WCS holds induction ceremony

Wednesday night was the National Honor Society induction ceremony. While the traditional candlelight service may seem cliche, parents still feel a sense of pride in the fact that their children are a part of it. We know students feel a sense of accomplishment themselves in being a member of this elite society.

National Honor Society is considered to be a prestigious accomplishment due to the fact that an individual needs to maintain a 3.5 un-weighted GPA on a 4.0 scale.

The evening began with the procession of students down the chapel aisle. Once the students took their seats, the ceremony was opened with prayer led by Mrs. Palmer. Then, several returning members read short speeches about the values of the National Honor Society. This was led off by the Vice President Maureen Sleeting. Then the new members were inducted into the group. This was led by President Sarah McIntire, Treasurer Rachel Ward, and Secretary Allison Sleeting. Then, a short pledge was recited and the evening was over almost before it started. In all, the whole ceremony barely lasted 16 minutes.

Congratulations new NHS members!

--By Sarah McIntyre

NHS inducts new members

National Honor Society members (L-R): Whitney Vanden Bos, Steven Hoeflich, Emily Bickford, Luke Carani, Kyle Christensen, Sarah McIntyre, Maureen Sleeting, Carly Byer, Christine Berntson, Rachel Ward, Brooke Bertsche, Katie Pluymert, Ellie Fink, Yoha Lee, Allie Sleeting, Daniel Lindberg, Gwendolyn Payne, Frank Oliver

Checking exchange rates is good sense

The first thing I do after school is check exchange rates. Depending on the rate, I decide to withdraw money in my Korean bank account from the ATM, which automatically changes Korean money won to American dollar. I wait until the dollar gets cheap because when it is cheaper, I can get more American money out of same amount of Korean money.

An exchange rate is simply the cost of one form of currency in another form of currency. Why do we need it? Because we use this to buy other country's currency while we are in that country. The law of supply and demand is applied to the exchange rate. If there are more people who want to buy using the American dollar, then the cost of the dollar goes up. All the complex situations such as foreign investment, import and export ratios, inflation, and other economic factors help determine the rate.

Unlike many people think, the increase of the exchange rate is not always good. If the dollar is expensive, that means we can buy more goods from other countries for the same amount of money, which makes importers happy. However, it also makes our products more expensive in other countries, which eventually causes lower sales. So exporters are not happy with it.

These days, American dollars are getting cheaper. Exporters should be happy with this news but the reality is more complex than that because a cheap dollar means that its value is cheaper than before. Dropping values are the results of the bad economy of the U.S. The growing size of the U.S. trade deficit (the difference between the amount the U.S. imports and the amount it can sell to the rest of the world) pays a huge role in this problem. The U.S. is buying more than they are selling. Also, more and more countries like the Euro, the currency for many European countries. Americans need to think seriously about this problem because their dollar, their country, is losing its power.

However, it is good for me, a foreigner, because I can buy more American dollars and be able to spend more. So I will just keep hoping for the exchange rate to drop.

--By Yoha Lee

Seniors last home game ends in style

There was a lot of emotion going into the soccer match this day.  It was the seniors' last regular season home game of the year.  Many of the seniors have played all four years of soccer in high school.  These seniors went out with a bang, defeating the visiting IMSA 6-2. 

Josh Beachler had four goals, and Steven Hoeflich and Josh Sanders added goals as well.  It was a perfect ending to these seniors' last regular season home game.  The soccer team's regionals are hosted at Warrior Field, so these seniors will still get to play on home turf a couple more times.

Ladies post season bests against Plainfield East

The women finished their meet season in grand fashion by tying their season low match score in a loss against Plainfield East.

The Women Warriors were led by Anne Lehan's season best 56, Mikaila Conforti's season best 58, Ellie Fink's 61 and Kaitlyn Dahlman's 62. As a side note, Liz Meschewski also posted her season best with a 66.

The Lady Warriors play next Wednesday in the Regional at Golf Club of Illinois in Algonquin.

Win puts Warriors in first place

The Men played host to IMSA on Tuesday night with a chance to tie for first place in the conference, and they took advantage of their opportunity by beating IMSA with a season low team score of 167 to 178. Leading the way for the Warriors was medalist Christian Benson with a 40, Andrew Mason with his season low 41, and Mason McGannon and David Lindberg with 43's.

The win puts the Warriors in a first place tie with IMSA and Rockford Christian heading into the Conference Tournament this Saturday at The Highlands of Elgin.

The Men travel to play Walther Lutheran on Thursday.

Spirit Day wraps up Homecoming

Walking through the halls on Friday, Sept. 24, it was obvious that the theme of the day was Spirit Day.  Every Westminster student and staff member joined in on the fun and dressed up in warrior gear, whether it was just wearing blue and white or going all out and dressing like a true warrior, sword and all.

Friday was also the last day to compete for the Spirit Cup.  The event was the obstacle course.  The race was close between the freshmen and seniors.  The freshmen pulled ahead and came in first, while the seniors came in an extremely close second.  The sophomores finished in third place and the juniors had a very close fourth. 

Right after the event was over, Mr. Sevey began to announce the winners of the Spirit Cup.  The seniors came in first and claimed the trophy, while the sophomores pulled through with the surprise of claiming second place.  The freshmen followed in third while the juniors came in fourth.

The 2010-2011 homecoming week was certainly one to remember.  Everyone had a fun time dressing up.  Whether it was Pajama Day, Nerd vs. Jock, or Spirit Day, everyone let their school spirit shine through.

Tyler Colvin impaled by bat

On Sunday, Sept. 19, the Cubs rookie Tyler Colvin suffered from the most peculiar injury while playing against the Florida Marlins.

Welington Castillo, the catcher, came up to bat with a wooden bat.  He swung with such power it broke the bat in two.  While Colvin was rounding third base he looked back for no more than a few seconds.  As he turned back around part of the broken bat came and struck him in the chest.

Fortunately, the bat did not stick in him and fell out immediately.  Holding his chest, he ran through home and hurried over to his coach.  The rookie was in the hospital for around three days.  He suffered from a punctured lung and is sadly out for the rest of the season.

By Elizabeth Farwell

Beets and squash are tasty treats

There are many interesting foods that people won't try just because they aren’t sure of the way it looks, or because of what they’ve heard.  But usually the stories about how disgusting certain foods are simply are not true. 

Take beets for example. A lot of people won't eat them just because they seem weird, and have heard they are bitter. They can in fact be very sweet, when prepared correctly.  If boiled until they are soft and cooked with butter, they are delicious.  Also they can be pickled, which adds a clove flavor along with the vinegar, but they still have a sweet tang.  If they are store-bought then they generally are not very good,  but if home grown they retain a delicious sweetness. Beets are known to be full of calcium. Try mixing a little vinegar with the juice and massage it on your head for an hour. It is known to help with dandruff, although it won't smell too good.

