A publication of the
WESTSIDE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION WINTER 2018
alumni.wcsfoundation66.org
Warrior Spirit Then & Now
Nancy Lawson and Nanci (Shook) Stevenson (‘65) reminisced about the fun they had in Pep Club.
The 2017 Westside football team boasted an 8-3 record, a playoff appearance, and a noticeably spirited student body. Currently, students generate school spirit through assemblies that recognize academics, athletics, behavior, and activities. Cheerleaders teach the fight song to homerooms and organize theme nights at sporting events. A strong social media presence, including school-sponsored Twitter accounts, continues to foster school pride.
earned chevrons for their sleeves. They earned points by making posters, attending games and meetings, and selling ribbons for ten cents to their classmates to wear on game day.
1965 Pep Club members Phyllis (Donaldson) Choat, Anne Leigh Hellbusch, Nancy Lawson, Jackie (Hauptmann) Nagle and Nanci (Shook) Stephenson shared their experiences as Pep Club members. Though it’s been 52 years since they wore their From the time Westside High School opened uniforms, they fondly remember their time in 1952 through the mid-1970s the Pep in Pep Club. Club provided the most spirited and unified “It would have been hard to imagine being expression of Warrior pride. Pep Club was an without Pep Club. Everyone was into it” all-female organization created to promote recalled Jackie (Hauptmann) Nagle. school spirit that soon became an institution at Westside. Nearly every girl was a member, Requirements for membership included with membership at around 500 throughout positive behavior, showing up on time to the 1960s. On game-day the girls wore their games, wearing their uniform and gloves. uniforms featuring a red sweater and a black Chewing gum was not allowed! The Pep skirt, often accompanied by saddle shoes or Club girls of 1965 remember their sponsors loafers. White gloves were required at games. Mrs. Clara Dunn and Mrs. Judy Khrounek signing posters and issuing demerits to girls Pep Cub members worked for points to who did not comply. The ladies recalled earn the coveted red “W” patch to sew on that although the rules were strict, few their sweaters. After getting their “W”, they questioned them as they were such a vital
part of the overall Pep Club experience. They appreciated the sense of unity and school pride the club created. “When you think of someone back in high school you think of them in their Pep Club uniform,” said Nanci (Shook) Stephenson. By the mid-1970s, Pep Club membership declined significantly. In 1977, Pep Club’s last year, The Shield stated, “People just don’t want so much organization.” Changing attitudes towards uniformity and selfexpression and an increasing number of girls’ sports opportunities may have contributed to the decline of Pep Club. Jackie (Hauptmann) Nagle really enjoyed her time in Pep Club. “You always knew what to wear on Fridays.” she said. Pep Club may be gone, but its embodiment of school spirit should not be forgotten. We applaud all the Pep Club women of the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s for their school spirit and pride that paved the way for future generations and new expressions of Warrior spirit.