Sterling College

A team of five students and four alumni from Sterling
College in Sterling, Kansas, will leave on July 5 for Phuket, Thailand, for a
two-week mission trip.

While the team is in Thailand, they will be working with
Self Help and Empowerment, a Christian organization that helps women and
children trapped in the commercial sex trade.

Team leader Karin Swihart, an ’08 alumna and current
Sterling College employee, hopes the team will be able to build strong
relationships with the people they meet. “I am excited to see the team step up
to the challenges we will be facing,” Swihart said. “We have a great group of
students taking time out of their busy summers to serve, and it is exciting to be
a part of that.”

The Thailand team members include Leah Frees of Ellsworth,
Kan.; Kyla Renfro of Macksville, Kan.; and Ben Swihart of St. Francis, Kan.
The assistant team leaders are Nate Prior of Norco, Calif., and Sam Prior of
Halstead, Kan.

To read more about team Thailand’s adventures, go to www.thethailandexpress.blogspot.com

Sterling College is pleased to announce that Dr. Marvin Dewey, a native of Great Bend, Kan., has accepted the position of Vice President for Institutional Advancement.

 "Dr. Dewey comes to Sterling with strong experience in Christian liberal arts administration. His unique skills, as well as his prior connections to the College, will be of great benefit, and I am glad to welcome him to Sterling. I am also thankful for alumnus Scott Carter, who stepped in to lead the advancement office during this interim period. We greatly appreciate his expertise and service. I have confidence Dr. Dewey will build upon the growth Carter has effected while he also employs his own ideas and leadership style," Sterling College President Dr. Paul J. Maurer said.

Dr. Dewey returns to Kansas from Alberta, Canada, where he served as the president of Taylor University College and Seminary from 1997 to 2008. During his tenure at Taylor, the school's endowment grew by almost 300%, and annual fund giving nearly doubled. For fourteen years prior to that, Dewey worked at Sioux Falls Seminary in South Dakota, first as the Director of Development and then as the Vice President for Advancement, participating in two capital campaigns, meeting with major donors, and leading the development, public relations, and recruitment staffs.

He holds a doctorate in higher education administration from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.; a master of divinity from Sioux Falls Seminary; and a bachelor of arts in religion from Taylor University College. As Sterling College's Vice President for Advancement, Dr. Dewey will serve on the president's cabinet and will be responsible for leading and coordinating all College development and alumni relations, including annual fund, major gifts, planned giving, and church relations.

Dewey and his wife Becky, an elementary school teacher, will be moving to the Sterling area this summer. They have two adult children who live in Sioux Falls, S.D. Dewey is originally from Great Bend, Kan., and his mother and two of his brothers still live in the area. Three of his nephews are Sterling College graduates.

Sterling College Athletic Director Andy Lambert announced today the hiring of Luke Cureton as head golf coach for the Warriors. Cureton will also assist with the men’s basketball program.

“We are pleased to announce the hiring of Luke as the head coach of our golf program,” Lambert said. “Luke is well known around the SC community and will be a great asset to our golf program and our athletic department.”

Cureton comes back to Sterling College after being gone for one year. Luke, a 2003 graduate, worked in admissions and in the advancement department at Sterling from 2003 – 2006. Cureton finished his Master of Education Degree in Sports Administration from Wichita State University in May of 2008. Cureton spent one season with the men’s basketball team and athletic department as an intern at SC from August 2007-April 2008.

As a student-athlete at Sterling, Luke was a four-year varsity letter winner in men’s basketball, two-year NAIA Academic All-American, All-Conference Honorable Mention, Outstanding Male Athlete and Sterling College Outstanding Male Graduate.

 "I am excited to return to Sterling College and lead the golf program. I look forward to working with the young men and women as they grow and mature on and off the golf course," said Cureton. "Sterling College is a great place for students to develop spiritually, academically, and athletically. It's a great day to be a Warrior!"

Cureton takes over the Warrior Golf Program which is in its second season of existence. He and his wife Erin (Clark), class of ’07, plan to move to back to Sterling this summer.

