Iowa City West High School
Encyclopedia
Iowa City West High School is a public high school in Iowa City
, Iowa
. It is currently home to over 1900 students, in grades 9 through 12, and nearly 200 teachers, administration, and support staff. All boys athletic teams are called "The Trojans," while all girls teams are called "The Women of Troy."
Along with City High, the two student councles supported establishing the "Boot" trophy, an idea spearheaded by then West High Junior Steve Holland, which is awarded for a year to the winner of the annual Iowa City West High-City High School football game. West High lineman Bob Kodros donated the first Boot. Holland approached the West High Student Council about a traveling trophy and then was asked to be in charge of the football trophy. The Kodros Boot had a cleat torn out, which gave it character, and it was selected from about a dozen donated football shoes. The summer before the first game the Kodros boot was dipped in bronze at Harry's Custom Trophy. Holland was given the honor, along with Randy Dryer, the City High Student Council president, of showing it at halftime of the first game.
The first student council president was Tom Karson. Gina Gelman, a senior in the first graduating class of 1969, composed the new school's fight song, which is set to the tune of the University of Houston
fight song. The school's newspaper was named the "West Side Story". Betty Lou Tucker was the first newspaper adviser. The school's yearbook was named the "Epic", with Kathy Scharf as editor. The first "Homecoming Queen" was Christy Maxwell. When the school opened, the high school handled grades 7 through 12, and the first two classes remained at West High through all six years of their secondary education. Eventually, when Northwest Junior High was completed, subsequent 7th and 8th grade students were all redirected to the local school district's junior high schools.
.
West High School provides many musical opportunities to its students. There are multiple classes for band, choir, and orchestra. Extracurricular musical activities include select choirs, show choir, jazz band, musicals, and others. West is known to have an outstanding music program.
West High School students are noted for excellence in academics. A vast majority of the students that take Advanced Placement exams receive college credit for those classes and West High traditionally is one of the leading schools in the state in terms of National Merit Scholars
.
The volleyball team ranked #1 in the state for the first time in history in 2010-2011 school year. They won in state for the first time in West history as well. The West High Women of Troy basketball team also entered state for the first time in the 2010-2011 school year. They made it to the finals, but lost and received runner-up. The girls soccer team is also ranked #1 in the 2011 season.
, current placekicker for the San Diego Chargers
, who won a state title with West in 2000, and Kyle Zobeck, current Goal Keeper for the Valparaiso University Miners. The current varsity roster contains 16 seniors (9 of which were starters at some point in the season), 8 Juniors and 1 Sophomore. A freshman midfielder was also moved up for the late season and playoffs.
On June 5, 2010, West High beat cross-town rival Iowa City High School
in the Class 3-A State Championship (there are only three classes for boys soccer) by a score of 3-1. Tanner Schilling had two goals for West and Defender Bob Brown added another on a 70-yard lob that bounced over City High keeper Duncan Howard-McGuire just moments after connecting with the crossbar on a 50-yard free kick.
In the regular season meeting between the two teams, West fell behind 2-1 in the second half. With approximately ten minutes remaining, an attempted clearance by a City High Defender did not make it past the top of the box. Midfielder Joe Ryken struck the ball with a running scissor kick from 18 yards out which struck the crossbar and went into the net. This goal gave West High the momentum for the rest of the game (and the season) as they finished 2010 22-0. Their record over the past two seasons is 42-2.
The Trojan Soccer team is the first team in the 16 year history of Iowa High School Soccer to win five state championships, all of them under head coach Brad Stiles. They finished the season ranked #2 Nationally on the ESPN RISE Boys Soccer (Spring) National Rankings.
West High Forensics is a member of the National Forensics League, the Iowa High School Forensics Association and the Iowa High School Speech Association
. The Director of Speech and Debate was, until 2011, Cynthia Woodhouse, who also has published a book on Lincoln-Douglas Debate
. The new Director is Melanie Johnson, who also teaches AP European History at the school, starting in the 2011-2012 school year. The Policy Debate team has won state for two years in a row (2010 and 2011).
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. It is currently home to over 1900 students, in grades 9 through 12, and nearly 200 teachers, administration, and support staff. All boys athletic teams are called "The Trojans," while all girls teams are called "The Women of Troy."
