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Regan Carter - Regan is a Waukesha West Senior and she recently captured the outstanding actor award at the state one-act play contest at the annual Wisconsin High School Theatre Festival on Nov. 21-23 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. For the fourth year in a row!! Please access the links below to learn more about this. What makes this special?... this is the first time that has ever been accomplished by a student in the 90 year history of this competition!! The links are to a news article and most recently a Fox 6 story!!
Regan Carter Article
Regan Carter Fox6Now Story
Rock Climbing Club - The West rock climbing club had a great turn out for teacher appreciation night!! 10 of our staff members attended the event and thank you to them for hanging out with the club members and having some fun!
TREK Showcase - Last week's blog showcased our TREK program and it's community service component. This week I would like to share some narrative of what some of our TREK projects were this past semester that recently was showcased to staff and students, please see that narrative below:
A Senior student looked to dive into the financial world as he was able to trade stocks upon turning eighteen and began a joint adventure with two other individuals. All three of them had different starting amounts prior to starting the trading of stocks through a brokerage. The student's project was dedicated to learning about trading, understand market trends, and utilizing this knowledge to predict market fluctuation for buying and trading for profit. The student works with the other two individuals to discuss the market and future trends for the purpose of continued investment success. They utilize Google docs to share information about what they are seeing regarding patterns and then strategically buy stocks in companies they predict will grow and sell when they feel profit margin can be highest. The student has doubled their investment up to this point and will most likely continue trading as a summer and part-time job prior to going to college for finance. All TREK students have to showcase their projects to the rest of the class to show their learning.
From TREK student Matthew Schneider...
This year, I decided to focus on music production for my TREK project. Over the past couple of years, this idea that music could be a possible career choice for me began to develop. It was late in my junior year that I decided that music was where I really wanted to focus in life; I enjoyed music theory, performing, and making my own songs, and if done correctly, it can be a very profitable route. Given this new focus, I wanted to devote as much time to music as possible. This year's TREK focus has been on how to properly produce, mix, and master music, as this is the stage that I am currently in. I needed to know how to make my songs sound professional, but also pleasing to listen to. In addition, I had to learn how to combine sound engineering with my own musical skills and bring my ideas to life.
Outside of school, I spend several hours every single day (and double that on weekends) to learn everything there is to know about music. From chord progressions to proper vocals, mixing, and even how to market your product, I made it my goal to learn all of this information. I've therefore been able to use my TREK class period to continue this passion and prep me for my career. I am able to research, take notes, and most importantly, have an hour to just work on music. With my own music software, I am able to construct my projects and apply my knowledge. The convenience of having this flexible learning space, and absolute freedom, has given me a fascinating opportunity. While I may set my own goals in life, TREK is, instead, a great formal foundation of planning and goalsetting. I can actively work towards bigger and better ideas and not have to feel overly stressed. It's the best possible use of my time: using school to focus on what is most relevant and profitable to me.
The first couple of weeks of TREK were centered around the research. A lot of knowledge can be written down, such as tips for equalizing vocals or muddy frequencies in the drums. However, research in this instance has been just pen and paper -- it's whatever means I need to learn what I need to learn. Whether it's listening to a song and breaking down its components, watching a YouTube video of a producer making a song, or simply playing around with digital sounds...I get to learn and apply that learning.
By September 14th, I had a draft for my first song. While I am no amazing vocalist, I was determined to find a way to get it to work. I continued to experiment and improve upon my project, including receiving feedback from peers and progressing with my skills. On November 11, I released my song "Promised" -- using a music distribution company -- to all platforms. I immediately went back to work to improve upon my faults and am currently working on finishing up an album.
To me, this is the ultimate form of learning. Effort, failure, and improvement. I have created a product, received feedback from my "customers", and am working to create songs that are fun, meaningful, and most important, better than anything prior.
"Promised" is accessible via my shortened link, http://bit.ly/PROMISED (
"Solitude" is not yet accessible, as this is the album I am currently working on.
My biography and creations are all available on my website: https://
I know the song is a little amateur! But that's the first stepping stone. By the end of my time here at West, I expect to have a fantastic musical legacy and will work towards this goal.
Family Connect Conferences in February - We will be having one night of Family Connect (formerly known as Parent/Teacher) conferences at West High School on Wednesday, February 19th. Conferences will start at 4:00 P.M. and go until 7:30 P.M. We will be continuing on with our recent format for these conferences by having them as an appointment only with a focus on family connection. More information will be coming out about the sign-up process for our February,19th conferences.
Scheduling!! - Our data has been clear at West for the past several years in that 90% of West students state they will go on to a two or four-year college for their post-high school education, yet, only 50% of students will make it past year one and that is why we push as a school to prepare our students better. A big part of preparing students to meet the challenges of the next level is course selection. With course scheduling coming up in February it is time to think about stretching your academic resume. A stretch class is rigorous, possibly AP or Honors, a class that a college admissions counselor would find impressive, and/or a class that will help you reach your fullest potential as a student. You could also choose to take an additional class instead of a study hall. This is a goal class for you. Think about what content area you excel in and stretch in that area or try something new and challenging!!
Looking for work....become an AVID tutor! - The School District of Waukesha and West High School are continuing to look for AVID tutors. We are looking for people who want part-time work and are seeking to make a difference with our students. We have a consistent need district-wide to fill tutoring positions as AVID is continuing to bring success and is spreading throughout our district. Please consider joining our successes with AVID or pass this information along to someone you think would be a great fit. The flyer and information for the position are below:
Principal Advisory Committee - Below are the names of the individuals on the Principal Advisory Council for 2019-2020. We met most recently on Wednesday, January 15th, 2020. Please contact any one of the representatives with questions about anything West related. Please access the minutes for more information about our discussions for this school year. The meeting minutes are linked here:
Nate Houlton
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Nvhcoach@yahoo.com (Gr. 10)
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Cortney Youngblood
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cortneyyoungblood@gmail.com (Gr. 10)
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Jackie Papageorge
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jackie@gpg3.com (Gr.10)
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Michelle Cameron
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tiki424ma@gmail.com (Gr. 10)
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Jennifer Schmeichel
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jschmeichel@bethany.org
(Gr. 11)
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Wendy Dahl
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wdahl@gswise.org (Gr. 12)
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Michelle Kuokkanen
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mkuokkanen@yahoo.com
(Gr. 12)
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Carri Marlow
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carrimarlow@yahoo.com
(Gr. 9)
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Clifton Hoffman
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Clif.hoffman@att.net (Gr. 9)
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Katie Pantzlaff
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pantzkat@gmail.com (Gr. 9)
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Kristi Fischer
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kristifischer17@gmail.com
(Gr. 9)
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Wendy Hamilton
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wendyhamilton4@gmail.com (Gr. 11)
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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 here: West Main Page Calendar (Link)
