Thirty-two athletes from West’s boys and girls track teams attended the 116th Drake Relays at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa April 24-27. West’s shuttle hurdle relay team set a state record of 55.82 seconds. Thrower James Barnett ’28 and hurdler Ely Smock ’26 each finished in the top five in their events, while the girls sprint medley team set a school record and finished 14th. Bernoli Luvandu ‘27 and Neil James ‘27, who both competed for west, finished 12th and 13th with jumps of 20’9 and 20’7.

West’s Business Professionals of America chapter attended the National Leadership Conference, May 5-10, in Nashville, Tennessee. Of the 62 West High delegates attending, 17 qualified for finals. Ira Dirar ’26 placed first in advanced interview skills, while Aydan Thomas ’27 placed second in interview skills. Aaron Kang ’27, who competed in interview skills and the global marketing team consisting of Sophie Singh ’27, Ella Ciliberto ’27, Delores Hubbard ’27 and Nola Moore ’27, also placed fourth in their respective events.

Students dressed up and danced at prom at the Highlander Hotel May 2. The red-carpet-themed event was followed by Party After Prom at West High, which ran until 1 a.m. Students competed in games and raffles for prizes, including a PlayStation 5. The event also had a bouncy castle, and was funded by platinum donors Brown Deer Place, Carousel Motors, and the Skete-Eckstein family, along with gold, green, family, and business donors.

West’s music department hosted its inaugural Musical Showcase concert April 29. The concert, spearheaded by principal Mitch Gross, featured performances from the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Strings and West Singers. The concert marked the first time all three groups performed at the same event. All of West’s choirs had a concert on May 18, in celebration of the school year’s end and recognition of seniors, followed by the bands and orchestras, who did the same on May 21 and 27 respectively.

An April 7 federal appeals court decision enabled the enforcement of Iowa Senate File 496, drawing renewed backlash from students and advocacy groups. The Republican-sponsored bill prohibits references to the LGBTQ+ community in K-6 education and blocks K-12 school library access to books containing “descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act.” West’s Banned Book club called the bill a “Don’t Say Gay” law and condemned its book-banning provisions. To promote freedom of expression and discuss the bill, the club hosted an open mic session in the West commons May 19.