The Write Side

Congratulations to senior multisport athlete Emma Sayre for her offer and decision to commit to playing volleyball for Division I Marshall University. In addition to becoming a collegiate athlete, Sayre, who already is enrolled in a full schedule of college credit plus classes and maintains a 4.0 GPA, intends to pursue a degree in Biological Sciences with a specialization in biomedical sciences.

This summer has not been a time of rest and relaxation for all students. Miss West 2023, senior Kara Carter, has been actively involved in the Portsmouth River Days events and preparation that will lead up to her performance at the Miss River Days Pageant Saturday, Sept. 2, at 6:30 pm. More than just the "beauty pageants" of the past, this pageant embraces a focus on community service, offers numerous academic scholarships, and awards other incentives to contestants. Kara personifies this focus on service and academics by maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA and extends it further in her community service platform to develop foundational academic skills in area youth. She states, "My platform through River Days is called "Today's Learners, Tomorrow's Leaders: Making the I.M.P.A.C.T." My platform focuses on using the acronym intentional, motivating, practical, academic, collaborative, and tutoring to mentor and tutor young students along their academic path. I have worked very hard to help close the developmental and academic gaps created in our youth by the COVID-19 pandemic. I also have stressed the importance of seemingly small foundational skills because those building blocks become very important as students grow. I am very thankful for the opportunity I have been given to make an impact!"

Sophomore Biology Students in Dr. Harvey's class are reviewing the Scientific Method by participating in an Escape Room Activity. Students had to correctly answer questions about the scientific method at five different difficulty levels. Students are pictured to the left and below.

Current Events students recently were recognized on The World from A to Z. Mrs. Sylvia's Current Events students (pictured below) watch The World from A to Z daily news broadcast with host Carl Azuz. Students keep a weekly log of national and world events and jot down inspirational stories and notable people. After that, they indicate something they learned, something they have a question about, and they make connections between the news stories and their lives. Every weekday Carl Azuz does a shout-out to two teachers and their classes.

Biology students are currently learning about the Characteristics of Life and completed an in-class activity called "What Living Things Do." Students (pictured in the two rows below) interacted with a variety of items at ten different stations to identify the characteristics of all living things including cells, bacteria, plants, and animals.

The Ohio Department of Health (per Ohio revised code 3313.67) REQUIRES ALL STUDENTS ENTERING THE 12th GRADE to have: A second dose of the Meningococcal vaccine (Serogroup A, C, W, and Y). *If your student received their first dose on or after their 16th birthday, a second dose is not required. Vaccinations should be received prior to entry on the first day of school and no later than the 14th day of school: September 6, 2023 As with other school immunization requirements, students without proof of required vaccinations after this date are subject to exclusion from school. Please contact your child’s physician or the Scioto County Health Department (740)355-8358 to make an appointment. Immunizations are also provided at many local pharmacies. Please forward the record to the school office when your child receives his/her immunization and it will be placed in their health file. It may also be faxed directly to Portsmouth West High School at (740)858-3054. **Please note: There is also a vaccine for Meningococcal Serogroup B which does not satisfy or replace the state vaccine requirement. This is a different and optional vaccine**

