The student news site of Westwood High School.

Westwood Horizon

The student news site of Westwood High School.

Westwood Horizon

The student news site of Westwood High School.

Westwood Horizon

Campus

Seniors gather on the field beside the Westwood tennis courts to watch the sun set. For many seniors, this was one of the last opportunities to bond with the Class of 2023 before graduation.

Class of 2023 Bonds Before Graduation with Senior Sunset

Prakrit Sinha, Reporter May 28, 2023

On Thursday, May 18, students participated in the annual Senior Sunset event for the Class of 2023. This was one of the last events for the senior class to reunite before Graduation.  “Senior sunset...

Focused, Akhil Gharpurey 23 and Annette Ho 23 play casino games at Prom. In addition to music and dancing, the event offered other activities like a photobooth and games.

Students Experience a Magical Met Gala Themed Prom

Prakrit Sinha, Reporter May 26, 2023

On Saturday, May 13, Westwood held its annual Prom. Prom at the Oasis on Lake Travis was filled with music, food, and celebration.  “[Prom] was pretty good, the music had a wide variety and it was...

Conducting the Westwood Symphony Orchestra during their send-off concert to preview their trip to the Midwest Clinic in 2019, Mr. Anderson looks to cue soloist Laoise Matsumoto. Matsumoto was a student Mr. Anderson taught as a first-year teacher at Grisham Middle School.

Associate Orchestra Director Mr. Justin Anderson Reflects on His Time At Westwood

Catharine Li, Horizon Editor-in-Chief May 25, 2023

In the orchestra hall, a sense of history reverberates like music. Trophies adorn shelves, the magnitude of achievement imposing on a physical scale, yet rooted in a more symbolic, shared ambition to grow....

Talking about the effectiveness of his product, Jacob Erattuparambil ‘23 attempts to convince his audience that his project, an all natural energy drink, is effective. NAME’s team wanted to address the problem of teenage exhaustion while avoiding the harmful effects of caffeine, leading to them choosing to create an all natural energy drink as a viable alternative.

Senior Engineering Students Exhibit Final Project Presentations

Gayu Lakshmanan, Heritage Portraits Editor May 22, 2023

On Thursday, April 27 and Friday, May 5, Engineering Design and Development (EDD) students presented their Final Project Presentations (FPP), the culmination of a year long process of product design.  EDD...

Students delve into the importance of AP and IB curriculums, and whether they are necessary or not.

Students Evaluate the Effectiveness of AP and IB Classes

Chloe Oakley, Campus News Editor May 22, 2023

Apprehensive warning lights flash on students’ dashboards as May looms, when intense study schedules and late-night review cramming, already characteristic to Westwood students, grow in severity. The...

Sophomore Harshadha Chaganti’s Learnology Creates Opportunity for Youth

Prima Changwatchai, Community & World News Editor May 18, 2023

Welcome to Who? What! Warrior., a weekly Horizon podcast dedicated to telling student stories. Each episode focuses on a different student — and the unique pursuits they are engaged in, ranging from...

Students enter We Are Bloods mobile clinic to donate blood. The blood drive was hosted by the UNICEF club.

UNICEF Club Gives Back Through Annual Blood Drive

Lily Dooley, Multimedia Coordinator May 17, 2023

On Thursday, May 5, United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) Club hosted a blood drive, giving students the opportunity to donate blood. UNICEF Club does volunteer work geared toward helping...

Smiling with anticipation. Sarah Taparauskuas 23 signs the college banner on May 1. She plans to attend University of Georgia in the fall.

Committed: Class of 2023 Signs Annual Banner

Lena Boas, Extras Editor May 11, 2023

Seniors gathered in the atrium on Monday, May 1 to sign the 2023 college banner. For years, graduating students have participated in this tradition of signing their names beside the university they...

Yearbooks will be distributed on Friday, May 12 during both lunches. Courtesy of Heritage Staff

Yearbooks Will be Distributed in Atrium on Friday

Hannah McDonough, Horizon Assistant Editor May 9, 2023

On Friday, May 12, yearbooks will be distributed in the Atrium during both lunches. Yearbooks can also be picked up in D-1311 during school hours next week if you miss distribution on Friday. “I’m...

Spraying disinfectant, night custodian Pedro Minan wipes down tables in a classroom. Minan is new to Westwood, having worked at the school for less than one year.

The Faces of Resilience and Routine: Custodians Care for Westwood Like Second Home

Catharine Li, Horizon Editor-in-Chief May 9, 2023

Clocking in at 7 a.m., Michael ‘Mike’ Apodaca has already walked most of the Westwood grounds before the first teachers and students trickle into the building.  Not far away, Luz Sanchez has...

Beaming, Shrishti Mahajan 25, Bailey Zhang 25, and Shivani Kondubhatla 25 hold their 3rd place trophy in the air at the DECA International Conference awards ceremony. The team of sophomores won in the Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research event.

Westwood DECA Gets Edge at International Conference 

Decked in blazers and professional attire, Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) students saw success at the 2023 International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Orlando, Florida from...

Principal Erin Campbell cuts the ribbon to begin the open house alongside Board of Trustees Vice President Tiffanie Harrison and Board Trustee Alicia Markum (Place 4). Ms. Harrison has been on the Board of Trustees since 2020 and was previously a teacher at Round Rock High School, where she was twice awarded Teacher of the Year and Ms. Markum has been on the Board of Trustees since 2022 and has previously been in multiple leadership roles including Fern Bluff Elementary PTA President and RRISD Council of PTAs Diversity and Inclusion Chair.

Community Open House Showcases 2018 Bond Improvements

Scott Seamon, Managing Editor April 25, 2023

On Monday, April 24, Westwood administration hosted a community open house to showcase campus improvements made possible by the voter-approved 2018 bond. “The Phase IV construction project began...

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