There is also the butternut squash. People tend to stay away from it because it is a squash.  It is a very subtly flavored squash, and when pureed and mixed with butter and brown sugar it is very delicious.  It can also be used for soups or even pies.  The butternut squash is also very healthy; even if you add the butter and other things, they are not nearly as bad as chips or anything store bought.  The butternut squash is low in cholesterol, saturated fat, and sodium.  It is also loaded with vitamins and is a good source of fiber. 

So give them a try, a great surprise will be waiting.

By Claire Kuda

Getting over the post-Homecoming blues

Now that Homecoming is over, school spirit has gone down to its original level. Students are back to their normal selves, with some sadness since the week and dance has ended. Claire Kuda said, “I’m really sad because it was my last Homecoming at this school, but I’m excited about Sadie’s and Prom.”

Most, if not all, of the seniors are melancholy about the end of their last Homecoming dance, but are also excited for the activities yet to come. New students, such as Callie Krueger, have the same feelings as others, like excitement for next year’s dances. Every student who attended had a blast and danced their hearts out, either willingly or forcefully by their friends.

The seniors gleefully won the events of the week. The sophomores took second place. The freshman got third, while the juniors took last place. The daily activities and themes got everyone active physically and in full school spirit. There could not have been a better way to start off the year!

--By Becky Welc

Trapped Chilean miners demonstrate great courage

Santiago, Chile. 33 Miners are trapped and waiting until a tunnel can be safely made so that all of them will be able to come up; this wait could be up to four months. Health officials are sending these men foods high in protein and calories, through a long and narrow pipe. Though the men requested wine to be sent down, this is not on the “okayed list.” The men have lost an estimated 20 pounds each, and need to be in tiptop physical
condition so that they are ready to escape when rocks are moved for a rescue attempt.

The trapped men have demonstrated tremendous strength through this period of captivity. The miners have set aside an area that is specifically for card games, and another area for a bathroom. Their mental health, as of now, seems well-off, but a growing concern is that the months to come will get tougher, and will test the mental state of these men.

Officials are talking about bringing in actors and even astronauts who lasted long periods without contact to the outside world to keep up the optimism for the miners. At the end of this long haul, the men will be put into a cage and be brought up, taking a total of 3 hours. The cage will be lowered to the men at 2,200 feet, and each one of them will be rescued. It will take a total of four days, assuming there are no complications. One of the miners reportedly said, “Patience and faith. God is great and the help of my God is going to make it possible to leave this mine alive.”
---By Anais Tabor

Fink gets first birdie of the season in loss to Huntley

The Women's golf team lost a close match on Thursday night to Huntley 251 to 261. The girls were led by Mckaila Hays with 63, while Mikaila Conforti, Anne Lehan and Kaitlyn Dahlman all had 66's. Congrats to Ellie Fink with our first "birdie" of the season. WAY TO GO ELLIE!!! The girls travel to Huntley on Monday for a rematch.

Warriors defeat Alden-Hebron

Hannah Graves had 10 kills, 11 assists, eight digs and five blocks to lead the Warriors (11-8, 3-2 NEC) to a 25-15, 21-25, 25-13 win. Katie Moeller added 13 digs, five kills and a pair of aces.

A day in the life of a State Champ

Flashback to June 5, 2010.  We had just won our State Championship over Goreville 15-5.  Yes, we slaughtered them, making the statement who the best team in Class 1A baseball was.  We hoisted the trophy and took millions of pictures (just ask my mom). While this was going on, I started to talk to Joe McGannon and his friend.  See, Joe's friend was wearing his State Championship ring he got for football, and quite honestly, it was amazing, and of course we wanted one.  We wanted one real badly.

Now back to the present.  It's Sept. 24, 2010.  We are at the homecoming volleyball games cheering on our girls. We were doing this knowing that shortly we will get what we have most coveted ever since that day in early June--our championship rings.  Going into this day there were two things I couldn't wait for: (1) Getting my ring, and (2) Seeing all my teammates/friends again who had graduated, like Joe McGannon, Brandon Weingartner, Mike Bruce, and Mike O'Neill, and Jordan Kalous who transferred schools.  Throughout my years at Westminster Christian, I have grown a strong bond with all of these guys and the guys who are still at school with me.  When I was a freshman that bond started and developed through playing with these guys and having lots of fun, hearing lots of stories, seeing a tuxedo or two, and lots of success. 

After that year all of us couldn't wait till we were juniors and seniors; we knew we had something special.  Special is just what our season was.  We battled through countless injuries, sicknesses, or freak Frisbee accidents.  In my opinion, without all of these problems we wouldn't be the same team.  We probably wouldn’t have been a state championship-type team. When we had these key players out it forced all of  us who could play to step up and play a bigger role for the team.  Also, if it weren't for these injuries, we wouldn't have had a Wil Woodhouse who played a great center field all season and stepped up big for us. We juniors and sophomores developed our game and got more at bats and playing time through this.  Every single player on this team had his moment in certain games: Mike O’Neill had the catch of the season in the super-sectional game, that same game we threw a no hitter, Joe and Brandon hitting clutch homers back in the regional championship game, Joe hitting another clutch homer in the state semi-final, and countless more, but in the end we shared one big moment together as a family.  I love all these guys with all my heart and will have a bond with every single one of them forever.

So every time I look at my Championship ring, I remember all these memories and the great times we have had and will have in the future.  Every time I look at my Championship ring for the rest of my life I will remember the Westminster Christian Warrior Baseball team of 2010, and it will be awesome, simply awesome.

--By Andrew Mason

Bickford and Graves push Warriors past Hilltoppers

The Warriors traveled across town to take on the Elgin Academy Hilltoppers.  This is the third meeting between the two teams this year.  The Warriors won the prior two and it was much of the same in this match despite Elgin Academy playing well and giving the Warriors a strong challenge.  The Warriors prevailed in two games by the scores of 25-20, 25-22. Emily Bickford led Westminster with seven kills. Hannah Graves added five kills, seven assists, and seven digs.

Men's golf wins triangular match

The men's golf team won a triangular match versus conference foe Keith Country Day and Hampshire High. The Warriors were led by Mason McGannon's lowest score of the year; 40, Christian Benson's 42,  and 48's by Caleb Gannon and David Lindberg. The men are now 2 and 1 in conference.

Women's golf team shows effort in loss

The women traveled to Huntley. The lost their match despite shooting their season low. They were led by Kaitlyn Dahlman's 49, Mikaila Conforti's, 50, Anne Lehan's 51 and a host of 54's by Ellie Fink, McKaila Hays and Kinsley Donahue. Way to go girls!!

Homecoming soccer game results in loss

The WCS Homecoming game was “a game we could’ve won,” assistant Coach Erik Schwartz says.

With a score of 2 - 4, Westminster sadly lost. Our starting line up consisted of number 9, Travis Battle, number 7, Josh Beachler, number 23, Luke Carani, number 30, Ian Dutcher, number 28, Steven Hoeflich, number 8, Pierce McKenna, number 14, Chris Richardson, number 21, Arturo Gallego, number 5, Tim Rodgers, number 3, Gustavo Sorto, and number 2, Will Woodhouse.

