The Shield Welcome to Aquinas
Saint Thomas Aquinas: Past, Present, and Future “A
Communion of Saints; growing in knowledge, guided by Catholic values.” These are the words used to describe Saint Thomas Aquinas High School today, but they are still applicable to when Aquinas first opened its doors in 1988-- 31 years ago. This statement affirms that Aquinas has upheld its standards throughout all these years. It affirms that Aquinas is a community that teaches generations of family members and first-time Saints. It affirms that Aquinas is truly grounded in its faith-filled origins. These ideals did not entirely stem from Aquinas roots, though. Before Aquinas was even built, St. Joseph High School (later renamed Aquinas High School, or “Old Aquinas”) was the favored
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Catholic institution of Shawnee, Kansas. Aquinas would later replace St. Joseph and relocate to Overland Park but not for another 54 years. Some of Aquinas’ current staff, such as Foreign Language Department Chairwoman Lisa Stoecklein, graduated from St. Joseph High School itself. “There were strong, ingrained traditions. There was a fierce sense of pride in the school and its history,” Stoecklein said. St. Joseph was a school built on community, tradition, and legacy. Aquinas inherited these values from St. Joseph. This “fierce sense of pride” shared among the Blue Streaks (St. Joseph’s mascot), is strikingly similar to the honor of being a Saint Thomas Aquinas Saint. As St. Joseph’s enrollment
numbers grew, a need arose for another Catholic high school, one that could sustain a larger student body. In response, blueprints for Saint Thomas Aquinas High School quickly translated into construction. As for St. Joseph, it was renamed Aquinas High School (“Old Aquinas”). Old Aquinas remained open for eight years, until Saint Thomas Aquinas High School opened in 1988. St. Joseph closed its doors, allowing Aquinas to take the lead among Catholic high schools. A new high school at a new location, with new amenities, and a new identity guaranteed outside interest and attendance. Aquinas on the outside looks very different from the school that opened thirty years ago. Aquinas
Since 1988, Aquinas has strived for its core values of faith, community, service and excellence. Yet, these values extend far before 1988, and they will continue for years to come.
2020 is on the home stretch, and incoming students will be able to experience the constructed hallway and the new learning commons. Through Summer 2019, they will experience the physical education wing renovation; they will be some of the first to walk inside the new locker rooms, the new training facilities, and the new wrestling room. Still, though the outside is changing, Aquinas still has its community built on the “fierce sense of pride.” “[The] awesome student body, [and] dedicated and knowledgeable faculty are probably the reasons I stayed. I did have a chance to leave years ago, but decided that I was right where I belonged,” Farnan said. After teaching at Aquinas for 30 years, Farnan has watched Aquinas,
and its community, expand firsthand. With changes in the students, staff, and construction –he’s seen Aquinas at its worst and at its best. “I have taught at five schools in my career, and Saint Thomas Aquinas is by far the best,” English teacher Phil Farnan said. Aquinas itself, though, isn’t inherently awesome. Its community, atmosphere, and status have been tuned and cultivated for years. Aquinas has prospered since it opened, and class after class, it will continue to do so. Where Aquinas will be in the future is an unknown. But one thing is certain: the success earned and naturally associated with Aquinas is guaranteed. If Aquinas has been able to uphold its standards set into place since day one, the future of
Aquinas looks promising. Looking forward with confidence, Aquinas will continue to build on its values of faith, community, excellence, and service for the next decades to come.
Grace Mayer
Managing Editor 2017-18
Open House Issue
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100
Saint Thomas Aquinas has won 104 KSHSAA championships, more than any other high school in Kansas. With 22 championships in just the past four years, the Saints show no signs of slowing down.
STATE Championships 4
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#100 GIRLS GOLF
Photo by Katie Kinnan. The girls golf team hugs after winning the state championship, and the school’s 100th state title. Winning #100 had been a goal for the season.
