the wildcat roar issue 3

1Westminster Christian AcademyNovember 2012

W e s t m i n s t e r C h r i s t i a n A c a d e m y V o l u m e X I s s u e I I I N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 2

800 Maryville Centre Drive, Town and Country, MO 63017 www.thewildcatroar.com

historic undefeated season from the golf team, who secured their second straight state championship a couple of weeks earlier.

Westminster’s lady golf team had been a powerhouse recently. The team had not lost a match in two years. In 2011, they won the state championship by a record ninety-one strokes and dominated the competition all year. This year’s repeat possibly cemented their claim as the most dominating high school golf team in Missouri’s history.

Although some predicted this year’s State Championships could pose a threat to the girls undefeated run, they had no problem crushing

medals, tied for the most in Missouri. Her best score of the year, 71, was the second lowest of any other girl in the state. Ciara Younger, senior, Megan McDaniel, sopohomore, and McKenna Montgomery, freshman, rounded out the Wildcats’ tournament. None of them finished below thirtieth.

Montgomery is especially promising. As a freshman, she placed 14th in the championship. It’s likely that she could be the next Cusumano or Wolf with her current numbers.

It wasn’t all about the golf though.

“The most special thing about this year was becoming even better friends with Brooke. That girl’s like my sister, and we had a ton of fun this year,” said Younger.

The Wildcats’ two-year run was impressive from start to finish. Not only did they repeat this year, but they added victories in five other tournaments and won their matches by an average of 29 strokes.

Next year, Cusumano and Younger leave for college. Those gaps will not be easy to fill. Yet

Wolf remains confident.“I have no doubt we can do it

again next year,” said Wolf.The Lady Wildcats volleyball

team will be looking to follow the golf team’s example next year. With no state championships on their resume, this year’s stacked senior class was aiming to find their way to the podium. They capped off a 29-6-2 season by sweeping Pleasant Hill in the finals of the state tournament.

In the semifinals on Friday, Westminster put itself in a jam early by splitting sets with Perryville. But after that early hiccup, the squad buckled down and went 4-0 the rest of the day to advance to the finals. Erin Bognar, senior, and Hannah Stipanovich, junior, led the way with 32 kills each in the six matches.

The following day, Westminster played Pleasant Hills again after beating them twice in the semis. After winning the first set 25-16, the Wildcats found themselves down 14-8 in the second.

“We all stayed calm and we trusted each other that we could make the comeback and win

The fall season was a goldmine for the Lady Wildcats. On Saturday, November 3, the varsity volleyball team cruised to its first state championship in school history. This was following a

Lady Cats Dominate the Fall

those doubts. The Lady Wildcats carded an incredible 669, blowing away second place Villa Duchesne by fifty-two strokes.

Brooke Cusumano, senior, and Jordan Wolf, junior, placed first and second in the tournament with a 154 and 157, respectively. This has been the theme of the year, as Wolf and Cusumano have a combined sixteen medals between them. This was Cusumano’s second state championship in a row, something that had never been done before.

“It’s amazing just to be the champion once, so to say that I’m a two-time champion, I just feel blessed,” said Cusumano in an interview with Stltoday. She will be attending golf powerhouse Southern Illinois University Carbondale next year.

Although she only finished three shots behind, Wolf was still thinking she could have played better.

“I played my two worst rounds of the year at state and am really disappointed in myself,” said Wolf.

Wolf should not be upset about her performance this year. As a junior, she won eleven individual

it in two games,” said Sadie Stipanovich, senior.

The girls crafted a dominating 16-5 run and went on to win 25-22.

Again, Bognar was the standout, as she had been all year. She led the way with a match-high 11 kills. This added to her team high 310 kills on the year.

“It’s just surreal. We’ve wanted it so much. We’ve been so close and finally we have it,” said Bognar in an Stltoday interview. Next year, she will be playing Division I volleyball at Samford University.

Both Stipanovichs were also essential in the victory. The sisters manned the net and kept the Chicks from Pleasant Hill honest. Their older sister, Kelli, was the star of the 2007 squad.

“It’s just like amazing, it feels so cool to follow in Kelli’s footsteps,” said Hannah in her Stltoday interview.

In the school’s first thirty years of existence, Westminster did not win a single team state championship. Since 2009, they have taken two baseball championships, two ladies golf, one mens golf, and now another trophy in volleyball.

The Lady Wildcats golf team poses for a victory shot after winning the State Championship for the second year in a row at Meadowlake Acres Country Club in New Bloomfi eld, MO. Photo by: Shelby Kehr

Both the girls’ golf and volleyball teams took fi rst place at their State Championships this fall. Golf won for the second year in a row and volleyball for the fi rst time in Westminster history.

The girls celebrate after winning a point at the state championship. Photo by: Alice Tilley.

Inside the issue

ITSOGP. 2

Anna GaffneyP. 6

Carnival weekend

p. 14

2Westminster Christian Academy November 2012

C o m m u n i t yIn the Beginning, There Was South Dakota. Throughout the years, Westminster has had several Summer Seminar trips, but it fi rst began in 2005 with a trip to South Dakota.

Community. Adventure. Understanding. Such are the things that Summer Seminars expound upon. Coming up on its thirteenth year, Summer Seminars have been a much-loved tradition of Westminster students.

Started by Chris Knerr, Ann

Heyse, Warren Smith, and Larry Hughes, upper school teachers, Summer Seminars were designed to model Francis Schaeffer’s L’Abri concept. French for the word “shelter,” L’Abri have several centers throughout the world designed for studying.

The goal of Summer Seminars were to focus on a single topic within a small community of people. The first trip was set in South Dakota, and it focused on analyzing brokenness and how good came from it.

“It has developed into this notion of restoration,” said Knerr.

Because of the positive feedback from the summer seminars, there has been an increase in offered

trips. After 2010, more than one summer seminar was offered at a time, so students would not have to be turned away.

Other Summer Seminars will travel to Washington and Oregon to focus on the beauty of nature. Some retreats have even had leadership as the central focus as the groups travel to historic battle sites.

Originally, the trips were set in the outdoors, requiring students to camp and backpack for the majority of the trip. However, there have been seminars that have visited New England and soon Chicago for students who do not enjoy roughing it in the great outdoors.

The intention was that there would also be a focus on art.

“Christians have neglected arts so much, we don’t know how to react to them,” said Knerr.

Throughout these trips, it has been noticed that normal student cliques begin to break down within these seminar communities.

“It is cool to see how kids who normally wouldn’t interact with each other become friends,” said Knerr.

Photo credit: Taylor Hughes, from the Oregon Summer Seminar trip in 2011.

videos in chapel because it puts where our stuff is going in perspective. Last year, a lot of people were complaining that they didn’t know where their stuff was going to, but that was probably just a bad excuse not to bring anything,” said Anna Bergman, junior.

Students also found sheets in their lockers that described the basic mission statements of the more than 15 different agencies that WCA is involved with this year. According to Susie Brown, assistant to the Dean of Students, the places that WCA donates to change from year to year. For the first time this year, WCA will be delivering the goods to the agencies instead of them coming to pick up the items.

“It is important for high school students to be involved in something like this because it teaches us how to get out of our bubble, and it challenges us to literally be the ‘Good Samaritan’ for someone else. In a nutshell, it makes us into better people: the people God wants us to become,” said Christian Thompson, senior.

ITSOG is a unique opportunity for the school to help people in need, and students are not the only people at WCA that it impacts.

“I have been humbled by the reaction of the people when they have come to pick up items we’ve

collected. They are always grateful and generally surprised by the amount of items that we collect. It is a blessing to me to see how God uses the Westminster community to bless people in our community, the region, and the world,” said Brown.

One agency in particular that students have made a connection with is Room at the Inn. Room at the Inn is a temporary, emergency shelter for homeless women and families. Students involved with National Honors Society are required to spend the night once a year at a church that partners with Room at the Inn. The students help make and clean up dinner and breakfast for the women and families, play with the children that are staying the night, and share conversation.

“My favorite thing about Room at the Inn for the NHS students is that it’s very relational. Getting to talk with and care for these people really acts as a reality check. It also acts as a way of living out our faith by caring for the homeless,” said Tim Burgess, senior.

ITSOG 2012

Monday (Food)Feed My People Isaiah 58 Ministries

Tuesday (Cleaning Supplies/Household Goods)New City Free StoreSt. Patrick CenterGlobal Brigades

Wednesday (Baby Supplies)Newborns in NeedThrive St. Louis

Thursday (Toiletries)Grace and Peace Women’s ShelterHaven of GraceSunshine Ministries

Friday (PJs and Toys Day)One Heart Family MinistriesOperation Christmas ChildWhole Kids OutreachCovenant House

During this year’s “In the Spirit of Giving” week, students were able to see exactly where their donated items were going because of the videos in chapel that featured different agencies, and some students delivered supplies directly to them.

Complaining is a common way for teens to express their opinions. Around this time last year, many students complained about the lack of attention given to ITSOG and especially to the agencies that the school donated the items to.

ITSOG—“In the Spirit of Giving”—is a week at WCA

dedicated to donating items to local agencies from homeless shelters and food pantries to ministries that aid in the foster care process. Last year was WCA’s first year in the new campus, and students were quick to complain about the difficulty in seeing exactly where their donated items were going. This year it has been made very clear where the goods from each day of giving went.

For the last couple weeks, Tim Holley, Director of Spiritual Life, mentioned ITSOG at the beginning of Wednesday morning chapels. They also played videos in chapel that highlighted some of the agencies so students can picture where their donations are going and how they actually help to make a difference in people’s lives.

“I really liked how they showed

Sam Sherman and Ellie Bettlach, seniors, help organize the donated items before school that they sent to the various agencies. Photo by: Elise Hearne


C o m m u n i t y

They allow the user to see the entire Milky Way Galaxy with the swipe of a hand. They can store hundreds of books and applications on a device that is only 0.37 inches thin. They are iPads, and now, WCA’s middle school has them.

While Westminster continues to become more technologically advanced, new changes are popping up each year. Just last year, WCA moved into their new campus at Maryville Centre Drive. This year, iPad carts have appeared in the classrooms of middle school teachers, and they come with great advances.

“Before, a lot of times, if we used technology, it would be me up in the front using it. Now, we can get it into the students hands. It’s more hands-on,” said Katie Long, seventh grade science teacher.

With some exceptions, the responses of seventh and eighth grade students have been very positive.

“It’s a lot more interactive and every unit you do something different with the iPads. They’re different ways of learning,” said Emily Zell, seventh grader.

What many do not get to hear is the opinion of the teachers. Most of the teachers themselves are also enjoying the new benefits of the tool and are incorporating it into their everyday lives.

“I’m using it daily as a teacher. I’m constantly using it,” said Jeremy Scott, eighth grade Bible teacher.

This device is still fairly new with teachers, so they aren’t completely sure about what the iPad can offer them just yet.

“I take most of my notes now on my iPad. I’m using it so much more than pencil and paper, and I like it. However, I feel like while I’m enjoying some things, I don’t know all it can and can’t do—the benefits and problems,” said Scott.

There are some problems with the iPads and technology in general at the moment, and potential problems are seen on the rise. Teachers are willing to offer solutions to some, but others have yet to be completely solved.

