50 years and counting
Kate Kealey, Editor in Chief
March 27, 2019
50 years of grading papers. 50 years of finals. 50 years of watching kids grow. 50 years of kindness and hard work. 50 years with generations of students preparing them for what’s to come. This has been the everyday life of language arts teacher Pat Sheehey for the last 50 years of teaching at Davenpor...
Powerlifting record setter
Thomas Yates, Reporter
March 5, 2019
Squatting down over the barbell, sophomore Carter Bruce tightly grips his hands around the cold metal. His fingers tighten around the grate-skinned grip of the bar as he stands, his entire body shaking as he pulls the weight against the force of gravity. Sweat pours down his face as he slowly comes to ...
2019 Gala court candidates
Laurence Walker and Sophia Iniguez
February 9, 2019
Carson Kahley Carson Kahley is involved in many activities at West including band, drumline, show choir pit, and jazz band. He’s president of the National Honor Society, a Junior Rotarian, and West’s school board representative. His favorite memories at West are his experiences in drumline. ...
Redefining the role of an educator
Zak Keel, Reporter
December 5, 2018
Through enduring an existential realization, sustaining a career change, and pursuing seven college degrees, AP Calculus teacher Michelle Pearce has managed to pinpoint exactly how she will imprint the minds of future generations. Stemming from her experiences as a teacher, Pearce has reached the underlyi...
West receives new addition to behavioral support team
Kelly Snawerdt, Print Editor
November 16, 2018
All teachers have a distinct reason for why they chose to have the profession they have today. Whether it be that their mother or father was a teacher, they love shaping the minds of the future, they truly love children, or maybe a combination. The new behavioral support teacher Justin Shiltz’s reaso...
Volunteer extraordinaire
Naomi Walker, Social Media and Business Manager
November 9, 2018
Taking time out of her day to volunteer and further her own personal growth, junior Emily Brooks is known for her kindness and many involvements at West. Brooks participates in Student Senate, is Junior Class President, and a member of the junior varsity and competition cheer team. “I am p...
Humans of West: Doyle Massey
Tyler Newman, Reporter
November 2, 2018
Teacher Doyle Massey has a passion for tinkering with computers and enjoys sharing his technological knowledge with students through computer science courses at West. Massey grew up in Sioux City, IA in a middle class home on the west side of the city. As a child, he occupied time by tearing apart e...
Human of West: Melissa Wallace/Bertelsen
Hannah Andrews, News Editor
October 26, 2018
It's a chilly Saturday, and rows of chairs placed on either side of the aisle. Gusts of wind blow anything and everything around. That’s how Melissa Wallace or should we say, Bertelsen spent her wedding day three weeks ago. Outside in the cold, surrounded by her family and friends. A trip to Minn...
Humans of West: Amy Murphy
Joseph Potts, Reporter
October 5, 2018
How did you become a counselor? “I originally was a teacher, then I got my master’s degree in counseling. So now I’ve been a counselor for 17 years.” Did you always wanted to be a counselor? “I've always wanted to be a counselor, but I knew that I needed to get a master’s degree. To a...
Humans of West: Shamane Serrano
Emma Day, Marketing Director
September 28, 2018
How are you liking West so far? “I love being at West. I graduated from here so it’s like coming back to my old stomping grounds." What do you like to do when you're not working? “I like to spend a lot of time with my kids doing activities, like going to the museum and playing at the park.” ...
Humans of West: Ryan Shelman
Aiden Rushing, Reporter
September 28, 2018
New gym teacher Ryan Shelman has been a P.E. teacher for the past seven years at West Burlington High School in southeast Iowa. Although Shelman knew that he wanted to become an educator, he thought he might want to become a history teacher rather than a P.E. teacher. “I planned on being a teacher, I just thou...
Humans of West: Jodi Zimmerman
Dani Reitz, Voice Editor
September 21, 2018
While she sat with her dying father in a bleak nursing home, social studies teacher Jodi Zimmerman learned to crochet. Burdened by chronic back pain and an inability to sit still, Zimmerman kept herself busy by crafting woven rectangles and the occasional scarf. It is a truth well known by Zimmerman...