Girls golf has always had the first state tournament on the calendar, but this year the girls were after more than just a state title. The girls were determined to get the 100th state title. “From the beginning of the season, we always talked about how it would be really cool to win the 100th banner,” freshman varsity golfer Brooke King said. This long term goal paid off for the team, as they excelled
throughout their season as a whole. Starting off the year strong, the Lady Saints finished in first place at their first tournament, and never placed lower than third throughout the season. The 2017 state tournament came down to Saint Thomas Aquinas and Andover High School. Sophomore Melanie Valle put up a score of 95. Sophomore Melanie Valle followed her with a score of 91. Freshman Brooke King and Jaclyn Koziol
#101 BOYS CROSS
The Saint Thomas Aquinas boys cross country team finished their season with a fourth-straight state championship. Led by senior captains Jacob Cofer, Andrew LeBourveau, Luke Lee, David McCanna and Nick Whiteside, they had a very successful, dominant season.
The team placed first in four of their races. They won the Eastern Kansas League title to propel them on toward their state victory. The boys cross country team has won or placed second in 11 of the last 12 years, and the girls cross country team has won nine state championships in the last 14 years.
Photo by Kathleen Ayers The Saints take off from the starting line of the state championship. Junior Ethan Marshall won, and all seven runners placed in the Top 40. The seniors never lost
shot 87 and 86, placing 9th and 10th. Senior Annie Patton beat her Andover player by 10 strokes with a score of 83 placing 5th overall. Sophomore Maggie King finished up the tournament with a score of 80, placing 3rd. The team won with a score of 336, beating Andover by 13 strokes, for their 11th state title.
Annie Patton
Managing Editor 17-18
COUNTRY Looking into the future, head cross country coach Justin Wrigley said, “winning never satisfies your desire to keep winning. The hope is that we will continue to compete at a high level and produce results that we are proud of.”
Open House Issue
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SAINT THOMAS
AQUINAS
14:1
STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO
950
NUMBER OF STUDENTS
757,108
CANNED GOODS DONATED SINCE 2011
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104
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
100% GRADUATION RATE
BY THE NUMBERS
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NATIONAL MERIT FINALISTS (2017)
30+ CLUBS
59
KANSAS STATE SCHOLARS (2017)
2
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
$13,936,497 OFFERED IN SCHOLARSHIPS (2017)
Photo by Andrew Schoonover, The Shield
August Issue
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Faith Excellence Service Community M
aria Schmeer did not believe that she had actually scored a 36 on the ACT until a week later, when an official letter arrived at her doorstep. “I logged in and out of my ACT account like 20 times before I finally decided they were mistaken. I refused to acknowledge it until I got an official letter in the mail,” Schmeer said. A 36 is no easy feat, less than one percent of test takers score this, but Schmeer said she does not fixate on “simple” numbers. Instead, she prioritizes the knowledge she has gained, something that she has always had a passion for. “I always want to have an understanding of the material, never do I wanna just skate by. I want to understand it even if my grade doesn’t reflect that,” Schmeer said. In a culture that is focused on pushing yourself to the limits academically, it is hard to find people that go to school because they love it, not because they have to.
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At a place like Aquinas where anything below a 96 percent can feel like a failure, this may be especially true. Schmeer said that what she prioritizes and her love of learning is what has kept her away from academic burnout. “Feeling confident that I know something better than when I started -- that’s what matters more to me than my actual letter grade,” Schmeer said. For those who are not as passionate about learning as she, Schmeer has some advice: learn to prioritize. “If you accomplish something and immediately ask, ‘Was that really worth the time I put into it?’ Then maybe it wasn’t. That little reflection is how I start new habits or change things,” Schmeer said. Another tip from Schmeer that she has learned on her path to success is accepting failure. “Freshman year, I thought pretty highly of my flute skills, so when my teacher asked me to work on a challenging piece for
districts, I accepted,” Schmeer said. “Looking back on it, I did not put in as much work as was needed. My performance wasn’t as great as I knew it could have been and from that moment on I realized what I’ve been doing so far isn’t going to work.” After her small failure at district competition, she committed herself to her music and eventually worked her way from Districts to State and then finally, to Nationals. “None of that would have happened without my past experience of personal failure,” said Schmeer. Whatever a person’s “36 score“ is, whether that be winning a state championship or getting the part you wanted in the school play, Schmeer said it all comes down to the drive you have to accomplish it. “Don’t be afraid to take those risks. Don’t be afraid of failure because it is some of the most valuable experience. And most of all, don’t stop pushing yourself.”
