van kooten nominated counselor of the year - pella, ia · they will be playing a star wars medley,...

Issue No. 6 300 Eagle Lane, Pella, IA 50219 May 14, 2013a student publication of Pella Christian High School

StaffEditors: Mariah Eekhoff, Maggie Milby, Karyn Vander Wal

Journalists: Seniors: Vanessa Blankespoor, Delaney Dugger, Allie Groenenboom, Amy Dunsbergen, Valerie Jochems, Brianna Warden

Juniors: Leah Blankespoor, Allison Johnson, Kyndal Reimer

Sophomores: Kira Braun, Julia Dykstra, Lauren PetersAdvisor: Noreen Vander Wal

The Eagle’s Cry is a publication of the PCHS Advanced Journalism class and is intended to provide an educational experience for those in the class as well as information and entertainment for the community. The news and opinions stated in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Pella Christian High School Society or its administration.

Letters to the editor may be addressed to Eagle’s Cry, 300 Eagle Lane, Pella, IA, 50219. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for content and length.

Anyone wishing to subscribe to the Eagle’s Cry should send a name and address along with $5.00 to the school.

by Maggie Milby [email protected] This year the theme for Junior Senior Banquet was Vintage Carnival. The decorations included ribbon and lights draping from the ceiling, photo opportunities set up with vintage props, and tables dressed with candles and glass mason jars for beverages. (Above) Senior Johnanna Brouwer and alum Marcus Van Zee walked into prom on the rolled out red carpet. “Besides getting all dressed up, my favorite part was the dance and getting to play family feud at the after party,” said Brouwer. The entertainment following the dinner portion of JSB was provided by juniors Dylan Nikkel and Tanner Van Maanen (upper right). “I liked getting to come up with jokes with Tanner, and seeing the students and teachers reactions to them,” said Nikkel.

Vintage Carnival theme for PC’s Junior Senior Banquet

by Allison Johnson [email protected]

The PCHS band has undergone a lot of change this year, with a new director, new uniforms and exploring more to do with marching band. This year the entire band was supposed to go to Dordt for their biannual Band Festival. Unfortunately, the band wasn’t able to attend because of winter weather in Northwest Iowa. “I was so mad,” said senior Anna Vander Molen. “I mentally prepared myself for having no school on Friday, so the trip getting cancelled really shook me up. It was out of our control though…I got over it quickly.”

The band was also suppose to debut

their new uniforms and new drum line equipment during Tulip Time, led by senior Elizabeth Bouwkamp and juniors Leslie Pence and Nicholas Van Beek as drum majors. Some moms came in and helped with the uniform fittings, which took several days.

Due to the cold and snowy weather, the band didn’t march because their scheduled parades were cancelled. “At least the uniforms didn’t get wet, that’s a positive,” said director Shannon Dykstra. “We were all disappointed that the parades were cancelled because of all the hard work and preparation for Tulip Time.”

The band hopes the missed performances add to the excitement at

PC guidance counselor Dan Van Kooten is one of six finalists nominated for the 2013 High School Counselor of the Year award, presented by the Iowa Association for College Admission Counseling (Iowa ACAC). The winner of the honor will be announced at the Iowa Dakota ACAC Spring Conference in Sioux City, May 19-21.

Iowa ACAC members nominate secondary education counselors each year to recognize those who go above and beyond

the upcoming Pops Concert. “There was a lot of excitement over a new song ‘I’m a Believer,’ new uniforms, and new drum line equipment. We hope everyone comes to the Pops Concert to see our new everything they missed at Tulip Time,” said Dykstra

The annual Pops Concert scheduled for tonight will wind up the year for band performances. They will be playing a Star Wars medley, a Les Miserables medley and “Tiny Toon Maniacs,” as well as serving pop, ice cream, and popcorn. “My favorite thing about the Pops Concert is how relaxed it is,” said Pence. “It’s just a great way to end the year with pop and ice cream along with some more popular songs!”

in providing transition services to their students in the college admission process.

Principal Darryl De Ruiter feels Van Kooten to be a good fit for the ACAC nomination. “Mr. Van Kooten is very deserving of this award. Anyone, students and/or parents who have ever worked with him, knows that he will always go the extra mile to make sure that the questions get answered and the problems get resolved,” he said.

Iowa ACAC is one of 23 state and

regional affiliates of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). The 700-member professional association includes individuals, institutions, and other organizations from Iowa and around the country who assist students in transitioning successfully to postsecondary education. Iowa ACAC members demonstrate an unwavering commitment to professional and ethical practices in the college admission process.

Van Kooten nominated Counselor of the Year

Band loses marching, Dordt Festival to bad weather

Eagle’s Cry May 14, 2013

“Compassion and education for you and your pets”

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by Vanessa [email protected]

PC and Pella High partnered with Central College to host the Little Hawkeye Conference Art Festival at Central College on April 3 where ten artists from PC attended and took home seven awards. Pieces they took to the competition included charcoal drawings, several paintings, a cut-paper piece, a paper sculp-ture, a graphic design piece, and some photos.

In the oil and acrylic category, PC’s junior Mason Howerzyl claimed first place, and senior Marissa Fer-guson took second. Freshman Andrea Horstman was awarded first place for two of her pieces: a watercol-or painting and a paper cut out of a butterfly in the miscellaneous category. Junior Morgan DeRuiter took second place in the miscellaneous category for her drawing. Junior Addison Van Weelden received sec-ond place for her work in graphic design, and junior Lydia Bandstra third place for her graphite drawing.

Art teacher Joe Hoksbergen felt the event was a good experience for students to display their art, as well as learn from others. “This event is really special to me be-cause of the artwork. This is an extremely competitive event, and every year I see works of art in this show that look professionally made. It is great to come to-gether as students and teachers and celebrate the im-mense amount of labor and talent that went into mak-ing these stand-out projects,” Hoksbergen said.

