Congratulations Jazz Band Member - Jamison Murphy performed in the 2nd Annual Savannah State University Honor Band Invitational February 25, 2012. He auditioned and was awarded first chair position for the saxophone section for the concert which was conducted by Dr Wesley Broadnax, Director of Wind Ensembles at University of Delaware.  Arthur Wright, III is director of Savannah State University Band ,who also performed.

Westlake Rifle Team
The Rifle Team is currently 8-1 in the area with two matches remaining in the season. Then it is off to the Sectionals. Bobby Grimes is currently number 2 in the Area of 88 shooters.
1st Round/Sectionals: March 26, 2012                                                                       
Semifinals:  March 31, 2012                                                                
State Championship:  April 14, 2012

Cascade’s Greatest Person - Congratulations to our STAR Student and Teacher
Michael Davis, President of the Midtown Atlanta Rotary Club and local sponsor of the Fulton County STAR program selected Justin Winston, a high school senior at Westlake, for 2012 PAGE STAR Student. Justin scored over 1900 on the SAT, and he hopes to attend Harvard in the fall.  TiJuana Ulmer-Kelley was also chosen as STAR teacher. Ms. Ulmer-Kelley is the English Department Chair and AP Coordinator. She has been teaching at Westlake for 10 years, and she has been nominated this year for Teacher of the Year. The STAR program has honored more than 23,000 students and teachers they have selected as having had the most influence on their academic achievement. Congratulations to Justin and Ms.Ulmer- Kelley!!

Justin Winston, a senior at Westlake, was named Cascade Greatest Person for February.  Congratulations, Justin!  Please visit the site at

http://cascade.patch.com/articles/winston-named-2012-page-star-student#photo-9202986 

Congratulations on a Great Performance
Westlake’s Drama, Chorus, and Dance groups gave an excellent performance on March 1, 2012.  In celebration of Black History Month, the program was entitled, "You Choose: A Tribute to Black History.”  Thank you all for your hard work and effort in providing the Westlake community with a great show.

Congratulations Track Teams
Westlake’s Girls and Boys track team both won first place out of 30 teams at the Starrs Mill Track meet this past weekend.  In addition to breaking two track records at the Starrs Mill track meet, the Girls’ sprint medley relay team ran the 2nd fastest time in the nation, and the Boys’ 4 by 400 relay team ranks 7th in the nation.

Congratulations HOSA
Westlake’s HOSA participated in the Georgia HOSA State Leadership Conference and was honored as the largest chapter in the state of Georgia with 201 members. The following students placed within the top five positions of their competitive events:
Lawrence Rolle (Medical Spelling)
Cristy Jones (Job Seeking Skills)
Christopher Woolfolk (Dental Spelling)
3rd place: Courtney Jannah and Deresha Porter (CERT) 
2nd place: Daniel Jordan (Medical Spelling)
1st place: Shaquan McDowell (Prepared Speaking)
Finally, we would like to honor Leigh Johnson for earning the Barbara James Service Award in addition to her position as Georgia HOSA's new Region Two Representative.

Thank you, FBLA
In celebration of Dr. Seuss Day, 24 Future Business Leaders of America visited Randolph Elementary School.  In pairs, the FBLA students read Dr. Seuss books to over 200 students collectively.

Congratulations to our Teacher of the Year!!!!
Ms. Pamela Boutte has been teaching Spanish for 19 years; nine of those years have been with Westlake. She is originally from Long Island, and she taught in New York for the first 10 years of her career. Teaching is rewarding to her, and the message she wants to portray to all her students and colleagues is to be inspired. Thanks for all you do, Ms. Boutte!

Congratulations to our Professional of the Year!!!!
Ms. Juanita Lumpkin was chosen as Westlake’s Professional of the Year.  Ms. Lumpkin has been with Westlake for 10 years.  Her own children were graduates of Westlake.  Ms. Lumpkin says that she is here because she loves working with the students and her colleagues. Thank you for a job well done, Ms. Lumpkin!

