lot of confidence, thinking they were going to roll over the Cats. But the girls were determined to not let history repeat itself. The game was a back and forth battle, with Westminster clinging to a 2 point lead after the half. They pulled the lead to five after the third quarter. And despite the Rams late push, the Wildcats held on for the win 58-56. Kayla Armstrong, junior, starred in the showdown with 20 points, including a terrific 8 for 8 from the freethrow line. This rivalry has the ingredients for an epic. Both schools are consistently good, and always have competitive games against each other. “[The Rams] are fighters. They want to win, and so do we. It’s a battle for 32 minutes with them,” said Brooke Cusumano, senior. However, Westminster has recently dominated the series, winning 6 out of the last 7. This has been greatly in part to the play of stars Sadie Stipanovich and Kayla Armstrong. “I think the rivalry will continue because the older kids on the team will continue to keep it alive.” said Kayla Armstrong. Next time the girls will see MICDS is in districts, hopefully in the championship. The winner of that contest will not only win the season series, but move on for a chance to go to state.
Come Join The WCA Student and Community GARDEN CLUB Thursday’s 3:15-4:00
Hannah Stipanovich, junior, goes up for a lay-up against MICDS on Friday,. Photo by: John Pottebam
18 S P O R T S
January 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
Hockey Attendence Skyrockets Hockey takes its place among Westminsters most loved winter sports.
MY CALL S T E V E N D A V I S
S P O R T S
E D I T O R
Safety First?
Chad Younger, junior, shows off his school spirit at a recent hockey game agianst Desmet Photo by: Eichel Davis
Over the past season, Westminster students have been enthralled with the game of hockey. Westminster boasts one of the best teams in their conference, and over the last few years, have placed in the top five of the conference seats. But this season, the fans have been out full force and the Blue Crew in particular has been front and center for support. “At the beginning of last season hockey wasn’t even on people’s minds, and now its cool to walk down the halls and see people talking about it, and congratulating you,” said Zachary Bross, junior
triple A hockey player. Besides the Blue Crew this season has also brought many first timers to the game of hockey, and with it new enthusiasm for the sport. “I like hockey games because its s fun show up and be crazy with my friends. Also its a contact sport which makes it exciting and you can always sit close to the action, kind of like being on the ice,” said Caleb Hicks, junior. Hicks also said he loves the game because scoring a single point can change the game at any moment.
Hockey has been around at Westminster for a while, but its popularity this year has been surprising. Bross contributes the fast pace of the game to its very popular status, but many more say that hockey’s winning records over the last few years has really helped it get off the ground. “We have a lot of older students, like Ryan Cognahan, Will Campell, and Brendan Terbrock, as well as younger one who play great,” said Bross. Last season the Hockey team finished 17-3-1, and none other than CBC, WCA’s biggest rival in hockey, stopped its momentum. The hockey players have taken notice of the new attention and are excited to bring the best game they have. “ We like putting on a really good show for the fans,” said Bross. This season has been very successful with a current 15-2-1 record. Most would also agree that the amount people have given the sport a new more energetic feel. “I really enjoy it, and the more people really make it more fun, and excitement,” said Hicks. As of now Hockey has become the new elite sport that is taking hold of WCA, with its good show and great atmosphere. And as the season continues, and hockey continues its winning status, we can be sure that the sport will continue to have its attendance skyrocket to the top.
Westminster student, parents, and faculty showed up in full force at a recent game agianst DeSmet. Photo by: Eichel Davis
We are putting too much importance on safety in light of the ongoing concussion debate. One of the most important issues currently facing the athletes, coaches, and sports fans today is that of concussions. As lawsuits from former players inundate the NFL and doctors try to figure out how to best diagnose and treat concussions or even how to define a concussion, one side of the story goes untold; that of current high school athletes. I experienced this firsthand with my concussion this past football season. In our week 7 game at Borgia, I was kneed in the head early in the 4th quarter. I had a headache immediately after I got hit, but it faded after a few seconds. It did not, however, entirely go away. As I had no other symptoms, I played the rest of the game. My headache did not disappear all weekend. As the next school week started, I began experiencing other concussion symptoms such as light sensitivity and nausea and thus immediately concluded that I had a concussion. I ran into an ugly side of sports medicine a couple days later during my doctor visit. When I told him that I had continued to play after being hit in the head, he informed me in no uncertain terms that I was foolish for continuing to play when I had a headache. He told me that if I ever was hit in the head and the pain did not go away instantaneously, I should take myself out of the game. While I acknowledge that doctors such as the one that I visited have much more education and experience than I do, I would disagree with him on this particular matter. I know from experience that headaches occur on a regular basis in a game that involves teenagers clothed in padding hitting and tackling each other for three hours. If everyone who got a headache during a football game was taken out for the rest of the game, there would eventually be no football game. And while I certainly do not want to sustain a permanent brain injury while I am still in high school, I do think that the standards that we as athletes are forced to meet with regarding concussions are too high. It is definitely right and necessary to pull an athlete from a game if he or she is visibly affected by a hit or is not feeling normal because of a hit.