The students participated in three workshops and demonstrations during the day: paper-making, pot-tery, and glass-blowing. Senior Marissa Ferguson was impressed most by the glass-blowing workshop. “They made paper weights, a flower, and a bowl with

by Julia [email protected]

At the end of this school year, science teacher John Evenhouse will be retiring from teaching. Greg Beekhui-zen will take his place teaching chemistry, physics, and environmental science.

Beekhuizen is married to his wife Katie. They have two children and are expecting their third child in Octo-ber. Beekhuizen graduated from Pella Christian in 1993. He then went to Dordt College and has been teaching for fifteen years.

Beekhuizen taught at Edgerton Christian School in Edgerton, Minnesota, for one year before moving to Florida, where he is currently teaching at Bradenton Christian School. Beekhuizen has taught AP Biology, Honors Biology, Physics, and Marine Science, and has been at Bradenton since 1999, but is looking forward to this upcoming school year at PC.

“I’m looking forward to meeting all of my new stu-dents,” stated Beekhuizen, “and working with the great faculty and staff at PC.”

by Allie [email protected]

Freshmen Yadi Xu placed 3rd and Joel Larson placed 5th individually overall at the Little Hawkeye Conference Math Competition held at Central College on April 10. Twelve PCHS students participated, each grade equally being represented. The PC team did not place as a whole, but the freshmen team placed 3rd in their division. “It’s been fun going,” said senior Austin Ver Meer, a fourth year participant. “It’s really been fun seeing myself grow as a student and realizing how much my skills in math have increased over the past few years.”

the technique. It was really intriguing because it’s not a very popular or easy task. I give them a lot of credit for being able to create beautiful art with glass!” Fer-guson said.

After a successful day at the event, senior Alex

Campbell was thankful for the chance to share his gifts with others. “It was an amazing experience to see all the artistic gifts God has given students in all the schools. I enjoyed seeing different people from PC being recognized for their artwork as well,” he said.

Freshmen place at Little Hawkeye Math

PC artists gain experience, earn awards

Beekhuizen hired to teach science

PC artists display their masterpieces at Central during the Little Hawkeye Art Festival held on April 3.


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by Lauren [email protected]

This has been the first year PCHS has participated in the 1 to 1 program that has allowed students to have an iPad in their possession aiding them with homework, studying, and projects. The success of this new technology has exceeded expectations.

Librarian Sheri Haveman said, “I am very pleased with the way the students have adjusted and the over-all smooth transition that has taken place.”

About 75% of the student body wants to keep the iPads for school years to come. They feel that it keeps them organized and creates a more accessible learn-ing environment. One of the biggest benefits that stu-dents appreciate seems to be note taking on the iPad.

“Taking organized notes has been a huge help, and keeping them all in one place makes it easy to find them,” said one student.

Other students have appreciated the accessibility of the Internet, allowing for better communication be-tween other students and teachers. The iPad also al-lows backpacks to be lighter and provides a variety of

different studying methods.“I love taking notes on the iPad and having a great

flashcard app. It’s much easier to study, and it signifi-cantly lowers the weight of my backpack,” said a stu-dent.

Though the majority of students consider the iPad a helpful tool, about 25% of the student body would pre-fer to go back to having school without the iPads. Most of the students who feel that way are juniors and seniors.

“Teachers feel like they have to go out of their way to use it in their lessons. It is a hassle and a big distrac-tion for many in class,” mentioned one student.

Another student said, “ Honestly, even though I love having games and fun apps available to me, I have seen it cause problems and be a distraction for many people. We aren’t as social, and it makes people pro-crastinate. It’s a big distraction during classes as well.”

As far as improvements for next year, aside from the worn cases, students seemed to be content with the iPad. A few feel the need for monitoring apps and games, because it distracts some people, but all in all many are happy with the technology.

by Maggie Milby [email protected] Senior Alex Van Maanen works with his grandma Ernestine Dieleman in automated accounting. “It was fun getting to show my grandma around and to show her what I’m learning,” said Van Maanen. Grandparents Day and Pastor Appreciation Day were held on April 22 and 24 in connection with Christian Education Week. Grandparents and pastors were invited to attend chapel and classes with students and participate in daily work.

About 50% of the student body feel that the iPad has been a distraction to some degree, but only 8% say it has affected their grades in a negative way. The same number say it has improved their grades. “My notes are neater, and easier to find, so it’s helped me study better,” said one student.

Students have mixed thoughts about not having their iPads this summer. Some feel that the accessibil-ity of the Internet will be missed the most.

One student said, “I have my computer and another iPad at home, but things will not be as convenient. I’ll have to lug a laptop around rather than a tablet.”

Others will miss easy access to social media and the convenience of the iPad.

“I’ll miss my social networks. It won’t be as easy as picking up my iPad to get on Facebook, Twitter, In-stragram or Snapchat,” said a student.

The majority of students will miss the iPad games the most.

A student said, “I will miss my games. I guess I won’t be stuck inside because of cold temperatures though, so I won’t really miss it too much, I hope.”

Grandparents spend morning with students in class, chapel

Student body reflects on the first year of 1:1

Snap

Cup

Random Facts ... everything you never wanted to know

DateNight


Angry Authors

by Delaney [email protected] Way to go! You are the best! I like what I see! All of these de-

scribe what a snap cup is about. The PC snap cup is found in the library. Anyone who would like to say “Good job!” or give a word of encouragement is invited to submit their comment for publica-tions. So . . . SNAPS to . . .

by Allie Groenenboom, Delaney Dugger, and Vanessa Blankespoor

[email protected]@pceagles.org, [email protected]

So for our last venting session we thought we would touch on a variety of topics, starting with the weather! One day it is 75 degrees, the next day it snows... It’s MAY, people. Iowa, what are you doing?! Hopefully summer’s not like this-oh wait, it’ll just be 100 degrees everyday; so predictable! Four days away... Let us out!!!

Exams are our last hurdle to get over before we can start a great summer, and since we haven’t had exams yet this year, they are probably going to seem like a hard blow to the face. Also, since there are only four/five days left, we almost feel as though our senioritis is fading away since we are sooooo close to the end; true? Maybe. Or maybe it has gone on for so long this has just become a normal feeling?

Well, since this is our last Angry Authors and ev-erything... A big thanks to all of our faithful readers this year! It has been greatly appreciated. We wish you all the best; have a great summer, everyone!

by Leah Blankespoorand Kyndal [email protected]@pceagles.org

Let’s be honest. Everyone is looking forward to summer by this point in the year. It is finally nice weather outside, and no one wants to be cooped in inside all day when we are already forced to be in-side during school.

The perfect date going into summer is a drive-in movie. You can enjoy watching a movie with friends or a date, but not feel guilty about missing the gor-geous weather outside. It is also a more laid back and relaxed feel than a movie theater. It’s a win win.

It may be bit of a drive to Valle Drive-in Movie Theater in Newton, but if you carpool with a group of people, everyone can pitch in for gas. The movies are shown at night (so you can see the screen obvi-ously) which is perfect if you have a summer job or other things that need to be done during the day. By nighttime, the scorching temperatures will have dropped to a comfortable warmth, the humidity will have gone down a bit, and with some help from bug spray, you should be just fine. In fact, you might need some blankets if it gets chilly. They even have a concession stand if you get hungry or thirsty or you can pick up ice cream on the way like we did.

We would recommend taking a pickup so that you have seating in the back, or you can bring lawn chairs, whichever your preference is. You don’t need to worry about listening to your speakers in your car because they have speakers hooked up for you by each parking spot for your convenience. It is also a pretty good bargain because you pay one price for two movies in a row. Who doesn’t love a good deal?

by Amy [email protected] to bootstrike.com...

1. A shrimp’s heart is in its head2. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky3. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a r ib4. In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere5. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match6. Sound travels 15 times faster through steel than through the air7. On average, half of all false teeth have some form of radioactivity8. Sloths take two weeks to digest their food9. Guinea pigs and rabbits can’t sweat10. The lifespan of a squirrel is about nine years11. North American oysters do not make pearls of any value12. A group of twelve or more cows is called a f link13. The female lion does ninety percent of the hunting14. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily15. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and silver

- SENIORS! We survived all 4 years!!! WOO!- Juniors for planning an awesome prom and putting all that time in

- Sophomores for surviving one of the toughest years of high school- Freshmen for making it through your first year...good luck with the rest!

-People who attended the LHC art festival and math competition -Cailee V, Elizabeth B, Spencer F, and Josh VG for receiving Outstanding Performance in their centers at the solo and ensemble competition-Cali B for her mermaid picture-Ryen VV for winning the mile at the Oskaloosa Relays-Cali B, Nicholas D, and Cory VG for receiving nominations from the Iowa High School Musical Awards for a chance to audition for

Nationals in NYC-STUCO for all the work they do for our school activities -Andrew VH for having a birthday that everybody celebrates (aka JSB night)-Foreign exchange students for coming all the way to our school this year :)


Top 10 . . . things to have on your summer bucket list

SeniorSpotlight

Parents: Royce & Sharon Spoelstra

Pin it!

Matt Spoelstra

Would You Rather....by Karyn Vander Wal [email protected]

by Valerie Jochems and Amy [email protected]@pceagles.org

Pinterest is a website that allows anyone who has an account to post a “pin” with ideas for crafts, food, pho-tography, hairstyles or anything else onto their pinboard. According to Flowtown, from September 2011 to Febru-ary 2012, the monthly unique visits to the Pinterest site grew by over 866%. Here is one fun idea that a few PC students tried recently.

Title: Recycled T-shirt bracelets

Materials: old t-shirtcordwire

Instructions:1. Cut three strips, about 2 cm wide and 30 cm long,

out of the old t-shirt. Cut the cord into three 28 cm pieces. 2. Braid the three strips of shirt, one piece of cord with

each, until it is the right length for your wrist. Cut off excess shirt and cord.

3. Wind the wire around both ends of the bracelet to bind them together.

4. Cut a piece of fabric to cover the wire. Wrap it around the wire and glue into place. Let the glue dry.

by Mariah [email protected] a few more days ‘til that 11:30 bell rings and freedom is ours.

10. Burn some homework. School’s out!! It’s good fuel for a first-night-of-summer bonfire.

9. Get tan! I mean duh, it’s summer.

8. Grab some friends and some shirts and have a tie-dye party.

7. Hit up an amusement park. Adventureland. Six Flags. You get the point.

6. Read. Read the whole library. Why not? You have time!

5. Rrrrrrrroadtrip. It could be out of state; it could be to good ole Sully, IA. Either way, I’m sure it’ll be a good time.

4. Go to a concert. The State Fair always has some legit options. And, Taylor Swift is coming to Des Moines, guys.

3. MUDDING!

2. Let’s go to the beach, each, let’s go get away.

1. Hang out with your friends and family and have the time of your life. Don’t blink- summer always flies by.

by Vanessa [email protected]: What has been your favorite part about senior year so far?A: Finding out that first semester exams were cancelled was awesome.

Q: What advice would you give to underclassmen?A: My advice would be to avoid procrastinating. Get any long term projects done early. It removes a lot of stress from your

life. Trust me.

Q: Describe yourself using one word.A: Panurgic.

Q: How do you enjoy spending your free time?A: Right now I am in soccer. The rest of my free time, I spend thinking about how long I can wait and still get my homework

done before it is due. Just to clarify, this is not a good idea! See #2.

Q: If you could travel back in history or forward into the future, which would you choose? Why?A: I would go to the future. Who would go to the past? That has already happened. The future is an unknown. Anyways, I

would go and find myself a simple but popular invention, discover how it works, and then invent it in the present. Make money. Then sell my time machine.

Q: What is something you wish more people knew about you?A: My birthday is December 27. Now you can all send me gifts! Yay! The address to send them to is in the school directory.

Mark your calendars.

Tulip Time be cold and rainy every day 24%

Tulip Time be 100 degrees every day 76%

Recyled T-shirt bracelets make for a great quick and easy craft to do with friends.


Beekhuizen, Amy Bethel Nursing

Blankespoor, Vanessa Bethel Forensic Psychology

Bouwkamp, Buffy Northwestern (MN) Biology

Brouwer, Johanna Dordt Education, maybe theology

Campbell, Alex DMACC/ISU Graphic Design/web design

Dahm, Nicholas Bethel Biology

Dugger, Delaney Northwestern (IA) Biology or Chemistry

Dunsbergen, Amy UNI Real Estate

Engbers, Paige Dordt Undecided

Ferguson, Marissa ISU Apparel Merchandising

Fopma, Madison Dordt Elem. Education or Nursing

Fopma, Sarah Dordt Accounting

Fompa, Trisha UNI Accounting

Francis, Veronica Rhodes International Relations, Archeology

Fynaardt, Jenna ISU Animal Science/PreVet

Fynaardt, Shannon UNI Speech Pathology

Fynaardt, Spencer Dordt Engineering

Gosselink, Jordan DMACC Auto Mechanics

Giddings, Zack Northwestern (IA) Undecided

Groenenboom, Allie University of Iowa PreMed

Harger, Joseph Central Communication Studies, Business minor

Howerzyl, Adam Dordt Engineering

Jansen, Kara Iowa School of Beauty Cosmetology

Jochems, Val Trinity Biology

Johnson, Jessica ISU Web Design/Graphic Communications

Kim, Jisoo Korean University Marketing/Statistics

Kish, David Ukrainian University English or Dentistry

Kuyers, Jaclyn Calvin Business or Art

Mason, Michael Liberty Law

McCain, Gunner Upper Iowa University Criminal Justice

Morgan, Caleb DMACC Business

Pinegar, Taylor Aveda Institute Cosmetology

Pingel, Brittney Mercy Coll. Hlth. Science Nursing

Riggen, Blake Northwestern (IA) Health Science or Radiology

Roose, Jenna Dordt Administrative Assistant

Sarver, India Dordt Undecided

Sneller, Amber DMACC Education

Spoelstra, Matthew Dordt Engineering

Stursma, Riley DMACC Engineering or Business

Uitermarkt, Cori Central Athletic Training

Van Der Pol, Kristina Dordt English

Vande Weerdhof, Jaynee Dordt Elementary Education

Van Gorp, Josh Dordt Engineering

Van Kooten, Derek Dordt Agriculture

Van Maanen, Alex DMACC Electrical

Vander Hart, Jora Dordt Social Work/Business

Vander Ley, Chad Dordt Agronomy

Vander Molen, Anna Dordt Undecided

Vander Molen, Levi Dordt Animal Science

Van Vark, Ryen DMACC Building Trades

Veenstra, Cailee Dordt Social Work

Veenstr, Travis Crown College Undecided

VerMeer, Austin Dordt Engineering

Visser, Jeremy DMACC or William Penn Computer Science

Warden, Briana Indian Hills Undecided

Name College Major Name College Major Name College Major

Class of 2013by Kyndal [email protected]

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21) This inspiring verse belongs to the class of 2013 and serves as a comfort and a helpful reminder to the soon-to-be graduates.

Graduation will be held on May 18 at 7 PM in the PCHS gym. Senior Spencer Fynaardt has been selected by his classmates as their speaker. “I hope to mention a few memories of the class from the last four years, tell them how much fun I’ve had with them in these last few years,” said Fynaardt, “and mention how each one of them has blessed me in some way.”

Not only does he intend to make his speech a walk down memory lane, but he is planning on sending them off with biblical inspiration.

“I also hope to encourage them that as they grow up, become more independent, and have more responsibilities, to remain strong in Christ and find their comfort and joy in Him.”

The pastor coming to speak this year is Marty Schmidt from the Bridge in Ottumwa. Schmidt was also the speaker for Spiritual Renewal days in February earlier this year. Many students enjoyed his speeches and everything he had to say.

This year’s PCHS senior class will graduate 56 students.

Above: Gunner McCain, Amy Beekhuizen, and Jeremy Visser climb the stairs in the city mu-seum.Left: The seniors enjoy an evening watching the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pictured above is the senior class of 2013. For their class trip this year they voted to go to St. Louis, Missouri. There they visited the zoo, Six Flags, a Cardinals game, and the Arch where they took their class picture.Left: Elizabeth Bouwkamp climbs the rock wall at Chesterfield Sports Fusion.

Jaynee Vande Weerdhof, Sarah Fopma, Jessica Johnson, and Kristina Van Der Pol check out the camels at the St. Louis Zoo.

by Bri [email protected]

“Grades matter even as underclassmen, so try your very best! Also, make as many memories as you can with every chance because time flies.” -Anna Vander Molen

“Delete every game off your ipad.” -Matt Spoelstra“Challenge yourself. Don’t take easy classes just to get

good grades.” -Paige Engbers“Try hard in school. It makes paying for college a lot

easier.” -Spencer Fynaardt“Join something to make friends, but not just one thing.

