Pewamo-Westphalia Middle-High School

Pirate Nation! Welcome to another school year at

Pewamo-Westphalia Middle-High School. I am beyond blessed to serve as the principal of this phenomenal school and vow to do my personal best to maintain excellence within our 'Triple A' - Academics, Arts, and Athletics.

As you'll read in our Student-Parent Handbook, our goal is to prepare students today for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow by helping them develop the skills necessary to become responsible members of a changing society and challenging them through a quality curriculum delivered by a caring educational community. Within this goal, we will create a caring community of purposeful learning that supports and celebrates the individuality of each child - and will furthermore strive to ensure that our children are safe, healthy, engaged, challenged, and supported.

We sincerely look forward to working with you - students, parents, alumni, and community alike - to make this a very successful school year. Please know that we can only maintain our tradition of excellence - our Champion's Culture - if we pursue our personal best each day and work together as teammates.

As we are here to serve you, please do not hesitate to reach out should you have comments, concerns, suggestions, or praise - ryan.portenga@pwschools.org / (517) 587-5100. #Onward #WeArePW

Sincerely,

Ryan Portenga, Principal

Triple "A" Points of Pride

Academics

In 2020, Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools was ranked among the top 15 best high schools in the State of Michigan by U.S. News and World Report and 685th in the nation. In 2018-2019, we led Clinton County with the highest 11th grade M-STEP scores in science and social studies, we had the highest average SAT score (1084.8) in the county, and we ranked in the top 65 highest SAT scores in the state of Michigan (65th).

Arts

Our industrial arts program competes at MITES (Michigan Industrial and Technology Educational Society), submitting woodworking projects completed each year. Our marching and concert bands consistently earn accolades at competitions and festivals, and our art students have won numerous awards through the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition, including an American Visions nomination, Gold and Silver Key awards, and Honorable Mentions.

Athletics - Recent State Championships

Volleyball (2022), Boys' Basketball (2019), Boys' Cross Country (2016), Football (2021, 2019, 2017, 2016), Girls' Basketball (2019), Girls' Track (2021, 2019, 2015, 2013, 2010), Competitive Cheer (2019, 2010, 2008), and Boys' Track (2008). Numerous State Runners-Up, Regional, District and League (CMAC) Titles in Football, Boys' & Girls' Track, Boys' & Girls' Cross Country, Boys' & Girls' Basketball, Volleyball, Baseball, and Softball

2022-2023 Middle-High School Vision Targets

1. We will encourage our students to advance in the areas of character, work ethic, attitude, commitment, and ownership.
2. We will provide clear and concise instruction to all of our students, and support our parents as partners in education.
3. We will foster inclusion through empathy, equity, problem solving, and relationship building for all students, parents, and staff.
4. We will challenge our students to hold themselves accountable in both honesty and integrity, while also being kind and empathetic to others.