But this overcaution is getting ridiculous. On top of this, the medical community needs to deal with a concussed athlete’s emotionally state in a better way than they do now. Athletes are often able and willing to play through significant pain and injury. We are conditioned to fight through pain and exhaustion and continue to strive for victory. This is impossible to do if you are concussed because a concussion is unlike any other injury. It is often hard for an athlete who is used to toughing it out and playing through injury to be sidelined due an injury that is usually not visible. That is the way it was with me. I did not feel like the doctors did a good job showing empathy for my situation and my emotional state. While the doctors do need to make it absolutely clear that an athlete should not see the field until the concussion has fully healed, they need to show that they understand what the athlete is going through. It they do this, they will naturally gain the trust of the athlete. With the recent increase in concussion awareness, the lawsuits inundating the NFL, and the over caution that is flooding the world of sports, it seems as if society is beginning to overemphasize safety at the expense of character-building and the thrill of competition. With the progression of technology, especially through the last 100 years, and the number of people living in the cities and the suburbs, sports is often the only opportunity that kids today have to build character, learn self-sacrifice, and learn to work with others. If we take too much out of sports, we risk losing one of the last things of true value in mainstream society. While concussions in sports are a big issue, they should not affect the love that we as a society hold for them. While we should be cautious, we should not be cautious to such an extent that we lose our love for these games that have shaped American culture and history. Rather, we should embrace sports as something fun that can bring out the best in us and help us learn hard work and how to work with others for a common goal.
If everyone who got a headache during a football game was taken out for the rest of the game, there would eventually be no football game.
S P O R T S 19 Starting the Season With a Splash January 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
The Westminster girls swim team dove into the 2012-2013 season and are making a splash. Cheers echoed off the walls and the smell of chlorine filled the air as the 2012-2013 girls swim season began. The swimmers first meet was against their rival, Villa Duchesne, who won by many
points last year. The the 200 Medley Relay team lined up behind the block and prepared to begin the meet and the season. Lauren Massot, freshman, Kaitlin Kittleson, sophomore, Leah Votava, junior, and Ellie Straub, senior, not only beat Villa and won the meet, but also broke the school record with a time of 1:58.03. A couple meets later, the relay broke their own record again by more than a second with a time of 1:56.83. The state cut time this year in the relay is 1:58.99. “Making state was the best feeling ever. I couldn’t believe the time we got and how easily and early we achieved our goal,” said Votava. Last year, the 200 Medley Relay team went to state after easily making the state cut and breaking the school record. The team placed twenty-ninth with a time of 1:58.89. “Honestly I wasn’t expecting to make state that first meet because we were out of shape and just getting back into swimming. I was expecting the state time to be something we work up to throughout the season. I was so excited and proud of all of us,” said Kittleson. This is Kittelson’s second season swimming with the team. Last season, Kittleson barely missed the state cut in the 100 breaststroke by about 1 second several different times. The cut this year is 1:12.49. Although the state cut got faster, so did Kittelson. “Getting the state cut in the 100
breaststroke is one of my goals for this season. Although the time has been lowered this year, I am determined to get it. I even made a bet with our assistant coach that if I make state she will dye her hair blue for the state meet,” said Kittelson. Marjean Kempen, assistant coach, is a new addition to the team this year. Since the team is so large this year, Kempen helps run the practices. “Assistant coach Kempen has added so much in terms of coaching skills, passion for the sport and just plain lovin’ the girls!” said Kent Kehr, head coach. Another important new member of the team is Lauren Massot, freshman, who swims year-round on the highest level of Parkway Swim Club. Massot qualified for state in the 200 Medley Relay, 100 backstroke, and 100 butterfly all in the first meet. The state time for the 100 back is 1:04.49, and Massot swam a 1:01.54, beating the time by nearly three seconds. “My favorite event is the 100 back. I am excited to swim the event at state,” said Massot. Massot will also be swimming the 100 butterfly at state this year. The cut is 1:02.99, which Massot achieved by swimming a 1:02.63. “Lauren adds speed and skill with a dose of humility. She has helped rewrite the 200 Medley Relay record and is zeroing in on the the back record. With all her talents, her greatest is just how humble she is on the deck and with the other team members. Great to see God working in her heart that way!” said Kehr. Not only is the girls’ swim team exceptionally good this year, the team is also the biggest it has ever been. Fifty-two swimmers are on the team, which is ten more than last year. “This is my first year on the team. I signed up for the swim team because everyone says swimming is fun and I wanted to experience
Kaitlin Kittelson, sophomore, Lauren Massot, freshman, Leah Votava, junior, and Ellie Straub, senior, smile right after swimming the 200 Medley Relay. Photo by: Megan Galvin
a new sport,” said Olivia Coomes, sophomore. Many students joined the team because the swim team is known for it’s camaraderie. “It was a challenge at first, but we’ve been able to work through the numbers so I think everyone is getting the coaching and competition they need,” said Kehr. Ellie Straub, senior, is captain of the swim team. Straub specializes in the 100 free and the 100 back. Straub is also going to state in the 200 Medley Relay, swimming the freestyle leg. “My favorite part about this year is our 200 Medley Relay. We have worked so hard to perfect every little thing in that relay, and it’s so exciting to keep trying to break the record every meet. That’s the first event, so when we win that event, it pumps us up for the rest of the meet and it gets us ready to perform well in our other events,” said Straub. So far, the team is 9-2. They have defeated teams including Villa Duchesne, Ursuline, and Visitation. The teams two losses are to rivals MICDS and St. Joe. “I love how close this team is, even though it’s large in numbers. I really like how everyone lifts up the others both in respect and encouragement,” said Kehr. The swimmers never fail to create a cheerful atmosphere. Whether it is singing for two hours
Kittleson swims the 100 breaststroke. Photo by: Megan Galvin
Abby Nixon, junior, spends time with her teammates during a meet. Photo by: Megan Galvin
straight on a bus ride home from Cape Girardeau, or yelling their aquatic cheer before a meet, the swim team continues to be joyful. “I will miss our team so much next year. I’ve grown really close to a lot of the girls and it’s been
Athlete of The Month
really fun to swim with some of my best friends throughout the years. I’ll also really miss Coach Kempen because this is her first year with the team and she is so great at encouraging us and getting us pumper for our races,” said Straub.
20 B A C K P A G E
Westminster Christian Academy
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January 2013