Try multiple things to get an assortment of friends. Also don’t cause drama. If you see it, stay out of it.” -Jeremy Visser

“Study hard; it really pays off!” -Michael Mason“Get involved and don’t be afraid to do something,

even if all of your friends aren’t.” -Cailee Veenstra“Get your homework in on time.” -Ryen Van Vark“GRADES MATTER! All through high school! Yes,

even freshman year! Keep your grades up so you can have a lot of college opportunities and scholarships ones too!! Having a social life is great, but don’t throw away grades because of it!” -Jenna Fynaardt

“Don’t mess around freshman year. It’s the easiest year by far.” -Alex Van Maanen

“Stay involved with things and have fun with it.” -Nicholas Dahm

“Be yourself. Don’t let others try to make you some-thing you are not.” -Jenna Roose

“Don’t download games. Start homework as early as you can. Don’t worry about others’ perceptions of you.” -Josh Van Gorp

Senior AdviceGraduation set for May 18

Zantingh, Micah UNI Business


by Maggie [email protected]

One year after the PC trap shooting team’s establish-ment, the team has tripled its size. The team is made up of eighteen 6-12th graders and is centering the program this year around informing participants of proper firearms safety. “This year we’re really focussing on safety...safe-ty, safety, safety. I can’t get across just how important that is,” said coach Todd McQueen.

The team practices their shooting at the Marion Coun-ty Sportsman Club in Knoxville and does simulator and safety lessons in a classroom setting. “The season is go-ing really well because of the high schoolers teaching the junior high kids. We have also improved because of the shooting simulator,” said sophomore Nathan Vande Voort.

Competitions consist of several groups of five com-petitors, each individually shooting at 25 clay bird targets from distances ranging from 16 to 19 yards. Trap shooting is a part of a statewide program with usually five meets per year. This year, the meets have been held once a week.

With the age range being so large, the team varies in skill levels. “It’s been really neat to watch the younger kids develop by learning from the older varsity shooters. The varsity shooters have really shown leadership and welcomed those who are younger onto the team,” said McQueen.

Aside from the program tripling its size, McQueen is also enthusiastic in the notoriety the sport is gaining, “We’ve had some really generous and wonderful dona-tions to help us get more training and safety equipment,” said McQueen. The program has also experienced diffi-culties, having a hard time finding meets for all of the participants to compete. “We’ve had some growing pains, but the varsity shooters have shown a huge amount of leadership and have really welcomed the younger kids,” said McQueen.

by Kira [email protected]

This year’s spring sports season won’t include boys tennis after all. At the beginning of the season, seniors Nicholas Dahm and Micah Zantingh were the only two boys interested in competing this year and were eager about playing at meets and making it to state. Now, a few weeks later, the situation is different. “I decided not to play tennis, because I am very busy with soccer and school and adding another thing would have made my plate too full,” Dahm said.

Even though it was not the easiest decision, they feel they made the right one. “I miss tennis, definitely, but soc-cer is fun too. They are two different styles of sports, so each is good, just different,” senior Micah Zantingh said.

by Mariah [email protected]

Many personal records and season bests have been achieved for the Eagles’ girls track this year. With a young group composed mainly of freshmen and sophomores, the team has been able to perform well, placing third at 2 meets and fourth at 2 more. “We have been doing better almost every meet, which is always one of the main goals we have,” said senior captain Maddie Fopma.

Fopma, four-year track member, was selected to com-pete at the Drake Relays on April 26 & 27. High jumping 5’2’’ at the Oskaloosa Coed Relays was what ensured her spot to compete at the famous event. “Drake was a great experience to be with the best jumpers in the state, and it’s always so much fun to be jumping on the blue oval,” said Fopma. Her jump of 5’2” earned eighth place.

The state qualifying meet took place at Eddyville on May 9, with upcoming state competition on May 16-18 at the Drake Stadium.

by Lauren [email protected]

Boys varsity soccer stands at 1-10 record, with a win over DMC. This season the team has endured it’s fair share of challenges, including learning to work with new players.

“Communicating better on the field is one of our is-sues, and many of our players haven’t worked together for multiple years, so we are not as in sync,” said soph-more Jonathan Beltman

Overall the team is keeping a positive outlook on the rest of the season, and continues to work hard.

Sophmore Jake De Ruiter said, “Our record doesn’t show the real ability of our team, but along the way we have played some really great soccer. It has also been a fun season which is probably one of the most important things when playing soccer.”

The team’s next game is May 17 against Bondurant-Farrar at home. Boys soccer substate is May 20, 22, and 25. State is May 30, 31, and June 1.

by Bri [email protected]

The PC girls soccer team knew they would be having a re-building year, after graduating 8 starting seniors last spring. They are impressed with how well the young team has done.

“We have a lot of sophomores playing both JV games and varsity. We’re really impressed with their willingness and how much they’ve stepped up,” said senior Buffy Bouwkamp.

Despite having a record of 5-9, the team has had some exciting finishes. The Eagles lost to Chariton in overtime on April 15. The next night they took down the undefeat-ed Oskaloosa Indians after 2 overtimes, a shoot out and then sudden death shoot out. The Eagles gained victories against South Tama (2-0) and Centerville (5-0) and lost against Pella High (10-0) and Norwalk (3-1).

The Eagles next game is away at Winterset on May 16. Regionals will begin on May 23, followed by regional fi-nals on June 3, and State on June 6.

