The Wolfpack Edge

As the crisp fall winds settle in, we're reminded of the beauty in every season of change. Let's embrace this time of renewal and continue striving for growth and connection in our community. Stay warm and encouraged, and have a great weekend!

Mr. Brian Verwolf

Head Administrator

-------------------------

The Wolfpack Edge serves as a weekly communication to our parent community. We'll send it to your inbox each Thursday during the school year. If you would like the newsletter to be sent to an additional account, let us know! Grandparents & supporters may request to receive the communication, too. Please email Mrs. Kathy Mouw with contact information: Kathy.Mouw@westernchristianhs.com

Thursday’s chapel changed things up a bit as our Faithpacks met before our time together in the Event Center. All Faithpacks were given a few Bible verses and references to read together and then challenged to use those verses to predict our speaker’s theme for chapel today. Mr. Eric Van Beek led us with a message urging us to look for Jesus Christ all throughout Scripture; he was joined by a worship team, and we closed our time with prayer. We are eager to welcome Western alum, Stacy Kooistra (class of 1989) as our speaker next week!

All of these events will be livestreamed. Please consider joining us for chapel by subscribing to Western Christian High School Livestreams on YouTube.

Mrs. Karen Christians

Director of Discipleship

Digging through Western’s archives reveals some interesting insights into Western’s founding. In 1919, the first year at then Western Academy, the school’s operating budget was $8,000. The faculty was lean; one teaching Principal and one additional full-time teacher. Tuition was, get ready… $50 per student. It would be interesting to know how that translates into 2024 dollars; to be sure, it was a sacrificial commitment for families. With 40 students enrolled that first year, there was a significant gap between tuition and the full cost of educating each student. Over Western’s 105-year history, our society has played a significant role in providing young men and women the gift of a Christ-centered education. Our prayer is that the church, home, school covenant partnership remains vibrant for the next 100 years at Western Christian.

Mr. Justin Negen

Chief of Finance & Operations

Western Christian is excited to announce a new team that was formed. We are calling it the "MERT" team, standing for: Medical Emergency Response Team. Our MERT Team (L-R): Nate van Niejenhuis, Shawn DeStigter, Katie Reitsma, Abby Vanden Bosch, and Waylon Pollema. They have all been certified in CPR, 1st Aid, and the AED.

If there were to be a medical emergency during school hours, the front office will be notified immediately who in turn will announce for the MERT Team to go to the location of the emergency.

In an effort to best protect and support our students, we feel it is very important that the MERT Team is aware of any medical conditions that may exist within our student body. These conditions include but are not limited to diabetes, asthma, epilepsy or any allergies that require the student to carry an EpiPen. We are asking parents to provide us with this information by emailing Kathy Mouw at kathy.mouw@westernchristianhs.com with any conditions their child may have along with any instructions or information that would be helpful to the MERT Team.

Here is the link to download Season Activity Passes along with tickets for away games throughout the season. Click here for TICKETS. To stay up to date on athletic schedules, school events, cancellations or changes, we encourage students and fans to download the BOUND app. The icon for this app is located on the right.

WCHS will host regional volleyball next week on Tuesday, October 22, and Thursday, October 24. Both games will start at 7 PM. Tickets must be purchased online through the IGHSAU; season passes will NOT be accepted.

YOUTH GIRLS/BOYS WRESTLING: REGISTER NOW!

Fruit Sales packets have been handed out to FFA members! If you are interested in purchasing fruit, meat & cheese, candies or cookie dough, contact an FFA member! Fundraiser will end on October 24; delivery will take place the week before Thanksgiving!

Parent Teacher conferences will be held on Monday and Tuesday, November 4 and 5 from 3:30-7:30. More information will be sent out next week.

This captivating story combines history and fantasy, set during the Dust Bowl era, and promises an engaging experience showcasing multiple types of storytelling. Come and see a giant ten foot tall puppet operated by three students, and a 1919 Ford Model TT graciously lent to us by the Yesterday's Memories Truck Museum in Sanborn, IA.

Over twenty students auditioned for the show in early august before school even started, and have been working very hard to make this an amazing performance. Don't miss out on coming to see The Storm in the Barn November 14 and 15 at 7:00 in the Event Center.

This week for professional learning, we had task collaboration. This practice is a great way to be reflective about things we are doing in our classrooms and get feedback from different content areas about how we can make our work more accessible and meaningful for students. This has been a long time practice at Western, and we really enjoy this time of collaboration.

The Western Christian Booster Club is selling 40lb bags of Softener Salt to raise funds for the Booster Club. Those involved in Wolfpack athletics will deliver free to your home or business. Orders forms are available here, and they must be in by 10/11/24 (TOMORROW!), and your bags will be delivered early November. You will be contacted ahead of time to verify your delivery date.

We have a Financial Aid Night scheduled for Thursday, October 17 at 7 pm in the cafeteria. Harlan Harmelink, Director of Financial Aid at Dordt, will be here to lead seniors and their parents through the FAFSA process. FAFSA will open in early December. This evening is for all seniors planning to attend college.

At Western Christian High School, we recognize our students’ unique creation and the variety of God-given talents and skills. We know that each student presents a unique combination of such strengths. We believe it is our responsibility to meet students where they are at in their journey and equip them with the tools and resources required to exceed their potential. To meet the need, we have a Student Support Team with a variety of resources. Go here to learn more about who to connect with!

Western Christian High School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs (if any exist), and athletic or other school administered programs.