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The student news site of Davenport West High School

WHS Today

The student news site of Davenport West High School

WHS Today

If you want to be a part of the speech and debate team, you can go to room 238 before and after school.

Suspenseful speeches

Joseph Potts, Reporter April 8, 2019

The season of the Speech and Debate team may have ended, but for junior Anton Kordick, it is only the beginning as he prepares for the national tournament this summer. “We had a very small team this...

“It is important to become educated on the game. I played until I was a junior and so I just relied on my smarts and athletic ability. Somebody with more technique and who was more educated on how to hit the ball correctly ended up taking my varsity spot when I was senior,” science teacher and tennis coach Ian McCloud said.  “I don’t ever want to see that happen again, and I know I have gotten a lot better when I know how to play the game correctly, so get educated.”

Serves up

Sarah Bernick and Sophia Iniguez April 8, 2019

Figuring out exactly what you want to join in high school can be nerve-racking, but also an exciting journey. It opens up opportunities, while challenging people to do activities they would never think...

A lack of adaptation to the way humans react to climate change could result in harm to everything. Plant life would suffer, humans would suffer, and everything else would in the process. “We’re getting more mold and more viruses. It’s throwing off the balance,” Zimmerman said. “We could be bringing back viruses from over 10,000 years ago. It’s ridiculous.”

A looming threat draws ever closer

Tim O'Leary, Reporter April 7, 2019

The point of no return draws ever closer for mother earth. A number being commonly thrown around is 12 years, making the march to the tipping point dangerously close. Yet still many superpowers, notably...

This photo by senior Skylar Hintze that depicts the aspects to lead a happy and healthy life such as being a role model, communicating, having faith, friends, family, humbleness, forgiveness, passion, balance, confidence, and compassion. “Everyone has different keys to life for themselves. One person may feel families are the most important aspect, while someone else may feel communication is important to them,” Hintze said.

The keys to living a happy and healthy life

Tyler Newman, Reporter April 7, 2019

Life is the most wonderful joy in the world. Even with all the negativity in the world, people should try to lead a enjoyable life. Having faith, forgiveness, and compassion are some ways people can make...

Part of the Falcon spirit at West includes the victory bell. When sports teams and clubs win a victory, they are able to ring the bell during the morning announcements. In the past the bell has been reserved solely for athletic achievements, but this year victories from any school activity can be recognized with a bell ring.

West is best

Sophia Iniguez, Reporter April 5, 2019

Davenport West High School is much more than just a school, it's a place where students make memories, come together with friends, and join activities and clubs that they will never forget. With more than...

Tammy Burton is a the world language department head at West, more specifically teaching the advanced levels of Spanish, such as dual credit. She believes that reaching higher levels of language learning increases student motivation immensely. I have found that the students are much more motivated for doing the work and asking grammar questions and really getting in depth into the language, Burton said.

Falcons and foreign language

Laurence Walker and Thomas Yates April 3, 2019

Hola! Hallo! Bonjour! Davenport West offers three language programs and a classical languages course. Ask any foreign language teacher or student, and they’d say that language is an important part of...

190 families were in attendance at West’s first mobile food pantry put on by the River Bend Foodbank. With help from the boys track team, over 250 people were able to receive fresh food at no cost.

West hosts first mobile food pantry

Emma Bernick, Media Editor March 30, 2019

Pushing a shopping cart down a long aisle lined with fresh produce and a variety of food products may be a common activity, and even sometimes a hassle, for most people. However, a percentage of community...

Freshman Brianna Aleksiejczyk shrugs her shoulders as she is no longer bothered by the questions or mispronunciations of her surreal surname.

Surreal surnames

Sarah Bernick, Reporter March 29, 2019

Something we’ve all seen, something we all hear, something we all struggle to pronounce… Last names are part of a title that every person has, whether we like them or not. We’ve all seen our names...

I am ready for college and to start my own journey, because Ive definitely caught a recent diagnosis of senioritis, senior Jackie Calderon said.

Powering through senioritis: the end is in sight

Kelly Snawerdt, Print Editor March 28, 2019

It’s finally that time of year again. Spring is a time of new beginnings, sunshine, later sunsets, beautiful flowers blooming, and the dreaded spread of senioritis. With scholarship deadlines approaching,...

Choir directors Nick Andersen and Laura Engels are the new choir directors at West and plan on big changes coming soon.

Changes in West High’s vocal music program

Laurence Walker, Reporter March 25, 2019

At the end of the 2018 school year, West’s vocal music program lost both of its directors, Colleen Schloemer and Tyler Finley. This year there are new directors, Laura Engels and Nick Andersen, and with...

“Every student should get to choose if they want a locker. Some lockers are more beat up and old than others, senior Madison McNabb said.

Lockers: useful or useless?

Thomas Yates, Reporter March 23, 2019

The bell rings to announce the end of first block. You don’t need your heavy textbook for the rest of the day, but it’s just light enough that you don’t mind if you have to carry it. The question...

Quad Cities Blues hockey is a local high school team that consists of people from Illinois and Iowa such as Moline, Davenport, Bettendorf, and Pleasant Valley. It is a part of the Midwest Hockey League, which contains teams from all over the midwest.

Wings of winter

Joseph Potts, Reporter March 20, 2019

Quad Cities Blues hockey is a local high school team that consists of people from Illinois and Iowa such as Moline, Davenport, Bettendorf, and Pleasant Valley. It is a part of the Midwest Hockey League,...

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