Principal

Greetings!

Well, here we are at the end of the school year – and what a year it has been!

For those of you that have been following the life of our school, you know of our academic, athleticx and extracurricular successes this year. We are the City Champs in Boys' Swim and Dive, Boys' Cross Country, Girls' Cross Country, and Girls' Golf; we are the Centennial League Champions in Boys' Soccer, Girls' Bowling, Boys' Bowling, Girls' Wrestling, Girls' Cross Country, Boys' Cross Country, Volleyball, and Boys' Golf; we are Regional or Sub-State Champions in Boys' Soccer, Girls' Tennis, Volleyball, Boys' Bowling, Girls' Basketball, and Girls' Wrestling; and we are the State Champions in Volleyball, 4-Speaker Debate, Boys' Bowling, and Girls' Wrestling. Brian Hensyel was named All-City Boys' Soccer Coach of the Year; Steve Buhler was named Shawnee County Football Co-Coach of the Year; Matt Swedlund was named City Cross Country Co-Coach of the Year; Kevin Bordewick was named Centennial League Volleyball Coach of the Year, and will also be inducted into the Shawnee County 2023 Sports Hall of Fame. In addition, we have two State Wrestling Champs, Easton Broxterman-Boys' 113 lb. weight division, and Landen Kocher-Munoz-Boys' 120 lb. weight division, and Brooklyn DeLeye was named Kansas Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year for a second year in a row. We are hopeful for a strong finish to the spring season as well.

Our extra-curricular and co-curricular programs continue to flourish. Our AFJROTC unit has experienced another exciting year. They were awarded the AFJROTC "Silver Star" Community Service with Excellence Award for 2021-2022. This prestigious award recognizes the top 5% of all AFJROTC units based on community service in support of schools and local communities. They have exceeded their award-winning service by more than 400 hours and average nearly 31 hours of community service per cadet.

Our Theatre Program continues to flourish and was recently nominated for over 10 Jester Awards. These awards recognize excellence across a broad array of areas including technical theatre, acting, directing, costuming, and program design. Our Band, Orchestra, and Choir are planning a 5-day trip to San Diego and Los Angeles, California next year in March where they will have the opportunity to perform at several events and enjoy some west coast sunshine! Additionally, they received "1" superior ratings at the recent KSHSAA Large Group Music Festival. The parents, staff, students, and community which WRHS serves have much to be proud of. It has been a truly exciting year!

Of course, this time of year also brings a great sense of excitement and anticipation for the upcoming summer months. In the past, some of this excitement has been shown in ways that reflected poorly on our school – most notably the graffiti that occasionally appears on road signs, streets, and the personal property of homeowners in the district. It is disheartening to receive calls from the community when this occurs – particularly from the elderly, many of whom are not physically able to remove the graffiti themselves. If we all communicate the impact that such behavior has on our community, I am sure we can collectively address this concern in a way that represents the best of our traditions!

On behalf of the staff at WRHS, I would like to wish you the best of summers! It has been an honor and pleasure working with you this year.