“One of my biggest concerns is screen time. If we have too much, we can lose some things that are valuable like people interaction and quiet time with God,” said Andy Kerckhoff, seventh grade geography teacher.

Technology has made itself such a part of our culture that individuals are starting to question how much is too much in our lives.

“We spend a lot of time with stuff in our faces. People are not in front of our eyes anymore. Sometimes I worry that there’s a disconnect taking place between people,” said Scott.

Use of the iPad appropriately is also a problem that needs to be addressed. That is up to the teachers to direct the students towards forming good habits with the computers.

“We have had issues with students not using the tool as instructed by the teacher like playing with the camera. We have to think about two things: how to manage our classes and how to train kids to use them well,” said Deana Vandegriff, seventh grade

Bible teacher.Apple is known for coming out

with the next big thing every year or so; the next impending question is what happens when something completely new comes out.

“I worry about how we might adopt this device, and then in three years, something new comes out. What do I invest my time in learning?” said Scott.

There is also the issue of whether a tool like an iPad can hold up to the kind of use and potential abuse students can dish out. However, Westminster has thought through this and taken protective measures accordingly.

“Right now, our cases are pretty robust, so we haven’t had much damage to them,” said Dale Beachy, eighth grade algebra teacher.

Westminster’s future with iPads is not yet decided on. With Macbooks and iMacs the school is fully equipped at the moment to help each student succeed. iPads are adding a little something new, but could not replace the standard computer.

“There are advantages and disadvantages, but they don’t seem to replace the laptop. Laptops are more powerful and can do more than iPads, but a Macbook costs twice as much as iPads. And, they’re portable,” said Kerckhoff.

All of the questions that come with the iPads are simplified into being a matter of how to use what Westminster now has to best teach the students in accord with WCA’s mission statement.

“The question isn’t if the iPad is good or bad. The challenge is how we can enhance the learning experience but keep it in a good perspective,” said Vandegriff.

A New Tool in the Middle SchoolWCA’s middle school is into their fi rst year of iPads

MaryKate Kopsky and Emily Kessel, eighth graders, use an iPad during class.

Daniel Schick and Vikki Mackoul, eighth graders, use the camera application on the iPad.

Jason Kelly, eighth grader, works on his US History class project using the iPad. Photos by: Audrey O’Neill

Who Let the Dog Out?Bogey, Westminster’s furry friend, not only saves the school time and money, but also keeps the geese off of the property.

There is an employee here at Westminster that has four legs, fur, and a tail. His only job is to chase the geese away from our campus.

If a prospective student or parent walked into Westminster today, the last thing they would expect to find greeting them in the Grand

Entry is a furry golden retriever named Bogey.

This particular dog has a unique job at Westminster that saves the school a great deal of time and money. His job is to come to school just a couple of times

a week and scare the geese away from the school grounds.

“Geese are not afraid of humans or cars, but are terribly afraid of wolves, foxes and dogs, no matter what size,” said Mark Jennings, Director of Facilities.

“When we bring Bogey on the grounds, the geese fly away. He doesn’t exactly chase them as much as he shows up and they fly away.”

However, it is not all work for this dog. When he is not chasing the birds, he has nearly complete access to all of the building areas and grounds, though he is not allowed in the kitchen, the Café or in any of the offices.

The need for Bogey arose after WCA moved to the new campus.

Dozens of geese and other birds found the several water reservoirs on Westminster’s grounds and decided to make them their neighborhood hangout.

Geese pose a problem because their feces carry many strains of

bacteria, some of which can cause serious illness. The administration decided to hire a company to help with the geese problem.

“This was a necessary, but expensive, service to keep the grounds sanitary,” said Jennings.

There was a succession of several companies that tried various methods for ridding the campus of these nuisance birds. They even hired one that put up plastic statues

of wolves to scare the birds. None of the methods worked to rid WCA of the geese.

Eventually, the facilities department found a company called Another Wild Goose Chase. They brought in specially trained dogs to chase the geese away. This method worked well but was costly.

Because of the expense, they began discussing other options for once the Canada goose migration season was over. Then Jennings had the bright idea of bringing in an employee dog named Bella, to handle the geese, instead of paying an outside company. Unfortunately, Bella’s temperament was not right for the job, plus she strayed from the grounds a number of times.

Then Todd Fuller, Westminster Director of Finance and Operations, volunteered his own dog, Bogey, for the position.

“Bogey is friendly, very laid back and likes to stay close to his handler, which makes him the perfect dog for the task,” said Jennings.

Westminster students have also noticed Bogey’s friendly demeanor.

“When you walk into a room and Bogey is there, he will immediately jump up and walk over to meet you,” said Timmy Sell, freshman.

After a short trial period, Bogey has become a permanent fixture at WCA. According to Jennings, like all model employees, he seems to love coming to work.Bogey sitting behind the campus. Photo by: Robert Davis

Bogey runs outside on Westminster’s property working ot keep the geese away. Photo by: Chris Heyl

Bogey sits in owner, Todd Fuller’s house after doing his job at Westminster. Photo by: Todd Fuller


c o m m u n i t y

ALGEBRA, GEOMETRY, TRIGONOMETRY, PRE-CALCULUS, INTEGRATED & SENIOR MATH, SCIENCES & MORE!

When Math is a Problem, SylvanTutors have a Solution!

Whether it’s extra help with algebra or additionalcoursework to strengthen college applications, Sylvan willdevelop a personalized learning plan to meet your needs. FREE MATH

SKILLSASSESSMENT!

Stop in today for a FREESylvan Assessment or Try 2

HOURS of HOMEWORKHELP1

Valid at participating centers only. May not be combined with other offers

• Sylvan’s highly trained math experts take thetime to understand how you learn best

• Each math lesson is taught in a way that makesit easy for you to master the material

• FREE TRIAL of on-line math help! Visitwww.SylvanMathPrep.com

Sylvan of Ballwin14248 Manchester Rd. (at HWY 141)

[email protected]

Sylvan of Chesterfield Valley17541 Chesterfield Airport Rd.

[email protected]

Sylvan Learning of St Peters1125 Cave Springs Blvd.

[email protected]


C o m m u n i t y

WCA Teacher’s Work Contributes to the Fight Against Cancer

Barbara Cascella, upper school biology teacher, has been using her knowledge of science to benefit not only students at Westminster through her teaching, but also others working to combat cancer through her research contributions at Washington University.

Recently, Cascella was published in the journal Biochemistry.

She originally wanted to study Multiple Sclerosis, but an opportunity in St. Louis drew her to her current research.

“I wanted to study Multiple Sclerosis because it was a disease that had taken my aunt’s life,” said Cascella.

When the opportunity of possibly doing research at Washington University presented itself, Cascella changed her mind and landed on the campus with some accomplished scientists in the world of cancer biology. In 2009, she first started her biochemistry research.

Her research involves studying enzymes that can help facilitate the process of creating cancer cells. Cancer is, in simple terms, the unregulated growth of bad cells, which can cause tumors.

“There wasn’t much known about this particular group of enzymes that was proposed to be involved in cancer biology,” said

Cascella.Cascella’s research was not an

overnight success. There were bumps and mistakes, but those led to the best results.

“Throughout the past four years, I have made many mistakes in the lab, but those mistakes sometimes result in interesting findings! It was one such mistake that led us to the findings that were published recently,” said Cascella.

Recently the research yielded a piece of the cancer puzzle that helps scientists take one more small step toward the possibility of a cure for the disease.

“There are several large research groups in the world that study the same system I do, and the hope is that we can learn from each other and construct a deeper understanding of this group of enzymes and get closer to the solution,” said Cascella.

Cascella has liked science for as long as she was able to understand it, but the research she is in now is a new but intriguing interest.

“The project appealed to me because it seemed that there was an opportunity to define a piece of the complex puzzle that encompasses many different cancers, like brain, breast, and prostate cancer,” said Cascella.

Cascella recalls from an early age her love of science.

“Science and math were a bit of a relief because they seemed to come more naturally,” said Cascella.

Her desire to teach began in

college and she has made the choice to navigate the challenge of being the best she can be at that job while also pursuing that which appeals to her as a biochemist.

“Since I began teaching at Westminster, my focus has been on the students and being the best teacher for them as possible,” said Cascella.

The research success helps her in the classroom by giving her a platform from which to encourage her students. While she is reading and researching to find another piece of the puzzle she is also working to show people just how fun and rewarding her field is.

“More than anything, I hope to convince at least one student to pursue a future in research science. It’s a wonderfully challenging and fulfilling academic path,” said Cascella.

Cascella, center, is pictured with her team in their lab at Washington University. Photo credit: Barbara Cascella

Correction

Last issue, we did not run the correct picture of WCA Freshman Minjoo Kim in the article “Korean Artist Adds Flair to Art Club.” We apologize for the error and regret any feelings that may have been hurt in the process. The Wildcat Roar wants to congratulate Minjoo on her artistic talent and her success here in the Westminster Art Club. Minjoo Kim, freshman artist in

the WCA Art club.

Freshman Minjoo Kim’s art on display at Westmisnter.

Visit us Online at

www.TheWildcatRoar.com

to see exclusive stories and

the content you enjoy in the

paper.


L i f e

Most high school students play sports like softball, soccer, and lacrosse,but not Anna Gaffney. Anna Gaffney, senior, has been riding horses since she was five years old.

“I started riding at A-Stables. Then I moved to Jeff City and began riding at Wild Horse Creek, which is where I first started showing,”said Gaffney.

Once she finished riding out at Wild Horse Creek she moved on to ride at multiple different barns. She leased her first horse in sixth grade.

“Freshman year I got Lacey

from Georgia and she was the first horse I’ve ever completely owned. I showed Lacey freshman year through sophomore year. Her show name was Ribbons and Lace. Then I leased Garth for around two years and I showed him from the end of sophomore year through junior year. Now for senior year

I am showing horses for people while looking for my next horse,” said Gaffney.

Gaffney has ridden in over one hundred horse shows.

“Over the past six years I have done two to three horse shows a month,” said Gaffney.

Showing horses takes up lots of time and is a huge time commitment.

“I have lessons and practice for my horse shows Tuesday through Friday and all of my horse shows are Friday through Sunday,” said Gaffney.

Showing horses is also very different then any typical sport. It requires a whole different mindset.

“Well, your teammate is a 1,000 pound animal with a mind of it’s own. It very rarely is a game about points, you’re not out there trying to score goals or runs. You’re bring judged on how well you do and you’re going against the other people in your class. There are a lot of rules that you have to follow, and if your horse acts up, you’re out of the competition. Horse showing is all about image. It is based on the

way you present yourself and how you and your horse look the second you step into the ring determines wether the judges are even going to give you a chance,” said Gaffney.

Preparing for a show takes lots of time and effort on the rider’s and the horse’s part.

“In my lessons two weeks before the show we school and go over the kinds of things I may be asked to do in the classes I’m showing in. We also work on keeping in mind what the judges will be looking for. Then we give the horse a rub down on their legs and wrap them overnight so they’re not sore at the show,” said Gaffney.

Shows can take place in just about any state and lots of barns put on their own show every year.

“My barn puts on a show every year and I have ridden in that show before. The barns I do shows at are all over Missouri and Illinois,”said Gaffney.

Riding is something Anna wants to continue in college.

“I have been offered a riding scholarship to Murray and I have also talked to the coaches at Calvin about riding for them as well,”said Gaffney.

Along with riding in college, she hopes to further her education in college as well.

“In college I want to major in equine science or in business management for horses and riders,” said Gaffney.

Riding has become more than a hobby for Anna. Horse showing has become more of a way of life which she will continue after college.

“Once I get out of college, I want to work for an eventing rider. An eventing rider is an Olympic level rider. I want to be a student and get lots of experience. After that, I hope to manage the barn where the eventing rider rides. After I manage a barn, I want to open my own eventing barn and train horses and give lessons,” said Gaffney.

Taking The ReinsAnna Gaffney’s hobby is not a sport played at school, but one that takes lots of dedication during after school hours.

Gaffney winning the championship with Garth.Photo courtesy of: Mary Beth Gaffney

Gaffney praticing on Lacey.Photo courtesy of: Sophie Krehmeyer

Gaffney competeing with Lacey.Photo courtesy of: CJM Photos

Thoughts raced through the student’s mind, imagining the possible ways she could fail. Maybe she would get a horrible instructor, or she might make a stupid mistake like forgetting how to turn on the lights. As the instructor called her name, the student nervously guided them to the car and prepared to take the driver test.

Meanwhile, another student was on his way to take the permit test. Palms sweaty and mind racing, the student began the twenty question test, fearing that he would fail twice and have to come back later to re-take it.

According to the Missouri Department of Motor Vehicles, DMV, nearly 50% of people fail their drivers test at least once and 40% fail their permit test. Janie Hughes, sophomore, failed her driver test the first time because she ran a red light.

“I think that the hardest part of the test was remembering all the steps to parking on a hill and other small things like that. I was completely crushed, and it completely ruined my birthday because I totally thought I would pass, but then I ruined it by running a red light on accident. I was quite the angry person for the rest of that day,” said Hughes.

Thankfully, Hughes passed the test the next day after re-taking the test. Although running a red light is not a common error, students are having problems with every issue that driving presents.

Sarah Jane Fiala, sophomore, also had difficulties passing her test. Like Hughes, Fiala took the test on her birthday and failed.

“The hardest part of the test for me was remembering everything that I had practiced and not getting too nervous and making a dumb mistake,” said Fiala.

Over the years, the drivers test has become significantly more challenging. Students are failing their tests because of silly mistakes, and tougher grading.

However, students are not only

having difficulties on the drivers test, but also on the permit test. The permit test asks a series of questions that are essential to driving, and some that are not so essential.

Statistics show that most people fail their permit test the first time. Sam Hunsicker, freshman, was no exception.

“I have taken the permit test twice and I still haven’t passed. It was hard for me to concentrate because of the noise level and the atmosphere,” said Hunsicker.

Before taking the twenty minute license test a person must complete 50 hours of driving to ensure they are fully prepared; yet even after 50 hours of driving, students still fail the test. Likewise, students are required to read a book explaining necessary facts to know about driving before taking the permit test. It is no guarantee though. Some are still failing.

According to DMV, students are no longer taking driving seriously. Therefore, both the permit test and the license test have become harder in hope that students will be allowed to drive only when they are fully capable and prepared and realize the responsibilities.

Westminster Students Get F’s

Use of MirrorsInappropriate Speed

Lack of Steering Control

Use of Signals

Incorrect Positioning

Top 5 Reasons People Fail:

Janie Hughes, sophomore, failed her drivers test because she ran a red light. Photo by: Elise Hearne

Whether it’s running a red light, rolling through stop signs, or forgetting simple things, students at Westminster are having trouble passing their permit test and their driver test the fi rst time.


L i f e

Kaylee Trost, senior, as Larry the Cucumber

Jonny Kinney, junior, dresses as every character from Toy StorySarah Broyles, eighth grade, as Honey Boo Boo

Sea Sirisilp, senior, as the lead singer of PSY on a horse singing Gangnam Style

Nathan Richardson, junior, as a whale in a sombrero

Weighing in with:OUTRAGEOUS COSTUME IDEAS

Parry On

He may seem like an ordinary kid. Everyone sees him, but they don’t know what is behind the kind face. When he takes the Piste, the fencing strip, no one is in his way. He is en guard and ready to go. With weapon in hand he stands strong. Everyone should watch out for this tough hero. Matthew Rush, freshman, fenced his way to the North American Cup.

Fencing, a seemingly unusual sport to most Americans, is Rush’s passion.

After going to a short day

camp at the Des Peres Lodge two years ago, Rush fell in love with fencing. Two to three times a week he practices for two hours. The commitment may not seem worth it to most people, but Rush would say it definitely is.

His coach is Hossam Hassan. He was the coach of the Egyptian Olympic Fencing team in 2004. Many of his students compete at

national levels. “My role model is my coach,”

said Rush.His training session is a very

similar setup to most sports practices.

“We spend the first hour warming up, doing exercises, and running drills. Then the last hour is spent in fencing pools with the other fencers in the club,” said Rush.

A fencing pool is a usually group of six to seven people. The object is to eliminate the other fencers.

Rush enjoys the tournaments the most. The most recent tournament he competed in was the North American Cup that took place here in St. Louis at the Edward Jones Dome. There were approximately 2,000 fencers at the event.

“I enjoy the opportunity to fence people outside the club and sometimes even people from other countries. In addition, the experience gained is invaluable to improving in the sport,” said Rush.

Although he enjoys the sport, there are challenges to any sport including fencing. Rush finds it most difficult to identify the strategy of his opponent being able to come up with how to counter it. Fencing is very much mental.

“It helps a lot to have my coach there helping me,” said Rush.

Fencing is not all serious. There have been many funny moments during his fencing practices. Fencing is supposed to be a sophisticated sport, but it can be quite funny when a fencer makes a clumsy mistake.

“I would have to say that the funniest moment would be when one of my friends tripped over

himself during a bout. With all of the sophisticated posturing many fencers show, this was understandably a very rare occurrence,” said Rush.

Although Rush would love to make it to the Olympics someday, he does not know how realistic that dream is. Fencing is a difficult sport that requires great concentration and excellent reaction times, and Rush takes the challenge.

A close-up of Rush at the North American Cup. Photo courtesy of Matthew Rush

Matthew Rush, freshman, is a competitive fencer, and fenced at the North American Cup.

Matthew Rush, freshman, fencing at the North American Cup. Photo courtesy of Matthew Rush.


O p i n i o n s

terest and Nicholas Sparks movie nights. It’s a sci-entific fact that your male friends are abnormally, ri-

diculously stupid. If you want them to treat you right; make them. Hold them to a higher standard. Don’t let them let the door slam behind them. Don’t act offended when guys offer to pay for your meal, expect it.

If we all want a society of gentle-men and ladies it’s up to us to do it. The media does not demand it. Most parents do not teach it. It is not part of our cul-ture at large. The majority of guys you meet will not act in a respectable way, and the ma-jority of girls will just sigh and wish that the movies were real.

But that is not the right response to have to this problem. If our generation stands up to stereotypes that women do not deserve respect and men do not

give it, the problem will be stuck at a standstill. That is unacceptable, but it is not inevitable.

Girls, guys these days have no idea how to treat you, be-

cause you just won’t tell them.

You reserve your complaints for the Girl’s Only

Mecca of Pinter-est and Nicholas

Sparks movie nights.

Being a gentleman is a lost art that teenagers today ig-nore. Guys- be respectful. And girls- be able to accept men treating you how you deserve.

Letter to the Editor

I think it’s fair to say that the majority of WCA constituents (students, parents, teachers, staff) place a greater emphasis on academics and athletics than the fine arts. In fact, there was a school-wide survey given a couple of years ago that supports that idea that the arts are generally lower on the WCA totem pole than academics and athletics.

Why is it that the fine arts seem to get short shrift here? How much of WCA’s problem is simply an outgrowth of America’s devaluation of the arts?

What can be done about it? If one agrees that WCA’s priorities are somewhat out of balance with respect to academics/athletics/arts, then how do we as a school go about changing our priorities?

To the first question I would argue that WCA’s priorities are in need of mending. As one who has devoted his life to the study of music I can say that many of the people I come into daily contact with have a distorted view not only of what art is, but of the place that art can and should occupy in a person’s life.

I agree with Leo Tolstoy’s definition of art as “the transmission to others of a special feeling experienced by the artist” (Tolstoy, What Is Art). For Tolstoy, the deepest and richest emotions are passed down from person to person, and generation to generation, through art. Art is the language of emotion. Art is the way that enriching emotions are communicated. Art is important because emotions are important.

What are we missing out on when we choose not to study the arts? The average American would (sadly) answer, “Not much.” But if Tolstoy’s view is correct then we are missing a tremendous amount. The person who avoids involvement in the arts rejects the richest experiences and emotions mankind has to offer. He/she is actually rejecting much of what it means to be human in the fullest sense of that word. The resulting poverty of emotion and intellect is a sadder state than financial poverty.

Why is it that the average WCA constituent doesn’t attach greater importance to the fine arts? The situation is complicated, and there are many in our community who are deeply committed to the arts. But I believe that to a degree WCA is simply mirroring the larger American culture.

A strange inversion of values exists today with regard to Americans’ attitude toward the arts. In modern America the very best things that life has to offer are not only devalued but also stigmatized. We need to start questioning whether fast-food quality art and music are really providing us with the intellectual and emotional nourishment we need.

I say that studying an art form is one the most practical things anyone can do. In their book, Welcome to Your Brain, Neuroscientists Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang state that one of the best ways for a student to enhance his/her performance in school is to learn to play a musical instrument while young. Another practical benefit of studying art is that art educates

the imagination, which is an enormously practical tool. Without the human imagination the only problems we could solve would be the kinds of problems that are solved more quickly and accurately by computers.

One common misconception I hear in various forms here at WCA is that sports and fine arts are somehow at odds with one another. “Oh, he’s a sports guy. He’s not a musician.” Or vice-versa.

Sports and the fine arts are complementary pursuits. They each have some very similar goals such as learning how to fine-tune the emotional and instinctual parts of the brain, which are very closely connected. Whether you are sitting in the middle of an orchestra or are running in the middle of a football field there are so many variables in play that it is impossible to consciously think about everything that is going on around you all at the same time. The problems that must be solved are so complex that there is simply no time to rationally think through a series of steps to reach the best course of action. The solution: learn (though a great deal of practice) to listen to the emotional/instinctual part of the brain.

The people who tend to dismiss the more complex and interesting forms of art in favor of pop art rarely think about the fact that they have passively allowed those preferences to be shaped by pop art. It takes some mental energy to question the pop art values that are constantly being pushed on us. But as soon as a person begins to question pop culture’s assumptions regarding what’s good and bad, that person is already on her way toward enjoying more imaginative, healthy and vital forms of art.

I don’t think that everything in pop art or pop culture is bad. Some of it is good. But you have to develop criteria for telling the difference. One place to start is to ask questions about what’s good and bad in popular art. If it’s good, articulate what makes it good. If it’s bad, where does it fall short?

