Inside the issue
Golf p. 17
Seniors p. 2
May 2013
800 Maryville Centre Drive, Town and Country, MO 63017
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Rain Delays p. 18
Westminster Christian Academy
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May
2013
A New Job, Not Retirement, Up Next For Jim Marsh When one thinks of Westminster it is hard to help but picture Jim
Marsh, head of school, walking the halls or collecting trinkets from seniors as they walk across the stage at graduation. But next year he will move on from Westminster to become the Director of the Van Lunen Center. The Van Lunen Center teaches and mentors heads of Christian schools in the management aspects of what it takes to lead their schools. “The mission of the Van Lunen Center is to provide world-class executive management education essential to the future of schools based on the historic Christian faith. Our vision includes robust, flourishing networks of Christian schools led by individuals who are dynamic executives and model management from a faith perspective” according to the Van
Lunen Center website. The fact that The Van Lunen Center chose Marsh as the director speaks very highly about his character. He will be the third Director of the center when current interim Director Dr. Bruce Hekman steps down at the end of June. The Van Lunen Center is headquartered at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Marsh will be an adjunct professor at Calvin. However, he will be leading the Center remotely from St. Louis. Marsh will play a pivotal role in many peoples lives as he will be influencing not only the headmasters of Christian schools directly but all of the faculty and students that these headmasters will lead in turn. On top of Marsh’s job at The Van Lunen Center he will be assisting Dr. Tom Stoner in the transition into his position as the head of school here at Westminster. This does in fact mean that Marsh will still spend some time at WCA. Marsh looks forward to his grandchildren starting at Westminster and he hopes to remain an active member of the WCA community
Jim Marsh, head of school, will continue to be involved at WCA as he assists Dr. Tom Stoner to transition into the role he is leaving.
“I do not consider myself to be retiring. I plan to continue working and serving the cause of Christian education in whatever way God leads and guides,” said Marsh. Marsh believes that God is
Lights,Camera, Seminar!
This summer, Westminster is premiering a new seminar for rising freshman through seniors, to Chicago and New York City. On June 17, thirteen eager students will board a bus in the Westminster parking lot with the hopes of reaching their first destination: Chicago, then hopping on a plane to fly off to their second: New York City.
This ten day trip will consist of seeing sights, taking improv classes, sitting in on architecture lectures, and nights on the town
Larry Hughes, head seminar instructor for the Chicago/NYC summer seminar. Photo By: Andrea Reed
JSB Standouts P. 16
to see some of the most famous productions in some of the most historical theatres in the United States. Westminster has substituted this seminar into the slot that was originally occupied by the trip to New England, and decided that a summer trip dedicated to strictly fine arts and theatre would appeal to more different part of the student body. “I am so excited for this seminar! I can’t wait to go back to Chicago and New York City and see all the shows and see the sights!” said Annie Canfield, junior. The students will spend the week
pointing him in a new direction and it is time to give up being the head of school and pass the baton to somebody else who can carry Westminster into the future. “God has provided me with 28
wonderful years as Head of School at WCA. My heart will always be with WCA and I plan to continue to be an active member of the WCA community for many years to come,” said Marsh.
and a half playing tourist; exploring both cities and learning about their backgrounds as well. After being in high school productions, this is a great chance for these high school students interested in pursuing theatre in future years to see how it’s applied in the real world. The main goal is to expose the students to see how professional actors live, performance techniques, and how their lives are affected by living in the “big city”. The directors of Westminster’s drama department, Jim Butz and Helen Scott, as well as bible teacher Larry Hughes and his wife, will serve as the chaperones and directors of this trip. “This is a more education based seminar than we have previously had, and I am looking forward to the different types of artistic expression we will be
experiencing- art, architecture, Broadway and Improv.” said Scott. This seminar is a drastic change compared to trips in the past, and other current seminars. The other seminars offered this summer to students are South Korea, Oregon, Gettysburg, and South Dakota. All of these trips except Korea have a component where students spend time outside in the wilderness hiking, biking, and experiencing nature. They’re all different because they are targeted towards different audiences and hobbies. Given there is a lot of traveling and money involved, this new adventure holds much promise for a new seminar to be inducted into the ones Westminster now has, and open doors to prospective students who are interested in pursuing the fine arts.
2 community
Westminster Christian Academy
May 2013
Middle School Memories from the
Class of 2013 Dominic Baressi
Michelle Bonaquisti
Brooke Cusumano
Julia Davis
Michael Dudley
Kaylie Duke
“In eighth grade, we had the best science teacher ever, Mr. West. Every day, whenever he said something funny, we would write it down. We compiled all the ‘Mr. West Quotes’ to give to him as a birthday present at the end of the year. We threw a huge party on his birthday: we played games including ‘Pin the Beard on Mr. West,’ decorated the entire eighth grade hallway with beards and signs, wrapped his door in Spongebob wrapping paper, and made cupcakes with beards on them. It’s safe to say that it was one of the funniest classes I’ve ever been a part of.” -Kaylie Duke
Jesse Gruneisen
Jacob Hicks
Joe Isaacs
Bennett Lewis
Grace Linton
Cole Montgomery
“When I had a crush on Grace Linton in seventh grade, we sang ‘Your Grace is Enough’ in chapel and everyone turned around and looked at me.” -Ben Lovell
Drake Norman
Coby Nye
Annie Rebbe
Sam Sherman
Brendan Terbrock
From back in the day... Jeremy Blanchard
Steven Daniel
Drew Haynes
Gayeong Lee
Ross Munroe
Sarah Nelcamp
Harmony Peterson
Della Woodward
community
Student Testimonials May 2013
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Westminster Christian Academy
Students have been giving their personal testimonies in chapel this year to better connect with the student body. Chapel the past couple of years has been set up to where primarily only administrators, teachers, and speakers from the community have come in and given an encouraging message to the students. This year chapel was structured so that speakers taught on the foundation of the gospel in first semseter. Second semester was
then meant to show students how they can live spiritually disciplined and live out what they have learned. Each week the student spiritual life team meets to discuss what each chapel will look like. These students, chapel band, along with other teachers work alongside Tim Holley, spiritual life director, to make chapel meaningful. The goal of chapel was to teach and encourage students so that they have something to build off of when they hear personal stories towards the end of the year. An effective way to reach the student body is to have students give their take on struggles and problems that they face. It is easier for students to relate to struggles of their peers. “I wanted to speak in chapel because I felt like I had a message people should hear. Service, which is what I spoke on, is something I am passionate about. I wanted people to hear my heart behind it. I talked about service and loving other people, and that being a
pivotal part about being a Christian. speak in front of the whole school. done this and that since I shared Love God, and then love people, High school is the time when most my story with them. Though that that was the heart of it. Also, I felt people are trying to figure out was scary, if my story helped one like I had a life story that many who they are and who they want other student then it was definitely Westminster kids could relate to, to be, so putting themselves in the worth it,” said Sadie Stipanovich, and I wanted them to see where I spotlight is not an easy place to be. senior. Many people do made mistakes and not realize how much learn from them,” preparation goes into said Nathan Arnold, speaking at chapel. senior. People from student This year many spiritual life have seniors have given spoken at chapel, their testimonies and they recommend about what they students that they think have been through would have a story and what God has worth hearing. done in their life. Once a student Sadie Stipanovich, agrees or asks to speak Elise Hearne, at chapel, they meet Nathan Arnold, with Holley to talk Mitch Penning, about their story. They Mandy Scott, Ben write a detailed outline, Lovell, seniors, have review it with Holley, all gone out of their make changes, and then comfort zones and write out their whole revealed some of the talk. Then they meet darkest and hardest with Holley again to times of their life. discuss it and make it “I wanted to better. After all of this, convey the healing they give their talk power of God and multiple times so that what he can do in they are ready to speak people’s lives. He to the student body. has done so much in “It excites me to hear my life so I feel like students speak in a I can relate to what clear way what God has I see other students put on their heart while going through. I was speaking truth on the nervous when Mr. gospel,” said Holley. Holley asked me to These students speak, but as it got Mitch Penning, senior, gives his personal testimony to the whole student body have talked on hard closer to that time during chapel. Photo By: Summer Smith topics rather than just I got more excited “It was probably one of the most avoiding them and brushing the than anything. I did not want to offend anyone with my message nerve-racking experiences of my surface. Some weeks, chapel has because sometimes the truth is hard life because I was making myself been separated boys and girls and to hear, but I knew that they would vulnerable in front of the whole even middle school and upper be offended by the message and school. After I spoke, I received a school so that the messages can not by me,” said Mitch Penning, lot of positive feedback, but I knew relate specifically to that gender or walking down the hall people were age group. senior. “I think that separating the It is not easy for a student to thinking that I was the girl that had
Blue Man Suits
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“Job” No Locks on Lockers
guys and girls is good because it is something different and it breaks the flow of chapel. It also gives students the opportunity to become vulnerable to their friends (of the same gender) instead of the whole school. I think that student testimonies are good because I am listening to people who are in the same place as me and wrestling with similar things. It is different to hear from adults because you sometimes get the feeling that they are beyond your struggles and are telling you what to do,” said Ben Lovell, senior. Teachers and administrators are going through different situations than high school students. The chapel audience is primarily students so it makes sense to target the student body. However, the teachers that have spoken have spread insight on important topics and students look up to them. Because of this, the bulk of teacher speakers spoke at the beginning of the year to teach and share what they know to be another building block for students to work off of. The speakers that share what is on their heart take a risk to encourage others in the Westminster community. “The challenge of chapel in my two years of doing this job is that everyone has an opinion on how it should be done. Everyone’s coming from a different perspective and opinion. Some days after chapel a student could walk out feeling that it was not applicable, but they do not realize that it could have impacted someone else in another way. A chapel that means something to them may not affect someone else. The hope is through a variety of music and speakers is to create a meaningful experience for our comunity,” said Holley.
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4 community
Westminster Christian Academy
May 2013
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community 5 Inside the Cycle of TWITTMINSTER Scheduling May 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
A year-long process broken down Imagine a place where classes were picked, scheduling meetings took place, and everyone was peachy keen with their new schedule for the upcoming year. Now, stop dreaming. Students know how much of a pain scheduling is on their end, but in the world of Corey Snyder, Registrar,
scheduling is a more complicated process than most students could imagine. The process starts in mid to late January when Snyder holds a parent informational meeting. Then, course selection sheets are passed out to students to choose next year’s classes. This is followed by individual meetings between students and schedulers. Course requests are put into the computer, and transcripts are also printed for seniors. All of this happens in late January through February, and this part of the process is, for the most part, the only part students will see. Course selections are then mailed home for parents to review. This information is given to Jim Sefrit, Head of Upper School, and Scott Holley, Academic Dean, for them to determine how many sections of the courses to offer and whether any courses need to be eliminated due to low interest. After this information is in, it is used to figure out teaching assignments and whether or not new teachers need to be hired. This takes place around March and April. “As you can see, these are pretty significant decisions from both a logistical and financial perspective and are based upon student requests which is why schedule changes later are a big deal,” said Snyder. There is a deadline around the middle of April where all students should stop requesting changes to their classes, but it is commonly overlooked. “Many people do not pay attention to this deadline. Once I begin creating the schedule, any changes must wait until the schedules are published at the end of June to the beginning of July,”
said Snyder. Snyder runs the schedule builder about one hundred times, each time creating different placement of classes and schedules for students. He tries to get six models with a good percentage of students scheduled. Making sure no classes overlap in each student’s schedule, Snyder chooses chooses the best model. “With the best model, I list out all of the classes by department and period to look for balance. Balance is needed within the department, within classes that meet in the same grade level so that there isn’t an overload in any period, and within the period,” said Snyder. Then, Snyder makes one change at a time to make sure spaces in the building work out for each class. He also tries to make sure that each student can take the classes he or she requested. To evaluate the effects of his changes, he checks to see whether more or less students were able to be scheduled after the change. “I probably do this about 50-100 times with different changes,” said Snyder.
Jonny Kinney
that there is balance between the two lunches. The goal is to avoid disruptions to classes in session during lunch times with students in the hallways, etc.,” said Snyder. In June, Snyder individually meets with new students and parents to fit them into the schedule. In early July, schedules are uploaded to Veracross and released to the students. The day that schedules are finally released, Snyder gets a flood of emails from parents and students asking for more changes to their schedule. “I believe that I got around 50 the first day last July. I was sitting by the pool with my family. I technically am out of the office for the month of July so I make sure that I sort these emails and keep track of them. I do stop by the office periodically in July to do some of that work because if I waited until I returned in August, I would not be able to get to it all,” said Snyder. In August and at the beginning of the school year, more schedule changes are made, about 250 in total. Snyder is given a much needed break from scheduling until the beginning of the second semester when around 200 more schedule changes are made. In a student body of around 760 to 780 students, 450 schedule changes are made over the course of the entire year. “Once the schedule changes end in January, we are back at step one above with the Parent Meeting in mid-late January for the next school year,” said Snyder. Besides his position as Registrar, Snyder’s other jobs include football coaching and teaching science in the upper school. Putting together students’ schedules takes up much time in his own busy schedule. Mrs. Richardson, Upper School Administrative Assistant, helps him get everything done. “I would be remiss if I didn’t say how much Mrs. Richardson helps me. She handles all of the appointment scheduling for my meetings with new families in June, sends out transcripts and report cards for transferring students are insurance companies, and a ton of other things that I just don’t have time to do,” said Snyder.
Anyone know what kind of toys McDonald’s has now???
Erin Bognar
These people have been sleeping for 5 hours and I’m running on 2 hours of sleep and I’m hyper I’m the energizer bunny
Brendan Terbrock
JSB made me realize how much I will miss everyone next year. I’m so thankful for the memories which I will never forget. I love all of you!
haha swag WCA probz
Mr. Snyder runs the schedule builder about one hundred times, each time creating a different placement of classes and schedules for students. After he gets the model structured in the best way that he can, study halls are added in, and if a student has more than one study hall in a semester, that has to be manually changed. In the end, around five to ten students’ schedules are impossible to fix, so that means they have to change something or pick a different course. Then, Snyder organizes the lunches. “Usually upstairs classes are B lunch and downstairs are A lunch, but there have to be some exceptions in order to make sure
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6 community
Westminster Christian Academy
May 2013
WCA Makes Significant Budget Cuts for 2013
Westminster’s money supply is running low. Photo by: Jill Coyne
Debt is something that affects countless American people and businesses. When faced with such a problem, individuals can make one of two choices: keep spending money and not worry about the consequences, or look at the situation practically and make cuts. Sadly, the average American
goes with the first, but WCA has gone with the latter. Faced with a high debt to pay off, Westminster has cut their spending in hopes to be debt-free sooner. Westminster, like most private schools, relies on donations to keep the school running so that tuition can remain relatively low. Donations cover approximately eight percent of WCA’s operating budget. “For many years now, Westminster has relied only on giving to provide for new programs, new facilities, and managing any debt. As a Christian school,
we exist as a ministry and are dependent upon our Lord to provide through the generous giving of the Christian community,” said Zach Clark, director of advancement. This past year, Westminster’s goal of receiving $5 million through donations was not met. However, the amount given, $3.4 million, allowed the school to meet immediate payment requirements. “We are tracking on our budget needs as it relates to giving, which means we have the cash needed on hand to meet our obligations. At this point, we need about $500,000 in giving prior to the end of July,” said Clark. Westminster is implementing changes in order to reconcile their current problem. “We revised our budget for the 2013-14 school year so that it is less reliant on donations. In order to maintain a balanced budget, we had to reduce expenses by $500,000. Because 80 percent of our operating budget is comprised of employee costs, unfortunately this is an area that had to be reduced in order to balance the
budget,” said Todd Fuller, director of finance and operations. Some personnel decisions were made in light of the budget deficit although specifics were not available. However, it is known that the athletic trainer, Kim Bruhn’s, contract was not renewed. The nighttime custodial staff was also reduced and teachers have had to pitch in with some aspects of cleaning their rooms. “One of our main objectives during the process of revising the budget was to minimize the impact this would have on what happens in the classroom between students and teachers. The positions that we’ve eliminated because of the need to reduce expenses are all outside of the classroom,” said Fuller. With present circumstances, it’s inevitable that students are upset with the administration’s decision. They have considered signing a petition. “As a football manger, I’ve seen firsthand that Kim is more than just a trainer. She really cares about all the athletes and she’s always there
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to make sure everyone is okay and to keep them healthy. I will be sad to see her go because she is a huge part of the team,” said Julia Alpert, junior. However, the students are not
the ones faced with a high debt to pay off. The faculty did not receive as big of a raise this year as they did last year. It is uncertain whether or not employee benefits will be affected. ‘Faculty raises have already been announced at 2%. There is a possibility that the budget reduction may have an impact on benefits but we won’t address this until we see where enrollment lands in the Fall. If enrollment is strong enough, we may not have to impact any of the benefits. Conversely, if we don’t reach our enrollment projection, we’ll need to make additional adjustments to balance the budget which may include adjusting benefits such as the retirement match,” said Fuller. Contrary to the American government, the administration strives to stay within their budget and not overspend. Although making budget cuts is difficult, it is necessary. “Budget decisions are always challenging, because they almost always impact us personally. But, I’m very thankful for the wisdom and discernment of our school leadership making tough decisions that will keep Westminster flourishing and getting better every year,” said Clark.
A Quick Look at the Problem: 1. Donations cover 8% of WCA’s operating costs. 2. The $5 million donation goal fell short by $1.6 million. 3. The 2013 donation goal will be adjusted to correspond with the actual results of 2012. 4. Expenses now must be reduced by $500,000. 5. Personnel decisions are inevitable because 80% of WCA’s operating costs consist of employee costs.
life
May 2013
A New Era
STUCO will be getting a new advisor for the first time in 10 years. It has been nearly ten years since Student Council has had a change at the top, but in a few weeks, Susie Pike will step down from her post as advisor and pass the baton to a new leader. While Pike has crafted this group
into an integral part of the WCA community it was the Drexlers who took STUCO and made it what it is today. While many students do not even know the name Drexler, they were pivitol in making STUCO more about student enjoyment.
everyone to experience it,” said Pike. Another thing that has changed in recent years is the Spring Event. The event used to be the biggest event that STUCO hosted, even bigger than Christmas Banquet (which reached a new attendance high this year with 510 students attending). The theme used to change every year, but after noticing that the Western theme was a fan favorite, the decision was made to stick with that theme. But looking forward to the future, many things come to mind. Will events change? Will everything change, or will everything stay the same? But if you ask Pike theres only one thing that comes to mind. “I want STUCO to be more about leadership, and less about
Westminster Christian Academy
Abby Becker, Class of 2011, Named Editor-In-Chief of UW-Wisconsin’s “The Daily Cardinal”
Abigail Becker, Class of 2011, poises with an issue of The Daily Cardinal with a fellow staff member. Becker has been involved with The Daily Cardinal since her freshman year. Photo Courtesy Of: Abigail Becker.
As an inexperienced, eager junior walking into Westminster Christian Academy’s newspaper room, Abigail Becker, class of 2011, never imagined she would be opening the door to a lifelong passion.
Susie Pike, STUCO adviser, stands next to her many protriats of past and current Student Councils. Pike has served as head of Student Council for 9 years. Photo by: Eichel Davis
But now, when students think of STUCO, they think of Susie Pike. Pike came to WCA in 1992 as the technology teacher, and will leave after finishing her 21st year. In that time, she began overseeing Junior Senior Banquet, a role she held for five years until 2008. She did not take up the role of STUCO advisor until 2004. In that time events have grown greatly and STUCO’s role in student activities has become larger. “When I first became head of STUCO, the carnival was sponsored by the juniors. But that year, it became part of STUCO, something that has lasted ever since,” said Pike. Carnival in recent years has exploded with the school, now being by far the biggest event that the school hosts. Last year’s event broke the record for the most profitable Carnival ever. Also under Mrs. Pike, the Leadership retreat was created in its current form. “It used to be that only Student Council went on the retreat, but we thought it would be good for
putting on great events, becuase I know that the events will be great, but developing great leaders is more important than anything,” said Pike. Students also have an idea about what they want out of STUCO, since it is their most direct line to their student leaders. Student Council itself has grown quite a bit. In 2004 only 5 people from each grade were allowed to hold seats on the Council. In the 2013-2014, the number rests at 8, bringing the total number of students on the council to 34. And with that, there are the members of Student Council who will be affected by this transition. No matter what happens with Student Council, it will continue to turn out some of WCA’s best leaders. Student Council members have gone on to be great leaders in college and beyond. But more importantly Student Council will continue to represent our school and the individuals in it. It has become one of the few places where students of all grades mingle and mix on a normal basis.
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“I was never one of those kids who can say they’ve always known what they want to be when they grow up. But I have always known that I enjoy writing and talking to people, which fits in very well with the field of journalism,” said Becker. Becker believes that her time as a writer and eventually an editor on The Wildcat Roar was an incredibly positive experience that not only helped her grow as a writer, but also as a person. It gave her the chance to pursue her personal interests, taught her the fundamentals of journalism, and helped her mature as an independent student. “I loved my time working at The Wildcat Roar. Mr. Vonder Bruegge fostered a very productive work environment. The casual, low-key environment really taught me to be proactive and independent in my work. In college, time isn’t blocked out like during high school, so you have the appearance of a lot of free time,” said Becker. When considering where to attend college and what exactly to pursue after graduation, Becker took the time to consider all her options. She had personal dreams, and was not afraid to chase after what she truly wanted, even if it meant diving head first into uncharted territory. “I loved the idea of attending a large university away from home in a place where I wouldn’t know anyone. I think the idea of branching out and creating a life of your own outside of the familiar confines of family, high school friends and hometown is a really beneficial experience. It teaches you to be independent,” said
Becker. This fearless determination and personal independence stuck with her as she made her decision and committed to University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Big Ten state school more than five hours away from her hometown of Saint Louis, Missouri. “UW-Madison perfectly fits my personality. It provides the big college experience while offering small classes and a multitude of student organizations to get involved in,” said Becker. Regardless of the distance, Becker found herself returning to roots that had been planted inside of her during her high school career. Before she knew it, she was taking an interest in The Daily Cardinal, an independent and entirely student run newspaper on the campus of UW-Wisconsin. The staff, the stories and the vision of the paper appealed to the inquisitive writer inside of her. “The Daily Cardinal provides an environment that welcomes anyone. No one is paid at the paper, and n one spends between 40 and 50 hours a week on something they don’t love. At the paper, staff members can choose their level of involvement. Staff writers and photographers can choose how often they work for the paper, which can vary from covering one event a week, being a beat writer or writing every day. From my experience, once someone gets involved it’s hard to stay away,” said Becker. This was exactly the case with Becker. Her involvement started off minimal but quickly increased. Writing for The Daily Cardinal started to become an important part of her life, and also an activity she enjoyed tremendously. It didn’t take long for her talent and dedication to the paper to become evident to her peers on staff. “I began writing for The Daily Cardinal for the campus and college news desks. I was an ASM (Associated Students of Madison, student council) beat writer and covered various campus news events. Toward the end of my first semester freshmen year, I was approached by the News Managing Editor, City News Editor and
Campus News Writer to be the City News Editor. I willingly accepted even though I had never written a city article before but the City News Editor at the time trained me and taught me all she knew,” said Becker. Becoming a writer for The Daily Cardinal and eventually an Editor allowed Becker to investigate and write about different topics and events that interested her. A few of the standouts were the city’s controversial operating and capital budget approval process, Occupy Madison and the school’s infamous, end of the year Mifflin Street Block Party. These experiences were not only interesting, but also very beneficial to her growth as a reporter and writer. After working so hands on in the UW-Madison community and with The Daily Cardinal, Becker had realized her passion and was ready to make even bigger commitments to the paper. “After my term as City News Editor, I took on the task of creating the Social Media Manager position, which includes being responsible for maintaining The Daily Cardinal’s presence on Twitter and Facebook in addition to creating online content to enhance news articles. When the current Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor announced it was time to start training new candidates, I put my name in,” said Becker. Her hard work and obvious love for her school and the paper earned her the title of Editorin-Chief. Her plans and vision for The Daily Cardinal are big and continuing to expand. They include, “interweaving all aspects of The Daily Cardinal Media Corporation to create a cohesive print paper, website and social media presence.” Becker’s plans for her future are just as ambitious, and she is just as dedicated to making them a reality. She plans to continue to pursue journalism, hoping to one day be a reporter for a daily newspaper. She’s not exactly sure where she will be but she is positive that her experiences at WCA and with The Daily Cardinal will be instrumental in her success.
8 life
Westminster Christian Academy
Home Packed in a Suitcase: Missionary Kids
A few students in WCA have shared the “missionary kid” status for most of their lives.
May 2013
Why Not College? Two WCA senior girls have chosen to go to the Kanakuk Link- year program instead of heading straight into college.
The Link Year logo courtesy of: Adam Donyes
Jacob Thomas, his brothers, Bo and Sam, and a bunch of missionary kids gather for a picture at a staff conference in Ukraine. Photo by: Jacob Thomas.
Missionary kids are what most people label children who have been raised abroad by their missionary parents. For a few students and their families at WCA, this lifestyle has been no anomaly for them. This sort of life includes learning more than one language and assimilating to the culture while befriending kids unlike them. When Jacob Thomas, senior, was two and a half years old, his parents decided to move to L’Viv, Ukraine. Previously his parents had done some shorter stint missions
where they lived in Romania for a year. They traveled around Europe unofficially, which meant they had cover stories. Although there were international schools for children of diplomats and missionaries, Jacob and his siblings were homeschooled. Due to this, Thomas’ exposure to Ukrainian cultural was minimal. The city in which his family resided in was very isolated – many residents kept to themselves, so it was hard to interact with kids his age. While living in Ukraine, Thomas could speak the native language fluently and often trekked around Europe and experienced other cultures. When his parents scheduled events, he helped. He and his siblings would set up for the marriage conference his parents conducted and helped with a similar kind of vacation Bible school in the Carpathian Mountains. “I loved traveling around Europe and also not growing up in the American culture,” said Thomas. In 2008, Thomas’ family moved to Texas because his father wanted to become a pastor. In August of
2011, his family moved north, for his father had landed a pastoral job at a church in Illinois. For the time being, his family plans to reside in the States. WCA student, Samuel Wos, senior, is another such “missionary kid” who learned to live out of a suitcase since 1999 when his parents felt the calling to a life of mission work in South Africa. “I enjoyed living with the kids there because they were my friends mostly. They were just really fun people to be around, really fun and relaxed, and the people there are just humble and kind as well,” said Wos. Stationed in the coastal city of Cape Town, South Africa, Wos’ family became immersed into the culture. Although South Africa is a land of eleven national languages, Wos knew one – English – when he arrived. While being there, he learned two languages, Afrikaans and Xhosa, that he took in school. Since Wos’ parents wanted their work to be a family ministry, Wos and his siblings would engage and relate to students who came to events. His parents were involved in campus ministries with university and college students. In the last three years in South Africa, the Wos family switched focus to sport ministry. Specifically, they became involved in soccer for the World Cup. Wos would often help his dad with soccer training sessions and tournaments. Last year in January 2012, the Wos family moved back to St. Louis to stay in the States for good. Wos’ parents decided to switch mission fields to global sports outread group. Although moving back and forth to another country and trying to assimilate to the culture can be a challenge, Thomas and Wos have adjusted and enjoyed it. Their experiences were starkly different since one lived in Europe and the other in Africa. However, their “missionary kid” status gave them a taste of other cultures and helped them appreciate the experience.
A four-year college institution is not the place for everyone to start. Two seniors, Emily Orf and Mary Snapp, have decided to take a different route instead of going straight to college. Both will be attending the Kanakuk Link Year program. “Link year is associated with Kanakuk camps. I have been going to Kanakuk for a while and I heard about it while I was there for the past few years. It’s a new program, but I love camp so I was interested in the program also. After a lot of prayer and thinking, it just was the best option for me right now and so now I am so excited,” said Snapp. This program is a nine-month
post- high school program that is designed to build a solid Christian foundation for every student. “I chose to do Link year instead of go straight into a four year university because it had everything I was looking for in a college. It is close to home, but not too close. Also, it’s small, and in or near a college town,” said Orf. The students live in a dorm like setting on the K-Kauai campus. The campus is located in Branson, MO. None of the dorms on the campus are co-ed. Students earn college credits through John Brown University. Like most major universities, students are allowed to bring their cars and to hold jobs while enrolled. “It’s different because it isn’t a college. I will be living at one of the camps during the year, but the family camp which is much nicer and has actual buildings. So my room looks basically like any other dorm room with a roommate and a community bathroom but just a whole lot smaller. Although I can take college courses that are offered, most of the learning is about different subjects and isn’t in a specific class. Incorporated in the month of February we all spend that month abroad and also do a lot in the community,” said Snapp. Most students attend link year straight after their senior year of
high school, but students may also attend after their freshman year of college. “The link-year program is a gap year for students usually who have just graduated high school. It allows students to get ready for college and know what they believe and why, and to do things that they might not have time for in college. With this program we will also travel abroad a bit and go on mission trips,” said Snapp. Link-year is made to help students in every way spiritually before they go to college and both of these students are taking advantage of it. Students attend spiritual building activities throughout the year “I chose to go to link-year before truly starting college because I wish to be more ready for college and grow stronger in my faith before going off to college,” said Orf. A student’s admission depends on academics, test scores, extracurricular activities and similar criteria. The students are then offered entrance upon a first come, first served basis. “If someone wants to do the Link year program, the acceptance process is not too hard. You have to have the required GPA and everything any other college would require. They’re partnered with John Brown University, so the student has to apply to JBU and get accepted,” said Orf. The program still works a little different then other schools’ application processes. “It actually is not that difficult to apply. There is an application process like a college might have, but it’s smaller, and this is also based on how many people have applied. Since only a certain amount of kids can be in the program at a time, they have to cut the number off, and so program is sometimes run on a first come first served basis if you are qualified,” said Snapp. Unlike most major universities, the students have a curfew and are not allowed to be in the opposite sex dorm rooms. “The college helps to get students into a routine of having a quiet time and ‘thinking God’ every day,” said Orf. The program is set up to help the students every day get in a better
state of mind. “Its so focused on helping me grow in my faith that I am just so excited to be in this next year. Throughout the year you are mentored and you take classes about the Bible and just being a Christian and the whole environment is to help encourage and challenge you in your walk with Christ. I’m so excited to see what God can do with this next year in my life,” said Snapp. A normal day and week at Linkyear is much different then an every day college routine. “I think it sort of depends, but I know that each week a different speaker comes in and he will teach that week, and so you have classes. Then a lot of people get either jobs or internships in the area and people do that or volunteer somewhere. The staff also plans a lot of different events, and Mondays are always mystery Mondays, so each Monday something different or fun happens. So in this you’re learning a lot but also having so much fun,” said Snapp. The environment of this program is immensely different than that of a normal four-year college. “The whole reason for this program is a lot different than college. We are there not just for an education but to grow in our faith and be encouraged. It is also so much of a smaller community. I think there are supposed to be only around 40 people next year and so you get to know everyone as well as all the staff pretty well,” said Snapp. Both hope to get similar things out of the program that a four year university would not give them. “I am so excited to learn more about the Bible, and spend time being mentored and the opportunity to travel abroad, and learn more about what I would like to do and study in college,” said Snapp. The program gives students ample opportunities to go fishing, hiking, and exploring all around the Ozarks and globally around the world. Any students that wish to tour the facilities can call and schedule one any time during the school year. All of the information about the Link year program at Kanakuk can be found at www.linkyearkanakuk. org.
opinions 9
May 2013
Seniors’ Last Night on Campus On April 30th, the night before the seniors’ last day of school, most students from the senior class came to WCA at around 11:00 PM and stayed the night in the parking lot and on the football field. They woke up the next morning and rode scooters around and blasted music from the parking lot. For most, it was an unforgettable way to end their last night as seniors at WCA.
Ryan Conaghan “My favorite part of the night was getting the chance to bond with all my friends for the last time before high school ends.”
Taylor Deves “The highlight of my night was definitely making the back of Ben Mitchell’s truck into a pool. We filled it with water and stayed in it for a long time.. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that night”
Drew Pfyl “Me and some of my friends went to Uncle Bill’s at like 2:30 in the morning and then came back and spent the night. We all had such a good time.”
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Westminster Christian Academy
Emotion During Tragedy A look at how we respond to deadly news in the wake of the Boston bombings How do we respond to terror? Initial worry for personal safety. “Should we go out to the country? How safe is St. Louis?” Then a pang of grief. The solemnity of the situation sets in and those attempts to lighten the mood after the initial news now seem totally inappropriate and out of place. We spend nights in front of the TV on CNN. There is panic and empathy, supreme love for the victims and deep hate for the suspects. With a pressure cooker and a few explosives, two men were able to strike fear into an entire nation. The question of how and why a man could do something so disgustingly cowardly is for the talented investigators and police currently interrogating the suspects. The immediate response is not and should not be investigation. The immediate response is overwhelming empathy. The love out poured for the city of Boston was astounding and inspiring. From all corners of the country, messages of comfort from social media and vigils helped to comfort the city in the confusion and restore some semblance of sanity to the situation. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino announced the formation of the The One Fund, an organization that takes donations and seeks “to help the people most affected by the tragic events that occurred in Boston on April 15, 2013.” In response, Twitter donated a promoted trend for #OneBoston, a way for the city to rally and support one another. That donation is no empty gesture, as brands routinely pay over $200,000 to reserve that space. Other cities across the United States have offered comfort and love to the people of Boston in their time of need. Buildings in Boston and New York were lit up Monday evening in tribute to the victims of the earlier explosions. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology was lit into an American Flag scheme to show support, and a projector was used to show messages of love and support on the Brooklyn Art Museum’s walls. And even the Chicago Tribune offered a message of support, referencing Boston’s proud sports traditions and teams in a full page ad. Aside from empathy, enormous pride is placed in the first responders who risked their own safety to take care of those injured. Sports Illustrated honored some of those police officers who immediately leapt to help those affected by the bombing by including them on the cover of their latest article, a picture that has rapidly circulated around the internet. President Obama took the time to share his admiration for the first responders during a speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner. The President said, “As I got the chance to meet some of the first responders in Boston, some of the police officers and volunteers who raced to help when hardship hit, I was reminded about why they do what they do. They don’t do it to be honored. They don’t do it to be celebrated. They do it because they love their families, their neighborhoods and their country.” The love that the nation shows for the heroes and victims of this tragedy, is only matched by the disdain she feels for the men who caused it. The two Boston Bombing suspects were the subjects of almost universal hatred from all corners of the country. Social Media sites were overloaded with threats and promises that American law enforcement would hunt down and deliver justice to the men who orchestrated this destruction.
Cheers of “USA” could be heard on the night that the second suspect was caught after a widespread manhunt, and media anchors were sure to warn audiences that they were coming. Many have been concerned that cheers at the possible death and at least injury of the 19 year old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev could incite violence in other parts of the world. However, revelry at the sight of justice is not inappropriate. After days of living in fear, the terror of a loose combatant ended. The man responsible for a heinous disrespect of human life was in police custody, and although it does not bring back the dead or heal the victims, it put the nation on the path to recovery. Celebration is warranted, and not inappropriate as long as it maintains respect for the situation and reverence for the victims. A n d anger at the suspects and celebration for justice cannot be the only emotions we feel. It is absolutely essential to remember the first hours of empathy and love, and keep the support coming for the Boston community and those directly affected by these deadly attacks. We will never understand how someone could have so little respect for human life, but we must try and understand our own emotion in the days and weeks after a deadly terror attack. In this case, love and justice are going hand in hand.
The question of how and why a man could do something so disgustingly cowardly is for the talented investigators and police currently interrogating the suspects. The immediate response is not and should not be investigation. The immediate response is overwhelming empathy.
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 Section 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
10 F E A T U R E S
Westminster Christian Academy
May 2013
Where are you goi
As the year draws to a close, The Roar profiles some of the top co
University of Alabama “I wanted to go to a college somewhere warm. Also the University of Alabama has an amazing Honors College that is growing (last year’s freshmen Honors College class had about 250 national merit scholars) and has lots of perks, like getting your own room in a Honors Housing suite as a freshman,” said Mattie Drury, senior.
• Great South Eastern Conference school with a lot of spirit • Southern atmosphere • Strong programs in many areas and an aggressive financial aid and scholarship program
University of Arkansas “What I loved about Arkansas was the fact that it is a big school, but it has a small school feel. Right when I walked on campus I felt God leading me there. Also, they have this great tuition break that you automatically receive if you have a certain GPA and ACT score. So that was a big plus as well,” said Kaylee Trost, senior.
• A pretty campus with rolling hills • Llots of school spirit, strong academic programs • ‘Bible Belt’ location assures strong campus ministries • Cost is less expensive than many of our state universities for students with a 3.25 GPA and a 25 ACT or better
Covenant C
“It has a nity that schools there real on a mo said
• Good small col • Southeastern location is popular w mate cam • It’s a true thinker’s college with a body • Neat atmosphere up on • Good Christia
Murray State
“I chose Murray State because a small town and I’ve always wa ed to live in one. It’s also a goo distance from home, plus a goo sized school. I’m looking forwa to meeting new people and gett out into the real world,” said M McFarland, senior.
• Relatively close to home Kentuck • Strong scholarship and fi • ‘Country’ atmosphere i • Medium-Sized
Student photos by Catherine Bakewell and Elise Hearne. University banners courtesy of: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Malone_Hood_Plaza_University_of_Alabama.jpg/800px-Malone_Hood_Plaza large_723271558_face7a8458.jpg (MO State); http://assets.inarkansas.com/9901/the-new-university-of-arkansas-football-center.jpg (U of Arkansas); http://www.murraystate.edu/Libraries/faculty/Sciwebpg4.sflb.ashx (Murray Sta
F E A T U R E S 11
May 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
ing to college?
olleges the class of 2013 will be attending this year.
College
really closeknit commut I didn’t find at the other s I looked at. The people ly care about you. And it’s ountain, so it’s gorgeous,” Katy Chapell, senior.
llege sports with WCA students small intimpus a very philosophical student y Lookout Mountain an school
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Missouri State “I am studying speech pathology and they have a great program. I loved it when I visited. The program I will be in, there are a lot of people from our school who are going there. I like the size of the school,” said Bailey Benes, senior. • Smaller size for a state school (around 20,000 students) • Good financial aid and overall cost • Easy to get around campus • ‘Bible Belt’ location means strong campus ministries are available, • Strong academic programs, particularly in the visual and performing arts, • Springfield is a big enough town not to feel stifling, not too far from home
Calvin College “It’s a Christian school, it’s smaller, the campus is very accessible and pretty. It has a good education, too, and it’s not too far away,” said Leah Janssen, senior. • Great location in Grand Rapids, Michigan • Wonderful size for WCA students (around 4,000 students) • Strong Christian atmosphere • Strong academic programs and sports teams • A plethora of cool WCA teachers who are alumni
a_University_of_Alabama.jpg (U of Alabama); http://www.studentlife.com/sms/modules/locations_extended/slideshows/images/4/aerial.jpg (Covenant); http://cdn.stateuniversity.com/assets/logos/images/11316/ ate); http://www.calvin.edu/chimes/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/treecampususa-254x134.jpg (Calvin College).
12 o p i n i o n s
Westminster Christian Academy
The Difference Between Humanity and Humans One causes evil, and the other fights evil. After the news about the bombing in Boston, I saw a quote circulating the Internet that bothered me, to say the least. “Humanity is good. Some people are terrible and broken, but humanity is good. I believe that” The quote is from Hank Green, a famous YouTuber whom I actually like. The quote was circulating because people were losing their faith in humanity. They want to
believe that humanity is good; it’s only a few humans who are evil. And I can understand that sentiment. But that doesn’t mean I agree with it. It’s the humans who are good, not the humanity. The two are not interchangable--humanity is human nature, humans in their true form. Humans are people, with emotions and morals and ideas-they are more than humanity. What Green essentially said was that human nature is good, but some of the humans are bad. But the humanity--or, rather, human nature-- is evil and vile to the core, and proof of it is found throughout history. The Romans found entertainment in watching young men fight to the death and murder each other, and cheered at spilled blood. They fed Christians to the lions. But, according to Green, humanity is good. Broken, but good. Fast-forward a few centuries, to the 1600s. Slaves, humans who weren’t considered human and treated like animals, came to America for the first time. During 1876, Jim Crow laws are enacted in the United States, separating the population based on race. Whites get better facilities than blacks, all because of the color of their skin. But humanity is good, says Green. In 1914, the world breaks out in war. At least 10 million soldiers die, killed by weapons made by men in the noble art of science. At the time, it was the bloodiest war in history. But humanity is good. In 1939 the world goes to war for the second time. In total, 60 million people were killed. At least 6 million of these deaths were part of the Holocaust. Part of Nazi genocide were medical experiments performed on children by German doctors. But humanity is good. Twelve years ago, on September 11, 2001, terrorists fly two planes into the World Trade Center. Another crashes into the Pentagon. Around 3,000 civilians die. But humanity is good. Now, in 2013, North Korea is threatening war. Venezuelan protesters are killed for wanting freedom and a fair election. A young man guns down dozens of children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Three bombs go off at the Boston marathon, . And yet, people still claim that humanity is good.
But humanity is not good. Humanity is evil. Our true selves are arrogant, greedy, hateful, and scheming. And it comes out in our actions and thoughts. The fact is, without a moral compass, we are savages. But we do have a moral compass. There is redemption in all of the evil human nature causes. Because every day, humans are fighting their broken nature. Constantine I, Emperor of Rome, ended the gladiator games and the persecution of Christians. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and in 1865, the American Civil War came to an end and slavery was abolished. During World War II, many under German occupation risked their lives hiding Jews and others the Nazis intended to kill. In the 1960s, the Civil Rights movement peaks. Soon the Jim Crow laws were abolished and everyone was considered equal under the law— now, only 60 years later, we have a black President. On 9/11, there were four planes hijacked by terrorists. Three of them hit their targets, but the fourth one, which was supposed to hit the Capitol, missed, because the passengers of the plane fought against the hijackers and managed to throw the plane off course. And, during and after 9/11, people rushed to help the victims and the victims’ families. Firefighters risked their lives to save people from the collapsing building. And people still honor the victims today. At Sandy Hook, there was a teacher who sacrificed herself to save the kids. When the bombs went off in Boston, many people actually ran towards the smoke and began helping the victims. The runners finishing the marathon kept running after the finish line all the way to the hospital to give blood. While there are people being bullied, there are also many people saying kind words, trying their best to make everyone feel better about themselves. Human nature is evil. There is no doubt about that. None of the horrors of history could have happened if humanity was good. But just because humanity is evil, doesn’t mean humans can’t be good or kind. We are far from perfect, and all too often our humanity slips out. But we try. We try to help, to fight against the bad caused by humanity. There is redemption in the world. Even in the destruction, it’s there. Another quote that has been circulating the Internet is from Mr. Fred Rogers. It, too, is encouraging, but in a different way than Green’s quote: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ ” Horrible, scary things do happen. Humanity tears the world apart. But even in the horror, humans help. Because the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. And that, I agree with.
May 2013
A Downton Abbey Love Story
Servant’s Hall is a story with detailed accounts and untold aspects of the lives of servants of wealthy families in England in the early 1900s. As a huge fan of the hit PBS television show Downton Abbey, I was extremely eager to read the book, Below Stairs, having heard it to be the main inspiration for the British television drama. Created by Julian Fellowes set in the postEdwardian era, the series is set in a time when living in enormous manors and having servants tend to your every need was the norm for upper class society. The author of Below Stairs, Margaret Powell, writes about her
job working as a kitchen maid and eventually a cook in her memoirs. Eventually, her book became a national bestseller. But she went on to write many other books about her many experiences that are treasures themselves. One of her best is Servants’ Hall, a detailed account about a love story between a housemaid named Rose and the son of the Lord at the house where she worked, Mr. Gerald. Powell worked with Rose at Redlands, the home of Lord and Lady Wardham whose son was Mr. Gerald. Rose and Gerald were sent away from Mr. Gerald’s parents and from Redlands after eloping and decided to move into a “smaller” house in a nearby town. They hired a housekeeper to take care of Rose. As Rose attempts to transform
her life from rags to riches, she struggles to fit into the new environment above stairs. Life completely different for servants and wives of wealthy men. Rose came from a modest background and yearns for it now as she does not fit in well at her newly acclaimed social status. Throughout the book, Powell also writes about her many jobs working as a cook at several different houses and about her own love life. She talks about her many different bosses from the kindest to the cruelest and her many different love interests from the most alluring to the extremely dull. Her writing is detailed and
charming, like many British people are. The social ladder of post-Edwardian England is simply fascinating. This book would be interesting for anyone, not just lovers of Downton Abbey. Powell gives a clear picture of what her life was like as a servant working and living below stairs. She takes the reader to a time and place much different from here and now. Servants’ Hall recieved 3 paws for being interesting and revealing. But. it could be boring to some because of the nitty gritty details expressed in the book. It is the first of Powell’s books I have read but I plan on purchasing all of her others.
