A WESTGATE PERSPECTIVE · 2016. 6. 29. · 4 PERSPECTIVE . . . SPRING 2016 South America Study Tour...

PERSPECTIVE . . . SPRING 2016 1

PERSPECTIVEA W E S T G A T E

VOL. 24 NO. 2 / SPRING 2016

&First Mennonite Church

WineC heese

Fundraiser for the

Westgate Building Fund

•••Friday, October 21, 2016

6:30 p.m.Qualico Family Centre

Assiniboine Park•••

TICKETS $25Available from Ingrid Moehlmann

[email protected] or 204.487.7781

Westgate students and staff bid their86 West Gate campus goodbye on the lastday of classes with an emotional farewellservice. Henry Dyck, member of the school’sfirst graduating class and member of allthree of the school’s building committeesover its history, left his sledgehammer markon the exterior wall of the aged middlesection that will be removed to make wayfor new educational space. The contents ofthe entire school have been placed instorage with much of the material going to

Westgate’s relocation site for next year,Chapman School, 3707 Roblin Boulevard.We return to 86 West Gate in September2017.

Just over $5.5 million of the $10.5 millionredevelopment project has been raised orpledged. Consider donating to the LetInspiration Shine: The Westgate InspiringSpaces Campaign by visitingWestgateInspires.com or contacting theschool directly or by e-mail: [email protected] �

Available from Ingrid Moehlmann [email protected] or 204.487.7781

2 PERSPECTIVE . . . SPRING 2016

Big successes at the Festivals for all ourWestgate band students! As I write, Ireflect on all the preparation, practice andhard work each student has given leadingup to our concerts and Festival performancesthis year! The Grade 7 and 8 Bands bothperformed in the Level One Band Festivalheld at North Kildonan Mennonite BrethrenChurch. The adjudicators told us they wereall vying to have the chance to work withour students – a lovely compliment! The Grade 9 Band, Senior Concert Band, andboth Junior and Senior Jazz Bands werepart of the Optimist International BandFestival held in February and March. Eachrose to the occasion, and Awards OfSuperior Achievement were presented tothe Grade 9 and Senior Concert Bands.Well done to all! � Ross Brownlee

Westgate Bands Excel at Festivals!GRADE 7 BAND

GRADE 8 BAND

GRADE 9 BAND SENIOR CONCERT BAND

JADE WEIMER (’99) (photo)just graduated with herPhD in religious studiesfrom the University ofToronto and also has a BSc,a BA, and an MA from theUniversity of Manitoba.She is currently a sessionalinstructor in the religiondepartment at theUniversity of Manitoba andteaches a variety of topicalcourses (including Religionand Media, Evil in Religion,and Introduction to WorldReligions) as well as somecourses in her own area ofstudy, which is earlyChristianity.

JANIS THIESSEN’S (’81)most recentbook was released on May 18. Herpublisher states the followingabout Not Talking Union: An OralHistory of North AmericanMennonnites and Labour:“Thiessen shows why Mennonitelabour history matters, and revealsthe role of power and inequality inthat history.”

PAUL KLASSEN (‘09) just completed his Master’s degree in Science(Paleoanthropology) at theUniversity College London inLondon, UK, and is lookingforward to a research position atthe University of Kent inCanterbury.A

LU

MN

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Beautiful music is the art of theprophets that can calm the agitationsof the soul; it is one of the mostmagnificent and delightful presentsGod has given us. –Martin Luther

Vic Pankratz and Ross Brownlee steerthe music department at WestgateMennonite Collegiate. They share theirpassion for music with their students. Musicstudents learn to express themselvesthrough the art of music during our MusicTours, offered every two years. The MusicTour has been part of the school’s programsince the 1970s. It offers students anopportunity to showcase their musical gifts;even more, it’s a time of worship. TheMusic Tour is not only a gift to thestudents, but to all those they encounter

along the way. The most recent tour hadthe students perform nine times in a spanof 10 days. Their audiences consisted of ourMennonite sister schools: UMEI, Rockwayand Eden Christian School as well asLeamington United Mennonite Church, St. Jacobs Mennonite, Vineland UnitedMennonite Church and MontrealMennonite Fellowship .