CLUBS

• Chess Club - Our newest club! Mrs. McCleese will be the advisor for this club so watch for more info!
• Yearbook Committee - Students can join the Yearbook Committee! We are looking for photographers, marketers (selling ads), and designers. If you are interested, stop by Mrs. Sites’ room or email her to join the Yearbook Committee Google Classroom for up-to-date information. The Yearbook Committee is currently selling split-the-pot raffle tickets at football games and working on advertisement sales.
• Bass Fishing Club - Advisor: Mr. Estep. This club is for students who like to fish! It’s not like most school clubs where you meet every couple of weeks or every month. The goal of this club is to compete in the two State tournaments in April and May. We only meet a couple of times in the spring. When we meet, we talk about how to fish competitively and we plan trips to tournaments. For more information about the Bass Fishing Club, email Mr. Estep.
• Beta Club - Mr. & Mrs. Smalley, Advisors. The Beta Club is a national organization that promotes academic excellence and competition in a wide variety of areas (for example photography, woodworking, creative writing, sculpture, agriscience, social studies, Spanish, and art). In order to qualify for Beta Club, you must have at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average and to remain in Beta Club you must complete a specific number of service hours each year. At West, you must also be ranked in the top 10% of your graduating class. Beta Club participates in both State and National competitions. We meet after school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from February through May, and we take a 2-day trip to Columbus for the state competition in May. We have an award-winning Beta Club at West. For a look at our Beta Club members and the awards they have earned recently, click here.
• Class Officers - Every September, each high school grade level (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors) elects four people to represent them as their Class President, Class Vice President, Class Secretary, and Class Treasurer. The four class officers represent their grade level to the administration as members of our Student Government. When the students as a whole have a concern or a suggestion, they contact their class officers to discuss it. Then the class officers present the concern or idea to the administration (the principal, vice principal, guidance counselor, etc.). If the idea is approved but requires money, the class officers can propose a fundraiser that the students can do to raise the money for their proposal. See our website for more about our student government.
• FFA - advisor Mrs. Sherman. This is an expansive club where members participate in career development events, learning development events, and supervised agricultural experiences. FFA is the premier youth organization preparing members for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture.
• Honors Club - Membership in the Honors Club is automatically granted to any student at West who is not in Beta Club but who earns a g.p.a. of 3.0 or above for the first three 9-weeks of the school year.
• Key Club - Carolyn Callihan, Advisor. Key Club is a student-led service organization sponsored by Kiwanis International, a large group of service-minded, volunteer-oriented people around the world. The Key Club at West High School organizes activities that help our school and our community, such as a pancake breakfast to raise money for a student who has cancer and an Easter egg hunt for our elementary students. Membership in Key Club helps students develop leadership skills, a heart for volunteering, and an attitude of service. Key Club is open to all interested students grades 9-12. Key Club meets approximately twice a month to discuss activities. The first community service event is Sept. 16-Kiwanis Kids Day at Tracy Park. For more information, see Mrs. Callihan.
• Mock Trial - Mrs. Sylvia, Advisor. Mock Trial is open to any student in grades 9-12. Students should have a general interest in law, public speaking, advocacy, critical thinking, questioning techniques, and/or role-play. Mock Trial is a competition in which students simulate a real trial and test their legal skills, typically in a courtroom setting. The simulated case is entirely fictional and the case remains the same the entire academic year. Teams consist of six to ten members, but only six compete at any given time - 3 attorneys and 3 witnesses. So, if more than six students are interested, tryouts will be held. The PWHS team will go against six other people from a different school. Teams must prepare both sides of the case (prosecution/plaintiff and defense) for every competition. This means that any given person could have two roles: one for each side of the case. We will have an introductory meeting in a couple of weeks. Students should watch Final Forms for the introductory meeting date and time. For more information on what Mock Trial is like, click here.
• OMUN - Mrs. Smalley, Advisor. Ohio Model United Nations is a three-day global education simulation experience that allows students in grades 5-12 to learn about the complete operations of the United Nations and its role as the world’s largest international peacekeeping and humanitarian organization. Through the process of role-playing, students become delegates of a selected nation in order to write, present and debate issues affecting the nations and peoples of the world. Additionally, students present culturally based talent, participate in global education contests and debate current issues from the agenda of the United Nations. Click here for more information.
• Quiz Bowl - Mrs. Callihan, Advisor. Quiz Bowl is open to all students 9-12 who are interested in (and competitive in) a variety of topics, including American Literature, World Literature, Math, World History, U.S. History, U.S. Government, Geography, Fine Arts, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences. Our Quiz Bowl team competes five times a year from September-November against other high school teams in our area. There is an opportunity for the team to advance to regional and state competitions. For more information, click here.
• Science Bowl - Mrs. Callihan and Mrs. Bazler, Advisors. Science Bowl is for students in grades 9-12 who enjoy (and are good at) upper-level math and science topics. We have two Science Bowl teams. The teams meet occasionally after school and sometimes during school from February through May to study together and practice for the 1-day regional competition, which is sponsored by the Ohio Department of Energy. The team that wins the regional event advances to the national competition. For more information, click here.