Sterling College is a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC), a group of ten independent institutions all located within the state of Kansas. The KCAC is a member conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

For more information contact Justin Morris, Sports Information Director, Sterling College at (620) 278-4324.

Michael Wales of Camp Verde, Arizona, has committed to Sterling College where he intends to play soccer and major in Psychology. While at Camp Verde High School, Wales scored 21 goals and notched 21 assists in his career despite splitting time as a goalkeeper during his junior and senior seasons. He received first team all-regional and all-state honors for his efforts. After his senior year at Camp Verde, Wales was named Athlete of the Year. He played club ball with the Verde Valley Soccer Club, helping his team win the Red Mountain Invitational and Mile High Tournament. He was an active member of FCA and attends First Baptist Church. Sterling coach David Underwood commented on Wales, "We are really excited that Michael has chosen Sterling. It is not often that you find a player who is an accomplished field player as well as GK. We will have to see where he will be most useful for us. Michael is a great athlete and a quality young man who will be a great fit here at Sterling." 

Six Sterling College students and four SC employees will be traveling to Peru this summer on a short term mission trip. The team will be leaving on June 16 and staying for two weeks.

The team will be heading to the small town of Reque, near the mountainous city of Chiclayo in northern Peru. They will be working with the Latin American Children's Fund where SC Alumni Terrance Volden ‘08 is working as a missions coordinator. The team will spend most of their time constructing the science wing of an area school. The team will be taking clothing and construction supplies with them.

"I am excited to see changes take place in the students who have never been outside the country before and to see their worldviews become enhanced because of the encounter with a new culture," Ben Swihart, team leader, said.

The team Peru members include Jean Bosch of Wichita, Kan.; Kami Hodson of Hutchinson, Kan.; Mike Jaderston of Sterling, Kan.; Katie Sparks of Winterset, Iowa; Jordan Stineman of Salina, Kan.; Mackenzie Stramel of Hutchinson, Kan.; Zack Yarborough of Apple Valley, Minn.; and Travis Tesone of Sterling, Kan. Cross Country Coach Ashley Tesone will be serving as the assistant team leader. Sterling's Mission Director, Dr. Henry Lederle, will also be going on this trip.

In preparation for the trip the team raised funds through fundraising letters and various work projects. They also met once a week as a team to prepare to enter a new culture and to pray for the people in Peru.

To read more about Team Peru's adventures, go to http://purinperu.blogspot.com/ .

Sterling College has named 150 students to its Dean’s List for the Spring 2009 semester.  Criteria for the Dean’s List include the completion of at least twelve graded credit hours and a cumulative and semester GPA of 3.5 or better.  The following students were named to the list.

