The Choral Scholar scholarship is awarded to students during their senior year of high school. In order to qualify for the scholarship, students must be accepted as a student in William Jewell and score well in a vocal audition in front of three vocal professors. There are multiple scholarships that may be awarded through this process, but the highest award is the Choral Scholar program.

The Choral Scholars are expected to fulfill a number of requirements within their scholarships. They are to enroll in the Concert Choir (which is ranked as the number two college choir in the nation, according to the 2019 competition American Prize in Choral Performance) as well as attend private vocal lessons with one of the vocal staff, and participate in Choral Scholars. There are currently 13 members.

Part of what makes the Choral Scholars so unique is their individual voices. Every student has multiple solo achievements, including lead roles in musicals, high rankings at district and state competitions in high school, and a high percentage of graduate school placement for music majors. Another thing that sets the Choral Scholars apart from the top choirs in other schools is that the Choral Scholars aren’t required to be music majors. Many are, but some aren’t.

As aforementioned, the Choral Scholars had a very busy last week! The Concert Choir performed at the Kauffman Centre for the Performing Arts on March 6. They performed alongside the William Baker Festival Singers and soloist Sarah Tannehill. They sang the works of Sir Andrew Davis and his son Ed Frazier Davis, both of whom are accomplished and well-known composers of beautiful contemporary pieces. Both were also in residence with the Concert Choir, conducting them and offering feedback The Concert Choir had been preparing for this concert since their return from spring break. The Choral Scholars, in addition to this, also had a major concert to prepare for just a few days later on March 9.

The Choral Scholars are also part of a group called Cardinalis, founded by the current choir professor Dr. Anthony Maglione. Cardinalis features the Choral Scholars as well as professional singers from the KC metro area, many of whom are Jewell alumni. This year, they have performed together twice, including the concert this past Monday. That concert featured music from the upcoming composer Dale Trumbore and her work entitled How to Go On. The Choral Scholars had been working on that set since shortly before winter break.

The next step for Choral Scholars is a combined concert with the Concert Choir and Choral Ensemble in May. However, it is unknown if this will still happening pending COVID-19, but the goal is that this concert will still occur. Every member of every choir will be sent home with music to learn on their own in case the choir still happens. Hopefully, the spotlight will still remain on these talented Jewell students!

A nascent student group at William Jewell College is aiming to spread awareness about mental health on campus. This organization, called Students for Mental Health (SMH), has an executive board comprised of Cara Ellman, senior music performance major, as president; Jonathan Daniel, senior Oxbridge: Music and philosophy major, as vice president and social media manager; Alex May, sophomore music education major, as treasurer and Grace Urquhart, sophomore psychological science and theatre major, as founding secretary.  

One of SMH’s primary goals is to work to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness using methods shaped specifically for the nuances of Jewell’s campus.

“There isn’t another student organization on campus solely dedicated to spreading awareness of mental health. While we have the Office of Counseling Services [OCS], there needs to be a student foundation committed to being advocates in order to further the destigmatization surrounding mental health and mental illness,” Urquhart said.

Though the group is moderated by OCS representative Dr. Tricia Hager and plans to work closely with OCS for some student programming, the group defines themselves as being independent from College-sponsored counseling services.

A significant motivating factor in creating this peer-based organization for mental health awareness was to create a more approachable and comfortable space for students so that they could feel more inclined to explore topics concerning mental health.

“Students are much more likely to open up to other students struggling with the same issues than to make an appointment for therapy on their own,” Urquhart said. “Through this organization, we can encourage other students who may be struggling to reach out and use their resources like OCS.”

Since Jewell’s campus is teeming with high-achieving students, part of SMH’s mission is to create a more visible outlet for these students to take a step back and consider whether their academic habits are compatible with a mentally healthy lifestyle.

“Those types of students tend to neglect their mental health in order to succeed, ourselves included. College students are also in a new environment experiencing a range of new emotions which can be overwhelming. College students need support in terms of mental health and self-care,” Urquhart said.

The founding members are passionate about reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness and serving as a conduit for struggling students to gain access to resources that can assist them.

Urquhart, in particular, has had a keen interest in psychology and supporting individuals with mental illness since junior high school. With her study of psychological science and theatre, she aspires to eventually get Master’s degrees in counseling psychology and drama therapy.

Similarly, Daniel is passionate about using his musical talents to advocate causes that are important to him and to express unique perspectives about important issues. Inspired by his own and close friends’ struggles with matters concerning mental health, Daniel has a vested interest in breaking down the stigma of mental illness, advocating self-care and helping to facilitate a stronger culture regarding mental wellness within the campus community.

As a group, the executive board is working hard to plan events for the remaining weeks of the semester. One event in the works – scheduled for May 8 at Jewell Time – is a mixer intended to draw in interested members and to allow them to converse with the executive board.

Urquhart shared some other plans SMH hopes to see through by the end of the semester.

“We are also joining Dr. Hager with OCS, Pharamond with Academic Achievement, and Missy Henry with Disability Services in May during their Fuel up for Finals event where we will be helping assemble Distress Tolerance kits,” Urquhart said. “We are planning another event that involves a guest speaker who is a therapist focusing on trauma and shame and how to process those healthily.”

If you’re interested in keeping up with Students for Mental Health, you can like the club’s Facebook page or follow the Instagram account.

William Jewell College’s YDS chapter at the March for Our Lives event in Kansas City, March 2018.

Young Democratic Socialists (YDS) is a politically-oriented club at William Jewell College that emphasizes open political discussion, political action and organization, and active ongoing communication about political events at Jewell and in the broader Kansas City area.

Brendan Davison, junior political science major and vice president of the club, started the club when he first came to Jewell.

“I had previously started a Young Democratic Socialists group in high school, and when I started here in fall 2016, I quickly realized there was no real outlet to agitate for socialist ideas on campus, and the overall political scene on campus seemed to be too focused on the election cycle. So I started YDS to spread Democratic Socialist ideas and to try and encourage people to get involved in politics year round not just during elections,” said Davison.

“Both the government and the economy should be structured democratically to meet human needs,” said Davison about the democratic socialist position.

Although the club is centered around the Democratic Socialist belief system, Timothy Wise, senior communication major and club president, believes that other political voices would benefit from and are welcome to join in the club’s conversations.

“People who have different political beliefs would be welcome to attend and, I believe, would benefit from joining. A lot of what we have done in previous years has been more organized around political action, so organizing people to attend protests, organizing them on campus and addressing specific issues on this campus that we find important. In each case, we want to be open to the community and welcome everyone to participate in a way that they want,” Wise said.

YDS meets on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on the third floor of the Pryor Learning Commons when weather and member schedules permit.

“An average meeting usually covers any updates from previous events, motions for new discussions, proposals for new events and opportunities to attend events in the area, and then a discussion about an important issue or reading that is sent out beforehand,” said Wise.

The club had a few events this fall semester, including an educational event about two 2018 ballot initiatives that featured guest speaker Alejo Gonzalez, an expert on Amendment 1. They also recently screened the documentary “Hypernormalisation,” a 2015 film that attempts to explain a few important contemporary political events and crises like Brexit and the War in Syria.

Although the club does not have any events scheduled for the rest of the semester, Wise assures that there are plenty of events planned in the spring.

Wise invites anyone interested in attending meetings to join YDS’s email list so they can stay informed about meetings and club events.

Image courtesy of the YDS Facebook page.

There is a little-known club on campus that has students twirling with excitement – Ballroom Dance Club. The growing ballroom dance program at William Jewell College now includes a class and a dance team and aims to teach a new generation of students the art of dance.

Some of the dancers have funny stories about how they stumbled across the class by accident.

“My advisor gave me the choice of 7 p.m. dance or 7 a.m. pilates. I chose dance,” said Blair Walker, junior vocal performance major and treasurer of Ballroom Dance Club.

Other dancers say they joined because of friends in the program or to impress people with their dancing skills. Either way, almost every dancer is glad to be a part of the dance community.

While ballroom dance may seem old-fashioned, dancers say it’s a great way to stay active and have fun.

“I think it’s really important we have a ballroom dance class here because it’s sort of a dying art. You can have a connection with someone before even knowing them – and it’s fun!” said Walker.

Walker also says the program has benefited him outside the dance floor.

“Ballroom dance has gotten me through a lot,” Walker said. 

Other dancers echo Walker’s feelings about the ballroom dance program.

“I believe dance is an important skill for life. I also believe it is important for football because it improves footwork,” said Juan Cantu, first-year physiology major and defensive player for Jewell’s football team.

Kathryn Shelburne, senior French and international relations major and president of the ballroom dance club says ballroom dance has become a big part of her college experience.

“I’ve been on the team for three years now and I was just nominated to be the president. It’s been so much fun working with all these people. I’ve made lifelong friends– we’re really just a big family,” Shelburne said.

The ballroom dance family has grown over the past year and consists of students from all walks of life, including football players, Oxbridge students, music majors and nursing students. In total, there are approximately 20 dancers in each class. The class is also now open to dancers outside the college, including alumni and high school students from Liberty and Liberty North High School.

“I’ve always been interested in dance, and I thought ballroom dance would be a lot of fun,” said Savannah Fritz, a freshman at Liberty High School.

Fritz has enjoyed the class so much she joined the dance team and now brings some of her friends to the class so they can experience the fun.

The dance family has also expanded to include two new dance instructors. In the spring semester of last year, the College hired two new instructors, Jeri Mickle and Lani Seaborn. Mickle and Seaborn have their own dance studio, One Step at a Time, in Excelsior Springs, and Mickle has taught ballroom dance for more than three decades.

The new instructors have updated the way ballroom dance is taught at Jewell. Instead of learning multiple dances at once, they now limit it to one dance a night so students gain a more in-depth understanding and can learn spins and breaks that require more instruction.

“We’re creating a lot of excitement. We do fewer dances now and incorporate modern music,” said Seaborn.

During the class, which meets every Wednesday from 7-9 p.m., students learn a new dance every week, including the Waltz, the Tango, the Cha-cha and the foxtrot. They also work on dance etiquette and review the dance they learned during the previous week.

“The class focuses on learning core dances while the team focuses on routines they will perform,” said Mickle.

The dance team meets weekly in addition to the class time. They prepare a routine and get ready for performances in the community. Their first performance will be at the Jewell Ball. In the future, look for them to perform at halftime shows at College sporting events.

The Jewell Ball is the best time for anyone interested in the ballroom dance program to learn more about the dance program. The Ball is at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct 29 and features music, dancing, cookies and refreshments. There is a masquerade theme and attendees are encouraged to wear masks, but it is not required. The event is free for Jewell students and cost $5 for guests and will be in the Mabee Center.

“I think more people should join ballroom dance – it’s something you won’t regret. Come to the ball and see if you like it,” Cantu said.

Photo taken by Cassie Hayes.