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Westwood Horizon
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The student news site of Westwood High School.

Westwood Horizon
The student news site of Westwood High School.

Westwood Horizon
Jacob Chow

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff

Class of 2026

Currently in WWHS Band!
Favorite movie: Back to the future
Favorite show: One Piece
I love video games, talking about computers, music, and I’ll really talk about anything!

All content by Jacob Chow
Tossing their flags in unison, members of the Color Guard stand with the band as they line up in their company front. During a company front, the whole band forms a line and marches side by side across the field.

Band Concludes Season With ‘Timeless’ Performance

Addy Temple and Jacob Chow
November 15, 2024
Standing on a stage, the trombone ensemble claps to a beat. The trombone ensemble provides a groove to part three of the band's show Timeless.

Band Narrowly Misses Advancement to State

Jacob Chow and Addy Temple
November 6, 2024
Skirt flowing behind her, Abi Caudle '26 spins her flag. The guard uniforms were designed by Jim Moore to look elegant and grand.

Dawn of Time

Addy Temple and Jacob Chow
October 30, 2024
Preparing for Halftime Performances

Preparing for Halftime Performances

Rayghen Peak, Jacob Chow, Addy Temple, and Rifah Mirza
October 24, 2024
Focused on the drum majors, Jonathan Chien ‘25 performs 'Clair De Lune' as a part of a small ensemble. The Warrior Band performed their show, entitled 'Timeless', at the UIL Region 26 marching contest on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Band Sweeps With Superior Ratings at UIL Region Competition

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
October 22, 2024
Posing in a kneel, Rachel Zhu '26, Julia Gray '28, Pio Antony '27, and Soomin Oh '27 play a difficult part of their music. The band had roughly a week to pull together some of the hardest parts of their show to be ready in time for TMC.

Band Pushes Through Intense Competition at Texas Marching Classic

Jacob Chow and Addy Temple
October 14, 2024
Awaiting the count in, Keiran Beltran '26 holds his mellophone at set. In the stands, the band has many traditions ranging from vocals to choreography.

Inside the Circle

Jacob Chow and Addy Temple
October 6, 2024
Playing his heart out, Michael Kyriazis '26 concentrates on his performance. The band performed their show Timeless at BOA Austin on Saturday Sept. 21. "I liked the clarity of [the performance], we played together as an ensemble," Kyriazis said.

Band Starts Competitive Season Strong at BOA Austin

Addy Temple and Jacob Chow
September 25, 2024
Since late August, crickets have been appearing in massive amounts around campus. The presence of these insects, along with their smell and sound, have been affecting the comfort of students.

Insect Invasion

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
September 23, 2024
Hoping to make learning fun and engaging for students, Biology and AP Environmental Science teacher Ms. Sheri Smith aspires to create a comfortable and dynamic class structure.

Science Teacher Ms. Sheri Smith Fosters Dynamic Classroom Environment

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
September 19, 2024
Recently, AI and it's impressive capabilities have been a constant source of both fascination and fear. While, AI has potential to be incredibly beneficial for humanity, it can also be extremely harmful in the wrong hands.

AI: Revolutionary or Risky?

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
September 13, 2024
Thanking his co-workers, Head Band Director Thomas Turpin expresses his gratitude to the Warrior Band. 2024 would mark his 15th and final year teaching at Westwood before he departs. “Working with this community has been one of the greatest honors of my life. The students and staff are world-class, and they have pushed me to be a better teacher and version of myself every day,” Mr. Turpin said. “I have grown as a person, musician, and academic, and I am so grateful that I've been able to call Westwood my musical home for 15 years.”

The Final Cutoff: Band Director Thomas Turpin Takes New Step in Career

Sabareesh Dinakaran and Jacob Chow
June 3, 2024
In April, Tesla made the “Autopilot” feature free for drivers, allowing for semi-autonomous driving. Controversy arose about the feature after a lawsuit was recently settled regarding a man who was killed by Autopilot.

Tesla Lawsuit Regarding Autopilot Feature Sparks Controversy

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
May 25, 2024
Waving his baton, Head Band Director Thomas Turpin leads the concert band for their spring concert. The concert would mark his last show before his departure from Westwood. "This concert was really special since we got to send off someone who had such a positive impact on us," Adaline Boyd '26 said.

Last Time, Best Time: Band Performs Final Spring Concert Under Head Band Director Thomas Turpin

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
May 13, 2024
The Westwood Jazz Orchestra showcased their talent at the University of Texas Jazz Festival on April 6.

Jazz Orchestra Takes Stage at UT Jazz Festival

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
April 16, 2024
With the brand new reopening of Westwood's cafe, watch this rating to decide what drinks to order!

Ranking Java City Drinks (VIDEO)

Katie Ring, Jacob Chow, and Sabareesh Dinakaran
April 14, 2024
'Dune: Part 2' was released on March 1, and it has set a new standard for cinema sound and visual design.