Faith Excellence Service Community D
evin Diggs, nicknamed by some as Mr. Saint Thomas Aquinas, originally had no intention of running for student council. That is until his cousin, Katelyn Heying, an Aquinas freshman at the time, came up to him in 8th grade and told him that he would be a perfect fit. “You need to run for it, they’re a really good group of people,” Heying said. And from then on Diggs was determined to join, unaware of the knowledge that a few years later he would become the president of StuCo. “There have been moments where I’m extremely overwhelmed and I think I can’t do it but, usually, those are just moments,” Diggs said. Constantly being looked at to be a leader for the entire student body can wear on a student’s psyche, but Diggs says that perspective is what matters. “I think that’s one thing to keep in mind, that if you’re having a moment, know that it’s just a moment. Most the other time it’s survivable.
During canned food drive week, I know I’m going to be extremely stressed out and just tired of it, but I know it’s just one week of the year.” Looking at the big picture is a skill Diggs has fostered after an entire high school career defined by student council. Proposing ideas and accepting the fact that some are unsustainable have been constant hurdles in Diggs attempts to turn Aquinas into the community he knows it can be. Passion had been Digg’s secret weapon in facing these struggles and it has allowed him to become the leader that he is today. The secret? “Always know your “why”. If you can’t answer why you’re doing something then you should really ask yourself if you’re meant to be doing it at all,” Diggs said, “ if you really are passionate about it then let that fuel you and what you’re doing.“ Passion and purpose go hand in hand said Diggs,
without them the motivation and work ethic that has made Diggs’ administration such a success would be nonexistent. “I definitely have an “others” mindset. I think that is what I like about StuCo. It allows me to serve others by trying to make their day to day better, whether that be by organizing a great Catholic Schools Week or supporting new traditions like the CYO basketball tournament,” Diggs said. His deep gratitude to the school has shaped the last four years of his life, teaching Diggs the lessons that have given him success both in his service and everyday life. “Being the person to carry the honor of representing Saint Thomas Aquinas means so much to me. This school is special, it’s been my home.”
Madison McMillen Editor-In-Chief
Opem House Issue
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Why Aquinas Ph
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Coming to Aquinas means joining a family. ,T
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upportive. Fun. Wholesome. Loving. -- that is what families are, and that is why the family aspect at Aquinas is at the heart of everything we do. For what is now its 30th year the Saint Thomas Aquinas High School family has served as the school on the hill. A family devoted to faith, service, excellence and community, the Aquinas family applies Catholic values in a dynamic, genuine way: rising through healthy dissatisfaction to become the premiere private school in Kansas. As a Catholic family we value welcoming everyone to our school. Your religious beliefs do not stop you from being welcome here. Your income will not bar you from attending. Your strengths, weaknesses, and your God-given talents will all be embraced at this school that knows no stranger. Families show their true colors in both times of hardship and success. Aquinas celebrates its many successes with grace, humility, and class. When the
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Aquinas family encounters hardship, we rise to the occasion for one another. From the nationalrecord breaking canned food drive to the simple day-to-day care for one another, our family challenges one another to be supportive, to be active in helping each other, and to strive to get to know Christ one day at a time. As a family, we do not strive to accomplish more achievements, but to be more as people. Success is not perceived as grades on a test score, how nice ones facilities are, or how holy appears to be. No, we view success in a different light: as the difference you make in someone else’s life, as the relationship you find with Christ, as the way you live life as a Saint. It is this perception of success, coupled with Catholic values and student leadership, that has lead to our
vibrant, dynamic, and passionate family. If you are considering Saint Thomas Aquinas to be your high school experience, know that choosing Aquinas is in fact a much bigger decision. If you find yourself at Aquinas, challenge yourself to make it your home. If you choose Aquinas, know that it is more than a high school-- it is deciding to become a part of a strong, vibrant, and Catholic family.
