Roll Credits...

From the desk of Cathy Harvey, Administrative Assistant to the Deans of Shepherds College

Whenever I see a modern day movie, I marvel at the list of credits that roll by detailing all the people it took to produce the film including the song list and artists.  Name after name flows up and off the screen, crediting all those lending a role in the production.  I always feel bad for the worker bees who garnish but a breath of space for their invaluable part in the completion of the piece.  The names often roll by so quickly, there is barely time to read their full name and job title, so I have made a point to sit through all the credits attempting to read their names as a nod of respect to the work they also did beyond the big name actors who played leading roles—and besides, some of best music flows with the credits.  Without this roster of blue collars, there would simply be no film to enjoy.

With that in mind, I would like to script a nod of thanks to all the folks who helped create the Shepherds College graduation events and give paper applause, at least, to their good work and dedication.  This is my attempt to remember everyone over the last five months who crafted their piece of the puzzle that so beautifully shaped Baccalaureate and Commencement 2015.  If I missed your name, I sincerely apologize, and please know how appreciated you are!

Roll credits, please!

Cue Lift High the Lord Our Banner from Integrity Music as you read the credits.

In alphabetical order:

Baccalaureate

Dennis McNabb – Resident Song Leader (all 5 years)

Mark Mulder – Chose the resident Baccalaureate Prayer Commissioners

Nate Peterson – Audio & Sound

Daniel Smith – Oversaw and guided the resident Baccalaureate Prayer Commissioners

Aaron Solomon – Program Greeter

Gary Spiegel – Opening prayer

Samuel Zdancewicz – Scripture reader

Faculty/Staff Ensemble

Jordan Debbink – Ensemble music arranger, singer and Baccalaureate pianist

Elyse Cyr

Amy DeBurgh

Andrew Kolkman

Hand Bell Choir

Kim DeVrou – Director

Gail Bartman

Jamie Flower

Susan Frail

Gayle Freeman

Becky Henline

Rebekah Marvel

Seth Peters

David Rich

Lisa Wetzel

 




Resident Prayer Commissioners:

Dan Condor

June Furman

David Koss

Gary Spiegel

Corrie Vanderhenght

 




Friday Celebration Dinner Reception

Jordan Debbink – Pianist

Audrey Oswalt – Caterer

Student Servers:

Abby Grabinski

Isaac Helfrich

Micah Muma

Ashley Nelson

Becci Terrill – Table Decorations

Graduation Day

Audio, Sound

John Andrus

Kit Luchterhand

Color Guard

Michele McGarry – Coordinator

Gloria Dahlberg

Dave Fantl

Sue Frail

Andrew Gilchrist

Gloria Pavuk

Aaron Solomon

Dave Slye

Melba Wright

Trinity International University – Flag poles and stands

Cupcake Reception

Chef Cassandra Comerford

Sue Kurschner – Culinary Arts Paraprofessional

Second Year Culinary Arts Student Servers:

Abby Grabinski

Kirsten Graybill

Isaac Helfrich

Jonathan Ingram

Joshua Maher

Geovanni Melendez

Julian Melendez

Micah Muma

Ashley Nelson

Torrey Ryan

Grant Ugolini

Greeters, Ushers, Escorts

Nancy Amstutz

Sherri Collicott

Dan Dark

Amy DeBurgh

Jonathan Ingram

Bill Kraiss

Pam Kraiss

Willetta McVicker

Donn Mogford

Gary Spencer

Gary Spiegel

Cindy Weitzel

Grounds, Domestics & Parking Lot Team

Dave Slye, Facilities Administrator

Steve Gillmore, Maintenance Supervisor

Denise Gillmore, Domestics Supervisor

Warren Beth, Volunteer

John Caldart, Volunteer 
Faith Davidson

Gayle Freemen

Sue Frail

Jessica Gobeli

Becky Henline

Dick Koehn

Jocelyn Monroe

Jo Ellen Paul

Seth Peters

Tess Spahr

LouAnne Stevens

Bob Theilig

Gerald Warriner

 



