Inside the issue
1
TEachers as Coaches P. 19
December 2012
Triple Threat P. 17
Westminster Christian Academy
800 Maryville Centre Drive, Town and Country, MO 63017
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Behind the Book
I V
December
2012
The Roar investigates the people and process behind the yearbook.
Kaylie Duke, senior, works alongside other yearbook staff members. Photo by: Elise Hearne
Shelby Kehr, senior, snaps a photo for yearbook class. Photo by: Elise Hearne
Every year, the yearbook is protected as a top-secret operation for Westminster. The only peek into the process is the occasional student pulled out of class for an interview or a mysterious photographer at a football
game. One class is dedicated to the Westminster tradition, the yearbook, and the Roar is going behind the scenes to uncover the
yearbook process. “[Making the yearbook] is incredibly difficult, and extremely hectic, but the reward of making something so spectacular as well as the fellowship along the way is what makes it so much fun,” said Michael Becker, senior. The yearbook staff is made up of nearly thirty upper school students, including the staff members, the section editors, and the co-editorsin-chief. This year, the staff is taking a new approach to these sections. “We changed our sections this year to make it a section editors care more about rather than just a job from a technical standpoint.
Signing Day P. 17
They don’t focus on writing or photography or design. They are jacks-of-all-trades,” said Scott Vonder Bruegge, yearbook adviser. The new editors include Mattie Drury and Julia Davis, seniors, who are design editors; Michael Becker, senior, the photography editor; and Kaylie Duke and Sierra Mathews, seniors, who serve as coeditors-in-chief. The staff editors supervise, edit, and assist the staff members who submit their work to their corresponding editor. “The hardest part of yearbook is getting every student in the book. We have a list of every student in the school, and as soon as they get ‘used’ on a spread you cross them out to ensure that every kid gets a chance to be in the book,” said Hannah Caple, junior. With all the students at Westminster, it can be a challenge to make sure that everyone from
the shy seventh grader to the seasoned senior gets a picture or a story in the yearbook. “Most yearbooks get candid photos of 30-40% of the student body. We consistently get over 95% of the WCA student body in the book,” said Vonder Bruegge. The yearbook team has to fit an entire year of victories, current events, and changes into a single book, and getting it all done on time is quite a feat as well. “The deadlines vary because there are about five or six sections to the yearbook and we have about 3 deadlines per section. So we usually work on deadlines for about a month or so with a deadline about every week or so,” said Maddie Ottsen, junior. A lot is at stake for yearbook members to meet their deadlines. The yearbook must be turned in to the printer by a certain date, or the book risks being distributed in the
summer instead of at the end of the school year. After the tradition of gathering to receive yearbooks takes place, the staff has to get back to work before school is out. “We sit down at the end of the school year after we hand the yearbook out and we start planning the next year’s book. We craft a theme, a story, a message, and then design elements and the rest all follow,” said Becker. This dedication and hard work is what makes the yearbook so fresh and notable year after year. The yearbook has received multiple awards, including being featured in Walsworth publishing’s gallery of excellence for six years in a row. “I enjoy having an impact on how we sum up our year as a school. I get the opportunity to leave a mark through telling the stories of all the kids at Westminster,” said Caple.
2 Community
Westminster Christian Academy
Expanding the Community
Once a week several hundred eager churchgoers visit our campus to attend their weekly service. Long after our school doors close and everyone heads home for the weekend, our campus doors open to welcome two congregations to worship on Sunday. Our campus is used for a variety of events that have nothing to do with WCA athletics or academics.
These events range from political rallies to pee-wee sports events to Sunday worship services. Westminster charges rent for the use of the facilities. “They are benefiting by having a space to meet at a much lower cost than using their own facility, and we are benefiting by having some help covering some of our building expenses,” said Todd Fuller, Westminster Director of Finance and Operations. Of all of the organizations that use Westminster’s building, the
congregations that hold Sunday services here, The Church on the Rock and Gateway Orthodox Presbyterian are most aligned with our school’s mission. “We believe that God has provided us with facilities for kingdom work. The primary work is carrying out our mission to prepare more young people to engage the world and change it for Jesus Christ, but when we have the opportunity to use our facility for other kingdom work (such as worship services) we want to support that as well,” said Fuller. In all, almost 500 people go to church at our campus every Sunday. Gateway Presbyterian Church uses the choir room for Christian education at 9:45 AM and worship at 11 AM. “The majority of worshippers, however, come to campus to attend Church on the Rock, which worships in the theater at 12:30 pm. “The Rock” also makes
good use of the Blackbox theater which they transform each Sunday into a worship area for children. Complete with a Wii, many other toys, games, and it’s own worship band, it is a valuable space for them to use. They also use the eighth grade commons and planning area as a nursery. Worship and Sunday-school for young teens takes place in the café. “We have a unique youth center that allows all people, regardless of their race or economic background the opportunity to learn about God in a way that keeps it interesting,” said Mark Supak, Church on the Rock Youth Pastor. According to Supak, though only about twenty teens attend this middle-school service, attendance at the 7th through 12th grade service at the main Church on the Rock campus, in St. Peters, averages over 200 weekly. Church on the Rock kicked off its adult worship service with about 20 minutes of contemporary worship, and then pastor David Blunt came out and started his
service. Blunt walked out onto the stage like any other pastor, but then he sat down on the stage with his feet hanging off the edge, opened the Bible, and started to teach about Scripture. Later, a member of the congregation explained why she attended Church on the Rock. “I attend because the way he teaches scripture makes it so much easier to understand and translate God’s word into my life” said a member of the congregation. Though most of the classrooms are locked, all of our hallways, commons, and gyms are open for the churches to use. Various churches have been using our campuses for over 20 years and, according to Fuller, there have not been any significant issues of misuse of WCA’s facilities. “The churches do a good job of treating our building as their own and making sure things are secured
Top photo Children’s Sunday service in the blackbox theater. Bottom photo WCA Grand entry converted to church on the rocks lobby. Both photos by:Robert Davis
December 2012
Big Shoes to Fill
Many adults are playing major roles in finding a new head of school and have specific expectations for that person, but students have expectations in additon since they will be affected just as much. Lawyers, teachers, bankers, and board members serve as the search committee to find a quality leader to be the new head of school. Head of school is a short title, but the job description and responsibility list goes on and on. The head of school serves as
the chief executive officer for the school. He executes the policies of the board, submits a monthly progress report, and develops and implements the annual and long-range objectives of Christian education for the school. They promote understanding and cooperation between the school, community, administration, faculty, staff, and students. This is a small glimpse of some of the expectations the board has for the head of school. Ultimately, the headmaster is the face of Westminster that should h o l d themselves to a higher standard and display Christian morals and values that are pleasing to the Lord. Students have become accustomed to seeing Jim Marsh, head of school, in the halls because he works hard to have a close relationship with students on an individual and personal level, even with all he has to do. Marsh stays busy and is the go
to guy for almost any situation. Despite the busyness everyday, he is always willing to make time for students and treat them like they are just as important as everything else he is in charge of. Students have grown to admire this about him, but it has also set extremely high standards and expectations from the students for the new head of school. The question that is most frequently asked is what does the Board, administration, and teachers expect from the new Head of School? It is important to get their input, but what do students expect from the new head of school since they will be affected by the change as well? “It is going to be really hard to see Mr. Marsh go, as you never hear any complaints about him. In order to keep Westminster
great that although he doesn’t have contact with the students everyday like a teacher does, he still takes a sincere interest in the students as he religiously attends sporting, academic, and theatrical events. I think it would be great if our new head of school was already affilliated and connected with the WCA community because they have to understand Mr. Marsh’s vision through the amazing job that he has done. I also think that if they already know our school’s atmosphere and community, the transition will be a lot smoother,” said Claire Kopsky, junior. Students each have opinions on what that person should do with the job. “For me, some of the most important qualities of a new head of school should be experienced and have an extremely strong desire to be in a community full of students. As Mr. Marsh does now, I especially would appreciate a head of school who is involved in the community by doing things like coming to sporting events and going along with students on the leadership retreat. This shows that they truly want to be apart of the Westminster community,” said Megan Johnson, sophomore. M o s t students think the new head of school should be affiliated with Westminster in some way. “I wouldn’t necessarily say that the person needs to come from WCA, but I think it would be most beneficial if the person had a background here or is involved and familiar in some way. As it is sad that Mr. Marsh is leaving, I’m excited to see how the school changes and grows with a new head of school,” said Johnson.
“I especially would appreciate a head of school who is involved in the community by doing things like coming to sporting events and going along with students on the leadership retreat. This shows that they truly want to be apart of the Westminster community,” said Megan Johnson, sophomore. honed in on the vision that Mr. Marsh and many others have, I think it is crucial that our new head of school possesses similar characteristics as Mr. Marsh does. I love how charismatic he is. You always feel welcome and at home when talking to him. I think it is
Community December 2012
Blue Man Suits
Cotting
3
Westminster Christian Academy
Hollyberry Cookies
The Gong
Monograms
Spirit Week
Cucumber Water
Basketball Team Salsa
“Job” No Locks on Lockers
Verastalk Automated Trashcans
#WCAProblems
Bromance
Catch The Wave
No Clocks
4 Community
Westminster Christian Academy
December 2012
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Life
December 2012
5
Westminster Christian Academy
Facebook: Still Adding Faces to Its Book Despite Reports It was a happy morning in Palo Alto, the home of tech giants like Apple, HP, and the Google powerhouse. But this morning it was the new kid on the block that was throwing the party. In just a little over six years, Facebook has become the greatest social phenomena since MySpace, a company it is now slowly putting out of business. The party at the headquarters was to celebrate something that only Facebook had done and can do. Facebook was at its billionth user; even amidst the reports it was heading towards the social graveyard.
