First Day of School: Aug. 10

   On Tuesday, Aug. 10, students had their first day of in-person school after two years online. New schedules were delivered and anxiety-ridden students tried their best to find their way to their first classes. After a year-and-a-half of online school, students had to not only adjust to their new schedule, but also return to campus and see teachers and friends in-person. However, it only took a couple days for the student body to become habituated to their new routine back on campus.

Senior Sunrise: Aug. 20

   On Aug. 20, the 2022 senior class received their much-deserved Senior Sunrise after undergoing over a year of distance learning. On that bright Friday morning, seniors gathered on the football field at six a.m. to celebrate the beginning of their last high school year. West Ranch senior Tinley Price chose the sunrise as her favorite activity this year thus far. “I was able to see the beautiful sunrise, interact with a whole bunch of people of the senior class and eat yummy bagels!” she explained. With hearts filled with Wildcat spirit and hands full of blankets, breakfast take-outs and lawn chairs, seniors gathered to take pictures with their friends and peers as a way to remember this day for years to come.

Homecoming: Sept. 11

   Homecoming is a school tradition of welcoming back students to campus with a glamorous event. This year’s homecoming theme was “Wildcats Around the World.” ASB planned events to acknowledge the diverse cultures prominent throughout the world, but more specifically, on campus, through a themed Homecoming Week. West Ranch ASB member Pratika Prasad said that the Culture Booths activity was one of her favorite activities to plan, explaining that they “had students volunteer to represent a certain culture with their respective flags, snacks, clothing, artwork, and small games.” The dance took place in the school’s outdoor basketball court due to pandemic regulations, where ASB prepared food trucks, photo booth, games, snacks and rides for the students to enjoy. As the night came to an end, attendees left on a red carpet after a night full of lights, music and anticipation for the school year ahead of them.

Club Rush Day: Sept. 23

  West Ranch’s Club Rush Day is the most important event for clubs on campus to advertise their purpose, past achievements and organization as a whole to the entire student body. On upper campus during brunch, club officers presented poster boards containing important information such as the sign-up process and meeting dates of the club in order to promote themselves to potential new members. Mrs. Priske, the ASB director, explained, “School events create a culture on campus. It gives kids something to look forward to and be involved with if they choose.” Clubs help students explore their passions while finding a niche on campus of people who share the same interests, making this year’s Club Rush a popular event for students to reconnect with their peers.

Fall Semester Finals: Dec. 14-16

   As in-person fall semester finals quickly approached, Wildcats created study schedules and formed study groups to prepare for the week of exams. With stress accumulating for many students, the West Ranch Library provided a series of Open Library Night sessions for students to provide extra academic support on any skills they missed throughout the semester going into final exams. Although anxiety was high in the approaching weeks, Wildcats who did their best to properly prepare found themselves with reduced last minute worries.

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