Photographers

Corrie Ladd

Abby Wohlgemuth

Plant Decorations

Owen Lackey, Horticulture Instructor

Second Year Horticulture:

Andrew Bickelhaupt

Suzanne Dean

Tommy Hayward

Joey Martin

Willetta McVicker

Olya Porth

Cherokee Thompson

Student Choir

Steve Jensen – Director

Sandy Jensen – Pianist

Michael Bayer

Nathan Ford

Abby Grabinski

Andrew Gummow

Jonathan Isaac Helfrich

Jonathan Ingram

Karilyn Johnson

David Jones

Katalin Lehman

Joey Martin

Rashard McCoy

Jonathan McGowan

Willetta McVicker

Geovanni Melendez

Julian Melendez

David Moran

Micah Muma

Ashley Nelson

Kathryn Norton

Crystalanne Nystrand

Olya Porth

Wade Philips

Torrey Ryan

Amy Spieker

Nee Dow Too

Ellie Treiber

Zachary Wandel

Gretchen Winter

Videography

Brian Canright

Guilia Hoke, Union Grove High School Media Arts student volunteer

Volunteers

Judy Anderson – steamed all new flags and graduation gowns-no small task!

Julie Anderson – Processional/Recessional door holder and graduate line guide

John Andrus – Music for Class of 2015 electronic yearbook

Johnnie Mae Evans – Ironed color guard shirts

Gretchen Hansen/Gigi’s Joy Photography – Photographer for Senior Photo Day, Baccalaureate and the Graduation Celebration

Miranda Kasprzak – Class of 2015 electronic yearbook, “From Dream to Reality”

Pam Kraiss – Stapled the commencement programs

Kathi Sawyer – Processional/Recessional door holder

Karen Seifer – Cleaned and disinfected the closet designated for Color Guard uniforms, hand addressed all the graduation invitations, put together flags

I Peter 4:10 says, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, thereby administering the grace of God in its many forms,” and at this exciting time of year when we have an opportunity to showcase the hand of God during Baccalaureate and Graduation, it’s Shepherds Ministry community at its best, plus many volunteers, all working together as one unified family.  

So thank you, everyone, who contributed your part(s) of the puzzle that fashioned the whole glorious finished product!

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…

to him be glory…”! 

-Ephesians 3:20

 

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.

A Night to Appreciate

A big part of our philosophy of Appropriate Independence, and a big part of our teaching at Shepherds College, is training the students to serve others with their gifts and abilities.

There is no better way to teach this lesson than by example.

Last Wednesday, our faculty and staff walked their talk by volunteering to care for the residents of Shepherds Ministries so the Living Skills Instructors (LSIs) could have the night off to enjoy an Appreciation Banquet in their honor.

The LSIs are the staff who work directly with our residents, helping them with everything from personal hygiene to medications to housekeeping. It’s a challenging job with enormous responsibility even for those who manage the task every day… so why would someone without the experience want to volunteer for this undertaking? The consensus:

“I wanted to serve the LSIs so they could have a much-needed night of fun and relaxation.”

College staff worked in several areas of the ministry – Cook Cottage, Lamb Cottage, Harbor and Catalyst. They were responsible for feeding the residents, making sure the proper medication was passed out, and evening activities.

Evening activities varied. Our staff served dinner and helped clean up. Mr. Canright took several independent Catalyst clients to Texas Roadhouse. Chef McCarthy prepared a devotional for the men in Harbor. Mr. Andrus watched tv with the residents since they were concerned about the weather. Mrs. Kolkman led a Bible study. The ladies in Lamb watched The Waltons and sang praise songs at the piano with Mrs. Konopasek. Mr. Gaschke watched a movie and did a Bible study with his group at Cook Cottage. They also had singing and prayer time.

And then…

Code Black. 

