Iowa Mennonite School

Sep 2

New Teacher Feature – Aaron Gingerich

Aaron Gingerich

Aaron Gingerich (’05) – returned to IMS this fall to do student teaching in the Physical Education department. “Talking to Dwight about possibly student teaching and then remaining here for the following semester sounded exciting and seemed like a great opportunity.  I love the IMS community and knew it would be a great opportunity to come back home and be with friends and family.” Aaron is completing his degree at Bethel College, Newton, KS and is also student teaching at Mid-Prairie elementary schools two days a week with Jackie Bailey.  Aaron lives north of Kalona with his parents, Jim & Lois Gingerich, brothers Micah (’07) and Ethan, who is a senior this year at IMS.

Aaron says, “I love getting to know the students here, especially in a recreational type setting.  Sports and competition have always been a passion of mine, so being able to stay involved through physical education is something I am very excited about.  I hope my enthusiasm for physical education carries over to the students so that they begin to understand the importance of staying physically active and developing healthy lifestyle habits.”

When asked about hobbies and interests Aaron replied, “I love to read, which may come as a surprise to some people.  I am very passionate about living for the Lord and am excited to continue growing in Him and walking in His will for my life.  I am so thankful He chose to come to earth to die and cover my sins with His blood so that I can experience Him now, and have the hope of living with Him in Heaven someday.  Also, I love to watch Sports Center in the evenings to keep up on how the Cardinals are doing.  On Saturday’s I watch Hawkeye football.  Being away from Iowa has taken my love for Hawkeye sports to a new level.”

Sep 2

An invitation from Jesse Wenger’s (’12) family

Jesse Wenger (front row, far left), one of "Jerry's kids", attends summer camp every year.

 

We would like to invite everyone to watch the upcoming MDA Telethon on KGAN (CBS) this upcoming weekend, September 5 and 6^th. I know, it is easy to be annoyed at yet another fund raising show on TV, however to our family, it’s not just a show. When Jesse was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy the staff from MDA stepped in to help; supplying us with information and giving us moral support and has helped us in countless ways in these past years. Jesse has been attending MDA Summer Camp at Camp Courageous yearly since the age of six which is funded through the telethon and other fundraisers. In addition, the ongoing research that is funded by MDA is vital in finding a cure and/or therapies for Muscular Dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases. To our family, MDA is an integral part of our lives and we are so thankful for their support! 

If you are interested in learning more about the Muscular Dytrophy Association you can go to their link; http://www.mda.org/about.html or feel free to email us at philgin@netins.net 

Sep 1

Tickets still available for John McCutcheon Concert on Saturday, September 11 at 7 pm

John McCutcheon is America’s balladeer.

He’s been “described by the Washington Post as ‘folkmusic’s rustic renaissance man.’ An award-winning singer, songwriter, composer, teacher, archivist, activist, author and poet, he offers one of the most diverse batteries of options for any community, promoter or organization.

His songs sing of the nation’s heritage. His words channel the conscience of our people into streams of poetry and melody. He writes about subjects small and great, from a child’s haircut to freedom and human dignity – issues equally eternal and enduring. Think of McCutcheon as an incarnation of Pete Seeger and Mr. Rogers, Will Rogers and Bruce Springsteen, and above all Everyman, righteously passionate and impishly playful, blessed with gifts as a songwriter, historian, musician and storyteller that have won him praise in Australia as ‘the most overwhelming folk performer in the English language,’ from a Russian critic as ‘the most versatile and compelling performer this reviewer has ever seen,’ and from Johnny Cash as ‘the most impressive instrumentalist I’ve ever heard.’

Add to that the 31 albums in his catalog, and the six Grammy nominations and multiple Parent’s Choice and American Library Association awards they’ve won, stir in the diverse and growing following that has flocked to his shows, around the world and as nearby as a school or concert venue near you, and the point is made clear: John McCutcheon is as timeless as tradition, as immediate as tomorrow’s headlines, and as vital as any artist who seeks to enlighten as well as entertain.”

Sep 1

New Teacher Feature — Ranee Brokaw

Ranee Brokaw, Family and Consumer Science instructor

Ranee Brokaw (’01) began teaching Family and Consumer Science classes this fall.

