SUMMER UPDATE
July, 2026
Contact Us!
Location: 14653 Clayton Road Chesterfield, MO 63011
Phone: 314-415-7500
Happy Summer, Longhorns!
I hope this message finds each of you enjoying a wonderful summer filled with opportunities to relax, recharge, and spend meaningful time with family and friends.
Summer has a way of slowing life down just enough for us to reconnect with the people and experiences that matter most. Whether your days have included vacations, camps, summer jobs, time by the pool, evenings with friends, or simply a chance to enjoy a quieter or slower pace, I hope this summertime has brought you moments of happiness, laughter, and well-deserved rest.
As we reach the midpoint of summer, I wanted to check in and let you know that our staff has been hard at work preparing for another outstanding school year. Behind the scenes, classrooms are being readied, schedules are taking shape, new staff members are joining our team, and plans are coming together to ensure Parkway West is ready to welcome every Longhorn back.
I cannot deny that I miss seeing our students each and every day. The energy they bring to the school is the heartbeat of West High. These quieter days around the building are essential for the needed cleaning and preparation for the upcoming year, but they simply are not the same. While this time away is critical, I am really looking forward to the daily interactions with our students!
In just a few short weeks, our halls will once again be filled with energy, conversations, learning, performances, competitions, and all the experiences that make West High such a special place. Whether you're an incoming freshman preparing to begin your high school journey, a returning student ready to build on last year's successes, or a senior eager to make the most of your final year, the start of a new school year always brings new opportunities, fresh goals, and exciting possibilities.
That said, don't rush summer away just yet! Enjoy each and every day! There is still plenty of time to make memories, read a good book, enjoy another sunset, take one more trip, or simply appreciate the slower pace before the school year begins. I hope you continue to find time to rest, have fun, and make the most of these remaining weeks.
Thank you for being such an important part of our Parkway West community. Your support, partnership, and commitment to one another are what make our school such an incredible place to learn and grow. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back soon for another fantastic year together.
Until then, enjoy the rest of your summer—and we'll see you before you know it!
We Are West High 🤘
With Longhorn Pride,
John McCabe
Principal, Parkway West High
Our first day of classes for the 2026 - 2027 school year will be Tuesday, August 25th.
This will be an ALL Day where students will meet with all of their classes.
Our full AOE Calendar will be attached to our next update.
This is a dated list of some of the major events to begin the 2026-2027 school year.
There will be much more detailed information shared in grade level specific updates and West High's Longhorn updates as we get closer to school beginning in August.
In the meantime, please note the following FALL dates:
- FIRST DAY OF FALL SPORTS - AUGUST 1OTH
- LINK CREW TRAINING - AUGUST 12TH and 13TH
- FALL SPORTS PARENT MEETING - AUGUST 18TH
- FRESHMEN PARENT MEETING - AUGUST 2OTH
- FRESHMEN ORIENTATION (STUDENTS ONLY) - AUGUST 21ST
- NEW STUDENT UPPER CLASSMEN ORIENTATION (STUDENTS ONLY) - AUGUST 21ST
- RED AND BLUE NIGHT - AUGUST 21ST
- FALL SPORTS TEAM PICTURES - AUGUST 22ND
- FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL - AUGUST 25TH
- GRADE LEVEL MEETINGS AND WELCOME BACK STUDENT RALLY - AUGUST 28TH
- WEST HIGH OPEN HOUSE - SEPTEMBER 3RD
- LABOR DAY - NO SCHOOL - SEPTEMBER 7TH
- PARENT COFFEE w/ Dr. McCabe - SEPTEMBER 8TH
- HALF DAY DISMISSAL - SEPTEMBER 9TH
- WEST HIGH HOMECOMING WEEK - SEPTEMBER 13TH - 19TH
- POWDER PUFF PRACTICE - SEPTEMBER 15TH AND 16TH
- POWDER PUFF GAME - SEPTEMBER 17TH
- WEST HIGH HOMECOMING PEP RALLY - SEPTEMBER 18TH
- HOMECOMING PARADE - SEPTEMBER 18TH
- HOMECOMING FOOTBALL GAME - SEPTEMBER 18TH
- HOMECOMING DANCE - SEPTEMBER 19TH
- WEST HIGH SCHOOL PICTURE DAY - SEPTEMBER 28TH
- WEST HIGH FALL CHOIR CONCERT - OCTOBER 6TH
- HALF DAY DISMISSAL - OCTOBER 7TH
- WEST HIGH FALL ORCHESTRA CONCERT - OCTOBER 7TH
- PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES - OCTOBER 15TH
- HALF DAY DISMISSAL - OCTOBER 16TH
- END OF FIRST QUARTER - OCTOBER 16TH
- PSAT TEST - OCTOBER 28TH
- BAND CRAFT FAIR - OCTOBER 31ST and NOVEMBER 1ST
- FALL BREAK - NO SCHOOL for STUDENTS - NOVEMBER 2ND and 3RD
Taste of West will be moving to Spring in 2027!
Date: TBD
There will be much more to share regarding the 2027 version of Taste of West - but for now please note that we will be looking at a date after Spring Break. In collaboration with the WPO, we have met and discussed some important pros and cons for this move.
The ultimate green light was decided for a move to test a new approach to potentially better balance the school schedule. In recent years, we have tied Taste of West to Homecoming week. It has been fantastic. We also acknowledged that it is so many moving pieces happening during an already slammed time of the year - the start of school and all it entails plus homecoming festivities.
We are excited to move Taste of West and see what it can look like to have the school year to plan it as a school community. We are also excited to incorporate the event in the Spring to potentially connect this wonderful event to some of the Spring happenings around campus.
We will share much more as we maneuver through the year. Please be on the lookout for our Spring Date in future school messaging.
Graduation is scheduled for Parkway West High seniors and guests for Saturday, May 22nd, 2027. Please mark this important date, as graduation practice is mandatory for participation in the ceremony. Graduation Week timeline:
- Wednesday, May 19th - Honors Ceremony (All West High Students)
- *Friday, May 21st - Mandatory Graduation Practice for graduation ceremony participation - Morning
- Friday, May 21st - Senior Reflection Evening - Optional Attendance
- Saturday, May 22nd - Parkway West High School Graduation
If your student(s) plans to play high school sports or participate in activities/clubs next year, please create an account in FinalForms and register your student(s). Deadline to complete Final Forms for Fall Sports and activities is August 7th.
- Click here to register your student and set up your FinalForms account: https://parkway-mo.finalforms.com
Need help?
If you need help setting up your FinalForms account, click on the Parent Playbook. If you require any support during the process, scroll to the bottom of the website and click “Get Help.”
Fall Head Coaches:
Football - Jeff Duncan - jduncan@parkwayschools.net
Boys Soccer - Tom Herpel - therpel@parkwayschools.net
Field Hockey - Dawn Callahan - dcallahan1@parkwayschools.net
Boys Cross Country - Kevin John - kjohn@parkwayschools.net
Girls Cross Country - Charlie Cutelli - ccutelli@parkwayschools.net
Girls Tennis - Katelyn Arenos - karenos@parkwayschools.net
Girls Golf - Gretchen Gregory - ggregory@parkwayschools.net
Boys Swim and Dive - Bill Tramel - btramel@parkwayschools.net
Girls Volleyball - Susan Quick - sanderson1@parkwayschools.net
Softball - Andrew Jett - ajett@parkwayschools.net
Winter Head Coaches:
Boys Basketball - John Wright - jwright@parkwayschools.net
Girls Basketball - Brett Katz - bkatz@parkwayschools.net
Girls Swim and Dive - Bill Tramel - btramel@parkwayschools.net
Girls/Boys Wrestling - Zeke Allison - eallison@parkwayschools.net
Spring Head Coaches:
Boys Baseball - Colin Riesmeyer - criesmeyer@parkwayschools.net
Boys Golf - Josh Gannan - jgannan@parkwayschools.net
Girls Lacrosse - Tom Herpel - therpel@parkwayschools.net
Girls Soccer - Annie Wayland - awayland@parkwayschools.net
Boys Tennis - Katelyn Arenos - karenos@parkwayschools.net
Boys Track and Field - Kevin John - kjohn@parkwayschools.net
Girls Track and Field - Kristen Witt - kwitt@parkwayschools.net
Boys Volleyball - Susan Quick - sanderson1@parkwayschools.net
Boys and Girls Water Polo - Charlie Cutelli - ccutelli@parkwayschools.net
Girls Flag Football - Ryan Newton - rnewton@parkwayschools.net
West High Lead Sponsor or Coach:
Cheerleading - Kelly Martin - kmartin1@parkwayschools.net
Choir - Karey Fitzpatrick - kfitzpatrick@parkwayschools.net
Color Guard/Winter Guard - Erin Clay - eclay@parkwayschools.net
Concert Band - Brad Wallace - bwallace@parkwayschools.net
Dance - Leshay Reed - lreed@parkwayschools.net
Marching Band - Brad Wallace - bwallace@parkwayschools.net
Orchestra - Ed Sandheinrich - esandheinrich@parkwayschools.net
Scholar Bowl - Patrick Troy - ptroy@parkwayschools.net
Speech and Debate - Cara Borgsmiller - cborgsmiller@parkwayschools.net
Theater - Amie Gossett - agossett@parkwayschools.net
- If you plan on participating in MSHSAA athletics and activities, please keep in mind that MSHSAA requires that student athletes and competitors enroll in, and pass, at minimum 6 classes each semester in order to participate in athletics.
- All student athletes and competitors must remain in good academic standing and avoid any behavioral consequences that would result in removal from the academic setting in order to remain eligible to play in contests.
- Please contact Emily Lovercheck, Athletic & Activities Director or your grade level principal if you need additional information.
- All returning students have their issued Chromebooks, cases, and chargers. Support will be available for any needs when we return on August 25th.
- For any immediate needs, please email Hal Brown (hbrown@parkwayschools.net)
- Students should BE SURE to bring their devices on the first day of school.
- Chromebooks should remain in their assigned cases at all times.
- Decoration of Chromebooks or cases is prohibited.
- Freshman Students Need to Know Chromebook Information:
- Chromebooks for Freshman will be distributed the first week of school through English classes.
- Middle School Chromebooks must be returned as part of an exchange for your high school Chromebook. All freshman students should return their device, charger, and case as part of the swap to avoid any fees.
- Please be aware that a damage assessment will be done when middle school Chromebooks are returned. Damaged Chromebooks are subject to fine.
- New students joining West High as upperclassmen will receive their new devices during Orientation.
Is your current 11th grade student 16 years old or older? Has your 11th grade student had a dose of the Meningococcal vaccine (MCV4) at or after age 16?
This dose is required for your student to enter the 12th grade. The meningococcal vaccine (MCV4) is required whether your student is attending virtual or in person classes in the 2025/2026 school year. You can get the meningococcal vaccine (MCV4) for your 16-year-old or older student at their physician’s office or one of the St. Louis County Health Department locations.
Once your child has received their vaccination, please email the updated immunization record to kmatus@parkwayschools.net or fax it to 314-415-9530. These notices will continue until the updated immunization record is received.
Thank you for helping us prepare your child for their 2026/2027 Senior year at Parkway West High School!
Athletic Passes
Athletic Passes (Family & Individual) are NOW AVAILABLE for purchase!
Click this link or Capture the QR Code (see flyer) to get ready to support your Longhorns this 2026/2027 season!
Parkway West High School
Email: westhigh@parkwayschools.net
Website: www.parkwayschools.net/whs
Location: 14653 Clayton Road, Chesterfield, MO 63011, USA
Phone: (314) 415-7500