Read what experts have to say about the subject. Tolstoy said that good art has these three qualities: simplicity, clarity, and brevity. He also said that a good work of art will be put together is such a way that to rearrange, add or delete any material would damage the work. Aristotle said that for art to be good it had to display both unity and variety. Does the art you are watching/listening to/reading hold up under these criteria? My point is not that you have to agree with these writers. My point is you should read and think about the problem for yourself.

Take arts-related classes. My recommendation is to pick an art form that appeals to you (painting, drama, dance, music, poetry) and stick with it. Immerse yourself in the details of that art form. I think that deep study of one art form is going to give you a much better feeling for art in general than to take the “I’ll try a little bit of everything” approach.

Hugh JonesFine Arts Department Chair

The Arts Have a Place at WCA and it is a Vital One

Editor in ChiEf - ElliE Straub

Print Editor - ParkEr bridEn

dESign Editor - SadiE StiPanoviCh

onlinE Editor - Jill CoynE

oPinionS Editor - Morgan koEtting

SPortS Editor - StEvEn daviS

SECtion Editor - SuMMEr SMith

SECtion Editor - MElinda olivEr fEaturES Editor - JESSiCa JohnSon

PhotograPhy EditorS - EliSE hEarnE and SCott ruPPrECht

Staff

rEEd MontgoMEry nina thaMPy

Eli ParhaM SaM ParhaM

ChriSSy talEnt Mary Wynn

EiChEl daviS andrEa rEEd

MEgan galvin Maggi EaChuS

ChriStian linhoff John PottEbauM audrEy o’nEill robErt daviS

CathErinE bakEWEll

thE WildCat roar WElCoMES lEttErS to thE Editor froM StudEntS, Staff, and PubliC-at-largE that arE SignEd and hElPful in thE PubliC foruM. it rEtainS thE right to Edit or oMit lEttErS aCCording to liMitationS on SPaCE. thE WildCat roar alSo WElCoMES advErtiSing that doES not ConfliCt With WEStMinStEr ChriStian aCadEMy’S MiSSion StatEMEnt.

ContaCt uS at: [email protected]

viSit uS at:WWW.thEWildCatroar.CoM

A long time ago, when swords were more com-mon than iPhones and 6 Flags was not the only place to find a decent turkey leg, there was a proverbial round table and some of the manliest men you will ever meet.

When Lancelot courted a maiden, he did not expect her to open her own doors or buy her meals. When you went out with Lancelot, you felt like a princess.

Today, girls grieve the death of Lancelot and the rise of boys like Pauly D and Barney Stinson. They look forward to the day when real men return to make them feel special. So what happened? If girls want gentlemen, why aren’t there more out there?

Because you killed him. The blood of gentle-men is on the hands of high school girls. Ev-ery time you beat him in a burping contest, every time you wrestle to pick up the check on a first date, that is a mortal blow to that guy’s inner-Lancelot.

“We’d act like gentlemen if they’d act like la-dies” is the rallying cry of post-chivalry boys. The age old complaint that “nice guys finish last” can be heard at guys’ lunch tables all over the country.

Of course, that one’s on us, ladies. We’ve often used “nice guys finish last” as an excuse for our own romantic failures. We know, and you know, that there is a big difference between a nice guy and a true man.

While the true man has many nice guy qualities, a nice guy alone is not enough. Girls are looking for a gentleman, not a nice guy who cannot string a sentence together. Today’s nice guy is a mixed breed: half gentleman and half wallflower.

The reason most nice guys are still on the hunt, is because they refuse to take a shot. The jerks have the guts to make an effort, even if it’s in the form of a cheesy pickup line or hook up attempt. It’s not enough to be a nice guy, you’ve got to be a true man.

So, what does that look like? What does a real man do when he is after a woman? According to lots of girls, they are looking for someone who is willing to take the hard steps of asking a girl out on a true first date, paying for her meal, shak-ing her dad’s hand, and walking her to the door. Just the respect that it shows makes the girl much more likely to enjoy her time and trust him infi-nitely more.

But do not get your hopes up ladies, because you are not likely to find many men likely to treat you that well these days. Before you go getting upset at your classmates for this, remember you all are largely to blame.

Guys these days have no idea how to treat you, because you just won’t tell them. You reserve your complaints for the Girl’s Only Mecca of Pin-

Calling All Gentlemen


O p i n i o n s

I spy with my little eye... something colorful, something new. All girls love it, and the level of its popularity is dramatically increasing as more and more as people sign up to use it. And it’s better than Pinterest.

Wanelo is a new website that has been created to tailor to the needs of clothing prices, store locators and ideas for the newest trends in quirky places to get interesting finds. Created as a blend from the words “want, need, love”, this website is sweeping computer

screens worldwide. Most people usually jump to the question of “But isn’t that what Pinterest is for?” when hearing about this new site, but I am happy to announce that Wanelo is the new Pinterest.

Comparisons of the two are inevitable but Wanelo goes to the next level.

“The comparisions to Pinterest are practically unavoidable. Members find and save products to personal collections, but Wanelo moves beyond the aspirational and encourages members to swap affordable treasures for their shopping wish-lists,” said Jennifer Van Grove a writer for a local blog on venturebeat.com.

Wanelo can easily be conveyed as just a “Pinterest wannabe,” yet it is far more than that. With better graphics and quality of

the products, Wanelo is easily accessible and more simplified than the layout of Pinterest. Along with the vibrant web page, Wanelo is now available as an app on iPhone and Android phones.

Also, on an economic level, the advances in Wanelo compared to those of Pinterest are skyrocketing. In a recent review about the new app for Wanelo, topics were brought up through a marketing standpoint.

“Note that it’s easier to to buy from retailers than others in this situation. For instance, other online shopping websites like Pinterest automatically dictate if you can or can not purchase the item. Well, not with Wanelo,” said Marie Look of Lifestyle.com.

After learning more about Wanelo, I soon discovered that it

Sorry, not -edWanelo, a fresh new take on Pinterest, is proving to be the better internet shopping sensation.

has captured the hearts of teens at Westminster, as well. “I love Wanelo! It’s such a great place to actually find cute things to buy, unlike on Pinterest when all you can really do is window shop,” said Kari Ford, senior.

This website is unlike any before. The level of dedication to pleasing its’ customers is incredibly thurough and detailed. I love the fact that it’s a breeze to type in a specific type of item and get hundereds of results that match your question to a T.

I have high hopes for Wanelo, and that it will soon over take Pinterest from a popularity standpoint. Pinterest has let me down in its ability to evolve into something I can use.

Why windowshop when you can actually shop?

Wanelo is swiftly reaching phone screens around Westminster. Photo by: Andrea Reed

Using an Iphone or any Andriod powered phone, you can easily access Wanelo’s app using this QR code. Photo by: Andrea Reed

Westminster’s sports program is well known throughout St. Louis for good reason. The hard work and resources that have been put into the program have brought great praise to Westminster, but WCA student athletes, like artists and students, would still

like more attention from the student body as a whole.

While Westminster student athletes are content with everything that has been given to them through the athletic program, many athletes are still asking for more from their fellow students.

“I do believe that Westminster students care greatly about athletics and have supported us, [the football team], a lot throughout the year, but we always want more people attending our games,” said Tyler Catlett, junior.

It is not surprising that many students believe that sports have become the

most important aspect of Westminster. This feeling has arose because of the amount of work and money that has been put in to keep the athletic program in top shape.

“All the [sports] programs get some sort of money since the athletics budget covers coaches salaries, officials, equipment, tournament fees and uniforms

in most cases,” said Todd Zell, athletic director.

With all the resources that have been put into the sports program, Westminster has become a regular in important tournaments around St. Louis, making Westminster well known for their athletic program.

“It is difficult to name all of the tournaments we participate in. It varies by sport, but most are local, some programs like to go out of town for a tournament but that comes at an extra cost,” said Zell.

Westminster’s athletic program has become renowned around St. Louis partially due to the athletic facilities.

“I think the [athletic] facilities kind of piques people’s interest in our school. I think when people are making that decision to come here their reasons are far greater than just a nice building and fields. I do think it gains peoples interest in the school,” said Zell.

It is obvious that sports have become an important part of Westminster and because of this the athletes have received great praise over the years from students and the newspaper.

“Sports, activities, and the arts are all an important part of the overall education of students. Some of the successes that we [the athletic program] have do give us some good notoriety in the newspaper. I think that recognition is great because it gives all of us a chance to talk more about our school and the

work that God is doing here,” said Zell.

It is inevitable that certain people are going to believe that one program is getting more attention than others, but, ultimately, all the programs seem to get plenty of resources and attention.

“I think there is a pretty good balance as far as resources and recognition are concerned,” said Richard Van Gilst, math teacher and varsity baseball head coach.

Westminster has been blessed with great art, a t h l e t i c , a n d

The Three A’s of WCA

The three areas, Athletics, Academics, and the Arts, are comprised of students from all kinds of backgrounds with different passions. It’s the job of the school to provide equal opportunity for the football player to grow as for the computer genius or the painter.

Westminster has different clubs, departments, and events to cater to each of these groups of student life. However, while the school itself presents chances for students to shine in many different ways, the clubs and students within them may

not get the attention they deserve.

“High school kids are far more interested in athletic talent than artistic accomplishments. We want to know who can pass and punt and look good doing it more than we care who can paint. …That’s just where the social interest lies,” said Christine Bosch, senior

and president of the Art Club.

Some students would prefer

a

bustling, f a s t - p a c e d football game over a band concert or a robotics competition. Some only attend such events or are a part of groups like the choir or JETS for a credit or to look good on a college application. However, there may be some added benefits in the arts besides the checking off a completed credit.

According to a 2005 College Board study, students taking the SAT with more than one year of an arts course had higher scores, gaining up to 34 more points on the verbal portion and 20 more points than the national average.

“Studying the arts is among the most practical things anyone can do. Without it, the only problems we could solve would be the kinds of problems that are solved more quickly and more accurately by computers. The arts also teach group problem-solving, which is enormously important in all sorts of fields,” said Hugh Jones, head of the Fine Arts department.

There are several events and classes at Westminster for students to appreciate all that the arts have to offer. Upcoming

events include Art a la

Carte, the Christmas Concert for choir and band, and the fourth annual Poetry Slam early next year.

One of Westminster’s core values is that “students learn that ‘all truth is God’s truth’ in every aspect of life in and outside of school (e.g., in the Bible classroom, on the stage, on the athletic field, and in the guidance counselor’s office),” according to the official Westminster website.

R e g a r d l e s s of a student’s preference for the Arts, Academics, or Athletics, it is important that each field gets its due appreciation and that the God-given gifts to students in every category aren’t forgotten.

improving it year to year. “The science department is

adding new engineering classes each year for the STEM students. This means new equipment and new teachers. That requires a lot of money,” said Andrew Shaw, science department chair.

In the past year, WCA has added the STEM program to its

curriculum, which requires adding new classes and

hiring new teachers each year. This

r e q u i r e s a large

financial commitment from the school.

There are also the after-school clubs and other activities to consider. The clubs at Westminster range from taekwondo to movie club, and a large majority are either dedicated to the arts of athletics.

“We could do a better job of providing extra-curricular activities for scholars,” said Jacob Mohler, math department chair.

“I think it’d be good to have a project that a group of students could work on throughout the year.”

Though the Robotics team does this, Mohler would like to see after school projects related to subjects other than science.