History
West High opened its doors for the first time in the fall of 1968, its construction relieving the enrollment requirements of a growing city. The first principal was Edwin K. Barker. Together with James Ferguson, the vice principal, they provided innovative leadership in allowing the students to participate in setting the school identity and student governance structures. This included the selection of the school school colors, green and gold, and the mascot, "Trojan", with consensus achieved by popular vote. They also introduced Domestic Affairs Week and International Week, in which regular classes were suspended, allowing discussion and debate with invited speakers on current issues.Along with City High, the two student councles supported establishing the "Boot" trophy, an idea spearheaded by then West High Junior Steve Holland, which is awarded for a year to the winner of the annual Iowa City West High-City High School football game. West High lineman Bob Kodros donated the first Boot. Holland approached the West High Student Council about a traveling trophy and then was asked to be in charge of the football trophy. The Kodros Boot had a cleat torn out, which gave it character, and it was selected from about a dozen donated football shoes. The summer before the first game the Kodros boot was dipped in bronze at Harry's Custom Trophy. Holland was given the honor, along with Randy Dryer, the City High Student Council president, of showing it at halftime of the first game.
The first student council president was Tom Karson. Gina Gelman, a senior in the first graduating class of 1969, composed the new school's fight song, which is set to the tune of the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
fight song. The school's newspaper was named the "West Side Story". Betty Lou Tucker was the first newspaper adviser. The school's yearbook was named the "Epic", with Kathy Scharf as editor. The first "Homecoming Queen" was Christy Maxwell. When the school opened, the high school handled grades 7 through 12, and the first two classes remained at West High through all six years of their secondary education. Eventually, when Northwest Junior High was completed, subsequent 7th and 8th grade students were all redirected to the local school district's junior high schools.
Present
Recently, West High School's enrollment has boomed to over 1900 students. Because of this, incoming students from non-"feeder schools" (schools other than Northwest Junior High or North Central Junior High) are required to attend West High's cross-town rival, Iowa City High SchoolIowa City High School
Iowa City High School is a public high school in Iowa City, Iowa. It was built in 1937 as part of the Public Works Projects started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide jobs. The first classes were held in the fall of 1939....
.
West High School provides many musical opportunities to its students. There are multiple classes for band, choir, and orchestra. Extracurricular musical activities include select choirs, show choir, jazz band, musicals, and others. West is known to have an outstanding music program.
West High School students are noted for excellence in academics. A vast majority of the students that take Advanced Placement exams receive college credit for those classes and West High traditionally is one of the leading schools in the state in terms of National Merit Scholars
National Merit Scholarship Program
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation , a privately funded, not-for-profit organization. The program began in 1955...
.
Sports
West High School, a 4A school, offers a variety of sports, including boys and girls basketball, football, boys and girls soccer, baseball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls track and field, softball, boys and girls swimming, boys and girls tennis, and boys and girls golf. There are sports-related clubs that often meet to play, for example, ultimate frisbee. In the fourth year under head coach Brian Sauser, the 2011 football team is aiming to improve upon their 2010 record of 4-6. The Trojan wrestling team, led by national champ and two time all-American Mark Reiland, has garnered national attention winning back-to-back team titles at the State Tournament in Des Moines. They are currently led by defending state champions Jack Hathaway, Phillip Laux, and placewinners Keegan Wakefield, Dakota Bauer, and Gradey Gambraqll, brother of former West (and current University of Iowa) wrestler Grant Gambrall. The West High soccer team has played in the state finals for 6 out of the past 7 seasons, and won the 2009 and 2010 Iowa State Championship, two of their five championships. Head coach Brad Stiles was recently named ESPN RISE High School Soccer Coach of the Year. The West High baseball team has made the State Finals two of the last three seasons, finishing runner up to Sioux City North in 2009 and Cedar Rapids Kennedy in 2010. They are sending two players to D-I teams; P/3B Ryan Rumpf will play at the [University of Iowa], and SS Nate Ewing will play for [Western Illinois University]. With the baseball team making it to the Semifinals at State in 2011, the Trojans have twelve Top-four finishes during the 2010-2011 year: (Volleyball (Champion), Boys basketball (4th), Girls basketball (2nd), Wrestling (Duals (Champion) and Traditional (2nd)), Girls Track and Field (2nd), Girls Soccer (2nd), Boys Soccer (3rd) Girls Tennis (2nd) Boys Tennis (3rd), Baseball (3rd), and Dance Team (Champion)The volleyball team ranked #1 in the state for the first time in history in 2010-2011 school year. They won in state for the first time in West history as well. The West High Women of Troy basketball team also entered state for the first time in the 2010-2011 school year. They made it to the finals, but lost and received runner-up. The girls soccer team is also ranked #1 in the 2011 season.
Girls Cross Country and Track & Field
The girls cross country and track & field teams have achieved a level of excellence over the past decade paralleled by no team in the state. Under Coach Mike Parker, the Iowa City West Girls Track & Field teams have won 6 State Championship team titles, the 3rd most in state history. They have also won 10 Regional Championship team titles, more than any school in class 4A in the last 13 years. The Iowa City West girls cross country team has won 5 State Championship team titles. Coach Parker has been recognized by his peers at the highest level having been selected the Iowa High School State Coach of the Year or the At-Large Coach of the Year 19 times by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches. The Mississippi Valley Conference coaches have selected Parker as the M.V.C Coach of the Year 17 times. In 2004 he became the first coach in Class 4A state history to be voted both the Girls Track & Field State Coach of the Year and the Girls Cross Country State Coach of the Year both in the same calendar year. Parker has three times been nominated for the National Federation of High Schools National Coach of the Year award, in 2008 & 2009 for track & field and in 2004 for cross country.Boys Cross Country
The boys cross country team began in the fall of 1968 with one runner, junor Steve Holland, who practiced at Iowa City High and ran meets as a solo entrant that year. A year later, in the fall of 1969, West High fielded a team, under the coaching of Ralph Kryder. Holland won a state championship that year in Newton.Boys Soccer
The Iowa City West High School boys soccer team has become a sports dynasty in the state of Iowa. As of the end of the 2010 Season, they are on a 31-match win streak. They have won State Titles in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2010. Notable current players include Andy Holte (GK, Playing at Butler University next season), Matthew Jackson (GK, playing at Missouri S&T next season), Joe Ryken (Center Back, playing at Truman State next season), Tanner Schilling (Striker, will be a senior next season), Nick Arpey (Midfielder, playing at Colgate next season), and Alex Troester (Midfielder, will be a Junior next season). Notable past players include Nate KaedingNate Kaeding
Nathaniel James Kaeding is an American football placekicker who plays for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chargers in the 2004 NFL Draft in the 3rd round with a pick acquired from the Phillip Rivers-Eli Manning trade. He played college football at Iowa...
, current placekicker for the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, who won a state title with West in 2000, and Kyle Zobeck, current Goal Keeper for the Valparaiso University Miners. The current varsity roster contains 16 seniors (9 of which were starters at some point in the season), 8 Juniors and 1 Sophomore. A freshman midfielder was also moved up for the late season and playoffs.
On June 5, 2010, West High beat cross-town rival Iowa City High School
Iowa City High School
Iowa City High School is a public high school in Iowa City, Iowa. It was built in 1937 as part of the Public Works Projects started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide jobs. The first classes were held in the fall of 1939....
in the Class 3-A State Championship (there are only three classes for boys soccer) by a score of 3-1. Tanner Schilling had two goals for West and Defender Bob Brown added another on a 70-yard lob that bounced over City High keeper Duncan Howard-McGuire just moments after connecting with the crossbar on a 50-yard free kick.
In the regular season meeting between the two teams, West fell behind 2-1 in the second half. With approximately ten minutes remaining, an attempted clearance by a City High Defender did not make it past the top of the box. Midfielder Joe Ryken struck the ball with a running scissor kick from 18 yards out which struck the crossbar and went into the net. This goal gave West High the momentum for the rest of the game (and the season) as they finished 2010 22-0. Their record over the past two seasons is 42-2.
The Trojan Soccer team is the first team in the 16 year history of Iowa High School Soccer to win five state championships, all of them under head coach Brad Stiles. They finished the season ranked #2 Nationally on the ESPN RISE Boys Soccer (Spring) National Rankings.
French Club
This club is for all students that take French or for students that are interested in French culture. The group often has hot chocolate and croissants in the morning to get more people interested in the club. They also have competitions to create a certain French food that is picked to be made.Spanish Club
Like the French club, the Spanish club is for all students that take or are interested in the language.German Club
This club, like the other language clubs, is for all students that take or are interested in the language and is supervised by Frau Choun.Film Club
Film club is a club meeting weekly to watch and discuss films of foreign, independent, arthouse, and many other varieties. The purpose of the club is to promote the appreciation of cinema.West High Math Team
The West High Math Team has won numerous awards at local and regional math competitions. It is a ten-time winner of the GPML State Math Competition for Iowa, and a seven-time winner of the GPML Midwest Regional Math Competition (covering six states).West High Forensics
The West High Speech and Debate, or Forensics, team has many participants and consistently gains national recognition.West High Forensics is a member of the National Forensics League, the Iowa High School Forensics Association and the Iowa High School Speech Association
Iowa High School Speech Association
The Iowa High School Speech Association consists of member high schools from four districts in Iowa, and offers three categories of competition: debate, large group, and individual events. At the end of each of the three contests, the Cooley Sweepstakes Trophy is awarded. To get to the all-state...