Healthcare Science Program is Awarded Industry Re-certification
Congratulations to Mr. Mark Elsey and Ms. Chanbory Pey for an outstanding job during the Industry Certification visit for the Career Tech Department.  Ms. Cecelia Johnson, CTE department chair, says that both teachers epitomize greatness, and she is honored to work with them.

Basketball Teams Advance in State Tournament
The boys’ basketball team won regionals in the final game against Newnan High School (60-51) Saturday, February 18.  They moved on to compete for the state title Saturday, February 25 at 6pm where they played Tift County High School.  The final score was Westlake (63-60).  The Lions are playing in the State Sweet 16 this Wednesday against Savannah at 6:00 at Savannah High School. Our girls’ team has also advanced to the State Sweet 16 and will play McEachern High School this Tuesday, February 28 at 7:00 p.m. at McEachern (located in Powder Springs).

Congratulations to WHS Track Teams
Westlake hosted a track meet this past weekend in which 23 teams were in attendance.  Our girls’ team placed first and our boys team placed third.

MANE Attraction Wins Top Honors at State Competition
Westlake’s MANE Attraction dance team attended the Universal Dance Association’s (UDA) “Georgia Dance Championships” at McIntosh High School on February 18, 2010.  They took first place in the Jazz and Hip-Hop categories, and won the choreography Award for our Jazz routine.

The Dream Art Contest
We would like to congratulate Jasmine Gamble on her memory box entitled “We have come a long way” she has been selected as a Semi-finalist for The Dream Art Contest. There were over 854 schools that applied and over 789,000 students. She is now eligible for the over 11,000.00 prizes.

Westlake Girls Basketball
The proclamation was presented at the Board of Commissioner meeting on Wednesday, February 1 recognizing our Lady Lions Basketball team for their accomplishments this year and, more generally, the success of the program over years of Coach Hankerson’s leadership. 
 

WHS Choral Students
Westlake Advanced Chorus received an overall rating of Superior at GMEA District Festival.  They gave a wonderful and inspiring performance. Westlake would also like to congratulate Ethan Godfrey and Tony Rhone on successfully completing their second audition for All State Chorus. Their scores were so high that they were in the top 10% and received “Seal” Honors. This is the first time Westlake will be represented at the state level for chorale music. We have two of the top tenors in the state of Georgia! Go Lions!!

World Language Students Win Award
Congratulations to Madeleine Wood and Lyndsy Fredrick for receiving the Distinguished Award at the Fulton County Forum, a World Language event held this past month.  Also, Selina Dunbar received an excellent rating.

Maya Walters Featured on CNN
Congratulations to Maya Walters for her interview with Sanjay Gupta.  Maya and Dr. Rivera were part of the Sanjay Gupta MD show on CNN this past weekend.  Click here to see the interview - http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2012/02/13/sgmd-obesity-ad-student.cnn

 Congratulations to the Lions of the Week!!!  This award is given for exemplary character or academic progress.  Dr. Rivera recognizes students from each department every Friday. 

 Armani B. was selected by her literature teacher, Mr. Reynolds, for integrity and showing great dedication to her work and grades.

Physical education teacher, Coach Rogers, chose Eboni P. for doing outstanding work and maintaining an A average in all activites.

Amilla G. was also selected by Coach Rogers, because she goes above and beyond expectations.  She also edits The Full Court Press Basketball Newsletter.

ROTC instructor, Major Johnson, chose Jordon H. because he is an model student who contantly epitomizes excellence in both action and deed.  Recently, he demonstrated his outstanding leadership and planning abilities by playing a critical role in organizing the WHS Veterans' Day Commemoration Ceremony.

Zeba M. was selected by U.S. history teacher, Ms. Williams, because she is an excellent student and of very fine character. 

