Go Titans! - West Salem High School

January 2008
Volume 5/ Issue 3
Message from the Principal:
West Salem High School Parents and Community:
It is hard to believe that the first semester has come to a close and we are starting the second half of the
school year. We are proud of our students and their many accomplishments.
Since our last newsletter, new Rotary Students of the Month include:
Britta Berg-Johansen – Foreign Language
Jessica Yang – Band
Matthew Wiley – Choir
Congratulations to the Educational Foundation. They raised over $45,000 at the Titan Auction. These
funds help support various organizations at school through the Academic Booster Club, the Music
Booster Club and the Athletic Booster Club.
Just a word of caution during these dark rainy mornings. As you are dropping off students at school,
please pull over to an appropriate location for drop off. We have had some close calls when parents stop
in the middle of the driveway.
West continues to look for ways to highlight their Green School designation. As you know we have solar
panels on the roof of our gym (provided by Salem Electric) and now we have a new wind generator in the
back of the school (again provided by Salem Electric). The kilowatt hours of electricity data is fed back
into the school for our students to monitor. Our Green Team recently received a $350 Incentive Award
for their efforts to conserve energy.
The State Report Card and A Budget Guide For Our Community are available in the main office if you
would like to stop by and pick up a copy.
Please take a minute to review the calendar of events listed in this newsletter. We encourage parents to
be involved in the variety of activities provided.
Again, thank you for your continued support.
Respectfully,
Ed John
Principal
West Salem High School
john_ed@salkeiz.k12.or.us
Our office hours are
changing. We will now be
open from 7:00–4:00 PM.
Go Titans!
West Salem High School • 503-399-5533 • Ed John, Principal
DRAMA DEPARTMENT PRESENTS
STAGE DOOR
By Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman
The time is the late 1930’s. The scene is the New York City boarding house of Mrs. Orcutt, where the hopes and ambitions of
several wanna-be actresses are humorously revealed.
Don’t miss this show!
Performance Dates: February 29, March 1, 7 & 8
Tickets: See the bookkeeper or Mrs. Van Dreal Clark $4/students $6/adults
Behind the scenes info:
This is the largest cast show ever to perform at West. Over 50 students auditioned. This is the first year we will not have a
professional set designer. The technical theatre class, under the direction of Mrs. Van Dreal-Clark and consultation of Mike Crop,
will design and build the entire set.
Drama Club News
Drama Club is Broadway Bound!
Some of the students from Drama Club will be going to New
York over spring break. They will see two Broadway shows, go
on several tours and attend acting workshops. The club has been
working hard to raise funds to help off-set the costs.
Thank you to those who have supported their efforts.
Poetry Contest
The West Side Writers first annual poetry contest has begun
accepting entries from West Salem area students, grades 4 - 12.
The contest attempts to recognize the artistic achievements of
writing students from the elementary, middle, and high school
levels, and will award prizes for the top poems in each category.
Please contact Pattie Sloan, Chris Eddy, or John Divelbiss at West
with questions. The contest deadline is February 1.
Writer’s Guild
West will sponsor a Writer’s Guild, with poet Peter Shears as the
presenter. This project is a time away for gifted and talented writers
to work with a published author. This was funded by a grant for
Salem-Keizer School District. This is a wonderful opportunity for
young people to write and develop their creative gifts. If there are
any questions, please contact Pattie Sloan for information, sloan_
pattie@salkeiz.k12.or.us.
Band News
With the conclusion of marching band season, other parts of
the band program have been hard at work. All three concert
bands (Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble),
as well as the Symphony Orchestra and the two jazz labs,
recently performed in their annual winter concert which turned
out very nicely. Also, both winter color guard and winter drum
line have begun with high potential for success this year. We are
happy to announce that five West students have been inducted
into the OMEA All-State High School Honor Band this year:
Jessica Yang, flute; Josh Hettwer, clarinet; Ryan Tuttle,
trumpet; Matt Hettwer, trombone; and Josh Fletcher, trumpet.
Congratulations to all five of these talented musicians and please
stay tuned for upcoming music events.
Choir News
The choirs continue to have great success! Since our last newsletter,
we hosted our fourth (and final) Salem Vocal Jazz Festival and
performed two outstanding holiday concerts. Thanks to parents
for your continued support of the choral program.
Looking ahead: Soundscape will be attending the Lionel
Hampton Jazz Festival in Moscow, Idaho on February 22;
Twenty-three singers will be participating in the All-City Honor
Choir on February 16; and Choral Cabaret is March 14 & 15.
Congratulations to the following singers for being selected to the
2008 All-City Honor Choir: Kylie Alldredge, Stephen Andersen,
Zach Arnold, Zach Chong, Thomas Clapper, Stephanie Finley,
Jordan Halleen, Aaron Hukari, Brette Irish, Kristi Larson,
Mitch McClain, Carrie McIntire, Adam Nielsen, Shareef
Noor, Claire Sahlberg, Christina Sailler, Brian Singer Fulton,
Amanda Stafford, Guthrie Straw, Andrew Tennant, Matthew
Wiley, Shelby Wright, and Natalie Yonkman.
Art Calendars for 2008
LAST CHANCE to get your first edition 2008 West Art Calendar.
The sale of the calendars goes directly to the Tracey Sparling Art
Scholarship Fund and will benefit deserving art students continuing
their education in the visual arts. Scholarships are awarded and
presented to selected applicants at the Awards Program in June.
Please help support West High’s Art Program. Buy for yourself or
give as a gift(s). The calendars cost $20.00 and can be purchased
through West’s bookkeeper.
Tutoring
Tuesdays 2:30-3:15
English – B121
Social Studies – D209
Wednesdays 2:30-3:15
Math – D111
Thursdays 2:30-3:15
Science – B214
News from the Titan Orchestras
The Oregon Symphony has a Prelude Series where they invite
local school groups to perform on the mezzanine of the beautiful
Arnold Schnitzer Hall in Portland before the Oregon Symphony
concert. Ms. Silberman brought a group of seven students up to
play at this event. Here is an eye witness account from Zevon
Smith, sophomore violist in the Advanced Orchestra:
On December 2, 2007, our very own Advanced Orchestra has
had the opportunity of a life time! Students; Jacklyn Steig, Joe
Master, Katelyn Horvath, Zevon Smith, Rebecca Barnick,
Ellen Svadlenak, and Taylor Baldwin had the pleasure of
performing at the Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, just minutes
before the outstanding Oregon Symphony performed itself!
West Spirit T-shirt Design Contest
All students are invited to design a spirit t-shirt to be sold at our student store. Designers should pay
close attention to the following criteria:
-The design is for a short-sleeved t-shirt
-No old English font
-Designer should put their initials or signature on the t-shirt
-The design should reflect the spirit and academic excellence of WSHS.
-All designs should be submitted on 12x12 paper (one page per t-shirt side) to Mrs. Plant by 3:00 PM
March 21.
-Designer should indicate the t-shirt color
WINNER: NIKE will design a pair of shoes exclusively for the student OR NIKE will allow the student
to design his/her own shoes.
CREATIVE ARTS
In words, our group did an excellent job on the pieces that we
performed. Our beautiful stringed instruments gave a nice tone
out into our so called audience that was gathered around our
humble corner of the
hall. The crowd was
delighted to see our
talents and a young
generation give respect
to classical music. As a
violist of the orchestra,
this opportunity has
given me inspiration as
well as determination
for my playing skills.
The little part I have
contributes
into
something far greater
than an orchestra. It
has been one of the
best performances the
Advanced Orchestra
has yet to offer, but
in the upcoming New
Year there is so much
more to come.
Counselors’ Corner
Now that we are halfway through the school year and the first semester is concluded, it is time to start thinking about the
major counseling activity of second semester: forecasting for next year! We begin this process at West early in the second
semester because it is a lengthy process and we want to be sure that we take adequate time to meet with each student
individually to plan his/her courses for next year as well as talk about future goals and other educational issues. The
importance of accurate forecasting cannot be over-emphasized. Designing the master schedule and hiring and assigning
teachers are based upon the course requests that students have provided during the forecasting process.