Andrew Schoonover Editor-In-Chief
CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES Find your passion or spearhead your own. Key Club
Debate
Join one of Aquinas’ largest clubs and be the first to find out about exciting new opportunities to serve your community.
Grow your public speaking, critical thinking, and research skills through thoughtful argumentation.
StuCo
STAPLES
Run for office to plan school activities and learn how to be a voice for your fellow classmates.
Organize Aquinas’ religious events: reconciliations, Masses and other events that celebrate Christ in our school.
Scholars Bowl
Challenge yourself and compete in trivia tournaments against other metro schools.
Pieces
A student-run literary magazine, Pieces exhibits the best of Aquinas art, poetry, prose, and photography.
Sports
Baseball
Basketball Bowling
Theatre
Cheerleading
Become part of a lively community that performs well-known shows such as The Sound of Music and Shrek the Musical!
Cross Country Dance Team Football Golf
Teens for Life
Lacrosse Rugby Softball
Put your faith into action by advocating for life-marching and praying in our own area as well as in Washington, D.C.
Swimming Tennis Track & Field Volleyball Wrestling
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Welcome to Aquinas
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Defining a legacy Basketball has been the focal point of her time at Aquinas, but the success she earned has come at a cost.
Photo by Madison McMillen, The Shield.
F
or many, sports is a defining factor of their high school career, but few can say that they were a team captain with multiple state titles and over 1,000 points scored. Senior Sereena Weledji has done just that, and in the process left quite a mark on the Saint Thomas Aquinas community. With her final basketball season wearing Aquinas colors coming to a close, Weledji took time to reflect on what has gotten her to where she is today. “Basketball has always been a huge part of my life,” Weledji said. “My dad played, my sisters played, my mom didn’t but she has been in the gym with us since we started.” Part of this family legacy are Weledji’s older sisters, Nelly and Tia, Aquinas basketball stars with 907 points and 974 points in their career respectively. Some may see
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an older sibling’s accomplishments and think they need to be just as good or better, bu t Weledji says it is more complicated than that. “We’re differ ent players and my parents always recognized They don’t hold us to [another] sibling’s standards, but at t he same time, to be like her is something that I strive for,” Weledji said. This environment certainly prepared Weledji to be a competitive basketball player, equipping her wit h the right skills and mindset to re ach her goals, not without some obs tacles. Chiefly: the time commitment. During the basketball season , the girls practice for two or more hours every day of the week except Sunday. Sereena practices an extra 15 hours a week outside of the tea m, raking in a whoppi ng 27-30 hours a week. Free time is a rarity, bu t the girls’ passion
for t he sport is what helps them power through their problems. “Everyone has to make sacrifices for different things in their life. At first in high school, I did struggle socially because I did not feel like I was able to spend as much time with my friends as I wanted to because of basketball,” Weledji said. “As you get older though, you realize your circle can only be so big. You do not really need that many close friends I feel like, so people that want to be with you will make sure they’re with you.“ The last few years, Sereena has transformed her struggles and used them to empower her team. As a team captain she says that these obstacles helped her to learn that it is okay to be a leader on the court. “Sereena has been an important part of keeping the Aquinas girls
Sereena would come to her sisters' games when she was about 8 years old. I remember my mom asking Sereena if she was going to be as good as her sisters are and Sereena answered
"Better" -Rick Hetzel
Guarding her territory
Weledji positions herself for a rebound against Blue Valley West Feb. 16. Weledji may set the team record for career rebounds. Photo by Madison McMillen, The Shield.
