Staff sendoff

Bob Wagner is a Strat II special education teacher who has taught at West High for one year. Despite one year of working here, Wagner has a lot of history with this school. “While I have taught at West High only one year, my memories span 18 years from when my children attended West High.  I have very fond memories of my children and their involvement at WHS.” He’s recognized his colleagues for c...

Tom Lindsey has taught English at West High for 25 years. Teaching Composition one and two, U.S. Humanities, World Literature, Creative Writing and English nine, he has covered a range of subjects over his career. Before coming to West, Linsey taught in Oregon. What impressed him the most when he started teaching at West was the academic rigor and talent of its students. Whether that be excelling in ch...

Rob Medd has seen the West High band program through a lot. In his 30 years of teaching at West, he has seen the north and south band rooms built, designed multiple new marching band uniforms and cultivated a tradition of excellence in music at West High.  Medd has accumulated many accomplishments over his time at West High, but a true testament to his impact at our school is the simple fact th...

Paul Breitbach is a school guidance counselor and football coach here at West High. He has been on West’s staff for 28 years. Since he was hired, the building and staff have changed a lot. “We have added several wings of classrooms, a new auditorium, a new gym, a new weight room. But, our commitment to excellence has never changed,” said Breitbach. “I was one of the younger staff when I f...

Kay DiLeo is a counselor who has been faculty at West for 28 years. During her time here, DiLeo’s favorite thing about West High has been its diversity. “I really think the diversity is very unique. It's a great life experience for students to go through here and experience the different cultures and different diversity that we have. And then I'm just amazed at the creativity and the intelligen...

Michelle Wikner has been teaching at West High for 23 years. However, she didn’t always want to be a teacher. After graduating college with a degree in biology, she went to medical school to be a doctor.  “My senior year of college, I went to Tanzania in a study abroad program with the college I was at. And one of the things I did in Tanzania is I worked in a school. I helped out in their scien...

Steve Gibson is one of the special education/learning support teachers who has worked at West for 18 years. His most cherished memories revolve around building relationships. “My best memories are of relationships formed through the years with staff, students, and their families. The best memories aren't of certain scores or grades, but they are of daily interactions with people. The students who r...

Mr. Neuzil has taught at West for 37 years as one of the social studies teachers. Check out the West Side Story to learn more about this beloved teacher. 

Dave Rosenthal is a Spanish teacher and head coach of the West High girls varsity soccer team, and he has been teaching at West High for 29 years. He first ended up at West after his wife pushed him into exploring different options besides the small private school in Maryland where he was teaching. “She said, 'You can do more and impact more students at a larger school. You just have to have the...

Marlisa Batie is a paraeducator and study hall teacher and has been teaching for 34 years, even though only one has been at West High. Upon her retirement, she believes it is time for her to go and feels good about leaving. She believed that not much had stayed the same over her time in education, such as when a student disrespects her. Batie’s advice for students includes an emphasis on the importa...

Although Elizabeth Lilly has worked at West High for only six years, she’s been in the district for over 20 years as a special education social worker. She connects students to mental health resources in the community, and as a licensed mental health counselor, she helps with crisis management and emotional regulation. She worked offsite with special education programs and teachers throughout th...

Ron Melsha has worked as a custodian at West High for 17 years. He worked in construction before, but after falling off a three-story building, he decided to opt for a more stable and safer job. While working on the roof of a house during the rain, he slipped and fell, damaging his knee. Luckily a deck below broke his fall, but he still ended up with a major injury. “I twisted and tore my knee...

Although Darci Witthoft was planning on becoming a journalist, she ended up as a teacher at West High. While she’s been an English teacher at West for 23 years, she has also worked at Mason City High School and Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids. However, she stayed at West because of the students and the different experiences each year. “What I love about teaching in general, is just the...