When asked what attracted her to the job opening Ranee replied, “I have a degree in Elementary Education and have been substitute teaching for the past five years. When I saw this opening I was excited since I went to IMS as a student and feel like I’m part of the IMS community already.  I was interested in all of the FCS subject areas and I was eager to apply for the position since it is part time and I wanted to be able to spend time at home with my kids.  I decided to take the job and am now working on finishing my FCS endorsement.”  Ranee and husband Justin (’01) live in rural Parnell about 10 miles west of IMS.  Justin is employed at Hills Bank in Wellman.  Justin and Ranee have two children, Luke (2) and Tessa (5 months).

 As to what she is looking forward to with her classes… “There is so much! I am really looking forward to the activities that my Child Development class will be doing this semester because I have an elementary background but also because I feel like I’m ‘living’ child development right now with my two little ones.  I love to cook and I attended a Culinary Arts class this summer that made me eager for the class in the spring. I am enjoying experimenting with different sewing projects and am looking forward to some design projects and field trips to homes that are scheduled for the Trading Spaces class.” 

When not at IMS Ranee is usually spending time at home with her family but also enjoys reading, cooking, playing scrabble, trying new artsy projects or organizing something.

Sep 1

IMS Cross Country at the Early Bird

 August 31, 2010

Bill Spencer broke the meet record with a time of 16.21.12.

Bill Spencer grabbed the headlines at the IMS Early Bird held on the campus of Iowa Mennonite School Tuesday night.  Spencer led an elite field of runners finishing the race in a meet record time of 16:23.12.  Graham McCaleb of Fairfield has held the record of 16:25.12 since 2002.  Bill was challenged by friend Chase Moser of Wapello.  The two were together until Spencer was able to pull away late in the second mile.  City High of Iowa City won the team title with 41 points.  IMS, ranked second in 1A, was fourth in the team race, just three points ahead of third ranked Wapello.  Senior Seth Miller was the second IMS finisher placing twenty-seventh in 19:23.  Cody Miller and Jesse Shetler came in close together

Seth Miller finishing the race strong.

finishing thirty-third and thirty-fifth in 19:45 and 19:47.  Malachi Bontrager rounded out the scoring with thirty-ninth place with a time of 20:06.  Kyle Miller was forty-third in 20:22 and Landon Slabaugh was sixty-fourth in 22:09. Ninety runners finished the boys varsity race.  “Cody Miller and Jesse Shetler both trained hard this summer and saw the biggest improvements in their times compared to last year at this meet.” 

Nicholas Yoder took 4:14 off his time from this meet last year.  He finished the race in 21:36.  Justin Boller and Spencer Schrock both ran well in their first high school cross country race.  Marshall Schrock completed the team by finishing in 26:14.  Ninety runners finished the boys JV race

Elana Gingerich finished the race with a time of 19:07.

IMS cross country veterans Madeline Miller and Elana Gingerich led the way for their team in the varsity race.  Maddie placed twentieth in 18:42 and Elana was twenty-fifth in 19:07.  Quinlan Schrock and Tamara Vukovikj finished their first cross country race in good form finishing the four kilometer course in 22:42 and 24:19 respectively.

Quinlan Schrock competes in her first cross country race.

  IMS did not place in the team standings since they did not have five runners finish the race.  City High won the team title with a near perfect score of 18.  Erin Danielson of City High won the race in a course record time of 16:01.73.

Maddie Marshall and Shay Durflinger competed in their first cross country race.   Maddie finished the course in 26:04 and Shay in 32:10 for seventy-second and seventy-seventh places.   

IMS competes next in Fairfield September 9^th.

Aug 31

Clothing and Textiles Class complete their first project

Meredith Schrock, Megan Haiffley, Jessica Hill, Alisha Miller and Ashley Beatty pick out fabric for their project.

The students in Clothing and Textiles class went on a field trip to Jo-Ann Fabrics to purchase fabric and supplies for their first project, a removable pillow cover. Each student chose their own fabric and pillow size and completed the project this week…they were all quite pleased with their final product! 

Alisha Miller sews her pillow.

Meredith Schrock, Ashley Beatty, Megan Haifley, Alisha Miller, Jessica Hill and Wenwen Wang show off their completed pillows.

Ashley Beatty irons the fabric.