“Helping a billion people connect is amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of in my life,” said Mark Zuckerberg in a recent Washington Post article. Facebook that we know was founded in 2006, by a group of Harvard students mainly Mark Zuckerberg, current CEO of Facebook, and Eduardo Saverin, ousted COO. The story is legend of the two friends turn business rivals. Although it has swiftly dethroned MySpace, some people believe Facebook is starting to burn out, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Facebook, in 2012 had a growth rate of 3.5 per cent, slightly better
than a rate of 3.36 percent in 2011. In layman’s terms, it added 300 million more faces to its book, which seems to still be bursting at its seams. But the reason that high schoolers might believe in the demise of Facebook is the fact the average age of a Facebook user shifted a little bit higher this year to 28 years old, up from 24 years of age, 12 months ago. This change could be due to the fact that many older people, such as grandparents and parents, are using the site to connect with long lost classmates or friends. 2012 also marked the year that the site was traded in the stock exchange, but the venture had not proved nearly as great as the site hoped. But even with that fumble, in the Facebook user channel the site still is growing at a steady pace. “ I love facebook, becuase of the great social connections with my friends. I do prefer Facebook, but I use twitter a lot now as well. They are both part of my social world,” siad Jared Muenks, junior. Facebook had also become a company’s best friend when it comes to exposure. Many musicians also use Facebook, including the king of the web himself Justin Bieber, who has nearly 49 million page subscribers as of November 30th. But in all the steam that Facebook has picked up, it also has lost some of its fan base. According to CNN,
Facebook’s user growth continued and even sped up during 2012, giving it its 1 billionth user in October and finsihing the year with 1.1 billion. Photo made in Piktochart by: Eichel Davis
Facebook lost 7 million users in May alone, all in the United States, which shows signs of stalling in its home market. Some Westminster students have even closed their screens to Facebook for the last time. “I was tired of people sharing everything about them, down to what they had for dinner,” siad Luaren Vanek, junior. Privacy has also been a major reason for the deactivation of many accounts, but the privacy system still is more protective than the
one used by Twitter, with even the Editor and Chief of the New York Times being hacked more than once, causing major problems. “You feel so violated, and its happening so much more now becuase poeple are becoming pros at it,” siad Travis Ralls, junior. As of now Facebook will remain ahead of the social networking game for quite some time, but there has been some new opposition the recent years. Twitter, also founded in 2006, has picked up amazing steam in the last two years and
now has over 560 million users as of November 30th. The fastest growing social network as of now is none other than the photosharing site, Instagram. Instagram, which picked up record shatterimg momentum, had a modest 17 million users at the end of 2011. Now at the end of 2012, the site has amassed over 100 million users and has shared over 4 billion pictures, with a growth rate of 588 percent for the year. Instagram also had more mobile traffic than Twitter in October 2012, and is working its was up to Facebook’s door. Four years is the time from one election to the next. It seems like a short flash of light before our eyes and a only a snippet of our story of life. But in four years, Facebook has tallied 1.1 billion friends, more than a trillion post of pictures quotes and crazy memories to be cherished. For now, no matter how much time Facebook stays of the radar, it has almost guaranteed that, while maybe not in its current form, it will be around for years and generations. And as for the up and coming generation of now, Facebook had shaped them, molded them, given them the insight of the world, and it will be part of their lives, even if they think it won’t, because it has made a thumbs up shaped spot in their inner system. Facebook is and of our generation and it will keep adding more and more of our faces to its book.
Alone In My Seoul
Lina Jin, junior, lived alone in South Korea this past summer to visit her family and study for the SAT. Last summer, Lina Jin, junior, jumped on a plane and headed for South Korea. She wanted to live there because her family is there and she wanted to spend time with them, but also, she had to study for the SAT. The interesting fact is that she lived alone in Seoul, which is approximately two hours away from her parents house, while she studied for the SAT.
“I loved getting to know more about Seoul. It was the first time I had lived there so I got to learn more about how Seoul looked and operated,” said Jin. Studying for the SAT and attending a Korean school was much different than studying and attending school in America. Schools are incredibly strict in South Korea. In fact, government employees are paid to find children who are studying past 10 p.m. and stop them. High school students attend school for up to 15 hours per day. According to USA Today, “In South Korea, 93% of all students graduate from high school on time. But in the United States, almost one-quarter of all students — more than 1.2 million individuals each year — fail to graduate.”
During the week, Jin lived alone in an apartment because the school that she attended was too far from her parents house, but she lived with her parents on the weekends. “My favorite part about South Korea and Seoul in particular was the shopping,” said Jin. According to Jin, there are a plethora of stores that are located near in the underground subway stations. These stores sell cheap clothes and accessories and are crawling with customers throughout the day. They are fun to visit because of the different hidden treasures that one might find unexpectedly. There were many cultural differences that Jin had to overcome. One of the biggest changes for Jin to adapt to was the transportation. Many of Seoul’s residents don’t drive cars. “The biggest cultural differences is the transportation. Mostly, I walked or used subway to get to the destination. But in America, we need the car to go somewhere but in Korea, most buildings are so close to each other, we can walk or ride bus which we can use public transportation to go somewhere,” said Jin. Another cultural difference was the food. Korean cuisine is largely based upon rice, vegetables, and meats. Traditional Korean meals are unique because of the number of side dishes that typically
accompany the rice or noodles. Kimchi (pickled vegetables that are heavily spiced), is served often. Commonly used ingredients include: doenjang (fermented bean paste), soy sauce, ginger, pepper flakes and gochujang (fermented red chili paste). “My favorite Korean food is Korean barbeque which is called ‘bulgogi’,” said Jin. During the day, Jin spent her time at school studying for the SAT. But whenever she had extra time, Jin loved going to a town called Daehaklo. Dahaklo is a famous town that musicians often go to practice and write music. It’s also known as the “street of youth, art, and freedom”, and from this name, it may seem that only younger people visit, but that is certainly not the case. Dahaklo is an intersection where generations come together through music. “One day I saw a musical on Daehaklo. It was amazing!” said Jin. The main reason that Jin went to Korea was to study for the SAT. She did not take the SAT there, but studied in Korea because the schools are better there. “The schools in Korea are better and much more intense,” said Jin. Although there were many cultural differences to overcome and the task of living alone was daunting, Jin loved being in Korea. “It felt like I was home when I
was there,” said Jin. She thoroughly enjoyed becoming part of the culture through academics, shopping, food, and music. “I would love to go back to Korea because the time I spent there was so delightful and I loved seeing my family and being in my native country. Although
Lina Jin, junior. Photo by: Elise Hearne
I went to study, the time was still enjoyable and relaxing due to the atmosphere and because I loved the city so much,” said Jin. Jin enjoyed her time in Seoul because she was able to experience a whole new city. “Someday I would even want to live in South Korea,” said Jin.
6 Life
December 2012
Westminster Christian Academy
TWITTMINSTER
Drum Roll Please
Christian McGhee, 8th grade, pursues his musical passion whilst garnering accolades in many competitions for his talent.
Cole Hoskins I’m pretty sure Michael Buble is the sound of Christmas
Emily Andres Plot twist: I’m actually tall enough to be a Victoria’s Secret model
Bennett Lewis A very enjoyable and cathartic evening, as well as an amazing show. Good night to go out on, my rose to Westminster improv.
Wednesdays after school, Christian McGhee practices with the high school jazz band. Photo by: Nina Thampy
Shelby Kehr Students from Westminster, Villa and MICDS are at Sportsman’s. It’s a silent battle of private schools #gameon
Olivia Coomes Making the kids I babysit watch Polar Express. #everyonewins
ADMIRALTY r CLASS ACTION r COMMERCIAL LAW r EMPLOYMENT LAW r ENVIRONMENTAL LITIGATION r HEALTH LAW r
Christian McGhee listenis to Jones advise the middle school band on their performance at Art a la Carte. Photo by: Nina Thampy
Jazzy tunes filter into the hallways near the band room. Curious students peer in the room in passing whilst their friends and them sway to the rhythm. While they watch and listen for a few minutes, their feet tap to the beat. Christian McGhee, eighth grader, drums in WCA’s high school jazz band and is involved in two jazz bands at WCA. McGhee is already a star in his music classes in school
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and outside of it. When he was just one year old, McGhee would beat on pots and pans. After a year, he graduated to a drum set that his father gave him when he saw his budding talent. From that time on, he started playing drums. “Drums come naturally for me and so do things I can beat with my hands. It is also something I’ve been playing for twelve years.
Yet, piano is becoming my favorite because it is new,” said McGhee. Hugh Jones, middle and upper school orchestra and band teacher, invited McGhee to join the high school jazz band because of the talent and passion he was displaying in his classes. “Christian is a very joyful person who has that rare ability to make a person feel his joy through his music, “That’s talent. I’m really happy that someday I’ll get to say, ‘I knew him when...!’” said Jones. As a musician, McGhee always wants to improve his skills. To achieve this, he ventures out to hear other musicians play in the St. Louis area. In the past, McGhee had the privilege of playing with renowned St. Louis saxophone musician, Willie Atkins, at Robbie›s House of Jazz onstage. After this performance, Atkins invited young McGhee to other locations to play with him and his quartet. Along with this legendary St. Louisian musician, McGhee enjoys listening to Buddy Rich, Horace Silver, Stanton Moore, and Vince Guaraldi. Participating in high school and concert jazz band, McGhee enjoys when his friends are
working together and having fun producing music. Wednesday after school from 3:30 to 4:30, McGhee practices with the high school, seven-member jazz band accompanied and directed by Jones. “When we play songs, I think of what I can do to make everyone sound better. If everyone is showing out and no one collaborates, then we will sound bad,” said McGhee. Learning from contemporaries and an exemplary teacher, Mike Johnston, McGhee takes online lessons together with classes at Webster community music school. For the past few years, he has gathered accolades and praises from competitions and his community. In 2010, McGhee won the junior drum off. Coming in third at the 2011 junior drum off and second at the one in 2012, McGhee advanced to go on and win the Outstanding Musicianship award at the first annual Willie Akins Young Lions of jazz competition. More than a month ago, he went to Pasic, which is the largest drum conference in the world in Austin, Texas. In the future, McGhee aspires to pursue his musical interests at Berkley School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.
Life
December 2012
Westminster Christian Academy
The United Shopaholics of America New Black Friday changes arouse mixed feelings. To some it kicks off the Christmas season. People, still full of the their thanksgiving feast, wake up at the crack of dawn and wait in line for hours to get the best deals possible on TV’s, clothes, and many other items. This one day is dedicated to hardcore shopping where people are willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want. There are over Its is not unheard of to hear stories about people pulling guns on children or punching another for the perfect holiday gift. Every year Black friday comes and goes bringing enough money to keep stores such as Wal-mart and Target going for another year, and with the current economy,
changes have had to be made to increase competition. As always, with change there come mixed opinions. “I have great memories of going shopping with my mom and sisters on Black Friday growing up. I think it was primarily department stores back then, and I think the earliest they opened was 6AM on Black Friday. When you walked in, you could get a box of Cracker Jacks, and the prize would be a coupon. The grand prize was a diamond ring. Of course, I never won this,” said Katie Long, middle school teacher. Black Friday is a family tradition for many Americans. It is a time to get a good deal and spend time with loved ones. These days, in the heat of the competition, people are going out earlier and fighting over the last of what they want. This year on Black Friday, the competition was kicked up another notch. The stores opened as early as 9 o’clock Thursday night. “Since then, it seems like more and more places have gotten in on the game and have opened at 4 am and midnight. Now it feels a little too competitive for me to get in on the game,” said Long. Some did not like the changes. Employees at stores such as Walmart began online petitions to prevent having to work on the family holiday. The stores didn’t change their minds about the opening time. The economy beat the needs of the workers. “It does make me a little sad for those who have to work those shifts, especially if it takes them away from their families on Thanksgiving day,” said Long. Those workers had to work instead of spending time with their families on Thanksgiving. Shopping is a common American pastime, but it may be taking precedent over family time. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. It takes away the specialness of both holidays. Families have time on Thanksgiving, and as shoppers,
7
Black Friday is like a fun holiday, but is beginning to lose its value.” said Anna Huynh, freshman. Huynh, like others, wonders whether the holidays still hold their value. Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time of being thankful for what one has, but now it is cut short by the need to buy more stuff. The new opening times may have been helpful for those who had to work on Friday, but it was unhelpful for those who couldn’t get the best deal because they were busy eating dinner. “We went at 11:30 to Target and got some really good deals, and then went to the mall at midnight. They were both crazy, and people were everywhere. I did get many ideas while shopping because my whole family went after our guests left. We certainly didn’t push them out the door so we could shop,” said Kathy Wibbenmeyer, upper school parent. Although there was some controversy about Black Friday, there were people who were able to enjoy themselves and they didn’t have to go out on Thanksgiving. “It was really fun to watch all of the people going crazy over sales. Even though I didn’t buy anything, I had such a fun time with my friends and sister,” said Kaylee Trost, senior. People like Trost were able to keep the tradition of the holidays alive and not let the big sales get the best of them. In the midst of the consumerism madness, there is a glimmer of hope that family tradition is still alive.