Here are some important dates to remember and help students prepare for:
Thursday, February 14: All the materials students and parents will need for forecasting are provided in the students’
AAG meetings on this date. Students MUST attend their AAG on February 14. If absent, they must pick up these
materials ASAP in the Counseling Center.
Week of February 19-22: Forecasting for current Juniors during their English classes.
Week of February 26-29: Forecasting for current Sophomores during their English classes.
Week of March 3-6: Forecasting for current Sophomores and ELL students during their English classes. Forecasting for
current eight graders at Walker M.S. by Mr. Hamlin.
Week of March 11-14: Forecasting for current Freshmen during their English classes.
Tuesday, March 11:
8th grade Parent Orientation 6:00 – 7:00 PM, Curriculum Fair, 7:00 – 8:00 PM.
Week of March 18-21:Forecasting for current Freshmen, Special Ed., Read 180 students during their English classes.
The goal, as always, is to finish all forecasting activities by spring break (March 24-28). The remainder of the spring
months is then spent building a master schedule and creating individual student schedules. Having as many students’
schedules completed as accurately as possible helps in starting off a school year as smoothly as possible, so this is a
process to be taken very seriously!
If you have any questions or concerns about your student’s course selections, please contact his/her counselor for
information and guidance.
Math League Results
The second Math League Meet of the year was held on November
13. Congratulations to the top scoring students for this meet.
Cameron Oden was the top scoring student for this meet. He
scored a four. Scores of three were turned in by: TJ Hand, Jesse
Wertz, Hayli Hodsdon, Nicholas Von Foerster, Nicholas
Vrontakis, Christina Martin, Brian Dinh, and
Shareef Noor.
The third Math League meet took place on
December 11. Congratulations to the top scoring
students for this meet. Scores of five were turned
in by: Tyler Dudley and Shareef Noor. Scores
of four were attained by: Trevor Carey, John
Gallagher, Byron Harmon, Zach Chong,
Myles Wittman, Malia Kawamura, Patrick
DeJarnatt, Ian Love and Cameron Oden.
After three meets, here are the Math League
leaders (highest cumulative score): Cameron
Oden (11), TJ Hand (10), Tyler Dudley (10),
Nicholas Von Foerster (9), Jesse Wertz (9),
Hayli Hodsdon (9), and Ian Love (9).
The dates for the remaining Math League Meets are January
15, February 12, and March 18. All students are encouraged to
participate. Contests take place in the math room right after school
and last for 30 minutes. Any student can honetheir math problem
solving skills while earning extra credit.
Calculus League Results
The first Calculus League Meet took place on December 6. The
contest includes AP-type problems and serves as a great way to
review concepts learned earlier in the year. All students in AP
Calculus BC participate in this contest. Congratulations to the top
scoring students for this meet. The following students all scored
seven: Ali Aguirre, Claire Coba, Tyler Dudley,
Kelly Shibley, and Anna Stipe. Ryan Riches
and Byron Harmon each scored eight. The
top scores of nine were turned in by Courtney
Klosterman and Ben Eckstein.
Great job by all of these students!!!
Math Reminders
Parent and student reminders:
Use www.mygradebook.com to check your
student’s math grade anytime. If you have
questions about this, please contact your
student’s math teacher. Login information was
given in the previous newsletter and can also be
found at the school website.
In addition to seeing their teacher before or after school, students
can get to homework problems and worked out solutions at www.
hotmath.com for all math courses (except AP Statistics and AP
Calculus BC).
Career Center News
Seniors planning to attend a community college or four-year university will need to file the Free Application for Federal
Student Assistance (FAFSA) in January. To get a head start, request your PIN now at
www.pin.ed.gov. Beginning January 1, file your online FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Financial Aid Night Part II will be January 15 at 7:00 PM in the Media Center. Seniors
and their parents can bring all documents needed for the FAFSA and will receive help
from Willamette University and Western Oregon University Financial Aid Advisors.
Parents will be able to submit the FAFSA that evening with a peace of mind.
Seniors should remember to check the scholarship list in the Career Center or on the
Career Center web page at least once a week throughout the year. Scholarship deadlines
come and go quickly!
The freshmen just completed the first half of their Career Exploration Unit with Career Specialist, Elsa Plant and 9th
Grade Counselor, Dave Hamlin. Students set personal and academic goals for this year. They completed activities that
allowed them to think about their skills, talents and interests. The Interest Profiler was a big hit as students got to see a
list of careers that matched their interests. Your student also researched three careers extensively. The second half of the
Career Unit has begun. Now that students know the level of post-secondary training their chosen occupations require,
they will have the opportunity to research schools and other training programs.
Sophomores taking Economics this semester have officially started their job shadows. The Salem business community has
been so supportive of our job shadow program. THANK YOU! This is a valuable experience for students as they learn what
someone in their chosen field of interest does in “real life”. The final deadline for all job shadows was January 7.
Juniors, it’s
not too early to begin researching post-secondary schools and programs! See Mrs. Plant in the Career
Center for tips on how to get started and setting up college visits.
Thank you to the local businesses who participated in the Polk County Career Fair at Western
Oregon University as presenters for the break-out sessions: West Coast Bank (downtown
branch), T-Mobile, US Bank, MAPS Credit Union, OSU Federal Credit Union, and Worksource
Oregon.
During the break-out sessions students learned about dressing for success, resume
writing, interviewing skills, and work ethics. Students also visited with various
local businesses at the fair.
PSAT scores are in and have been given to your students. For help interpreting your
student’s scores please visit www.collegeboard.com or see Mrs. Plant.
No Child Left Behind Parent Conference
The 6TH Annual No Child Left Behind (NCLB) parent conference will be held on
Saturday, February 23, 2008 at McKay High School, 2440 Lancaster Dr. NE.
The theme for this year’s conference is “Reading For All.” This FREE conference
is a gathering with school district personnel addressing key issues that will help
support and involve parents and community members in the education of children.
•
•
•
•
Free child care (ages two through twelve).
Free lunch provided.
Interpreters will also be available in Spanish, Russian and Marshallese.
Other languages are available upon request.
Registration begins at 9:30 AM with the conference running from 10:00 AM to 2:00
PM.
For further information call 503-399-3258 or 503-399-3353
Attendance Information
It is very important that all students be checked out from
school prior to leaving the school grounds.
To insure that your student is checked out at the time that
you need them to be, send a note with them in the morning
and have them bring it to the Attendance Office prior to the
beginning of school. If your student phones you and wants to
leave school because he/she is are not feeling well, parents
will need to check them out prior to leaving.
Reminders: We are only able to go back three school days
to excuse absences. With the new phone home system for
unexcused absences, you can leave a short message as to why
your student was not at school that day and it will be entered
into the computer.
Students who are late to class, but have a destination or
admit slip signed by a teacher, counselor, administrator
or the attendance secretary, will be admitted to class and
documented with an excused tardy. Students arriving late
to school must check in with the attendance office before
reporting to classes. Tardies occurring after the student
has either checked in through the Attendance Office or
attended daily classes may not be excused by a parent
unless the parent was physically with the student.
Infractions for Unexcused Tardies:
1st – 2nd Tardy = warning
Students for Change
Students for Change began the year gathering and trick-or-treating
for eyeglasses. Students for Change gathered 269 pairs of used
eyeglasses to send to northern Uganda with Leanna Nicodemus.
Along with eyeglasses, 120 members of the club participated in
Teach Africa in Portland. Sponsored by the World Affairs Council
of Oregon, they met with 500 students from around Oregon to
discuss creating opportunities for service to Africa. Two students
from West, Marika Straw and Jessie Cummins were also
presenters.
On February 26, Steve Fitch from Southern California will be the
speaker at A Gathering for Awareness. Steve is the president of
Ethiopia Eden, a project to help re-forest parts of Ethiopia. He
is also in Madagascar and the Sudan. This will be an exciting
and informative evening for the students and the public.
The students will use this evening to begin their LifeStraw project
for Africa.
National Honor Society
The West Chapter of National Honor Society is pleased to
announce the names of the new inductees. The following seniors
were inducted Wednesday, November 14, 2007, in the Media
Center: AliRae Aguirre, Troy Allen, Douglas Day, Caitlin
Duffy, Taylor Hand, Hannah Holmes, Amber Johnson, Mitch
McClain, Taylor Michael, Jake Mitchell, Amy Nicolaysen,
Kelly Shibley, Holli Tuss, and Natalya Yashina.
3rd Tardy = lunch detention
4th Tardy = 2 lunch detentions or one hour after school
detention, parent/guardian contact.
Subsequent tardies may result in increased lunch or after
school detention time, behavior contract, parent meeting,
revocation of parking privileges and/or revocation of offcampus lunch pass. Students will not be allowed to make-up
work missed due to multiple tardies.
Students who are enrolled full time must attend at least
one half of their scheduled classes on a single day during a
ten day period to avoid being dropped for non-attendance.
Attendance will be monitored, and citation proceedings will
begin for chronic non-attendance. This regulation is set by
Oregon Department of Education Laws.
Optimist Club Student
of the Month
Each month the Optimist Club of Salem honors a high school
student in various fields of study. The Optimist Student of the
Month for December was Matt Hettwer. Matt was nominated
by his English teacher, Pattie Sloan, for his involvement in music.
To creatively complete an assignment in her class, Matt wrote a
song for his Romeo and Juliet project, which was later presented
at a conference by Mrs. Sloan. Matt currently plays in several
groups at the high school, as well as Willamette Valley Youth Jazz
Band. He placed fourth in state at last year’s OMEA competition
for trombone, as well. Congratulations, Matt Hettwer, our most
involved in the Fine Arts!
The following students were inducted last spring: Rebecca
Barnick, Rachael Barrows, Britta Berg-Johansen, Heather
Bronson, Trevor Carey, Michael Zachary Chong, Brynna
Cole, Kristen Connelly, Sarah Cook, Jessica Cummins, Tyler
Dudley, Joel Eaton, Matthew Feltz, Stephanie Finley, Rachel
Fischer, John Gallagher, Byron Harmon, Callie Harris, Sarah
Hayden, Hayli Hodsdon, Aaron Hukari, Brette Irish, Triana
Johnson, Mike Keuler, Nick Kilfoil, Sydney Kinzie, Courtney
Klostermon, Ben Lampert, Katherine Lownbery, Carrie
McIntire, Luis Miranda, Sam Nadarajan, Anthony Nicolaysen,
Mary Patzel, Jennifer Price, Lindsey Richardson, Ryan Riches,
Lynn Robinson, Claire Sahlberg, Mara Schradle, Zach Steele,
Guthrie Straw, Robbie Tan, Ryan Tuttle, Katherine Urbani,
Bree VanNess, Nicholas Von Foerster, Teague Watson, Maren
Westby, Matthew Wiley, Myles Wittman, Michelle Wong, and
Jessica Yang.
NHS students have been busy volunteering in various activities so
far this year, such as tutoring/mentoring students at the elementary,
middle, and high schools, Mission Mill, and the Gilbert House.
Congratulations to all of these fine students!
Cell Phone Use Reminder
We have a new policy at West this year regarding cell
phones. Cell phone use is OUTSIDE only. Students may
use phones during passing time and lunch, but need to
step outside for use. On a first offense, students will
pick-up their confiscated phone in the Student Center.
On subsequent offenses, parents will need to pick up the
phone. Please help us keep the focus on education by
texting or calling your student during their lunch time or
after school. Thank you!
High School
Business Students Shine
Thank You
Construction Program Donors
The Business Management class at West is designed to provide
opportunities for advanced business students to demonstrate their
leadership and business skills. Primarily, they demonstrate their
skills by managing and operating the TITAN branch of MaPS
Credit Union. However, there are other opportunities within
the class for students to shine. One such example came to life
on Friday, November 9, when the class participated in a team
bonding day at the ROPE COURSE in Salem.
We are on our way to starting our new construction program
with help from three area donors. The program is designed
to provide a foundation to the building industry for students
and to eventually receive certification as to the skills they
have learned. Thank you to Tom Co R Construction and Steve
Evans, Broker, John L Scott Real Estate for their donations
to our program. We would also like to thank Mike Erdmann,
Executive Vice-President, Home Builders Association of Marion
and Polk Counties for his submission of a grant to the national
organization to provide funding for the beginning phases of
the program. The grant was over $4,000 and will be used to
purchase materials needed for start-up. We are excited about
this new opportunity for our students, and look forward to the
program growing over the years. If you are interested in donating
or would like more information on the program, please contact
Jane Evans or Ken Phillips at the school.
