We at West Albany High School are interested in where our graduates go and what they do as they move on with their lives. If you are a graduate of West Albany, from any year, would you send us an update?
If you know of a West Albany grad who is doing great things, can you share that information with us?
Thank you!
Dear Parents of West Albany Students,
We would like you to be aware of a Netflix Original series “13 Reasons Why.” “13 Reasons Why” depicts a high school student who commits suicide. The character leaves tapes explaining 13 reasons why she kills herself. This show is intense and depicts graphic bullying, rape, sexual harassment and suicide. It is a fictional story based on a widely known novel and is meant to be a cautionary tale.
Many of our students have reported watching the series and/or are in the process of watching it. They are also talking about the series on social media. We want you to be aware of this due to the serious nature of the show and out of concern for our student’s well-being.
We have provided several attachments below in an effort to inform you about the series and support healthy communication with your child.
Additionally, please feel free to contact the West Albany Counseling office with questions or concerns via the following link: WAHS Counseling Office
13 Reasons Why: Talking Points
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Community Resources
Measure 22-165 is on the May 16 ballot. All voters should have received ballots by now.
Be sure you have the facts. Check out the District’s bond information page to learn about this proposal.
If approved, Ballot Measure 22-165 would make improvements at every school in the District. It would also add new classrooms to accommodate growth and relieve current overcrowding.
The bond would fund the first phase of a replacement of West Albany High School school. Architects would design the complete project, and phase two would be part of a later bond proposal.
West Albany High School, built in 1953, is aging and is not suitable for today’s educational requirements. Phase 1 would include constructing a new commons, auditorium, performing arts classrooms, eight regular classrooms for vocational/technical programs.
Those pieces make up a little less than half of the overall replacement for the entire high school campus.
West Albany High School has had 10 major additions or renovations since it was constructed. The quality of the original construction is lower than many buildings that are much older and still serve a useful purpose, such as Central Elementary School.
The proposed school construction projects will be funded with bonds sold in two separate series. Half of the bonds will retire after ten years, and the other half will retire after twenty years.
The community will have an opportunity to approve additional capital projects without increasing taxes after the first series of bonds retire in 10 years. If that is the case, projects could include completing the entire West Albany High School replacement project in 10 years and with only one more phase.
See photo gallery of West Albany High School in the Democrat-Herald.
The West Albany FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) Club recently attended the State Business Leadership Conference in Portland, OR. Ten students attended the conference where they participated in breakout sessions and performance events. Congratulations to Jakob Jones for his first place finish in Introduction to Informational Technology and the team of Grant Farley and Alex Neil for their 8th place finish in Entrepreneurship.
SWARM, the high school robotics team made up of members of South Albany and West Albany students, has been invited to attend the PNW First District Championship in Cheney Wash. this week.
Each year, the Oregon First Robotics competition features a game theme. This year’s game is called First Steamworks. Two alliances of three teams work together to build and prepare an airship for flight.
The event runs from April 6-8 at Eastern Washington University. SWARM was selected based on their rankings in previous competitions. They are ranked 50th out of 155 teams and won the quality award at the last District competition.
At their last competition, SWARM earned the Quality Award:
Team 957 SWARM Sponsored by Motorola Solutions Foundation, this award celebrates machine robustness in concept and fabrication. The winning team demonstrates these characteristics in many ways from planning through execution. Building the robot is only part of their success and the judges recognize them as a quality example to others. Often, successful engineering projects are based on doing a small number of things extremely well. This team played to their strengths and produced consistent results on the field. Our quality award goes to a team who swarmed on a simple, elegant design.
If the bond is approved, all schools are scheduled for improvements. See the list for your neighborhood school: