Spirit of Excellence recognizes breadth, depth of Wildcat achievement, opportunity

Slam dunk! Student Council and the Milwaukee Bucks both scored a dub on April 5 with the Spirit of Excellence award, an achievement that demonstrates the school’s extensive achievements in student involvement. 

With such general guidelines, math teacher and Student Council advisor Kimberly Kargus-Meyers had to pick the best of the best to showcase Wildcat excellence. 

“The Student Council committee first decided which West achievements we wanted to include under each category,” she said. “From there we contacted other students and staff members to gather information about each achievement. We also collected pictures from the yearbook staff and Index staff to add artifacts for each achievement.”

Choosing just what to showcase was the most challenging decision for Kargus-Meyers. 

“It was difficult to decide which achievements to include,” she said, “There are so many wonderful things happening at West.”

For Student Council member and junior Elizabeth Ruedinger, putting the portfolio together was a strenuous and lengthy task.

“It was a long process between getting pictures, artifacts, and descriptions in order to put the Spirit of Excellence together,” she said, “We started this project back in December, and with the help of group members and people outside of our Student Council, we were able to put together an award-winning project.”

Kargus-Meyers had the committee collect information from clubs all around West. 

“We showcased athletic teams that went to state, music accomplishments, drama club, forensics, art, Green Alarm, NHS, therapy dogs, Student Council, Brewing Futures/Wildcat Cafe, AP scores, academic growth scores, and all the programs meant to help close the achievement gap,” she said, “We tried to represent as many aspects of West as possible.”

To Ruedinger, the extensive student endeavors are what demonstrated the most achievement. 

“This award shows that we are very involved in our school and community,” she said. “It also proves that our school has a lot of ongoing opportunities along with a lot of awesome things going on.”

The portfolio itself offered an in-depth look at all that has been done this 22-23 school year. Kargus-Meyers hopes to continue this tradition in the future.

“We hope to continue to compile and submit a portfolio in years to come,” she said. “Even if we don't win the award, it is rewarding to see all of the accomplishments from the students and staff at West.”

For junior Kate Conger, this portfolio illustrated every great aspect of West, even those clubs that tend to be overlooked. 

“The project highlighted what makes West an amazing school with the focus of service to the school and community, sportsmanship and positive school culture, and leadership,” she said. “When doing the project, it opened many eyes as to how unique and special our school community is.”

Sophomore Nava Lomena appreciated the support Student Council gave to all groups with this project.

“It's important because it shows how well our school does with supporting students,” she said. “It shows how hard we’ve been working to create a good community and safe space around the school.”

Conger also recognized the hard work and dedication that was put in.

“We do so much at West and one of the hardest parts of creating the list for the award, that I am sure other people in our committee would agree with, was narrowing down what we wanted to include on the spread,” she said, “There were tons of options for certain sections, but we had a limit on how many achievements we could include.”

It wasn't just Student Council who helped prepare for this award, however, as many staff members helped make the portfolio possible. 

“There were many staff members and students who assisted us with this project,” Conger said. “They wrote the explanations for an achievement and helped provide us with photos. It was a team effort and it was a success.”

Overall, members were proud of the work they completed in order to earn this accolade.

“Winning the award was a huge accomplishment for us,” Ruedinger said. “This award shows off the hardwork and dedication that was put into this project through our Student Council.”

For Conger, this award was proof of the endless opportunities available at West.

“This is an important achievement because out of all the schools in Region Three in the State of Wisconsin who could have earned this award, our school earned it,” she said, “This shows how fantastic our school truly is and how many opportunities we have at West that other schools may not have.” 

Following the award announcement, the Student Council was invited to a Bucks game on April 5 to accept and be recognized for Region Three. For Kargus-Meyers, this was an opportunity to represent not just Student Council, but the entire community of West.

“The most important thing to remember is that this is not a Student Council award,” she said. “This is an award recognizing the entire school.”

by Rin Fox and Addi Isely

Published April 24, 2023

Oshkosh West Index Volume 119 Issue VII