The West Prairie Press

By Madilynn Tones

West Prairie Junior/Senior High School is already four weeks into what’s shaping up to be an exciting and productive school year. With the first-quarter midterm here, students and staff are settling into routines, tackling goals for 2025–26, and embracing the positive changes brought by the school’s new administrative team.

The first day of school started off strong, with Mrs. Alison McGrew capturing photos of students and their friends as they walked through the doors. The day continued with a school-wide assembly, where students were introduced to new staff and reminded of the expectations for the year.

New principal Mrs. Megan Pittman shared her thoughts on the successful start:

“We spent a lot of time preparing to make sure everything ran smoothly — from scheduling and assigning lockers to setting up classrooms and finalizing expectations. A big part of the planning focused on creating a welcoming environment where students felt comfortable, connected, and ready to learn from day one.”

New Assistant Principal Brittany Thompson also shared her goals for this school year:

“My personal goal as assistant principal is to build strong relationships with students and staff so that everyone feels supported and connected. For students, my hope is that they embrace our school motto, Collaborate and Unleash Potential. This means working together with classmates and teachers and challenging themselves to discover what they are truly capable of.”

Students are equally optimistic about the year ahead.
Senior Abby Starbuck is focused on both academics and athletics:

“My goals are to pass my classes, graduate, and break some passing records in volleyball.”

Eighth grader Daylee Smith is looking forward to both learning and school spirit:

“This school year I feel is going to go by really quickly because of the teachers. The teachers make you want to learn and they make school fun. I’m also excited to watch the sports going on throughout the school year.”

English teacher Meredith Gravina praised the positive energy and shared her excitement for the new leadership team:

“The main thing that I think is different this year is that we’ve set a higher bar for student expectations. We want students to be here and ready to learn every day. I think we did a great job communicating this on the first day of school, and it really set the tone that we’re going to have a productive school year. I’m feeling lucky to have such a strong new administrative team. Both Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Pittman bring a lot of great things to our school, and Mrs. Overstreet will be a great asset to make sure students are performing their best academically.

One of the biggest changes this year is the new cell phone policy, which keeps phones put away during the day to help students focus on learning. While it was an adjustment at first, many students now say it’s easier to concentrate and that there’s been noticeably less drama.

“I know that change can be hard, but I’m proud of the student body for how they’ve handled this year’s changes. The new cell phone policy is already making a big difference. I’m seeing more participation in class and more interaction among students during the day. I think we’ll continue to see positive changes to our school culture,” said Gravina.

With a motivated staff, energized students, and exciting changes already taking root, it’s clear this school year is off to a strong start.

Have an amazing school year, Cyclones!