News for Wildcats, by Wildcats.

The Paw Print
News for Wildcats, by Wildcats.

The Paw Print
News for Wildcats, by Wildcats.

The Paw Print
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Spring Assembly brings the ‘Wildcat energy’

Jenna Washington
May 2, 2025
Jenna Washington
With a halfday of attendance and West Fest to follow, the spring assembly was full of that #wildcatenergy!
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The Illinois High School Sports Association has been in existence since 1900 and prides itself in the opportunities it provides to student athletes across Illinois sports. The IHSA is a private organization that creates its own bylaws; however, two recent laws are in the process of creating laws that could directly impact Illinois sports.
2 new bills threaten change to Illinois sports
Mr. Anthony Berardi has been at Normal West since the school opened its doors, and one of his major impacts on the school is his organization of a student-favorite: West Fest. West Fest is a student carnival put in place to celebrate another school year. This year, West Fest will take place on Friday, May 2. Above, Mr. Berardi poses with the map and raffle ticket box from last year's celebration.
West Fest 2025 set for Friday, May 2
Normal West's National English Honor Society have taken their volunteer requirements to the next level. At their latest volunteer opportunity on Saturday, April 12, they worked another Eastern Illinois Foodbank.
Serving the community and putting smiles on faces
Mrs. Kristy Fairfield has been a special education teacher at Normal West since the doors opened in 1995. Fairfield continues to make an impact on all of her students and was recently nominated for the LifeChanger award.
Special education teacher nominated for National Life Groups Life Changer of the Year award
Many of the ensemble crew stopped their set build to smear black paint on their worker costumes to appear like coal workers. Hadestown: Teen Edition will hit the stage this weekend with various shows.
Normal West theater debuts 'Hadestown: Teen Edition' this weekend
English teacher, Mr. Jeff Kroesch recently took a group of students to Urbana, IL to the H-Mart, an Asian market. The students had recently read a book that inspired the trip.
Creative writing class takes trip to Urbana's H-Mart
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Math teacher, Mr. Tim Sennett, took a group of students fishing at the lake by the highway on Thursday April 17th, on Normal West's half day. It was a great experience for many students who had never gone fishing, or even touched a fish.
Students get real life experience fishing on half day
The Black Student Union's winter assembly took place today. Students and staff celebrated Black History Month with games, songs, and school spirit. The energy was high, and it truly was a great day to be a Wildcat!
BSU winter assembly entertains and educates West in celebration of Black History Month
Senior Charlie Moore leads the senior class in a spirited cheer during Thursday, Sept 26's homecoming assembly. The seniors took the spirit stick this year after dominating multiple games.
Photo Gallery: Homecoming 2024 goes 'Under the Sea'
The Student council, along with Mr. Jason Klokkenga, put on a stellar homecoming assembly on Thursday, September 26, 2024. Students, staff, and even some alumni came together to celebrate West's 30th year of existence. In addition to games, students cheered, laughed, and danced their way into the homecoming weekend.
Homecoming assembly takes Wildcat energy to an all new high
West Fest 2024 a huge hit for students and staff alike
The Normal West Choir and Orchestra performed their yearly "Madrigals" show on Saturday, Feb 17 and Sunday, Feb 18 in the high school auditorium. Guests were entertained with various songs, skits, and the infamous Busy Corner pie as students took them back in time for the performance.
Normal West puts on a show for 2024 ‘Madrigals’ performance
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'Ben's Vision' of 2025 NFL Draft:
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Normal West baseball coach, Chris Hawkins, was recently recognized for winning his 600th game against Champaign Central High School, with a final score of 8-0. Hawkins and crew are currently 12-6 and will take on Normal Community tonight at 4:30 pm.
Coach Hawkins gets historic 600th win as head coach of Wildcat baseball
Since the 1998-1999 school year, Normal West has allowed seniors to paint a brick to leave a lasting legacy as they head out into the real world. Mr. Tim Franz, current business teacher, was a key part of getting this West favorite started.
Senior brick tradition continues to bring color to Normal West hallways
The Unit 5 E-sports team has quickly made a name for themselves, and the above team is one of the reasons. This crew was the state champions in Fortnite.
E-sports continues success, looks forward to sectionals and state finals
Under the guidance of Dr. John Bierbaum and Seniors Benedicte Diamonika, Bailey Vaux, Belle Phillips, Austin Miller, Lena Ganschow, and Isabella Gilbert, the Normal West Mock Trial team had another stellar season, making history for a downstate mock trial team. They placed 3rd at the state competition.
Normal West Mock Trial ends the year making history for 2nd time in 3 years
Juniors Makinzee Boyer, Raya Radoslavova, and Jo Brown along with Seniors Owen Voorheis and Hunter Reid all competed in the IHSA Journalism sectional on Saturday, April 5. Boyer, Radoslavova, Voorheis, and Reid all placed in the top 3 of their events, qualifying them for the State Championships at Heartland Community College on Friday, April 25. Reid was Normal West's first sectional champion in Sports Writing.
For first time ever, the Paw Print staff sends 4 journalists to the IHSA state competition