‘Dune: Part 2’ Sets New Cinema Standard

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
April 5, 2024
This year, the Warrior full orchestras swept the competition with superior ratings while competing at a high level.

Full Orchestras Sweep Competition with Superior Ratings

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
March 19, 2024
Performing their piece "Performing Summer" by Michael Markowski, the Philharmonic four full orchestra displays their musicianship for the Westwood Community. This year, the philharmonic four will perform as the school's varsity orchestra. "The piece is difficult, and there are many difficult chords to balance that [the band] usually doesn't play." french horn player Joseph Clements '23 said. "Overall, I think we played well given the amount of time we rehearsed."

Full Orchestra Showcases Musicianship at Pre-UIL Concert

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
March 5, 2024
Do you agree with this Girl Scout cookie ranking? Tell us your opinion in the comments below!

Girl Scout Cookie Tier List

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
February 26, 2024
The Westwood Warrior band hosted their first mulch hunt, a scavenger hunt to spread awareness for the annual fundraiser.

Band Hosts First Mulch Hunt

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
February 13, 2024
On Satuday, Jan. 6, 30 band students auditioned at the All-Region auditions. Students practiced hard to advance to All-State. "I practiced a lot, around a couple hours a week," Neel Kotichintala '25 said.

Band Students Advance to TMEA All-State

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
January 14, 2024
This November, the 2024 presidential elections will be taking place. While it will most likely will be a rematch with Biden and Trump, it shouldn’t be this way.

The 2024 Election Shouldn’t Be a Trump vs. Biden Rematch

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
January 2, 2024
Conducting, Band Director Thomas Turpin leads the Wind Ensemble at their sendoff concert. The Wind Ensemble was chosen to perform at a highly selective program, the Midwest Clinic. “I don’t think there is even a word in the dictionary to describe the emotion I’m feeling,” Mr. Turpin said. “Proud, absolutely, I’m honored to share the stage with these young artists.”

Wind Ensemble Showcases Pieces at Midwest Sendoff Concert

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
December 18, 2023
On Saturday, Dec. 9, band students competed at TMEA Region auditions. With 65 making a region band and 30 advancing to Area auditions, this the largest amount of students who advanced to Area in the school's history.

Band Students Set Record at TMEA Region Auditions

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
December 17, 2023
Waiting for the show to begin, Alexander Broyles '25 stances at standby. Last summer, Broyles marched a season with Genesis, a world-class drum-corp. “It was nerve-racking standing in the field before a show, but really you're so focused on making the run as good as possible that you don't really notice the thousands of people watching you,” Broyles said.

Junior Alexander Broyles Marches with Drum Corps International

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
November 22, 2023
The marching band performs their show Birds on a Wire to judges at the UIL 6A State Marching Contest. This was one of the final stages of the UIL Marching Band Contests, and the Warriors were very hopeful that they would advance to the last round. “I had a lot of fun performing at State because I was proud of how far we’d come as a band and that we made history just by being there,” Addy Temple ‘26 said.

Band Barely Misses Advancement to UIL State Finals

Jacob Chow and Mina Stephens
November 10, 2023
The Drum Majors stand before the band eagerly waiting for the results for finals to be announced at the BOA St. Louis Super Regional. The band had performed their show Birds on a Wire at multiple competitions before the Super Regional with outstanding results, so the Warriors were expecting nothing short of excellent results.

Band Makes History at St. Louis Super Regional

Jacob Chow and Mina Stephens
November 10, 2023
Homecoming Pep Rally Amplifies School Spirit

Homecoming Pep Rally Amplifies School Spirit

Sabareesh Dinakaran and Jacob Chow
October 12, 2023
In October of 2022, Elon Musk purchased X, formerly known as Twitter for 44 billion dollars. Musk's purchase was followed by a slew of controversial decisions and implementations that have caused X's downfall.

Elon Musk is Leaving X in Ruins

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
October 11, 2023
Standing in the fields, Band performs Birds on a Wire for judges and the audience at BOA Austin.

Birds on a Wire: Band Takes Flight at BOA Austin

Jacob Chow and Mina Stephens
September 28, 2023
The Wind Ensemble Percussion performs at the Bites & Beats fundraiser for their trip to The Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois.

Bites & Beats: Wind Ensemble Raises Funds With Food and Live Music

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
September 13, 2023
Smiling, Mr. Alex Klussmann shows his school spirit on beach dress-up day. Entering his first year teaching, Mr. Klussmann is excited for all to come in his new journey.

Chemistry Teacher Alex Klussmann Pursues Teaching Passion

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
September 1, 2023
The Westwood Warrior Marching Band kicked off their season with their band camp and annual Exhibition performance. They learned parts 1 and 2 of this year's show, "Birds on a Wire." Photo courtesy of Brittany Dacy

Marching Band Kicks Off Season With Band Camp and Exhibition

Jacob Chow and Hannah McDonough
August 25, 2023
‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ Concludes the Beloved Franchise in Style

‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ Concludes the Beloved Franchise in Style

Jacob Chow, Heritage Staff
July 10, 2023
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