Picking up the pace
Reagan Hoffman, reporter
October 15, 2019
When it comes to attendance at West, staff and administration ensures kids get to their classes on time. It is now harder for kids to skip with policies such as lock outs and sweeps that were instilled the previous year. Although these policies are working, the sweeps have some students starting to ...
New superintendent moves towards the future
Tim O'Leary, Media editor
September 20, 2019
On Aug. 1 Dr. Robert Kobylski officially became the superintendent of the Davenport Community School District. Kobylski, who has worked with multiple districts as well as with private security, plans to solve some of Davenport’s issues with a boots on the ground approach. “Every day I’ve been visiting two-three ...
New school year, updated policies
Laurence Walker, print editor
September 10, 2019
The 2019-2020 school year will be another year of change. This will be Principal Cory Williams’ second year at West and there is an entirely new superintendent. Last year, the new administration introduced the lockout system and rid West of the strict backpack rules, among other things. This year, ...
Senior Falcon festival
Joseph Potts, reporter
May 24, 2019
An annual picnic for graduating students was held on May 22 at the Mississippi Fairgrounds as way for seniors to get together one last time before graduation. The senior picnic has been a long running, approximately 30 years, tradition for the school. “I think it would probably go back around ...
Red-tailed hawk rescue at West
Joseph Heirigs, Reporter
May 24, 2019
Update: Animal Family Vet Center checked the red-tailed hawk out and stated that nothing was broken. The raptor was thin and had been eaten up by gnats and will be visiting a raptor center to get healthy before being released into the wild. WHSToday.com will update as further information is acquired. ...
Surfing through West’s Charity Week
Cameron Wilson, reporter
May 22, 2019
Once a year West has a Charity Week run by Student Senate to provide for those in need. The $3, 415 dollars raised from this year’s event goes to West’s own Falcon’s Nest. The Falcon’s Nest provides essential needs for more than 1,000 people and their families social studie...
Thoughtful theatre
Joseph Potts, Reporter
May 15, 2019
West students produced the 59th annual West High variety show on May 10 in the auditorium. Preparations for the variety show began the first week of May. Senior Lily Hancock says that they started late this year and pulled the show together in one week. The variety show is directed by show choir...
Mississippi flooding crashes over West
Laurence Walker, Reporter
May 9, 2019
On Tuesday, April 30, the levee that has been up for over a month holding the record high flooding from the Mississippi river broke, and crashed over downtown Davenport. According to KWQC, the river levels reached 22.64 feet on Thursday, May 2, surpassing the previous record of 21.63 feet set in 199...
Sweeping attendance issues out the door
Sophia Iniguez, Reporter
April 25, 2019
The administrators at West have launched a new effort to help keep students in their classrooms and out of the halls. This method is called the lockout system. The lockout system was used this year to prevent late and tardy students. Administrators, teachers, and students are all affected by this new po...
Saving lives one drop at a time
Sarah Bernick, Reporter
April 19, 2019
West hosted its first blood drive since Sept.on Thursday, April 18. Due to snow day cancellations, West was not able to host two of their four annual blood drives. By collecting an estimated total of 80 pints, the amount of blood taken in could potentially save 240 people. “We host blood drives wit...
Quality of life or quality of security?
Laurence Walker, Reporter
April 19, 2019
Approaching West’s doors near the YMCA entrance, it’s not uncommon to see groups of people peering through the windows, knocking on the doors, or calling friends. The doors near the Y entrance, or the Y doors, are almost always locked, leaving some students confused as to why. “I used to go i...
Iowa standardized tests go digital
Cameron Wilson, reporter
April 18, 2019
Iowa Assessments are given to students in order to rate the state in education by comparing scores nationally. This will be the first year that Iowa Assessments go online. The new test, the Iowa Student Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), will be taken on Chromebooks this April. ...
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Hi my name is Vu Tran. I’m a junior and this is my first year on the Beak 'n' Eye/WHSToday staff. I am very involved with high school. I want to make it a better experience for incoming freshmen. Mentors...