• Poetry and Creative Writing Club - The Poetry and Creative Writing Club's next meeting is Sept. 1. Mrs. Ginn, advisor

  You can join their Google Classroom for news and updates: x77n22w

• CRUSH (formerly HPAC) Anatomy students who wish to join a health community service program. Community Service projects are completed throughout the year related to supporting community health. This is the organization that also provides the material and oversees the community health lockers. Advisor Barb Bazler

SPORTS

We have a lot of different sports teams at West. Here is a current list:

• Baseball - Coach Brady Knittel

  Basketball (boys team-Coach Caleb McClanahan., girls team-Coach: Larry Howell). Open gyms begin in early April this year. Anyone who is interested can come to open gyms. Tryouts are the first week of November to decide who is on the team. Basketball is typically September-October (Open Gyms/Lifting) November-March (Season) April-June (Open Gym/Summer Ball).
  

• Cheerleading (girls) -Advisor Michelle Russell. Tryouts are in March. Cheerleading season lasts all year.
• Cross Country - Coach Julie Conrad. Maybe some conditioning during the summer, start practicing on August 1st. If you are interested in joining Cross Country, email the coach in the beginning of July to get put on the list. Practices are after school from 3:00-4:00, Monday through Thursday. First meet is around the first week of September and the last one around the end of October. Meets are all on Saturday mornings and we are back before 2:00. Usually about 7 meets, including SOC and district. You don’t have to be a good runner as much as you have to be willing to work hard to get into shape so you can run 3.2 miles (5K).
• Football - (boys) No official tryouts. If you are interested in playing football for West, you should show up for the after-school weight lifting sessions which start in December. There are summer workout sessions in June and July, and practice officially begins August 1st. The official season runs from August to October, with playoffs in November. Coach Todd Gilliland
• Golf (coed) - Coach Charlie Cooper. Sign-ups in March; the season starts in September
• Soccer - Coach Daniel Thompson
• Softball (girls)- Coach Dani Coleman. The season runs from the end of March through the end of May. Workouts are approximately 3 days/week, all school year. Tryouts are in late February.
• Swim Team (boys team & girls team)-A new swim season is just around the corner, and here is an update from the PWHS Athletic Department. After stepping away from the Portsmouth West High School Swim Team last season to coach the Pike County YMCA "Piranhas" Swim Team, Coach Eric Nichols is returning to the PWHS head swim coach position. He will be assisted by his wife Carrie and longtime friend and Coach Carolyn Callihan. All three coaches have numerous years of swim coaching experience and they are eager to lead a new group of young men and women to future success. Coach Nichols is aware that the members of the 2022-23 team were very competitive, shattering many existing team records. The coaches are eager to build and grow the team from this solid "core." Swim season starts the last week of October and ends around mid-February. There are so many benefits to swimming! Whether you are recovering from injuries from a fall sport or you want to train your cardiovascular system for track in the spring, your fitness level will be through the roof by the end of swim season! Do you have the grit, the personal courage, the character and the class to try something new? DO YOU WANT TO BE PART OF SOMETHING LARGER THAN YOURSELF AND HAVE FUN DOING IT? Stay tuned for sign-up information.https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063804651716
• Tennis (coed) Coach Carolyn Callihan
• Track (boys team-Dell Peterson, girls team-Coach Tom Hoggard). Sign ups start in February and meets start in late March. We have a week or two of conditioning and practice, and then meets usually go from late March to mid-May. District meets are in mid-May, regional meets are in late May, and state meets are in early June. We don’t have tryouts--anyone who wants to join and is willing to work is welcome.
• Volleyball (girls)-Coached by Brittney Sessor and Assistant Coach Dani Coleman

MUSIC/DRAMA

• PRIMA- elite singing group for young women
• Singing Men of West-elite singing group for young men
• Tour of Hope - coed singing group
• MUSICAL - We have an annual production of a musical drama that is performed at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts at Shawnee State University. We need singers/performers, backstage help, sound & lighting help, etc. Contact Mrs. Tieman, our vocal music director, for more information.
• BAND - We have a marching band and a pep band. Contact Mr. Blevins, our band director, for more information.
• Guard - A subsection of the band that spins flags and travels with the band.

Email: kristie.copley@westsenators.org
Website: https://www.westsenators.org/o/portsmouth-west-high-school
Location: Portsmouth West High School, U.S. 52, West Portsmouth, OH, USA
Phone: 740-858-1103
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePWHS