DMCS graduated 18 students on Saturday, May 20. Although the actual graduation service time was adjusted and readjusted due to Senior Trip traveling delays, it was a wonderful graduation service which offered praise to God for the achievements of each class member. As these outstanding young men and women begin a new chapter in their lives, God has provided them a solid foundation through the ministry of DMCS.

DMCS has been blessed because of you and you will be missed!

Rob Anderson - Son of Cliff and Carol Anderson. Will be attending Iowa State University, majoring in engineering.

Michael Cowell - Son of Donald and Faye Cowell. Will be attending Northwestern, majoring in kinesiology or computer education.

Michael Davis - Son of Ron and Alice Davis. Will be attending Iowa State University, majoring in computer engineering.

Laural Faltas - Daughter of Dr. Nabil and Jennifer Faltas. Will be attending Iowa State University, studying Pre-Med.

Drew Harden - Son of Van and Denise Harden. Will be attending Iowa State University, majoring in graphic design.

Dave McConnell - Son of David and Denise McConnell. Will be attending Iowa State University, majoring in business.

Kala Mettler - Daughter of Michael and Patricia Mettler. Will be attending Nazarene Bible College, majoring in psychology.

Ben Odam - Son of Terry and Sally Odam. Will be attending Iowa State University, majoring in computer science.

Nate Phillips - Son of Ted and Debbie Phillips. Will be attending Central College, majoring in exercise science.

Jana Randazzo - Daughter of Robert and Linda Randazzo. Will be attending DMACC, majoring in social work.

Janie Risinger - Daughter of John and Patty Risinger. Will be attending Bethel College, majoring in social work.

Liz Seese - Daughter of John and Linda Seese. Will be attending the University of Northern Iowa, majoring in computer graphics.

Sean Sonderleiter - Son of Danny and Kathy Sonderleiter. Will be attending the University of Iowa, majoring in computer science.

Jodi Smith - Daughter of Bob and Shirley Smith. Will be attending the University of Northern Iowa, majoring in psychology.

Rusty VanGorp - Son of Diane VanGorp. Will be attending the University of Iowa, majoring in biology.

Jason Victora - Son of Gaylord and Vicki Victora. Will be attending DMACC, undecided major.

Mollie Wilhite - Daughter of Jim and Bev Wilhite. Will be attending the University of Northern Iowa, majoring in secondary education.

Melissa Yentes - Daughter of Kirk and Mona Yentes. Will be attending Northwestern in St. Paul, majoring in psychology or social work.

"The Musings of a Man in Transition,"
by Dr. Bob Stouffer

I am sitting in my office of Urbandale High School, highly reflective upon my experiences here and contemplating the exciting prospects of my new life as superintendent of Des Moines Christian School. I will be in this office for only two more days, as of this writing. Let me take you on a sensory tour of my home away from home so you might glean more insights into Bob Stouffer.

I look at the sixteen pictures of my thirteen-year-old daughter Molly on the bulletin board above my computer. Those photographs, taken like clockwork on at least an annual basis, show a baby growing into a beautiful young woman. But it seems like only a blink of the eye since we first arrived in Urbandale. And Hannah. Oh, Hannah. The progressive photographs of this now-five-year-old live wire tell me that interesting times lie ahead – for her, for our family, and for you. You won’t want to miss the opportunity of meeting Hannah. I wish I had even a thimbleful of her energy. We worked hard to teach her the name of her Urbandale principal, and now we’ve switched her mental gears. She is excited about kindergarten at DMCS and her experiences with her principal, "Mrs. Henderson’s husband." We’re all known in different ways!

On this same bulletin board is a photo of my paternal grandparents, Dorothy Stouffer, the woman I revered for my 33 of her 89 years, and Robert Stouffer, my namesake, a tough man who loved his grandchildren. I happily recall times when – as a kid – my mom, dad, younger brother, and I took wonderful every-other-weekend trips from Davenport to their home about thirty miles away. I think I can still count the seven roller coaster-like hills between Big Rock and Wheatland in my mind. It seems like only yesterday when thinking of these trips – my mother, a kindergarten teacher of many years, reading to Brian and me – my dad, an elementary school principal, making some quick quip and handing down his offbeat sense of humor to me. We had a lot of laughs during those trips. How fortunate I am to have been raised by a man and a woman of such impeccable integrity and character.

