Howdy Week: Warriors Wear Their Wackiest Attire

Tara Kurkal, Tiktok Account Manager| September 8, 2022

Gerald Helcel ’26 spent a Gru-eling eight hours in costume. There’s a one-in-a-minion chance of seeing this again. (Hadley Norris)

Westwood High School held a weeklong celebration of school spirit from Monday, Aug. 29 to Friday, Sept. 2 called “Howdy Week.” The week started with “Minion Day”, and led up to the first pep rally of the school year. One costume in particular stood out, Gerald Helcel ‘26 dressed up in an inflatable minion costume

“[Wearing the costume] was fun at the beginning of the day, but then progressing throughout the day it started getting tiring getting in and out of the [costume]” Helcel said.

Tuesday, Aug. 30 was for twinning with a classmate or friend, Wednesday, Aug. 31 was Western Day, Thursday, Sept. 1 was Adam Sandler Day, and Friday, Sept. 2 was School Spirit Day, as well as the first pep rally of the year.

Students Enjoy an Enchanted Forest Themed Prom

Standing together before their dance began, Gods Menu performers pose, setting the tone of the dance. K-pop Club members rehearsed for six weeks for their second to last performance, the Spring Showcase, offering ample opportunities to perfect their choreography. I was excited to dance with complex group formations and movements, dancer Ninju Prem 25 said.

K-Pop Club Displays New Dances at Spring Showcase

Posing with his camera, Mr.Youn prepares to photograph the eclipse. A rare scientific occurrence, this was the first time Mr. Youn had attempted to photograph a total eclipse. Honestly, I wasnt even photographing it, I was just experiencing it,” Mr. Youn said. “You know, we built it up and the anticipation was incredibly high, but experiencing it was cooler than I anticipated.”

Solar Snapshot: Mr. Brian Youn Photographs Total Eclipse

UT representative Patrick Patterson describes the importance of teaching kids to be academically honest from an early age. He was one of three UT representatives speaking at the academic integrity seminar on Thursday, March 22. What you have to do as a community is get together with the administration, Patterson said. Create your own honor code. Involve as many folks and kids and adults, as many as possible. Create that honor code and stick to it.

UT Representatives Discuss Academic Integrity at College Level

Celebrating with her friends, Aanya Ujjval 26 gets sprayed with color powder. All profits from the Holi festival through selling powder and shirts were donated to Casa Marianella.

IB Celebrates Community and Program Values at Holi

NEWS

On the red carpet outside the Long Center, 44 members of the Mean Girls production cast and crew pose before the Heller Award ceremony. In addition to a red carpet event and photo session, the ceremony included 18 award categories and multiple musical performances to honor high school musical theater in the Austin area.

Applause and Accolades: Westwood Theater Brings Home First-Ever Heller Award

Observing the evening festivities, English teacher Samantha Lozano and Student Council officers Iris Chen ‘26, Rheya Kurian ‘26, and Aiden Wen ‘26 sit behind a prom court voting booth. The booth was open right until the prom king and queen were announced, allowing students to cast their votes throughout the night.

Students Enjoy an Enchanted Forest Themed Prom

K-Pop Club Displays New Dances at Spring Showcase

A topic of immense interest and controversy, the banning of diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) programs has attracted much attention, especially at the University of Texas at Austin. Numerous students have argued that DEI programs not only foster diversity, but also promote a creative learning environment.

Controversy Continues: Texas DEI Bans

Solar Snapshot: Mr. Brian Youn Photographs Total Eclipse

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