. The Director of Speech and Debate was, until 2011, Cynthia Woodhouse, who also has published a book on Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Lincoln-Douglas debate
Lincoln–Douglas debate is sometimes also called values debate because it traditionally places a heavy emphasis on logic, ethical values, and philosophy...
. The new Director is Melanie Johnson, who also teaches AP European History at the school, starting in the 2011-2012 school year. The Policy Debate team has won state for two years in a row (2010 and 2011).
West Side Story
West High's student-run, student-produced newspaper, the West Side Story has gained national recognition as an innovative, professional-quality newsmagazine. It is produced monthly.Academic Decathlon
The West High Academic Decathlon team was reconstituted in 2006 after several years of being on hiatus. The team qualified for state in its first year by a slight margin but due to schedule complications was unable to send a team. In 2007, its second year, it fielded two teams for regionals. The teams placed second and third behind the perennial victor Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School. One team represented the school at state competition and placed a close second behind Jefferson. In 2008, the team went to Washington D.C. to compete.Drama Club
The West High drama club regularly presents plays such as Into the Woods, Midsummer's Night Dream, Anything Goes, Les Misérables and The Importance of Being Earnest, as well as West High Story, a play written by the school's students and depicting the experiences of students at West High School.Jazz Band
West High has a very successful jazz program, directed since 1995 by Rich Medd, winning many festivals including the 2008 and 2009 Iowa Jazz Championships.The Smudge
The Smudge was a former newspaper of West High created by students Ben Crouse and Curt Oren and designed by Jacob Sluka. The publication was satirical in nature, and unfortunately only lasted two years of being published monthly.Colors
Colors in a gay and straight alliance club at West High School. Students participate and encourage others to support in gay rights. Many of the members also participate in the Day of Silence.Film Club
Students go in on Thursdays to watch and talk about films. They break down the symbols and talk about culture then and today.Art Club
Art Club is for students who want to pursue an art career. They experiment with new medias and are free to try whatever.Prominent alumni
- Nate KaedingNate KaedingNathaniel James Kaeding is an American football placekicker who plays for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chargers in the 2004 NFL Draft in the 3rd round with a pick acquired from the Phillip Rivers-Eli Manning trade. He played college football at Iowa...
, current All-Pro place kicker for the San Diego ChargersSan Diego ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Bart Watson, one-time star of the Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
ultimate frisbee team and player on Team USA, fielded in the World Ultimate Frisbee Championships - Laura LeightonLaura LeightonLaura Leighton is an American actress. She is best-known for the role of Sydney Andrews, introduced in the 1990s television series Melrose Place. She reprised the role in the 2009 series of the same name...
, who starred on FoxFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's Melrose Place. and is currently a supporting character in ABC FamilyABC FamilyABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
's Pretty Little LiarsPretty Little LiarsPretty Little Liars is a series of more than 10 young adult novels by Sara Shepard, from 1981–present, which have been made into a television show . The series follows the lives of four girls — Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily — whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their leader,...
. - Glen Worley, former college basketball player at the University of IowaUniversity of IowaThe University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. - Ian Winkler, Contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire
- Luke Schnoebelen, Contestant on Wheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
- Anne Michael Langguth, Miss Iowa 2009.
- Bridget Shields, 2009 Division 1 Softball ESPN The Magazine All Academic, Academic All American.
- Ali FarokhmaneshAli FarokhmaneshAli Fredrick Farokhmanesh is an American professional basketball player. He was born in Pullman, Washington, where he attended high school at Pullman High School for two years before moving to Iowa and attending West High School in Iowa City, Iowa...
, a 2006 graduate of Iowa City West High, currently plays basketball at the University of Northern Iowa. In the 2010 NCAA Tournament, he hit a three pointer in the final seconds to beat UNLV and then hit another three pointer in the second round to topple the University of KansasUniversity of KansasThe University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
, the #1 overall seed in the tournament. As a senior at West, Farokhmanesh averaged 18.5 points and 5.5 assists and was named team captain as well as receiving First Team All-State Honors. - Paul David Story, who has appeared on BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, as well as on Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
and Nip/TuckNip/TuckNip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
.