Principal Blog Week of September 26, 2022

Purpose Corner - This week on "Purpose Corner" I want to welcome everyone to a new school year and a great start! You can read the transcript of this video by accessing this link.

Homecoming Week 2022!! - This week we celebrate Homecoming 2022!!  Below is a schedule of what will be happening this week for our students:

• Tuesday, September 27th: Adam Sandler Dress Up Day

• Wednesday, September 28th: Class Color/Class T-shirt Day

Senior - Black

Juniors - Green

Sophomores - Yellow

Freshman - Blue

• Thursday, September 29th: Soccer Mom & BBQ Dad Dress Up Day and school bon-fire at 6:30-8:00pm 
• Friday, September 30th: West Spirit Day! Powder Puff Finals and Pep Rally during the day! Football game versus South at 7:00 P.M.!

• Saturday, October 1st: Homecoming Dance from 7:00 to 10:00 PM

Below is a possible snapshot of Mrs. Patt and me dancing at homecoming last year so get your dancing shoes on for Saturday!!

That may actually be my real hair...

Powder Puff - Last night was round one of our Powder Puff football which saw our Seniors beat the Sophomores and our Freshmen beat the Juniors! The final Powder Puff games will be held Friday morning in the Wolverine Stadium where the whole school will have release to watch! Below is a pic from the opening games:

Wall of Fame - Another part of our Homecoming festivities is the addition of our newest members to the West "Wall of Fame." This Friday we will be honoring Danielle Abraham Class of 2005 and Louis Crisostomo Class of 1998 into our West Wall of Fame. Louis will be on campus with us this Friday to engage with students and both inductees will be recognized prior to our Homecoming football game. The West "Wall of Fame" members are denoted with plaques hung up on the right side wall of our main entrance atrium.

Fox River Marching Band Invitational - A shout out to the Cadets of Waukesha West for a great performance of "Slither & Stone" this past Sunday at their own invitational in windy and wet conditions. This is on the heels of a 2nd place finish on Saturday at Waukesha South! Keep up the great work Cadets and I look forward to a strong finish! A big thank you to Mr. David Farmer, Mrs. Sue Anderson, and the marching band parents for all of their work in making this a great event. A special shout out to our Seniors who were recognized for their commitment as West Cadets!! It is wonderful to enjoy all the variety this competition brings among all of the participating schools.

Family Connect Conferences October 5th, 2022! - Our final night of "Family Connect" conferences will be from 4:30pm - 7:00pm on Wednesday, October 5th. These will be done virtually. The sign up link for these conferences was sent to all families via email on September 16th, 2022 and is also available on our school website.

The All-American Homecoming Dinner 2022 - Please come and support Waukesha West bands and grab some food at the All-American Homecoming dinner this Friday, September 30th from 4:30-6:30 P.M. The cost is $10 for advanced tickets and $11 at the door!

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

GO WOLVERINES...WHOOP!!

Principal Blog Week of May 23rd , 2022 (Final Blog of 2021-2022)

 Purpose Corner - This week on "Purpose Corner" I wanted to publicly thank the Waukesha West community for supporting our staff this year!!  You can access the transcript of the video through this link.

Graduation 2022 - Graduation day for all three Waukesha legacy high schools will be Saturday, June 11th, 2022. Waukesha West High School will be holding graduation ceremonies in the West Fieldhouse on this date beginning at 11:00 A.M. As we are one community divided into three high schools, this year graduation times among all three high schools are staggered to enable friends and family to attend multiple ceremonies if they so choose. South High School ceremonies will begin at 9:00 A.M. and North High School ceremonies will begin at 1:00 P.M. on this date. Please begin informing friends and family who will be attending! We do not sell tickets for graduation. All information for graduation processes is linked here which has also been sent to graduates and their families.

Final Exam Schedule Spring 2022 - Below is the final exam schedule. You can also access the schedule through the Waukesha West home page underneath the "Calendars/Schedule" heading. Select the "Semester II Exam Schedule" at the very bottom of the options.

Wolverine Leadership Academy Bonfire - This past Friday night we had to cancel the scheduled bonfire and move festivities inside because of the weather. We were able to have a small fire pit going, but the real fun was happening inside our fieldhouse where we had 80 plus students come to attend our Spike Ball and Bean Bag toss tournaments and to see the band Geology Club comprised of West students Alex Bonell (lead vocals), Ian Dutter (drums), Miah Miner (bass guitar), and Evan Hansen (guitar). Some snacks and drinks were provided with all of the entertainment. Thanks to all of the student leaders to make this happen and bring students together!! Below are a couple of pics from the event.