Graphic created by Maggi Eachus
Some stores have stayed true to the holiday spirit. Nordstrom’s holiday campaign supported the family values. Their poster said that they would “take the holidays one day at a time.” They represented the needs of their employees and put that before their sales. Black Friday also marked the coming of the holiday season. Many people are still rushing to get last minute shopping done. The race is on for the best deals and trying to get everything done before the quickly approaching holiday. “I still have about 70 percent of my shopping to do. I don’t usually finish until the last minute, always waiting for a sale. It ends up being a panic of course. I keep getting coupons over the internet, so I hold out till I get a good one. Its easier to cyber shop,” said Wibbenmeyer. There is still a lot more shopping to do for most people, and the internet has become a much more convenient way of shopping that has affected Christmas sales. It is easier for people who work and don’t have the time to go out and shop. For this reason, stores weren’t as full as usual, and more and more people choose to shop online. Some may be wondering what is going to happen next year as well. Stores have already upped their game by opening a few hours earlier, and it leaves people asking how the hours will change next year. As cyber shopping continues to increase, stores are going to have to do something to keep afloat
Inside the Imaginative Mind of L.B. Graham
Graham talks about his new book, a futuristic take on “Huck Finn.” Strange combinations are seen in many places in the world; bacon ice cream, candy coated bugs, and peanut butter with pickles spark the interest of inquisitive individuals. However, just because they sound daring and outlandish doesn’t mean that they will sell. L.B. Graham, upper school Bible teacher, has just written “The Raft, the River, and the Robot” which combines the future with inspiration from the well-known story, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in an unexpected pair. A new fad has begun in our society where we are interested in mixing sci-fi elements into the unexpected, whether that is vampires in love stories or zombies in comedies. Graham
has also noticed the popular trend of incorporating them into more classical or historical settings. “Twain was an inspiration, but there’s a whole world of stories being created now that combines classic literature or history with more fantastical elements, whether it is adding Zombies to ‘Pride and Prejudice’ or having Lincoln be a vampire hunter or putting gladiatorial games in the distant future. So, mixing Twain’s famous journey of discovery on the Mississippi with an strange and distant future was probably also inspired, to some degree, by that trend,” said Graham. The science fiction book tells the story of Jim, a young boy, who travels down the Mississippi river on account of his father’s vague dying words. While the book does incorporate references to “Huck Finn,” it is completely unique. Graham enjoyed putting together his imaginative story, while loosely basing it on one of his “favorite American novels.” “It was fun to create a story that is original and unique in its own right and then find ways to pay homage to Huck and his adventures. It was also fun to incorporate places from around St. Louis into the novel, since Jim’s journey starts, geographically, not far from here,” said Graham. Aside from “The Raft, the River, and the Robot,” Graham has written many more unexpected stories. He
enjoys to write fantasy books with components that readers wouldn’t expect. “Well, so far I’ve written a five volume fantasy series about a world with golden dragons and giants and enormous, talking bears, a crime novel about an FBI agent running from his past but gets pulled into a murder investigation in a small town, and a dystopian future where most people live in cities in the air called hives and a boy goes on a dangerous trip by raft with a robot—I guess you could say everything I write about is a little bizarre” said Graham. The way in which Graham writes his books sets him apart from most authors; where most authors like to have a new conflict in every chapter, Graham likes to deliberately pace the story. “I like to take my time, building the story and the characters to a serious climax. So, with my first series, many people talked about the beginning being slow but the end being great, which I understand, but I think the two actually go together. I like to set up the story and the ending, and I often start doing that right from the beginning,” said Graham. However, just because he likes to develop his characters thoroughly doesn’t mean his writing style is a bore. “I like action well enough, but character usually trumps action for me,” said Graham. As a published author, aspiring writers can learn much from Graham. He strongly recommends to never stop reading, writing, and practicing. “You need to expose yourself to many different authors and styles. See how others do this thing you want to do. Learn what you like in a storyteller and why. And, of course, practice... Few people actually practice writing, and yet, writing is like anything else. It is hard to become really good at it unless you practice,” said Graham. Now that he has had a lot of practice, Graham’s pre-writing process is a bit shorter. Starting with an idea, he branches out and forms a sort of mental outline. “I get an idea from ‘somewhere’—who knows just exactly how the imagination works—and after living with the idea for a while, I might start brainstorming what a novel based on that idea would look like. Usually, only after I have a sense of the ‘big picture’ of the story, I’ll start writing it,” said Graham.
Graham works at the old campus on Ladue Road. Photo courtesy of: L.B. Graham
8 Opinions
Westminster Christian Academy
A New Flare on an Old Favorite
Global Quesadilla, a popular restaurant near WCA, shows great potential in quickly becoming a hotspot for students. There is a new restaurant in town and Westminster students are loving it. Global Quesadilla, located in the Lamp and Lantern Village Shopping Center at the Northwest corner of Clayton Road and Highway 141, offers a new twist on a classic, Mexican dish. There are many types of quesadillas at Global Quesadilla, each one reflecting a different style of food from around the world. The atmosphere is quiet
and relaxing. The employees are friendly. The food is spectacular. “They take something so simple and give it variety. It’s a very unique restaurant. Everyone will find something that they love,” said Chase Seiller, junior. Global Quesadilla has over 20 different styles of quesadillas, ranging from a Texas style quesadilla to an Aztec style, as well as salads, wraps, and nachos. It is a restaurant that offers a unique dining experience, while keeping its prices very affordable. All quesadillas, salads, and wraps are $6 and under. Global Quesadilla is affordable and unique, just the type of place Westminster students will flock to. “It was a really unique idea, to think of quesadillas with different things in them that are typically not found in quesadillas. It is different but different in a good way,” said Betsy Bailey, seventh grade. Because of the wide variety of styles and flavors in these twisted quesadillas, there will be something for everyone to enjoy. “My favorite dish is the Greek
A Voice for the Students
Westminster students desire the power and the voice of a student goverment system. Global Quesadilla earns four out of four paws.
provel, and mozzarella cheese,” said Bailey. For those with more a simple taste there is the kid’s quesadilla which is the most classic version of a quesadilla, with just cheese. In my opinion, this restaurant will become a sure-fire success in the eyes of Westminster students. The options are endless and the enviornment is enjoyable. It is a small restaurant, with kind employees and a relaxing atmosphere. “My first impression of Global Quesadilla was that it was a very successful restaurant because it was packed full of people inside. They give good portions of the food too which is always a bonus. I thought it was really cool that they could do so many things with a quesadilla and it tastes so good,” said Julia Harre, freshman. Taste is definitely not one thing that this restaurant is lacking. Students rave about the flavors and textures of all the various quesadilla fillings. The Wildcat Roar gives Global Quesadilla 4 out of 4 paws for extraordinary taste, a comfortable environment, and friendly employees. Global Quesadilla is unique in every way. Not only will they cater parties and events but they also deliver to customers! You can order your food online or via telephone. Due to its close proximity to WCA and its impeccable food and
Emma Bailey, Junior, and Betsy Bailey, seventh grader, enjoy the Greek Quesadilla at The Global Quesadilla company. The Bailey sisters are frequent visitors of this restaurant.
quesadilla which contains black olives, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, and feta cheese in a tomato tortilla but my sister (Emma Bailey, junior) likes the St. Louis style quesadilla which has sausage, tomato sauce, pepperoni,
December 2012
atmosphere, Global Quesadilla should become a popular destination for the Westminster community. Everyone should plan a visit to this restaurant and decide for themselves which quesadilla reigns supreme.
Westminster is changing. From the new campus, to new policies, to new uniforms, today’s Westminster is a different place. Considering the extensive changes to the school itself in the past years, it is time to consider changing our student government system. When Westminster’s current system started, the school had less students than what we have in one classroom today. The system was well-suited for that type of school. Today, with The Academy skyrocketing past 900 students and possibly on the road to a thousand in the near future, the current system is in need of a change. The most fundamental change that many Westminster students feel the system is due for is the creation of a formal liaison between the student body and the administration. When decisions are made that affect the day to day lives of students at Westminster, students want to have a formal voice in the process. Westminster students are hoping to have a real role in making the school an even better place. There are ideas circling in the student community, but almost none of them make it out of the circle. The school says they give opportunity for ideas to be brought forth, and they do, but all students know the intimidation factor that comes with talking to the “big guys” of Westminster. A student government system that emphasizes and encourages communication with the administration would lend credibility to proposals from students and hopefully eliminate the sweaty palms and confusion over the process that so often put an end to student ideas. Every idea starts somewhere, but now every idea gets somewhere. A student could come to another student, a familiar face from their class, and give them the next big idea to change the halls of Westminster. We need a change for the sake of the small voices and unheard solutions that rest in the great minds of Westminster students. A student government system would not require monumental headaches and many sleepless nights to make it reality. If we added a student congress that will hear issues that students bring to them, students would feel that they have more of a direct voice to the rules and ideas of the class and school. Class leaders could have a spot on the congress and have the power to present ideas to help their class as well. These ideas could be taken to the administration and we could see some real change from them. It’s surprising what a little name change and the publicizing that a congress would do to strengthen the student voice. Other schools like CBC and MICDS have won awards for their student systems-systems that are only a little different from our’s. In all the change we are talking about here, in reality the changes are just improvements to what we already have. It’s a great and vital part of Westminster’s social scene, but by giving the school a congress, it adds a component to student involvement that supplements the planning of social events, to changing the community’s problems. While the argument might be made that we aren’t
ready, we know that we are. We’ve been ready, we just needed someone to spark a discussion and unite us. Together, we have a voice, and we will use it out in the world one day. Now we are ready to use them here, at Westminster Christian Academy. We can be a force that keeps growing as we learn more and more about what we want from this part of our life. It is time to add this component to student leadership. We are ready to take hold of our futures and make a lasting impact on this school. We do not want our mark to fade into the history books and be another one of those classes that went by without changing this school for the better. We want to be remembered as the students who took the school to a new place with an improved student government system. Everyone wants to be remembered. Not everyone thinks about the future, but we, as the ones who will create a voice for future students, want to make it just a little easier to pursue ideas that we haven’t even contemplated as of now. We want to be known as the band of students that took the Academy’s student leadership system to the next level.
