This week West Side Story is featuring an Internship that Alfonso Pressley earned. This shows the powerful impact from work-based learning opportunities. Wallace Distribution Company is providing Pressley, a student at Morristown Hamblen West high school, an opportunity to work as an IT Support Technician. With this, he is doing more than observing. He gets to use his knowledge from his CTE classes while using employability skills in environments he will be in the future.  Wh

West High’s Future Business Leaders of America chapter proudly announces standout performances at the state business tests. This testing tournament took place right before Christmas with results released this week. Marvin Velasquez earned first place in the Personal Finance exam with an impressive composite score of 91. First in Business Law was Kaydence Howard. Thomas Drinnon scored first in Introduction to Marketing. and Madilyn Simpson placed first in retail. The students’

Steffen Kielau is a German teacher from Leipzig, Germany who believes “every student can reach their full potential with the right support from teachers, colleagues, or friends.” By the end of the year, he hopes his students will have a solid foundation in the basics of the German language. Kielau believes everyone has unique strengths and talents; the only real weakness is not recognizing one’s own potential. He loves sharing his culture and bringing people together, and is

All East Choir conference was held Nov. 20-22, 2025 at Lee University. West High had students in all four choirs: Freshmen SATB, Senior High SSAA, Senior High TTBB, and Senior High SATB. Congratulations to these competitors. These students participated in rehearsals and a performance with students from across East TN and college choir directors from across the region.  All State 2026: Brayden Martin, Eli Archer, Joel Oliver, Eden Gibson (alternate), Caroline Brady. All State

On Friday, December 12th, Morristown-Hamblen High School West played against David Crockett. The Morristown West Trojans triumphed decisively, defeating David Crockett with a final score of 67-26. Jhanyia Mitchell was recognized for achieving 1,000 points during her basketball career. Coach Jaclynn Larance expresses her pride in the team "T he girls did a great job on the defensive end by stopping Crockett's best guards. Our man to man defense is very aggressive, and we disp

On Friday, December 5, Morristown-Hamblen High School West played against Knoxville West High School. The Morristown West Trojans secured a narrow victory, defeating Knox West with a final score of 51-49. During the game, Morristown West players wore green uniforms to honor their school's historical roots. The original mascot for West High School, the first public high school in Morristown for African American students, was the Green Dragon. The Green Dragon was the official

Sophia Mangin, a dedicated educator at West High School, has been honored with the "District Novice Teacher of the Year" award, a recognition she views as a testament to the palpable joy and hard work her students invest in their music and community. For Mangin, this accolade highlights the value her school places on music education and inspires her to continue growing the program and sharing the universal gift of music. Central to Mangin's teaching philosophy is the belief

Seniors Isaiah Fanney and Harper McGuffin have won best dressed out of their senior class. Both Fanney and McGuffin come to school expressing their love for fashion. Fanney commented that, “ The biggest influence for my style is John Cena”. A key staple to his outfits are his accessories. Fanney expressed, “you need them to make your outfit pop out more and be less bland.” Isaiah Fanney Harper McGuffin McGuffin has noted, “ My favorite place to get all my clothes is Aritizia

Riley Young, a 17 year old senior is most likely to survive on caffeine. Young usually drinks two energy drinks a day or an energy drink and a coffee. Her top three choices are Alani Pink slush, blue slush or cherry twist. However, her favorite drink is Alani blue slush. The most caffeine she's ever downed in a day is two coffees and two Alanis. One bad effect of drinking so much caffeine is it makes her anxiety really bad. Her parents at one point banned caffeine, but now sh

West High Class of 2026 Most Talented: Emma Miracle and Joel Oliver.

West High’s Teacher of the Year for 2025 has been awarded to Mrs. Jessica Bailiff-Noe! Bailiff-Noe has been teaching for 12 years. She teaches Honors Physics and Sheltered Math for West High’s new ESL students. According to her, her favorite part of teaching is getting to build relationships with her students and watching them grow academically and personally. Bailiff-Noe is originally from Texas. Nowadays, she is married to her husband, Jordan with whom she has a three year

The Morristown West High Beta club achieved a record-breaking performance at the recent state convention, with 45 students qualifying for the national competition this summer. 62 students competed in 53 different events, bringing home 24 top-five placements, which qualified them for the National Beta Convention. More than 72 percent of the competing students will advance to the national level. Club organizers praised the students' commitment, noting they "put in countless hou

Morristown West High School's DECA chapter saw significant success at the regional competition last month, with several students qualifying for the state event. The competition was held before Thanksgiving break, in late November. Everyone who competed The students competed in various business, finance, and hospitality categories, securing top spots and earning their berths at the state level. The students and the school expressed gratitude to their advisor, Mrs. Jackie Cutsh

West High's annual Thanksgiving meal on Thursday saw a staggering turnout, with more than 1,280 people served, including students, teachers, and various school system staff members. The impressive participation resulted in a bustling, successful day in the cafeteria. West High Cafeteria Manager Dena Roach extended her gratitude to everyone who participated in the holiday tradition. "I just wanted to thank everyone who came to the cafeteria to have our Thanksgiving meal with u

Being the class clown is a full‑time job with zero benefits—except endless high‑fives and the occasional nervous chuckle from the teacher. You are the unofficial mood thermostat: one perfectly timed goofy face or absurd comment and suddenly the room stops pretending the pop quiz exists. Sure, you will sometimes get a side‑eye worthy of a detective show, but you also get the gold medal in “making algebra slightly less terrifying.” Just remember: comedy is best served with a sp

On November 19, West High hosted a warm and festive Thanksgiving meal in the cafeteria prepared and served by the school’s dedicated lunch ladies. Students and staff gathered to enjoy a traditional holiday menu—complete with turkey, sides, and desserts—while taking a break from their busy schedules to share food, conversation, and gratitude. The homemade‑style turkey, sides, and desserts were met with grateful smiles and many thanks for the cafeteria staff’s extra effort. Stu

For decades, students and staff at West High have contributed Thanksgiving food boxes and monetary donations to Central Services to support Hamblen County residents during the holiday. Despite the heavy rain, students from various classes, clubs, and sports teams assisted in loading the Central Services van alongside director Ashley Hux. More than 50 boxes of food and over $500 in donations were presented to Hux. Each box contained stuffing, chicken broth, pie crust, marshmal

The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club at Morristown West High School recently held a special "Friendsgiving" event, bringing members together for food, fellowship, and fun at a local Chick-fil-A. The event provided a relaxed atmosphere for students to bond outside of their regular club activities and club meetings. Morristown West's FBLA club is active in the community, and this event was a chance to celebrate the camaraderie that is a core part of the organizati

It’s an epidemic that sweeps our halls every winter: Senioritis . The symptoms are familiar—chronic lateness, sudden disinterest in homework, and an intense desire for naps. This year, we’ve found our "patient zero" duo, and they have earned the undisputed superlative of Worst Case of Senioritis. Meet Alan Ayala Morales and Natalie Garey-Soza, two seniors who have officially checked out and are currently accepting mail from the couch. Alan "Garfield" Ayala Morales: Operating

Amber Weidman is an art teacher with two and a half years of experience, having spent the first two years in New York and now teaching at West. She discusses the impact of being at West: " I remember having blocks, similar to writer's block, the last few years in my personal work, but something about this environment has brought it back. Be it moving to another state, working with new students, or something else in the water, I have truly enjoyed having my spark back." The Sp