West Side Story 2.0

We are excited to share some exciting news with our students, families, and community: Mankato West High School has been named the #20 Best High School in Minnesota by U.S. News & World Report!

Even more exciting, West was ranked:

• #20 overall in Minnesota
• #13 among traditional high schools
• #1 among outstate schools
• #1 in the Big 9 Conference

This recognition is a reflection of the incredible work happening every day at West by our students, teachers, staff, and entire school community. While rankings are only one measure of a school, we are proud to see the dedication and commitment of our Scarlets recognized in the US News and World Report.

Thank you for continuing to make Mankato West a special place to learn, grow, and belong.

Congratulations, Scarlets! We have a lot to be proud of!

It was great seeing so many Scarlets at our PAC meeting at DMMS last Monday night! Fall sports are underway, and our teams are busy practicing and preparing for the 2026 season. Go Scarlets!

Schedules Available Monday, August 24

Students will be able to access their schedules in Infinite Campus beginning Monday, August 24. If you need to request a schedule change, please refer to the August 7 edition of West Side Story for information about the allowable reasons for a change. If your reason is allowable, please submit the following forms for a schedule change:

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

Kick-Off Days – August 26 & 27

Our Kick-Off Days are next Wednesday and Thursday, August 26 and 27. If possible, please follow this schedule so we can keep things moving smoothly. If you are unable to come at your scheduled time, no worries! You may come anytime between 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on either Wednesday or Thursday.

When you arrive for Kick-Off Days:

• Park in the front parking lot.
• Enter through Door #24.
• Go to the 3rd floor Media Center.
• Get your school picture taken.
• Pick up your student ID.
• Check out your Chromebook.
• Take care of other beginning-of-the-year items.

For more detailed information about Kick-Off Days, please refer to the August 7 edition of West Side Story.

We are getting close, Scarlets! We can't wait to welcome everyone back to West!

Go Scarlets!

School Pictures:

SPX School Portrait Flyer

pre-order

SPX Order Form

Senior Parking Permits:

Affinity

Instructions to create an account and connect your student

Junior Parking Lottery:

Junior Parking Permit Lottery

Work/Study Release Forms:

Work/Study Release Form

Lockers:

Sophomores, juniors, and seniors interested in having a locker will need to complete the Locker Sign Up form. Please note that all freshmen are assigned a locker.

Students who qualify for free or reduced Educational Benefits qualify for free activity registrations. You will need to submit an application to NUTRITION SERVICES and be approved before you can begin registration. You can find instructions/information HERE and the application can be found on the

SchoolCafé Website: https://family.schoolcafe.com/MAPS.

Set up your SchoolCafé Account with these instructions.

We are excited to welcome the Class of 2030 for Link Crew Orientation on Tuesday, September 8th. Our Link Crew leaders are busy with planning an exciting first day of school activities for freshmen. Students do not need to bring anything with them on orientation day, so leave your backpack, chromebook, and other materials at home. Freshmen will have access to their regularly scheduled transportation, whether that mode of transportation is walking, biking, riding the school bus, or getting dropped off. When students arrive we will have staff greeting our freshmen and guide them to the cafeteria for check in and breakfast. At 8:45 am we will begin our activities for the day. Following the morning Link Crew activities students will eat lunch, attend a class meeting, and follow their schedule with shortened class periods. Our day will conclude at our regularly scheduled time of 3:35 pm.

September 8th- 9th Grade only

September 9th - All students report to school

All School Assembly begins at 8:45am in the Auditorium (different schedule, see below)

September 10th - Regular Schedule

September 11th - Subs on the Sidewalk Schedule

We have an hour picnic lunch on Friday to showcase all of our clubs and activities. Students can check out what is available at West and sign up for clubs and activities.

This document has the most frequently asked questions about our school and answers to those questions.

You are encouraged to add our West HS Family Calendar to your calendars. This is a good resource to use to keep up with all of the happenings at West.

Things are changing fast as we approach the school year! The front parking lot is done, landscaping is going in, furniture is being assembled, and major clean up is happening. We have been told that the gym area is delayed a bit and we should be in that area during the third week of school.

Below are a couple of videos that show the project over time:

Drone July 26th

Timelapse Update April

August 24

Student schedules go live

August 26, 27

Kick Off Days

September 2nd

Open House 6:30 - 8:00

September 8th

First Day of School for 9th graders

September 9th

All students report to school

All School Assembly 8:45am

August 27

Girls Soccer 7:00pm Caswell North

August 29

Boys Soccer 3:00pm Caswell North

August 31

Girls Soccer 7:00pm Caswell North

September 1

Girls Tennis 4:30pm DMMS

Volleyball 7:15pm DMMS

September 3

Girls Swim and Dive 6:00pm DMMS

Boys Soccer 7:00pm Caswell North

September 4

Football 7:00pm Todnem Field