A student government system that emphasizes and encourages communication with the administration would lend credibility to proposals from students and hopefully eliminate the sweaty palms and confusion over the process that can put an end to student ideas.
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Opinions
December 2012
9
Westminster Christian Academy
The Road Ahead Building a Grand New Party.
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Here we are. An election cycle that began with spirited optimism has ended, not with a bang but with a whimper. The Republican Party had all the stars aligned: an incumbent president coming off the weakest economic recovery since the great depression, a foreign policy debacle weeks before election day, and popular exhaustion with the “powers that
be.” So what happened? How did President Obama earn a second term? Despite the opinion of many on the left, Mitt Romney was not an exceptionally weak candidate. His record as a businessman and governor were not what finished him. His policies were the moderate approach that many Americans have been clamoring for. And without a doubt, the man could rock a giant flag pin. Mitt Romney would have been a great president, and in another time he would have been a great presidential candidate. As much as Republicans are rushing to throw him under the bus, Mitt Romney alone did not lose this election. In fact, despite the GOP’s numerous missteps, 2012 was not an unforced error. The Democrats won, not because the Republicans ran a poor race, but because they ran a better one. And the pundits blaming a lack of social media and hip, rad web videos fundamentally misunderstand the problem. Today’s Democratic party is a master of the relatively new art of identity politics. Identity politics tailors campaign tactics and policy to key demographics, which then feel loyalty to the party. Democrats have billed themselves the party of women, minorities, homosexuals, and youth. And it’s working. While Republicans were busy losing the argument that your race, sex, or creed shouldn’t determine your vote, Democrats were building lasting relationships with future key voting blocs. There’s a reason that the President won 93% of the black vote, 71% of the Latino vote, and 60% of the youth vote. President Obama is an exceptionally skilled politician, but the formula could be repeated by even the weakest Republican out there. It just requires time. The GOP cannot rely on soccer moms and veterans any more. It needs to aggressively target new demographics, new voting blocs, and new voters. Luckily, we have some brand new party standard bearers to lead us into this brave new world. The first demographic that Republicans should be pursuing
is the Latino vote. Hispanics are natural Republicans, between their rigorous work ethic, religious tendencies, and current economic turmoil. The Latino community is ready for a republican revolution. Democrats have done an incredible job pushing the narrative that the Republican party is somehow against Hispanics because of their stance on immigration. In order to combat this warped perspective, the GOP needs to cool down the vitriol against illegal immigrants, and send in a politician with some credibility in the Latino community. Enter, Marco Rubio. A second generation CubanAmerican Senator from Florida, passionately conservative, well spoken, making the case for conservatism across the country. Virtually every Republican agrees that Senator Rubio is a future superstar who can help lead the party to success in Hispanic circles. Republicans also have great potential for a relationship with the working class. A message of self empowerment and economic opportunity should resonate abundantly with blue collar men and women, watching football at the bar and griping about their union leader. Meet Chris Christie, loud, proud governor of the great state of New Jersey. He’s proven his leadership ability during Hurricane Sandy. He’s proven his bipartisan popularity in a blue state, and proven his conservative credentials time and time again. He’s the kind of tough guy, man of the world politician that the country’s factory workers, miners, and fellow Bruce Springsteen super fans can fall behind. On college campuses all across the country, Republican is a four letter word. But there’s a youth demographic that loves four letter words, and they need to be engaged. Republicans want to become cool again? Go after the bro vote. Greek row is a republican wonderland, and they’ve already got their hero. Paul Ryan, a Delta Tau Delta from Miami of Ohio has proved his leadership again and again as the 2012 vice presidential candidate and the closest thing Republicans have to an exciting leader in congress. The guy was a soccer star, student council chief executive, and prom king in high school. Young bros would follow him into battle, which would be a good call considering his hunting skills. Republicans are worming their way into new circles, but they’ve got to start now. Democratic loyalties have been built over years and won’t be easy to combat. The GOP has got to take the campaign to the House floor and to the streets, building credibility in the next four years to come back strong in 2016. We can do it.
10 C e n t e r S p r e a d
Four Unsolved Mysteries of WCA Westminster Christian Academy
December 2012
There are many questions Westminster students ask about their school, from why their science wing smells of bacon when the evacuation. And now, they’ll finally have some answers.
The Portrait in the Hub that Watches All
1
Westminster’s new campus big; no one can deny that f There are too many classroo and not enough classes, so th are multiple abandoned roo that are always locked and �il with equipment or nothing at There’s nothing strange ab having extra space or using for storage. Some day th rooms will accomodate increa enrooment. However, there is one room the eighth grade hallway tha neither empty nor used for stor equipment. Room A215 is ful unused pool toys.. But worry not; this room is haunted by the ghost of an orph child who was murdered on campus grounds centuries ago anything else Hollywood Hor movie writers might claim. It’s j another storage room. “A215 is a storage space Church on the Rock. They h church services her on Sunda said Rosemary Anders administrative assistant - facilit The toys in the room are u
Everyone has seen him, staring down at students as they rush to �inish their Science homework,
or as they stir their hot chocolate, always watching. And yet no one knows who is. He’s certainly not someone seen around the school. And there’s a reason for this: the portrait in the Hub is not a teacher or one of the principals, but it is Westminster’s �irst board president. “The Academic Hub was dedicated to him, and he actually came to the christening,” said Mrs. Peters, the reference and electronic sources specialist.
3 I Smell Bacon Walking down Westminster’s science hallway is the equivalent of walking through a kitchen. Wonderful food smell permeates throughout the wing, with everything from bacon to burnt chocolate. It doesn’t seem strange, at �irst: it’s probably just the smell of lunch cooking from the kitchen, which is below the science wing. But there is one problem with this conclusion: the smell of the science wing is never what is for lunch. It smells of bacon when Asian noodles are being cooked for lunch, and of brownies when the lunch is a ham sandwich. Many a student has been disappointed when they come down to the cafeteria and �ind a lunch nothing like the smell in the science wing. And these students deserve to know why they are suffering this injustice.
hat’s 2inW here?
Hollyberry does not only cook Mediterranean Chicken Sandwiches and Asian noodles for exhausted highschoolers; they are also a catering company. During the day, Hollyberry cooks desserts and other meals for out-of-school events. “Hollyberry, who runs our lunch program, is also a catering company. They are constantly baking cookies & desserts as well as preparing different dishes for catering events – all while cooking & preparing our daily lunches,” said Rosemary Anderson, administrative assistant - facilities. The smell of these pasteries and dishes is most likely what students smell when they trudge to their science classes. It’s the food for other people, not for them, so they should stop getting their hopes up of having a lunch with bacon. It’s not going to happen.
c e n t e r s p r e a d 11
December 2012
Westminster Christian Academy
ere’s no bacon to be found, or why their fire alarm seems more fit to announce the presence of refreshments than order an
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The Polite 4Fire Alarm Over the past year, WCA students have become well acquainted with the �ire ‘alarm’; or rather, the calm, airline attendant voice that asks students if they could “Please evacuate the building” when there is a �ire. This ‘alarm’ stands in stark contrast to the �ire alarm at the old campus, which screeched and screamed at students to get out of the building quickly, unless they wanted to burn to death. The change from the deafening shriek to the polite attendant was never explained, and continues to puzzle students. As it turns out, the �ire alarm changed because those who selected the new system were sick of having their eardrums blown out whenever there was a �ire drill. “The �ire alarm is a voice simply because it was a newer system, and using a voice as opposed to a loud, buzzing alarm was an option. I have to guess they felt it is simply much easier on the ears, and less annoying,” said Rosemary Anderson, administrative assistant - facilities.
12 S T Y L E
December 2012
Westminster Christian Academy
Christmas Banqet Style Guide Tux, Suit, or Blazer?
What type of tie?
What’s the difference? A tux is more formal, whereas a suit is slightly more casual. A tux involves more accessories such as a bow tie, ruffled shirt, cummerbund, or vest. A suit is less tailored and often worn with a long tie. A blazer with slacks is very casual and probably not best fit for a formal event. The Wildcat Roar recommends a suit and tie for most Christmas Banquet attendees.
Bow ties are coming back in style and would be a great choice for many guys this CB. However, long ties will never go out of style, and this classic might look best for your outfit. Be sure to match your tie to your date’s dress.
OR
L A D I E S
G U Y S
Dress Trends: Sequin
Long
Lace
Mint
There are many dress trends this winter. Sequin dresses are popular and always stand out. Long dresses became popular because of Carrie Underwood. A lot of girls will wear a long dress this winter. Lace dresses are cute because of the white and black are colors that are really in style. Mint was a popular color this summer and will drag into the winter. These dress choices are what will be seen at Christmas Banquet. Photos by: Sadie Stipanovich By: Sadie Stipanovich
OPINIONS December 2012
13
Westminster Christian Academy
SPEAK NO EVIL
Not speaking for half a day at school and half a day outside of WCA proved to be more challenging and eye-opening than I had originally expected. I have no idea what I was thinking when I agreed to not talk for a day. I thought it would be a funny, a joke to all my friends and my mother who could never get me to shut up. I had no clue it would actually be a real challenge for me. I knew I liked to talk but never realized to what extent.
Every time I opened my mouth to utter anything, I had to catch myself. Remembering I’d made this commitment to keep silent put me immediately on edge. Instead of being a participant in all the conversations I loved, I was now just simply an observer. I felt like I was watching life go on without me. My opinion, my voice and my ideas were left unheard. I couldn’t help but think of all the words that I wanted to contribute to conversations that were left unsaid or all of the jokes I was mentally laughing at in my head that I was dying to crack. I felt passive and detached from everything going on around me.