While there are extra curricular activites for

academics, these events receive less attention than sporting events and plays.

“Last year, FRC made it to Worlds. We all were really excited, but only 5 people outside of the team showed up. That was really disappointing,” said Amber Terlouw, sophomore.

While a regular football game has many students attending, few show up

at these academic related competitions. The opinions on what

W e s t m i n s t e r focuses on the m o s t - - a r t s , athletics, or a c a d e m i c s - - a r e

split. Some t e a c h e r s

believe it balances out overall, while others think it definitely values one over the other.

“The school focuses on different areas during different periods of time. They can’t focus on everything equally all the time. So, while it may seem that the emphasis is on science or sports or theater at one time, overall, I think it ends up balancing out,” said Shaw.

Some disagree with this opinion, and say the school definitely values academics the most.

“Academics is most important to Westminster, but we don’t want to be a school just for academically gifted students. We want artistic and athletic students to flourish here, too. But we’re a school, so of course most of the money goes to academics,” said Scott Holley, Academic Dean.

Even students believe the focus is split

“The attention is split with both students and teachers. Some of the teachers seem to focus more on the athletic announcements, and it’s obvious that some kids don’t care about the academic stuff. But FRC and JETS isn’t possible without the students, and some teachers are really e n t h u s i a s t i c about those clubs,” said Terlouw.

Athletics Academics

Arts

“Sports, activities, and the arts are all an important part of the overall education of students.”

“‘Studying the arts is among the most practical things anyone can do.’”

“While there are extra curricular activites for academics, these events recieve less attnetion

than sporting events and plays. “

In Conclusion:

Going into this topic, we expected to find one area that WCA valued over all others. Early on, we decided to base our conclusion on the opinions of both teachers and students. We discovered that the answer wasn’t a simple one. Every person we talked to had a different answer to the question, depending on what their interests were. Surprisingly, the majority of the opinions pointed towards a balance of focus rather than one area the school values over all others. We concluded that the focus of the school was balanced, but that each department seeks higher participation and attention.

Photos by: Elise Hearne, Scott Rupprecht, Morgan Koetting, Eichel Davis.

education programs. They all receive many resources and great praise, but there will always be athletes, artists, and students that want more for their program.

As a school, Westminster pays a lot of attention to its academics. It is constantly adding to that

program and

Three WCA staff writers investigate whether or not Westminster has a bias towards its arts, athletics, or academics departments and come away surprised by what they didn’t find.


o p i n i o n s

in favor

Jill Coyne

Lowered Expectations for CB Asking[ ] :For the past several weeks, students have been pulled out of Advisory to be

told of new Christmas Banquet policies. One of the topics discussed was if how guys ask girls to CB should be toned down. But what do students have to say about this?

if it seems small or insignificant. Girls do not expect too much from guys when it comes to Christmas Banquet. Every girl of course would love to be asked in a big way, but it is not expected. Some guys just ask one of their girl friends so they do not necessarily want to do something huge, which is understandable. It is the guy’s choice on how big he wants to go.

Guys who do want to do something big should not be deterred. Some marriage proposals have not been as elaborate as some people get asked to CB so parents and administrators are afraid that it will set girls up for disappointment later on. There is no problem with having high standards for the guy a girl wants to marry. Girls should have big dreams for that occasion. Many girls dream about their wedding and getting married when they are little so they already have high hopes before Christmas Banquet is even a thought in their mind.

Christmas Banquet and the whole asking process should not even be compared to a marriage proposal. When it comes to marriage, you are agreeing to marry a person because you love them and want to spend the rest of your life with them, not because they asked in the most creative way ever and topped how you were asked to a high school dance.

Poll Results50% voted

Poll Results50% voted

against

Asking creatively has become a Westminster tradition and it would be a shame to take that away from the students. Students should have strict guidelines for school days and what not, but Westminster already does not associate with the dances and after parties after CB, so it would take the fun away from the event to take down the asking a few notches.

Older students are expected to set a good example for the younger students. Treating girls like ladies with respect and making them feel special by asking in a cool way is not a bad message to send.

Christmas Banquet asking should not be a competition because guys should not feel the need to out do one another. Just doing something different is cool even if it is small. The event should not be toned down because a lot of the fun of the event is in the asking. Doing something creative creates a memory that people will not ever forget from high school.

Walking outside feeling the cold winter chill, seeing twinkling Christmas lights illuminating the pathway, following it around to find a handsome guy with roses and a lit up CB sign and then the awaited moment comes “Will you go to CB with me?”

When Christmas Banquet comes to mind, instantly people think of all of the creative ways guys have asked girls in the past. Boys have asked girls by serenading them, performing Backstreet Boys dances, putting signs up around school, setting up romantic meals during lunch, costumes, and the whole nine yards to get that special girl’s attention.

While some may say that their ways to ask a girl could be too elaborate, CB only happens once a year. Some guys even look forward to planning how they will ask a girl and have fun carrying it out and seeing the girl’s reaction.

Though many enjoy doing it, guys are not forced to ask girls in a special way so they should not feel pressure.

Girls feel special and enjoy when a guy goes out of his way to do something special for them, but no one expects them to drop a couple hundred dollars on the asking part of the event.

Just putting some thought and effort into how you ask is what girls admire and appreciate, even

Summer Smith

Westminster has a fetish, if you will, about our longstanding and upcoming, cute and quirky traditions. Typically, traditions are held up on a pedestal, never being questioned if they are truly in the community’s best interests. But when one surfaces as a concern, as the extravagant Christmas Banquet requests have, the vast majority cringes at the idea of breaking away. Before students become exasperated that this tradition will become annihilated, they should consider the reasons behind why it is being questioned.

In high school, underclassmen look up to the upperclassmen: watching the mistakes they make, the examples they set, and how they present themselves in certain situations. Year by year, CB invitations become more elaborate and the bar is set higher and higher for those who wish to ask in following years. Freshmen receive the unspoken message that this behavior is expected and obliviously continue the tradition.

The administration has received concerns from both parents and faculty that too much is expected from boys and the proposals need to be turned down a couple notches. Wanting to address these concerns, the faculty would like to touch upon the issue and ask that students consider whether excessiveness is necessary.

“We would like to emphasize that

Christmas Banquet is a three hour event, not a marriage proposal. It is a one evening, simple social event,” said Susie Brown, Student Services administrator.

The motives behind asking a girl in a grand manner are less of wanting to impress her and more of wanting to fulfill her presumed high expectations so that the guy asking is not rejected due to lack of creativity. At Westminster, there is definitely pressure placed on boys. It could almost be seen as a competition among them on who can ask in a more creative way. After many sleepless nights and much time devoted to planning intricate CB proposals, the end result is merely a date for the evening. The benefit does not proportionally match up with the means taken to achieve it.

By lowering the tone of how guys ask girls, expectations will inevitably decrease. With expectations as high as they are now, girls set themselves up for disappointment. The focus of the event should not be about who asked whom and in what way, but of utilizing the opportunity to come together as a community in the manner of a formal event.

Another issue is the time, money, and effort guys put in, which could pressure the girl into saying yes. A girl may not want to go with the guy, but she would feel horrible to reject him after

all the trouble he went to. Even if the girl does want to go with him, expenses still add up for guys with the pricey tickets, a tie and tux, a corsage, plus the costs of materials used to ask the girl.

Throughout the entire asking process, it is not unlikely that the girl would become embarrassed by the radical actions of her pursuer. I mean, is it truly necessary to spend more than twenty dollars solely on the process to ask her? Or to ask in front of a large crowd of about ten people or more? Even devoting more than an hour to brainstorm creative ways to ask and employing more than one other person to help seems unreasonably extreme. CB is more than how you asked your date.

“The purpose of the evening is for students to be together and enjoy some social time outside of the school day, while celebrating the Christmas season,” said Carla Meyer, Guidance Counselor.

Girls, stop expecting so much from high school boys. It is probable that you would be setting yourselves up for disappointment. Guys, do not blow this event out of proportion. Be considerate of the wishes of the administration and do not out-do yourselves. WCA community, encourage students to focus on the event and less on how to ask someone. Engage students in conversations about the purpose of CB and where to place their focus.

*Polls conducted through the Wildcat Roar Facebook page starting on Cctober 17

Simplicity vs. Extravagance


b i g p i c t u r eThe British Are Coming!

One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Adele, Jessie J, Kings of Leon, Music is universal and pays no mind to continental or national borders. Countries like the U.K., Denmark, France, and even Poland, are known for their chart-topping hits. Another country in particular, the United Kingdom, is known for its musical connections with the U.S. Famous artists like The Beatles, Frank Turner, U2, The Rolling Stones, and Mumford & Sons, have made their way over to the states.

“Obviously, we have fantastic talent in the UK. We are very lucky in that respect. But that’s backed up by a music industry that invests at much higher levels than many of our competitor nations,” said Geoff Taylor, head of the British Music Industry body, in a recent interview with BBC.

This isn’t the only time however that British Music has invaded America. In 1963, the Huntely-Brinkely Report aired a story on a little band called the Beatles. The story, however, had to be cut short because of the Kennedy assassination. The CBS evening news with Walter Cronkite eventually re-aired the story. The following day after seeing the report, Marsha Albert, a 15-year old girl, wrote a letter to disc jockey Carroll James who worked for WDCC, a radio station in Washington D.C., asking why music like what The Beatles played didn’t exist in America. James later had the girl introduce the song “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on the radio.

This ushered in an era of British popularity in America that has had lasting effects on the music industry. Suddenly British music became popular, Bands like The Rolling Stones, The Springfields,

and the Troggs, became music acts that people enjoyed. Now, a second British invasion seems to be happening. Bands like One Direction are dominating the charts and overshadowing similar American acts like The Jonas Brothers and Big Time Rush.

“If you look at Adele and Ed Sheeran, it’s very unchallenging music but it’s selling massively,” said Mark Beaumont, Journalist, with BBC. Westminster students are starting to exact sentiment. British music may be huge on the charts, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is ground- breaking music. “Although they have good voices, I feel that they lack uniqueness, and that their music and production

British Pop Artists invade American Ipods.

Adele, 77 time award winner, is topping, charts all around the world. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia commons

One Direction performs live on stage Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

does not have a very distinct style,” said Mat Goebel, sophomore.

Ipods aren’t the only places British music is listened to, on popular radio stations such as 107.7 or 98.1, these songs can be heard all too clearly. “All of their songs sound exactly the same, I can’t listen to my favorite radio station without hearing their music” said Luke Shields, sophomore, and this is only talking about One Direction. As British Artists take U.S. charts by storm, Westminster students ask themselves do they really deserve too? Musical talent thrives in the U.K. and with their music filling Westminster students Ipods, it looks like the U.K. is here to stay.

TWITTMINSTERAustin Benefield

Later in life when people ask me what I regret about my life, I will say “missing the chance to meet McKayla Maroney at Schnucks.” #neverforget

Anna Bergman

The amount of time I spend on homework on Sundays is probably equivalent to a sixth day of school #toomuchhomework #donthavealife

Courtney Beat

I hate that it’s pitch black outside and not even 6:00

Erin Bognar

Perfect end to 4 years of high school volleyball. Priceless memories #statechamps #bestfriends

Jonny Kinney

Jill said she would be the purple Power Ranger. JILL HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THERE IS NO PURPLE POWER RANGER

Lucy Kehr

You know what sucks? Vacuums.

