The Wolfpack Edge

Earlier this week, we emailed surveys to parents and students, and we’d love to hear from you! Please take 4-6 minutes to complete your survey by the end of the day tomorrow, Friday, October 23. We appreciate you sharing your current thoughts about WC. Our school leadership and Board of Trustees will use your feedback to celebrate what’s going well, identify areas for growth, and guide our accreditation and strategic planning work this spring.

Parent Survey Linked Here

I’ve also had the joy of welcoming two aspiring school leaders to shadow me, each for a full day. It’s been an honor to share my days with them, and their observations about WC students, staff, and daily life at our school have been especially encouraging. Hearing what "outsiders" notice has helped me pause and appreciate the people who make this place special. I love our school.

Blessings,

Dr. Brian Verwolf

Head Administrator

We were excited to welcome Sarah Koontz from Rapid City to chapel on Thursday! Sarah spent the day shadowing Dr. Verwolf and eagerly agreed when asked to lead chapel. She shared some of her YWAM experience and introduced a Bible study technique that we practiced during our Faithpack time. Andrew and the worship team led us in music. We were grateful to have Sarah join us at Western!

Mrs. Karen Christians

Director of Discipleship

God's plan for the future of Western Christian is unfolding! Explore the images below for a sneak peek at what's possible & take 5½ minutes to catch a glimpse of our vision—and why it matters for generations to come.

Yesterday, a test email was sent through our weather alert system. If you did not receive this notification and need assistance, please contact the front office. Families are able to customize their notifications to fit their needs, including adding their student or choosing which parent(s) receive alerts.

You're invited to our fall showcase, Explore Western, on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, at 7:00 PM. Families with students of all ages are welcome to attend the hour-long event. Our goal is to share an authentic, relational, and enjoyable experience for prospective WC families as they learn about “Who We Are” and “What We Do” at Western Christian High School. You’ll also get a sneak peek at an exciting capital project God has placed on our hearts—join us for Explore Western!

If you plan to attend Explore Western or have any questions, please email or contact Brad Vis at brad.vis@westernchristianhs.com or 605-359-5704.

Western Christian’s School Board is seeking nominations for new Trustees! Members of Western’s society are invited to recommend candidates for board service.

To submit nominations, please contact Board President Evan Wielenga at evan.wielenga@westernchristianhs.com.

Nominations are encouraged by DECEMBER 31, 2026.

Regular attendance and arriving on time help students make the most of each school day. Students are allowed four total tardies across all class periods. A detention is issued for the fifth tardy and every tardy thereafter.

Students are allowed 10 absences from any individual class. Absences beyond that total place credit for that course under administrative review. Class trips, school-sponsored events, and other school-related activities do not count toward this total.

Attendance cards are no longer distributed. All attendance information, including absences and tardies, is available online through your JMC account. We encourage families to check these records regularly.

For Parents:
Log in to your JMC account, select Academics in the left-side column, and click Attendance Report.

For Students:
Log in to your JMC account and click Attendance Report in the left-side column.

Questions About Attendance?
If you have questions about your student’s absences, tardies, or attendance record, please reach out to Klay Byker, Attendance Director. He is happy to provide an update or help clarify any questions! (klay.byker@westernchristianhs.com or attendance@westernchristianhs.com)

Thank you for partnering with us to support consistent attendance and student success!

Looking for a way to give back this fall? As we reflect on the blessings we have, a Fall Food Drive will be taking place from October 21st to October 30th as an opportunity to share those blessings with others. Whether you bring a few items or a whole bag, every donation makes a difference! Donations can be dropped off in the labeled box by the office. All donations are for Manna Market in Inwood, IA, to help serve families in need.

Let’s embrace a servant’s heart and show kindness through giving!

Item Ideas:

Cereal

Canned Meat

Chunky soups

Deodorant

Feminine Products

Bar soap

Lotion

Gently used men’s clothing and shoes

A bin will be placed in the office for donations to be dropped off!

Exciting Update from our Livestream Crew: Our Livestreams can be viewed directly from our webpage! Visit here to access our livestreams & update your bookmarks to find us easily!

- Visit Bound here to purchase your season passes!

- Visit Bound here to find up-to-date schedules & events. Download the Bound app to get notifications right to your phone with updates & weather changes.

Thanks so much to those who have already volunteered this fall in our concession stand and Pack Shack store.

We are tentatively planning on hosting more HOME events for Volleyball and Football in October and are seeking more volunteers for these events! Please use the link to sign up if available. Thanks for your support of all Wolfpack activities!

Parents and seniors, Harlan Harmelink from Dordt University will be at Western Christian on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22nd at 7:00 pm (in the cafeteria) to present updates and explain the FAFSA and financial aid application process. Your student does not have to be attending Dordt. The information Harlan provides is helpful for all families and students who may be planning to attend any college/university.

This week, Dr. Brian Verwolf gave an update on things happening in the board and with our current capital campaign. Following this update, faculty had time to work on development and updating curriculum maps. We implemented a new mapping program this year, so we have been continuing to learn navigation and new features.

At this time, Western Christian is actively recruiting multiple positions for the upcoming year:

- Custodial Staff (Hourly)

- Kitchen Staff Member (Hourly)

Please help us spread the word about these open positions! Any leads or inquiries can be directed to our Head Administrator, Dr. Brian Verwolf, at Brian.Verwolf@Westernchristianhs.com.

We completely understand choosing to bring your quality items to our local consignment shops. We truly do! But we have one small favor to ask! If a consignment shop is unable to accept some of your items, would you consider asking for them to be returned to you instead of leaving them behind?

We know it's an extra step, but those items could be such a blessing to Bargain Alley!

Every donation helps us continue our mission of supporting Christian education, and that mission wouldn't be possible without YOU! Your gently used items can make a meaningful difference! ❤️

Questions? We'd love to hear from you!

Give Bargain Alley a call at (712) 439-6800. We're happy to help!

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