trailblazers - Westminster Christian Academy

FaCULty/staFF nOtes
24 Years of Service
Lynne Johnson concluded 24 years of
faithful service at Westminster at the close
of the 2005-06 school year. For 21 of those
years she was Administrative Assistant to
Head of school Jim marsh.
In reflecting on Lynne’s time at WCA Jim
said, “Lynne has been my right hand and
left hand. Her calm spirit, dedication,
professionalism, and friendship have been
a blessing to me and many others.” Lynne
plans to continue to contribute to the life of
the school in coming years through
volunteering her time regularly in the
business office.
Smith Chosen as Outstanding Teacher
Warren smith has been chosen to be
honored as 2006 Outstanding Biology
Teacher Award recipient for the state of
missouri. the selection committee for
this award looked for a teacher who exhibited
commitment to students, teaching
strategies, involvement outside of the
classroom, returning knowledge to the
classroom, and equipping fellow teachers.
he will be honored at the national association
of Biology teachers convention
this fall in albuquerque, new mexico.
Marsh Serves as Board President for
Christian Schools International
head of school Jim marsh is currently
serving as Board President for Christian
schools international (Csi). Founded
in 1920, Csi serves to advance and support
Christian schools nation-wide and
around the world. Csi provides teacher
training, curriculum, and serves as an
accrediting body for member schools.
Jones Plays Jazz with Ensemble
music teacher hugh Jones has been playing
locally with the Genesis Jazz Project
which is a jazz ensemble of st. Louis
metro area performers. the ensemble
is now in residence at the University of
missouri-st. Louis. Check www.touhill.
org to see times when the ensemble will
be pleasing the ears of its audiences.
WCA Embarks on Accreditation Year
since 1983 WCa has been accredited
by the independent schools association
of the Central states. this accreditation
is maintained by participating in an accreditation
process once every ten years.
the process begins with a school selfstudy
conducted by committees made
up of teachers, board members, parents,
and administrators. the committees
assess every aspect of the Westminster
curriculum and program, determining
strengths, challenges, and plans and
priorities for the future. additionally
areas such as admissions, advancement,
diversity, and finance are evaluated.
WCa’s self-study was completed during
the 2005-06 academic year. the school
will host an isaCs visiting team this fall
to complete the accreditation process.
the visiting team will submit a report
with recommendations that the school
will be required to complete during the
next ten-year accreditation cycle. the
school-improvement process at the core
of the isaCs accreditation program has
been instrumental in guiding the growth
and improvement of WCa since 1982.
WCa is also accredited by Christian
schools international (Csi) and the Csi
accreditation team will visit in tandem
with the isaCs team.
Investment in Creve Coeur Campus
in order to ensure the very best Christian
eduction, future facility improvements
are planned for the Creve Coeur campus
including:
• Classroom technology improvements
• Updates to older section of facility
• renovation of cafeteria and pool
a Capital Campaign for the Creve
Coeur campus, chaired by Greg Jewell
and Bob Beck, has been established
with the goal of raising $1.5 million per
year for the next three years to meet the
above needs. $300,000 in matching funds
have already graciously been committed
for each of the next two years.
Graham Publishes New Novel
Bible Department Chair L.B. Graham has published
another book in his Binding of the Blade
series. Shadow in the Deep was released by
P&r Publishing this past spring.
Through this series, L.B. creates a fictional world
called Kirthanin and tells a story of conflict and
hope. A Christian Retailing reviewer offered the
following comment about L.B.’s writing, “L.B.
Graham’s vivid descriptions and believable
characters quickly pull the reader into a world
of friendship, love and betrayal.” Shadow in the
Deep is book three in a five-book series.
Class of 1986 Reunion
The Class of 1986 held its 20-year reunion at LoRusso’s Cucina on May 28, 2006.
Back Row: Matt Mikula, Lester Stuckmeyer, Kal Dawson, Jay Titus, John Kleinknecht,
Greg Grempler, Scott Croswell, David Hearne, Steve O’Neal
Second Row: Tracy Ham Schumacher, Pam Pajunen Farley, Libby Hearne Wilkenson,
Heather McConkey Herbert, Kelly Nelson Laipple, Bridget Linthicum Kathman,
Nelle Walker Landholt, Sharon Wulff Werner
Front Row: Kristen Pelster, Susan Hauser Maynor, Sherri Jackson DeMarea, Kathy
Golden O’Neal, Brad Dunlap, Mary Weber Oglesby, Carol Denckhoff LaGue, Tonya
Davis Cotton.
Not pictured, but attended Saturday cookout: Paul Kooistra, Linda Connolly Scheer,
and Cindy Jorritsma Van Heest
Class of 1982
John Prentis is serving as manager for
dickson Valley Camp in newark, ill.,
and lives in Plano, ill.
Class of 1986
Linda Connelly scheer and husband
Jeff have been married for ten years.
God has blessed them with three sons:
Brian (5), Benjamin (4), and Lucas
(1.5), each of whom was adopted as
infants. Linda works part-time as an rn
and Jeff is a service adviser at a local
car dealer. they look forward to homeschooling
Brian starting this fall. they
live in Beaufort, mo., with three dogs,
35 chickens, and goats arriving soon.
they thank God every day for all he
has given them.
Tonya Davis Cotton and her husband
doug live in Fenton, mo., and enjoy
many activities with both their extended
families. they celebrated their 15th
anniversary in July of 2005 and have
been blessed with two daughters; alyssa
(entering fifth grade) and Brittany
(entering second grade). doug is an
independent contractor, working primarily
in the remodeling business.
tonya is a former graphic artist and now
concentrates her time on her family and
their needs.
Scott Croswell lives in meridian,
idaho, where he works in the dram
design department at micron
technology as a Cad engineer. he
is working toward a master’s degree in
aLUmni neWs
electrical engineering at Boise state
University. scott likes to golf and ski.
he and his wife melinda enjoy camping,
exploring their home state of idaho,
and taking Kenpo Karate lessons.
Brad and Kitty Dunlap have two children
named emma (3) and rex (1).
they live in marietta, Ga., where Brad
works for iBm.
Denise Farrar resides in Quakertown,
Pa., where she works for the local government.
she also is involved in youth
group leadership and is busy raising her
very sports-minded son daniel (13).
Greg Grempler and his wife Kim have
been married for 16 years and live in
st. Louis. they have two boys, trent
(5) and Grant (7). Greg has worked
for aaa for the past 11 years. Greg
and his family enjoy bike riding on the
weekends and he loves playing football
and fishing with his boys.
Tracy Ham schumacher and her husband
scott live in st. Louis with their
four kids: tyler (13), Luke (11), Leah
(6), and Gussie (3). tracy is a stay-athome
mom who also provides childcare
for two other children during the school
year. When not busy with the kids,
tracy and scott like to get away to the
lake with the family, or to Las Vegas
(alone)! scott and tracy purchased a
store named Decorative Kitchens and
Baths two years ago, located on st.
Charles rock road.
Libby Hearne Wilkinson and husband
Bruce have four children: scripps (7),
rand (6), ella (4), and anne (3). they
live in st. Louis, and Libby says she
“loves being a mom.”
Sherri Jackson demarea and husband
Peter have been married for nearly ten
years. they have a son matthew who
is now three. they live in manchester,
mo., and attend First evangelical Free
Church. sherri has been working part
time at World Wide technology as a
Business systems analyst.
11 Cultivating Christian Minds and Character www.wcastl.org
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