Business essentials teacher, Ms. Hudson, chose Breona B. for her participation in the FBLA Breast Cancer Walk.

Alexis A. was selected by by world history teacher, Ms. Dickens for her academic performance in class and respectful dispostion.

ROTC instructor, Major Johnson, chose Lafayette A. because he profoundly understands what selfless service means.  He embodies the seven army values and is truly an inspiration to others.

Alexandria H. was selected by literature teacher, Ms. Page, because she is an exemplar student from the beginning of the school semester. Her poetry out loud performance was impressive.

Chemistry teacher, Mr. Washington, selected Fatima S. because she is always asking exciting questions and makes positive contributions in class.

Brandon S. was selected by Spanish instructor, Ms. Sealey, because he has a high aptitude for learning languages.

Ms. Sealey, also selected, Garrett R. because he is very responsible and helpful.  He is always focused and ready to learn.

Christiana O. was selected by career technology teacher, Mr. Swann, because she makes sure that every thing she does is the best she can do.  She works hard to help with the community and FBLA.

Pictured from left to right.  Devon D. was selected by Ms. Holliman, literature teacher, be he is well-mannered and never makes excuses but always gets his work done.

Physical education teacher, Coach Rogers, selected Hayden R. because he has a great attitude, is helpful and kind.

Deanthony L. was selected by math teacher, Ms. Tucker because he is always actively engaged and eager to learn. 

Pictured from left to right.  Mr. Flowers, social studies teacher, selected Brice S. because he is a team leader that goes above and beyond the requirements in class and on the field.

Camryn O. was selected by Ms. Larocca, science teacher, because she is polite, hardworking and always willing to help out her classmates.

Math teacher, Ms. West, selected Nianza H. because she exhibits good character and work ethics.

Caitlin C. was selected by literature teacher, Ms. Brooks, because she personifies what a true lion should be....well-mannered, patient and always will to help her fellow classmates.

Ms. Hernandez, literature teacher, chose Brandon W. because he is early everyday, knowledgeable of a bevy of subjects and commiserates with me when both our football teams are horendous.

Marcus G. was selected by math teacher, Ms. Jordan, because he works hard and completes his work with integrity.

Previous Winners ...
Ashanti P. was selected by Major Johnson, her ROTC instructor, because she personifies what a JROTC officer must be, know and do.  She is a phenomenal student who contantly strives for perfection in everything she does.

Ms. Phairr, U.S. History teacher, selected Joy B. because she always gives 100% in class.  Ms. Phairr sees her as a role model for all students at Westlake.

Jawana F. was selected by her biology teacher, Ms. Brannen, for thinking outside the box and not settling for the norm.

Deasia L. was selected by her literature teacher, Ms. Bailey, for being well-mannered and completing all her assignments.

Major Johnson, ROTC instructor, selected Jah-Reise M. for enthusiastically working daily on making sure that the battalion is trained, resourced and prepared to provide support to Westlake and the local community.

Ms. Powers, history teacher, selected Nia S. because she always has a smile on her face.  She also works hard without complaining. 

Jennifer M. was selected my Major Johnson because she loves to learn about everything. She enthusiastically motivates her fellow students to expand their knowledge on everything from politics to the hot issue of the day.

Westlake High School seniors, Justin W. and Michael H., have been named semifinalists in the 48th annual National Achievement Scholarship Program, an academic competition for African-American high school students. The program is administered by National Merit Corp., an organization that recognizes and awards scholarships to academically gifted students. 

The students were identified through exceptionally high scores on the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which they took as juniors. As semifinalists, the students now must fulfill several requirements in order to advance to the finalist round. They must have a record of high academic performance, be endorsed and recommended by their school principal and earn SAT scores that confirm their earlier qualifying test performance.  

Approximately 1,300 finalists will be named in January, and of these, 700 overall winners will be chosen for $2,500 National Achievement scholarships from the organization. Approximately $2.4 million scholarship funds will be awarded nationwide.