March 26th Weekly Edition

Athletic Leadership Conference - Leadership is not always a natural fit for individuals. Like anything else, leadership skills can be enhanced in individuals and purposeful conversations can bring groups together for achieving more. Please read the details of our recent Athletic Leadership Conference. I would like to thank Athletic Director Kyle LeMieux, staff, coaches and the student leaders for working hard to put this amazing event together! It has a profound impact on our school culture and I am excited to see the results within our teams. 

On Thursday, March 15th, 2018, over 180 student-athletes attended the 6th Annual Waukesha West Athletics Leadership Conference.  Head coaches were asked to nominate two athletes per grade level to experience a full day of leadership training and development.  Students heard from guest speaker, Rob Vite, who is a cancer survivor and current West football assistant coach.  Coach Vite's message of "What's Your Why?" was powerful and launched the group into gender breakout sessions examining their roles in bringing positive change to West HS.  For the afternoon, student-led breakouts were offered to reinforce the conference theme of "Good Today, Better Tomorrow".  Topics included Practice & Preparation, Leading Without a Title, Overcoming Adversity, Creating Connections, Sportsmanship, and Ambassadors Off of the Field.  Teams then reunited to discuss their learning from the breakouts with the intent of crafting action plans ready to deliver to head coaches.  To bring the conference to a close, every grade level was recognized by the conference's student-leaders during our Pass the Torch Ceremony, encouraging all attendees to lead in a manner worthy of being followed!

"Shrek" The Musical - What an amazing performance by our students! The music and dancing were spectacular to go along with the acting and singing! The amount of hard work and hours of preparation showed in the final product. Congrats to a successful run of this entertaining musical! Families, staff, students and community members were delighted, including my family and specifically my son (pictured below)!

Senior Vs. Staff Basketball Game - The game is this Thursday, March 29th. Will the Seniors finally win this year? The faculty keeps getting older but our Senior students are the same age, yet year after year we seem to be unbeatable! I have a strong feeling staff will conquer once again! Please see a recent picture of me in training as I have been working hard all year to be ready for this competition... the picture does not show me clearly, but I am 99% sure that may be me playing for the Waukesha Jazz local team this winter on a 9-foot hoop...

Model UN - Job well done for all students who participated in the Model UN Conference! Please see the email and pictures from Mrs. Jill Andersen below:

On Thursday and Friday last week I traveled to UW-Milwaukee with 34 students, freshmen through senior, to the Model United Nations Conference. Every student had to submit a one-page researched position paper on the topic of their subcommittee. We represented the countries of France, Poland and Sweden. 

Our students were fantastic! Their leadership and communication skills were on full display. 

We also won some awards:

Laken Schmitt won for "Outstanding Research of Regulation of Private Military Contractors" from the perspective of Sweden.

Riyana Chawla won for "Outstanding Research of Peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of the Congo" from the perspective of France.

Chloe Watson and Aiesha Anchan won for "Best Research and Portrayal" of a country (France) in the Council of the European Union.

Madeline Schultz and Taylor Kozlowski won for "Best Research and Portrayal" of a country (France) on the Security Council.

 

Advanced Placement District Policy Change - Please see the memo below sent out by our school district which has implications for AP courses:

Principal Advisory Council - Below are the names of the individuals on the Principal Advisory Council. We met most recently on Wednesday, March 21st. Please access the minutes for more information and be sure to contact your representatives with questions/comments for our April meeting. The meeting minutes are linked here:

Amy Holzinger	aholzinger@sbcglobal.net
Ann Pascavis	mapascavis@hotmail.com
Cathy Frantz	cathyk21@gmail.com
James Boling	jmbjrboling@gmail.com
Jennifer Engel	j_rengel@sbcglobal.net
Jim Karpowitz	karpman@aol.com
Mark McGinnis	wxmarkmc@gmail.com
Mercedes Rawson	Rawson96@wi.rr.com
Sarah Bristol	north_physics@yahoo.com
Wendy Hamilton	wendyhamilton4@gmail.com
Betsy Peters	bpeters1247@gmail.com
Michelle Werner	michelle@hatchstaff.com

Homelessness - Homelessness is continuing to affect more students an families in the School District of Waukesha. The effect of homelessness on students is vast and we want to ensure families can define their situation against criteria and receive support if needed.... please see the flyers below:

                

    

Archived Announcements (Link) Please access this link to find all of the information in our daily announcements from previous weeks.

Preview of this week: Please check the calendars by clicking on these two links to preview what is happening at West High School this week:

West Main Page Calendar (Link)

The next blog post will be Monday April 16th!

March 19th Weekly Blog (Tuesday Edition)

March 14th - I would like to give a shout out to the approximate 175 students who came down to our Fieldhouse on March 14th to support Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. All of the students were respectful, courteous, and exceptional during this voluntary event. The student leaders of the event read the biographies of the students who were victims and had a moment of silence to honor their memory. Students then signed a poster that is being sent in support of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Students also wrote individual letters in support. A special thanks to those who lead and organized this event to bring our students together. Please enjoy the pictures below:

Blood Drive March 23rd - On Friday, March 23rd student council will be hosting a blood drive at Waukesha West. Please see student council members or Mrs. Ortega to get signed up to save some lives!

West Forensics - On Saturday, March 17th Waukesha West hosted the District Level Forensics Festival. Approximately 350 students from 29 schools performed for judges in hopes of earning scores to qualify them for the State Speech Festival at UW Madison in April. West will be sending 23 of our own to the WHSFA State Speech Festival. Way to go West Forensics!!

Senior Vs. Staff Basketball Game - The game will be on Thursday, March 29th. Will the Seniors finally win this year? The faculty keeps getting older but our Senior students are the same age, yet year after year we seem to be unbeatable! I have a strong feeling staff will conquer once again! Please see a recent picture of me in training as I have been working hard all year to be ready for this competition... the picture does not show me clearly, but I am 99% sure that may be me playing for the Waukesha Jazz local team this winter on a 9-foot hoop...

Vaping 101 - We have seen an uptick in vaping occurring within our building at Waukesha West. Students seem to not understand the personal effects or consequences that go along with vaping in school. It is at minimum a suspension from school, loss of vape, and athletic/activities violation.....simply put...it is not worth it. Please click on the linked article below that was sent out to Waukesha South families as well to learn more about vaping.

Click here for "Vaping 101" Article!

National Theater Month - March is the "official" National Theater in Our Schools month. In celebration of this month, West drama was fortunate to receive an anonymous donation to upgrade the twenty-five-year-old auditorium sound system that has been barely held together. West has an amazing performing arts program and we are excited to offer a better product for the audience as sound quality will be the best it has been! Thank you to our anonymous donor who was gracious in their giving for the benefit of our students.  

"Shrek The Musical" has one weekend left - If you did not make it to the first weekend of "Shrek The Musical" there are tickets available for this coming weekend March 23-25. Now, would be the time to enjoy the brilliant work of our students! If you want to see a bit of behind the scenes for "Shrek" please access this Shrek Video Announcement Link

Principal Advisory Council - Below are the names of the individuals on the Principal Advisory Council. We will be meeting on Wednesday, March 21st. Please access the minutes for more information and be sure to contact your representatives with questions/comments for our next meeting. The meeting minutes are linked here:

Amy Holzinger	aholzinger@sbcglobal.net
Ann Pascavis	mapascavis@hotmail.com
Cathy Frantz	cathyk21@gmail.com
James Boling	jmbjrboling@gmail.com
Jennifer Engel	j_rengel@sbcglobal.net
Jim Karpowitz	karpman@aol.com
Mark McGinnis	wxmarkmc@gmail.com
Mercedes Rawson	Rawson96@wi.rr.com
Sarah Bristol	north_physics@yahoo.com
Wendy Hamilton	wendyhamilton4@gmail.com
Betsy Peters	bpeters1247@gmail.com
Michelle Werner	michelle@hatchstaff.com

Homelessness - Homelessness is continuing to affect more students an families in the School District of Waukesha. The effect of homelessness on students is vast and we want to ensure families can define their situation against criteria and receive support if needed.... please see the flyers below:

                

    

Archived Announcements (Link) Please access this link to find all of the information in our daily announcements from previous weeks.

Preview of this week: Please check the calendars by clicking on these two links to preview what is happening at West High School this week:

West Main Page Calendar (Link)

March 12th Weekly Blog

March 14th District Clarification:

• As the Waukesha Patch reported on plans for a Waukesha school walkout and a march on Wednesday, March 14, please be reminded that this is not a school or district-sanctioned event.  

• The School District of Waukesha has no connection to any outside events taking place that day. The organizers do not have permission to use the district’s name or refer to this event as a school district event.                                                                 

• Students who want to attend must have parent permission to be excused from school. Those who attend without being properly excused by a parent will be absent as unexcused.

• There will be no staff supervision at this event. The school or district cannot guarantee the safety of any student attending a non-school event off school premises.

• Student-led commemorative moments will be taking place inside our schools, and our school administrators are available to provide any support.

March 14th Student Activities Letter

Dear Waukesha West Students,

            The aftermath of the February 14th school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida has left an undeniable imprint upon our nation. As many of you are aware there is national walkout planned for 17 minutes from 10:00 -10:17 A.M.  for this Wednesday, March 14th in support of the 17 victims of the shooting. While the Waukesha West community will not be part of an event that is asking students to actively disrupt the educational environment, West Administration supports the actions of our students supporting Marjory Stoneman Douglas students, because it promotes people, not politics. I have worked with our Random Acts of Kindness Club who will offer activities from 10:00 - 10:17 A.M. in our Fieldhouse to honor and support Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the victims of this tragedy.