Prom 2022 - I want to compliment our students on doing an outstanding job in representing West High School in the community during our Prom this past Saturday at the Ingleside. Students were respectful and appropriate with their dancing and interactions with Ingleside staff. Ingleside staff members sought West administration and chaperones out to provide feedback that our students had good manners and that this has not been the case with other area schools who have used the Ingleside for their Prom. That is a great comment from an authentic source that meets our high behavioral expectations for West students. Great job!! Below is a possible snapshot of Mrs. Patt and me dancing at our Prom...

Wolverine Wardrobe - A few years back two West students as part of their Trek project came up with an idea to open a clothing store where students could donate and exchange clothes whenever they wanted. It started small in the back of our Student Services department but has been a place for students to get items they have needed, or have wanted. Students in our project-based Live & learn class took over this concept and through a grant from the Waukesha Education Foundation along with a lot of hard work just had the grand opening for the larger and more spacious "Wolverine Wardrobe!" It is open to all West students. Below are some pictures of the grand opening which included personal tours. Students please come in to update your wardrobe or donate items as the "Wolverine Wardrobe is open for business in room F115!! Great work Live & Learn!!

U.S. News Best High Schools - According to U.S. News & World Report, West High School was ranked 1,539 out of 17,843 high schools nationally that qualified, putting us in the top 9% of high schools in the nation! We ranked 38 out of 534 high schools statewide putting us in the top 7% comparatively in the state of Wisconsin! The entire Waukesha West community contributes to this distinction and we need to celebrate it while keeping our growth mindset! Way to go West!

Principal Advisory Committee - The Principal Advisory Council was not able to meet in May due to scheduling conflicts. I would like to thank all of the parents below for their time as part of this council. Their insights and feedback are invaluable to me as we work through the multiple facets of operating Waukesha West High School!! Thank you!!!

Angela Schaaf	angelamschaaf@gmail.com
Erica Kasseckert	ericak0409@gmail.com
Kim Sadowski	kimbersadowski@gmail.com
Karen Anderson	kammom@att.net
Tera Nehring	Teranehring@gmail.com
Michelle Cameron	tiki424ma@gmail.com
Krista Bitzan	smileyfish76@hotmail.com
Dean Chyla	dean@chyla.com
Patti Bloom	pbloom27@wi.rr.com
Susan Fogelstrom	beezerpup@gmail.com

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

Principal Blog Week of May, 2nd 2022

 Purpose Corner - This week on "Purpose Corner" I look to remind our students and community that words matter. You can access the transcript of the video through this link.

Teacher Appreciation Week! - This week we look to pay extra attention to the educators who spend hours of time with your children every day in school! I am thankful for our staff and how much they care about the success of their students!! I am in a unique position to witness this daily. The West High staff truly wants the best for every one of their students! Thank you for all you do!!

Graduation 2022 - Graduation day for all three Waukesha legacy high schools will be Saturday, June 11th, 2022. Waukesha West High School will be holding graduation ceremonies in the West Fieldhouse on this date beginning at 11:00 A.M. As we are one community divided into three high schools, this year graduation times among all three high schools are staggered to enable friends and family to attend multiple ceremonies if they so choose. South High School ceremonies will begin at 9:00 A.M. and North High School ceremonies will begin at 1:00 P.M. on this date. Please begin informing friends and family who will be attending! We do not sell tickets for graduation.

Final Exam Schedule Spring 2022 - Below is the final exam schedule. You can also access the schedule through the Waukesha West home page underneath the "Calendars/Schedule" heading. Select the "Semester II Exam Schedule" on the very bottom of the options.

U.S. News Best High Schools - According to U.S. News & World Report, West High School was ranked 1,539 out of 17,843 high schools nationally that qualified, putting us in the top 9% of high schools in the nation! We ranked 38 out of 534 high schools statewide putting us in the top 7% comparatively in the state of Wisconsin! The entire Waukesha West community contributes to this distinction and we need to celebrate it while keeping our growth mindset! Way to go West!

Visual Arts State Competition - This is the first year that the Waukesha West Art Department participated in the Visual Arts Classic put on by the Wisconsin Art Education Association. Teams are limited to a maximum of 12 participants per school. 9 of the 12 students and 15 pieces of artwork advanced on to the State competition. At State, the team was able to bring home eight 1st place medals, four 2nd place medals, and two 3rd place medals. Congratulations again to the first-ever Waukesha West Visual Arts Classic Team: Meghan Baum, Aaron Crisostomo, Alana Crisostomo, Rowan Grider, Josslyn Hansen, Berkeley Krell, Kelly Kraus, Sara Maher, Evelyn Reyes Nolasco, Alex Phipps, Morgan Roberts, and Jacob Santana. Below is some of the work of these talented students:

The Kai 11 Law - Sixteen-year-old Waukesha North student Kai Lermer died back in 2019 from cardiac arrest when he was playing a pickup game of basketball. He had a heart condition unknown to him and his family, despite yearly physicals. They have advocated for more information to be shared regarding this hidden danger which has resulted in the passing of the "Kai 11 Law."  Kai 11 Law requires the WIAA to pass out a form to parents with student-athletes that educates them on sudden cardiac arrest. It will also strongly recommend EKG testing. His family is hopeful this new law will save lives. There a lot to know about Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Adults. Below is information for families interested:

Orchestra Performance - Please enjoy the short video of our talented Orchestra students performing in our atrium recently...

Principal Advisory Committee - The Principal Advisory Council for 2021-2022 met most recently on Wednesday, April, 20th 2022. The meeting minutes are linked here. Please contact any one of the representatives (below) to bring up topics or questions you have to bring forward for the final meeting in May.

Angela Schaaf	angelamschaaf@gmail.com
Erica Kasseckert	ericak0409@gmail.com
Keva Estrada	Fourestrada@gmail.com
Kim Sadowski	kimbersadowski@gmail.com
Karen Anderson	kammom@att.net
Tera Nehring	Teranehring@gmail.com
Michelle Cameron	tiki424ma@gmail.com
Krista Bitzan	smileyfish76@hotmail.com
Dean Chyla	dean@chyla.com
Patti Bloom	pbloom27@wi.rr.com
Susan Fogelstrom	beezerpup@gmail.com

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

Principal Blog Week of February 28th, 2022

Purpose Corner -This week I want to talk about the daily schedule for next school year. You can access the transcript of the video through this link.

ACT Week Schedule for 3/7-3/11 - We have an alternate schedule for next week (below) as all Junior students will be taking the statewide ACT test on Tuesday, March 8th here at West. There is NO SCHOOL for 9th, 10th, and 12th-grade students on Tuesday, March 8th as our 11th-grade students will be testing. Here is the link to ACT information that was sent to all 11th-grade students regarding testing.

WEF (Wisconsin Education Fair) - Below is information regarding this event for our 11th-grade students that will be happening on Monday, March 7th. The opt-out form is linked here:

State Academic Decathlon -  The West Academic Decathlon team placed third at the State Competition this past weekend. The team earned 21 medals across the 10 events. A special congratulations to the team's top scorer, Alana Crisostomo. Congratulations on being one of the top teams in the state of Wisconsin!!!

State Wrestling - Congratulations to Senior Magnus Kuokkanen (pictured lower right) for placing 6th in Division 1 at the State WIAA Wrestling Tournament over the weekend. Magnus finished his season at 38-3. Congratulations Magnus! A shout out to Xander Kuokkanen, Isaiah Guerrero, and Xavier Guerrero who wrestled in the state meet to represent West!!

Little Shop of Horrors - The West End Players will be performing the musical "Little Shop of Horrors" this weekend so get your tickets!!!. See the information below:

Graduation 2022 - Graduation day for all three Waukesha legacy high schools will be Saturday, June 11th, 2022. Waukesha West High School will be holding graduation ceremonies in the West Fieldhouse on this date beginning at 11:00 A.M. As we are one community divided into three high schools, this year graduation times among all three high schools are staggered to enable friends and family to attend multiple ceremonies if they so choose. South High School ceremonies will begin at 9:00 A.M. and North High School ceremonies will begin at 1:00 P.M. on this date. Please begin informing friends and family who will be attending!

Principal Advisory Committee - The Principal Advisory Council for 2021-2022 met most recently on Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022. The meeting minutes are linked here. Please contact any one of the representatives (below) to bring up topics or questions you have to bring forward for the next meeting.

Angela Schaaf	angelamschaaf@gmail.com
Erica Kasseckert	ericak0409@gmail.com
Keva Estrada	Fourestrada@gmail.com
Kim Sadowski	kimbersadowski@gmail.com
Karen Anderson	kammom@att.net
Tera Nehring	Teranehring@gmail.com
Michelle Cameron	tiki424ma@gmail.com
Krista Bitzan	smileyfish76@hotmail.com
Dean Chyla	dean@chyla.com
Patti Bloom	pbloom27@wi.rr.com
Susan Fogelstrom	beezerpup@gmail.com

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