Girls track sends Fopma to Drake Relays

Trap shooting team focuses on safety

Boys soccer faces challenges with spirit

Young soccer team scores some big wins

Boys tennis season never takes offThis issue may also be caused by the many options PC

offers, which is not a bad thing. Track, golf and soccer are all options for athletes in the spring and since there is such an overlap between spring and summer seasons, many baseball players often prepare for their baseball season in the spring as well. “It’s very difficult for a school our size to maintain healthy numbers in that many programs,” said athletic director Brad Engbers.

For the next few years he hopes to see the IHSAA move boy’s golf to the fall. That would provide another option for boys in the fall, and maybe some of the same guys who play golf, might be interested in tennis. “It’s unfor-tunate that interest in tennis has fallen in recent years, es-pecially since we have terrific facilities,” Engbers said.

Senior Maddie Fopma qualified for Drake Relay compe-tition in the high jump with a jump of 5’2”

Baseball practice beginsby Julia [email protected]

Practice for baseball started on April 29 in preparation for their first game at home against Pleasantville on May 20.

The team consists of about 20 players with four returning seniors. The team hopes to win the conference game and make it at least to sub-state. The experienced seniors are excited for the upcoming season.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with some re-ally cool guys,” said senior Spencer Fynaardt, “and also getting to experience a season with a different coach to get a new perspective on the game.”

The team is now being coached by Nathan Johnson, with the help of Emory Stewart and PC alum Jon Holwerda. Johnson has been out of playing baseball for four years and is excited to get back on the field. In high school, he played for the Oskaloosa Indians and then played for In-dians Hills and University of Iowa. After completing his college career, he moved on to play for the Philadelphia Phillies. Johnson is most looking forward to passing on his knowledge of the game to his players.

“Our main goal this year,” stated Johnson, “will be to glorify the name of the Lord in all that we do on and off of the field.”

by Leah [email protected]

Softball starts off their season with their first home game on May 20 against Pleasantville. They have 12 re-turning team members, and 5 returning seniors.

“I think one of our team goals should be to win confer-ence this year. I think we are going to be a very strong fielding team and offensively we have a lot of threats too. I’m excited to see what this year will bring,” said junior Lauren Jungling.

As a team, they hope to not lose first round, and have more wins than losses this season.

“I want to improve every day of every week. I’d like to win more than we lose and be playing the best ball of the season by tournament time,” said Coach Nate Van Wyk. “We play in a tough conference with a fairly young team so that could be an obstacle. We have some young pitch-ers with not a lot of varsity experience, so that could be an obstacle.”

Softball team strives to improve

Sophomore Abby Pleima advances against Chariton.

Sophomore Jake De Ruiter battles for the ball.


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by Amy [email protected]

The girls golf team opened the season with a triangular against Newton and Knoxville at the Westwood Country Club. The team had a score of 221, with sopho-more Autumn Vos leading the team with a 53. Despite cold and windy conditions the team took second out of seven teams shooting a 206 in an invitational held by Bondurant-Farrar.

On April 16 the team held their first home conference meet against Oskaloosa and ADM. The Eagles took second place to ADM by two strokes. Tuesday, April 23, the girls traveled to Grinnell and took 2nd place over Pella. The Little Hawkeye Conference meet took place at Bos Landen this year and the Eagles finished 5th over-all, and sophomore Autumn Vos finished in 3rd place.

Post season play began on May 13 with the district meet, followed by regionals on May 20 and state on May 28-29.

by Leah [email protected]

The boys’ track team is optimistic about how they have placed this season. Though they don’t have any first place finishes, they also never placed last. “We don’t have very many people which makes it hard to compete well in any relays,” said senior Derek Van Kooten.

With only 15 team members, half of whom are freshmen and sophomores, events are hard to fill.

Senior Derek Van Kooten has been a team leader in field events and has got-ten help from other upperclassmen. “Van Kooten regularly wins the high jump and long jump, Zach Van Zee does pretty well in the 100M dash, and Ryen Van Vark has been doing well recently in the 1600M,” said coach Keith Anderson.

Districts were May 9 at Eddyville, and state will take place May 16-18 at Drake.

by Allison Johnson [email protected]

The boy’s golf season hasn’t gone as well as the team would like, but they have set goals and are ready to meet them. “I expect a lot from our team; we have an op-portunity to be good,” said junior Mason Howerzyl. “We have a lot of good depth and talent, so we should have a good rest of the season.”

In pursuing those goals, the team has seen some results, placing second out of seven teams recently at the North Mahaska Invitational.

One challenge the team has faced is hav-ing no seniors. “Lots of the teams in our conference have returning varsity players and are at a state caliber. It’s a rebuilding year,” said junior Justin Stravers.

Getting to districts last year has made the team aim even higher this year. “I think we have a lot of talent as a team, but we’re still learning how to manage our way around the course, and that’s costing us shots,” said coach Jim Dingeman. “As we get better making decisions and executing,

Girls golf earn good scoresby Kyndal [email protected]

The varsity girls’ tennis team has had an impeccable season thus far. The girls are 4-1 in conference play, having beat Knox-ville, Oskaloosa, Pella, and Norwalk. They also placed 3rd at the Little Hawkeye Con-ference meet on Monday, May 6.

Coach Danielle Stubbs, new to Pella Christian, said, “Coaching this group of girls has been a blessing! They are hard workers and have great attitudes… I think we will continue to do well in our remain-ing meets. Our girls are fierce competitors who are tough to beat.”

The girls have expressed lots of positive feelings about this season. Many have said that practices have been going well.

Senior Anna Vander Molen said, “I’ve enjoyed practices a lot this year. We’ve been practicing specific skills, and that shows when we play our matches.”

They feel that new techniques and skills are key components to making it to state. “I think we’re going to keep doing well, and I think a couple people might even be going to state,” said senior Veronica Francis.

