As this crazy year draws to an end, we’d like to thank the WHS teachers and staff one more time for their extraordinary effort.

Have a great summer – stay safe and healthy!!!

May 2020

Chap Connections is a monthly newsletter with the latest PTO news and updates from extra curricular groups on WHS campus. All groups at Westlake High School are invited to submit news each month, in Word or PDF format. To contribute to the newsletter, please email Laura Potter at chapconnections@gmail.com

Hello, Chap Families! It’s hard to believe the end of May is near. This is not how any of us wanted to end the school year, but we applaud our WHS staff for pivoting quickly and doing their best to provide our students an education under these strange and unusual conditions.

Congratulations to our graduating Seniors. We hope you feel the outpouring of love and support for you from not only your friends and family but the whole Westlake Community. We look forward to having you come back in the fall so we can celebrate you.

We would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all our 2019-2020 PTO Board members. Each one of them gave their time, energy, and talents to ensure the WHS staff felt appreciated and our students had physical spaces, materials, and equipment needed to provide them with the best educational experience possible.

A special thank you to our members rolling off the Board for their years of service;

• Tiffany Hildreth and Christine Machon- 3 yrs. • Krystin Johnson- 2 yrs. • Grayce Parker, Kori Phenegar, Chele Robinette- 1 yr.

We’re grateful to have many of our Board returning next year and look forward to welcoming our new members.

Our last General Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 21st at noon. No need to hunt for a parking spot, just join via Zoom from your favorite chair. The 2020-2021 Budget and Executive Board slate will be presented, and Principal Ramsey will be available for questions and an end of year wrap-up.

We hope you all stay healthy and have a safe fun summer. All our best, Kristin Paull and Kit Spelce Co-Presidents, WHS PTO

Virtual WHS Baccalaureate Sunday, May 24th

Baccalaureate is a student led, inter-faith service, blessing seniors of all faiths complete with faith statements, readings, and music provided by WHS fine arts students.

Baccalaureate service is going to be a little different this year. While we are not able to celebrate together in person, this year’s Baccalaureate will be presented in the form of a video and the

transcript as a PDF. These will be available for viewing starting Sunday, May 24th.

Graduating Seniors, their families, and the Westlake Community are invited to a virtual Baccalaureate Ceremony that they can participate in remotely through the following medium.

WHS Baccalaureate Website Westlake Baccalaureate Facebook Page

YouTube Premieres (May 24th at 5 PM. Link and details to follow)

All seniors are invited to share/post their personal faith statements and how their faith has shaped them on Westlake Baccalaureate Facebook Page

Visit our website and check us out on WHS Baccalaureate Facebook Page Sponsored by the WHS Baccalaureate Committee

Contact Arden Harkins or Kalpana Alamela for questions and comments at ardenharkins@gmail.com or westlakebac@gmail.com

Congratulations Class of 2020!

Project Graduation AnnouncementThe purpose of Project Graduation is to provide a safe, chemical free celebration for our graduating Seniors. With safety being our main objective for our students, we regret to announce that we are unable to host our in-school event this year due Covid-19 restrictions. We want you to know that the Project Graduation Committee, together with our District Administration, have explored all alternatives and are heartbroken about this decision.

We are happy to announce that we will celebrate the seniors who have registered for Project Graduation by providing a special gift valued in excess of the $150.00 Registration Fee. The gift will include cash, as well as some very special, one-of-a-kind items that graduates will be able to use at college. Gifts will be distributed when students pick up their caps and gowns. Register by May 15 to be a part of Project Graduation 2020 and receive this special senior gift!

Thanks to in-kind donations from our wonderful community, we are also able to hold a raffle from May 11 - 27 with gifts ranging from $175 - $300 each. Raffle winners are drawn randomly by our own Steve Ramsey and will be announced daily on Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, we are thrilled to be able to offer our scholarship students with registration and yard sign scholarships, and provide financial compensation for our hard-working custodians due to our cancellation. We will also decorate the pick-up event.

As parents of graduating Seniors, we share your disappointment and sincerely thank you for your understanding and support. We congratulate our Seniors on their graduation and wish each and everyone happiness and success in their next adventure! "Once a Chap, Always a Chap."

Toddler Wall Click here to view the Toddler Wall and see if you can identify the tiny Chaps. Hint - when you click the image you will see the names. To view after uploading, hit the Done button. If you still need to upload your photo, click here to upload one photo of your toddler, and be sure to include their name as the file name (ex: John Smith.jpg). Deadline June 1.

Meals and Goodies and Smiles, Oh My... Our teachers were in need and so were we...

So we decided a drive through for meals for free.

Meals and Goodies and Smiles, Oh My... Bags with treats and goodies galore,

Plates heaped with lasagna and so much more.

Meals and Goodies and Smiles, Oh my Smiling faces are what we all needed

Thanks to the goodies and treats we succeeded

Meals and Goodies and Smiles, Oh My.

A great day "social distancing" and appreciating our WHS staff.

We are so thankful for the opportunity to provide some much needed personal connections, safely, during the drive through pick up on Friday, May 8th for the entire WHS staff.

Lots of waving, air hugs, smiles, laughter and cheer.

Now more than ever we wanted to express our gratitude to all of our staff. Each one is doing such an excellent job providing instruction, support and structure to our students and community.

On Friday we offered a drive-thru family lasagna/salad meal pick-up (from our community partner, Marye's). Diane Dealy led the charge and provided delicious Tiff's Treats and gift bags. Mr. Ramsey, all of our Assistant Principals and plenty of office staff came out to cheer.

Thank you to all for making this a wonderful event!

UIL State Theatrical Design The only UIL Theatre contest that was able to continue this year was the State Theatrical Design contest, as submissions were able to be judged remotely. We had two Westlake Theatre/TEC students enter the first round of contest this year: Seniors Fiona Carter (set design) and Lorena Chiles (marketing). Both qualified for the state contest, which is an extremely impressive accomplishment! This past week, we were pleased to find out Lorena placed sixth in the state for her Division II Marketing designs! Lorena submitted a full justification paper, as well as a poster design, marketing calendar, inspiration board and study guide for the selected show (Life is a Dream by Pedro Calderon de la Barca). Congratulations, Lorena!

SDOAP (Student Directed One Act Plays) 2020: The Show(s) Must Go Online! Our Student Directed One Act Play series will move online May 15 and May 22 at 6:30 p.m.! The link to join our livestream productions will be posted on www.westlaketheatre.net by 6 p.m. each evening. After the shows have wrapped, a link to watch them will remain for 24 hours. A big thank you to the six amazing Westlake Theatre senior directors – Jemima Abalogu, Lorena Chiles, Reem Hinedi, Meg Hunicke Smith, Mariana Silveyra and Courtney Young – who have truly persisted. They were handed a raw deal, and although the project is daunting, they've stuck it out ... virtually. They held auditions, did casting and held rehearsals ... all online. Some of them have had to rewrite and rethink scripts. Two of them emailed the playwrights of their scripts directly to ask for the rights to perform "virtually." It's been ... interesting. When you see the link pop up this week (and next) to watch the first-ever "virtual" Westlake Theatre SDOAP series of shows, tune in. You won't regret it. #WestlakeTheatreEndures#VirtualSDOAP2020 Four Easy Ways You Can Support Westlake Theatre Here are four easy ways you can support the kids of Westlake Theatre! 1. Give through our Booster Club GoFundMe link! Just want to support the kids, period?

You can donate to the Booster Club. The Booster Club provides volunteer and financial support for the theatre kids in all sorts of ways – from covering the costs of a stage combat instructor to providing meals during the week of performances to helping them travel overseas to perform. We appreciate your help! GoFundMe link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/westlake-high-theatre-booster-club

2. Shop at AmazonSmile and support Westlake Theatre. This is an easy way to support our kids all year long through everyday purchases at Amazon. Just sign in at smile.amazon.com and select “Westlake High Theatre Booster Club” as the charity you would like to support. AmazonSmile link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/83-2505777

3. Shop at FlipGive and support Westlake Theatre. Join the Westlake Theatre FlipGive team, and you can support our kids with your purchases on everything from gift cards to fashion to groceries! Remember to use FlipGive before you shop so we'll earn cash back. Join our FlipGive team now using our invite code 72KF4M in one of two ways: Download the FlipGive app at https://www.flipgive.com/app?joincode=72KF4M, or join online at https://www.flipgive.com/teams/join?fundraiser_name=Westlake+High+Theatre+Booster+Club&joincode=72KF4M

4. Shop at iGive.com and support Westlake Theatre. This is yet another way you can support the kids as you shop! Just click the link below to get started! iGive link: https://www.iGive.com/7zciE1

CHAP JAZZ COMPILATION VIDEO May usually hosts the big end-of-year Chap Jazz Concert. This show has served as one of

our biggest program fundraisers in past years. In honor of what tonight would've been,

we are asking for donations, big or small, to help keep the Chap Jazz program swingin'

when we come back for our next season! For now, enjoy this compilation video of just a

few great Chap Jazz moments. We cannot wait for the next time that we get to share our

music with you all! westlakeband.org/give #GoChaps

The band directors of Eanes ISD present…Uptown Eanes!

Follow us on Facebook for:

- Acapella Challenge Results

- Acapella REDUX

- EVE Season Highlights

- Jazz “The Quarantine Sessions”

- 2020 Fall Production Reveal

- And so much more!

May 2020

ELITE VISUAL ENSEMBLE NEWS

HEAR FROM OUR MEMBERS ON WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN

EVE: STORIES

May 2020

Congratulations to WHS Choir Students on a Fabulous Year!

Although this year did not end the way we wanted, the shortened year does not take away from the amazing memories and

performances by this talented and extraordinary group of students. Please take a few moments to read through this list in

honor of our wonderful seniors. The choir directors wish each one of you all the best in your future endeavors.

Once a Chap, always a Chap!

Amber Ahrens Sondra Holleran Kate Spradling Brandon Grant Jenny Bentley Riley Ireland Lauren Strandhagen Sam Hollenbeck Christy Boukarim Nicole Jackson Annika Sunde Jack Hoover Caroline Bradley Robin Jackson Jordan Tarbox Adam Jasper Grace Brewer Madeleine Johnson Emily Toth Nick Lambiase Holly Brewer McKayla Joseph Malli Tyson Hunter Machon Chelsea Burgess Haley Kimery Melinda Vel Justin Mays Leah Butler Sachi Kulkarni Kate Wainwright Evan Menefee Sara Cagle Maddie Laude Frances Walsh Josh Mohunthan Claire Canion Pranu Lingineni Anna Wilson Timothy Mosher Catherine Carradine Sophia Loya Anna Woytko Hunter Nyhuis Mary Carroll Sophie Luther William Abbott Baker Petty Haley Cole Maggie Neuberger Garrison Abide Ryan Robinette Lauren Feldott Maggie Padon Andrew Baker Jack Saltel Tori Fredell Britney Padron Anthony Brock Christopher Shi Marie Girou Avery Platt Manolo Bustamante Josh Siegel Kristen Gochnour Emma Pritchett Kyle Cohen Duece Smoot Gabby Goldstein Sofia Rosso Sam Cotner Sidharth Srinivasan Kennedy Griebel Berkley Royce J. Holt Elm Sam Valentine Camille Griffin Riley Saikin Jude Farrell Jake Wills Josie Guarino Charlotte Soderquist Josh Gammon Anthony York Annabelle Harris Caitlin Sparks Aaron Gomillion

For the latest Choir information please visit westlakechoir.com

Upcoming Virtual Events

TBA WHS Choir Banquet and

Senior Farewell TBA Choir Parents Board

Meeting May 20 Spring Revue

Thank you to our Parent Volunteers, especially the Choir Parent Board

members!!

Thank you for all of your work supporting the Westlake High School Choir this year!!

WE ARE SO GRATEFUL

AND COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!

LIBRARY HOURS:  All onsite programs are cancelled while the library is closed. Programs now offered online are listed on the library’s web calendar. Check back as we continue to add more! Below is a sampling of some of our online programs. Please also enjoy archived programs on our YouTube page.

Call Us: 512.327.3045  Text Us: 512.649.2247  Email Us: questions@westbanklibrary.com 

Here is just a sampling of online programming happening in May through Westbank and Laura’s Libraries.

QI GONG MONDAYS | 11:00AM | ZOOM Thomas Najar leads Qi Gong (pronounced chee gung), an ancient Chinese health care practice that integrates physical postures and gentle movements, breathing and focused mind. “Qi” means vital energy or life force, and “gong” means accomplishment, or skill that is cultivated through steady practice. Together, Qi Gong means cultivating energy and is practiced for health maintenance, healing, and increasing vitality.

WRITING WORKSHOP MONDAYS | 5:00PM | ZOOM Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting out, you are welcome to join the Westbank Writing Workshop. Meet with other writers and try your hand at some writing prompts.

HEARTFULNESS MEDITATION TUESDAYS | NOON | ZOOM Heartfulness Meditation can help you to live a heart-centered life, manage your emotions, and find inner peace and balance. When we become mindful of our feelings, we can let them inspire us. This practice awakens our potential for a simple, joyful existence.

LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE WEDNESDAYS | 3PM | ZOOM Join us for an introduction to new languages, along with tips and resources that can help you along your language learning journey. Whether you are preparing for a trip, want to refresh

your language skills, or you’re just interested in learning something new, this program is for you. YOUNG ADULT BOOK CLUB MAY 21 | 4:45PM | ZOOM Teen-facilitated YA book club for fans of Young Adult literature. Please note, some books contain mature content. This month, we’ll be discussing Ship It by Britta Lundin. FRIDAY KNITTING FRIDAYS | NOON | ZOOM Our Knitters meet for fun and fiber every week. Flash your best needles, break out the good yarn, and come teach, be taught, or simply enjoy the glorious art of knitting! Join the group every Friday at noon at the Westbank Library. Crocheters and embroiderers welcome. SHENG ZHEN: SEATED QI GONG SATURDAYS | 11AM | ZOOM Sheng Zhen Healing Qi Gong is a unique seated form of exercise developed by Master Li Junfeng. This gentle form of Qi Gong is ideal for loosening stiff joints, restoring focus and mental clarity, producing deep relaxation, and promoting overall health. The meditative element of Sheng Zhen Healing Qi Gong also helps calm the mind, reduce stress, and balance emotions. FOR PARENTS:  PARENTING AND EDUCATION CONVERSATIONS BOOK CLUB THURSDAYS | 6PM | ZOOM Westbank Libraries’ Parenting and Education Conversations touches upon topics in parenting and education, with a focus on the psychology that informs our approach to raising and teaching children in grades K-12. The group is facilitated by Antonio Buehler, founder of Abrome. This month they will be discussing Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer.