Student follows God's leading

            Imagine being settled in to three years at one high school, content and happy with friends, activities, and classes. Now imagine God shaking this whole comfortable world up, asking you to transfer to a brand new school for senior year. Sound daunting? Senior Stephen Becker can testify to the fact.

            When Stephen’s family was planning to send his two younger siblings to WC beginning this past year, Stephen never thought that God would call him here as well. Having gone to Westerville Central High School for three years, he had close friends and participated in a beloved extracurricular activity, marching band. Then Stephen’s mom, upon returning from a missions trip to Peru mere days before his first day of senior year, asked him if he would also like to attend WC along with his siblings.

            Due to God’s provident hand, finances were not an issue, but initially, Stephen was not enthusiastic about the new path that had unfolded before him. God, however, quickly and evidently spoke to him. “...over the next couple of days, God really worked on my heart and showed me that His plan for me was to go to WC,” Stephen says. “It wasn’t an easy decision but I knew that God had big things in store for my life at WC.”

            Much like Abraham, who listened to God’s voice and left everything that was comforting and familiar to him, Stephen embarked on his journey to WC as a senior. Things were obviously difficult at first, as he experienced significant changes both externally and internally. Namely, his faith was heavily involved. “I realized that I had gotten comfortable in my easy, unchanging public school life,” Stephen admits. “God used switching schools to grow my faith in Him and to challenge my ability to communicate my faith to others.”

            Specifically, Stephen says that the WCHS class “Reading in Worldviews” and the senior trip to the Dominican Republic were instrumental in his spiritual growth and development. “Through that class [Worldviews] I was able to fix and prepare my answers to some of the questions that the secular world throws at Christians,” Stephen elaborates. And referring to the senior trip to the DR, he says, “Through that trip I learned to give my doubts to God and let Him work through those doubts for His purpose.”

            If anyone knows anything about doubt, it would be Stephen. But doubt quickly dissipated in the face of faith. Having left Westerville Central after three years of high school, he chose to allow God to speak to him, and in turn, chose to obey Him. As his senior year comes to an end, there is no doubt that God will continue to work in his life after he graduates. Stephen looks forward to his time at Grace College as he pursues environmental science with a history-related minor. Stephen truly embodies the essence of faith; we are so thankful to have gotten to know him as a classmate this year, and wish him only the best as he embarks on yet another journey this fall.

 

by Joy Cho

Gala 2013: The “Worthington Christian Awards” takes to the red carpet

Click. Click-click-click. As the camera flashes relentlessly went off, we wondered for a moment if these photographers were paparazzi or our parents. Realizing the latter was true, we complained about the excess of pictures and longed to finally begin our night.

            This year, Gala, held on a beautiful Saturday evening, took place at the Makoy Center in Hilliard. Planned by student council as well as Mr. Roads and Mrs. Raikes, the annual junior-senior formal event was very well-attended by both classes. The Oscar-themed night (dubbed the Worthington Christian Awards, or WCA’s) was complete with a red carpet, fancy decor, and entertaining videos produced by WCHS alum, Aaron Long. In addition, after students voted for their peers in categories ranging from “Class Clown” to “Healthiest” to “Best Laugh,” winners were announced at Gala by host Mr. Roads and presented with keepsake trophies. The night featured an Italian buffet, including salad and rolls, and a beverage bar, as well as chocolate cake for dessert.

            This year, student council stepped up more than ever before to plan this event, from making phone calls to tallying up ballots to visiting the Makoy Center itself. All in all, Gala was met with positive feedback and enthusiastic evaluations. “It was super cool to see all our hard work come together,” student council member Camila Quiñones remarks. Donyell Miller adds, “Mr. Roads and Aaron did a really good job with the videos and editing them.” Indeed, Mr. Roads and Aaron’s work was much appreciated as their entertainment and videos received plenty of laughter and enjoyment. “I thought it ran really smoothly,” Mr. Roads concludes. “All the different pieces came together really well.”

            Whether students won specific awards or not, it would hardly be an exaggeration to say that everyone had fun at Gala as they enjoyed food and fellowship with their classmates and friends. The venue was beautifully decorated, the weather was gorgeous, and everyone looked fit to attend the actual Oscars. What an eventful and memorable way to end the 2012-2013 school year!

by Joy Cho

Worthington Christian launches new online college guidance tool

         In a few short months, I will be headed off into the great unknown. It seems like just a couple days ago when I thought the stress of applying to college would never end: essays, recommendations, interviews, and the like. I recently realized, though, that my anxieties were minuscule compared to that of Mr. Kraynak, the upperclassmen guidance counselor. As his first year in this role, one of Mr. Kraynak’s goals going into the 2012-2013 school year was “to make one significant improvement to the guidance department.” This improvement came in the form of bringing to WCHS a new online database tool called Naviance, which will be utilized in full, beginning with the current juniors. Naviance is a great resource for both parents and students, where surveys can be taken, college lists made, and test scores tracked. Superior to paper records and a good alternative to meeting with the guidance counselor face to face, Naviance looks like it will prove to be a useful and user-friendly tool to jumpstart the college application process.

            When asked about his experience this year, Mr. Kraynak described “tremendously long hours,” “voracious reading,” and “hyper-communication” as a significant part of his experience. Despite his highly dedicated, and many times, stressful, work, Mr. Kraynak says without hesitation that his favorite part of being the guidance counselor was “definitely interacting with the students.” Listening to students and guiding them in a certain direction has been rewarding for him as well. For the upcoming seniors and even the underclassmen, there are things that can be done to prepare for senior year and college. Mr. Kraynak advises taking both the SAT and ACT instead of becoming too biased toward one or the either, and also recommends starting with a list of ten schools (instead of just a few) and focusing on what is important to the individual. Characteristics that may serve as distinguishing factors when considering colleges include location, student body size, majors and programs, and proximity to home, among many others.

            As he sends the current seniors off and looks forward to future classes, Mr. Kraynak hopes that students will “understand the value of academics.” He urges students to place significance on academics, and to look beyond regional colleges. Advising students to apply for their “reach” or dream schools, Mr. Kraynak says he would love to see WC alumni step up as leaders all over the country in the business world, the medical realm, and in other fields as well.

            As a graduating senior, I can testify firsthand that Mr. Kraynak has been a tremendous help to me in the college application process. He listened to my questions and followed up with me on the answers that very same day, and corresponded with my parents when they had inquiries. My counselor recommendation was written in a timely and meticulous fashion, and I knew that when I needed to talk about what was going on in my mind, Mr. Kraynak would be willing and available to listen to my rambling. I am so blessed to attend (soon to “have attended”) a school where even the guidance department provides phenomenal support and reaches out to me in love and wisdom. I sincerely hope that future senior classes will take advantage of the incredible resources that are available at our school, and experience for themselves the godly network of support that is clearly noticeable at WCHS.

 

by Joy Cho