There would be questions I knew the answers to and I was forced to just sit back and watch people scramble around like chickens with their heads cut off. Then there would be discussions where I’d be knowledgeable on the subject and I would bite my tongue. Little things people would say would aggravate me to no end. I’d wonder to myself, “Wow, did they even bother thinking before they opened their mouth?” I’d be stuck scratching my head, trying to wrap my mind around some of the ignorance coming out of their mouth. While I was thinking and quite frankly judging, I had to stop and ponder something. Was I just as guilty of diarrhea of the mouth? I thought back on all the times I was flying off loosely at the mouth, screaming out random thoughts and not caring the affect my words were having on anyone. In my own egotistical, overweening brain, I viewed all my words as perfect and a great contribution to any discussion when in reality, they were not. I’d think something, let it swim around in my head for a little while then dismiss it. I didn’t really need to say that, I’d think and soon, I found myself shrugging off all the
little, pointless things I wanted to say. I was forced to mostly people watch and realized how much inordinate attention I gave to talking instead of listening. I noticed little characteristics about people that I never would have considered worthwhile if I had been talking. The words coming out of others mouths suddenly mattered more because the words coming out my mouth were non-existent. I realized how much of a blessing it was to be able to voice my opinion but also, to be able to hear others. I would sit and listen to someone talk about something that mattered to them and instead of waiting and readying myself to respond, I was just simply listening and finally, truly hearing them out. People had more to offer than I ever imagined. Listening to a group of girls side conversation about a Walt Whitman book I had never heard of or zoning in on a discussion a bunch of jocks were having about the NHL lockout I had no clue was even going on were two clear examples of how never bothering to listening to others had hurt my general knowledge on the world around me.
Add a Congress
I also realized just how important it is to exercise your right to voice your opinion and how when people remain silent, the world really does lose out on something. We were not given a mouth and vocal cords to simply be bystanders and silent observers. We were given these tools in order to stand up, speak out and be counted. I thought of all the people who were too shy or maybe too embarrassed to ever voice their opinions and I became frustrated. Everything important they had to say and all the ways they could make positive change with their words was simply being wasted. Suddenly, I was valuing others opinions more and more. People’s thoughts were precious and ultimately worth more. For once, I was considering others greater than myself. I felt like even though I wasn’t verbally agreeing with some of the opinions being said, my silence made me an enabler. I began to wonder, “What would happen if today was the day were I really needed to speak up but couldn’t?” I realized that finding a happy medium between listening and talking was the only way to solve
these problems. I didn’t want to be someone who could never learn because I was constantly running my mouth but I also didn’t want to be a person who allowed the world and life to pass them by, never posing a question or uttering a word. I decided that I wanted to be someone who could listen well and also speak well. Through this experience, I have figured out that in order to do one exceptionally well, you must have a good grasp on the other. Your words and thoughts are considerably better when they are tried and tested against someone else’s. The only way it is possible to do this is to listen with the intent to learn. In order to be a good listener, you must know what is worth being heard and what is not. You need a discerning ear that is able to take in what’s important and cut out what is not. Listening and talking are both necessitates to being an educated, intelligent individual. In today’s society, it is easy to let one of these tools fall by the way side but people who have learned how to master both, are considerably better off.
With Westminster’s growing size, it is time for students to have a place where they can voice their opinions. While Westminster’s student leadership system is a great start, it is now the time, in our growing size and dedicated student body, to make the step into the realm of student governments. Many think these two things are two of the same, think again. A student government system calls for the student body to have more of a say in the rules and events that affect them on a greater level. This can be from as small
as a jeans day, or to whether we should have prom. The possibilities of the students’ power and say are endless. The Westminster student leadership system was once adequate, but it is now under grown and obsolete. The system calls for a student council and a set of class representatives such as class president, vice president, secretary, spirit chair, and service chair, and then a set of STUCO chairs. However, there is some friendly opposition to the idea of a student government. “We have great system now so why change it? We have a system where students can voice their
opinions,” said Dr. Sefrit, head of upper school. Yet, students still feel that they have little influence in the student council. “The system we have now is a good start, but it’s missing something,” said Dominic Franceschelli, junior. With student council focusing on activities and events, Id like to see another body that tackles actual issues. While our system is more expansive than schools like Chaminade, Westminster has grown to the size of its rivals and should be jumping on the train of Whitfield, MICDS, and even CBC. John Burroughs has a student congress, which is much like our student council, but they focus on issues within the student body and present them to the administration. In all these schools surrounding ours, Desmet Jesuit’s student government system is the most developed. With chairs ranging from student body president, to a sports chair, the expanse of the student power is great. The school even recently added a social chair that is directly tailored to the needs of students. Westminster can take a few easy steps to get on the right path to student government. First, start a dedicated student government. It’s a new name and a new organization change that would function in
addition to student council to become a student congress. Students would then bring their ideas to the congress. Second, keep the class officials the same, just tweek their job descriptions. Give the vicepresident more duties. It turns out that many WCA students agree with the need for a student congress - somewhere they can bring their problems. “I think that giving the students more of a say will throw a new dynamic into the current system and give it two sides,” said John Eric Steiner, senior. When polling a total of 87 students from all grades the results showed that, 74% of pollers wanted a student government system as part of student leadership. Through these results, it is clear that students want more of a say in their school related lives. “I think that students need more of a voice in what affects them, and we, as student leaders, need more of a voice to give our own ideas to the high ups of WCA,” said JD Klein, junior class president. From freshman to seniors, students are ready to make a lasting impact on the academy. Students of today want to change the school for tommorow, and a student goverment would give them the chance to do that. That, in itself, is change for the future of Westminster and its students.
14 F O C U S O N Westminster Christian Academy
Focus
December 2012
s d n a B t n e d On: Stu
From bottom left (clockwise) to top right: Carson Burke plays bass with Another White Suburbanite. Their next upcoming show is Jan. 4 at Evangical Free Church in room 100. Photo by: Lauren Molbach Danny Dwyer, junior, plays his trumpet while performing with one of his bands, Cubed Roots. Photo by: Drew Port Trent Briden, sophomore, plays guitar and sings along with his band, That Guy. Photo By: Scott Rupprecht
December 2012
b i g p i c t u r e 15
Joy to the World
This Christmas WCA students are sending cards to the Bhogpur Children’s Home in India.
Westminster Christian Academy
A New Face For TV Netlix dominates the rental business.
Michele Maack watches her favorite shows on Netflix. Photo by: Christian Linhoff
Laura Tarantino surrounded by children for the Bhogpur Children’s Home in India. Photo By: Laura Tarantino
Children whose parents have Leprosy cannot take care of them and they need a helping hand n raising their child. That is where the Bhogpur Children’s Home comes into the pictures. It is a loving place where children are taken care of and get the chance to live a healthy life. Laura Tarantino, senior, has found a way to bring joy to all these children during this holiday season.
“In the spring of my sophomore year I went on a mission trip to India with my dad and several others from my church. We spent most of our time at the Bhogpur Children’s Home; a home in Northern India for children whose parents have leprosy,” said Tarantino. Because of India’s Caste system people with leprosy are not treated the same as other people. Leprosy is not only a disease, but also a social stigma. “Although it is a treatable disease, often by the time people have gotten help, deformities have set in. Lepers must live as outcasts in leper colonies. If the kids stay with their parents, they will contract the disease through prolonged contact. They will not get an education. Most of their parents “professions’” is begging,” said Tarantino. Parents with leprosy will bring their children to live at the Bhogpur Children’s Home when they are around four years old. The children will only be able to see their parents once a year. “At the home, they get to go to school, called Home Academy, and they get their basic needs met (clothes, food, safe place to live). Most importantly they get to hear
the gospel,” said Tarantino. Once Tarantino returned for her trip she wanted to do more then just little things for the children. “When I became a part of planning ITSOG through the service committee of student spiritual life team, I thought it would be great if we could bless the Children’s home by providing money for Christmas gifts and a ‘feast’ (a meal with meat) They only get meat once a month. But I really wanted students here to be more connected to these kids in India,” said Tarantino. The children in this home are not looking for anything more than attention, love, and care. They want to be a part of a family. “These kids are so hungry for one-on-one attention from someone. When you are one with 311 kids living apart from your parents, it’s hard to get that. They just need to be loved and cared for. Remembering their name just makes their day, makes their life, one graduate from home told me,” said Tarantino. The little things have a big impact on the children in this home. Certain high school and middle school students are able to bring them great joy just by writing them a Christmas card. “When I visited, we spent almost every waking moment playing with the kids. The little ones just want someone to hold them and play duck-duck-goose with them and listen to what they have to say. I also got to hang out with girls my age. I helped lead Bible study for some of the girls,” said Tarantino. Tarantino has helped get the school involved in bringing joy to these children. Her and her dad have put together Christmas cards to send to the children in the home individually. She took a late night trip to Hobby Lobby to buy bunches of cards. WCA moms also donated
Christmas cards for them to use. They had to label every card with a kid’s name, age, and gender. They had to talk to teachers to figure out who would write the cards. The whole middle school, Mrs.Heyse’s classes, and the senior AP Lit. , and Ms.Zavaglia’s classes are all writing cards. Making this Christmas blessing happen was a group effort in which many people put in their time. “It was a part of ITSOG. When it came time to decide where the committee would donate, Laura asked if we could donate to this home. She wanted us to get Christmas cards and put candy in them for the kids,” said Susie Brown, assistant to the dean of students. The hope is to make this more than a one time deal and something that the students will continue to do even after the holidays. All of the middle school and some of the high school students put lots of hard time and work into making the cards for the children. “We are not sure if/how many kids will write back. When you’re 7,000 miles away it’s hard to send mail frequently. But some of the kids may be able to, and that would be awesome if we could get a pen pal program going,” said Tarantino. Most of the children at the home are still in need of sponsorship so that the home can care for more children. The sponsorship can also help the children get more schooling so that they are able to get a job once they get out of high school. Signing up to sponsor a child does not take a long time and gives the sponsor the opportunity to choose how much they wish to donate. It is a small gift that can make a huge difference. In order to sponsor a child go to the website below. http://home4children.com/ sponsorship.php
Netflix seems to be the number one movie service of its time. With over 100,000 titles under its belt, Netflix is changing the way people watch films. Its vast online movie database allows for a larger variety of movies to be seen. People are now able to view foreign or indie films with Netflix’s huge streaming library. “Several years ago, Netflix wasn’t near as extensive with its movie titles especially streaming, you would want to look for a certain film and you wouldn’t be
able to find it. Now, Netflix is adding more and more titles and so people are being able to experience movies they would never be able to watch with physical media,” said Jeremy Scott, eighth grade teacher and advisor for movie club. Now Indie movies such as Hunter Prey or Chasing Ice are getting more popularity. This may be attributed to the amount of time people use Netflix. “Binge-watching is a pandemic that has afflicted many of the nation’s college students, with sites like SideReel, Netflix, and Megavideo—not to mention fullseason DVD sets—readily at their disposal,” said Jim Pagels, writer for slate.com, in his article titled “Stop Binge-Watching TV.” Some people are even starting to dump Cable and Dish network in favor of the much more convenient Netflix arsenal. “I don’t have cable tv, so I just indulge myself with services like hulu plus and Netflix instead,” said Olivia Winn, sophomore. This is the case for many a family with the cost of the services that Dish network and Cable TV provide exceeding Netflix’s cost per month. It seems to be that buying Netflix is cheaper than the latter. “I think Netflix is changing a lot of what people think about TV, I have at times purposefully not watched some of my favorite shows on air, simply because I knew I would catch it on Netflix,” said Scott. Though Netflix is extremely popular, its presence as a business as of late has been less than
appetizing. Services that Netflix provides are being mimicked by competitors such as Amazon and Blockbuster. “They certainly used to have something special: that whole distribution channel of people getting DVDs in the mail and sending them back. But when it comes to streaming, or online delivery, is their infrastructure that rare?” said Tim Worstall, contributor to Forbes, (a leading Business magazine). This is becoming an increasingly challenging issue for Netflix. Coming up with something new is an arduous task for a company with one definitive objective, to provide movie rentals for a small fee. This is not the only challenge Netflix has faced. In a recent survey researched by Consumer Reports, results indicated that out of 15,000 Consumer Reports subscribers, 81% of people who have used an internet streaming service in the last month used Netflix. But services like Vudu, Hulu, and Itunes all scored higher in the user satisfaction rate. Netflix consumer approval is not the only thing plummeting with its shares at an all time low, recently passing below their 200 day moving average of $80.17, with only a measily $80.07 a share. Their biggest low being $52.81 out of the 52 week range. This recent descent may be deserved by multiple trifling problems such as pirating. “Pirating is becoming huge, just the other day I wanted to watch a documentary on Prometheus, and found the whole thing in HD on Youtube,” said Scott. Pirating has always been an issue, with different rates of piracy in different countries, it varies on effects. “Netflix is quite useful in the way that it allows unlimited streaming but this doesn’t get rid of the fact that some people just don’t want to pay,” said Peter Kim, junior. Netflix changed the way people think about movies but the challenge they will face is trying to remain prevalent in a market that is continually changing. Will they pick up where Blockbuster left off, or will another movie service such as Redbox or Hulu take up the throne. Students and monthly subscribers alike ask themselves this as the numbers continue to fall for the worlds most popular movie rental service.
