West High School is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

four year

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located in

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. Their athletic mascot is the Falcon. The school has almost 200 classes, and over 1,600 students. The school, along with Davenport Central and Davenport North, make up the three traditional high schools of the

Davenport Community School District The Davenport Community School District Is a public school district in Scott County, Iowa. The school district covers that includes the city of Davenport, where it is based, and the western Scott County communities of Blue Grass, Buffalo and ...

(DCSD). West was built in the 1960s and the current principal is Cory Williams. In addition to portions of Davenport, the school serves Buffalo, Blue Grass, and almost all of Walcott.

Facilities

The school has been undergoing

renovations Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, ...

as a part of continued district-wide

remodeling Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, ...

after approval of a 1%

Local Option Sales Tax In the United States, a local option sales tax (often abbreviated ''LOST'') is a special-purpose tax implemented and levied at the city or county level. A local option sales tax is often used as a means of raising funds for specific local or area pr ...

, as well as continuing a Physical Plant and Equipment Levy. Science classrooms are set to be remodeled this summer (2007). A

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

partnered with the school district was built in 2003 attached to the high school. The facility is open to the public as well as providing facilities to P.E. classes. The YMCA took over management and maintenance of the school's swimming pool when it opened. The school is attached to a

branch with

weight room Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength, size of skeletal muscles and maintenance of strength.Keogh, Justin W, and Paul W Winwood. “Report for: The Epidemiology of Injuries Across the Weight-Train ...

, gymnasium with two full

basketball courts In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor, with baskets at each end. Indoor basketball courts are almost always made of polished wood, usually maple, with -high rims on each basket. Outdoor sur ...

, two racquetball courts, and a

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

which is available for use by both the public and West gym classes. The swimming pool was existing and taken over by the Y when it was built in 2003. The school's gymnasium has two full basketball courts as well as a weight training room. The gymnasium floor was recently resurfaced as a part of ongoing renovations. The school has a practice football field and

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

on campus along with a separate field used by the band. The school shares district-owned Brady Street Stadium with Davenport Central and North for football and track and field events.

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

games are held at city-owned Davenport Soccer Complex.

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

meets are held at nearby city-owned Emeis Municipal Golf Course.

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

games are held at the district-owned West High Sports Complex, an off campus

baseball park A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...

that was built as a part of the ongoing renovations district-wide. The school's

cafeteria A cafeteria, sometimes called a canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school ...

was remodeled in 2006 to bring it to a style similar to the

food court A food court (in Asia-Pacific also called food hall or hawker centre) is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dinner. I ...

style being used by

Davenport North High School Davenport North High School is a public high school built in the northern area of Davenport, Iowa. North High School was established in 1985 in the building that was formerly Wood Junior High. In the fall of 1994, ninth graders were added to th ...

, which received national recognition when it was featured on ABC's 20-20. The "Falcon's Perch" features a variety of food choices, a variety of café style beverages, round tables, and automatic compacting trash cans. Members of the school's

Student Senate A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...

worked with

architects An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

toward the end of the previous year to help design the look and feel of the new cafeteria, according to the Beak 'n' Eye, the

school newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repor ...

. The

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

was moved from the upstairs of the building to the main level into a newly renovated media center in 2001. The new library has four

computer labs A computer lab is a space where computer services are provided to a defined community. These are typically public libraries and academic institutions. Generally, users must follow a certain user policy to retain access to the computers. This usu ...

as well. The building offices were remodeled in 2001 as well as the main entrance.

Academics

The school offers a number of College Board certified

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

courses, including

AP English AP English can stand for two distinct Advanced Placement Programs for U.S. high school students, provided by the College Board: *AP English Language and Composition *AP English Literature and Composition Advanced Placement (AP) English Literat ...

AP Calculus AB Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus (also known as AP Calc, Calc AB / Calc BC or simply AB / BC) is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB cov ...

AP Chemistry Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry (also known as AP Chem) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their ...

, and

AP Biology Advanced Placement (AP) Biology (also known as AP Bio) is an Advanced Placement biology course and exam offered by the College Board in the United States. For the 2012–2013 school year, the College Board unveiled a new curriculum with a greate ...

. The school has an average of 20.3 on the ACT exams, below the district average of 21.0.
The school was placed on the Schools in Need of Assistance watch list under the

No Child Left Behind Act The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; it included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students. It supported standards-based education ...

in 2005. However, scores have risen from 52.6 percent proficiency that year to 67.8 percent proficiency in 2006. Scores are still being analyzed for the 2006-07 school year; however, initial findings show another increase in proficiency.

Athletics

The school participates in the

Mississippi Athletic Conference The Mississippi Athletic Conference (MAC Conference, or MAC) is a high school athletic conference whose members are located in the Iowa Quad-Cities, plus three other schools in eastern Iowa. Member schools There are ten full members of the Missis ...

, and athletic teams are known as the Falcons. School colors are

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

and

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

. The school fields athletic teams in 21 sports, including: * Summer: Baseball, softball. * Fall: Football, volleyball, girls' swimming, boys' cross country, girls' cross country and boys' golf. * Winter: Boys' basketball, girls' basketball, wrestling, boys' swimming and boys' and girls' bowling. * Spring: Boys' track and field, girls' track and field, boys' soccer, girls' soccer, girls' golf, boys' tennis and girls' tennis. The school also has a cheerleading squad and a competitive dance team. Davenport West is classified as a 4A school (Iowa's largest 48 schools), according to the

Iowa High School Athletic Association The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) is the regulating body for male Iowa high school interscholastic athletics and is a full member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. Its female counterpart, the Iowa Girls ...

and

Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) is the governing body for girls' junior and senior high school sports in the U.S. state of Iowa. The association promotes and regulates interscholastic sports among its member schools. Though its c ...

; in sports where there are fewer divisions, the Falcons are always in the largest class (e.g., Class 3A for wrestling, boys soccer, and Class 2A for golf, tennis and girls soccer). The school is a member of the 10-team

(known to locals as the MAC), which comprises schools from the Iowa

Quad Cities The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are t ...

, along with Burlington, Clinton and Muscatine high schools. Davenport West's biggest rivalries are with intercity rivals Central and North high schools.

Successes

* Baseball (4-time State Champions - 1963, 1965, 1977, 1987) * Boys' Basketball (2-time State Champions - 1971, 1994) * Football (2-time Class 4A State Champions - 1974, 1977) * Softball (2-time State Champions - 1984, 1986) * Girls' Track and Field (2-time State Champions - 1976, 1977) * Volleyball - 1970 State Champions

Publications

''Beak 'n' Eye:'' The school newspaper is the Beak 'n' Eye. It is published monthly during the school year, usually releasing 8 or 9 in a year. Students manage all aspects of the publication. They have a lab area dedicated specifically for the newspaper. The paper is completely digital and is usually 8 to 12 pages. ''The Shaheen:'' The school yearbook is released yearly and generally features a variety of photo spreads, student pictures, and individual club and group photos. The yearbook is also produced by students under an adviser. ''The Eyas:'' The Eyas is West's literary magazine. It generally features a wide variety of writings and artwork. It also has a section reserved for seniors to publish a profile/biography and a picture. It is also released yearly and produced by students under an adviser.

Notable alumni

Jim Skinner James Alan Skinner (born 1944) is an American business executive. He was the executive chairman of Walgreens Boots Alliance. He was the vice chairman and Chief executive officer, CEO of McDonald's Corporation. Early life James Alan Skinner was b ...

, class of 1962, former CEO of

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

James Kibbie James Kibbie (born March 13, 1949) is an American concert organist, recording artist and pedagogue. He is Professor of Organ at the University of Michigan. Biography Kibbie was born in 1949 in Vinton, Iowa, USA. He graduated from Davenport We ...

, class of 1967, world-renowned

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

Bill Fennelly William Michael Fennelly (born May 14, 1957) is an American basketball coach who is currently the head women's basketball coach at Iowa State University. Coaching career Assistant coach (1977–1986) While a student at William Penn College, Fen ...

, class of 1975,

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

women's basketball coach. * T. J. Rubley, class of 1987,

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

quarterback, most notably with the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

. *

Kenny Shedd Kendrick Dwayne Shedd (born February 14, 1971) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears, the Oakland Raiders and the Washington Redskins. He was selec ...

, class of 1989, NFL wide receiver with

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

and the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

. * Colby Lopez, Class of 2004, Professional wrestler known as Seth Rollins in

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

References

{{authority control Schools in Davenport, Iowa Public high schools in Iowa 1960 establishments in Iowa