The tour also brings the students intomany homes. “Our society tells us not totalk to strangers, yet it is the stranger thatopens their home to our students,”reflects Pankratz. They are fed and caredfor by people they have never met. What aconcept! In addition, family gatheringsmagically happen on tour. Uncles andaunts, cousins and grandparents fromacross Ontario are able to connect withtheir Westgate relatives. Colleagues fromprior CMU days and alumni all cometogether to reconnect with staff andstudents. The “Mennonite Game” isfrequently played around several hostfamily dinner tables at every stop.

Is it possible that God is along for the busride? These tours are opportunities for thestudents and staff to press “Pause” and, insome ways, take a break from the dailyroutine and reflect on what is good. Themusic of fellowship is definitely in tune onsuch a tour, creating melodies that onlyGod could compose. �

The Music Tour

��

On a side note, the Music Tourafforded Vic Pankratz theopportunity to reunite with aformer Westgate classmate, TedWarkentin (’77).


South America Study Tour

Trip to Magellan Aerospace

On Dec. 11, 2015, 65 Westgate grade 9 science students had theopportunity to see the 1 Radarsat satellite module scheduled to launchinto space in 2018. This was a rare opportunity for the students learningabout satellites, viewing hardware that fewer than a thousand people inthe world would ever be allowed to see. The tour included classroomteaching from Magellan engineers relating to the tasks of such a satellitelaunch, and an actual visit into the “clean room” to see the inside workingparts of the satellite module. “Really cool!” as some students exclaimed.

On March 21, six students, along withchaperones, set out on Westgate’s firstSouth America Study Tour. Our trip had twomajor components. Our first objective wasto hike the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu in

Peru. Starting out in Cusco, we spent acouple of days acclimatizing to the altitude.From there, we tackled a four day, 48 kmhike on the Inca Trail. It was a fabuloushike, and we learned a lot about the IncaEmpire, local culture, and ourselves as we

hiked through the Andes. Our most difficultchallenge was an 18 km day that includeda 2.5 km gain in elevation. Quite thephysical test! Our next major componentwas more of a social test. We headed toFiladelfia, Paraguay, in the Mennonitecolony of Fernheim, to be billeted by studentsfrom the Collegio Filadelfia, a privateMennonite school much the same size asWestgate. We had a great time and werehosted graciously. Being treated like family,we got to see what life is like for Mennonite“cousins” in this part of the world, andcame back having made new friends, andhaving acquired a taste for yerba! �


GERMAN LANGUAGECONTESTA record number of 41 Westgate studentswere selected as finalists for the ManitobaGerman Language Contest 2016. Thirty-four attended the finals on March 2 atChief Peguis Junior High school, wherethey were interviewed by the judges.Thirteen students placed in the top threein their categories, with Michaela Pankratzwinning a month-long, all expenses paidGermany Study Tour. Congratulations toall our participants! Particular thanks tothe MGL Committee, headed by our ownHeidi Koop, for the hard work that madethis contest possible.

Junior C1st Rachel Siemens2nd Hannah Marchant3rd Talia Landgraff

Intermediate A2nd Isaak Fast

Intermediate C1st Johanna Klassen2nd Paul Rempel3rd Linnea Nelson

Senior A1st Michaela Pankratz2nd Natasha Neustaedter Barg3rd Jaymi Fast

Senior C1st Jack Maier2nd Aliyah Baerg3rd Natalie Pesun

Menno Simons started the MennoniteChurch in Hamburg-Altona, but they justcelebrated the 100 Year Anniversary oftheir “new” building constructed in 1915.Our exchange students and their partnerswere invited to participate in their Childrenand Youth Day on the Saturday beforeEaster on March 26, 2016. Most of theWestgate exchange students were able toattend and were rewarded with Kaffee andKuchen, an informal worship service withskits and a simulated refugee experience orbaking for a Passover meal. The church tourincluded the library with its collection of

A New/OldConnection inHamburg

Mamie Kroeker-Tom and MeghanHiebert spent every Mondayvolunteering in an elementary schoolclassroom as English mentors. Thanksto Ulla In-der-Stroth (former ManitobaGerman Support Teacher) fororganizing this.