Severe weather, with a potential for tornadoes.  Oh boy.

Our volunteer LSIs helped all the residents and clients find protection in basements and bathrooms and stairwells. For half an hour, they dealt with tension and restlessness. Even though they were in different locations all over campus, all of the college staff relieved the stress caused by the incoming storm in a similar way – they sang, they prayed, and they used the time to get to know the residents better.

Without a doubt, even though each staff member faced trials during their volunteer time – dietary restrictions, bathroom complications, med passing, relationship issues and communication troubles – the Code Black was the biggest challenge of the evening. 

Was the experience too much of a challenge? Would they do it again?

Without hesitation.

“Although we all work in different departments, all Shepherds employees are really one big team. I was happy to serve my fellow Shepherds teammates so that they could have a special and enjoyable evening.”

This opportunity to serve their co-workers gave the college staff the chance to build relationships with the residents and clients, learn more about Shepherds Ministries, and deepen their respect for the important work of the LSIs.

“I have a strong appreciation for what the LSIs do, and I don’t think I could do it,” said Mr. Andrus. Mrs. Kolkman added, “They are all truly saints!”

Thank you LSIs!

 


Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.

Appreciating the Arts

I had a crazy, old aunt.

Unlike in the movies, my aunt wasn’t a cheek-pinching, gushing, “come kiss your dear auntie” type. She was a flowing kaftan-wearing, long cigarette-smoking, red lipstick and nail polish type. She wore her dark hair wrapped in a loose bun at the back of her head and always had something  - chopsticks, paintbrushes, a conductor’s wand – poking through the messy knot of hair. She sat with her legs apart, elbows on her knees and laughed a manly laugh, loud, uninhibited, with her head thrown back. Her conversations were rich with things exotic to young girls, things like European culture, the newest ballerina from Romania, and her friendship with the Kennedys.

She was bold, beautiful and, still to this day, the most eccentric person I’ve ever met in my life. She was an artist.

My aunt loved all things creative. As the pianist for the Milwaukee Ballet, her days were filled with classical music, orchestras, and graceful, long-limbed dancers rehearsing for the evening’s performance. Her nights, when not at the ballet, were spent in front of an easel covering canvas after canvas in oils until the dabs and strokes and swirls of color resembled the extravagant visions in her head. 

Out of all her nieces and nephews, I was her favorite. As a pre-schooler, I felt special to have her attention. I was the little girl wearing new tights sitting alone in the velvet-covered chair right above the orchestra pit so she could keep her eye on me while she played for the ballet. I was the girl she lifted in her arms to touch the frame of one of her many paintings as they hung in the grand halls of the PAC. I splashed around in kiddie pools with Yuri and Peter and Romney, world-renowned dancers invited over to meet her “little Susie.”

As a school girl, I was aggravated to be her favorite. She singled me out for lessons in oil painting and piano when all I wanted to do at the time was learn the latest dance moves and see the current movies so I could fit in better with my classmates. She pushed my parents to enroll me in ballet class when other kids my age were learning to break dance.

As a teenager, I was embarrassed to be her favorite. Why did she buy me a portfolio of all the classical works of art or a book of poetry when all I wanted was a boom box? Why did she get me strange jewelry from Russia when all the other girls were wearing sets of multi-colored rubber bracelets? Why did she have to listen to opera with her car windows wide open so the whole neighborhood could hear how strange she was?

Now as an adult, I realize how blessed I was to be her favorite. Although the lessons in oil painting and piano didn’t stick, a love of the arts took root and matured throughout the years. I learned to appreciate all forms of art, from the whimsical to the macabre, from the surreal to the painfully real. I don’t necessarily like each piece I experience, but each one forces me to think, to feel, to form my own opinions.

Why do I like this sculpture, or why don’t I like it?

What is the artist saying through this dance?

What is this oil painting saying to me?

Do I think the artist took this photograph from a place of joy, or anger, or sorrow?

