The Write Side

Parents, Guardians and Students of Portsmouth West High School,

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your children back to Portsmouth West High School and the start of the 2022-2023 school year. I am looking forward to this year and being a part of our students making an impact in our community and county in academics, the arts and athletics. To our new students and in-coming Freshman, this is the beginning of a new chapter in your lives. You will make new friends share stories and memories that will last a lifetime. It is our goal at Portsmouth West High School to provide a safe learning environment for all students to succeed. Our teachers will challenge you to be better students in the classroom so you are well prepared for your future. I encourage you to take advantage of the many extra-curricular activities that we offer. We will announce when our clubs will hold their initial meetings once we get the year started. Each morning, I will email you daily announcements to keep you in the loop of what’s going on throughout the week. Parents, if at any time you have a question or concern please feel free to contact or email me. This year will go by quickly; with the blink of the eye it will be “Graduation Night” 2023. Everyone enjoy this year, parents take many pictures, and stay involved in your child’s education. Go Senators!

Christopher N. Rapp, Principal

Portsmouth West High School

PWHS wishes senior Karlee York the best of luck this weekend as she participates in the Portsmouth River Days parade and pageant this Saturday, Sept. 2. Though this weekend concludes with the pageant, Karlee has been involved in community service and activities since she was selected as Miss West.

Karlee explains her community service platform and experience so far:

My platform for River Days was all about instilling early literacy on kids and helping them find a love for reading! The title of my platform is “Today A Reader Tomorrow A Leader, Turning The Page Today For A Better Tomorrow.” When I was young my parents had gone through a tough divorce; however, I reading was something that really kept me grounded from a young age, and I want kids to know it is not only for educational benefits! I hosted a community service event at our school cafeteria and asked kids to bring in a book that was past their reading level or that they simply did not enjoy anymore. These books went to the Shriners to take to Childrens Hospital where they will go on a book cart for other kids to enjoy! My favorite part of River Days is the twelve new amazing friends I have made, and I know no matter what happens the rest of my journey I have lived out a childhood dream and I seized every second, and loved every minute of it, once a Senator always a Senator!

Pictured are STEM challenge photos from Dr. Harvey's Biology classes where, on their first day, students were solving problems, demonstrating teamwork, and making new friends!

The US Dept. of Education states, "In an ever-changing, increasingly complex world, it's more important than ever that our nation's youth are prepared to bring knowledge and skills to solve problems, make sense of information, and know how to gather and evaluate evidence to make decisions. These are the kinds of skills that students develop in science, technology, engineering, and math, including computer science—disciplines collectively known as STEM/CS. If we want a nation where our future leaders, neighbors, and workers can understand and solve some of the complex challenges of today and tomorrow, and to meet the demands of the dynamic and evolving workforce, building students' skills, content knowledge, and literacy in STEM fields is essential. We must also make sure that, no matter where children live, they have access to quality learning environments. A child's zip code should not determine their STEM literacy and educational options."

The following information is from studentaid.gov:

Students, “college prep” is about more than the classes that you take. It’s also about developing the skills that will help you succeed in college and life. For instance, as you balance studying and having fun, you’ll be practicing time management; and as you save for college, you’ll be learning money management. Our checklists suggest these and many other steps you can take, as well as websites you can explore, as you prepare academically and financially for college.

Parents, each of the checklists—from elementary school through high school—includes items for you, such as how to support your child in his or her studies, where to set up a college savings account, and what to do when it’s time to apply for financial aid.

Adult students, we’ve got an adult student checklist just for you so that you can skip all the information about what classes to take in high school and get straight to exactly what you need.

Checklists

Whether you’re a student or parent, years away from college or just about to start, the following checklists will help you get ready.

• Elementary School Checklist: Student and parent checklists that start the student on the road to enjoying learning and point the parent to resources for college savings accounts.

• Middle School Checklist: Student and parent checklists that get the student thinking about high school and possible careers and encourage the parent to keep an eye on the student’s progress.

• High School Checklist: Student and parent checklists that help the student focus on succeeding academically and learning about financial aid and provide the parent with tips for supporting the student and participating in the financial aid application process.

9th Grade Checklist

10th Grade Checklist

11th Grade Checklist

12th Grade Checklist

Read the pdf below or click here for more information.

Getting involved in high school activities is so important for many reasons, and there are several clubs and activities that PWHS offers students. Sports are great way to work on physical fitness and be part of a team. We also have clubs that any student can join. Go to the PWHS website and select menu to view some of the clubs available to students.

One club that students are encouraged to join is Key Club. This is a service- or volunteer-based club. Not only does it feel great to be a help in the community, but also service hours look great on scholarship applications and college admissions applications.

Look below for more opportunities. Don't see a club you like? Start one yourself! Find several other like-minded students and get with Mr. Rapp or Mr. Ralstin to share your club idea.

CLUBS

• 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 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.
• 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 - Mrs. Blevins, 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. For more information, see our website.
• Mock Trial - Mrs. Sites, Advisor. West has an award-winning Mock Trial team. Mock Trial is a national organization at the elementary, high school, and college levels. Any high school student who is interested and is passing all classes is welcome to join our team. We meet Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons from October until January. As of now, we have no membership dues as our school graciously supports our team and fees. Each high school team in the U.S. is given the same information about a “crime.” We study the information and assign different members of our team to be the lawyers, plaintiffs, defendants, witnesses, etc. We also have time keeper positions and understudies for those who are interested but may have a bit of stage fright. We prepare for the “trial” and then “perform” it at competition in front of competition judges. For more information on what Mock Trial is like, click here.For information on Mock Trial accomplishments and members at West, 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 - Join the Google Classroom with the code: x77n22w
• 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.

SPORTS

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

• Baseball (boys) - Coach Larry Goodwin.See Coach Goodwin ASAP if plan to play 2023 season
  

  Fall Workouts Begin September 1st

  Winter Workouts Begin November 14th

  First Official Practice February 21st

  First Game March 26th

• 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) -Advisors Michelle Russell and Robin Hileman. Tryouts are in March. Cheerleading season lasts all year.
• Cross Country - Coach Larry Goodwin (boys team), Coach Julie Conrad (Girls team).
• 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.
• Golf (coed) - Coach Charlie Cooper. sign ups in March, 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)- Coach Eric Nichols, Asst. Coach Carolyn Callihan. You don’t already have to know how to swim to join us. If you know how to tread water, we can teach you how to swim competitively. Sign-ups for the swim team are officially in mid-October, but we may have some open swim events and swim camp opportunities in the summer. The competitive season runs from late October through mid-February.
• 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 which 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.