16 b i g p i c t u r e / S p o r t s Westminster Christian Academy
The Top Five
December 2012
WCA has produced many excellent sports teams, but which are the greatest of all time? It is nearly impossible to decide which one, two, or three WCA sports teams are greater than all others. When trying to compare and contrast, things such as
Sam and Eli Parham cover iconic inventions made in America.
Printing In The Third Dimension These days, printers don’t have the best reputation. For teenagers, printers are associated with 2:00 in the morning and a hundredpoint paper due in hard copy the next day, and in these situations of anger and impatience, the machine usually responds with a paper jam or low ink warning. This is when printers get especially nagging and frustrating. In 1984, however, Charles Hull, cofounder of 3D printing systems,
gave the ordinary printer a second glance and through much effort revolutionized it. He did this with the invention of stereo lithography, or, in English terms, a process that involves digitally designing 3D objects and then building them by layering thin strips of plastic on top of each other. This technology grew from being a simple patent to enabling a machine to print tangible objects that ranged from prosthetic legs to the body of an entire car. The reason for the “printer’s” success is largely owed to its ability to build objects with considerably less materials than that of other building processes. In order to explain this dramatic increase in efficiency, imagine the building process of a giant marble statue. The conventional way to build one is through subtracting or chiseling off pieces of marble from a huge block until only the statue
Action Figues
is left. All of the marble that has been taken from the block is now practically useless. Now, imagine building a marble statue as if it were a brick building. Building brick by brick is so much more efficient than the previous process because it involves little if any waste. The latter way of building things is the way in which the 3D printer does it. The main components are a laser, platform, and material bowl. As a platform slowly moves down into the material bowl, the laser paints or sketches out the object from the materials. Through this process, the 3D printer has made it possible to make products with high efficiency and much precision. Currently, 3D printers are most commonly used to make miniaturescale models and prototypes of things such as buildings, engines, and plastic action figures, but with new breakthroughs constantly improving the technology much more is becoming possible. The conventional laser that is used in the 3D printer has been replaced with a much more powerful electron beam that can melt and form metal. These upgraded machines are beginning to take over industries and are presently being used to make car engine parts. With the 3D printer’s major upsides and increasing popularity, it is safe to say that in a couple of years it might find itself in the average American household doing more than just printing high school English papers.
Prosthetic Legs
the athletes, the coaches, how dominant the team was, whether they won state or made it to the final four, and importance of the team
off an undefeated season by winning the state championship in convincing fashion, defeating second-place Warrensburg by 26 strokes. However, there were also some great players on that team. Senior Kevin Bell and sophomore Kevin VandeKamp each carded 145s, becoming the first teammates ever to tie for first place in the state golf tournament. Sophomore Ryan Haxel finished tied for 10th and seniors Alex Cusumano and Tim Reed finished tied for 34th and tied
The 2007 Volleyball team huddles during a match at John Burroughs. Photo courtesy of: Scott VonderBruegge
in WCA sports history. There will probably be much disagreement from readers on these rankings, but isn’t that what lists like this are for? Enjoy.
5. 2007-2008 Volleyball
for 59th, respectively. “Going into the start of the season our main goal was to win State, and we felt the added
While this team did not win the State Championship like its counterpart from the 2012 season did, it did finish second in the state tournament, losing 25-23 in the first game and 25-22 in the second game to a Bishop O’Hara team that went on to win three more straight state championships. This team was beset by injuries throughout the season and was only completely healthy during the playoffs. Senior
For years, the baseball team had come so close to winning state championships, but injuries or weather problems always seemed to prevent them from getting over the hump. During the 2010 season, the team overcame all obstacles and finally claimed the state title. Junior Tate Matheny was the team’s best player, playing centerfield and leading the team in batting average. Sophomore Ben Lovell was the pitching staff’s ace and the winning pitcher of the
The 2010 Boys Golf team holds up their first place trophy after winning the state championship. Photo courtesy of: Brian Burkey.
pressure of being the first team to win a State title, and to actually live up to all the expectations we had set for ourselves is something not a
Future major league baseball pitcher Jacob Turner, class of 2009, pitches in a game during the 2007 baseball season. Photo courtesy of: Scott VonderBruegge.
Kelli Stipanovich, who would play collegiately at the University of Arkansas, was a key leader on a loaded team. The team competed with class and was gracious in both victory and defeat. “I will never forget what Kelli Stipanovich said after we lost in the finals. Someone for the PostDispatch was interviewing her and she told him, ‘We had a lot of fun, we worked together, and we glorified God in everything we did. That was the goal.’ For her to have said that after we had just suffered a devastating defeat was special, and I believe that if we really did what Kelli said, then we were truly successful,” said Tim Hall, then
the co-head coach.
4. 2009-2010 Boys’ Golf
Car Parts
2. 2010-2011 Baseball
Girls’
lot of teams get to experience. That moment was unique for all of us,” said Brian Burkey, head coach.
This team was remarkable in part because it was the first ever Westminster team to win a state championship. The team capped
state championship, finishing with a record of 10-1. The Wildcats outscored their opponents in the state tournament 44-20 and defeated Savannah in the state championship 6-3 in thrilling fashion. “We knew coming into the year that we had the potential to win state, and so from day one we were working hard. The team grew closer together as the year went on and really gelled heading into the playoffs,” said Lovell.
1. 2011-2012 Girls’ Golf
While WCA has won multiple championships in multiple sports, the best and by far the most dominant
The 2011 baseball team celebrates after winning their first state championship. Photo courtesy of: Sarah Stanfield.
3. 2006-2007 Baseball
The 2007 baseball team came very close to winning the state championship, losing 12-5 in the state semifinals to eventual
The 2011 Girls Golf team celebrates after winning the state championship. Photo courtesy of: Scott VonderBruegge.
Model Buildings
playing in the minor leagues. Unfortunately, bad weather and injuries contributed to the team finishing third in state. They did win the Sunshine Classic in Florida. “What I will probably remember most about this team is the championship of the Sunshine Classic. We beat a team from Florida that was 15-1 and ranked the in the state of Florida in Class 5 by a score of 7-2,” said Rich Van Gilst, head coach.
champion Benton. The team had four future professional baseball players, including Jacob Turner, the ninth overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft, and Drew Benes and Ben Turner, who are currently
team in WCA sports history has to be the 2011 girls golf team. They dominated the field in the state championship, carding 673 and defeating second-place Maryville by a whopping 91 strokes, which was the biggest margin of victory in Missouri history. Junior Brooke Cusumano won first place in the individual tournament with a score of 164. Senior Margaret Moore, sophomore Jordan Wolf, and junior Ciara Younger finished 3rd, 4th, and 7th, respectively. “We entered the year knowing that we could potentially win state and we worked hard in practice to achieve our goal. We had a great time at state. It was something special to win by that much. That group of girls had a great time during practices and during the state tournament,” said Cusumano.
December 2012
Westminster Christian Academy
Seven Senior Athletes Recently Committed to Their College of Choice The dominance of this year’s Westminster senior athletes has not gone unnoticed as seven seniors committed on November 14th to their school of choice. These future college athletes are Ben Lovell, Sarah Barker, Sadie Stipanovich, Mitch Penning, Erin
Bognar, Brooke Cusumano, and Katie Matheny. Each of these athletes received some amount of scholarship for their athletic ability and they are all being welcomed by respected athletic programs around the country. Ben Lovell has been a key component in Westminster’s baseball dominance over the last few seasons. He has been one of the most reliable pitchers in Missouri, and on signing day, he made his final decision to play his college baseball at Belmont University in Nashville Tennessee. “I chose Belmont because of the great education, great town, and great Division 1 baseball team,” said Lovell. Lovell is expected to be a key player for Belmont’s team next year. “They expect me to play a role early, whether I start or am in the bullpen will be determined during fall practice,” said Lovell. While Lovell still has one more
17
sports baseball season at Westminster, he is looking forward to college baseball and hopefully a career in the sport. “My goal is to eventually go pro, but that will take a lot of work,” said Lovell. Another athlete who signed recently is Sarah Barker. She will be attending Baylor University and will be on the acrobatics and tumbling team. For Barker, the choice of which college to attend was not based solely on the sport she is going to play. “I am attending Baylor because I visited there last spring and fell in love with the campus. Everyone was really nice, welcoming, and helpful, and their pre-med school is one of the top in the country,” said Barker. While Barker is excited about her opportunity to play a college sport, she realizes that acrobatics and tumbling will require a great amount of effort. “I am expecting to be practicing a lot. The season doesn’t start until February, but pre-season training will be very intense,” said Barker. Barker hopes that her hard work at Baylor will pay off and she will be able to represent her country in the future. “If acrobatics and tumbling becomes an Olympic sport, I would love to participate some day,” said Barker.
Come next year, Katie Matheny will take her hockey talents to Ohio State. As one of the most dominant women’s hockey players in the country, Matheny had many choices as to where she would attend college. “I chose to attend Ohio State because I want to go to a big school, and I have family close by,” said Matheny. Looking forward to her college career, Matheny expects to be pushed in order to become a better player. “I know it is going to be a lot of work, but it will all be worth it,” said Matheny. The only women’s volleyball player out of this class is Erin Bognar. Bognar was a key component in this year’s Westminster volleyball state championship and she will be attending Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. For her, the choice of which college to attend came easily. “I chose Samford because it was everything I was looking for in a school and a volleyball program,” said Bognar. While Bognar’s choice of college came easily, she realizes that her experience in college volleyball will not be the same. “Division 1 volleyball is a whole new level that I am not used to. It is going to be extremely hard and time consuming, especially my freshman year,” said Bognar. Bognar hopes to learn from her college experience whether or not volleyball should be a real career path. “I might want to play professional volleyball in Europe
or South America, but I will only know for sure after a few years of college,” said Bognar. Another stand-out athlete Sadie Stipanovich, who was one of the leaders of last year’s basketball team that took fourth in state, chose to attend Saint Louis University. “I am going to go to SLU because it is close to home and the basketball coach is great,” said Stipanovich. Stipanovich realizes that college basketball will be tough, but she is excited about the opportunity. “It’s going to be a huge blessing from God to play ball at SLU. I know it’s going to have it challenges, but also many rewards,” said Stipanovich. With two impressive state titles on her resume, Brooke Cusumano decided play her college golf at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. “I chose Southern Illinois because the school and the golf program were what I was hoping for in a college,” said Cusumano. Cusumano’s golf talent was
unmatched throughout most of her high school career in the state of Missouri, but she realizes that college golf is a completely different experience. “It is going to be a great experience with a lot of competition, which will push me to get better,” said Cusumano. Mitch Penning tops off the group of senior athletes that have committed to a college. Penning is one of the best volleyball players in the country and he chose to take his volleyball talents to Pepperdine University. Penning participated in the 2011 Boys’ Youth and Select Holiday Camp, a camp that often produces Olympic volleyball players. Penning’s future in the sport of volleyball looks promising and he is expected to be a key player for the Pepperdine volleyball team. All of these senior athletes have brought great praise to the Westminster athletic program and they plan to do the same at their school of choice next year.
Top left to bottom right: Ben Lovell, Mitch Penning, Sadie Stipanovich, Erin Bognar, Sarah Barker, Katie Matheny, and Brooke Cusumano. Photo by: Elise Hearne
Triple Threat
Brett Bond ,Shane Benes, and Kyle Kinner, knew each other long before they started blazing thier way into Westminster sports history
The trio that is Brett Bond, Kyle Kinner, and Shane Benes, started off with just a game and a rivalry. Bond and Benes had played on the Hammerheads baseball team since 4th grade. Year after year, the team came face to face with
the same team. The two formed a strong sports rivalry, and one kid in particular would play like no other. The rivals were the Attacks, and that little kid was none other than Kinner. For four years, the play offs provided wins for both teams, but when Bond and Benes won a spot on the Prospects, none other than Kinner was there to greet them, as he too had won a spot on the team. Benes and Kinner had met before, Brett however had no other knowledge of the skinny kid, other than he was his rival. “I felt very indifferent about Kyle when we first met,” said Bond. Their teamwork piad off and the Prospects, already a great team, gained a record of 96-4, all thanks to the trio of rivals turned brothers. Over the next few years, the trio continued to play for the summer and then go their separate ways. But Bond and Kinner longed for a more Christian environment, something that was non-existent at their other schools. Then along came Benes. He brought it to the
Brett Bond runs a drill during basketball practice. Photo by: Eichel Davis
Kyle Kinner gets info from sideline while standing on the field. Photo by: Scott Rupprecht
Shane Benes hits a ball at a varsity baseball game in the 2012. Photo by: Kelli Larson
attention of Bond, and then Bond brought it to Kinner. “My family encouraged Brett and Kyle to come to Westminster,” said Benes’ older sister Bailey, senior. The trio was excited, and when considering all the circumstances that had to go right for them to get together, they all were amazed at the outcome. “I think that it was God’s will that all the things brought us together,” said Bond. Fast forward to March 2012. The baseball season was just getting started. Benes had been playing for Westminster for two years now, and had a solid reputation. Bond was the new guy, but quickly proved that he was worth the fuss. Kinner on the other hand couldn’t play baseball that year, a little bit of a downer to the group. “ I was fine, and I cheered on my friends all season,” said Kinner. The 2012 baseball season marked a second State Championship for Wildcats, and Benes, bond, and Kinner were all
happy about the win. “It was the greatest moment in my life in 2011, and then it happened again,” said Benes. The duo had brought another happy moment into their friendship. It brought the memories of the back-to-back playoff appearances during their time with the Prospects. And even if only two played that day, they all were together as a trio. While Benes was done making history for the year, Bond and Kinner were just getting ready to change Westminster football. For Kinner, while baseball is a knack of his, football is his first love. “When I was younger, my dad put me in baseball because I was way too small for football,” said Kinner. It was just another one of those circumstances that brought these guys together. Coming off a 2-8 season, the football program was going through a change when Bond and Kinner moved up to the varsity ranks. Right away the chemistry
that had aided them on the diamond was now making them the dynamic duo of the gridiron. “I think our success is based in how well all of us on the team and in the program as whole get along,” said Kinner. The football team tied the record for the winniest season. For Benes and Bond, their sports seasons extend into basketball season as well, with both playing a role in Varsity’s 4-1 record. Sports obviously provided the vehicle for their friendship, but their brotherhood now goes a long ways past the game itself. While Benes and Bond been friends long before Kinner came along, today they all have the same strong bond with each other. “I know in our friendship we can do crazy things together. Some of my best memories are with these guys,” said Benes. Bond thinks that the key to their friendship is that it is Christian based. Education also ranks highly on each of their radars.
“Before coming to WCA, I didn’t care about education. That changed when I came here because sports wasn’t everything and not all the popular kids were athletes,” said Bond. Looking to the future, things seem on the rise for the trio. While they might go their separate ways, their friendship will always be strong. “We will always be friends no matter what. We have a special bond, no pun intended,” said Kinner. All the guys’ dreams are in order. Benes, who has commited to Mizzou, hopes to play in the pros some day soon, continuing a legacy. Bond also wants to attend Mizzou and wants to play pro baseball someday and coach after getting out of the league, “pulling a Mike Matheny” as he put it. Kinner wants to attend Iowa for college. By the time they leave in 2014, their mark will be left. Their legacy will be set in the stone of Westminster sports. Their friends will remember them, a few keeping close to them. From on all fields, the names Benes, Bond, and Kinner, will become legacy as the sports was just the backdrop to the the brotherhood, that was so strong and mighty, not even time itself can break it. But the true story will be the story itself. The story of a little circumstance and a lot of chance. And no matter what happens after they leave high school, they will forever be known as a triple threat.
18 S P O R T S
December 2012
Westminster Christian Academy
Freshmen Basketball on Fast-Break with Victory in Metro League Tourney The freshman basketball team started the season off on the right foot by winning the Metro League Championship. In order to do so, they defeated Clayton 4440 in overtime, Lutheran North 27-22 and Priory 29-27 in the championship. The tournament started going badly even before it began. Over the weekend, star wing Jack Andrews, freshman, broke his nose
that Andrews was returning from his injury, which would greatly enhance the teams capabilities. However, the team shot terribly from the floor, only scoring 17 points in the first half. Priory’s zone was a virgin concept to the Cats, and they weren’t knocking down their open looks. Once again, they were down 20-18 late in the 4th quarter. In stepped Joel “James” Johnson, freshman. His
MY CALL S T E V E N D A V I S
S P O R T S
E D I T O R
The Blame Game Officials share responsibility with athletes and coaches for the outcome of athletic competitions. But while it’s fine to blame the refs, you have to stay classy.
Jordan Hawkins drives for a layup against Lutheran North Photo By Steven Davis
at practice. This knocked him out of the first two games, putting the team at a steep disadvantage. Against Clayton in the opener, the Wildcats had a 10 point lead going into the 4th quarter. Clayton didn’t quit though, and they came back to take a 40-38 advantage with a minute to play. But with 30 seconds left, Jordan Hawkins, freshman, made a steal and threw it down court to Logan McCall, freshman, who made the easy layup to tie the game.
“I just wanted to make sure to relax and make the shot. But I didn’t want to celebrate yet, because I knew we were going to overtime,” said McCall. After extending it to OT, Nick Cacciarelli, freshman, took over and scored the only 4 points during the extended time. The Wildcats overcame the late adversity and barely escaped the opener. Two days later, the Cats traveled to Priory to play Lutheran North. After starting off slow, the cats had another large lead late in the game. Cacciarelli fueled the attack on defense this time as well, getting a couple key steals that led to easy buckets. But once again, the freshman let Lutheran North work its way back into the game late. The Wildcats were getting outrebounded on both sides of the floor, and the Crusaders scored nearly all of their points on second chance opportunities. But Lutheran North ran out of time for their comeback and once again, the Cats escaped with an ugly 27-22 win. “It was hard to watch, but I’m glad my team was able to pull out the wins,” said the injured Andrews. This took them to the championship game against Priory. Despite its advancement to the finals, Priory was predicted as the least talented team Westminster would need to play in the tournament. Plus the fact
teammates call him Joel James after Lebron James, as he sports the iconic number 3 on the back of his jersey. Johnson had struggled early in the game with a couple of unforced turnovers, but those mistakes were erased in the final quarter. He hit two consecutive threes with 3 minutes to play to give his team the lead. “I had turned the ball over a couple times earlier in the game, and I felt I have to make these shots to help my team out,” said Johnson. The Wildcats held on to win 29-27. This year’s freshman team has a lot of speed and talent, from players like Nick Cacciarelli, Jordan Hawkins, and Jack Andrews. They have plenty of people who can shoot, and the team should be able to put up a lot of points. Their defense is also developing well, as their quickness and use of the press is going to allow them to produce a decent amount of turnovers and fast-break points. However, there are some holes. Size is one of them. Their lack of size causes much of their offense to be run from the perimeter, which makes them vulnerable when they have poor shooting days, such as the championship against Priory. Their lack of size also gives the team headaches when rebounding. They allow a lot of offensive rebounds, and way too many second chance points. Another problem is injuries. Even before the season started, both Andrews and Minsok Lee have gotten hurt. Andrews returned in the final game of the tournament but was far below his usual self, shooting less than 20% from the field. He needed to wear a mask to protect his ailing nose, which impaired his vision. Lee returned recently from a bad knee. Finally, the team’s offense appears to be inconsistent. Although it is just the beginning of the season, the team failed to score 100 points in 3 games against mediocre teams. Its not talent the team lacks, its flow and poise where they fall short. Once the boys learn to play together, this problem should vanish.
It is part of America’s national pastime to sit down on a couch or at a seat at the stadium, enjoy any sporting event from little league football to olympic figure skating, and yell at any official who makes any sort of questionable call against your team. What is more frustrating is when you are participating in the game and you a questionable call may have cost you the game. However, after a loss that involves any sort of questionable officiating, you always hear somebody say, “Now, you can’t blame the refs.” While this can be true to a certain extent, the official can never be completely absolved of all blame. In the same way you can never expect an athlete to always throw the perfect ball, shoot the perfect basket, or make the perfect kick, you can never expect the official to always make the perfect call or no-call. Thus, officials play an underrated role in the outcome of any competition. The umpire that calls the winning run safe when the runner is really out definitely has as much effect on the outcome as the outfielder who dropped the routine fly ball that would have ended the game. As both an athlete and as a spectator, you can’t entirely discount the role an official has on the outcome of the game because they, like the players and coaches, are imperfect. A perfect example of this is an episode that many fans of St. Louis sports are familiar with. Up three games to two and nursing a 1-0 lead over the Kansas City Royals in the bottom of the 9th inning in the 1985 World Series, the Cardinals had just three more outs before they would become world champions. Royals pinch-hitter Jorge Orta hit a routine ground ball to 1st baseman Jack Clark, who threw to pitcher Todd Worrell (a future WCA father!) who was covering first. Orta was clearly out, but first base umpire and crew chief Don Denkinger called him safe. This led to a series of events that resulted in the Royals winning the game 2-1. They won the series the next day, crushing the Cardinals 11-0. Denkinger’s call caused the Cardinals to lose the game and thus keep the series alive another day. However, while his call was catastrophic, the blame for the result cannot be pinned entirely on him. The Cardinals committed several errors immediately following the blown call. With-
out these errors, the Royals would have surely not have had as great of an opportunity to score. Also, the Cardinals had an opportunity to win the next day, but were demolished. Thus, while Denkinger’s call definitely played a role in the result of the game and thus the series, it would be wrong to pin the blame on him alone. Keep in mind that since the officials can’t help being imperfect, you must expect that they will make mistakes. Officials don’t want to make bad calls. If they did there would be bigger problems to deal with than just a few blown calls. Therefore, if an official makes a blown call, cut him some slack. He’s human, just like you. Don’t be the idiot fan who starts throwing trash down onto the field and at the ref just because he makes a call that you disagree with. Doing that makes you look more stupid than the ref. In the same way, if you are an athlete participating in the game, running your mouth at the ref after he makes a call that you disagree with makes you look stupid and is a great way to get your team a penalty and you ejected from the game. After Denkinger’s famous blown call, he received numerous letters from enraged Cardinals fans that insulted him and his officiating skills. While understandably disappointed, the people who wrote these letters were foolish for expecting perfection out of a human being. The official should not be a scapegoat. Putting all of the blame on the official when he clearly is not at fault and your team and your coaches are is not right. If the official deserves a little blame for costing your team a game, that’s fine. Go ahead and blame him. If, however, you are just blaming the ref to absolve your team of, if you are a participant, yourself from blame, you again make yourself look worse than the official, especcially if the ref made the right call. While it’s fun to blame the official, it is sometimes inappropriate to do so. If the official makes a bad call, free free to start blaming him. However, be honest with yourself. Don’t blame the official to make yourself feel better. Don’t expect absolute perfection from officials as so many fans and athletes tend to do. And whatever you do, don’t make yourself look worse than the official, especcially if he’s right.
Officials play an underrated role in the outcome of any competition. The umpire that calls the winning run safe when the runner is really out definitely has as much effect on the outcome as the outfielder who dropped the routine fly ball that would have ended the game.
19
SPORTS
December 2012
Westminster Christian Academy
Westminster Wrestling Invitational The WCA wrestling team took sixth place in its annual invitational. Westminster’s wrestling team took sixth place in the Westminster Invitational on Nov. 30 and Oct. 1. The thirteen athletes on the varsity lineup contributed to three fifth place finishes, one fourth place finish, one third place finish, and one first place finish. The expectations of Tim Muehleisen, head wrestling coach, were met with the team’s exceptional performance.
“I always want to win every match, but to get off to a good start, have things we can learn from, and stay healthy are really good goals at this point which we accomplished,” said Muehleisen. At the lighter end of the lineup, Joseph Welker, senior, wrestled his way through the 113 pound bracket, ending the night with a pin in the first period to take fifth place. At 127 pounds, Eli Parham, sophomore, took tenth place.
Dominic Franceschelli, junior, took 8th place in the 132 pound weight class. 138 pound Dominic Barresi, senior, won to take fifth place after losing two extremely close matches. Will Egan, senior, and Clayton Hubler, junior, were placed on opposite ends of the 145 pound bracket. After suffering a hyper extended ankle injury and bloody nose in the second period of his match, Hubler pinned his opponent in overtime to win. However, Hubler was forced to forfeit because of his injury. Egan beat his opponent in order to take fifth place. Keegan Brown, senior, missed the podium by one place, taking fourth at 152 pounds. His match was followed by Michael Weston and Trent Briden, sophomores, competing in the 160 pound weight class. Both Weston and Briden lost their final matches, Weston taking sixth and Briden taking eighth. At 170 pounds, Jacob Chimento, sophomore, took seventh place.
Brink Thompson, senior, took ninth overall in the 182 pound weight class. The end of the lineup included senior Bennett Lewis, a returning state medalist at 220 pounds, who wrestled at 195 pounds during the tournament. Lewis took first in his weight class going undefeated throughout the tournament. Joe Isaacs, senior, wrestled exceptionally winning his match in the finals for third place. David Becker, sophomore, took tenth in the 285 pound weight class. Although most of the thirteen wrestlers had strong finishes to the tournament, Muehleisen was especially proud of a few specific athletes. “Joe Isaacs and Keegan Brown had really nice matches. Bennett Lewis finished the tournament really well with a quality win over a quality kid,” said Muehleisen. The coach’s analysis of the weekend was generally positive, but he did identify key things that needed improvement.
“We need to be able to wrestle faster. We have good technique, but are still slow on the mat,” said Muehleisen. This year’s invitational was combined with the Maryville invitational in order to create a tournament with both college and high school athletes and fans. Muehleisen’s intention in combining the Maryville and Westminster invitationals was much more than just convenience. “The purpose of combining Maryville and Westminster was convenience, but also because of the unique opportunity. We don’t think that anyone else in the country is combining high school and college wrestling,” said Muehleisen. Muehleisen emphasized getting the Westminster wrestling name out. “We want people to know about Westminster wrestling. We also wanted to create a great opportunity for our wrestlers,” said Muehleisen.
From bottom left to upper right: Maryville joins Westminster to host a high school and college tournament with a total of 12 mats; Will Egan, senior, hugs his opponent after winning a close match; Jacob Wadley, wrestling coach, wrestles in the college open; Bennett Lewis, senior, pins his opponent; Brink Thompson, senior wins his match after finishing many shots in the third period; and Michael Weston, sophomore, successfully performs a go-behind against his opponent. Photos by: Eli Parham and Jen Parham
From the Desk to the Field
The inside scope on teachers as coaches and how it affects their teaching styles and the student-athletes in their classes.
Cory Snyder, head football coach and upper school science teacher, signals to the varsity football team on the field. Photo by: Elise Hearne
Naïve preschoolers and kindergarteners tend to presume that teachers live at school, and to see them anywhere but where they “live” seems completely out of place. Teenagers tend to have similar mindsets, assuming teachers’ lives revolve around the
classroom: grading tests, assigning homework, and planning the curriculum. Athletes have an opportunity to discover that teachers are normal people who share their passion for sports. Coaches also get to build stronger
relationships with their students by getting to know them under different circumstances. When teachers know students as athletes it gives them insight on the types of people their students are by viewing them from a different lens. “I think it is beneficial to see students in a different environment than the classroom. Some students I have are completely different when they are on the court instead of in the classroom. I think it improves the student-teacher relationship because we get to know each other in a different way. I think there is mutual respect because we know how much work the person is putting in after school hours,” said Anne Williams, upper
school Learning Center teacher and volleyball coach. Building a stronger relationship with student-athletes compared to students is almost inevitable for teachers who coach. “In general, I would say that yes, I have better relationships with students that I coach. The more you know a student outside of the normal school day, the better the relationship is at school,” said Williams. Although teachers have stronger relationships with student-athletes, they restrain from granting them special privileges. “Having a player as a student gives me another perspective of who they are as a person. Being an athlete should not have its advantages in the classroom nor should being my student have its advantages on the baseball field,” said Rich Van Gilst, upper school math teacher and baseball coach. For student-athletes, having a teacher who coaches them allows them to be at ease in the classroom and naturally connect with the teaching style. “I know [Mr. Van Gilst] better than your average student does and I am more comfortable asking questions in class. I understand things easier [by having Mr. Van Gilst as my coach]. He uses a lot of baseball references in class so we come from the same point of view,” said varsity baseball player Jordan Smith, junior. Teachers gain awareness on
learning styles that work best for student-athletes by knowing them as their coaches. “I think that anytime that you know a student better it aids you in their learning processes. That is true whether you use athletics, resources from the guidance office or learning center, or conversations with the students to gather that information,” said Cory Snyder, upper school science teacher and head football coach. For teachers, having students who participate in the sport they specifically coach does not mean that those students will try harder in the classroom nor that they will slack off, thinking they have an advantage unlike their peers. “Sometimes good athletes are not good students and vice
versa. My hope and expectation is that whether in the classroom or on the baseball field, the student athlete will always give his or her best effort. Also, we spend time in athletics on character issues since athletes are part of a team and are representing their school, their families and their God in a public forum. Character is important in the classroom too but in a different way,” said Van Gilst. While student athletes value their coaches, the stronger relationships ultimately do not influence the work effort they will put in. “[The relationship between my coach and I] is a relationship where I respect him and I am going to do what I need to do to get my work done, whether it’s in baseball or the classroom,” said Smith.
Kelsey Walton, head girls’ volleyball coach and upper school math teacher, leads her team in a huddle during a time-out at the state championships. Photo by: Elise Hearne
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