Is the artist's use of color or texture or space or form pleasing to me?

Creating art is a revealing form of expression. Bits of the artist, hidden bits, come out in the making. Appreciating art is a journey of discovery – of God, of Creation, of others, of self. 

This semester, I was excited to hear that our volunteers, Steve & Sandy Jensen, offered an Art Appreciation class to our college students.  What a beautiful way for these young people to learn more about their Creator, more about the people around them, and more about themselves as they seek to live a life of independence! 

I was planning to write a blog based on some facts Steve told me about the class and the field trip, but his email was so well-written, and so clearly showed his heart, that I decided to use it in its entirety.

"Initially, after being approved as volunteers, Sandy and I were assigned as tutors in study hall.  We developed a few one on one relationships with students, while we only had brief encounters with several others.  When study hall and homework expectations were re-conceptualized, we prayerfully considered how we could best serve the students and the college.

While college for us is a distance past, we still remember how much choir and the arts not only supplemented our education, but also gave us an outlet that balanced out the academic courses.  There is something refreshing about ending your school day with an elective that also allows you to be expressive.  We approached the college about the possibility of offering a choir once a week.  This was met with much support and enthusiasm for the second semester of 2011-2012 and through the entire current year.

When the fall semester of 2012 began, I came to the realization that there may be students who are not musically inclined who might be interested rather in the visual arts.  I approached the staff at the college, and it was mutually decided to offer a field trip to the Milwaukee Art Museum during the fall semester.  This was met with good response, and the trip was well received.

It was decided at that time to pursue the possibilities of a second trip in the Spring 2013 semester, this time to the Chicago Art Museum.  Recalling the benefit of Art Appreciation classes in high school and college, I felt it would enhance the experience to offer an Art Appreciation course that would be a pre-requisite for the field trip to Chicago.

Nine students signed up initially with eight finishing the course.  The classes met once a month on Sunday evenings and were well attended.  The introduction included reflecting on our Lord God Creator as the ultimate Artist, demonstrated in everything He created for our blessing and pleasure. 

The students had various previous exposures to Art, but all were enthusiastic about their particular passions and preferences.  Through the use of video and the internet, we attempted to give the students a broad exposure as to what is considered Art.  Once this was established, we focused on a few of the most popular genres, most notably Ancient, Classical, Renaissance, Impressionism, and Modern.  Specific artists that were most notable in their contribution to the evolving concepts of art and artists that are heavily represented in the Chicago Art Museum were also targeted to be presented in more detail.  Needless to say, each class hour went quickly, but as time went by a growing appreciation of God-given creative abilities and talent occurred in the hearts and minds of the students.

The semester culminated in the Chicago Field Trip on Memorial Day, 2013.  Six students were able to attend, and we were so proud of each one, not only in their mature behavior in everything from purchasing their own admission tickets to compromising on which exhibits would be a priority, but also in their recall of artists and genres and techniques. 

After a smooth and safe trip to Chicago in the school van driven by the Dean of Shepherds College, Angela Houk, the day started with a walking tour of Millennium Park.   

Then the students waited patiently in line for about 20 minutes just to be admitted to the building. 

Then began the Art tour which included, but was not limited to, paperweights, miniatures, photography, mosaics, statuary, Asian, Greek, Roman, architecture, furniture design, textiles, as well as the anticipated genres listed earlier. 

The students even learned that the huge outdoor amphitheater in Millennium Park has to be considered a work of art as it is too tall a building to be otherwise allowed in the park.

Enthusiasm ran high despite sore feet and tired bodies, and the students opted to go one more hour to make sure we saw the American Wing which included Grant Wood's American Gothic. 

The trip was capped off with a drive by Buckingham Fountain and Grant Park and an early supper at the two-storied McDonald's in downtown Chicago.   

Memorial Day proved to be a perfect day to travel as traffic was light and before we knew it, we were safely home, having been enriched and awed by the creative abilities of so many."

 

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.