The first half we were up with a score of 1 - 0; the goal was made by Steven Hoeflich. The second half goal was made by Josh Beachler. However, the other team was considered to have gotten their revenge since last year WCS won at their Homecoming game. The guys played rather well even though they knew it was going to be a tough game. Throughout the plays, hard calls were being made. For example, Chris Richardson got yellow carded along with a person from the opposing side. Ian Dutcher had some great saves as a goalie.

Everyone who played did an amazing job. Even though we didn’t win, congrats guys on your plays and effort!

Visitor to business class

Westminster’s business class’ latest guest speaker was Mr. Sleeting. Mr. Sleeting’s business background varies from military to corporate finance. He currently works with Mr.Chapman in a small business that offers financial advisement.

His discussion stemmed from the question of “What is not a business?” The class was stretched to first classify the qualifications of a business. Through questions of ethics, the purpose of the business world was steadily unveiled.

After noting what, in fact, is a business, the initial question of, what is not a business, proved to be the most challenging. The only remaining societal non-business is the government. This new discovery proposed a different issue: should the government continue to be run by non business standards? If in fact the government became like a business, would governmental concerns, such as taxes, remain as they are?

---By Ellie Fink

Yoga

Yoga is often thought of as just meditation, but it is not.  It is not as easy as it would seem to someone who has not done it.  The poses are based on balance and core strength, and work your entire body.  While you are doing the difficult poses you are supposed to keep your body relaxed, and focus on your breathing.  This is not an easy feat when you are trying to stay balanced.  It also helps keep muscles grow more limber and flexible.  Yoga is known to help with arthritis symptoms, lessening the stiffness and helping with the pain. 

When you progressively practice harder moves throughout your workout it improves your endurance.  Gentler forms of yoga can help lower blood pressure and reduce headaches and insomnia because it regulates your breathing and blood pressure. This relaxes you body and pumps oxygen through your brain, preventing headaches and helping you sleep better and longer. 

More strenuous forms of yoga are a great cardio workout, the continuous motion works your core muscles strengthens them.  Any kind of yoga will help with your posture, anxiety, and stress.  The relaxing of your mind and body releases the tension, which definitely helps.  This can help with things that are brought on by stress, like tension headaches or migraines. 

Yoga isn't as lame as a lot of people think; it’s really fun with a group of friends, especially friends working on balance.  You should try it-- it wont hurt you and, who knows, you may benefit from it.

By Claire Kuda

Cheerleading Update

It is time for pom-poms, skirts, and glitter yet again as the cheerleaders begin a new year. The girls have already gotten their measures and are ready to bring on the school spirit. New cheers will be taught by Taylor Pedersen, while Kylie Zankowski and Jozie Herrington will be teaching new dances.

With the incoming additions, the cheerleaders plan on attending at least three competitions at the end of the season. Throughout this year, they plan on “improving as a team and getting the students into showing school spirit,” says Taylor Pedersen. She also hopes the team “will stay injury-free and will improve our stunting.” Taylor Pedersen is said to be the most team spirited because “she’s always so positive and happy!” as said by Kylie Zankowski. Yet, others, such as Pedersen, think that Stephanie Kleczynski has the most school spirit because “her positive attitude motivates everyone on the team.”

Hopefully, the crowd will get more involved this year and be full of school spirit. Motivation is the key in helping others to get involved and the cheerleaders have it!

--By Becky Welc

Homeroom Olympics

A new phenomenon has been going on at Westminster Christian High School recently. It’s fun, it’s competitive; it’s Homeroom Olympics! Everyone knows about it and everyone participates in it. Since Tuesday, Aug. 31, WCS homeroom Olympics has quickly become the most anticipated event each week.

These are the first official Homeroom Olympics, which include every homeroom, to take place at WCS. This
exciting madness is hosted by Dr. Haak, who started the 2010 Homeroom Olympics as a way to unite students within their own homeroom. Senora Serrato’s homeroom has been pushing past competition and fighting their way to the top. They had a strong start with their win in the potato sack races, being the first homeroom to claim the Homeroom Olympics cup.

On Sept. 2, Mr. Dahlman’s homeroom won the scooter racing event because of their strong spirit and cheering, taking the cup from Serrato’s homeroom. Then, after the first round of Pictionary, Mr. Eberspacher’s homeroom got the most points, thus, getting the cup as well. The following Wednesday, Serrato took back the trophy by winning the second round of Pictionary. On Tuesday, Mrs. Schwartz’s
homeroom took the Homeroom Olympics trophy after a close game of basketball knockout. Finally, for the last Homeroom Olympics event, all of the homerooms played another game of knockout in the gym, of which Alex Howell won, giving Mrs. Chapman’s homeroom the trophy.

--By Brittany Booth

Homecoming week as it's progressed

During this Homecoming week, we have had some very exciting events. Wednesday, Sept. 22, the theme of the day was “Nerd vs. Jock Day.” For this theme we got to choose to either dress as a nerd or a jock, obviously. A way to describe what most of the “nerds” were wearing was anything involving plaid, suspenders, pants pulled up to the waist, or the new 3-D glasses that the movie theaters give away when you see a 3-D movie. If you pop out the lenses they look just like “nerd” glasses. The “jocks” were dressed in any type of sport uniform from in or outside of school, or any kind of sport team accessory. I saw a lot of people wearing Blackhawk jerseys, Cubs jerseys, and international jerseys. It was fun to see how certain students would go all out.

The activity for the day was the Candy Grab. Each class had to run from one end of the field to the other, grabbing your class candy. Freshmen grabbed Reese’s, Sophomores grabbed Nerds, Juniors Jolly Ranchers, and Seniors Skittles. Each and every student had to participate, and the Sophomores pulled through for the win.

--By Ashley Kivikoski

September 22 ushers Korean Thanksgiving, 'Chuseok'

The Korean Thanksgiving is called Chuseok, which generally falls on Aug. 15, when using the lunar calendar. This year, it is Sept. 22, but is celebrated on Sept. 21-23. Some people even take the whole week off. Apart from New Year's Day, Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays in Korea.
The most important thing we do on Chuseok is get together with family and do a memorial ceremony for our ancestors. Younger people bow to their elders. Since one has to bow to everyone who is older than him, the youngest one has to do nonstop bowing to each member of the whole family. When we bow for this special day, we use a certain bow that shows more respect. We basically have to touch our foreheads to the ground.
The next important thing of this celebration is the food. Songpyeon, a half-moon-shaped rice cake, is the most popular traditional food for Chuseok. Many times, the whole family makes the Songpyeon together, having family bonding time. There are all kinds of food : rice, fish, vegetables, fruit, meat, and so on. For this day, like Americans do, we eat a lot.