500-year-old books. We felt very welcomedinto the congregation and the studentswere encouraged to return for a Sundayservice and a youth and young adultconference in April. It is wonderful to havea new connection to this activecongregation with such a long history. �


Congratulations to four of our studentswhose teams medalled at the recentWestern Canadian VolleyballChampionships: ZOE DYCK (bronze),ISAAK FAST and JUSTIN KELLY (silver)and SARAH KLASSEN (gold).

...................................................................

Student News

Westgate curlers rock! Our Westgate curlingteams advanced to the SCAC playoffs,reaching the semi-finals (girls) and finals(boys). Way to go Westgate!

GIRLS’ TEAM: CARRIE SCHULZ,ANIKA NELSON, JESSICA SIEMENS,JADEN WISNESKI

BOYS’ TEAM: COACH BRUCE SCHULZ,DANIEL BERGEN, CAEL PENNER,JARED SCHULZ, SPENCERKRISTJANSON

According to the rankings, our Junior Varsity girls were expected to win.Playing with the #1 ranking is never easy, but our girls rose to thechallenge. Facing the hometown Virden Golden Bears in the finals alsowasn’t easy, but thanks to a supreme team effort, our girls were victorious.

Ranked 7th out of 8 teams entering Provincials, the Westgate JV boys hadnothing to lose. So, they decided to have fun and play some basketball.And play they did! Upsetting teams all the way, the boys reached the finalswhere they met an unstoppable force, the host team Neelin Spartans. Theteam can be proud of achieving second place in this tournament.

For the third year ina row, a Westgatestudent has had herplay chosen as atop five finalist forthe Manitoba HighSchool PlaywritingCompetition! SAMANTHA WILSON'SLost In Between was featured in an eveningof theatre at the end of May at the TomHendry Warehouse Theatre.


Alumni News …

Roslyn Jane Ewert arrived on New Year’sEve 2015. Proud parents are NICHOLASEWERT (‘06) and NAOMI(LANGELOTZ) EWERT (‘09).

Congratulations to JESSICA (GAMBLE’06) and Dave CONDO on the safe arrivalof their son, Nolan, born on Jan. 12, 2016.

REBECCA VANDERHOOFT (’05) andColin Barber welcomed Nora Violet intotheir family on May 29, 2016.

Classmates and friends KELSEY CRAM(’05) and NICK WOELKE (’05) were alsoblessed with the addition of George FifeCram Woelcke to their family on Friday,June 3, 2016.

Ordinations: REYNOLD FRIESEN (’89) atBethel Mennonite Church, Jan. 17;VIRGINIA (GERBRANDT) RICHERT(’99) at Altona Bergthaler MennoniteChurch, Jan. 31; MARK TIESSEN (’02)DYCK (pictured above) at Sargent AvenueMennonite Church, March 20.

PAUL HILDEBRAND (’11) and KarleenTarry were married on May 28, 2016 at theRustic Barn near Steinbach. The couple wassurrounded by family and friends, many ofwhom are also Westgate alumni.

AILEEN FRIESEN (‘98) was guest lecturerat the inaugural launch of the new Centrefor Transnational Mennonite Studies at TheUniversity of Winnipeg. Dr. Aileen Friesen,the Plett Foundation’s 2016 PostdoctoralFellow, spoke on the topic “Indigenous-Mennonite Relations in the Russian Empire:A History of Conflict and Accommodation.”The event was held on May 5, 2016.

MICHAEL PANKRATZ (’09) andAMANDA PETERS (’09) were marriedon October 3, 2015 at Bridges golf course.

The Winnipeg Art Gallery is exhibiting thefirst retrospective of Westgate alumnusKAREL FUNK (’89) from June to Sept.2016. Karel is well known outside ofWinnipeg for his hyper-realistic portraitsfeaturing men (mostly) in Gore-Texouterwear. His stunning work looks like aphotograph at first glance but is the time-consuming work of layers of acrylic paint.His work is held today by major institutional,corporate, and private collections, includingthe National Gallery of Canada, Solomon R.Guggenheim Museum, and the WhitneyMuseum of American Art.