Brett Allman of Key Largo, Florida
Tyler Ball of Great Bend, KS
Ashley Barnes of Colby, Kansas
Rebekah Bell of Medicine Lodge, Kansas
Marty Boeschling of Clay Center, Kansas
Jean Bosch of Wichita, Kansas
Jared Brown of Augusta, Kansas
Cristy Carter of Haslett, Mich.
Maricela Cerenil of Loz Angeles, California
Caley Chestnut of Clay Center, Kansas
Mollie Cline of Pueblo, Colorado
Jason Coles of Meade, Kansas
Jaclyn Coxwell of Orange Park, Florida
Kelly Curtis of Great Bend, Kansas
Jennie Czuba of Longmont, Colorado
Michael Danski of Venice, Florida
Tyler Degenhardt of Holton, Kansas
Tim Dinh of Liberal, Kansas
Kaedra Dixson of Atwood, Kansas
Hannah Dory of Denver, Colorado
Matt Ehresman of Wichita, Kansas
Annette Ensz of Whitewater, Kansas
Dallas Fenn of Wichita, Kansas
Jessica Frederick of Wichita, Kansas
Leah Frees of Ellsworth, Kansas
Josiah Fuchser of Malcolm, Nebraska
David Fuller of Miltonvale, Kansas
Britany Gasper of Tipton, Kansas
Chloe Hall of Holton, Kansas
Matthew Hastings of Independence, Kansas
Justin Hejny of Hoisington, Kansas
Hannah Herrington of Wichita, Kansas
Audrey Hoyt of Brewster, Kansas
Danielle Jones of Sharon Springs, Kansas
Sara Kanary of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma
Samantha Rose Kempf of Lawrence, Kansas
Kelli LaRosh of Osborne, Kansas
Carolynn Lawrence of Broomfield, Colorado
Taylor Libby of Ellinwood, Kansas
Madison Lucas of Rose Hill, Kansas
Timothy Luisi of Black Hawk, South Dakota
Caitlin Magee of San Leandro, California
Katie Manring of Olathe, Kansas
Jared McGuire of Arkansas City, Kansas
Lori McLeland of Ellinwood, Kansas
Jordan Miller of Hutchinson, Kansas
Taren Morse of Sterling, Kansas
Marcus Mull of Great Bend, Kansas
Mandy Nichols of Lyons, Kansas
Nicole Oberle of Claflin, Kansas
Ben Oberle of Chase, Kansas
Wassa Olenga of Arlington, Texas
Dustin Patee of Osborne, Kansas
Megan Patrick of Hutchinson, Kansas
Julie Penner of Whitewater, Kansas
Ashley Perrett of Rouseville, Pennslyvania
Joseph Powell of Olathe, Kansas
Nate Prior of Norco, California
Jamie Quick of Boerne, Texas
Cortnea Ralston of Great Bend, Kansas
Chelsea Rebman of Lawrence, Kansas
Samantha Regier of Halstead, Kansas
Kyla Renfro of Macksville, Kansas
Deric Roach of Sterling, Kansas
Lauren Robinson of Scott City, Kansas
Kacie Rogers of Wichita, Kansas
Jeff Ropp of Hutchinson, Kansas
Stacey Rosenberger of Morgan Hill, California
Erin Roseveare of Colorado Springs, Colorado
Derick Rowe of Blackwell, Oklahoma
Elisabeth Ruble of Barnard, Kansas
Lindsey Ryan of Wichita, Kansas
Aspen Schnurr of Sterling, Kansas
Tessa Schroeder of Olathe, Kansas
Jordan Smith of Hutchinson, Kansas
Cara Spencer of Lyndon, Kansas
Edward Streckfus of Lakin, Kansas
Jessica Stuart of Wichita, Kansas
Rachael Svaty of Ellsworth, Kansas
Addie Swihart of St. Francis, Kansas
Renee Swisher of Inman, Kansas
Hilary Thomas of Meade, Kansas
Kurt Thomas of Sterling, Kansa
Jaclyn Tinkel of Topeka, Kansas
Chelsy Troyer of Phillipsburg, Kansas
Sarah Tucker of Smith Center, Kansas
Courtney Van Ravenswaay of Lenexa, Kansas
Dario Villatoro of Guatemala
Jeannie Wallenburg of Springfield, Missouri
Salima Watson of Russell, KS
Nathan West of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Lauren White of Kansas City, Kansas
Katy Wild of Olathe, Kansas
Stephen Wilson of Westminster, Colorado
Andrew Wolfenberger of Newton, Kansas
Sarah Wolff of Kit Carson, Colorado
Amy Woods of Pueblo, Colorado
Zack Yarbrough of Apple Valley, Minnesota
Melissa Yarrow of Clay Center, Kansas
Kylie Yates of Berthoud, Colorado

Sterling College awarded the outstanding graduating student awards to David Fuller and Melissa Yarrow during the commencement exercises on Saturday, April 25, at Smisor Stadium.

Both Fuller and Yarrow were cited for their service in student government, their leadership on mission trips, and their participation and excellence in their respective fields of study.

The outstanding graduating student awards are presented to one male and one female who exemplify outstanding academic achievement, leadership skills and involvement, and an enthusiastic Christian faith. Generally, these are students who reflect and portray the ideal Sterling College graduate.

Fuller and Yarrow were also the recipients of the Professor Fran Jabara Leadership Award. This award, established in 2002 by Professor Fran Jabara, former Dean of the Wichita State University College of Business Administration, recognizes graduating seniors from four-year, private Kansas colleges who display exemplary leadership skills.

Fuller graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in religious and philosophical studies and Christian ministries with an emphasis in missions.  He is the son of Ken and Janet Fuller of Miltonvale, Kan.  

Yarrow graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Christian ministries with an emphasis in missions and communications and theatre arts with a communications emphasis. She is the daughter of Lee and Karen Yarrow of Morganville, Kan.

STERLING, Kans., -- Sterling College Athletic Director,Andy Lambert, and the SC Athletic Department have announced the 2009 Outstanding Senior Athletes.   This year’s outstanding senior athletes are Jonathan Woods and Ashley Kraft.

“These two senior student-athletes have been tremendous to their respective programs on and off the court,” said SC Athletic Director Andy Lambert. “They have represented Sterling College extremely well and are well deserving of this award.”  Woods, a 6’10 center, native of  San Antonio, Texas, was a unanimous and repeat selection by the KCAC this past season and was named to the All Defensive Team. Woods helped the Warriors to their first KCAC Regular Season Title in fifteen years and a trip to the NAIA Div. II National Tournament this past season. Jonathan was named and NAIA Honorable Mention All-American following his senior campaign.   

"It is a great honor for Jonathan to receive the Sterling College 'Senior Athlete of the Year' award," said Sterling College Head Coach, Dean Jaderston. "He has progressed so far in his 3 years at Sterling.  This season his presence on the court and off the court provided a maturity and competence that the team relied on.  His ability to change shots and rebound were key components in the Warrior's success this season. To be the top defensive rebounder in the nation is a huge accomplishment, and to finish in the top 6 in both overall rebounding and block shots is amazing.  He also averaged a double-double for the season, demonstrating his skill at both ends of the court.  We will definitely miss his presence next season."

Jonathan led the NAIA in defensive rebounds this past year, he was #4 in total rebounds per game and #6 in blocks per game. During his career as a Warrior he had 905 points, 735 rebounds and had 188 blocks. Woods finishes his career as the all-time leader in blocks. The Warriors, as a team, broke the school record for wins with twenty-one victories. Jonathan majored in Exercise Science at Sterling College.  

Kraft, a 5’10 forward, from Ransom, Kansas, was named to the All-KCAC First Team for the second season in a row. During the past two seasons she has led the Lady Warriors in scoring, rebounding and in steals. Kraft led the Lady Warriors to their 10th regular season championship and their 13th trip to the NAIA Div. II National Tournament this past season.  

"Ashley has had a tremendous career,” said Head Coach Lonnie Kruse. “She is in our top ten career wise in scoring, rebounding, and steals. Ashley's stats would have been better if it had not been for two ACL injuries. She has been a driven athlete, who had a desire to improve and to win. She has been a major part of our success in winning conference championships and going to nationals. It is a great honor to be named the Outstanding Senior Women’s Athlete."   

Ashley ends her career with 1417 points, 750 rebounds and 218 steals. She ranks #6 in scoring all-time, #5 in rebounding and #7 steals. Kraft was a second team NAIA All-American twice during her career at SC.  Ashley is majoring in Business Administration and Sports Management at Sterling College. 

After leaving KCAC rival, Bethany College, sophomore Joe Vieyra signs a letter of intent to continue his studies and playing career at Sterling College. Vieyra was a two year starter for the Swedes playing as a center back during his freshman campaign and moving into the midfield as a sophomore. While at Bethany, Vieyra tallied two goals and two assists. He is a graduate of Hutchinson High School where he was a three-year starter for the Salthawks, earning all-regional honors as a senior. Vieyra had considered signing with Sterling out of high school, intending to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Daniel, who is a Sterling alum; however, with the hiring of Jeff Kidd (also a Sterling grad and close friend of Daniel) Vieyra decided to take his talents to Bethany instead. "I am thrilled that Joe has decided to transfer to Sterling," commented Warrior coach, David Underwood. "He knows Sterling and is comfortable here. I think he will thrive here at Sterling both on and off the field. Joe is an excellent defender and distributor and as a veteran of the KCAC he understand the rigors of the college game and the physical play of our conference. He will need very little time to become comfortable with our players and our style of play. I anticipate that he will fit right in and be an immediate contributor." Vieyra intends to major in either Sports Management or Education.

