february/march 2017
TRANSCRIPT
February/March 2017
In this issue . . . PTO 2
TedX 3
Staff Appreciation 3
Project Graduation 4-8
Choir News 9
Band News 10
Hyline 11
Cheer 12
Softball 13
Challenge Success 14
Speaker Series 15
Baccalaureate 16
Westbank Library 17
It’s musical time at Westlake High School. The musical extravaganza at Westlake High School is one
of the events that separate our campus from many other campuses in the state. These high quality
productions are at the highest levels in singing, dancing, and acting. Our tech theatre crew lights the stage,
arranges the sound, and will even fly a few actors in this year’s performances. Over the years, we have
performed Shrek, Cinderella, Westside Story, Beauty and the Beast, Bye-Bye Birdie, Music Man and the
Wizard of Oz. This year’s performance is Mary Poppins. Who can remember these fun songs: Spoonful of
Sugar, Step in Time, or Feed the Birds? And how about Mr. Cooley’s favorite, Super-cali-fragil-istic-expi-ali-
docious? Tremendous thanks to our fabulous choir directors: Ed Snouffer, Jenn Goodner, and Steve Sifner!
And many thanks to: David Poole, Jeff Strange, Will Brooks and David Tolin for their work in this fine
production as well. We would also like to thank all of our fabulous choir parents who put in countless hours to
make this such a successful event!
On our campus, this is one of the busiest times for our extracurricular programs. This is the time of
year where boys’ and girls’ basketball begin planning for the playoffs. Our wrestling team is focused on district,
regional and the state tournaments. Our baseball and softball teams begin practicing and scrimmaging. Our
soccer teams have moved from tournament times to district play. Boys’ and girls’ track officially begin their
preparations for their seasons. Our robotics teams are looking towards state. Our lacrosse and rugby clubs
are in season as well. Our HOSA and Cert students are preparing for competition while Model United Nations,
DECA and our Debate teams continue to compete and achieve at the highest levels. When you have a
campus where nearly 85% of your students are involved with extracurricular programs, your campus is
bustling!
Over the Winter Break, our marching band had the honor of marching in the Rose Bowl Parade. We
had over 260 students along with 40 plus staff and chaperones for this once in a lifetime event. Our band
performed exceptionally well, and we had a great time in southern California! Congrats to our band directors:
Kerry Taylor, Jana Robertson, Anna Rodriguez, and Drew Saenz!
It’s always a great day to be a Chaparral!
It’s always a great day to be a Chaparral!
Steve Ramsey, Principal
Chap Families, we hope your spring semester is off to a good start, and that all
are adjusting to life back in school. The PTO is off and running with our Spring
Allocations. For those of you who don’t know, we use all of our income (No
Hassle Fundraiser, Concessions Sales, Paver Sales, Mum Sales) to fund
initiatives on the WHS campus. Among those is the offering of Allocations in
both the Fall and Spring semesters. WHS Staff can submit requests for funding
of projects or items for their classrooms, or as we like to say, “PTO funds ‘stuff’
for our classrooms.” Our goal is to support our students across all areas of
study, and have as great an impact on as many students as possible. We are
really proud of all we are able to support on campus, and work really hard to
be good stewards of your donations and support.
As we push towards Spring, we start thinking about our Executive Board for next year. We are a volunteer
organization, and enjoy the benefits of time and talents of many in our community. If you are interested
in serving on our Executive Board, please feel free to contact us through our website www.whspto.net
where you can find our contact info for your area of interest. PTO is a great way to get involved in a
deeper way with our school and our staff.
Lastly, we have many great events coming up for our students this Spring. We encourage you to get out
there, and support our students and their hard work as they perform this spring in musicals, plays,
concerts, sports, etc. We have such an amazingly active student body, and we take pride in supporting all
of their efforts.
Join us for our next PTO Meeting, Friday, February 24 at noon. Steve Ramsey will be available at
11AM for questions
Go Chaps!
Karra Guess and Kristin Paull
WHS PTO Co-Presidents
Purchase a Stadium Paver Honor a student, teacher or administrator with a lasting tribute. Purchase a personalized brick
paver to be installed in a special area at Chaparral Stadium. Stadium pavers can be inscribed
with your choice of up to three lines of 16 letters/spaces each. Net proceeds go to the PTO and
are used to support the students, faculty and staff of Westlake High School. Information is on
the PTO Website whspto.net
TEDxYouth@Austin
Saturday, February 11th 12-6 PM
Attendance is free, but applicants have to commit to 4 hours of community service in
exchange for attending
Website is tedxyouthaustin.com
WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THE
TEDXYOUTH@AUSTIN EVENT?
TEDxYouth@Austin is organized and produced by a
dedicated team of youth leaders with key oversight from
experienced adult mentors. Unlike most other youth events,
TEDxYouth@Austin brings together students from all
demographics in a non-competitive atmosphere. Our event
is both one of the first and largest TEDxYouth events in the
world, and we continue to grow each year. Attendance to
TEDxYouth@Austin is completely free, and in exhange, our
attendees commit to 4 hours of community service. We
believe that our event has the ability to change the way
today's youth- the leaders of tomorrow- engage with the
world around them.
PTO Staff Appreciation Committee wants YOU!
A HUGE thank you to those of you who contributed to our holiday event for the WHS Staff!
Thank you to your gift card donations as well as your home-baked cookies. We were able to gift
each WHS staff member with a $25 gift card to some of the local favorite businesses. Our
committee members also baked their hearts out to provide a huge buffet of home-baked cookies
and treats so that each teacher was able to enjoy some home-baked goodness with their
families or as a treat during Finals week. It was a great success, and we could not have done it
without you. We would also like to give a big Shout Out to Marye's Pizza, Texas Honey Ham,
Chipotle and Thundercloud for donating many gift cards as well. Please be sure to thank
these lovely local businesses for their constant support- we love you, Westlake! As always, we
welcome anyone to join our committee at any time. We have more events planned for the
remainder of the year, so come join in the fun.
Our next event will be a February 16th Luncheon.
Please contact our Staff Appreciation chair, Christine Machon at [email protected] if you
are interested in helping. Have a wonderful Spring semester!
PROJECT GRADUATION
NEWS!
STUDENT REGISTRATION IS OPEN! Your student does not want to miss this amazing event! Historically, 85-90% of the senior class attends this long-standing WHS tradition. Students can register online at www.westlakepg.com. Registration Fee:
Now until 2/14: $80 2/15 - 4/30: $100
May 1- Graduation: $120
(Scholarships are available through the counseling office)
SUPPORT PROJECT GRADUATION Interested in surprising your Chap with a shout out at the PG17 event? Maybe, your company would like to support PG17 and get their name out? Or, perhaps you just want to support this important event. Below you will find ways to help support, underwrite, and sponsor some of the PG17 events! There are two types of options below:
1. Underwriting PG2017 Party Activities 2. General PG2017 Sponsorship with levels and recognition opportunities
Underwriting PG2017 Party Activities This is a fun way for your child to see their name the night of graduation. If you are interested, we will work with you on creating a sign that will be in front of that particular attraction.
There are only a few underwriting opportunities left as they were snatched up fast. So get them while they are still available! FLIPBOOK: $1,700 - Design your cover and advertise on the book! CASH CUBES (3 available): $300 /cube DODGEBALL: $500 BUNGEE JUMP: $1,600. Sponsor it with another family or do half of it!
Please consider donating either personally or through your workplace. As an example, we have had dentists and orthodontists sponsor the Flipbook previously with a slogan such as “Keep Smiling Class of 2017” and then had their logo on the front and back cover. One year a real estate company sponsored the Dodgeball tournament. Or you can sponsor as an individual or family and give a shout out message of luck to your graduate that night on a sign. This is a fun and creative way to help fund Project Graduation. General PG2017 Sponsorship If you or a company would prefer to sponsor in another capacity, we have different sponsorship level opportunities. Learn more at http://www.westlakepg.com/sponsor-levels.
We are a 501C3 entity, so your gift is tax deductible! Simply Want to Make a Donation? Donations can be made online at www.westlakepg.com. If you prefer to mail a check, please print out the donation form available online and mail your donation to Project Graduation, 4100 Westbank Dr, 78746. Thank you for supporting this important mission!
Other Ways to Support Project Graduation
Shutterfly: Order graduation announcements, photo blankets, photo gifts, Rush photo prints or anything from our Shutterfly Store at http://westlakeprograd.shutterflystorefront.com. 13% will be donated to PG17. Photographer’s of Westlake: Will donate $100 for each Full Session Package Purchased.
Randalls: Link your Randall’s card and direct your donations to Project Graduation # 4163
SMOOTHIE KING: Visit our website to access two coupons that can be used until 5/31/17 Save the Date: Mall Scavenger Hunt (Feb 28 – All Day) – Lulu Lemon, California Pizza Kitchen, Gatsby’s Chipotle (March 23 – 5:00-9:00 PM): 50% of proceeds donated Stay Informed:
VISIT: www.westlakepg.com;
FOLLOW on Instagram: @westlakepg;
FOLLOW on Twitter: @westlakepg;
LIKE us on Facebook: westlakeprojectgraduation;
QUESTIONS? Email mailto:[email protected]
2016 Parents We Need Your Photos! We need photos of students for two displays at Project Graduation.
These photos will NOT be returned, so don't send originals.
