WHS CALENDAR 

Tuesday, September 17

Varsity Volleyball vs. Carnegie

@Butler 4:30 p.m.


JV Volleyball vs. Westbury

@Westbury 5:30 p.m.

 

Freshman vs. Westbury
@Westbury 6:30 p.m. 

    

Wednesday, September 18

Senior Parent Meeting
7 p.m. - 8 p.m.
@Mini-Theatre

 

Thursday, September 19

Freshman Football vs. Kempner  

@WHS HS 4:30 p.m.

  

JV Football vs. Kempner

@Kempner 4:30 p.m.

 

Freshman Parent Meeting
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
@Auditorium
 

Friday, September 20

Freshman vs. Lamar
@WHS 5:30 p.m. 

  

JV Volleyball vs. Lamar
@WHS 6:30 p.m.


Varsity Volleyball vs. Sam Houston @Delmar 4:30 p.m.    

  

Saturday, September 21
Boys Cross Country Meet
@Nottingham Park 7 a.m. 

Girls Cross Country Meet
@Kingwood 7 a.m.  
 

Varsity Football vs. Kempner 

@Butler 6 p.m.

  

Click here to access the WHS Calendar for more events.   

PTO

The PTO provides volunteer support to many activities throughout the year and we support the school with funds for programs and special purchases not covered in the school's operating budget.  There are four easy ways to get involved, right away by joining the PTO.  Go to our Webstore to join online.

SPECIAL ENDS THIS WEEK

$70 - Before September 21

 

Yearbooks may be purchased on-line by clicking here. 

MONDAY DEADLINE

It is time for senior activities to begin.  The first thing on the agenda is taking a senior portrait.  In order for a senior to have their portrait in the yearbook, they will need to have taken their picture at Prestige Portraits by September 23, 2013.

 

The sitting fee is $10 and you must make an appointment. There are several locations to choose from and a multitude of packages.  Please consult with Prestige about poses, outfits, and options.

 

www.prestigeportraits.com

 

Prestige Locations

 

Katy Studio

2501 S. Mason Ste. 210

Katy 77450

281-492-9361

 

Sugarland Studio

13847 Southwest Freeway

Sugarland 77478

281-277-3900

 

Willowbrook Studio

12946 Willowchase Dr. 

Houston 77070

281-897-8300

 

Deluxe Session - $40.00

Includes Yearbook Pose, Cap & Gown, Tux or Drape, your 2 Favorite Outfits, plus Black & White, and receive around 26 proofs.

PSAT

Juniors need to drop by A205 to pay for the PSAT before October 16.  The cost is $14 ($7 for students who are on Free/Reduced lunch.)   Cash or money order only.

 E-NEWS ARCHIVES 

The Wolf E-News archives are now posted on the Westside website. If you ever need access to an older edition for information or entertainment, you can now have it with the click of a mouse!  

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QUICK LINKS

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
  • REMINDER: PARENT MEETINGS
  • STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
  • FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
  • CHOICES CORNER
DON'T FORGET PARENT MEETINGS THIS WEEK
  • Senior Parent Meeting - Wednesday @7 p.m. (topics will include GPA, Unofficial Rank, and Senior Dues)
  • Freshman Parent Meeting - Thursday @6:30 p.m.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: BRIANNA ARGUELLES
 
By: Emma Wu
Howler Staff Member
 
Brianna Arguelles is a senior in the South Two Academy of Fine Arts.  With a biting humor and really good hearing, she seems like any teenager. Yet, she handles things a little differently from the rest of the crowd because of her visual impairments. 

Arguelles developed a tumor on her optic nerve and consequently lost all of her vision at only nine months. 

The cafeteria's twice as loud for her, and even though she can't see that backpack you sat next to her she can hear it, identify it, move it.

Her smile is bright and her presence is even brighter.

She has participated in Westside theatre for three years and is currently enrolled in Junior Varsity Theatre Production.

"The average person doesn't look at me like they [the theatre students] do, people normally look at me like with pity," Arguelles said. "They accept me as normal, we act like one big family."