Austin Raines

It was sad to turn in the pads today. Looking forward to a great senior year. #cantwait

L i k e the Wildcat Roar

on Facebook!


F o c u s o n

Focus On: Focus On: Wildcat Weekend EditionWildcat Weekend Edition

Danny Dwyer, junior, and Trent

Briden, sophomore, play Too Close

by Alex Clare on the keyboard.

Jabri Boyd, senior, scores a touch-down that helped the seniors beat the juniors 35-7.

John Eric Steiner, senior, competes

on the Bungee Run during carnival.

All Photos by: Scott Rupprecht

David Montgomery, seventh grade, hits a forehand during a ping-pong match.

Thomas Meyer, sopho-more, plays guitar during the variety show.

Paige Arnold, junior, goes up to catch a

pass, while Alexis Harvey, senior, tries to

block it.

Claire Rebbe, freshman, experiments with dry ice while working at the JETS booth.


b i g p i c t u r e

DWD

for 6 months. The law is clear but whether or not teens are following it is a different story.

“My mom tried to be very strict with following that law but it got really hard. I feel like I’m a good driver and when my friends needed rides, it felt ridiculous to turn them down,” said Della Woodward, senior.

Many teens did follow the law, whether for fear of the police or in submission to their parents wishes while others did not, feeling they were too restricting and unfair.

“I think the laws are too strict. Not all teenagers are bad drivers, just like not all teenagers are good drivers. It’s unfair to make us all wait when it’s just a few teens being stupid,” said Valerie Chavez, senior.

According to distraction.gov, there is a lot more that goes into distracted driving than having a few friends in the passenger and back seats. Distracted driving can be broken down into three main categories: manual, cognitive and visual.

When drivers allow themselves to be distracted manually they are taking their hands off the wheel or their feet of the accelerator or the brake. Being distracted cognitively means that the driver’s focus is not on driving. They may be daydreaming or thinking about something else. Lastly, visual distractions are when the driver averts their eyes from the road.

Texting and driving can fall into all three categories of distracted driving. Almost 18% of distraction-related fatalities are related to cell

phone use. Teen drivers use their cell phones while behind the wheel more than any other age group, as well.

Distraction.gov also reports that while texting and driving, drivers take their eyes off the road for around 4.6 seconds. If the driver is going 55 mph, in that time they are able to travel the length of an entire football field.

“It is hard not to text and drive, especially when I’m going somewhere to meet my friends and they’re all texting me. Lately though, all the commercials on TV about texting and driving are scaring me. I’m trying to cut down,” said Sarah Levenhagen, senior.

Young people’s feeling of invincibility has a lot to do with distracted driving. Though they may see the commercials and hear the horror stories, it may not be impacting them like they should and though some states regulate distracted driving, teens may need an extra push to commit to safe driving.

The CDCP believes “parents are the key to safe driving”. Parents must realize that car crashes are the #1 killer of teens and claim 3,000 lives annually. Having conversations about the importance of being safe behind the wheel could stop unsafe driving. Also, parents should be strict on the expectations they have on how their child should behave while operating a motor vehicle.

The CDCP suggests, “extending teens supervised driving periods, setting rules for the road and enforcing them when broken.”

Parents can play a major role in keeping their children safe and out of dangerous situation behind the wheel. The influence must be strong at home or it is very possible that teens could fall into the cycle of distracted driving.

Many teens are unaware of how great the risk is while driving. The excitement of being newly licensed and freedom is not a bad thing but it must be a disciplined.

Driving must be something that is treated as a privilege and right that is earned and must be reguraly regulated to keep the fatality rate from increasing.

A car full of teenage girls cruises down the highway like there is no such thing as a speed limit. The windows are down, the music is blaring and the girls are singing at the top of their lungs. As the song draws to a close, the driver reaches to change the station, only momentarily taking her eyes off the road and her hands off the wheel. Within the few seconds she is distracted, her car lurches into the next lane and collides with the car to her left.

This situation is becoming all too common in the United States.

Distracted driving was responsible for over 3,000 deaths in 2010, according to distraction.gov.

Many people are disillusioned on what all qualifies as distracted driving. It is not only texting while driving or falling asleep at the wheel. There are many ways that the operator of a vehicle may become distracted and put themselves and their passenger’s at risk for an accident.

Teens have the highest rates of car crashes and accident related casualties without distractions to begin with. People ages 16-19 years old are three times as likely as those over the age of 20 to be involved in a fatal crash. When factors like speeding, talking on the phone, texting, being distracted by friends or the being under the influence alcohol and drugs are added to the equation, those rates double and at times, triple, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP).

Studies done by the CDCP show that age and ability behind the wheel do correspond. The younger the driver, the less able they are to properly access hazards or avoid dangerous situations. These incidents occur most commonly when teens are driving with their peers and the likelihood of their occurrence increases with the number of passengers.

In Missouri, the law specifically states, teens driving on an intermediate license may not drive with anyone under 19 that is not a member of their immediate family

DWD, driving while distracted, is a growing trend with young people behind the wheel and is claiming lives everyday.

Photo by: Elise Hearne

Photo by: Elise Hearne

ADMIRALTY

CLASS ACTION

COMMERCIAL LAW

EMPLOYMENT LAW

ENVIRONMENTAL

LITIGATION

HEALTH LAW

INSURANCE LAW

PERSONAL INJURY

PRODUCT LIABILITY

PROFESSIONAL

LIABILITY

One South Memorial Drive

Twelfth Floor

St. Louis, MO 63102

314.588.7000

314.588.1965 (fax)

866.588.7001 (toll free)

*FG_ad_bw_4x6.indd 1 10/15/12 9:54 AM

President Obama has been re-elected as the President of the United States of America. This news came to the nation at around 10:30 on Tuesday, November 6th. The night was over the moment that Ohio fell into the blue column, a state that virtually every pundit had deemed essential to Governor Romney’s efforts. The President is

projected to receive well over 300 electoral votes, although Florida is yet to be called.

Mitt Romney’s electoral troubles can be traced all the way back to 2008, when just days after President Obama’s innauguration he was being called the inevitable 2012 nominee. So called “Tea Party” republicans and others felt bypassed and looked for the “Non-Mitt Romney” candidate for the entire primary season. This tension between some of the most active grass roots members of the GOP and the party’s leadership lasted for much of the race.

After the Governor had essentially wrapped up the nomination, he was limited by campaign finance laws from using the money he had raised for the general election until he officially took up the mantle of the party’s presidential nominee. This created about a month of total silence from the nominee, giving the President free reign to paint his own picture of the election.

Four More YearsThe President gains another term in the White House.

The President effectively portrayed Romney as an ultraconservative corporate baron that was only interested in representing the top earners of the country. His record at Bain Capital was hammered again and again by ads from the President and his allies. That month long period lead to a huge deficit in the polls, and an incredibly steep uphill road for the republican ticket.

One essential turning point of the race came in early October during the first Presidential debate, when Mitt Romney began to make waves with much of the country. This first head-to-head meeting between the President and his challenger was described by most as a decisive win for Governor Romney. Pundits described the President as dismissive, distant, and disinterested in debating. Those 90 minutes brought the Governor’s personal likeability numbers above President Obama’s for the first time in the long election cycle.

In the following debates and weeks, the two candidates were neck and neck. One jumped ahead in one poll, just as another gained a key endorsement. Just as one candidate appeared to be making strides, the other would battle back. This hard fought election culminated in a fairly anti-climactic election day, in which President Obama was quickly declared the winner. The President’s first responsibility in the coming months will be responding to the looming fiscal cliff, and working with the divided congress to create jobs and solve the debt crisis.


b i g p i c t u r e

SoccketHarvard students develop a clean energy source known as the Soccket to light up the night in developing countries.

While there are polo teams owned and watched by the wealthiest of wealthy, baseball and football for Americans, and golf for the business managers, soccer, commonly known as football, seems to be the sport of developing countries.

When it comes to activities, soccer seems to be the game to play in Mexico or South Africa. Who would have thought to use a commonly played sport of the impoverished developing countries to solve an important problem many developing countries have:

the lack of electricity?None other than Harvard

students Jessica Matthews, Jessica Lin, Hemali Thakkar, and Julia Silverman who created the Soccket - a soccer ball that is charged during a soccer game, and can be used to power lights during the night.

The Soccket was conceived when the four students took a global challenge society faces today, and combined it with a fun and popular activity of the impoverished. The result is a, “Soccer Ball by Day, Light by Night,” according to Discovery News.

The way the Soccket works is similar to a ‘shake to charge’ flashlight. Inside the ball is a magnet that rolls through a secured coil as it is kicked. When the magnet rolls through the coil, a current is induced into the coil. In other words an electric current is created every time the magnet moves about the coil.

The electricity is then stored in an internal battery. When it comes time to use the electricity for lighting, an external outlet on the ball is used to power a plug in LED (light emitting diodes) light.

The result is that fifteen minutes of play induces enough electricity to power the ball’s LED light for three hours.

Although lighting is not the paramount concern the estimated 1.5 billion people - that’s one fifth of the world’s population - that lack electricity (according to the International Energy Agency), the importance of safe sources of light is great. Light sources used by those who lack electricity tend to be supplied by dangerous and unhealthy sources such as kerosene lamps and wood. The Soccket provides safe, reliable light.

After inventing the Soccket,

Silverman and Matthews founded Uncharted Play Inc. Their company is based around the theory of harnessing fun in finding solutions to challenges facing society.

Silverman and Matthews intend to sell their trademark invention in a ‘buy one, give one’ fashion. Their goal is to begin distributing the Soccket in South Africa and Kenya.

Their invention has contributed to many prestigious awards, including the Scientist of the Year Award given to them from Harvard.

Other examples of inventions that have benefited impoverished communities include M.I.T.’s water bottle light - an inexpensive plastic bottle that is inserted in one’s roof that produces light.

Made in AmericaSam and Eli Parham

cover iconic inventions made in America.

BigNumbers #

1.5 b i l l i o n people live without access to electricity

15minutes of play

hours of light=3

#

600

3,500

b i l l i o n people play or enjoy soccer around the world

Socckets have been distributed around the world

An Opportunity for Minority Students

While most kids in the summer are vacationing, twiddling their thumbs, or working at jobs, 71 students from across the U.S. and China were building a community during a period of four weeks. From June 17 to July 13, 2012, high school juniors and seniors went to Grand Rapids, Michigan for the Entrada Scholars Program and participated in many organized activities.

Located at Calvin College, the

Entrada Scholars Program focuses on under represented minority students who are racially diverse in their backgrounds. Entrada, Spanish for “gateway,” offers a gateway into the future – college. For many kids, this program gives a small taste of college life and what learning can be like at Calvin.

Many of WCA’s administrators and teachers graduated from Calvin College such as Mr. Marsh, head of school, Mallory Scholten, upper school science teacher, and Kelsey Walton, upper school math teacher.

Before applying to this program, a high school junior or senior must have a B average (3.0 on a 4.0 scale).

