Westside High School's One Act Play, "Kindertransport", competed in the third round of the UIL One-Act play competition this past weekend.  In a day that started at 5:30 in the morning and lasted until midnight, Westside came out victorious!  

It was an unbelievable day of theatre and to advance from this group of schools  (which included the defending state champion) was very impressive. Westside is the last surviving HISD school in 6A!

We move on to take on the Area Contest this Friday at San Jacinto Junior College.  Our show will hit the stage at around 2:45 in the afternoon.  

Receiving individual honors were:

Technical All Star Crew

Valeria Bringas

Honorable Mention All Star Cast

Zeynep Turanli

Lydia Nassab

All Star Cast

Hannah Henderson

Best Actress 

Margaret Obot

Students in the GT biology class visited the Houston Zoo and participated in a Creature Quest to learn more about the zoo's residents.  Students spent the day observing the animals and having discussions about their evolutionary adaptations, how they interact in ecosystems and how the zoo has attempted to emulate their natural habitats, why certain species are more prone to be threatened or endangered than others, and much, much more.

Last Tuesday, April 7th HISD held its annual Scholars Banquet.  Westside's very own Valedictorian Laura Chang, and Salutatorians Genki Oji and Emily Wang, were invited to attend thanks to their incredible academic accomplishments.  It was a very special evening at the Westin Oaks Galleria Hotel.  Our Principal Peggi Stewart was on hand to congratulate these wonderful Westside Wolves!

Dear Ms. Klein,

 Through our Westside Wishes Campaign, the PTO will be purchasing your edging material and paying for the field trip transportation costs.  Hope this helps in some small way!

 Ms. Rhoden - Thank you and the PTO so much!  YES!  This really helps.  I have been developing my prep Environmental Systems to be really focused on Houston.  Many of my students are not part of our population that normally get to go on field trips.  They are just blown away when I take them to see the Ship Channel, or an urban farm or down to Galveston to the State Park.  Each year I struggle to find funding for the transportation.  This gift will really help ensure the continued success of the program. 

 The edging for Wolf Prairie will be used in Leah Hirtriter's Gold Award project.  We are working to convert the trail system to a permanent grass trail which will be maintained by the HISD grounds crew.  This part of the gift will ensure better access to the prairie for all. 

 I appreciate and applaud the PTO's creative crowd funding project.  It's great to know the community backs our students and our programming.   

 This is an extra-wonderful start to my weekend!

 Carolyn Klein

 Ms. Harris,

Through our Westside Wishes campaign, the PTO will be purchasing a bookshelf for your classroom.  Hope this helps!
 

Did you know that our brains aren't finished fully developing until the age of 25?  Our brains change structurally and functionally throughout our childhood and young adulthood.  This growth process takes place from the back of the brain to the front toward the prefrontal cortex.  Throughout this process, the brain is fine-tuning itself through two important processes: myelination and synaptic pruning. In synaptic pruning, synapses that are not used very often are removed, allowing the brain to redirect valuable resources toward more active synapses.  This process shapes the brain and makes it more efficient and molds the brain in response to a person's experiences and activities. 

Therefore, this means that teens have the potential to shape their own brain development.  They can do this through their choices and the behaviors they engage in which can strengthen some circuits and get rid of others.  This makes the type of activities teens are involved in very important.  When teens continuously make healthy, appropriate choices, they are helping to shape their brains and their futures.  However, if they choose to use drugs or alcohol, they run the risk of not only hindering their brain development, but also stunting their psychosocial maturity level at the age they started using among many other negative consequences.

Please talk to your teens about this important information and if you have any questions, please contact me: mparsley@council-houston.org.