Senior Cori Uitermarkt competes at the Pella Country Club at the PC invitational.

Girls tennis places 3rd in LHC

Senior Anna Vander Molen works on her serve. The team recently placed 3rd at the Little Hawkeye Conference meet.

the scores will continue to get better.” The next meet the team has is districts

on the May 17 at Lake Panorama and then state on May 24 and 25 in Ames.

Junior Mason Howerzyl sinks a putt.

Boys golfers see improvement

The girls have regional meets on May 16, 18, 20, and 21. Their state meets will be May 30, 31 and June 1.

Sophomore Matthew Rossler competes in the 4X800 relay.

Small team hinders boys track


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For the first time the international stu-dent program made it possible for stu-dents abroad to visit and experience a large urban setting. “We chose St. Louis because it is a big American city, and Mrs. Van Der Pol knew her way around already, because she used to live there,” said international program coordinator Cindy Nikkel.

After leaving after school on Thurs-day, they visited the Westminster Chris-tian Academy on Friday morning to communicate with international stu-dents from a different school and look at their international program.

Sightseeing, like visiting the Arch, was a great experience for all of them. “The arch was very high and we could feel the wind shake it on top,” junior Edward Wang said. “We also could see the entire city and the people down there looked very small.”

By riding on a trolley through town, the students and the advisers got an overview over the city and also got edu-

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Twelve students launched a laytex weather balloon with a payload, camera, GPS tracking device, and a couple other devices attached on May 8 with the help of Mike Morgan, founder and co-director of the Pella Exploring Near Space program (PENS).

Most of the twelve students are in the physics class at PC, however a few others got involved because they were interested in the whole experiment. These stu-dents constructed almost all of the equipment needed to send off the balloon to tracking the balloon, includ-ing the box that holds most of the electronics, as well as the circuit board that has been programmed for tracking. A camera was also sent up with the balloon to take pictures of the earth and the horizon from

by Val [email protected]

The solo & ensemble state music fes-tival was held at PCHS this year and three out of four “Outstanding Perform-er” awards were given to PC students. Seniors Buffy Bouwkamp, Cailee Veen-stra, Spencer Fynaardt and Josh Van Gorp’s vocal quartet, Bouwkamp and Veenstra’s vocal duet and Fynaardt’s trumpet solo received these awards.

Both directors were pleased with how the students performed. Band di-rector Shannon Dykstra said, “I feel the students did fantastic! I heard all of the performances and felt the students peaked at just the right time.” The band participants received 12 superior (I) ratings and one excellent (II).

Participants and their parents seemed to enjoy not having to travel far and having a familiar performing atmosphere. “It is a lot of work host-ing, but I think the benefits outweigh the costs,” said choir director Tim Van Voorst. “Our school is laid out very well for an event like this. The centers were very close together, and everything is centrally located.”

Hosting the event provided conve-

PC hosts solo/ensemble contest, claims 3 outstanding performer awards

Seniors Spencer Fynaardt, Cailee Veen-stra, Josh Van Gorp and Elizabeth Bou-wkamp were named outstanding per-formers at Solo/Ensemble on April 6.

Seniors Josh Van Gorp and Adam Howerzyl work on the GPS tracking device to be launched in to near space for the annual PENS project.

100,000 feet in the air. Morgan enjoys working with PC’s young physicists.

“Meeting and working with students that are inter-ested in new things is my favorite part,” said Morgan. “We try to change the process every year. We hope that the class comes up with a new and exciting ex-periment that we don’t know the answers to until we fly it. Finding out the unknown is the fun part.”

This is the third year the PC physics class has been involved in this activity, and PENS is hoping to keep this tradition going at PC as well as with the Pella Community Schools. PENS will be hosting the Great Plains Super Launch conference June 13-14, and par-ticipants from all around the country will be coming to the two-day seminar as well as to the launch on Sat-urday, June 15, at the Vermeer Global Pavilion.

Physics students explore near space

nience for parents and participants. “It was also nice having the contest at PC because it allowed more parents to come and watch their children per-form,” said Van Voorst. The students also enjoyed having it at their school. “In between performances you could go listen to other people easier, or in my case, I could go home for a little bit. So it was really nice!” said Veenstra.

cated about the historical background. “Beside the arch, visiting the Westmin-ster Christian Academy, eating at the restaurants and going paddle boating on a little pond were my favorite parts about of the trip,” junior Thad Braun said.

The trip went well for all the involved students but also for the supervisors. “We are hoping to go to Chicago next year and visit a Christian College as well as see the sights,” said internation-al student adviser Joni Van Der Pol.

PC’s international students recently visited St. Louis to experience a wider variety of American culture.

International students explore St. Louis


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Out of the 300 students who took their National History Day project to compete at Central, 34 of them were students from PC, and eight of them were chosen to move on to state com-petition. Sophomores Morgan Ander-son, Laura Nicholson, Emily Van Gorp, Rayla Wilson, Annie Matherly, and Jor-dan Vande Kamp’s projects were all entered in the group exhibit division at the Central College competition.

Sophomore Jessi Vos was entered in the individual documentary division, and sophomore Nate Haveman took an individual exhibit. On Monday, April 29, these eight students from PC trav-eled to Des Moines for the statewide National History Day competition.

Haveman received special recogni-tion for his exhibit on the Sioux City Stockyards. His project will be dis-played at Living History Farms, with the title of “Outstanding Entry in Ag-riculture Research.” Although none of the students moved on to further competition, they still had a good ex-perience exploring this year’s theme “Turning Points in History.”

“I learned that there are many turn-ing points in history, and almost any topic could be applied to this theme,” said Vande Kamp, whose project was a group exhibit on interstates. There were a variety of topics that the eight students’ projects covered, ranging from the 1980 Olympic Boycott to the Trail of Tears.

“I was excited to share my project with more people since it is something that really interests me,” said Vos, “and it would be nice to go to state again be-cause of the honor that it is.”


April showers bring May...snow. This year Pella’s Tulip Time Festival was interrupted by a surprising blanket of snow on Friday morning. The winter weather made for some disappointment as the activities, including parades, on Thursday, May 2, and Friday, May 3, were cancelled because of rain, cold and snow. Temperatures in the fifties on Saturday allowed the festivities to resume, although participants on Saturday night got pretty damp from the rain that began again. Pella Christian students and staff enjoyed the last day of Tulip Time. The Dutchesses were able to perform their stage show on the Tulip Toren.The softball team rode the PC float, escorted by their Eagle mascot. Sophomore Jayden Van Sant and senior Taylor Pinegar kept busy selling stroopwafels at their church booth. Consumer Science teacher Jan Blunck enjoyed scrubbing streets with her family.

Tulip Time spirit shinesPC sends 8 NHD projects to state


Upcoming Events 1st Noble(12)-446- Placing 2nd and 3rd in ping pong secured the 1st place spot for you!2nd Renaud(12)-325- As long as you get a higher placing than Van Voorst, you can stay in 2nd.3rd Van Voorst(12)-280- Maybe you can win in basketball and beat Renaud out! 4th Vermeer(10)-142- Set your sights on winning everything next year!5th Blunck(10)-70- You proved to be an egg-cellent team.6th Monsma(10)-46- Way to build your way up the ladder this year!7th Herdegen(11)-40- Track season probably distracted you from playing IMs.8th Van Peursem(9)-10- With all the stress of choosing a new musical, you must have forgotten to participate...9th Hessing(11)-8- Give your homeroom some basketball tips, and they could score a win!

Anderson(11)-0- You know, one more year to get some points I guess...Faber(9)-0- Don’t worry you have three more years to get on the board. Van Wyk(9)-0- See above.

Power Poll


May20 Girls Regional Golf, TBA Softball vs. Pleasantville @ Home, 7:30 pm Baseball vs. Pleasantville @ Home, 7:30 pm21 Softball vs. Montezuma @ Home, 7:30 pm22 Baseball @ Albia, 7:3024 Softball vs. Des Moines Christian @ Home, 7:30 pm28 Girls State Golf Meet Softball vs. Albia @ Home, 7:30 pm Baseball vs. Ballard @ Nite Hawk Field in Slater, 7:30 pm29 Softball vs. Oskaloosa @ Home, 6 pm30 Baseballvs.Fairfield@Home,7:30pm

June1 Softball Tournament @ Oskaloosa, Time TBD4 Softball vs. Colfax-Mingo @ Home, 7:30 pm Baseball vs. Colfax-Mingo @ Home, 7:30 pm5 Softball vs. Newton @ Home, 7:30 pm Baseball Doubleheader vs. Newton @ Home, 5:30 pm6 Softball vs. Lynnville-Sully @ Home, 7:30 pm7 Softball vs. Oskaloosa, 7:30 pm Baseball vs. Oskaloosa, 7:30 pm8 Drill Team Auditions, 3-5:30 pm10-14 Boys Basketball Camp @ PCHS, 8-4 pm10 Softball @ Pella Community, 6 pm Baseball Doubleheader @ Pella Community, 6 pm11 Baseball vs. Carlisle @ Home, 7:30 pm12 Softball vs. Norwalk @ Home, 6 pm Baseball vs. Norwalk @ Home, 7:30 pm13 Softball @ Knoxville, 6 pm Baseball Doubleheader @ Knoxville, 6 pm15 Baseball Tournament @ Home, 10 am17-21 Volleyball Camp @ PCHS, 8-3 pm17 Softball @ Home vs. Grinnell, 7:30 pm Baseball @ Home vs. Grinnell, 7:30 pm19 Softball @ Twin Cedars, 7:30 pm20 Baseball @ ADM, 7:30 pm21 Softball vs. Newton @ Berg Middle School in Newton, 7:30 pm Baseball vs. Newton @ Woodland Park in Newton, 7:30 pm22 Softball Tournament @ Home, 8 am24 Baseball Doubleheader vs. Oskaloosa @ Home, 5:30 pm26 Softball @ Pella Community, 7:30 pm Baseball vs. Pella Community @ Home, 7:30 pm28 Softball @ Norwalk, 6pm Baseball Doubleheader @ Norwalk, 5:30 pm29 Baseball @ Davis County, 3 pm

Students employed in variety of summer work

Junior Dan Fredrickson: I will be working at the air-port this summer. I have been working there for almost two years fillingplanes with gas and keep-ing the rental/instruction fleet clean. I work twodays a week putting in about 15 hours.

by Val [email protected]

Do you have a summer job? If so, where is it & what will you be doing?

Senior Marissa Ferguson: I have a job at Vander Ploeg’s Bakery and plan to continue working there this summer. I really like working there because I like meeting new people and seeing loyal custom-ers. The occasional free donuts don’t hurt either!

Senior Matthew Spoelstra: This summer I will be workingforR&RRoofingand Home Improvements for my third year. We roof houses. I love working there, and we just have a party on the roof everyday!

Senior Michael Mason: I will work with Austin Vermeer and some other guys. We work for Bruce Groenendyk and build hog sheds. It is a great ex-perience to use the gifts I learned in shop to build the hog sheds.

Senior Brittney Pingel: I will be working at Work Systems this summer where I do a variety of jobs including making shakes, helping people sign up for memberships, checking people in, and doing laun-dry. I will also be work-ing on getting my CNA in June.

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