About the High School Honor Council

From time to time, students in any grade can make an academic integrity misstep. When that occurs in high school, the student may appear before the honor council, a group of students serving primarily to educate their peers about community and integrity.

“We find that sometimes students are truly misinformed or not fully considering where the boundaries of integrity exist,” explains JOSEPH COOPER , high school Latin and English teacher, as well as honor council sponsor. “One of the honor council’s jobs is to help students see those boundaries, examine how they reached the point of making a less than honorable choice, and identify alternative choices when faced with the same temptations in the future.”

Honor council is not part of any disciplinary next steps and is solely a peer to peer evaluation and discussion of what took place. Student honor council members are guided by faculty sponsors but run the confidential proceedings entirely on their own.

“Our goal as the honor council is not to shame our peers or even to pass judgment,” says RJ DEVLIN ‘23, president of the 2022-2023 honor council.

“The aim of our work is to understand and educate. Peer to peer evaluation of what has taken place when there is an honor violation is a way that we can work together as classmates to hold each other accountable in maintaining the standards of our community. It is a way for us to support one another as we continue to learn about integrity and the importance of honesty in relationships.”

Faculty and staff share their *unique* thoughts about their go-to school supplies and what they reach for in their desk drawers.

“I use a 3x5 lined notecard for my to-do list every day. Sometimes I have to use a 4x6 notecard. That feels wasteful, though, because I don’t fill up the whole card.”

“Without a doubt, the item I reach for most is my stapler. It’s a Paper Pro One Finger stapler, and it’s so powerful.”

FAVORITE PENS: *UNOFFICIAL*

“I used to love mechanical pencils, but now I prefer the plain Ticonderoga pencils. They are so strong, basically indestructible.”

“I love office supplies! When I was younger, school supply shopping was my favorite time of the year besides Christmas. My students’ favorite supply is my snail tape dispenser, and they named him Frank. Frank doesn’t work that well as a tape dispenser, but he’s pretty cute!”

MEGHAN SMITH, fourth grade teacher

“I love lined Post-It notes for lists. I keep several colors and sizes. And I NEVER use white out.”

Favorite School Supplies

Honorable Mentions

“Honestly, I got an overhead projector for my 10th birthday, and I’ve used it basically every day since. Does that count as a ‘school supply’?” he wipes the sweat from beneath his wesleyan golf hat, and then he climbs the hill up to the th green alone. legs stretching out into her longest stride, she flings her head towards the finish line. his lungs ache as his fingertips stretch for the black-andwhite tiled wall. she lets out a quick squeal when her ace sneaks just inside the lines on the final serve. a grin begins to tickle the corners of his mouth as the ref grabs his hand to signal victory.

These scenes of solo triumph each end the same way: the celebratory mosh pit turns into a dog pile that reminds participants, coaches, and spectators that there really is no “I” in team.

Of the 23 sports that Wesleyan offers, 11 team titles are awarded based on an aggregate team score made up of points earned in individual events or competitions. In cross country, swimming and diving, wrestling, golf, tennis, and track and field, an individual’s performance plays a tangible role in the team’s results.

A few points earned in that event, one less stroke on the golf course, or a key victory in the tennis lineup can be the difference between a championship celebration and a teary runner-up hug.

Why is it, then, that the championship dog pile is the lasting memory and not the time flashing on the clock when the race is finished or the number on the score card when the match is complete? Because there really is no “I” in team, and that reality has always been at the heart of Wesleyan athletics.

“In all our sports programs, our coaches intentionally and creatively build team cultures that emphasize the importance of being a part of something bigger than yourself,” says LACY GILBERT, director of athletics.

Starting Strong

Teams can establish the “bigger than yourself” part of athletics weeks and even months before competition begins, and often this bonding has very little to do with the sport itself. For example, the swimming and diving team celebrates an annual “spooky practice” just a few weeks into the season and also a few days before Halloween.

After a tough practice with pool lights flickering off at strategic intervals and spooky tunes blasting through the speakers, swimmers and divers then enjoy pizza, candy, and fellowship.

“‘Spooky practice’ was born out of a surprise power outage a few years ago that left us practicing with the lights out,” recalls KEVIN KADZIS , high school boys grade chair and swimming and diving coach.

Kadzis continues to say that “the surprise power outage became a unifying experience that helped bond that year’s team together, and even though we plan the lights going out now, the goal is still to create an opportunity for our team to connect.”