Sarah Hayden, a supervisor at the Titan Branch noticed the class
was not working together as a team and suggested the ROPES
course as an activity to rectify that problem. She researched
the possibility and made all the arrangements including gaining
funding from Dan Penn, CEO of MaPS. Sarah along with Trevor
Carey, Teague Watson, Kelly Shibley and Danielle Walter were
able to network with Mr. Penn while they were being honored
as outstanding business students at the October Chamber of
Commerce Forum Lunch. The students in the class selected the
date because it was a day we didn’t have school, so they wouldn’t
miss their advanced placement coursework.
Parents: We have two publications that are available in the main office if you would like to
drop by and pick up a copy.
A Budget Guide for our Community
ODE - State Report Card
DID YOU KNOW…
…that http://west.salkeiz.k12.or.us/index.htm will help you keep up to date on happenings and key information at West?
…that the homepage gives you the school calendar, announcements, a slide show of activities and events, notes to parents, key
dates highlighted and a link to other schools in the district?
….that there is links to: some very key information
TEACHER PAGES–lots of teachers have elaborate web pages – check it out
MY GRADEBOOK–check your student’s Freshman House and math grades
Media Center–online database, book reviews and lists, research tools, art links
Bell Schedule–all meet day, block schedules, assembly schedule, late start schedule
Contact Information–please call (503) 584–6445 to excuse your student’s absence/tardy
Career Center–school code, checklists for each class, college visits, GRAD requirements
Recycle Program–See how Dave’s Mean Green Recycling Team is making a difference.
School Profile–enrollment, school day, offerings, administrators and counselors.
AND…that there are other links to give you detailed information about ATHLETICS, ACADEMICS, STUDENT BUSINESSES
and HOW TO GET INVOLVED?
Please become more involved! Attend sports events, music concerts, college financial aid nights, parent conferences, art fairs,
plays and international nights, etc. Learn about volunteer activities and community sharing projects.
Patronize student businesses and encourage your students to deposit money in a savings account with MAPS on campus.
Support them in joining clubs and making new friends.
Read the minutes from Site Council and attend the next PTO/LSAC – February 11, from 7-8:00 PM in the Titan Room.
Salem-Keizer Public Schools
West Salem High School
1776 Titan Drive NW
PO Box 12024
Salem, OR 97309-0024
Calendar of Events
January 21
January 22
January 23
January 24
January 25
January 26
February 4
February 6
February 7
February 8
February 9
February 11
February 12
February 14
February 15
February 16
February 18
No School-Holiday
February 19
Grad Party Booster Club Mtg
February 21
AAG
February 28
International Night of Desserts
February 29
Stage Door Performance
March 1Stage Door Performance
March 1SAT Test
March 3Athletic Booster Club Mtg
March 5Site Council Mtg
March 6Poetry Awards Night
March 7No School-Grading Day
March 7Stage Door Performance
March 8Stage Door Performance
No School-Holiday
Finals – Periods1, 3, 5
Finals – Periods 2, 4, 6
Finals – Periods 7, 8
No School-Grading Day
SAT Test
Athletic Booster Club Mtg
Site Council Mtg
AAG
Wrestling/Swimming at Districts
Wrestling/Swimming at Districts
PTO Mtg
Ed Foundation Mtg
Wrestling at State
Wrestling/Swimming at State
Wrestling/Swimming at State
Check it out: You can also view the calendar on the schools web
page west.salkeiz.k12.or.us and click on the master calendar.
Finals Schedule
Tuesday, January 22
Wednesday, January 23
Thursday, January 24
Period 1
Period 3
Period 5
Period 2
Period 4
Period 6
Period 7
Period 8
7:35-9:05
9:25-10:55
11:15-12:45
7:35-9:05
9:25-10:55
11:15-12:45
7:35-9:05
9:25-10:55