West High School is the oldest high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 in Utah. It was founded in 1890, and it is part of the Salt Lake City School District

Salt Lake City School District

The Salt Lake City School District is among the oldest public school districts in Utah. Boundaries for the district are identical to the city limits for Salt Lake City. Employing about 1,300 teachers who instruct about 24,000 students K-12, the district is the ninth largest in the state, as of...

. It is ranked #1 high school in the State of Utah and #290 in the Nation according to Newsweek Magazine. Originally it was called Salt Lake High.

School Mascot: The Mighty Panther

Student Body Theme & Motto: Never Back Down.

School Song:
WEST, OUR ALMA MATER
Within these walls which surround us all,
There dwells a hallowed spirit.
And every year that passes here
Serves merely to endear it.
We can‘t forget the hours we spent,
The games-victories and defeats;
And all the rest of dear Old West
Which made our days complete.
Though the years may take us far away,
Our memories follow after;
We‘ll sing our praise and voices raise
To West – Our Alma Mater

Facilities

West High is located in Salt Lake City, close to downtown, at 241 North 300 West. The historical structure still functions as the school's main building, and has undergone major restorations. It is surrounded by newer buildings, and the newly updated stadium.
West High is easily accessible because it is three blocks away from the UTA TRAX

UTA TRAX

TRAX is a three-line light rail system in Utah's Salt Lake Valley, serving Salt Lake City and several of its suburbs throughout Salt Lake County. The system is operated by the Utah Transit Authority ....

 line (Salt Lake valley's light rail system) and close to a major mall, the Gateway. Several films have been filmed at West High and it has been noted in the History (TV channel)'s Gangland (TV series)

Gangland (TV series)

Gangland is a documentary television series that airs on The History Channel. It usually airs on Thursday evenings although it has been known to arbitrarily change days every so often. Gangland explores the history of some of America's more notorious gangs. It premiered on November 1, 2007 with a...

.

Administration

The current principal is Parley Jacobs, with Richard Jaramillo, Mary Margret Williams and Ken DeVries as Assistant Principals.

Academics

West High is considered one of the best public high schools in Utah. It hosts the state's longest running International Baccalaureate program and offers most Advanced Placement classes. West High consistently produces National Merit Scholars, and the top percentage of students regularly are accepted to the nation's top universities. The school also receives state and nation-wide recognition for its outstanding debate program (ranked as one of the top 40 teams in the country), its Model United Nations program (ranked in the top 15 in the National High School Model United Nations competition), its DECA program (individual students consistently ranking in the top 10 in the International DECA competition), its chess team (consistent state champions), its math and science teams (consistently state champions), and for its vast array of clubs, and its teachers.

The Supervisory Departments are the following: Community Education, CTE, ELP/AP/IB, ESL/Reading, Family Involvement, Fine Arts, Guidance, Health, Media, PE, Navy JROTC, Science, Social Sciences, Special Education, World Languages,

Athletics

West High students participate at state tournaments in the following sports, according to the season:

• Fall sports. Cross Country, Football, Boy's Golf, Soccer-Girls', Tennis- Girls', Volleyball.
• Winter Sports. Basketball-Boys', Basketball -Girls, Wrestling, Swimming.
• Spring Sports. Baseball, Soccer, Softball, Tennis-Boys', Track, Women's Golf.

West High has won 21 state football championships 1898-1992 and hold many records in football. Many players and coaches have gone on to major sports programs.
West's boy's basketball team beat Provo high school in the 2009 state championship game, ending Provo's 40 game win streak and winning West High its first championship since 1975.
West high has been on a winning streak in 2010 and is expected to be in the championship game in the fall of 2011.

School sponsored clubs

ASL,Chemistry, Community of Caring Council, Dance Company, DDR/GH Club, DECA, Environmental Club, FBLA, FCCLA, French Club, Frizlacki, Geography Olympiad, German Club, HOSA, Journalism (Red & Black newspaper), Jr. National Honor Society, Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Mathcounts, MESA, Mock Trial, Model United Nations, National Art Honor Society, National Honors Society, NJROTC, Peace At West (P.A.W.), Queer Straight Alliance (QSA), Salt Lake City Peer Court, Science Club, Science Olympiad, Speech and Debate, TV West, VICA, West High Humanities Club, Westwinds Literary Magazine, Yearbook.

The chess, Model UN, math, debate, and DECA clubs are some of the most successful club organizations in the state.

The chess team routinely wins the state championship, while the Mathcounts has competed at nationals.

Model UN, debate, and DECA routinely place students at any conference they attend.

P.A.W. is a newly organized club receiving much attention for its social activism and awareness within the school.

The debate team is ranked as one of the top 40 teams in the country.
The Model United Nations team was ranked in the top 15 in the 2007 National High School Model United Nations competition.
The DECA program consistently has individual members placing in the top 10 in the International DECA competition.

Alumni

Prominent West High alumni include:

• Christopher Bleak, Chief of Staff to Utah House.
• Clayton M. Christensen
  Clayton M. Christensen
  Clayton M. Christensen is the Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, with a joint appointment in the Technology & Operations Management and General Management faculty groups. He is best known for his study of innovation in commercial enterprises...
  
  , professor at Harvard Business School, author.
• Shannon Hale
  Shannon Hale
  Shannon Hale is an American author of young adult fantasy and adult fiction.-Biography:Shannon Hale is the author of ten novels, including the best-selling Newbery Honor book Princess Academy, the "Books of Bayern" series, two adult novels, and two graphic novels that she and her husband co-wrote...
  
  , Class of 1992, young adult author.
• Marion D. Hanks
  Marion D. Hanks
  Marion Duff Hanks was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1953 until his death.-Early life:...
  
  , emeritus general authority, LDS Church.
• Larry H. Miller
  Larry H. Miller
  Lawrence Horne "Larry H." Miller was a Utah businessman and philanthropist who was well known as the owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz and the of Triple-A baseball team, the Salt Lake Bees, 41 automotive dealerships throughout the Western United States , and a variety of other business ventures...
  
  , prominent businessman, owner of the Utah Jazz.
• Thomas S. Monson
  Thomas S. Monson
  Thomas Spencer Monson is an American religious leader and author, and the 16th and current President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . As president, Monson is considered by adherents of the religion to be a "prophet, seer, and revelator" of God's will on earth...
  
  , President of the LDS Church.
• George Von Elm, prominent golfer in 1920s and 1930s
• Dan Wells
  Dan Wells (author)
  Dan Wells is an American horror fiction author. A Utah native, he currently resides in Orem, Utah.-Early life:Wells wrote his first novel, Choose Your Own Adventure, when he was in second grade. He followed up with several novellas, a serial and a series of comic books when he was in high school....
  
  , author
• Robison Wells
  Robison Wells
  Robison Wells is an American novelist. He currently lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife and three children. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his novels are directed to the LDS fiction market...
  
  , author
• Mark Willes, CEO of LA Times and General Mills
  General Mills
  General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
  
  .