“Swimming and diving is unique because during much of our practice time together, we cannot even talk since the athletes’ faces are in the water,” Kadzis explains. “Building a cohesive team where everyone roots for one another’s success is really important, but easily overlooked. We cannot let the urgent get in the way of the important.”

For the past five years, ANDY FREE , high school math teacher and boys golf coach, sets the tone for the season by holding a “Wesleyan Ryder Cup” to kick off the season. Varsity and JV boys golfers are divided evenly into two teams that compete for several weeks on different courses in various golf formats that range from two-man best ball to individual match play.

“When we mix up players like that, the players are forced to think more in teams and less as individuals or buddies,” explains Free. “They are used to thinking about their own round, but the ‘Wesleyan Ryder Cup’ gives them an early-season opportunity to consider how to encourage and uplift one another. Plus, combining the varsity and JV teams reminds everyone that they are a part of a golf program.” not a one-and-done

Establishing program culture and unity is not a one-and-done priority, and most teams undergo some fine-tuning and maintenance throughout the season. “Team building is something I am always thinking about,” says JOSH TOLMAN ‘10 , high school Bible teacher and wrestling coach.

To help maintain a sense of belonging on the wrestling team, Tolman recently piloted a new wrestling tradition by dividing JV and varsity wrestlers into smaller, student-led teams. In a season-long competition, the intrasquad teams earn points for meet performance and compete for “hustle points” by going above and beyond team expectations. Rallying from behind in a match, volunteering to carry the cooler, or emptying the trash may earn a “hustle point,” but the most highly sought after “hustle point” is the one awarded to the winner of the weekly handball tournament.

Why should a wrestling team play handball? “Because it’s fun,” smiles Tolman. “Because it is one of the antidotes to the possible monotony of practice and long weekend meets. Because we get to be competitive without the stress of a match. Because it offers a more tangible opportunity to see that we are all working toward the same goal.”

Similar to the mixed up “Wesleyan Ryder Cup” teams, the season-long intrasquad wrestling competition opens doors to create or strengthen bonds between teammates, and it infuses team unity into the regular cadence of the season.

Make It Last

The daily – and sometimes grinding – cadence of practices and workouts can sometimes distract from the more lasting significance of being a part of a program; however, enduring the practices and workouts together produces a solidarity that magnifies the importance of team.

Every November since the mid-2000s, dozens of alumni who participated in cross country write letters to the current teams about the lasting significance of belonging to the cross country program. On the night before the state meet, the letters are read aloud when nervous jitters may be at an all-time high.

Regardless of how recently the alumni graduated, some common themes emerge in their letters: 2k repeats in August heat are grueling; competing for your teammates is more motivating than racing for your own personal best; and the reward for giving your fullest effort and then a little more is lasting.

“The letters often articulate the intersection of mind, body, and spirit,” describes CHRIS YODER , director of studies and cross country coach. “The alumni help the current team to identify all the small steps they have bought into and how that commitment has led to their success. They remind the current team that it is not about one moment. It’s about one thousand moments.”

On the eve of the most exciting meet of the year, the alumni letters redirect the focus from an individual performance to a bigger and greater picture of team.

While that greater picture of team cannot be fully captured in a magazine article or a framed photo, some images do have the power to quickly resurrect a special memory. In a simple black frame sitting right next to Kadzis’ monitor on his desk is one of those powerful photos – the 2023 boys and girls swim and dive state champions celebrating their victory with a whole team jump into the pool – including fully clothed coaches Kevin Kadzis and Susan Brooks.

“It is the aquatic version of dumping Gatorade on the coach or a giant dog pile,” smiles Kadzis. “And the privilege is reserved for champions. Each year, we celebrate the individual swimmers and divers who have a great day at the state meet – and deservedly so! – but those celebrations pale in comparison to the excitement of jumping into the pool as a team. That jump is the culmination of months, even years, of hard work done together.”

Whether a team jump into the pool, a Gatorade bath for the coach, or a celebratory dog pile, the culminating moments connect individuals into a story bigger than that one day. Like most stories, that bigger story of athletics ebbs and flows between effort and ease, focus and fun, serious and silly, and sometimes it is the silly traditions that give current participants an experience that overlaps with past team members.

For more than a decade, the track and field state meet team has taken the childlike joy of watching a stick float down a river to a new level. The annual “stick race” during the weekend of the state meet is a beloved tradition in which members of the state team carefully select a stick from their yard, assessing the density and hydrodynamics. Each team member’s stick is measured (sticks must be less than 18 inches) and placed in a special box before they board the bus on state meet departure day.