Together, this family has developed many memories.  And with an unusually effective memory, almost all of them stick in her mind.

"I remember we were putting on Funny Thing that Happened on the Way to the Forum and we had to do this singing practice and everyday we'd go to this class and [the leader would] tell us not to eat gum or mints," Arguelles recollects. "The day of the show we found this huge bag of mints with a note that said 'Here're mints, enjoy!' it was nice."

When Arguelles graduates she'll attend part time at TSB, Texas School for the Blind, and part time at Criss Cole, a school across the street. TSB has a school to learn life skills after graduation, students learn to cook and perform other daily life skills without vision. Arguelles took a tour at Criss Cole when visiting TSB and loved the atmosphere.

"There were some people, not like me, who could sort of see some things like light or shadows or had tunnel vision." Arguelles said. "[The school] puts blindfolds on the kind of seeing people so no one can see much of anything, it's so everyone feels equal."

Even though Arguelles wasn't given pure sight, she was given the sight of imagination, the gift of words and a wicked tongue.

"Sometimes [people] take sight for granted and they don't use their imagination as much." Arguelles said. "If someone says there's a cloud, I can describe it better than the seeing person can with words."
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: MS. KAYLIN BRETT
 

History has brought us to where we are. Analyzing and observing the past brings us to better understand how we got here, as well as give us a glimpse into the future.

 

Ms. Brett's passion for history led her to Westside High School three years ago to teach AP U.S. History.  

 

Ms. Brett graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor's Degree in History and earned her certification through UTeach.

 

Last year, 38% of her students passed the AP exam with 15% of them being able to exempt both semesters of U.S. History in college.  

 

Don't let her teaching of U.S. History fool you; she enjoys history from across the globe, which has prompted her to lead a group of students on a tour of Europe.

 

"This summer, I am taking a group of seniors to Italy and Greece where we get to explore and see history right before us," Ms. Brett said. 

 

In Italy, they will be touring Rome where we will see the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and the Vatican.  They will also visit Pompeii, where they are still excavating the city.

 

When in Greece, Ms. Brett and her group visit Olympia where the Ancient Olympics were held. They will also  see the Parthenon in Athens, then finish the tour with a cruise to some of the Greek Isles.

 

"It's one thing to see pictures of these historical sites, but it is a totally different experience when you are literally surround by history," Ms. Brett said.

 

When she is not in pursuit of the past, Ms. Brett plays the drums, which she has done since middle school as a hobby.
 
"I cherish my drum kit," Ms. Brett said.  
 
When she is not banging on her drums, she is doting on her basset hound, Matilda.  But whenever Ms. Brett can, she embarks on adventures that light the fire of her passion: history.
 
"I love to travel to be engulfed into different cultures, food, and history," Ms. Brett said.  "I can't wait to experience Europe this summer with the seniors.  There are still spots available."  
CHOICES CORNER: EMOTIONS
The famous philosopher Plato said that "All learning has an emotional base."  He was referring to Emotional Intelligence (EI), which is the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions.   
 
There are four branches of emotional intelligence: perceiving emotions, reasoning with emotions, understanding emotions, and managing emotions. Research has shown that emotional skills are crucial for students to perform well academically.  Furthermore, these emotions can either hinder or enhance a student's ability to learn. 
 
One education theory, Social Emotional Learning, or S.E.L., has recently gained a lot of attention.   The goal of S.E.L. is to instill psychological intelligence in order to help students regulate their emotions.   Social-emotional training can establish neurological pathways that help students become more resilient when faced with adversity and less vulnerable to anxiety.   It is important that emotions are regulated in order to "surf the rapids rather than to be swamped by them". (Kahn, 2013)

To learn more, click here, or contact the Choices Counselor, Ms. Parsley at [email protected]
We value your feedback!

Please direct comments or questions to Craig Malinsky
at [email protected].

Visit us on the web at www.westsidewolves.org.

It is the policy of the Houston Independent School District not to discriminate on the basis of age, color, handicap or disability, ancestry, national origin, marital status, race, religion, sex, veteran status, or political affiliation in its educational or employment programs and activities.