o p i n i o n s / b p 13
May 2013
42 Is a Cinematic Home Run The Biographical movie 42 about Jackie Robinson is a hit
42 earns 3 out of 4 paws. Everything has changed since the 1950’s. In the High-Point theater, the seats were filled with people of different racial backgrounds. As I sat, I observed an old white couple sitting next to a young African-American family without complaint or disturbance. I felt normal in that situation, and I was ready to see the movie that I highly anticipated. The people in the theater munched on popcorn and exchanged a word or two before the curtain drew and the film began, and everyone watched
as one. The movie 42, about the career and signing of Jackie Robinson with the Brooklyn Dodgers, is an outstanding film that accurately depicts racial conflicts. The film follows the beginning of his career and the trials that came with it. In one of the opening scenes of the movie Robinson, played by Chadwick Boseman, and his all-black baseball team stop at a gas station to refuel their bus. Robinson asks to use the bathroom, and the man filling the gas tank reminds him that he is not allowed to use the rest room because it is for whites only. Robinson tells the team that they will get there 99 gallons of gas elsewhere, and the man then allows him to use the rest room. This is where Robinson’s courage and sheer guts is first seen. The film does an outstanding job of showing Robinson’s character
as a man, and his struggle to fight his urges to give into the pressure to fight those who provoked him. Overall, the acting in the movie was fairly good, but the real show stopper was Harrison Ford. Wellknown for his role as Indiana Jones, Ford did not let his past roll define him. He appeared to have gained a few pounds for the role of Branch Rickey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and spoke in a ridiculously deep voice the entire movie and never went out of character. Ford also had a few one liners that captured the show and brought a touch of light-hearted humor to the serious topic that the film depicts. Another excellent aspect of the movie was the music. The scoring of the film not only fit the mood and era, but was perfectly timed, and it perfectly framed the mood of every scene. One of the few drawbacks of the film was that it did not touch on Robinson’s faith. It was mentioned when Rickey was deciding which African-American player to bring onto the team, but that was the end of it. Robinson’s faith influenced his career, but the movie did a poor job of depicting it. Some of the acting from minor characters was sub par, but it wasn’t terrible. Overall, the film is worth seeing, despite frequent use of rude language. The language matches the era, and the film does not dumb that down. This movie is great not only for baseball fans, but also any other people who are interested in watching the film. It educates on an era that most teenagers are unaware of, and shows how far the world has come since then.
Jackie Robinson. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Westminster Christian Academy
The Bicycle Analogy A straightforward metaphor could help frame the multiple suggestions for Westminsters’ future. Ferry Porsche was in trouble. His famed sports car company was on the brink of bankruptcy and he needed an answer -- and quickly. He would find that answer in the most unlikely person, Peter W.
Schutz. The son of a jewish man in Nazi Germany, Schutz would flee Germany with his family, find exile in Cuba, and ultimately make his way to the U.S. where he would be prepared to become the man who would save Germany’s greatest car company. What does this have to do with Westminster Christian Academy? Mr. Schutz’s story is a redemptive one for sure - his rise to CEO of Porsche has as much to do with the Porsche family’s desire to atone for
uniting his people and finding what his customers really wanted. He would eventually succeed in turning the company around and go down in history as the man that saved Porsche. This analogy relates to Westminster. We have a great back wheel that is made up of a brandnew facility, excellent teachers, numerous courses, and good extracurricular activities. The front wheel is also well-equipped and consists of great leaders like Mr. Marsh or Dr. Stoner that think in the long term and are directing Westminster towards many more decades of success. As our new front wheel Dr. Stoner takes his place as the Head of Westminster, he be benefitted by thinking about the school’s long term goals and the identity of its customers. I am sure that Dr. Stoner will be much more knowledgeable of our school’s customers, be they parents who send their children to school, the colleges that these
The bicycle metaphor does not only relate leaders and workers of orgainizations, however. They could relate Westminster students as well. Another part of Schutz’s story is that he believed from a young age that he would be an engineer. Therefore, Schutz got a bachelor’s degree of science at the Illinois Institute of Technology and started his career as an engineer for Caterpillar. Soon, he realized that engineering was not his calling, and he quickly quit his job for a leadership opportunity at Cummins Engine. The point is that during one’s high school years a student probably doesn’t have a good idea of his future calling, just as Schutz didn’t. Therefore, it might be beneficial to keep all doors open and become well-rounded so that students are prepared for any route that their lives might take them. Also, the stereotype that everyone is destined to lead is wrong. Resources and brilliant
Any organization works like a bicycle. There is a back wheel to push it and a front wheel to lead it, and both parts are equally important and necessary for success. Photo Courtesy Of: Wikimedia Commons.
the sins of their part in the Nazi’s plot to eradicate the world of Jews as it has to do with the desire to turnaround a great automotive company. As a Christian school, Westminster understands a redemption story. But, there is more to this story. Mr. Schutz gave Porsche a hope and future because he understood a very simple and powerful analogy that holds equal relevance to Westminster: the power of understanding the complementary roles of the “front and back wheels” of an organization. The metaphor went like this: every organization in the world operates like a bicycle. Porsche, for example, had a strong back wheel made up of engineers, number crunchers, factories, and suppliers that could push the company. What they didn’t have was a good front wheel: no leadership or value of the customer that could point the bicycle where it needed to go. As a result, the company’s ‘bicycle’ could go as fast as it wanted but would never head in the direction necessary for success. Schutz, therefore, would spend his time fixing the front wheel through
students attend, the workforces that will employ them, the community that they will impact, the Lord that they will serve, or a mixture of all of these. Dr. Stoner will also be concerned about sustaining Westminster’s mission statement while at the same time expanding the school, just as Mr. Marsh did.
minds are equally important and necessary to leadership positions, and if one part of this equation is missing, a company will never be able to function. Both parts of the industry should be valued and pursued, and resultantly it is wise to have knowledge of each profession so that one can keep all doors open.
Peter Schutz, former CEO of Porsche, standing next to the Porsche Cayman, Panamera, and 928 models (left to right). Photo Courtesy of: Peter Schutz.
14
Focus on
May 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
Focus ON: Graduating Wildcat Roar Staff JESSICA JOHNSON Life Editor
“The first day of newspaper class was really scary for me, especially because I arrived late and fell out of my chair at the very beginning of class! Being around all of the upperclassmen intimidated me because of how much experience and knowledge they had, but after spending a year with them, I realized how kind and helpful they all are. I sincerely have a lot of respect for Jessica, and I will really miss her next year. Thanks for making me feel welcome,” said Audrey O’Neill, freshman and staff writer.
ELISE HEARNE Photo Editor “Elise has been my biggest supporter and biggest cheerleader since I started illustrated Weighing In. I am so thankful for all the help she’s given me and how great she’s been to me,” said Catherine Bakewell, junior and staff writer.
NINA THAMPY Staff Writer
“It has been such a blessing to sit next to Nina Thampy this year in Newspaper. Her kind and sweet disposition were calming on stressful days when I was feeling overwhelmed by my story. Since we were both first year staffers, we were able to learn and grow in our writing abilities together. Even though I was a freshman and she was a senior, we were able to develop a friendship. It was nice, in my first year of high school, to feel support from an upperclassman, and I will miss having her here next year,” said Maggi Eachus, freshman and staff writer.
PARKER BRIDEN Print Editor “Parker has had the biggest affect on me in this class. He taught me that it’s possible to be opinionated without having disregard for someone else’s opinion. And he’s so opinionated, so it would easy for him to come off as arrogant but somehow he does this thing where he comes off as just an average guy,” said Eichel Davis, junior and staff writer.
ELLIE STRAUB Editor-in-Chief SADIE STIPANOVICH Design Editor
“Sadie is really funny, and I have enjoyed being in the same class with her. She brings her creativity and personality to the newspaper room. Since I will be the design editor next year, it will be hard to rise to the high standard that Sadie has set,” said Scott Rupprecht, junior and photo editor.
STEVEN DAVIS Sports Editor
“Steven is hilarious. One look at his computer desktop can brighten my day. Normally, it’s the school picture of a random football player placed atop an animal’s body! Our typical conversations always make me laugh, even when I am stressed or trying to be serious,” said Jill Coyne, junior and online editor.
“Ellie Straub is such a fantastic person! She is witty and she is pretty! Ellie is a wonderful leader and spreads joy wherever she goes. I have an incredible amount of respect and love for her. Most importantly, she is loved by humans and animals.,” said Megan Galvin, sophomore and staff writer.
SUMMER SMITH Community Editor
“I have a lot of respect for Summer because she is such a hard worker. She always gets her work done on time and is a great example of how us staff-writers should do our work,” said Mary Wynn, junior and staff writer.
MELINDA OLIVER Big Picture Editor “I love Melinda because she is hilarious. She always has the courage to speak her mind, and give her opinion...no matter how bold or out there it is. Her stories this year have been outstanding, and I believe she could go on to be a great writer in the future,” said Andrea Reed, junior and staff writer.
All illustrations by: Catherine Bakewell. Page Credit: Scott Rupprecht
big picture From South to North May 2013
15
Westminster Christian Academy
The North Korean crisis from a South Korean perspective.
Sam and Eli Parham cover some iconic and influential inventions made in America that have transformed our world.
Antonio López, Thomas Adams, and Chicle
With the intention of manufacturing an alternative rubber, Thomas Adams stumbled upon gum.
View of Seoul South Korea. Photo courtesy of: Wikimedia Commons
North Korea has always been a topic Americans enjoy talking about, but as much as Americans like to talk about issues that interest them, think about Westminster’s own South Korean exchange students and how much this issue means to them. “Personally, I’m kind of scared, we don’t really know how another war with North Korea is going to go, there has always been an immediate threat but as tensions rise I’m starting to get worried,” said Dongbin Lee, sophomore. This immediate threat is primarily why South Korea has a mandatory military. “They just need money, North
Korea is known to have a really bad economy. A barking dog never bites, they are making threats with no actual commitment behind them. There will not be a war, they know that if they start trouble it is the end for them,” said Sang Hyuk Park, Sophomore. Westminster students learn about North Korea as an immediate threat, for South Koreans it is completely different. “When you are living in South Korea you don’t really think of North Korea as an immediate threat, you don’t really think about them until something happens,” said Peter Kim, Junior. It mildly resembles America’s relationship with terrorists, you don’t think about them until they attack. ”I definitely fear for my family back home. One time my mom sent me an e-mail full of the contacts of my cousins and uncles and aunts so I could call them if anything
happened. It really shocked me into seeing the reality of the situation,” said Lee. Many of the South Korean Westminster students feel the same way. “This crisis definitely makes me more worried about my family, I don’t want them getting hurt,” said Kim. Most South Korean Westminster students maintain frequent communication with their families. “I am sort of worried, but not entirely. My brother is going into military service this summer so that worries me. That aside, I communicate with my family a lot and they always reassure me not to worry. I have lived in South Korea sixteen years, and during that time North Korea has always made threats like this, it happens a lot,” said Park. America is currently working towards sanctioning North Korea even further. America’s stance and progress on maintaining peace between these two countries is marked with mixed opinions
amongst Americans and South Koreans alike. “I think America is handling the Issue really well. I love that this country is our ally. This comes as a reassurance to me that if anything does happen, it will end quickly,” said Lee. America has not always handled this issue with as much urgency as they have done before. “I think America is handling this issue much better than they have before,” said Kim. Amongst the issues caused by North Korea, Kim Jong Un seems to always be at the forefront. “He is like a dog, always being led around by others. It seems he can not even make his own decisions,” says Park. American students tend to treat this issue in a different light rather than how South Korean students are taught about this issue. “This issue is not necessarily America’s problem, in this way American students are ignorant towards the very real threats that face our country,” said Lee.
Map of South Korea. Photo courtesy of: Wikimedia Commons
Working as a photographer, Thomas Adams sat down for a meal with his infamous houseguest, General Antonio López de Santa Anna, the former Mexican president who was spending his time of exile in New York. López discussed his plan of seizing power in Mexico by taking over Mexico City with an army of his own.
López explained to Adams that his funding for this army was focused around one material: a natural gum known as chicle which grew on the sapodilla tree of Mexico. For centuries before, Mexicans had been chewing chicle, but López aimed to use it to create a rubber alternative. He believed it could be combined with current rubber in order to reduce its cost. López had already been shipping chicle to the United States for his highly anticipated business venture,but needed a scientist to experiment with it. Giving up his day job as a photographer, Adams became López’s secretary and scientist. Adams began experimenting on chicle in 1870. His mission was to experiment with chicle in order to create a rubber alternative for manufacturing toys, boots, tires, and shoes. For over a year, he tried to make boots and tires, but there was no success. Then, just when Adams was ready to give up, he remembered how López’s hometown had chewed the material. Adams made a batch of his own in his kitchen, and when he tested it, he realized that it differed tremendously from the current gum that was sold. Chicle gum was smooth and had much more pleasant texture than the sap-based
gum being sold in his day. Then, he began heating the chicle, adding licorice and other ingredients to improve flavor. His additions proved to be beneficial, and in little time, he started his own company: Adams Gum Company. Adams distributed his product, “Adams New York Stretching and Snapping Gum”, in local stores. His invention was an instant success. Orders became so rapid that Adams had to create the first factory for gum making. In 1875, Adams put his newly conceived gum, known as “Black Jack”, on the market. “Black Jack” gum was the first chicle flavored gum. Also, it introduced gum that came in stick pieces. In 1888, Adams Gum Company
introduced the first ever vending machine in America. Adams’ invention proved to be the basis of all modern gum. And, although most gums have artificial bases, some still use chicle. “Black Jack” gum is still on sale today.
16
Sports
May 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
Division One Dominance:
This year’s senior class offers a plethora of talented athletes from a variety of sports. Here are those playing D1...
Ben Lovell:
Lovell has started for Varsity since his Sophomore year, and has compiled quite the resume. In his three seasons on Varsity, he has never had an ERA above 2.00. He has struck out 157 hitters, and averages above 8 for every 7 innings. This year he broke the school record with his 24th career win, against one meager loss that he earned his sophomore year. He has lead the Wildcats to back to back state championships, and they are poised to contend for a third. He will be attending Belmont University. Photo By: Elise Hearne
Sadie Stipanovich:
Stipanovich has started for Varsity since her Sophomore year, and has dominated since she began. She scored a total of 1,242 points in her career. In her senior year, she averaged 14.8 points per game, along with 10.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. She made All-State, All-District, and All-Metro teams in both her Junior and Senior year, and was also named the player of the year her Senior year. Sadie was also a star volleyball player at Westminster. She will be attending Saint Louis University. Photo Courtesy of: Sadie Stipanovich
Erin Bognar:
Bognar was a four year starter for varsity volleyball. She is an outside hitter, and plays all the way around. In her senior year, she led the team with 310 kills, which was also 9th in state. She averaged 4.7 per game. She also chipped in a solid 37 blocks and 206 digs. Her performance helped lead Westminster to their first state championship in volleyball. She will be attending Samford. Photo By: Elise Hearne
Brooke Cusumano:
Cusumano was a terrific all-around athlete for Westminster. She was a star point guard for the basketball team, and averaged 9.9 points per game her senior year. But she really shone in golf. She led the team to state championships her junior and senior year by winning the individual championship both years. She shot an even par 73 at Eldon Country Club last fall. She was third in state with 31 birdies over her senior year. She will be playing golf at SIU Carbondale. Photo By: Shelby Kehr
Katie Matheny:
Matheny is following in her family’s history of talented athletes. She plays hockey for the Saint Louis AAA Blues, a local select team. She previously played for Team PIttsburgh Hockey for five years, and helped lead them to 2010 National Championship. She has been nominated to play on the USA hockey team three times. As a forward, she led her team in points in three consecutive seasons. She has dedicated her life to hockey, traveling as far as Canada with her nationally ranked teams. She will be attending Ohio State. Photo Courtesy of: Katie Matheny
Sarah Barker:
Sarah Barker was a terrific diver for Westminster’s swim team. She holds the school record in both the 6 dive and 11 dive, and went to State two years in a row. This is espeically impressive because she only started diving when she turned 14. Her true passion is tumbling. Although she hasn’t competed in tumbling since she started diving, she placed second in state and regions in 2009. She will be tumbling at Baylor University. Photo Courtesy of: Sarah Barker
Mitch Penning:
Penning has been a four year letterman for the boys volleyball team. In his senior year, he has dominated. He averaged 4.81 kills per game, which adds up to a whopping 202 on the unfinished season. Penning also has a 90% serve percentage in 163 attempts. He has lead the Cats to a 136-3 record. In addition, he has starred on the USA junior national team. He will be attending Pepperdine in California. Photo By: Elise Hearne
S P O R T S 17 Rematch With Rockbridge Teeing Up For A Great Finish May 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
The Westminster boy’s varsity tennis team traveled to Columbia, Missouri for the yearly Rockbridge tournament. The boy’s varsity tennis team traveled down to Columbia, Missouri on the weekend of April 20 with revenge on their minds. Last year’s team had come up short in this Columbia tournament
as they lost to the hometown team, Rockbridge, in the championship. While the team failed to accomplish their goal of a first place finish, the Wildcats still picked up some impressive wins making for a good weekend. In the first round of the tournament, Westminster faced Rockbridge’s “B” team, which is made up of the back six on
Rockbridge’s varsity line up. While the back six of Rockbridge fought hard, they were no match for the top six of Westminster’s team. The Wildcats ended up with a 7-2 victory with singles wins from Bailey Merkel, junior, Derek Bell, junior, Andrew Montgomery, freshman, Hunter Hughes, senior, and Nathan Arnold, senior. “At the time we were happy to pull out a win over Rockbridge’s “B” team, but we were really looking forward to the next matchup against Lafayette and the possible matchup with the top six of Rockbridge,” said Montgomery. The team had a quick turn around after their first match, but this did not affect their play against Lafayette. The team rallied picking up some tough wins for another 7-2 victory. The highlight of this
Picture of Derek Bell with second place trophy. Photo by Reed Montgomery.
match was Derek Bell’s comefrom-behind win over a tough opponent in a ten-point tiebreaker. “In my match against Lafayette, I lost the first set but I stayed focused and came out strong in the second set. I was able to pull out the second set and win in a close tiebreaker. It was nice to get a win for the team,” said Bell. Bell’s presence on this team has been a huge advantage. Bell missed the beginning of the season with a shoulder injury and without him the team went two and five. Since his return Bell has not lost a singles match and the team’s record has been five and two. “I am glad to be back in the lineup and I hope to improve my game and my shoulder as the season goes on,” said Bell. Unfortunately, the Lafayette win was the last victory for the Wildcat’s over the weekend. On Saturday, Westminster faced Rockbridge’s top 6 in the championship for a second year in a row. Again, Bell was able to pull out a singles win and a doubles win with the help of Merkel, but these were Westminster’s only wins as the team fell 7-2. “We were very upset with the loss to Rockbridge because the team had worked so hard to prepare for the match and we came up short after giving it our all,” said Merkel. While the tennis team went to Columbia looking for a championship, they were not able to revenge their previous loss to the top six of Rockbridge. However, the team did come home with new experiences and more confidence that will help them improve as the regular season comes to a quick close and districts begin on May 6.
The golfing Wildcats have swung into the 2013 season. The boys’ golf team is driving towards a great season. So far, the team has played eight matches and has won five out of the them. They have defeated John Burroughs twice, Whitfield, Priory, and Webster. They have lost to Chaminade, MICDS, and Lutheran South. This year’s golf team is full of talented golfers who are also close friends. They have a group text where they plan get-togethers. “We all get along well because we bond at Taco Bell after matches. This provides a great opportunity for us to become
closer as a team,” said Jeremy Ebert, senior. “My favorite part about the team this year is the relationship we have with each other. It feels like a big family,” said Ebert. Brian Burkey has been the head of the varsity golf team for six seasons. He has had a successful career, including one state championship. “My favorite part about the team this year is the group of players we have. Not only are they talented golfers, they are also a fun group of people to be around,” said Burkey. The golfers love Mr. Burkey for his coaching skills and his cheerful personality. “Oh stink! Mr. Burkey is a great coach because he encourages us and coaches us,” said Greg Fleissner, junior. “I love Butkey and the whole team. It’s a great group of guys,” said Austin Benefield, junior. This year, the golfers added a
new part to the team: golf gals. Golf gals are dedicated golf fans who bring their golfer food and encourage them before matches. “I love golf gals! They are so encouraging with their words and their yummy sweets!” said Fleissner. “Being a golf gal is such fun! I love baking for my golfer and the sweatshirts are super cute,” said Emma Bailey, junior. The JV golf team is also heading towards a great season. Rex Janssen, head coach of the JV team, has been coaching golf at WCA for eight years. Tripp Worley, sophomore, has just begun his second year of playing golf at WCA. “My favorite part about the golf team this year is the atmosphere. It is a really fun group of guys who love golf and love each other,” said Worley. The JV team has played played seven matches and have five wins and two losses. They are hoping to finish the season with a winning record. “My favorite part of the season is working with the guys on individual parts of their game and then seeing how they use what we worked on as they are playing in a match. We talk a lot about using good course management and making good decisions on the golf course. Another example is the other day we worked on this putting drill practicing 3 foot, 6 foot, 9 foot, and 12 foot putts, and then the very next day seeing how many of these putts the guys had in their match and how it hopefully helped them and gave them more confidence when they had these putts in their match.” said Janssesn. Overall, the golf team is heading in the right direction towards an outstanding season.
Nick George, junior, hits the ball down the fairway.
Photo by: Mary Wynn
18
SPORTS
May 2013
Westminster Christian Academy
Rain Rain Go Away Weather continues to cause major disruptions to spring sports.
my CALL S T E V E N D A V I S
s p o r ts
edit o r
Sports Defined Catlett hits a puddle as he tries to stop on third. Photo By: Eichel Davis
The 2013 spring season has been plagued with rain, snow, and even tornadoes, making for shortened seasons. The St. Louis area as whole has gone from drought conditions, to flood warnings in the matter of a few weeks, given that over 8 inches of rain have fallen in two weeks, well above the average. Snow has also caused big troubles early in the season with late bouts of the white stuff dropping over 18 inches in some places over the course of a few weeks in late February and early March. Some people were left wondering when the season would even start. “This has been a crazy spring weather wise. I don’t recall seeing a day where we had 12+ inches of snow during the spring sports season,” said Todd Zell, Athletic Director. One of the most affected sports for the season is tennis with many matches being affected in many
different ways. Another sport that has been affected is baseball. The baseball team came home from Florida to find 12 inches of snow on the ground, and the start of their season in doubt. So far only 20 games have been played on schedule, and the rest have been made up, sometimes weeks later than planned. Ben Lovell, senior, jokingly
Smith tries to field a ball in the murky outfield. Photo by: Eichel Davis
added that the rain delays “cramps my style and takes away my “me time”. Lovell still has managed to keep his 24-1 pitching win-loss ratio, even in the rain. Golf, surprisingly, hasn’t been hard hit by the storms, but it has made for some soggy play, and rough scores. Soccer, has been moderately affected, but has had some help from the turf field. Plus, a drainage system under their field helps the water drain much faster than it would off of the baseball and lacrosse fields. Lacrosse had also made good use of the turf fields, playing many games. “The other problem it causes is the back up of rescheduled games at the end of the season. Right now many of our teams will be playing 4 to 5 times a week the last 3 weeks of the season,” said Zell. But not only have games been negatively affected, practices have been up the air given that so many teams needed indoor spaces. Some teams have not been given full practices, with baseball splitting their time between JV and Varsity. Its been one of those seasons, where mother nature seems to always have the ball in her court, having an edge. But as the season continues and more and more games become affected, the players and fans will still be there, playing and cheering on their wildcats. Because in the end, its not about the rain, or snow. Its about the game, and thats what the fans, and players, will be focused on.
Tyler Catlett and Jordan Smith, Juniors, walk off the field after the game is called due to rain. Photo by Eichel Davis
There is much debate between what is a sport and what is merely an activity. For as long as people have strapped on cleats or ran a race or chased a ball in a gym there has been a debate over what constitutes a sport. Cheerleaders will snipe at golfers for standing in a field hitting golf balls with their clubs and golfers will snipe back at them for doing what they say is merely an activity. And the ever-present members of the chess team will stand by and insist that what they do is competition and therefore should be considered a sport. My definition of a sport is “an athletic activity that involves a defense.” Under these criteria, activities such as football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and lacrosse definitely qualify as sports. What is hard is defining those activities that lie in the in the gray area and those activities that are clearly not sports under my definition. Wrestling It could be argued that wrestling is not a sport under my definition because of the absence of a defense. I disagree with this because in wrestling, both participants are both the offense and defense. The same holds true for tennis.
other but are not keeping each other from running fast, or in other words, being a defense. Track falls under the umbrella of an “athletic activity,” which I define as “a competitive activity that requires some sort of physical skill and athleticism.” Cross country, auto racing, and individual cycling also fall into this category. Team cycling does not due to the fact that teammates defend against members of other teams by cutting them off so that one of their teammates can win the race.
“What is hard is defining those activities that lie in the in the gray area and those activities that are clearly not sports under my definition.”
Track and Field While track has traditionally been considered a sport, it is clearly not one under my definition. There is no defense to speak of. Instead, runners race against each
Golf While golf definitely requires physical skill and athleticism, it qualifies as an “athletic activity” due to its lack of a defense. Despite this lack of defense, it is competitive and requires a lot of practice, which is what makes it an “athletic activity.” Cheerleading and Dance Both of these activities require a lot of athleticism and skill. They are very competitive and require a lot of practice. However, neither of these are sports, once again because the lack of the defense. Instead, they too qualify as “athletic activities.”
Hunting and Fishing These two activities do not even qualify as “athletic activities.” While they do require skill, they also require a great deal of luck. No one knows when the fish will be biting or whether there are deer in the area. Thus, despite the skill and knowledge required, they simply qualify as activites. At least that’s how I call it.
S t y l e 19
May 2013
Spring Style
Westminster Christian Academy
Designer phone cases always spice up a cute summer look. Lilly Pulitzer and Kate Spade have hundreds of designs that are just perfect for late spring.
Sheer shirts and high wasted shorts have made a comeback. Light and breezy and perfect for spring.
Wedges are the perfect way to accesorize a casual spring look. Cuter than sandals, but won’t kill your feet like stilettos.
Horizontal cross necklaces are a fresh new look many are wearing this spring.
Add a little pazazz with a ruffle or two. More creative than the average sundress while still keeping things simple.
Scarves are not just for winter! Bright colored scarves are the perfect way to tie a perfect spring look together.
Kitsich bands to replace regular pony tail holders. They are stylish and hair friendly.
JSB Standouts
Brian Fellows and Ellie Bettlach, seniors. Photos By: Eichel Davis
Grace Linton, senior.
Emily Mitchell and Nick Ridenhour, seniors
Sam Snapp and Austin Raines, juniors.
20 B A C K P A G E
Westminster Christian Academy
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May 2013
Parting Shot
Seniors, TJ Noa and Bennett Lewis with junior, Aly Nichols at Junior/Senior Banquet. Photo By: Eichel Davis.