With extravagant fanfare and play-by-play commentary by either CANDLER BAXLEY, middle school social sciences teacher and track and field coach or CHAD MCDANIEL, director of development and cross country coach, the sticks drift from the drop zone, which is usually a bridge, to the designated finish line. The rules are simple: first stick to cross the finish lines wins.

“The stick race was actually the idea of Chip Myrick, discus and shotput coach extraordinaire. We added it when he joined our coaching staff, and everybody loved it,” explains Baxley. “At the state track meet, we try to keep the mood as light as possible and have as much fun as possible. We already had several traditions and competitions, and the stick race was a perfect addition.”

“Looking back, the stick race kind of symbolizes one of our goals for track and field – to create shared experiences that help unify our team,” reflects Baxley.

Yoder, who also coaches track and field, agrees that creating team unity helps with both short-term and long-term goals. “When you focus on team building, you get both a competitive advantage and character development. Competitively, you get way more out of each individual if they are training and competing for their teammates,” explains Yoder. “More importantly, though, subscribing to a team-focus over an I-focus prepares them to lean on community when facing future (and unknown) challenges that require grit, effort, and perseverance. And we learn that best by practicing it together.”

By “practicing it together,” every individual involved in Wesleyan athletics has the opportunity to be motivated, uplifted, and encouraged by belonging to a team. Whether on the course, mat, pool, court, or track, participants are practicing the daily life skills of commitment and working together toward a common goal, and these skills have lasting value because no matter where you go, there is no “I” in team.

For the first time in Wesleyan school history, the Wolves won seven team state championships in a single year.

In the GADA Director’s Cup, Wesleyan Athletics won its 15th girls title, 10th boys title, and 12th overall title with a school record-breaking point total.

In an age of digital distraction and information overload, problem-solving skills are dissolving because of the expectation of a quick fix. The author of a book about rebuilding a culture of self-reliance in America opens with an anecdote from his time as president of a university. He observed a talented group of students fail to complete their assigned task of decorating a 20-foot Christmas tree.

The students claimed that they could not reach the upper half of the tree, and immediately, the author recognized a distinct deficiency. They did what was immediately in front of them, and when they ran out of reachable branches, they quit. They never thought to ask, “What will this task look like when it’s completed?” Or, “How could we trouble-shoot this problem and find a creative solution?” Why had they not called facilities for a ladder?

Unintentionally, perhaps, the students approached their assignment with passivity. And though this story may seem insignificant, it points to a universal issue observed in culture today. With computers in their pockets, students can find answers in a few clicks in a few seconds.

As a result, they have acclimated to an atmosphere of immediate gratification and single-step solutions. If we are not careful, deliberate, and intentional about guiding our students to think critically and use a biblical lens to work through problems with persistence and creativity, we will do them a grave disservice as they graduate and enter the challenges of adulthood.

Transitioning Our Students Successfully Into Adulthood

So how can we help prepare our students to be problem solvers? How can we raise up a generation who views the world through the lens of their Christian faith as they encounter obstacles and dilemmas?

Over the past five years, Wesleyan has brainstormed, revamped, and reconsidered how to effectively teach courses in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) department as one avenue through which to teach problem-solving.

CHRIS CLEVELAND, head of school, shares, “Since 2018, every STEM course from kindergarten through 12th grade has been completely redesigned to reflect STEM principles we are trying to teach our students.”

As the technology of our day shifts, Wesleyan notes, observes, and evaluates the most effective way to prepare students for this moment in time. RANDY CAILOR , director of STEM and STEM senior seminar teacher, says, “One way STEM education can benefit students today is teaching them how to approach a problem and how to best use the technology in their pockets.”

According to John Mark Comer in The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, “A recent study found that the average iPhone user touches his or her phone 2,617 times a day. Just being in the same room as our phones (even if they are turned off) will reduce someone’s working memory and problem-solving skills.”

Yet, with abundant resources packed into smart phones, those who know how to think critically, synthesize experiences, and problem solve effectively will be the ones to make meaningful contributions to the community. Cailor continues, “In order to find fulfillment in life and with the careers out there today, our students must know how to problem-solve. In STEM, we are developing skills that are a lot more universal than people may think.”

Indeed, the need for problem-solving is undeniable, and Wesleyan seeks to integrate a biblical worldview into that skill development. With that foundation, students will be equipped to solve problems that do not even exist yet.

Cleveland reflects, “When I consider the morally challenging issues related to technology and engineering, including artificial intelligence, privacy rights, robotic surgery, and end of life questions, I want the designers and decision makers who wrestle with those issues to be thinking through the ramifications of their choices from a biblical, Christ-centered perspective.”

The most important role we play as educators is one that equips our students with a biblical worldview and encourages them to put others ahead of self. SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON , middle school STEM teacher, says, “Many of the activities, projects, and problems students engage in with STEM are presented with a patient or end user in mind who will benefit from the solutions students create. Through this approach, students build empathy and design a solution that effectively meets the design brief requirements and also represents the interests, needs, and preferences of their end user.”

The ultimate hope for students is that they learn to solve problems as a means of fulfilling the great commandment:

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Matthew 22:37-39

The word “vocation” is derived from the Latin word voco, vocare which means “to call.” We don’t want to free our kids from work. Rather, we want to free them to find meaning in work. We want them to find purpose in what God calls them to do.

RACHEL PISATURO, high school STEM teacher, explains, “In our STEM courses, we discuss with students that any career within STEM is rooted in serving others. Whether it’s a medical doctor performing surgery or a civil engineer building a bridge, the heart of STEM is problem-solving to serve people and the community. The projects assigned in our classes reinforce this idea by emphasizing supportive collaboration and thoughtful design that places hypothetical customers and team members above oneself.”

We love God by obediently following His calling and serving others in their problems and needs. His calling grants us each a unique purpose:

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

Guides On The Side

STEM teachers predominantly shepherd and steer rather than inform and impart.

“Interactive instruction is what makes STEM unique,” Cailor explains. “The hands-on, collaborative ‘doing’ allows us, as instructors, to develop this next generation who will help people solve problems in fulfillment of their calling as human beings.”

As guides on the side, teachers train students to problem solve by pulling data from their vast toolkit of experiences. Sometimes students draw from a lesson observed on an athletic field or an idea shared in English class discussion. Their teachers are equipping them to use all these experiences to inform how they tackle and resolve the problem in front of them.

LASHANDIA HILL, middle school STEM teacher, shares, “As the semester goes on, students soon realize that it’s okay that their solution to a problem didn’t work well the first time. Their solution may often look very different from another group’s solution. The most important piece is going through the process and learning lessons from that journey.”

THE NEXT GENERATION OF PROBLEM SOLVERS

CLAIRE WYATT ‘23 , a student in the STEM senior seminar course, explains that her final project examines whether the addition of different materials to clay would change its mechanical properties. She is testing clay with different additives for deflection and the modulus of rupture. Using a test bed to assess how much weight and deflection each clay beam contained, she added weight on top of the beams until they broke.

“Initially,” she explains, “when I built my three-point test bed, the design only let the beam deflect so far. Once I looked at my design, I saw that I needed to add a block of wood in the middle to allow the beam to deflect past the load-bearing points. I redrew my design sketch and added a block in the middle of my test bed. I had to think through every step of building, designing, and then, finally, how the test bed would work once it was built.”

In short, Wyatt learned to ask herself, “What will this task look like when it is completed?” She did not settle for a half-decorated Christmas tree.

Soft Skills Matter

As Wyatt and many Wesleyan students consider what it takes to solve a problem, they often realize that the process requires more than just reading a map or plugging in a formula. It involves soft skills that must be learned, developed, seasoned, and strengthened over time.

When Cailor meets his students in August, they are eager. However, they are not necessarily disciplined in seeing a problem through, start to finish. By the spring, “they are totally different students,” he laughs.

In the words of Angela Duckworth, a psychologist and the author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, “one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success…and that characteristic was grit. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality.”

In order to reach the status of “problem-solver,” one has to possess grit. Cailor explains, “Things aren’t always easy in life. You don’t always get the answer you want or the support you need, but ultimately you have to grind it out, make sense of it, and keep going. If you can learn to do that in a STEM class, then it will translate to other areas of your life. It carries over.”

This intangible quality that powerfully combines determination, perseverance, and drive is essential for young, impressionable minds to grasp; they need it to problem-solve. Grit is a skill that is caught, not taught, and students in STEM learn this character trait as their “guides” give them the freedom to create, observe, fail, scrutinize, reevaluate, revise, and land at their own conclusions.

“Often,” Cailor explains, “it doesn’t matter where you begin. It’s where you end. It’s all about that growthmindset.” We want our students to leave Wesleyan with this mentality because it will percolate into all areas of their lives, not just their impending careers.