The goal of Sterling College's Education department is to prepare students to be top-quality teachers. Professor Terri Gaeddert says, "We do everything we can to train our students, not just for the challenging situations they will face in the classroom, but even for the interviewing skills they need to obtain a job." This year there are some very visible results of all that preparation.

Sterling Teacher Education Program (STEP) students are required to log more than 100 hours of observation and participation in classrooms before their full semester of clinical teaching. Often teacher candidates must plan hands-on lessons and actually teach them during their observation hours. Other times field experiences require them to step back into the position of a student. For their education in psychology class, they are paired with students, not teachers, following the students' schedules for the day.

Additional observations increase prospective teachers' exposure to diversity. Early in the program, STEP candidates take a cultural diversity class and spend an evening preparing and serving a meal at a soup kitchen. In the semester prior to their clinical teaching, elementary education students spend two days a week in a school with a high level of diversity.

"We want to prepare them for anything they may experience when they stand in front of their own classrooms," Gaeddert says. "We try to be creative in our preparation, so that they, in turn, can be creative in their teaching. If they are ill-prepared, they cannot be effective, caring teachers." Though the quality of compassion cannot be taught like a science fact, STEP professors believe it can be fostered by service. Prospective teachers are required to complete a service project every year. At the senior level, the project must benefit the school where they are completing their semester of clinical teaching.

STEP also prepares its prospective teachers for obtaining jobs by requiring them to perform mock interviews in their senior seminar class. They must also interview before they can begin their semester of clinical teaching. Sterling also partners with ACCK (Associated Colleges of Central Kansas) to provide a Teacher Interview Day for graduates seeking employment.

The Sterling Teacher Education Program has recently been seeing big results from all this preparation. Second-year teacher Kacie Rife, a 2007 Sterling College graduate, was named the Eudora Teacher of the Month this past December for the passion she brings to her third-grade classroom. Her principal at West Elementary School, Jan Inman, says, "She was meant to be a teacher. I can only hope that we can have as many children go through her room as we possibly can and that she can one day mentor teachers to be as great as she is."

In early January of 2009, the Kansas Department of Education announced this year's Horizon Award winners. These second-year teachers are recommended by their principals for the expertise and professionalism they display. Following a rigorous selection process, thirty educators are selected. This year, two of the thirty Horizon awards went to STEP graduates, Maeghan Bishop and Andrew Wesner.

A current education student, Kelli LaRosch, is receiving recognition of a different sort. She wrote and illustrated a children's book to fulfill the requirements for her Reading and Writing in the Content Area class last spring, and What's Math Got to Do with Farming? was published earlier this year. LaRosch has received recognition from the Kansas Farm Bureau, and several public schools across the state have invited her to share her book and present additional math-related concepts.

Other STEP candidates are also going above and beyond. Currently the Kansas Department of Education is piloting a new assessment for teacher candidates. In the fall of 2008, clinical teachers across the state were asked to volunteer to be part of the pilot group for the Kansas Performance Teaching Portfolio (KPTP). Eight out of the twenty volunteers were from Sterling College. "Their willingness speaks highly of our students' participation in their profession. They care about teaching as a vocation, not just as an individual job," says Dr. Gladys Ritterhouse, STEP director.

In addition, Sterling College prospective teachers have a 100% pass rate on the Praxis II series of tests that all teacher-education students must pass in order to receive their teaching licenses. These things combine to make Sterling College teacher education graduates well-sought after by district superintendents to fill open positions in their school systems. "School district representatives like to come to the ACCK interview day because our candidates are very well prepared," says Nancy Hicks, STEP Administrative Assistant.

"Providing quality servant-leader educators is what drives the Sterling Teacher Education Program," says Dr. Ritterhouse. "Our desire is to prepare called, competent, and committed educators who will change the world for future generations."