KEITH PETERS (’88) is President andCaptain of the U of Manitoba UnderwaterFootball Club (UWF), and one of the topplayers in the world. In Feb. 2015 Keith’steam won the Underwater Football WorldChampionships, played in Winnipeg. Thesport was invented in 1967 at the U of M


… and more Alumni News

86 West GateWinnipeg, Manitoba R3C 2E1

Phone (204) 775-7111 Fax (204) 786-1651

Email [email protected]

and has spread across North America. Thispast October, Keith played UnderwaterRugby, (a similar sport), in Brantford,Ontario, against teams from Toronto,Montreal, Brantford, Boston, New Jersey,and Newark. Keith is the chairperson forunderwater sport with the ManitobaUnderwater Council (MUC). If you want totry a 3D full-contact sport played underwaterwith snorkel, mask and fins, contact Keithat [email protected]. There are twoclubs that play out of Winnipeg. Keith hasalready recruited fellow Westgate alumnusTOBIAN PENNER (’13).

Peters family updates: VICTORIA (’08) isliving in Victoria, B.C., and studying at theU of Victoria. She is pursuing a SecondaryB.Ed. with a focus on art. RENEE (’11)and NICHOLAS (’14) are living inWinnipeg. Renée graduated in May fromRed River Community College with adiploma in graphic design. She married Mr. Evan Jones of Melbourne, Australia, onJune 26 in Winnipeg. Nicholas was workingto fund a trip to New Zealand and theTorchbearers’ 10-week Adventure BibleSchool that he’ll be taking part in there. Hehopes to begin the Bachelor of Kinesiology– Athletic Therapy degree program inSeptember 2016 at the University ofManitoba. JACKSON (’14) is living inToronto and has been enjoying film studiesat Ryerson University since Sept. 2015.Jackson and a friend did a month-longhitchhiking trip from Nova Scotia to BritishColumbia. They plan to make a documentaryfilm about this experience.

This year’s Canadian Mennonite University(CMU) athletic award recipients include sixWestgate alumni: JASON FRIESEN (’13),OWEN BAERG (’13), JOEL KLIEWER(’13), THOMAS FRIESEN (’12),JOSHUA NEUSTAEDTER BARG (’13),and NADYA LANGELOTZ (’15). Inaddition, Thomas Friesen (shown at right inphoto) received the Defensive Player of theYear Award for volleyball and the CMUTrailblazer Award “for excellence in teamleadership, academic merit, and communityservice”. Jason Friesen took home Player ofthe Year honours for men’s volleyball. JoelKliewer was named to the 2015-2016MCAC men’s volleyball all-conference team.

WES PENNER (’93) and his wife Millieco-pastor Millersville Mennonite Church inMillersville, Pennsylvania. Wes continues tocontract in computer services, using skillsintroduced to him by Mrs. Dyck.

LARA MCCABE (‘96) is working as aresearcher for an Aboriginal research group,currently studying gender and culture basedanalysis of the “TEDWG” documents,which are economic development actionplans for the City of Thompson. Lara alsoworks part time for the City of Winnipeg.She plays a lot of roller derby and is one ofthe founders of both Winnipeg leagues(Winnipeg Roller Derby League and PrairieHeart Roller Derby).

ALANA (FAST ’02) and Joel Prejet arepleased to announce the birth of their babyboy, Hank Joel Gerald Prejet, on June 5,2016. They are so thankful he is happy andhealthy.

MONI (TESSMANN ’01) and MATTEDWARDS (’01) are happy to announcethe arrival of Lily Abigail, born Dec. 26,2015. She joins siblings Elijah and Maylinto fill out their happy family.

MONI PRIES-KLASSEN (’86),JACQUIE NEUFELD (’86), URSULA(LOEWEN) BOLLENBACH (’86) inMontreal. They biked from Montreal toQuebec City along the Route Verte.

“Our friendship began over 32 years ago inour grade 9 year at Westgate. Hiking LakeSuperior with Marsh and Mountain Club,hoofing it around the legislature on thetrack team, hanging out in Germany withWestgate friends, and labouring throughmath lessons with Mrs. Riesen are some ofthe memories we share. We now live indifferent provinces, and sometimes weeksor months go by when we don’t talk to – orsee – each other. Yet we just pick up wherewe left off. Having friends who accept uswithout judgement, and who are alwaysthere when we call, is worth celebrating.”

A WESTGATE PERSPECTIVE · 2016. 6. 29. · 4 PERSPECTIVE . . . SPRING 2016 South America Study Tour...

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