A parent informational meeting will be held in the gym Tuesday and Wednesday from 6 to 7 p.m. This meeting is held annually to give information to parents of prospective West Shore applicants.

This year the application process will have a few major changes, following up on last years addition of an application fee.
“The major difference is that this year everything will be electronic,” Principal Rick Fleming said. “The application fee will be paid online.”

The fee is $30, and can be made online through scrborder.com, utilizing Amazon Payments. The fee may also be paid through the purchase of a money order, also transacted through the scriborder service. Students who received free and reduced lunch are eligible to have this fee waived.

“For the duration of the meeting, we just explain the process,” Fleming said. “Then we talk a little bit about what our school is like, and what we’re all about.”

Parents are encouraged to ask questions about the school and application process.

“After that first hour, we spend about half an hour more answering a lot of questions, especially on the first night, when we have the majority of attendants,” Fleming said.

Attendance for the the first-day meeting generally ranges from 600 to 700, while numbers for the the second-day drop to between 200 and 300.

“It seems to me that some parents are convinced that coming that first night will give their students some sort of competitive edge in the application process,” Fleming said. “That’s just not the case.”

The application to attend West Shore is currently open, and will close on Feb. 7 at 4 p.m. All supporting documents must be uploaded along with the application, including two proofs of residency, the students report card and their test scores.