Not everything is good, though. Since everyone visits their hometown, there can be huge traffic jams on the roads with many accidents. Adults, usually ladies, have to work a lot to prepare for this big holiday. Many moms get sick after this week. However, through Chuseok, people get energy to live until New Years Day, which makes them go to their hometown every year.

Children, including teenagers, have the most fun on this day. There is high chance for them to earn money from elders because happy adults are willing to give money. They also get to wear pretty, traditional clothes called Hanbok.

We can see the biggest and brightest moon on Chuseok because it is on Sept. 15 of the lunar calendar. When watching the moon, people pray for good luck for the rest of the year.

Unfortunately, international students miss this great holiday every year when they are away from their families. It is easy for them to get homesick at this time, so when you see a Korean student, please give them a hug.

--By Yoha Lee

Homecoming T-Shirts Make Way to WCS

Homecoming week is now two weeks away, and finally class T-shirts have come out. They are designed based on the Homecoming theme: Candy. Students have been involved in the whole process of making and selling the shirts, which makes it more meaningful. Several students from each class designed shirts, and then the Business Club is taking part selling them. For example, Brittany Booth and Allie Sleeting designed the shirt for the senior class with Skittles. There is rainbow on the front with the phrase "hit me again tube sock" on the back. All of the class shirts are nice and unique. Moreover, it is only $10.

There are several ways of using your class shirts:

1)      Wear it on Class Color day of Homecoming Week and show school spirit.

2)      It looks much better when all your classmates are wearing them together! Take pictures with friends wearing them and post the pictures on Facebook. If you are lucky, the picture might be in the yearbook too.

                3) Bring a marker and ask other people to sign your shirt. It will be a special shirt just for you!

                4) Wear it throughout the year. Since it is a beautiful shirt, you will see many people wearing it often.

How do you get your lovely class shirt? Do not go to any of the student representatives. The Business Club is selling them during lunch. What you have to do is bring $10 and a form that is handed out during homeroom to Business Club members during lunch time. At the corner of lunch table, there will be a group of easily noticeable people. You will not miss them. When you give them the form and money, they will not give you shirt right away. Based on the orders they have, the Business Club will order the shirts and then give them back to you when they arrive. So please do not forget to order your shirt. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Huddleston or the Business Club members.

By Yoha Lee

Art Club begins

Students at school have a chance to be in an art class.  However, while in this class there is never nearly enough time to get all the work in.  By the time the students get going they have to pack it all up and put it away.  So what better way to help all the artists out there than to start up an Art club.  This is exactly what Dr. Bristol has done.  Now at Westminster Christian there is a fun club dedicated to the arts. 

In this club students will be taught tools and techniques that they usually don’t have time for in a regular class period.  Students will get the opportunity to grow in their understanding of the arts and their art skills as well.  According to Dr. Bristol, the club will be going on  trips to real art studios, as well as have a couple guest artists come in as well.  One of the artists who will be coming in to help and teach the kids is the artist Donald Cross.  He will be showing the Christian perspectives that he puts in through his artwork.  Now this club is exactly what all the thriving artists are looking for, or even if you’re someone who just wants to have a good time doing some art with your friends.  So if you’re interested in the Art club or just want to learn more about it go to Dr. Bristol and find out more. 

--By Andrew Mason

Interesting events occur at the VMAs

Right from the start the Video Music Awards were taken hostage by the desperately-seeking-attention musician that is Lady Gaga. Beforehand she was already the center of attention, wearing--you guessed it--another outfit from her never-ending wardrobe of the ridiculous.

Then the actual VMA's started and I got a feel for what I was actually getting myself into. When I saw that Chelsea Handler, from the late night show "Chelsea Lately," was the host, I almost sighed out loud. I waited it out, thinking that I couldn’t possibly condemn a show just for a poor choice in hosting. After a few awkward and unintelligent jokes from Handler, the VMA's really started rolling.

Almost immediately the VMA's displayed their most redeeming quality, the live performances. Since the live performances were more than plentiful, anyone who is a fan of popular music would really enjoy themselves. Then, as the VMA's went on a little longer, another interesting fact brought itself to my realization. Unlike the Academy Awards, where the awards are presented by other members of the film community, the awards on the VMA's are at times announced by other musicians, but interestingly enough, not always. The discouraging point is when it was not announced by another artist, but instead by people who are just popular faces in entertainment today, for example, part of the cast of the "Social Network," or "Twilight"--even an appearance from some of the saddest people to put themselves out on television and "entertain" people, the cast of "Jersey Shore."

Another thing that caught my attention early on and made me both sad and frustrated was that the big name techno musician, Deadmau5, was there, but instead of getting his own spot, we only got to hear a little bit of him. I suppose he is just not popular enough to get a full live performance in--maybe not a bad thing. Between that and the music and artists that were displayed during the VMA's, it soon became clear that this night was just a great collaboration of people that the entertainment world deems popular at this point in time. Of course, this list of people will change by next year's VMA's, or even more realistically, by next month.

For those people who are interested, the VMA's did prove to be big nights for both Lady Gaga and Eminem, both walked away with multiple awards. One of which for Lady Gaga was the "coveted" Video of the Year award. And, of course, in between every award Gaga received, she had to wear something different. It was almost as if after she received each award she ran backstage so that she could change outfits and get the maximun amount of attention possible. Since she has people eating out of the palm of her hand, there is a big chance she will continue with her crazy antics for years to come. 

So, in the end, the VMA's can be sumed up as an elaborate celebration of mainstream music, but if you happen to be a person who enjoys mainstream music, then the VMA's will be of great interest to you--since there are plenty of live performances, with plenty of spectacle that will entertain anyone interested in that kind of music.

--By Ben Stevenson

Haven't I Seen You Before?

This week, as all of you know, is homecoming week. Every year, the week before the homecoming dance is filled with loads of fun events and activities that include dressing up for a different theme each day. This year, Tuesday’s theme was “Déjà vu”, in which the objectwas to match a classmate.

The participation for this theme was great, and almost everyone matched up with someone. However, you were not required to just look like one person, but, as the majority of the senior class did, you could have matched with several people. Many of the seniors wore white T-shirts and blue jeans for this theme on Tuesday. Other students, such as Kristina Crane and Bailey Oleskow, made their own matching outfits. Seniors Luke Carani, Josh Palmer, Ben Stevenson, and Christian Benson all wore stylish diamond-patterned sweaters to match each other.

This has been a fun week so far and a great dress-up theme. Keep participating!