basketball tradition going through her hard work and commitment to her team and school,” Rick Hetzel, Aquinas girls basketball coach of 20 years, said. She has been a fixed point on a team that is constantly changing, but no less a family than any other. “Each year we don’t really [lose] or gain too many people, it’s pretty much still the same team but the dynamic changes every season. It has been really awesome though, this year has probably been the best. Our team chemistry has been really amazing,” Weledji said. Basketball is not the only thing that Sereena is passionate about. Sewing, dancing, and music are all creative outlets that Weledji says helps her de-stress. Ukulele is one such talent, and while she may not be rushing to show anyone her skills on the instrument, she says that when she plays it she “feel[s] like a rockstar.” Some favorites of hers include ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole and ‘Lava’ , the musical Pixar short that was released alongside Inside Out in 2014. With only a few months left until the end of her high school career, distractions have not
helped put her graduation jitters at ease. “It’s scary because I look at the freshmen and realize the only memories I have of my underclassmen years are pictures. It’s all slowly fading away more and more,” Weledji said. “I’m super excited for college but at the same time, I’m never going to be a student at Aquinas ever again. In middle school and high school, you’re still at home, you still live with your parents, you know most people at school, but college is a whole new deal.” Sereena may be excited to start this new chapter of her life but saying goodbye to the school that has given her so much is a very bitter-sweet experience. “Aquinas was a home for me. Because of my sisters I knew the great academics, the amazing teachers, and the awesome school spirit but I found out for myself how great it was being part of the community,” Weledji said.
Madison McMillen Editor-In-Chief
Open House Issue
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Canned Food Drive
Helping those in need is a tradition at Aquinas.
From canning around our community to counting thousands of cans, giving to others is taken to the next level at Saint Thomas Aquinas. This year, Aquinas students also picked local, organic potatoes to donate to Catholic Charities as well.
Photos courtesy of Michele Gress and Andrew Schoonover
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lthough there are a number of strong traditions at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School, one tradition stands out among the rest: The Catholic Charities Canned Food Drive. While the repetition of this tradition can make it lose its shine, the massive impact the drive has each year keeps the tradition exhilarating. Since 2010, Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas has received more than half a million donations from the Aquinas community. Donations have fed the organization’s entire 21 county service area. The efforts of the Aquinas community help Catholic Charities immensely and are greatly appreciated. Each year, the number of those in need has risen each year. Catholic Charities is extremely thankful for the tradition of support from Aquinas.
Canned Food Drive Totals:
2011 - 113,936 2012 - 95,655 2013 - 117,705 2014 - 158,377 2015 - 177,901 2016 - 93,624 2017 - 118, 238
“Every year, we think it can’t get any bigger – and it does” said Dustin Hardison, Director of Stabilization Administration for Catholic Charities. To help meet this growing need, Student Council is working tirelessly to make sure Aquinas continues the tradition of giving. One way they are doing this is by incorporating new traditions. For example, this year Student Council picked fresh produce at a local organic farm for the first time. Because of this, Catholic Charities will be able to offer both organic and canned goods to their clientele. In addition to this, Director of Spiritual Development Sarah Cretors holds a goal of showing students how much they are helping the poor. “I would love to add a deeper understanding of the thousands of people the students are affecting by their hard work on this collection,” said Cretors. The strong tradition of giving is still very much needed throughout our area to fight hunger-- and the Saints are at the forefront of this cause.
Becca Haeusser Managing Editor 2016-17
Open House Issue
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Join Our Family... Diane Pyle Director of Admissions dpyle@stasaints.net Saint Thomas Aquinas High School 11411 Pflumm Rd Overland Park, KS 66210 (913)345-1411 www.stasaints.net/admissions
fti Photos courtesy of Michele Gress, The Shield, and the Medallion