Notes from Dr. Irvin

Your WGHS Weekly eNews for February 2

Hello WGHS Families,

Public schools are an engine of possibility for children and progress for communities. I am proud to be working with the students and communities in the Webster Groves School District and to have a role in demonstrating our progress. I am sharing some from last week and beyond.

Arts: Four students received a total of 12 awards in the Scholastic Art and Writing competition, Dracula showcased many of our drama students and had an excellent run, and our orchestra was selected to play at the Orchestra MMEA state conference.
Athletics: We won Commissioners Cup (top athletic program in St. Louis area) for the last two years.
Academics: Algebra EOC scores increased by 10% this fall, and number students failing courses have been cut in half.
Activities: We had an increase of 50% in attendance at our winter formal.

While standardized assessments and snapshots will never completely accurately reflect the depth and breadth of learning of children, it is an additional evidence of our success and impact. By almost any measure, the quality of learning and engaging in supported settings at Webster Groves High School remains high.

Additionally, many thanks to the STUCO sponsors, led by Lana Harter, and administration led by Chris Johnson, for an awesome Blizzard Ball Saturday. STUCO sold over 500 tickets (norm is 300) for the event, and in spite of an energetic dance scene, no injuries were reported.

Best,

Matt

Next Week's Schedule: AABCA

A Peek at the Week Ahead

2/3: Assembly Schedule (Winter Activities Assembly, 7th hour)
2/7: College Night, 6pm, WGHS (various locations)
2/8: School-wide lockdown drill
2/8: Parents' Club Meeting, 7pm, Library
2/10: End of Progress Period
2/11: ACT Testing at WGHS

WGHS Orchestra Performs at State Conference

Congratulations to our WGHS Orchestra for being selected to perform at our Missouri Music Educator’s conference (this is equivalent to winning state)! They were selected by a panel of judges based on a recorded audition that they submitted last summer. They were one of only 3 orchestras selected from the state of Missouri.

zoom_out_map

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

The following 4 students received a total of 12 awards from the Scholastic Art and Writing competition.

Clara Bittle (12) Gold Key for her painting "Bargaining", a Silver Key for her painting "Denial." a Silver key for her portfolio "Stages of Grief," and 2 Honorable Mentions for painting "Acceptance" and illustration "Regret."

Norah Rohlfing (12) Gold Key for her painting "Glass Memories", Silver Key for her portfolio "Gateways" and 2 Honorable Mentions for her paintings "Fade Out the Pieces" and "Geotriptych."

Anna Dorsey (11) Silver Key for her digital piece "Polyethylene" and a Honorable Mention for her digital piece "A Retrospective Take."

Frances Baken (11) Honorable Mention for her painting "Museum Walkers."

Link to gallery slides.

zoom_out_map

Eric Miranda Named as Candidate for U. S. Presidential Scholars Program

Congratulations to Eric Miranda for being recognized as a candidate in the U. S. Presidential Scholars Program! Eric is one of 5,000 seniors in the nation to receive this honor. Candidates are chosen based on their ACT/SAT scores. We are proud of you, Eric!

Counseling News

Spring Dual Credit Registration

While most dual credit registration occurs in the fall, there are some classes that have spring registration, too.

List of Second Semester Courses Available for Dual Credit (if a year-long class isn't listed, no spring registration required)

Registration Links and Windows:

MO State: www.dualcredit.missouristate.edu (January 9-February 10)

UMSL: www.umsl.edu/acp (January 3-February 3)

SLU: https://www.slu.edu/1818/registration.php (January 12-February 13)

Scholarship Opportunities and Searches:

Local Scholarships
Most applications for the 2022-2023 Webster Groves local scholarships are now available and are due in February. We will post the rest as soon as they are available.

St. Louis Area Scholarship Search
St. Louis Graduates Scholarship Central (Note: Many of these applications have not opened up yet so keep checking back.) This is also where you can apply for Interest Free Student Loans from Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis.

Where can you find other scholarships? There are a number of national scholarship databases out there. While it can seem a little overwhelming, it can be rewarding if you put some time into it.

National Scholarship Searches
Fastweb
College Board’s Big Future
Peterson’s
Unigo
Cappex

zoom_out_map

Recognize Your Graduating Senior with a Yard Sign!

If you would like to recognize your graduating senior with a yard sign, please complete the order form here:

https://wghsparentsclub.membershiptoolkit.com/

You can choose a sign with your student's first name or generic congratulations. Cost is $10/sign, and a number are available at no cost for those who request support in purchasing. Orders are due by March 16(Spring Break), and signs will be delivered to your yard after April 20. Please include your child’s name (if desired), your home address for sign placement and nearest elementary school in the NOTE section of the order.

zoom_out_map

Did You Know?

Do you have a WGSD learning device at home? For students or families having technology issues, please do the following:

For specific Canvas issues, contact Mr. Dan Broshears at danb@wgmail.org.
Encourage your student to visit the Library circulation desk for help with their device.

As always, you are welcome to contact us at 314.963.6400 for assistance.

zoom_out_map

News from the Chelsea Center: WGHS’ In-house Experiential Learning Center

College & Career Night

Please join Chelsea Center staff on College & Career night for our session, Finding Your Passion. This session describes how the Chelsea Center can empower your child to explore career paths or topics of interest and also help them stand out in competitive application processes.

Upcoming Group Job Shadowing Experience

Is your child interested in learning more about engineering? Join the Chelsea Center staff for a group job shadowing experience at CDG engineers. CDG Engineers, Inc. is a full service, multidisciplinary professional services organization with capabilities in civil, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as architecture. Services include planning, engineering and architectural design, and construction administration. CDG works in the fields of infrastructure, power, mining, and industrial.

Looking for summer experiences?

If your child is looking to explore a passion area or career, have them visit the Chelsea Center to learn more about local opportunities, ways they might earn credit for engaging in these opportunities, and potential funding available to support experiential learning in the summer as well! Also, students can access wgsd.givepulse.com with their school Gmail account information to explore upcoming experiences.

zoom_out_map

Show the Love is Here!

Do you know the three main missions of the WGHS Parents' Club?

1) Provide enrichment grants to WGHS teachers and staff!

2) Award scholarships in the amount of $1,000 to 15 graduating seniors!

3) To provide a safe and fun Senior party commemorating the end of their high school journey!

These three missions require $45,000 a year to support. In addition to these mission based programs, the Parents' Club also supports beautification of school grounds, numerous hospitality events throughout the year to WGHS teachers and staff, Chilifest and more!

Show the Love is a virtual fundraising drive to raise money for our school!

All this is not possible without the support of our WGHS community. If a donation of just $10 were made for each student at the school, we will make our 2023 Show the Love goal!

Together, we can help continue a tradition of excellence.

Click here to donate to Show the Love!