Parkway West High School (Missouri)
History
Parkway West High School (PWHS) was the second high school built in the Parkway School District; it opened in fall 1968 with grades 10-12. In the 1969–1970 school year, Parkway West Junior High was formed and grades 7-9 were housed in the West Senior building, operating on the same schedule as West Senior. For the 1970-71 school year, West Senior operated as a four-year high school (grades 9-12), with West Junior grades 7 and 8 attending Parkway South Junior High School on a split schedule. Members of the class of 1974 attended school in the West Senior building for five straight years. West Junior opened for the 1971–1972 school year with the new "open classroom" layout. One of the unusual features of PWHS was that for 13 years, under the leadership of principal Al Burr, it operated without any written rules or regulations—only mutual agreements and expectations.
Activities
For the 2013–2014 school year, the school offered 28 activities approved by the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA): baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, sideline cheerleading, boys' and girls' cross country, dance team, field hockey, 11-man football, boys' and girls' golf, girls' lacrosse, music activities, scholar bowl, boys' and girls' soccer, softball, speech and debate, boys' and girls' swimming and diving, boys' and girls' tennis, boys' and girls' track and field, boys' and girls' volleyball, water polo and wrestling. Parkway West students have won several state championships, including:
- Baseball: 1996
- Boys' basketball: 1991
- Boys' cross country: 1988, 1990
- Girls' cross country: 1989, 1990
- Girls' golf: 1980
- Boys' soccer: 1986
- Softball: 1988, 1992, 1993
- Boys' volleyball: 2003, 2021
- Water polo: 1984, 2012, 2014, 2021
- Boys' swimming and diving: 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1993
- Girls' swimming and diving: 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, 2011, 2020, 2021
Notable alumni
- Rasheen Aldridge Jr., politician
- August Busch IV, ex-president and CEO of Anheuser-Busch
- Chris Cissell, head coach of women's soccer at UMKC, NSCAA/Adidas NAIA Men's National Coach of the Year in 2006
- Philip S. Davidson, admiral, US Navy
- Blaine Gabbert, backup quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs and former quarterback for the Missouri Tigers
- Ed Hawthorne, former NFL football nose tackle
- Matt Korklan, professional wrestler currently wrestling for Ring of Honor as Matt Sydal
- Pooja Kumar, actress and former Miss India USA
- Brian Krolicki, former Lieutenant Governor of Nevada
- Lucas May, catcher in the Kansas City Royals organization
- Stone Phillips, former anchor of Dateline NBC, and gave the baccalaureate address for the Class of 1983
- James Rollins (James Czajkowski), New York Times best-selling author
- Ken Schrader, NASCAR racer
- Nikko Smith, singer–songwriter, top 12 in American Idol season 4 and son of St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith
- Travis Stork, physician and TV personality most noted for appearing on The Bachelor season 8 and as host of the syndicated daytime talk show The Doctors
- Tuc Watkins, actor most noted for his role on One Life to Live, also played neighbor Bob Hunter on Desperate Housewives, 2007–2009
- Joe Williams, film critic of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
References
- ^ An email sent to Parkway West High's students and parents: "After much thought and deliberation, I have decided that the best thing for the Longhorn Universe, myself, and my family is to retire as the principal of Parkway West HS on June 30, 2022."
- ^ "WEST HIGH". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ "Search for Public Schools - West High (292358001404)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ "West High". Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- ^ MSHSAA: Parkway West
- ^ MSHSAA: Championship Histories by Sport
- ^ Woytus, Amanda (December 23, 2019). "Soon, Rasheen Aldridge will be sworn into the Missouri House. Here's how he plans to make his mark". St. Louis Magazine. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
- ^ Dillon, D. (2005) So Where'd You Go to High School?, p.187, vol. 2, Virginia Publishing.
- ^ "Chris Cissell Named 2006 NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year" www.jewell.edu, retrieved August 12, 2008.
- ^ St. Louis native is new leader of U.S. Fleet Forces Command
- ^ Holleman, Joe (July 27, 2015). "Post-Dispatch movie critic Joe Williams killed in crash in Jefferson County". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
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