W. F. West High School
W.F. High School Bearcats
Address
342 SW 16th St. United States Chehalis, Washington , Lewis , Washington 98532
Coordinates	46°38′59″N 122°56′57″W / 46.64972°N 122.94917°W / 46.64972; -122.94917
Information
Former name	Chehalis High School
School type	Public high school
Motto	"Preparing Students for the Journey Ahead"
Established	1892 (renamed W. F. West High School 1951)
School district	Chehalis School District
Superintendent	Rick Goble
School code	302
Principal	Regina Carr
Teaching staff	54
Grades	9–12
Age range	14 - 19
Enrollment	1,009 (2024–25)[1]
• Grade 9	237
• Grade 10	253
• Grade 11	250
• Grade 12	234
Classes	145
Average class size	19.2
Student to teacher ratio	19.10[1]
Classes offered	30 Honors, 8 Advanced, 14 College in the High School, + electives & core
Schedule	7:40am - 2:10pm
Color(s)	Crimson & Gray
Slogan	"The Bearcat Way"
Athletics	Yes
Athletics conference	Evergreen 2A
Mascot	Bearcat
Rival	Centralia, Tumwater, Black Hills, Aberdeen, Shelton
USNWR ranking	Unranked
Newspaper	The Crimson and Gray
Yearbook	Chehalin
Feeder schools	Chehalis Middle School
Alumni	Orin C. Smith
Website	chehalisschools.org/wfw/

William F. West High School, commonly referred to as W. F. West High School, is a public high school located in Chehalis, Washington, United States. It is the only high school in the Chehalis School District. It was named after a local businessman, William F. West, who donated money and land to the school district. The school prides itself in the amount of scholarships given out yearly ($3.2 million in scholarships in 2024). Many students travel out of district to attend. The school added a brand new science wing in 2018. The school also renovated its baseball field, breaking ground in August of 2024, beginning construction in October, and completing before the 2025 baseball season.^[2]

The school opened a combination gymnasium-music room in February 1954. Considered one of the largest in the state, it was constructed at a cost of $450,000. The addition to the campus officially held an open house with a ceremony and a basketball game between the Chehalis and Centralia boys' basketball teams. The gym, days later, held an Amateur Athletic Union tournament, with a game played that helped to raise funds for a local cerebral palsy charity. The music space, which contained a 1,800 square feet (170 m²) rehearsal room that accommodated up to 110 practice seats, was soundproofed and offered smaller areas for choir practice.^[3] The school was expanded in 1971 to include an additional three rooms. One classroom was for laboratory use and included a darkroom for photography students undertaking a journalism course. The $500,000 project also included a resource center in the library and a choir room.^[4]

The W.F. West Tennis Courts were renamed in February 2024 to Coach Jack State Tennis Courts in honor of coach Jack State. The process began under the district's Facility Naming Committee, with a recommendation passed to the Chehalis School Board which approved the name change unanimously. State, who died in January 2024, was both a teacher and coach at the high school, serving 50 years as the tennis coach.^[5][6] In an additional remembrance, a small sign was placed above State's usual coaching position at the courts and a sign measuring 6 ft × 8 ft (1.8 m × 2.4 m) was installed, mirroring State's nickname that was based on his height, "Six-Eight Jack State".^[7]

Students receive free access to the PSAT due to funding provided by a local organization, the Chehalis Foundation. With help from school officials, each senior is required to submit an application for acceptance to Centralia College, a program started by the school district to achieve high rates of graduation, college admission, and career opportunities for the students.^[8]

The high school has been host to a University of Washington STEM camp since the early 2010s. A weeklong summer day-camp, the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes are held at W.F. West's STEM wing and are open to all students of high school age, regardless of school district. The educational opportunity is based on a partnership between the university and the Chehalis Foundation.^[9][10] To bolster the STEM program further, the school purchased an electron microscope in the mid-2010s.^[11]

Beginning in early 2023, students can participate as cashiers and baristas at the "Crimson & Gray", a coffee shop in the school, through the Business and Marketing class. The shop, part of a business and marketing class supported through the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), is run in-full by the students.^[12] The shops ingredients and products are supplied from a local coffee shop, L.C. Coffee Company.

The graduation rate in 2024 was 97.6%. In 2010, it was 77% and 1/3rd of those students achieved admission into a university or training school.^[8] In 2018, 73% of seniors who graduated went on to further higher education.^[13] That rate increased to 100% in 2019, beginning a four year stretch in which the entire graduating senior classes were accepted into college.^[14] In 2019, the four-year graduation rate was 95%, bettering the state average by 14 points.^[13]

The school sponsors the following sports and extracurricular activities:

• Fall: Cheerleading, Football, Girls Soccer, Cross Country (XC), Boys Tennis and Golf, Girls Swimming, Volleyball, Rifle team, and Pep band
• Winter: Cheerleading, Pep band, Girls and Boys wrestling, Girls and Boys Basketball, Equestrian team, and Girls bowling, and Theater
• Spring: Knowledge Bowl, Baseball, Boys Soccer, Fastpitch, Girls Tennis and Golf, Forensics, and Boys and Girls track

The school's athletic teams compete as the Bearcats as a member of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) in the 2A Evergreen Conference. The school has been home to state hall of fame coaches, including Mike Keen, who was elected into the Washington Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Keen won 333 games and three championships under his W.F. West tenure in the early 21st century. Denny "Doc" Daniels was elected to the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 2004 and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013 for Lifetime Service to Wrestling. He coached 61 State Placers during his tenure as head coach from 1985-2001 (assistant coach 1971-85) and his teams earned 9 League Championships and 4 Regional Championships. "National Wrestling Hall of Fame: Denny Daniels". nwhof.org. ^[15]

The high school's gymnasium hosted the first-ever meeting between the rival Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle SuperSonics in an NBA pre-season exhibition game on September 30, 1970.^[16]

Millett Field was used as home turf for the Chehalis Bearcat's football team until 1932, moving to new grounds after flooding issues and the loss of the grandstand prohibited large crowds from attending the games.^[17]

A football game, known as the Thanksgiving Day Game, was an annual event between Chehalis and Centralia from 1907 to 1963. The competition between the "Crimson & Gray" and the "Orange & Black" was hosted at Millett Field, various high school fields in the Twin Cities, and a few occasions at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds. A rivalry that was at times heated, fights broke out between spectators in the stands, with one instance of the fire department using fire hoses on the crowd during a game.^[18] When the games were played on the Bearcat's home turf of Millett Field, the Chehalis teams never lost to Centralia.^[19][20] The Bearcat's biggest win was in 1926, winning by a score of 61-0.^[18] The Chehalis team lost the final Thanksgiving Day Game 22-6 in 1963.^[21] W.F. West still plays Centralia every year, with the rivalry now known as "The Battle of the Swamp" or "The Swamp Cup." Ever since the year 2008, the W.F. West has won over Centralia in the "Swamp Cup" match-up.^[22]

Notes

The graduating class of W.F. West High School holds a local parade that traverses through several neighborhood and business districts in Chehalis, ending at Stan Hedwall Park. It is customary for seniors to receive various gifts, including monetary, during the senior year and at graduation. The contributions are paid for by a fund raised by parents.^[13] The graduating class also participates in a "Senior Walk", visiting the elementary and middle schools in Chehalis. Begun in the late 2010s, it allows seniors to meet with younger pupils and reconnect with previous teachers and staff.^[30][31]

• George Dahlberg, Chehalis High School football coach, 1936-1937^[32][33]
• Dave Dowling (born 1942), MLB player^[34]
• Barbara Feigin, class of 1955, recognized as the first woman to be a major advertising executive in the United States^[35]
• Dave Nisbet (1910–1976), Chehalis High School, NFL player^[36]
• Andy Olson (born 1982), Arena Football League head coach^[37]
• Brock Peterson (born 1983), Major League Baseball player^[38]
• Victor Clough Rambo, Chehalis High School, American medical missionary and ophthalmologist^[39]
• Orin C. Smith (1942–2018), CEO and President Starbucks Corporation from 2000 to 2005^[40]
• Elmer Tesreau (1905–1955), Chehalis High School, college football player for Washington^[41]

• W.F. West High School website
• Chehalis Foundation