⛄The Write Side🎄

PWHS will be spreading cheer all week long from December 15th–19th, and we want everyone to be part of the festivities! Each day brings a new themed event, and best of all, every dollar raised goes directly to SOMC Hospice, helping support families in our community during the holiday season.

✨ Merry Monday

Kick off the week by wearing your favorite holiday headgear! Elf hats, reindeer antlers, Santa hats—anything festive for just $1.00. Let’s fill the halls with holiday spirit!

💚 Terrible Tuesday: Grinch Day

Think green and get ready for some friendly competition! Teams of five can participate in a 45-minute challenge for $1.00 per person, and you can even send your friends to “Grinch Jail” for a $1 donation. It’s all in good fun and for a great cause!

🎁 What-Not-to-Wear Wednesday

Ugly Christmas sweaters? Absolutely. Dressing like a wrapped present? Even better! No money needed today—just your creativity and holiday humor.

☕ Thirsty Thursday

Warm up with hot chocolate and delicious baked goods at our holiday bake sale bar. Items are just 50¢ each or $1.00 for both. Treat yourself for a good cause!

🎅 Friday: Cozy Pajama Day

As we head into Christmas break, wear your comfiest Christmas pajamas for $1.00 and enjoy a cozy day before vacation.

Let’s come together as a school family, have fun, and support an important community organization this holiday season.

The holiday season just got a little more magical as we proudly present the Portsmouth West High School Homecoming Court! These outstanding Senators will shine bright as part of our homecoming festivities on January 9.

✨ Your 2025-26 Basketball Homecoming Court ✨

• Queen: Kendyl Matthews

• Senior Attendant: Tabitha Rodgers

• SCCTC Attendant: Ava Carter

• Junior Attendant: Adriann Carver

• Sophomore Attendant: Grace Conley

• Freshman Attendant: Chloe Lucas

Congratulations to each of these amazing students! We can’t wait to celebrate with you as you bring sparkle, spirit, and Senator pride to this year’s festivities. 🎉🎄

PWHS English teacher Mrs. Sarah Gamble is sprinkling a little extra holiday cheer this season through her very own children’s books!

Her delightful series, Once Upon a Hollow, is now available on Amazon and is perfect for cozy winter reading. Curl up with Cabin Critters, giggle along with Stitch in Mischief, drift off with Sleepy Time Snuggles, or get creative with the coloring books that accompany the latter two.

Whether it’s reading by the fireplace or gifting a story to a little reader, Mrs. Gamble’s books are full of magic, fun, and holiday spirit! ✨🎅📖

Our PWHS Key Club students have been busy little elves this season, spreading kindness all across our community! They’ve delivered meals, packed boxes for Operation Christmas Child, and shared joy with every step.

And the holiday spirit doesn’t stop there! This Saturday, you’ll spot them in front of Kroger, ringing the bells for the Salvation Army and helping bring warmth, hope, and cheer to families in need.

We’re so proud of their servant hearts and grateful for the difference they’re making this Christmas season. ❤️🎅✨

Our PWHS HOSA students have been hard at work this season (like Santa’s own team) crafting heartfelt Christmas cards to brighten the holidays for others. They started creating these festive messages before Thanksgiving, and their dedication has paid off in the most joyful way.

Next Friday, December 19th, HOSA will be heading to local nursing homes to deliver around 500 Christmas cards...yes, 500! Each card is a small bundle of joy, kindness, and holiday spirit, made with care to bring smiles to residents throughout our community.

We’re so proud of our HOSA students for sharing warmth and compassion during this special season.

What a wonderful way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas! 🎄✨

This week, students in Miss McCleese’s Spanish class are diving into the joys of the season by learning Christmas vocabulary! To help everyone get into the holiday spirit, here are a few festive words you can use to celebrate “La Navidad” right along with them:

✨ Holiday Vocabulary Highlights ✨

• La Navidad – Christmas

• El Año Nuevo – New Year’s

• el árbol de Navidad – Christmas tree

• Los Tres Reyes Magos – The Three Wisemen

• El Bebé Jesús – Baby Jesus

• el ángel – angel

• la posada – inn / also a sweet holiday treat in Mexico

• las luces – lights

• verde – green

• rojo(a) – red

• el regalo – present

• la familia – family

• la celebración – celebration

• la tradición – tradition

• la nieve – snow

• Papá Noel – Santa Claus

• el invierno – winter

What a fun and festive way to learn a new language! 🎁✨

This season, while halls everywhere are being decked with lights and garland, Portsmouth West High School is proudly showing off a different kind of masterpiece—one crafted not of tinsel, but of talent, teamwork, and tremendous Senator spirit!

Our Engineering II and III students have spent the past year working on a project that now hangs as a stunning centerpiece for our entire community to admire.

Last spring, Superintendent (and former high school principal) Mr. Chris Rapp delivered a special challenge to Engineering instructor Mr. Philip Cox: The high school gym needed a burst of homegrown school spirit. Instead of calling on outside help, they agreed the perfect group to bring that vision to life was the one with the most pride in PWHS—our students.

Their mission?

🎅 Design, cut, and fabricate a large metal Capitol building, the iconic symbol of the Portsmouth West Senators, to be displayed inside the gym.

After Mr. Cox prepared the blueprint and adapted it for plasma cutting, the students took it from there—like Santa’s workshop, but with sparks, steel, and serious engineering skill! The work included precision CNC plasma cutting, grinding, welding, and finishing, all done completely in-house by our own student engineers.

Recently graduated seniors Colten Journey, Nick Messer, and Dillon Messer helped launch the project in its first year. This year, seniors Michael Grobowski, Bo Wroten, Braylen Newman, and junior Luke Elliott stepped up to guide the fabrication to completion, with additional students lending their hands and heart to finish the piece.

The final product is more than just décor—it’s a lasting landmark of student creativity, craftsmanship, and collaboration, and a shining reminder (holiday lights aside!) of what happens when young engineers are trusted to bring big ideas to life.

A huge congratulations to our talented students for gifting our community a masterpiece that will inspire generations of Senators to come! 🎄🛠️✨

A big thank you to everyone who donated trees, decorations, and time to make each building’s Christmas Tree Raffle a success! All proceeds will go to the school’s chosen charity - spreading holiday joy far and wide.

Winning Tickets:

• PWES (Scioto County Animal Welfare League) – Julia Wiget

• PWMS (Salvation Army) – Dr. Lorra Fuller

• PWHS (SOMC Hospice) – Emily Nicholson

Congratulations to our winners, and cheers to a season of giving! ✨🎅

Our Portsmouth West High School Key Club is keeping the spirit of giving alive this season! Recently, students visited Buckeye Towers to deliver meals and brighten the day for residents.

Key Club: your kindness and community spirit make the season merry and bright! ✨🎅

Step into a modern, jazz-infused retelling of ancient Greek myths with Hadestown: Teen Edition! This Tony Award-winning folk opera by Anaïs Mitchell follows young dreamer Orpheus as he tries to rescue his beloved Eurydice from Hades, ruler of the industrial underworld of Hadestown.

With themes of love, hope, sacrifice, and the resilience of the human spirit, the story explores the tension between industry and nature, doubt and faith, fear and love—all set to unforgettable music and lively performances.

