Students have begun to pledge their loyalty to the school every Wednesday, as part of a new school-wide implementation of the alma mater. The alma mater is the anthem of the school, and by teaching it to students during the morning announcements. the administration hopes to better bind the school together.

“The alma mater is a tradition that helps each student build an identity with their school,”Assistant Principal Catherine Halbuer said. “It also helps them in the future when they come back for Homecoming and different things [to] have that school connection for them.”

Unlike recent years, the alma mater reaching students is West Shore’s original. The song was originally written for the school when it opened, but through different Senior Project variations of the song have appeared.

The version that has been used in recent years was an alteration made by 2014 alumna Lexie Krehbiel as part of her Senior Project, with the help of chorus teacher Amy Davis.

“I really just wanted people to know the alma mater,” Krehbiel said. “Graduation would roll around and one or two kids would sing it while everyone else mumbled. I didn’t like that representation of the Wildcat Nation. The old alma mater had no choral arrangement. I figured that if I could make a version that the chorus kids wanted to sing, we’d at least have that subset of students singing.”

For some, the goal of the implementation doesn’t seem realistic.

“I don’t think it will be a bad thing,” senior Andrew Leonard said. “But I don’t think it will instill the school pride or sense of togetherness or unity that people think it will.”

Others have hopes that the song can help the school.

“I think it’ll boost school spirit,” freshman Katie Perez said. “But we never needed it or thought about it before so I don’t really get why we need it now.”

At least for seniors, learning the alma mater in homeroom will mean they should know it by graduation.

“I don’t really care which version is being used, just that people know it and sing it,” Krehbiel said. “West Shore is great – people should be proud to sing the alma mater.”