The West Ottawan

“I like being in the middle of a situation that most run away from. Controlling the chaos.” Matt Hollebeek doesn’t…
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“Happy New Year!” The crowd roared in Times Square on January 1, 2019. Finally, 2020 was here. Little did we know, …
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Strong, beautiful, fierce

“I’m sorry but you have cancer.” A million thoughts run through your head. Am I going to survive? What will treatm…
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Fresh from our newsroom

Masks: The Way They Benefit Us
Ben and Brady vs. WO: Lacrosse I wound up my stick, hoping I had enough power and accuracy to hit the top corner, a shot most goalies would be hard-pressed to
Losing battles, winning the war To cut a strawberry in three identical slices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is no small feat, but something you learn to
Harold the friendly ghost Ever wonder what it would be like to live with a ghost? A family in Chicago, Illinois knows and lives it every day. During Spring Break
Editorial Cartoon: Dinner is served
Editorial Cartoon: Burn
Editorial Cartoon: The Closet
Yellow, yellow, green, GO! “Lauren, it's your turn to share your All About Me with the class,” the teacher says. I get out of my chair with my all about m
Ready for the end Just 25 more yards. 25 more yards until you're done. 25 more yards until there is one more meet. 25 more yards until you win the race. 25 fi
Where is your life headed?
What I learned in 2020 Nine months since the pandemic hit and I haven’t seen my best friend, my grandma, or any others in my family. COVID-19, extreme wildfire
COVID is not phony (duh) "I can't tell you how great it is to look out there and see your faces. This looks like a group of people that get that this is a phony pand
Still a long road to gender equality “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said. Winning the 2020 vice-
Best running trails in Ottawa County Running trails are a sanctuary. Jr. Kaia Denhof and Jr. Abby Green scoured Ottawa County to find the best running trails. Number 1: Pigeo
Billionaires can end COVID-19 $3,715. That's how much Amazon's founder, Jeff Bezos, makes per second. Bezos spent 0.13% of his net worth on the most expens

News

A COVID semester: Six perspectives

On September 1, 2020, students, teachers, and parents woke up earlier than they had in five months. This w
Unfocused and over-medicated: The biological battle of today’s male youth

The clock’s hands seemed to slow to a halt as he sat in class. His knee bounced, rattling his desk. He wanted to run a
Failure IS an Option

On December 9, at 5:45pm SpaceX’s starship launched on a test flight. Just six minutes later, Starship exploded while
Almost 400,000: Think about it

Anyone who understands the news understands that there have been nearly 400,000 deaths due to COVID-19 in the United Sta
Something to smile about

When the light of the TV flickers on, the bad news floods your ears. It can feel like the world is drowning
“The last responder”

“I like being in the middle of a situation that most run away from. Controlling the chaos.” Matt Hollebeek doesn’t

Student Life

Losing battles, winning the war

To cut a strawberry in three identical slices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is no small feat, but someth
Harold the friendly ghost

Ever wonder what it would be like to live with a ghost? A family in Chicago, Illinois knows and lives it every day. Du
Yellow, yellow, green, GO!

“Lauren, it’s your turn to share your All About Me with the class,” the teacher says. I get out of my cha
Failure IS an Option

On December 9, at 5:45pm SpaceX’s starship launched on a test flight. Just six minutes later, Starship exploded while
Where is your life headed?
What I learned in 2020

Nine months since the pandemic hit and I haven’t seen my best friend, my grandma, or any others in my family. COVID-

Opinion

Editorial Cartoon: Dinner is served
Editorial Cartoon: Burn
Editorial Cartoon: The Closet
Unfocused and over-medicated: The biological battle of today’s male youth

The clock’s hands seemed to slow to a halt as he sat in class. His knee bounced, rattling his desk. He wanted to run a
COVID is not phony (duh)

“I can’t tell you how great it is to look out there and see your faces. This looks like a group of people th
Still a long road to gender equality

“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said. Wi

Sports

Ben and Brady vs. WO: Lacrosse

I wound up my stick, hoping I had enough power and accuracy to hit the top corner, a shot most goalies would be
Ready for the end

Just 25 more yards. 25 more yards until you’re done. 25 more yards until there is one more meet. 25 more yards unt
“I just love gymnastics”

It all started with bouncing off the furniture. Genna Lebster was placed in gymnastics at the age of three as a way to
A tough decision leads to big accomplishments

“I’m going to do it, I am really going to do it.” Jr Gavin Hardy picked up his phone and called his club coach
Positive team energy = positive results

It was the final event of the girl’s 2020 OK Red Conference Championship Meet, which would determine if West Ottawa wo
Ben and Brady vs. WO: Tennis

The snowy air whipped across the court. I braced myself for Jr. Teddy Schurman’s next serve, determined to actually

We are The West Ottawan

The West Ottawan is a publication run by journalism students at West Ottawa High School in Holland, Michigan.

Twitter: @TheWestOttawan

Instagram: the_westottawan

WO Alumni

Life after high school: No one-size-fits-all

Packed into the gymnasium are nearly 500 teenagers dressed in their caps and gowns. Surrounding them are parents, holdin
Best classes at WO according to alumni

In a day, you spend 7 hours in school. During an entire year, you spend 1,098 hours in school. And in
West Ottawa’s male cheerleaders

West Ottawa alumnus Sam Beetham got ready for the University of Michigan home game against Penn State in November 2018.
Kind of famous

WO alumna Avery Warsaw has always admired how kind actor Timothee Chalamet is to his fans, and her recent experience onl
“It’s all about attitude”

Cory VanRhee is a West Ottawa High School graduate and assistant girls Varsity basketball coach. Ask VanRhee how he is d
“He is definitely living his dream job.”

In the spring of 2010, then Sr. Gavin Bade wrote the longest articles ever published in The West Ottawan. “He wou

The Project for Better Journalism is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening student journalism programs across the country. We support publications just like this one.

The West Ottawan is produced and updated by students at this school, and supported by a faculty advisor.

Learn more about the Project →

A COVID semester: Six perspectives

Unfocused and over-medicated: The biological battle of today’s male youth

Failure IS an Option

Almost 400,000: Think about it

Something to smile about

"The last responder"