Students have filled out the School Climate Survey in Dog Teams (Advisory). We value parent feedback and want to hear from you, too! Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey below and let us know how we’re doing.

Students have filled out the School Climate Survey in Dog Teams (Advisory). We value parent feedback and want to hear from you, too! Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey below and let us know how we’re doing.
Do you know a student who is performing in the West Albany Winter Talent Assembly?
Come see and hear their performance at our Preview Night for friends and family!
¿Conoces a algún estudiante que vaya a participar en la Asamblea de Talentos de Invierno de West Albany?
¡Ven a ver y escuchar su actuación en nuestra Noche de Preestreno para amigos y familiares!
Jueves, 14 de diciembre — 7:00 p.m.
Albany Performing Arts Center
Winter At West
Monday, December 11 — 7:00 p.m.
Albany Perfoming Arts Center
Winter at West Concierto de Invierno
Lunes, diciembre 11 — 7:00 pm
Albany Performing Arts Center
The West Albany High School boys water polo team took first place in the 5A State Championship match Saturday at Osborn Aquatic Center, and the West Albany girls team placed second! Details from the Albany Democrat-Herald are available here.
Great work, Bulldogs! We’re so proud of you!
The Albany Performing Arts Center and the Greater Albany Public Schools Music programs have kicked off a fundraising campaign to replace our grand piano. The instrument we currently have came to West Albany High School as a donation from the Presbyterian Church in Corvallis after serving there for a very long time. Prior to that, it belonged to the University of Oregon, and it began its life with the USO in roughly 1917. We have loved having this instrument, but at around 106 years old, the kind of service it needs to be fully functional is no longer feasible.
The new instrument will be a Yamaha C7 seven-foot concert grand. We are now in the fundraising phase of our project. We are asking for your help to purchase the piano and necessary accessories to keep it safe and well maintained.
The APAC serves all of the schools in the Greater Albany School District, grades K-12. It hosts all of our band concerts, choir concerts, plays, musicals, elementary programs and district presentations. It also hosts performances by the Willamette Valley Symphony, the Willamette Valley Concert Band, multiple dance companies and theater companies. Annually, the APAC holds over 100 public performances and events. This doesn’t include the hundreds of rehearsals for these performances. This grand piano will be available for all of these users and events. Few things last as long as a well-maintained grand piano. Once it is here, it will serve generations of students and be available to our community for decades to come.
We encourage you to share this with your friends and fellow supporters of the performing arts. The link to contribute online can be found below. We have a number of suggested donation levels, but all donations are welcome.
These donation levels are:
https://AlbanyPAC.ludus.com/fundraiser.php?id=1892
You can also make donations directly to the APAC with checks, cash or cards at West Albany High School.
Checks can be made out to:
Albany Performing Arts Center (APAC)
2100 Elm St SW
Albany, OR 97321
Memo: Grand Piano Campaign
Thank you for being a patron of the Albany Performing Arts Center and supporting music in our schools. Please consider helping us provide this fantastic instrument for all of our musicians, young and old!
WINTER TALENT ASSEMBLY
Sign-up deadline: Thursday, 11/16/23
Auditions start on November 28th.
Earlier this month, Jed Collins, former NFL player and current financial coach spoke to the West Albany High School Personal Finance / Introduction to Business class. Collins is the founder of Money Vehicle and author of “Your Money Vehicle: How to Begin Driving to Financial Freedom!” He focuses on helping high school students, professional athletes, and university greek organizations become financially literate.
Prior to becoming a financial coach, Collins played in the NFL for seven years as a fullback. Collins spent four years with the New Orleans Saints, but also signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions, and Dallas Cowboys.
Upon learning over 73 percent of NFL players go broke after their tenure in the NFL, Collins became interested in financial planning. While working as a professional football player, Collins got his certification in financial planning (CFP). He wanted to help rookies become financially stable and prepared for their transition out of the NFL. Today, Jed Collins travels the country providing financial advice to people of all financial backgrounds.
Students taking personal finance at West Albany learn about taxes, banking, credit, and investing, among other topics. More broadly, the class aims to enhance financial literacy, stimulate interest in financial management, and inspire students from all socio-economic backgrounds to achieve financial well-being.
“There are many reasons students should enroll in these courses,” said West Albany personal finance teacher Joey Running. “Such as earning college credit in high school, saving time and money, challenging themselves with rigorous courses, being more likely to enroll in college, and breaking down barriers for disadvantaged students.” Students enrolled in these classes may be eligible to earn college credits through Linn-Benton Community College’s College Now program.
This year, current and former personal finance and accounting students at WAHS have the opportunity to be trained in tax preparation, a service they can provide to classmates. Running plans to apply for the upcoming Tax Infrastructure Grant program in partnership with the Oregon Department of Human Resources.
“This training is a great example of how career technical education (CTE) can serve and prepare our students for high-wage, high-demand jobs in our community,” Running said.
Earlier this year, the Oregon State Senate passed Senate Bill 3, requiring students to complete a half credit of career exploration and a half credit of financial education in order to graduate. Currently, classes on career exploration and financial education are already being taught at both West and South Albany High Schools.
A principios de este mes, el Sr. Jed Collins, exjugador de la Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano (NFL, por sus siglas en inglés) y actual capacitador financiero, habló en la clase de Introducción a los Negocios/Finanzas Personales de la preparatoria West Albany High School (WAHS, por sus siglas en inglés). Collins es el fundador de Money Vehicle y autor de “Your Money Vehicle: How to Begin Driving to Financial Freedom!” Se centra en ayudar a estudiantes de preparatoria, atletas profesionales y organizaciones universitarias griegas a adquirir conocimientos financieros.
Antes de convertirse en entrenador financiero, Collins jugó en la NFL durante siete años como fullback (posición de corredor). Collins pasó cuatro años con el equipo de los New Orleans Saints, pero también firmó con los equipos de Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions y Dallas Cowboys.
Al enterarse de que más del 73 por ciento de los jugadores de la NFL están quebrados financiera, después de su paso por la NFL, Collins se interesó en la planificación financiera. Mientras trabajaba como jugador de fútbol profesional, Collins obtuvo su certificación en planificación financiera (CFP). Quería ayudar a los novatos a estabilizarse financieramente y prepararse para su transición fuera de la NFL. En la actualidad, el Sr. Jed Collins viaja por el país brindando asesoramiento financiero a personas de todos los orígenes financieros.
Los estudiantes que cursan finanzas personales en la preparatoria West Albany aprenden sobre impuestos, banca, crédito e inversiones, entre otros temas. En términos más generales, la clase tiene como objetivo mejorar la educación financiera, estimular el interés en la gestión financiera e inspirar a estudiantes de todos los orígenes socioeconómicos para lograr el bienestar financiero.
“Hay muchas razones por las que los estudiantes deberían inscribirse en estos cursos”, dijo el Sr. Joey Running, maestro de finanzas personales de West Albany. “Como obtener créditos universitarios en la escuela preparatoria, ahorrar tiempo y dinero, desafiarse a sí mismos con cursos rigurosos, tener más probabilidades de inscribirse en la universidad y derribar barreras para los estudiantes desfavorecidos”. Los estudiantes matriculados en estas clases pueden ser elegibles para obtener créditos universitarios a través del programa College Now del Colegio Comunitario de Linn-Benton Community College.
Este año, los estudiantes actuales y anteriores de contabilidad y finanzas personales de WAHS, tienen la oportunidad de recibir capacitación en preparación de impuestos, un servicio que pueden brindar a sus compañeros de clase. El Sr. Running planea solicitar el próximo programa de beca para la Infraestructura Fiscal en asociación con el Departamento de Recursos Humanos de Oregon.
“Esta capacitación es un gran ejemplo de cómo la educación técnica profesional (CTE, por sus siglas en inglés), puede servir y preparar a nuestros estudiantes para trabajos bien remunerados y de alta demanda en nuestra comunidad”, dijo el Sr. Running.
A principios de este año, el Senado del Estado de Oregon aprobó el Proyecto de Ley del Senado 3, que requiere que los estudiantes completen medio crédito de exploración profesional y medio crédito de educación financiera para poder graduarse. Actualmente, ya se imparten clases sobre exploración profesional y educación financiera en las escuelas preparatorias de West y South Albany.
Over the summer, GAPS received a grant to purchase 930 air purifiers for the district. These air purifiers, coming in various sizes for classrooms, cafeterias, and hallways, are estimated to value $525,000. Along with the air purifiers, the grant provides 15 replacement filters for each unit and cleaning supplies such as hand sanitizers and wipes, and personal protective equipment such as gloves and masks. Additionally, the purification systems come with a lifetime warranty from Medify Air.
The new HEPA 13 air purifiers have the ability to filter out 99.9% of air particles to the .01 micron. In addition to filtering out atmospheric dust, the purifiers can pick up cement dust, dust mites, ash, human hair, pet dander, pollen, smoke, viruses, and more.
In the fall of 2022, air filtration systems were added as approved uses of funds previously designated for COVID-19 testing programs in schools. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, good ventilation will lower the concentration of virus particles in the air, creating a safer environment for students and staff. The air purification systems provide layered protection to the district’s COVID-19 prevention strategies.
“It is our goal to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for all our students and staff,” said Executive Director of Operations Dave Bolin. “This grant is an opportunity to add another layer of protection and reduce the spread of illness.”
The funds for the purifiers were provided by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) in partnership with Grainger and Medify Air. GAPS thanks these partners for their help in creating a healthier learning environment.
Durante el verano, GAPS recibió una subvención para comprar 930 purificadores de aire para el distrito. Estos purificadores de aire, disponibles en varios tamaños para salones de clases, cafeterías y pasillos, se estiman en un valor de $525,000. Junto con los purificadores de aire, la subvención proporciona 15 filtros de repuesto para cada unidad y suministros de limpieza como desinfectantes de manos y toallas húmedas, así como equipo de protección personal como guantes y mascarillas. Además, los sistemas de purificación vienen con una garantía de por vida de la compañía Medify Air.
Los nuevos purificadores de aire con filtro HEPA 13 (grado de filtración), tienen la capacidad de filtrar el 99.9% de las partículas de aire hasta 0.01 micrones. Además de eliminar el polvo atmosférico, los purificadores pueden capturar polvo de cemento, ácaros del polvo, ceniza, cabello humano, caspa de mascotas, polen, humo, virus y más.
En el otoño de 2022, se añadieron sistemas de filtración de aire como usos aprobados de los fondos anteriormente destinados a programas de pruebas de COVID-19 en las escuelas. Según el Centro para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades, una buena ventilación reduce la concentración de partículas virales en el aire, creando un entorno más seguro para los estudiantes y el personal. Los sistemas de purificación de aire proporcionan una protección adicional a las estrategias de prevención de COVID-19 del distrito.
Es nuestro objetivo proporcionar un entorno de aprendizaje seguro y saludable para todos nuestros estudiantes y personal”, dice el Director Ejecutivo de Operaciones, Sr. Dave Bolin. “Esta subvención es una oportunidad para agregar otra capa de protección y reducir la propagación de enfermedades.”
Los fondos para los purificadores fueron proporcionados por la Autoridad de Salud de Oregon (OHA por sus siglas en inglés) en colaboración con las compañías Grainger y Medify Air. GAPS agradece a estos socios por su ayuda en la creación de un entorno de aprendizaje más saludable.