I look at the enlarged picture of me, my wife, and my daughters posing for the camera with a drop-dead gorgeous view of the mountains of Wyoming. Cheryl stands beside me. I’m wed to a fantastic woman. I was not a Christian when we married, but Cheryl has stuck by me through almost 18 years of marriage and some tremendously hard times. She is an incredible mother. Look to Molly and Hannah for the fruits of her labor. If you’ve got a few minutes, you might want to corner one or both us to find out the circumstances of our no-date-get-engaged-and-married-within-five-months story. Only God could have blessed such a union.

Sitting in this office and visually scanning these pictures of my family members helps me know the unconditional love which has been so pivotal to my growth as a person and educator. When the veil was lifted and I could finally see the truth of Jesus Christ, I understood that I could not find fulfillment under my own power and by searching in the wrong places. In spite of my sin and shortcomings, I have assurance of Heaven and a glorious meeting with Jesus, face-to-face. I bask in the assurance of the words of one of my favorite contemporary songs: "My sin has been nailed to the cross of my Savior, where Satan has no power, and God has displayed His undeserved favor. He’s taken my sin, and He has nailed it to the cross!"

I look at the Successories print on my office wall and humbly submit myself to scrutiny of my "integrity." The inscription reads, quoting M.H. McKee, "Integrity: Integrity is one of several paths. It distinguishes itself from the others because it is the right path, and only one upon which you will never get lost." Amen.

Valley Evangelical Free Church magnets on my filing cabinets declare, "Keep the unity of the Spirit," and "Let your light shine," and "Taste and see that the Lord is good." A Promise Keepers magnet exhorts me: "Choose this day who you will serve (Joshua 24:15)." Such have been great words of encouragement to me during the many challenges of my last six years as a principal and Christian. How this body of Christ’s church has surrounded me with love and support.

Cowboy paraphernalia adorn every nook and cranny of my work space. Stirrups. Spurs. A replica of a Conestoga wagon. Still life photography of the cowpoke’s tools. The carved wooden bust of an old codger in a ten-gallon hat. A sculpted depiction of Remington’s bucking bronco and ranch hand who is trying to break that horse. I display a branding iron from the Three Circle Cattle Company, Inc., a 12,000-acre spread which has been in my family since the late-1800s. You’d love the great Christian folks who work on that gorgeous land just west of Laramie.

In my Urbandale office, you would have seen a wonderful painting of a one-room schoolhouse of old with a chalkboard saying written in the most beautiful penmanship: "I will obey my teacher." Indeed.

My framed degrees: a B.S. from Winona State University, the M.A. from Northeast Missouri State; the Ph.D. from The University of Iowa. I humbly submit to you that those diplomas mean nothing compared to lessons in the School of Hard Knocks and the ways that relationships have edified me along the way of my twenty years as an educator.

Do you favor the artwork of a pre-schooler? Hannah is quite the queen of multi-media, and she can draw a mean stick figure. Her artwork and coloring are at least as good as mine. Her water colors, crayon drawings, and raggedly-cut and pasted geometrical shapes cause me to vividly recall a conversation I had with the Davenport West art teacher I liked so well. During my sophomore year of high school, I told him it was my dream to be a commercial artist. With a nearly deadpan expression, Mr. Heggen responded, "I heard you’re a really good English student." Enough said. I got the point. And he was right. I needed to follow the path that God had created for my life, not seek to please men and women who stood along life’s byways. I seek to please God and enjoy being in His presence.

Hundreds of pictures crowd the surface of another bulletin board of my room. These photographs display my eight-year history of relationships in Urbandale. I reminisce about so many great kids. Students who probably shouldn’t have graduated from high school, but who did. An Air Force Academy graduate. A wheelchair student who both joyfully and tearfully got his wish to attend an Iowa Hawkeye football bowl game and to meet Hayden Fry on an all-expenses-paid trip by the UHS staff and student body. An office celebration of my fortieth birthday by my closest friends. Trips to ISU and UI with Hispanic students who aspired for more. I know I will keep all of these photographs and add many more from the ranks of Des Moines Christian students who will impact my life.

A printed quote sits just to the left of me, and I reflect upon the meaning of Chuck Swindoll’s words: "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life." Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes."

Will my office look the same at Des Moines Christian? I don’t quite know yet. You’ll just have to come by and see. You’re welcome any time. Come peruse the photographs on my walls. Come see the photographs of my beautiful wife and daughters. Come reflect upon the words which adorn my walls, extolling the principles which guide my actions. Come sit beside me as we seek the Lord’s will together.