Drop off your photos in envelopes, labeled "Nostalgia Wall" or "Toddler Contest".
Boxes for each of these will be in the Front and Counselor's Offices.
NOSTALGIA WALL
Send in copies of your seniors & their classmates from elementary, middle & high school: Music, dance, competitions, sports, special events, prom or just hanging with friends. We prefer group photos so we can fit as many kids as many times as possible! Please send 2-5 photos, 8x10 or 5x7 sizes. No names necessary. These photos will be displayed at PG2017, and then stored for display at their first Class of 2017 Reunion.
TODDLER WALL
Drop off an 8 x 10 photo COPY of your senior as a toddler
18 mos. to 3 yrs. old: Pictures should be of Your Child Only. (No Family or Friends).
No Naked Pictures.
Write Senior's Name & Parent's Phone Number on the back, in case we need to reach you. Seniors compete for Prize$ to see who can correctly identify the most toddlers.
Questions? Email Us!
THANK YOU PROJECT GRADUATION DONORS (as of Jan 29, 2017)
Valedictorian ($5,000)
Salutatorian ($2,500) Randalls
The Valdes Family
Scholar ($1,000) Chipotle EZCORP
Anna Gray
LuLuLemon Cadence McShane
Annie & Brian Zucker
Distinguished ($500+)
Phil & Renee Ernst Jo & Dave Hendrick
Terri & Scott Ingraham
Anika Patels Family Zurovec PLLC
Honor Roll ($250+)
Austin Learning Center Molly Brydson
CMTA Inc The Dunworth Family Jeff & Melissa Fong
Robert Kenney realtors Gatsbys
Ann Marie Glick Corinne Goldsmith
Kevin & Lynn Harrison Miller Blue Print
The O'Connell Family Pellman Family
Photographers of Westlake
Charles Revelle Richard Schmidt
Karen Weber Scott & Amy Young
Kendra Scott Shutterfly
Friend (< $250) Lisa Burr
Marcela De AL Fuente Ki-Mi Fields
The Gammon Family Renee Gense
JMK Foodservice Consulting
Paula Lear Leslie Abbott Photography
The Loya Family Pfluger Architects
Ellen Smitheal
Katy Taylor John & Beth Turman
Pinkberry The Wallace Family
Yan Zheng & Jun Fang
The Westlake Chaparral Band ended marching season on a high note, with a whirlwind Southern California trip to march in the 128th Tournament of Roses Parade. The band represented Texas with pride every step of the way, from parading down Dineyland’s Main Street, to screaming on roller coasters at Knotts Berry Farm, to observing fine art at the Getty Center. The band’s biggest moment came January 2, when students marched for 5.5 miles through Pasadena in front of millions of people live and on television during the iconic Rose Parade.
“The number of people in the audience was incredible, and the reception we received was heartwarming,” recalls band director Kerry Taylor. “We feel very proud to represent Westlake High School and our community. It truly will be a life long memory!”
Special thanks to the directors, staff, chaperones, families, and students, who made the trip such a success.
Second semester brings EVE into competitive winter guard season, and the band is now focused on concert season. A handful of students were recently named TMEA All-State musicians, after they competed in district, regional, and area competitions. Congratulations go out to Drum Major Shawn Fore (trumpet), George Huang (bassoon), Toby Grace (percussion), and Joseph Asfouri (French horn) for making it to All-State, along with Jacob Feldman (alto sax) and Kevin Zhang (tuba) who both achieved this high honor for the second time!
Band News
Upcoming Dates: 1/28 Region Band Concert • 2/7 Winter Band Concert • 2/14 Full Orchestra Pre UIL Concert
WHS Class of 2017 Baccalaureate!!!
What is Baccalaureate????
Baccalaureate is a student-led service of faith and music. It's the first event of
graduation week!! All seniors, their family and friends are invited. You do not need
a ticket, and attendance is optional. Seniors wear their cap, gown and cords.
When is Baccalaureate???
Sunday, May 21, 2017 from 5:00-6:15 p.m.
Where is Baccalaureate????
The Riverbend Centre, 4212 Capitol of TX Highway
Who pays for Baccalaureate???
Baccalaureate does not receive any money from WHS or EISD. We rely on
donations from local churches, synagogues, faith communities & senior parents.