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now! Purchase yours at www.pwhs.ludus.com and support the Portsmouth West Choir/Theater Program. Don’t miss the magic! ✨🎶

We’re very proud of our 11 students who participated in Morehead State University’s 65th annual Choral Festival. These students, under the direction of Dr. Matthew Culloten and Dr. Lynnel Jenkins spent two days preparing an entire concert, and presented it this evening. On top of this, 2 of our students [Senior Logan Ralstin and sophomore Isabella Sherman] were selected as winners of the solo competition and were able to perform their solos during the concert. We’re super proud of these kids, and we KNOW they are going to do great things in the coming years! ~Mr. Nicholas Wolford

The PWHS Ohio Model United Nations Team went to the Ohio Leadership Institute's conference in Columbus this weekend. At the conference, they represented the nation of Samoa and received a B+ rating on their resolution and presentation. Junior Laiken Caudill received an Outstanding Leadership Award. Senior Jerry Book participated in the Current Events Contest and earned third place out of the 161 nations that were represented. Congratulations to the 2025 OMUN Team! ~Advisor Mrs. Mariah Ginn

Congratulations to our 2025 Fall Sports Scholar Athletes! The requirements for the scholar athletes were 3.0+ GPA and no disciplinary infractions through the team/sport or school (i.e. none of the following incidents: game ejections/suspensions, detentions, Wednesday schools, school suspensions, unexcused absences, unexcused tardies)

First Row: Farrah Wilson, Shelbi Day, Juliana Hedrick, Chloe Lucas, Chloe Bryant, Brayleigh Pistole, Macey Whisman; Second Row: Layla Kamer, Lainey Cook, Ethan Patton, Braden Adkins, Carter Keyser; Third Row: Braylyn Newman, Logan Kessinger, Cameron Howard, Max Newsome, Westyn Ratcliff, Cason Frump; Fourth Row: David Brickey, Jack Jewett, Levi Pickelsimer; Fifth Row: Coach Daniel Thompson, Coach Caitlin Oliver, Coach Todd Gilliland, Coach Brittany Sessor, Principal Jason Kegley; Not Pictured: Gunnar Shonkwiler, Anthony Bishop, Zane Pitts, Isaak Tipton, Carson Carver, Brody Hall, Will Kegley, Naomi Luster, Ava Carter, Max Bell, Maddie Tieman, Coach Charlie Cooper, Coach Eric Nichols

The Portsmouth West Senators are jingling all the way to a strong start this season with a 2-1 record! This Friday, December 19, they’ll take on Western—come cheer on our team as they bring some holiday magic to the court.

A special shoutout to our seniors: Will Kegley, Logan Wolfenbarker, Cristian Quirasco, and Corbin Miller... may your season be merry, bright, and full of slam dunks!

Go Senators! 🎅✨

The Portsmouth West girls' basketball team is sleighing the season so far with an impressive 5-1 record! Their next game is Thursday, December 18, at Minford. Come deck the halls and cheer them on!

A special holiday shoutout to our two seniors, Kayla Throckmorton and Rileigh Miller, leading the way with spirit, grit, and plenty of seasonal sparkle!

Keep up the amazing work, Senators! May your season be full of holiday spirit and buzzer-beating excitement! ✨🎅

The West Senators Swim Team is diving into the 2025–26 season with some serious Christmas cheer and competitive fire! Our swimmers have been making waves across the district, and the results speak for themselves:

✨ Girls Team: 6 - 3 with wins over Portsmouth, Circleville City, Notre Dame, and Northwest

✨ Boys Team: 4 - 3 with victories against Portsmouth, Circleville City, and Notre Dame

This year is extra special! It’s our largest swim team in program history, with 22 dedicated swimmers since we first hit the pool in the 2019-20 season! Coach Eric and Carrie Nichols are bursting with pride over the effort, teamwork, and heart shown by our mighty “Swimators.”

A big holiday shout-out to our amazing seniors (Tucker Yazell, Josey Burton, and Maleah Whitman) for leading the team with strength, positivity, and spirit. And let’s jingle some extra bells for Gabe Nichols, who broke the school record in the 500-meter freestyle on December 10 with a time of 7:56.61. With performances like this, the coaches believe even more records may fall like snowflakes this winter!

The Senators are off to a fantastic start, and we are so grateful for the ongoing support from our parents and community.

Catch the Swimators back in action at SSU on December 17, as they take on Wheelersburg, Portsmouth City, and Notre Dame.

Let’s keep the holiday momentum going! Go Senators! 🎅❄️🏊