--By Brittany Booth

Living out devotion

Devotion – what is the true meaning of the word? Is it only a feeling, a fleeting admiration? Or is it something so much more than that? I include myself when I say that most people are not well-acquainted with true devotion. In essence, true devotion is something that consumes our entire being – all our wants, needs, cares and worries, all our thoughts, words and action. This is what our Heavenly Father desires from us: total devotion. However this is not an easy task. The world, with its many trials and temptations, lures us away from our loving Father. James 4:4 says, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” We cannot serve two opposing masters. God is a jealous God, and desires nothing but our best. Praise be to God that He knows our weaknesses and does not leave our spiritual state in our own sinful hands! He in His great mercy has provided us salvation through His Son, so although we are sinners, we might be counted as righteous for Christ’s sake. As Paul says in Romans 6:1, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!” What Paul is saying is that we cannot use the grace of God as an excuse to keep sinning. Instead, it ought to be an impetus for us to serve Him with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength. It is what inspires us to give our lives to Him in full devotion! Thanks be to God for first loving us, that we might also love Him.

--By Anne Lehan

Welcome to the World, Baby Eberspacher!

Caleb Clint Eberspacher was born at three o’clock in the afternoon on September 1st, 2010, coming in at 8lbs. 3oz. and 21in. long!

I had the opportunity to interview Caleb’s newly-titled Dad, who already has many stories for us. As he and the missus went into the hospital, they’re plan was a completely natural birth, meaning no c-section or medication. However plans changed when doctors discovered Caleb’s umbilical cord was tied in a knot. As the baby’s heart rate began to drop, Mrs. E. was rushed into an emergency c-section. Within eleven minutes Caleb Clint was born – a healthy, crying baby boy. Mr. E. told me that the first thing he noticed once Caleb was born was how much he looked like his grandpa, and, of course, how cute he was.

Though it surely has not been all fun and games, the new parents have already created many fond memories with their little one. One specific memory Mr. E. shared with me was that, even with both of their busy schedules, he and Mrs. E. often find themselves spending hours at a time simply watching their son. He is too young to move around, but he still captures the attention and the hearts of his parents. Their hope for Caleb is that he will one day be a man of God, who loves Him and serves Him with his whole heart. (Of course, Dad also hopes that he will someday be an extremely wealthy rocket scientist).

As of today, mommy and baby are both doing well. Caleb only cries if something is actually wrong, which makes it much easier for his parents to figure out what he needs. However there are still a few ways we can keep them in our prayers.

1.      Pray for Mrs. E. as she gets used to being a new mother instead of teaching…it’s a HUGE change.
2.      Pray for Mr. E. as this is his first year teaching and he is still getting into the hang of things. In addition to WCS, Mr. E. also teaches a class at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago two nights a week. Pray for time management, so that he will have sufficient time to spend with his family.
3.      Pray for lots and lots of sleep for the three of them!

Lastly, let us thank God for giving them the gift of a healthy and beautiful baby boy!

--By Anne Lehan

Who's Been Hurt and How?

Only the fourth week into the new school year and already more than five players have been injured. The two main sports these students play are the most popular sports at Westminster, soccer and volleyball.

Andrea Walsh has played volleyball all four years of her high school years and has joined leagues outside of school. Over this past summer during one of her leagues, Walsh injured her ankle when she jumped to spike the ball but ran too far into the net and landed on the girl on the other side. Sadly, this resulted in a sprained ankle, which turned into a chipped bone.

Luckily, Walsh is back for the school volleyball season, along with teammate Emily Bickford. Bickford also hurt her ankle while playing the same sport by landing on someone’s foot when she was blocking. She feels that her incident could have easily been prevented by wearing ankle braces.

The most common point injury in volleyball is, obviously, the ankle. Brittnie Feitlich sprained her ankle and has yet to return back to her team. No one was really surprised when they heard she hurt herself since the same ankle was hurt twice last year in soccer.

Soccer is another dangerous sport in terms of injuries this year. Michael Franco broke his clavicle the first week of school because of a senior trampling him. It surprised all his teammates and most of the school. He hopefully will not be out for the rest of the season and is only waiting for the doctor’s approval for him to continue playing.

Another soccer injury that’s occurred this year was Nick Gnan. The referees apparently weren’t paying attention when a kid kicked Gnan, resulting in a fractured shin and the bench seat for the rest of the season. He’ll be sitting out for most of the basketball season as well. The injury itself wasn’t surprising but how it happened was.

Many students have hurt themselves so far and school’s barely started.

--By Becky Welc

Ask Away to the Homecoming Day

For all the guys out there who have no ideas how to ask a girl to homecoming, READ THIS. Hopefully, after reviewing what to do and what not to do, there may be a few brilliant ideas that will make her say, “Of course!”

Here is what not to do: do not stalk, do not profess love to a stranger, do not just assume someone will go without asking, do not wait until the last minute, and do not ask a million girls, because the last one will feel like a “last resort.” If you do not do all of these things, the girl you dream of going with could actually go with you.

Now, what to do to make sure the girl you want to make your homecoming date will say yes.

Step One: Ask someone that is fun and that you have talked to, a friend, this will make homecoming even more fun, and will help you be more relaxed.

Step Two: Get information. Does this girl already have a date? Does one of your friends want to ask her? (If something like that happens, the result is most likely going to be awkward… very awkward.)

Step Three: If you want to avoid being the lame guy who walks up to a girls locker and says, “Hey, sup, wanna go to homecoming with me?”, then find out what she likes. Girls love when you remember things about them. For example, if your future homecoming date loves Christmas, get her a Christmas tree. If she loves doughnuts, spell out the word ‘homecoming’ with donuts. The best bet for getting a girl to say yes is bribing her with something she loves, like food. Just make sure she’s not allergic to anything. If you say, “Here is your favorite [insert word here], it’s yours if you go to homecoming with me,” she is bound to be so excited and say, “Why of course, I would love to be your homecoming date!”

Step Four: Do not forget to actually get the tickets--that would be a real bummer if you did all that work to get the girl, and you failed her by not being able to go.

Step Five: Have fun! Homecoming will be a blast! Just relax and be yourself!

By Maureen Sleeting

Laws Keep the Illegal Immigrants Out

With approximately 12 (or even 20) million undocumented illegal immigrants in the U.S., Americans are starting to see more and more immigrants discussing rights and discrimination. Arizona took a stand on illegal immigration when Jan Brewer signed a bill requiring that alien papers be carried at all times.

Also, police may question an individual if there’s reason to suspect them as an illegal immigrant. If the person does not have proof of being legally being in the U.S., they can be taken into custody and potentially deported.

This law also targets those who, knowingly, hire and transport illegal aliens, giving them repercussions. Many argue that, from a Christian perspective, we should be open to helping people and let them reside in our country. But is it fair for those who have gone through the process of becoming an American citizen legally, waiting in long lines or filing for residency, legally?

Illegal immigrants who come across borders know full well that if caught they will be sent back, because what they’re doing is wrong. Not following laws and regulations, not paying taxes, not contributing to the country they so badly wanted to be in, they’re not helping America grow as a country. They’re trying to
get by, by themselves, living off funds that are supplied by those who pay their dues to our country.