Where can I send a contribution???
Please send a check, made out to WHS Baccalaureate, to Elizabeth Hunt at 6508
Lost Cove, Austin TX 78746
How can I get involved???
The Baccalaureate Committee is a volunteer group of parents representing
Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim faiths. We need parents from all grade levels
to help out.
How can I get more information???
Please contact : Arden Harkins [email protected]
Sivagami Natesan [email protected]
LIBRARY HOURS:
Monday - Thursday: 10 am - 7 pm
Friday - Sunday: 11 am - 5 pm
Call Us 512.327.3045
Text Us 512-649-2247
Here is just a sampling of what is happening in February and March at Westbank and Laura’s Library.
Please check the website for detailed information including programs on hiatus due to closures.
FEBRUARY CLOSURES
Both Westbank and Laura’s Library will be closed February 20 in honor of President’s Day. If you’re
heading out of town, please defer your account in order to not miss out on your reserves. Simply log in
your account at westbanklibrary.com and choose your vacation dates under “My Account” and then
“Reserves/Requests”.
TOP TEN MYTHS ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
FEBRUARY 8 | 6PM | WESTBANK LIBRARY
Conquer the admissions frenzy with college admissions expert and parenting guru Mimi Doe as she
systematically demystifies each admissions myth.
GUITAR JAM
FEBRUARY 19 | 3-5PM |LAURA’S LIBRARY
This group welcomes adult and teen players of all levels. Acoustic guitars and mandolins are welcome,
but no electric guitars, please. This is a great opportunity to learn, grow, and connect with other
musicians of all levels in a relaxed setting without the pressure of performing.
COLLEGE PLANNING WITH COLLEGE INROADS
FEBRARY 21 | 6PM | LAURA’S LIBRARY
Plan to join College InRoads for an hour session covering scholarships, merit aid, financial aid, and the
admissions process. Students are encouraged to attend.
EARN VOLUNTEER HOURS – TEEN DROP IN AND DO SOME GOOD
FEBRUARY 26 | 1-4PM | LAURA’S LIBRARY
Teens ages 13-18 can earn volunteer hours by helping in the library. Please bring your parent’s contact
info. No registration required.
SPRING BREAK AT WESTBANK LIBRARIES
MARCH 11-19 | WESTBANK AND LAURA’S LIBRARY
Join us for a full week of programs, events, and crafts based on “The Jungle Book”! From Bollywood
dance lessons, spices of India, meditation and mandalas, we have something for everyone.
FOR PARENTS:
PARENTING “OUTSIDE OF THE BOX” CHILDREN: COMPASSION AND CLARITY: THE NUTURED HEART
APPROACH TO MANAGE CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS + CAMP FAIR
FEBRUARY 1 | 10:30AM | LAURA'S LIBRARY
Participants will be introduced to the Nurtured Heart Approach®, a relationship focused parenting
approach that helps transform even the most behaviorally, academically, and socially challenged
children. After the talk, there will be a camp fair for you to help choose your summer camps and classes
for your child.
WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS: BRAVING – PARENTING WITH TRUST AND BOUNDRY SETTING
FEBRUARY 9 | NOON | WESTBANK LIBRARY
Join Vanessa Flores, a LCSW, and Certified Daring Way Facilitator (CDWF).
WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS: BODY TALK - DISPELLING THE MYTHS ABOUT BODY “HEALTHY”
BODY IMAGE AND EATING
FEBRUARY 23 | NOON | WESTBANK LIBRARY
Join Allison Chase, Ph.D., CEDS with Eating Recovery Center.
SMART SCHOOLING BOOK GROUP
FEBRUARY 23 & MARCH 30| 6PM | LAURA’S LIBRARY
Led by Antonio Buehler, founder of Abrome, to discuss books that touch upon topics in education, with
an emphasis on the psychology that should inform how we approach education. February’s selection is
The Price of Privilege by Madeline Levine and March’s is Wounded by School by Kirsten Olsen.
PARENTING “OUTSIDE OF THE BOX” CHILDREN: IEP’S
MARCH 1 | 10:30AM | LAURA’S LIBRARY
Learn the ins and outs of IEP’s (Individual Educational Plan) with Linda McDaniel from Region 13, Texas
Education Network.
WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS: IS THIS NORMAL? IDENTIFYING MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN
TEENS AND WHAT TO DO NEXT
MARCH 23 | NOON | WESTBANK LIBRARY
With Chelsea Fielder-Banks, a Licensed Professional Counselor.
Entries for the next edition of Chap
Connections, the April issue, are due by
March 21, 2017. Send to