            This event is voluntary and any student is welcome to come and be supportive by quietly leaving their class at 9:55 A.M. on Wednesday March 14th and thoughtfully proceeding to our Fieldhouse to arrive for the start of the 10:00 A.M. student-led activities. The class hour will be extended for two minutes and the bell will ring at 10:17 A.M. marking the end of the activities and the transition to the next period.

It is important to respect fellow students and ensure that any student participating in the activity is not disruptive when leaving class and walking through our halls. This solution was brought together through working with West students as an alternative to students walking out of our building as this provides a safe place and controlled environment for our students to supports others.

Additionally, I will be hosting a school safety discussion from 3:15 - 4:30 P.M. in the West Media Center on March 14th for any student and/or faculty member. The goal of this discussion is to provide information on how we approach school safety and to answer the many questions individuals have about it. I want students to be empowered by having an understanding of what safety measures we have in place and how we can come together to make West the safest place possible. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Ryan J. Patt

Principal

Waukesha West 

 
 Waukesha West Fishing Club - The club was at it again this past weekend as they pulled in some quality trout. See Mr. Anderson of Mr. Jenna if you are interested in joining the club as there is lots of fishing to do this spring yet. Enjoy the pictures!

Blood Drive March 23rd - On Friday, March 23rd student council will be hosting a blood drive at Waukesha West. Please see student council members or Mrs. Ortega to get signed up to save some lives!

Academic Decathlon - Congratulations to the​ West Acadec Team ​for their fantastic work this past weekend at the State Competition!​ The team placed Second in Division 1 and Fourth among the 20 teams competing for the State Title. Multiple team members earned individual awards, and Naveen Albert was recognized as a Top Scholar. Great work, Naveen, Christian, Brady, Zach, Lucy, Jackson, and Heaven. And thanks, West, for the awesome sendoff! Listen for future announcements to find out how you can be part of the team and this West tradition of excellence! Please enjoy the two clips below, one introducing our team at the super quiz and the other showing some superfans from another school getting their groove on!

Please click here for this 0:15 clip

Please click here for this 0:10 clip

Youth Alive Speaker - This past week on Thursday all four grade levels were able to see our guest speaker Terrence Talley and hear his powerful story to support his message about never giving up and knowing that everyone has someone who believes in them!! There were lots of tears shed among students and staff as we all let each other know how much we care about one another and we will not give up on each other! Lots of hugs were given and I hope to share some video clips of his message for our community to see. Thank you to all staff who participated and to Terrence and Youth Alive for the hope they bring in their mission!

Science Fair Accolades - A shout out to current West student Riyana Chawla as she represented us in the Waukesha County Science and Engineering Fair, where along with her partner they took 1st place in the Engineering and Physics Special Category and 2nd place overall at the fair. They were also selected to participate in the upcoming Badger State Science Fair! Congrats Riyana and good luck at the state competition! Check out the link.

Vaping 101 - We have seen an uptick in vaping occurring within our building at Waukesha West. Students seem to not understand the personal effects or consequences that go along with vaping in school. It is at minimum a suspension from school, loss of vape, and athletic/activities violation.....simply put...it is not worth it. Please click on the linked article below that was sent out to Waukesha South families as well to learn more about vaping.

Click here for "Vaping 101" Article!

National Theater Month - March is the "official" National Theater in Our Schools month. In celebration of this month West drama was fortunate to receive and anonymous donation to upgrade the twenty five year old auditorium sound system that has been barely held together. West has an amazing performing arts program and we are excited to offer a better product for the audience as sound quality will be the best it has been! Thank you to our anonymous donor who was gracious in their giving for the benefit of our students.  

"Shrek" the Musical - If you have not seen one of our drama productions, now would be the time to enjoy "Shrek" the musical that will have numerous showings coming up in March. Please come and enjoy the brilliant work of our students! See information below:

Congrats Mr. Brennan! - On March 7, 2018, Mr. Brennan was the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement in Service Learning Award.  For four months, James led a group of 18 Waukesha West teachers in a "Beard Club" called Beard for Change. The mission of the club was to get students to invest in a fundraiser for the building of a community center for an area in the city of Milwaukee near 26th and Capitol. Through student donations, Beard for Change raised $5,000! The award was well earned.

 

Homelessness - Homelessness is continuing to affect more students an families in the School District of Waukesha. The affect of homelessness on students is vast and we want to ensure families can define their situation against criteria and receive support if needed.... please see the flyers below:

                

    

Archived Announcements (Link) Please access this link to find all of the information in our daily announcements from previous weeks.

Preview of this week: Please check the calendars by clicking on these two links to preview what is happening at West High School this week:

West Main Page Calendar (Link)