Getting A Taste of High School

Thursday, Oct. 16 marked the start of an important tradition for West Ashley High School. It was the first time that the school hosted A Taste of West Ashley. According to WAHS principal William Runyon, it is “an annual event which was started in an effort to give elementary and middle school students an opportunity to experience hands-on learning opportunities that are a part of several of our elective programs.”
It was estimated that more than 1,000 people were in attendance for the event. Upon arriving at WAHS the night of the event, elementary and middle school students along with their families were able to participate in a wide variety of programs that the high school has to offer. Visitors were able to watch the Wildcats’ JV and Varsity Volleyball teams play in several exhibition matches, compete in the Archery Competition sponsored by Outdoor Pursuits, listen to the WAHS marching band play many of the school’s pep songs, control robots built by students on the school’s Robotics Team, cultivate their engineering skills through a variety of games and puzzles, watch the Wildcat JV football team defeat rival James Island, help the Trebuchet Team shoot pumpkins on the field at half time, paint a picture or make a sculpture in The Art Studio, watch a preview of The Drama Studio’s upcoming production, “#Throwback Thursday”, participate in the Air Rifle Competition sponsored by NJROTC, and eat food prepared by the WAHS Culinary Arts Program.
Along with being involved in many extracurricular activities, WAHS’s diverse student population is challenged daily in college prep course work at the Honors, Advanced Placement, and Dual Enrollment Levels. The school currently serves 1,700 students while the Charleston County District 10 elementary and middle schools serve roughly 6,000 students. Runyon hopes that this event and others like it in the future will influence students to go to a school in their own backyard rather than traveling elsewhere to get their education.