The Arizona law is put there to try and ensure that our country holds up the standards of equality--equality of choice, equality of the people. Is getting by and not paying taxes fair to those of us who do? Is the Arizona Law so wrong to ask people to prove their residency? If they’re legal, we welcome them. But if they’re illegal we ask that they seek to become legal U.S. citizens, just so they can become part of our country and help Americans better America for the common good.

WCS announces 2010 Homecoming Court

The Westminster Christian School Student Government announced the 2010 Homecoming Court. These students were elected by their classmates.

Freshmen: Emma Anderson, Taylor Battle, Josh Cleghorn, Clay DeHaan, Kinsley Donahue, Casey Fink, Michael Franco, Claire Speweik.

Sophomores: Austin Anderson, Elizabeth Farwell, Stephanie Kleczynski, Michael Sleeting, Patty "Trish" Winsauer, Will Woodhouse.

Juniors: Josh Beachler, Kyle Christensen, Haley Flickinger, Tyler Greene, Jasmine Holmes, Gwendolyn Payne, Rebekah Sunday.

Seniors: Luke Carani, Ian Dutcher, Ellie Fink, Caleb Gannon, Sarah Glasshagel, Maureen Sleeting, Gustavo Sorto, Anais Tabor.

Roll out of bed for the first day of Homecoming Week.

Pajama and bed head day kicked off this year’s homecoming week. Middle school
and high school students rolled out of bed and into Westminster’s halls for the first theme day of
the week.

The PJ attire ranged from footie pajamas to sweats. And to complete the pajama
arrangement was the common, unavoidable bed head. Although most students were decked
out in their comfiest pajama wear, there were, of course, the numerous uninvolved bystanders.
The most common response for the lack of participation was the issue of not owning pajamas (a
response made primarily by guys, as one could imagine). Disregarding these select few, most of
the students enjoyed the day of comfort. Seniors, having the most participation, lead the way in
spirit. Great start to homecoming week Westminster!

Ben Affleck returns in "The Town."

This past weekend Ben Affleck returns with his directing prowess in the film "The Town." Much like Ben Affleck's 2007 film "Gone Baby Gone," Ben both directed and wrote "The Town." However, this time around he is also staring in his movie. Will this change help make "The Town" a triumph or will his questionable acting sink "The Town?"

"The Town" is about a group of guys that rob banks in the city of Charlestown in Boston. The story focuses on Doug Macray (Ben Affleck) who is the leader of the gang and the coordinator of the robberies, and James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) who is best friends with Doug but is a lot more unstable and unprediactable. After a bank robbery they are forced to take the bank manager, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall), hostage, but dont end up needing her, so they let her go. Doug follows her, making sure that she will not incriminate any of them, but ends up falling for her. Throughout the rest of the film Doug tries to have a relationship with Claire, but to do this he has to shake the FBI, led by Adam  Frawley (Jon Hamm), and also break away from his own gang. But this proves to be nearly impossible since he is deeply involved with the criminals in the area, which makes it hard for him to break away from all of it.

"The Town" gets most of its high marks on its robbery scenes; each of these scenes is filmed skillfully by Affleck, who brings plenty of intensity and suspense to each scene. And of course, with all of these scenes being played out by such capable actors as Hamm and Renner, they only add to what Affleck puts in behind the camera. Affleck even brings his A game in his acting. But sadly "The Town" isn't all remarkable. The louge between Claire and Doug gets a bit repetitive as they take turns telling each other about all the terrible things that have happened in their lives. And unlike Gone Baby Gone, the dialouge isn't very compelling or thought-provoking. The most interesting scenes of dialouge are between Doug and James, and even after the viewer sifts through all the vulgarity, those scenes don't offer as much as they could have. Also, two things that are crucial if someone wants to make a great movie are a powerful beginning and ending. True, "The Town" does have a sufficient beginning, offering plenty of intrigue to the viewer to watch the rest of the film, but the ending compared to the rest of the film is really weak. Also, the ending didn't make the audience think at all, and the last line in the film did nothing to help the situation.

In the end, "The Town" was a well-made movie that is definitly worth watching for anyone who likes plenty of well-executed action and even a few emotional scenes. But it's possible that Ben Affleck was focusing all his energy on his acting and the camera work (which were outstanding) but then didn't bring everything to the table when it came to the script, which was only decent. Still, "The Town" is overal a well-rounded movie, and with this movie added to Affleck's repertoire, he is really making a name for himself as a director and proving that he is more than capable of telling an engaging story and that he is a force to be reckoned with.


3 out of 4 stars

The 411 on Homecoming Fashions!

Homecoming is on its way, and almost every girl at Westminster Christian High School has been trying to decide the best fashion to wear to the dance. Some questions that run through our heads may be, “Will everyone like it?” “Is it cute?” ….and one of the biggest “Is it in fashion?”

Well, we all want to know what is in style at the moment. I’ve done some research and have discovered that a lot of 80’s fashion has been incorporated into homecoming dresses. A lot of the dresses you see are bright and have bold colors. Some of the more casual dresses will have floral print, whereas the dressier ones have sequins and sparkles. Also, a lot of the dresses now have big elastic belts around the waist. I have gotten the opportunity to get up close and personal on what some of the girls are wearing to Homecoming.

“My dress is purple and metallic looking. It also has a black belt on the waist line,” said a freshman.

“I haven’t picked mine out yet, but I think I’m going with one that has some kind of floral print on it,” announced a sophomore.

One of the seniors said, “Since this is my last Homecoming, I’m trying to go with a dress that will ‘wow’ everyone.”

As you can see, everyone is making sure that they are in check with the latest fashion trends. Nobody wants to look the same. One way to finding an in-style dress that is cheap is to look at unknown clothing stores online. Recently they’ve been a hit. Not only will you get a cute and affordable dress, you will also not have the same dress as anyone else.

By Ashley Kivikoski

Drama drama drama, now there is a club for it

The drama club is Westminster’s newest theatrical development. Miss Shloss first got the program underway due to an interest in the IHSA competition. The IHSA provides students with opportunities to compete in a wide variety of theatrical events ranging from monologues and readings to one-act plays and group interpretations. However, student participation is not limited to acting. Students are needed for backstage, lighting, makeup, and even directing.

Ben Stevenson will be directing Westminster’s first one act play. Although the scene for the play has not yet been determined, they are considering a piece from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Ben’s involvement stemmed from aspirations of film school. He is looking forward to the auditions and seeing what they have to work with.

Another student whose role anticipates high involvement is Allison Sleeting. Allie was a key contributor to the program’s establishment. Her passion for the arts has driven her contribution to a wide realm of other theater productions, including directing the middle school plays and her roles in the high school play and musical.

When asked about expectations for the competition, Miss Shloss responded with anticipations of being fairly competitive and receiving some kind of placement. She’s most excited about seeing students who normally are uninvolved in the theater department grow and develop previously undiscovered gifts.

The club currently has around 40 members, but is still open to new participants. Any students who are interested in getting involved can talk to Allie or Miss Shloss!

By Ellie Fink

Stress less: College application is easier than it seems

“You’re more than just a test score.” You have probably heard this or told this phrase to yourself a lot over your high school career. But if you’re more than a score or GPA, what are you to a college? Everyone is unique and brings something new to the table, but what exactly do schools want out of you? Colleges are looking for, now more than ever, well-rounded students. Students who will add into the community and bring unique gifts and traits to the table--that’s the kind of students universities want.

Once you’ve selected a few colleges that you’re interested in, visit them! Why wait on seeing them? Chances are if you feel that college is a good fit for you, you will be a good fit for them. But what happens when your ideal college tuition appears as if it’ll leave you in debt for the rest of your life, and then some? Apply for scholarships! Fill out FAFSA forms! The sooner you do, the better. There are countless kinds of scholarships out there; you just have to search for them. There was even a scholarship for you and your prom date if you went to the dance in clothing made out of duct tape! There are so many scholarships out there just waiting to be given to the aspiring student.

Don’t stress too much about getting in to your top college. Just get involved and do something you’re good at or enjoy. Whether that’s by volunteering, being in art club, doing plays and musicals, just be you. If you do something that you love, put those activities on your application and it will help you stand out! If you pick the school that is truly right for you, they will surely love you as much as you love them.

By Anais Tabor

Summer movies worthy of recognition

Now that summer has come to an end, the Oscar buzz is just starting up. There are already many films on the horizon that are overflowing with actors, directors, and writers that scream for an Oscar nomination.

But first there is a film that hasn’t gotten the publicity it deserves. True, it has been out in theatres since August 13th, but it should still receive some more recognition. The movie is "Animal Kingdom," an Australian film with a small, "no-name" cast, apart from Guy Pierce ("The Proposition"). Even the director David Michod doesn’t have a long resume. However, with its powerful and gripping story, "Animal Kingdom" has the potential to be a film to come up and surprise audiences.

Other Oscar-worthy films include "The American" and "The Town," which release in September on the 1st and the 17th, respectively. "The American" is a film that has been long awaited. George Clooney gets to flex his acting muscles, but also gets to beat on some “bad guys.” "The Town" has a remarkable cast, boasting Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker"), Jon Hamm ("Mad Men"), and Ben Affleck ("State of Play"). With Affleck in the role of director and screenplay writer, "The Town" could be something special.

Another film to look out for is "Buried," which comes out on October 8th. This film finally gives Ryan Reynolds a chance at proving himself in an intense acting role. Additionally, pay attention to "The Tree of Life," which releases in November. It has all the ingredients to make a great film. With the writing and directing of Terrence Malick ("The New World") and with a cast lead by Sean Penn and Brad Pitt, "The Tree of Life" is definitely a movie to check out at the Golden Globes or even the Oscars.

By Ben Stevenson

Bears win, despite turnovers

Going into the 2010-11 season, the Bears are hoping to turn it around, and get back to the playoffs for the first time in three years.  Jay Cutler especially is hoping to rebound from a disastrous season, which included him having 26 interceptions.  The Bears brought in offensive mastermind Mike Martz to help the struggling quarterback and offense.  The Bears also made some key moves in the off season, bringing in Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor to back up starter Matt Forte.  Despite what the “experts” say, the Bears organization and fans are looking forward to an expected big year.
The Bears opened up the season against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field.  Things started off good for the Bears from the get-go.  They marched right down the field using a good mix of the run and the pass.  However, the Lions held the Bears back, and forced a field goal by Robbie Gould.  Despite not getting into the end zone, the Bears had to be happy to get some points and take the lead.

After the fast start by the Bears, things started to snowball for Chicago’s team.  Cutler tried to force a pass to Johnny Knox on a long 3rd and 20, and ended up throwing an interception after the Lions tipped it a couple times.  This interception led to Detroit marching down right down the field and into the end zone on a Jahvid Best Touchdown run.  The Bears now trailed 7-3.
The Bears started driving the ball down field again, before Greg Olsen fumbled while trying to get yards after the catch.  This time the defense forced a three and out.  The Bears got the ball back and marched right down the field before Matt Forte fumbled the ball.  The Bears defense couldn’t contain the Lion’s offense this time.  The Lions went down the field and got another touchdown, Jahvid Best finished the drive off again by running for his second Touchdown run of the game, and in this rookie’s bright, young career.

The Lions had seized the momentum and it looked like they would go into halftime with a 14-3 lead.  However, the Bears would have none of that.  Jay Cutler hit Matt Forte on a short screen pass and Forte ran it all the way into the end zone on an 89 yard Touchdown pass by Cutler. The Lions got the ball back and this time Julius Peppers sacked Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, and forced him to fumble, the Bears recovering the fumble.  After the play Stafford appeared to injure himself.  Stafford would come out and not play again for the rest of the game.  The fumble led to another Robbie Gould field goal.  The Bears now, had seized the momentum.  However, the Lions still led 14-13 going into halftime.

Both offenses would stall in the third quarter.  Jay Cutler had a fumble while being sacked from behind.  This was the Bears' fourth turnover of the game.  Charles Tilman picked off an errant Shaun Hill pass, helping the Bears in a much-needed turnover.  Hill came in as quarterback in the second half because of the Stafford injury.
The third quarter didn’t have much action, but the fourth quarter was the opposite.  Lance Briggs of the Bears sacked Hill and forced a fumble, and he recovered it at the Lions one yard line.  The Bears were in prime position for a score.  Or so you thought, Forte failed on two run attempts and Cutler threw a pass away, leading to a 4th down on the Lion one yard line.  Common sense would lead you to think that the Bears would take the sure field goal and take the lead.  The fourth quarter was halfway over with and the Bears defense was able to hold the Lions offense to do basically nothing all second half.  Lovie Smith was thinking the opposite of everyone else and decided to go for it.  Of course, Forte got stuffed at the one yard line.  The Bear’s defense did their job, like they did for the whole second half up to this point.  The Bears then capitalized on great field position, Cutler hit Forte on a 28 yard Touchdown pass to take the lead, 19-14.  The Bears went for two but couldn’t get it.  This was where the game got interesting.  The Lions got the ball, and with ease strode right down the field and into prime position to take the lead.  Now the stage was set for one of the most controversial plays of the weekend.  Shaun Hill threw up a deep ball to Calvin Johnson.  Johnson proceeded to catch the ball, come down with it, then swung his arm over with the ball in it, and dropped the ball in celebration of the “Touchdown." The play would be reviewed because the ruling on the field was, no Touchdown.  The rule is, if you're going to the ground in the process of making the catch you need to finish with the football.  Johnson had possession of the ball going to the ground, but didn’t finish the so called “process” with the ball.  So no Touchdown for Johnson. The Lions then proceeded to turn the ball overdowns, and the Bears had won the game.  The final score being 19-14.
The Bears open the season with a non-convincing win over a not so good Lions football team.  The Bears started right where they left off last season with five turnovers in the game, counting the idiotic turnover on downs deep in the Lions zone.  The Bears looked strong at points, but could never capitalize on good field position all day.  Realistically, the Bears should have crushed this Lions team.  Despite all these negative comments, the Bears won the game no matter how ugly it was.  After all, winning, no matter how you do it, is what counts in the National Football League.  The Bears will face the Tony Romo led Dallas Cowboys next Sunday at noon.

By Andrew Mason

September 11 and the aftermath

September 11---a day that will go down in infamy. Our country's security and peace was shattered by a group of Islamic radicals. True, this was a horrific event. Husbands and fathers, sisters and daughters were lost, and the pain resulting from this will never be forgotten.

This, however does not  warrant bigoted prejudice against all Muslims. Pastor Terry Jones of Florida is obviously unaware of this. This man decided it would be a great idea to create “Burn a Qur’an day” to commemorate 9/11. Pastor Terry, along with his fifty person congregation, planned to burn hundreds of Qur'an's on Saturday evening. Thankfully for America, he changed his mind.

This was not without a fight. From the moment he announced his plan, he was condemned by Christians and non-Christians alike. Everyone knew how disrespectful of an act it was and how dangerous it would be for our troops and country as a whole. Even his previous church (of which he was expelled) spoke out against him.

It is true that in America we have freedom of speech and right to protest peaceably. But as House minority leader, John Boehner said, “Just because you have the right to do something in America, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do." From a purely Christian standpoint, Pastor Terry is not helping the cause in any way. How are Christians to appear loving and welcoming if they have to overcome obstacles like this man? Rather than “making a stand” against them, Christians should reach out a hand to befriend them and shed some light into their lives. If people did this, rather then shaking their fists while parading around a fire in protest, America wouldn't have to deal with devastations the likes of which happened Sunday morning. Because of this ordeal, two people were killed in Afghanistan. Even though Pastor Terry repealed his threats of burning the Qur'an, the damage was done. Protestors gathered in the streets, and when they got rowdy, the security opened fire to disperse the crowd. Two people died and three more were wounded. So this begs the question, are people willing to put the security of their country at danger, just to voice their own opinion?

By Sarah McIntire

September 11--looking back

Early morning, September 11, 2001, one of the most shocking events of American history occurred when, in an act of terrorism, four commercial jets were hijacked and intentionally crashed. Two jets crashed into the World Trade Centers, the third was plowed into the Pentagon, and the fourth crash landed in a field in Pennsylvania.  There were no survivors from any of the flights.  Over 3,000 people lost their lives that day, including more than 350 firemen and over 50 police officers. They died trying to save and rescue others as the World Trade Centers collapsed. People today are still suffering from lung disease due to the smoke and dust that resulted from the collapse of the World Trade Centers.

The 9th anniversary of September 11th was last Saturday.  President Barack Obama gave a speech at the Pentagon and at 8:46 a.m., the time the airplanes hit the World Trade Centers, he had a moment of silence to respect those who lost their lives that day.  Vice President Joe Biden attended a service in New York City, while First Lady Michelle Obama attended a service in Pennsylvania.  Memorial ceremonies and prayer services were held not only in the states where the jets crashed, but also across the whole United States in remembrance of the victims and their families.

A permanent memorial at the site of the World Trade Center is under construction, which officials say should be completed by next year.  It will include two waterfalls marking where the two buildings once stood.  A new world trade center is also under construction, scheduled to open in 2013.

Everyone remembers what they were doing and where they were that early September morning.  It changed America forever.  Everyone in some way or another was affected by it.  Many still mourn the loss of loved ones and friends.  September 11, 2001 is a day we will never forget.

By Elizabeth Farwell

Average Schmo becomes Doctor

What is the reasoning behind advancing in one’s education even further than a bachelor’s degree? Most people would say it is to further increase one’s knowledge of a topic or subject matter they are naturally good at or find interesting. Until now, Dr. Marsh and Dr. Haak have been the only teachers at Westminster Christian High School with a Doctoral degree. That changed a few weeks ago. Mrs. Bristol, Westminster’s art history, drawing, painting, ceramics, and photography teacher obtained her Ed.D at Argosy University in education instructional leadership.

Because of this accomplishment she has now obtained three degrees: a bachelors degree in Fine Arts through Judson University, a masters degree in Art Education (with teaching credentials) through NIU, and now her doctoral degree in Education Instructional Leadership. After the rigorous amount of work, it has taken her two years to do her Ed.D courses while it took about a year to have her dissertation (subject thesis) written and processed. While it was hard work, she has furthered her knowledge in the education field. In turn, this not only benefits her reasoning, decision making, and teaching, but it benefits the students as a whole. Mrs. Bristol would like to thank Dr. Marsh for helping and aiding her while verifying her coding throughout her research.

Homecoming T-shirts

Homecoming week is now two weeks away, and finally class T-shirts have come out. They are designed based on the Homecoming theme: candy. Students have been involved in the whole process of making and selling the shirts, which makes it more meaningful. Several students from each class designed shirts, and  the Business Club is taking part selling them. For example, Brittany Booth and Allie Sleeting designed the shirt for the senior class with Skittles. There is a rainbow on the front with the phrase "hit me again tube sock" on the back. All of the class shirts are  unique. Moreover, it is only $10.


There are several ways of using your class shirts:
1. Wear it on Class Color day of Homecoming Week and show school spirit.
2. It looks much better when all your classmates are wearing them together. Take pictures with friends wearing them and post the pictures on Facebook. If you are lucky, the picture might be in the yearbook too.
3. Bring a marker and ask other people to sign your shirt. It will be a special shirt just for you!
4. Wear it throughout the year. Since it is a beautiful shirt, you will see many people wearing it  often.

How do you get your lovely class shirt? The Business Club is selling them during lunch. What you have to do is bring $10 and a form that is handed out during homeroom to Business Club members during lunch time. At the corner of lunch table, there will be a group of easily noticeable people. You will not miss them. When you give them the form and money, they will not give you the shirt right away. Based on the orders they have, the Business Club will order the shirts and then give them back to you when they arrive. So please do not forget to order your shirt. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Huddleston or the Business Club members.

By Yoha Lee

Journalism Department Brings New Addition to Westminster Community

We in the journalism department are excited to present to you our new online news blog, the WCS Sword! For the 2010-2011 school year, our staff has been blessed with the opportunity to meet every day. Because of our extended time together, we have the unique ability to provide our readers with a source for hot and fresh news from within the WCHS community. Every weekday, you can now expect an original article from one or more of our talented writers. Editorials, reports from sports games, coverage of school events— they’re all right here at your fingertips! In addition to our monthly print periodical, the WCS Shield, it is our goal as a team to keep you, our reader, up to speed on all things Westminster Christian. As we get this blog up and running, try to be patient—the site will be under construction for a while as we strive to make it readable and enjoyable. We hope you enjoy the full armor of WCS Journalism… the Sword and the Shield.