In April, acceptance letters are sent out and admitted students fill out sheets that help determine their roommate that displays all the classes in which they can enroll. Classes range from English to history, biology, or psychology. Entrada students are only permitted one class in which an academic coach attends the class with them. Often times, a couple Calvin college students are in the class with them.

Also, all Entrada scholar is given a grant of $4,200 that pays for all

activities planned on the weekends and meal plans. However, the student must provide his or her own transportation back and forth.

As June turns around, the accepted students head to Calvin College to begin orientation, learn how the program works and what it requires of their scholars. The first day, all the students and their families who came with them are introduced to the resident halls assistants, their academic coaches, and other workers who put the program together.

For the next four weeks at Calvin these students will have many opportunities to interact with other students their age who are immersed into different cultures. In the years past, there has been a plethora of people groups represented: Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Nigeria, South Korea, India, Native Americans, Dominican Republic, and many more.

For the first three to four days, students run through an orientation, in which they explore the campus of Calvin and also participate in team building activities. Every day, for two hours students attend a class in the morning, have lunch in the dining hall, and have some free time before heading to academic coaching. Their coach, who attends their class with them, gives the students helpful skills as she/ he aids them with their homework and provides strategies to improve note-taking.

“Entrada is the ultimate win-win situation. Students from all over the country, from all over the world have the opportunity to live and learn in a Christ-centered, academically rigorous environment. They learn from professors who are top in their field and live in a community of dedicated residence life staff. They are able to walk away from this experience being more familiar with a college campus, having earned college credit and with friends who are diverse is so many

ways,” said Tasha Cruz, Associate Director of Pre-College Programs and Visits at Calvin College.

In the evening on some days, cultural integration activities are planned. These events have students speak about their culture, values, and traditions. Gaining insight to many of their friends’ cultures, students help others understand why certain people groups act the way they do.

Life at Entrada is not all work and no play.

At the college, there are many athletic facilities students can spend time doing: swimming in the Olympic-sized swimming pool, rock climbing, and playing soccer on the field.

On Sundays, students have options of signing up to go to different churches in the Grand Rapids area.

Later in the evening on Sundays, students have a tremendous opportunity to lead worship in chapel. For twenty minutes or more, students lead worship in terms of playing the guitar, the piano, and other instruments, singing, and giving a testimony.

The Entrada Scholars program explores many aspects of college life and helps prepare students for the next big step in their education. While working hard, they also build tight-knit communities as they spend all their time getting to know each other. Additionally, students provide insight to their cultures while interacting.

“Many of these Entrada students appreciated the fact that they [seniors] could make friends before going to Calvin in the fall as freshmen. Getting a foot in the door for college life, these Entrada students get a big advantage - familiarizing with the campus and professors and potentially earning a scholarship to attend Calvin.

“I really encourage WCA kids to consider it!” said Sarah DeVries, upper and middle school French teacher.

For four weeks in the summer, high school juniors and seniors invest time in making friends, gain insight on other cultures, and have fun whilst learning.

Students at the 2012 Entrada Scholars Program enjoy an evening in downtown Grand Rapids for July 4. Nina Thampy, senior, is in the bottom row in the middle. Photo credit: Daniel Kang


s p o r t s

Ending In StyleThe Westminster Swim Team bids farewell to twelve senior swimmers and the 2012 season in a successful conference meet.

Westminster. This is the main reason that during the 2012 the season men’s swim team qualified for four state events. Two of these were the 100-yard breaststroke and butterfly, which Noble qualified for. The other two were WCA’s 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relay teams, which both made up of all seniors with the exception of Brant Wieberg, junior.

The state swim meet will be held on Friday, November 9th, at the Rec-Plex in City of St. Peters where a total of six swimmers from Westminster will compete.

The absence of the seniors will definitely be noticed for those on the team next year. They have been in many ways the core of the team.

“I think it’s going to be a

devastating blow to our swim team,” said Sam Thomas, sophomore.

The facts back up his point, too. Next year Westminster will have only eleven veteran swimmers from this year’s team. When it is taken into consideration that there are sixteen events in a swim meet that normally consist of six swimmers per event, WCA’s need for new athletes in the sport is very evident.

Although the team will lose a huge group of seniors, the swimmers have decided to hope for the best for next year and focus on encouraging their fellow teammates as they prepare for the state finals.

Congratulations to the Westminster Wildcats as they took third in their swim conference on November 1 2012 in Cape Girardeau.

One of the biggest star

swimmers was Easton Noble, senior who placed first in the 100-yard breaststroke and sixth in the 100-yard butterfly events. Other top swimmers were Brian Fellows, Eddie Sutphen, and Cole Montgomery, seniors, who won the 200-yard freestyle relay with

Noble.A total of eight WCA swimmers

placed in the top eight including this year’s team captains Montgomery, Fellows, Sutphen, and Jake Kehr, senior. Not only did numerous swimmers medal, but everyone was also excited and enthusiastic about the meet.

“Four years of swimming, wow, what can I say? The best four years of my life,” said Will Egan, senior, upon reflection of his high school swimming experience.

A total of twelve seniors swam this year which contributed to about half of the team.

Of these twelve seniors many of them were experienced and had swam at least two years for

Bo Thomas, sophomore, warms up in the pool for his swim events. Thomas’ main race was the 100 yard breaststroke. Photo by: Sam Parham

Andy Thomas, junior, swims in the warmup pool before the meet. Thomas placed fourth in the 100 yard backstroke at the conference meet. Photo by: Sam Parham

Wildcats Fall in Second Round of District Playoffs

The Wildcat football team had a great season come to an disappointing end on Halloween night, losing 42-14 to the top-seeded Sullivan Eagles in the second round of the district playoffs.

The Eagles scored on their first five possessions of the game to take

a 35-0 halftime lead and tacked on another touchdown in the third quarter. WCA quarterback Brett Bond, junior, gave the Blue Crew something to cheer about in the fourth quarter with touchdown passes to Kyle Kinner and Tyler Catlett, juniors and a two-point conversion pass to Jesse Gruneisen, senior.

The game began with Brenden Bognar, sophomore, at quarterback and Chris Cacciarelli, senior, playing wide receiver. Bond and Kinner were suspended for the first quarter due to disciplinary reasons. The Eagles built a 28-0 lead before Bond and Kinner took the field. The offense continued to sputter until the two touchdowns in the fourth quarter while the defense gave up two more touchdowns over the course of the last three-quarters of the game. While the season ended on a disappointing note, the Wildcats have something to be proud of and something to build on as they begin working

toward the 2013 season.“We set a good foundation this

year and next year we have a lot of guys back that already mesh well and have good chemistry,” said Catlett.

The Wildcats had their first-ever single-elimination playoff victory on October 25th, defeating Ladue 28-0. They jumped out to a 14-0 lead on two touchdown passes from Bond to Kinner in the first quarter and extended their lead to 21-0 with a two yard run by running back Trey Merritt, sophomore, with 32 seconds left in the first half. They clinched the victory in the fourth quarter with a three-yard touchdown run by lineman Justin Creighton, sophomore, out of the “Jumbo” formation. The defense turned in a dominating performance, allowing a mere 107 yards and recording four takeaways.

“It was pretty awesome to beat Ladue in the rain the way we did. It was a fun game to play,” said running back and outside linebacker Alex Rideout, senior.

The Wildcats entered the season having won four games in the two previous seasons. Expectations were low for a team with only nine returning starters on both sides of the ball combined and an uncertain quarterback situation. Thus they surprised when they won their first four games, including a thrilling 38-19 come-from-behind victory over Wheaton Academy from Chicago and a 34-0 shutout victory over rival MICDS. They were brought back down to earth

with losses to Priory and John Burroughs but rebounded by winning their three final regular season games, including a 48-0 victory over Bishop DuBourg on senior day.

“The DuBourg game was fun. We killed them and then let the young guys play and get some varsity experience,” said Rideout.

The team’s turnaround was catalyzed by the emergence of some key players. Bond threw for 1719 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also was the leading rusher, running for 504 yards and seven touchdowns.

Kinner hauled in 49 catches for 902 yards and nine touchdowns in his first season as a varsity starter. He also returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns and threw a touchdown.

Jacob Hicks, senior, switched from quarterback to slotback and led the team with 504 total yards rushing and receiving and was second on the team with eight touchdowns.

Merritt emerged as the starting running back partway through the season and was second on the team with 432 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns.

Creighton was one of the most underrated factors in the turnaround, consistently defeating double teams, and recovering three fumbles at defensive tackle, and scoring two touchdowns from the fullback position in the “Jumbo” formation. He also started four games on the offensive line due to injuries.

The Wildcats offense gets set for a play in the nonconference game against Wheaton Academy in Chicago on August 24th. The Wildcats offense scored 46 touchdowns during the 2012 season, which is more than in the previous two years combined. Photo By: Steve Thompson

Trey Merritt, sophomore, carries the ball in the game against John Burroughs on September 29th. Merritt only became the starting running back partway throught the season, but fi nished second on the team in rushing with 432 yards. Photo By: Jeffery Clay

The loss ends one of the best seasons in WCA football history.


S P O R T SVarsity Soccer Team Loses District Game But Finishes the Season with Spirit

each other up during upsetting losses. All of the boys, from sophomores to seniors, got along well with one another and built lasting relationships amongst the team.

“My favorite part of the season was building relationships with seniors that I would not have talked to otherwise,” said Carl Simakoff, sophomore.

It was a great season because the team got along so well with each other and enjoyed helping each other improve, making them an easy and fun team to coach.

“It was a good group to coach. Older players helped younger players. They got along well and enjoyed playing with each other,” said Legters.

The boys played together, as if they had been doing it for a long time. They grew close during the season and became good friends. This made the season more enjoyable for team members, also making the end to the season harder.

“The team was like an awesome family. I would do almost anything to play another game with that group of guys. After our last game, we said goodbye to all the seniors. It was really sad because we’re going to miss them a lot next year,” said Simakoff.

Wildcat soccer players enjoyed a season full of fun and success as a team. These boys went through emotional highs and lows with one another. They grew in thier relationships with each other and this showed in how they played together, encouraging each other and working together.

“There were never any tensions on our team. Overall, we had good team chemistry,” said Becker.

Although this fall season did not end in a victory, wildcat fans and players reminisced on the great season they had. Players have already begun planning how to better prepare for next fall.

“No one really said much after the game because it was such a tough loss, but Matt Sheehan (junior) set up off season workout sessions for the team to improve for next year,” said Becker. Westminster will miss their senior players who held the team together and encouraged the younger members. But the team plans on improving during the off-season and coming back strong next fall.

The Westminster Wildcats men’s soccer team suffered a 1-0 loss in their district semi-final game against Parkway West Longhorns on Tuesday, October 30, on

WCA’s home field. Parkway West was ranked as the second seed in the district and Westminster was ranked third. The score remained 0-0 until the last 21 seconds of the game when a foul was called on the Wildcats, just outside the penalty box. The Longhorns were given a free kick and a player headed the ball into the goal for the win.

“We hit the post two times and had many other opportunities to score and many good looks on goal,” said Daniel Legters, Wildcat head coach.

The Wildcats held their own going up against a team that was supposed to beat them. Although this was a disappointing loss, the team fought hard throughout the entire game.

“The other team (Parkway West) was seeded higher than we were. We knew they were going to be strong and we did our best to neutralize their strengths,” said Legters.

Members of the team would agree with Legters’ words. Most players did not expect to keep Parkway West from scoring for most of the game. Players were not happy with the turnout of the game but were proud of the way they played.

“We were the underdogs and I thought we played great. We held them scoreless for basically the whole game which is impressive against such a strong team,” said Tristan Becker, junior.

The boys on the varsity soccer team worked hard during every game, this season, even when they knew they knew they were not as good skillfully as the team they were playing. Their record for the year was an admirable 10-14 with a 1-4 record in overtime games.

“Even though we were not the best team, we were always in every game we played. We kept the score close in every game and never gave up,” said Becker.

The team played well together throughout the season and built

Seung Chang Jang, junior, takes the ball to the goal, attempting to bypass two Parkway West defenders. Photo by: Mary Wynn

m yC A L L

S T E V E ND A V I S

S p o r T S E D I T o r

A Time To Appreciate

In my four years at WCA, the only sport I have played is football. While I only play football in the fall, WCA football is a year-round deal. Even though it is tiresome to constantly be focusing on one sport year-round, there are many enjoyable aspects that stem directly from my year-round in-volvement. Needless to say, playing games on Friday nights and Sat-urday afternoons have been amazing. There are a lot of things that can be appreciated about WCA athletics. Here are some of the little aspects of WCA athletics that I have enjoyed most and that should be appreciated by all WCA athletes.

1. The community shared:

I have always en-joyed finishing a hard practice or a hard lift-ing session and hang-ing out with my friends and teammates. Even if there are just a few sore athletes sitting around in the locker room and shootin’ the breeze, it is still truly enjoyable to hang out with peo-ple I’ve strived with for a common goal. When you look back at a season, you don’t really remember the hard practices in the hot August sun. Instead you remember the actual games and the good times shared with teammates in the locker room. Community is one of the more underrated aspects of being an athlete. I have al-ways held a special appreciation for the commu-nity that WCA athletes share, and all WCA ath-letes should be grateful for it.

2. The fans:Shout out to the Blue Crew: it’s awesome to

have such great fans. The Blue Crew is loyal in supporting WCA’s sports teams and coming to games, regardless of a winning status. Few things are better as an athlete than looking up into the stands and seeing a load of your fellow students cheering on you and your teammates. It is way more fun to play in front of a bunch of your fellow students cheering you on than playing in front of a stadium that is empty of everyone except a few parents. The fans are another underrated aspect of WCA athletics and should be appreciated by all WCA athletes.

3. The coaching:I don’t think that the majority of athletes at

WCA realize how much better the quality of coaching at WCA is compared to many other

schools. For one thing, I doubt that most other schools have as many former professional athletes coaching them. All of our coaches genuinely want the team they coach to score a win and will do all that they can to make it happen. However, they do not put more importance in winning than they

do in supporting the ten athletic pillars of the WCA athletic pro-gram and supporting the personal growth of their players. I con-stantly hear stories about how coaches at other schools regard their players as ath-letes rather than peo-ple. This should make WCA athletes appre-ciate the fact that our coaches love us and are truly interested in our lives.

4. The friendships:I am the first to ad-

mit that I would not be friends with most of my teammates if I did not play foot-ball. I have developed good friendships with many whom I other-wise would not know very well. Also, I have grown in my re-lationships with ath-letes in other sports through the offseason strength and condi-tioning program. By

their very nature, athletics enhance relationships between teammates and between athletes on dif-ferent teams. There is something about a group of people working together for something that draws them closer together. This is something to be ex-ceedingly thankful for, as we could all use deeper friendships.

5. The offseason preparation:As crazy as it sounds, I actually enjoy weight-

lifting. I like football better, but weightlifting is fun and allows me to challenge myself. Participat-ing in the offseason strength and conditioning pro-gram and working with your teammates all year round allows for deeper relationships than a mere three month long season does. It obviously also allows you to improve at your sports. I will admit that it is often difficult to appreciate the offseason when all that you are doing is looking forward to your next sports season. Obviously, most people prefer the season to the offseason. However, it is a chance to develop deeper relationships with your teammates while continuing to improve your skills at the sport you enjoy. Therefore, offseason prepa-ration is another aspect of WCA sports that should be appreciated by all athletes.

“I have always had an

appreciation for the community

that WCA athletes share, and all WCA

athletes should be grateful for

it.”

It’s amazing how fast high school sports have gone by, and these are things that I think should be appreciated by all high school athletes.


S P O R T S

Athlete of the Month

Getting A Piece Of The ActionMiddle school girls will be getting a chance to show thier swimming talent in this upcoming winter season.

The middle school is starting to mirror the upper school on the sports level. On Friday, Nov. 9, the middle school will add girls swimming to the list of sports that it offers. Its a realization of dream

that started a long time ago and at one point seemed dead.

Several years ago the dream of a middle school swim program was seriously considered and almost became a reality. But having only one swim coach to teach the entire student body proved to be the fianl nail in the coffin of the the middle school swim program for for the time being.

“We couldn’t put all that strain on Mr. Kehr,” said J.D. Perona, middle school athletic director.

But when WCA moved to the new campus, the subject again came up on the table. As of last year, only one option was available for winter middle school girls sports, something that was heavy on the heart of Perona and on the hearts of the school as a whole.

“One of the purposes of middle school athletics is to get more girls the opportunity to participate in a sport during the winter months and to get the kids active for the season,” said Perona.

This year’s Middle School schedule allowed more of a window for the option. With middle school sports practices happening towards the end of the day. the move allowed Coach Kehr to help out with the team. Marjen Kempen was added as a coach, and so two coaches now were at the

reigns of the middle school swim program.

“I have been swimming for a long time and swam all throughout college,” said Kempen.

“Marjan Kempen will also be helping with the high school girls swim team and is able to help the middle school team. So, now that we have two coaches who can run the program, the choice became more concrete ,” said Perona

Kempen and Kehr now provide a high level of experience to the program, each bringing a particular skill set to the table and to the program. Kempen will also be coaching the upper school, getting a feel for that and bringing some of the experience gained while coaching the upper school to the middle school practices.

“I would say one of the best

things about our swimming program is going to be our coaches. It would be hard to find a middle school program anywhere that has the expertise and experience our of coaches,” said Perona.

As the vision of a program began to become a real topic, the next question that arose was a logical and obvious one. Is there even a league for this?

“I talked to the school in our Middle School league and turns out several of them have a swimming program, but none of us have ever competed. It was really cool” said Perona.

This league will now allow the team to compete in a few meets with other schools which will give the program a more upper school feel and schedule.

“The meets have not yet been

set, but will be on our website as soon as they are. They will most likely be in January and February,” siad Perona.

This move gives the girls time to practice and improve before they go out and compete in the real world of sports.

While the swimming program is just starting the middle school program as a whole is beginning to undergo a growth period. Its a vision of Westminster sports to offer the exact amount of sports in middle school that they do in the upper levels.

“I would love to have all of the same sports as our high school program has and we are getting closer. We recently added middle school cross country and this spring we will be adding middle school girls’ lacrosse. Swimming

was a pretty easy addition now that we have coaches who can do it,” said Perona.

But there is a little bit of an ulterior motive behind the decision to expand so rapidly.

“Starting the swimming program will hopefully help the varsity teams in the long run. Several of the girls who will be participating will be beginner swimmers. Now instead of starting as freshmen more girls will begin swimming two years earlier and our varsity teams will be even better,” said Perona.

The success of the swim program will prove to be vital to the continued expansion of the middle program as a whole, but given the numbers already shown, it is proving it can be called a success already.

“As of now, we have six 8th graders and 20 7th graders ready to swim, and sign ups continue to come in as of now,” said Perona.

The number of girls has brought up the thought of expanding the program to guys during the next season, as long as it will benefit the school as a whole.

The middle school is moving up to the upper school and is thinking far into the future for its program. In the last year since moving to the new campus, at least three programs have been anounced and many more are starting the weave their way down the pipeline, all the way to reality. Because as said before, many students going on to upper school and keep playing the same sport. Why not let the middle school get in on the game early? The already great Westminster sports program can expect the more victories all the way up to a state level. That’s the vision, a vision that allows the middle school to get in a piece of the action.

Photo by: Eichel Davis


At the ripe old age of seven years,

I conceived a burning dislike for the

company Mattel. Some genius at the

company approved the idea to package

real scissors along with Hair Stylist

Barbie, and, like any other creatively

endowed seven-year-old, I figured that

there were an abundance of hairstyles

that would be becoming on Barbie. After

a simple snip with those pink, child-

safe scissors, Barbie had gained a new

hairstyle. I was horrified by what I had created.

Because I simply couldn’t let Barbie

suffer through the embarrassment of her

new hairstyle all on her own, I decided I

should bless my sister’s doll with the same

fate.Needless to say, when my four-year-old

sister toddled into the room, tears drizzled

down her rosy cheeks at the sight of my

despicable crime. My stomach somersaulted

as I expected my mother to come down the

stairs any minute to reprimand me.

While this was not the first time I had tried

to justify myself, it certainly would not be

my last. Sometimes I was the guilty party

and at other times, I was not. But the matter

of my innocence held little importance in

my eyes. I always argued my case.

One day my sister and I, matured since

the Barbie incident, had been arguing

over something that I have long since

forgotten, but I remember that in this

particular incident, I knew that I was

right and she was wrong.My father asked why I could not stop

arguing, and I responded that I couldn’t

let her feel like she won the argument.

My dad sort of laughed to himself, and

then he grabbed an old, tattered copy

of How to Win Friends and Influence

People from our bookshelf, turning

to a certain chapter. Handing me the

book, he told me to read aloud the

chapter title that he had opened to.

It was entitled “You can’t win an

argument,” and from there, I was

told to read the first few paragraphs

on the page. The chapter went

on to tell the story of a group of

friends who were out to dinner.

One of them had misquoted

a Shakespearean line, and

everyone knew that he was

wrong. However, the man was

adamant that he was right, so

the group turned to their friend

who happened to be an expert on

the particular subject. Instead, he

agreed with the man, so he could

bring an end to the argument.When arguing, it is nearly

impossible to “win.” If the debate is

about personal opinions, both sides

of the party usually so hold strongly to

their beliefs that neither are willing to

compromise their opinions. By the end

of the argument, typically, people lean

towards their side all the more strongly.

When an argument is about a fact, then

even if you were to win, it only leaves

your friend feeling frustrated and

embarrassed. However, I know that for myself,

I will go down with my opinion as a

captain would his sinking ship, if it

were in defense of my pride. Most of

the times when I will not let an issue go,

it is because I don’t want to come out

of the argument looking like an ignorant

fool. Yet, it is a matter of letting go of

one’s pride.Arguments can never truly be “won.”

Both parties are rarely satisfied when

they leave an argument. While debating

one’s beliefs may be necessary in some

cases, petty arguments such as who

sings the song “Empire State of Mind”

should be let go almost as quickly as

they start. They simply reap no benefit.

Morgan Koetting

The Abbreviated Existence of Barbie’s Hair

B A C K P A G E

the wildcat roar issue 3

Documents

state tournament

s s u e

lady wildcats volleyball

wildcats tournament

w e s t

years state championships

westminsters lady golf

n s t e r c h r i s