West Jessamine High School


West Jessamine High School is a public high school in Nicholasville, Kentucky. It opened in 1997 along with East Jessamine High School after rapidly growing Jessamine County split its former high school, Jessamine County High, in two. West Jessamine inherited the former Jessamine County High's nickname of Colts.

Athletics

West Jessamine High School has the following academic departments:
West Jessamine's varsity football team has made a number of state playoffs appearances, most recently in 2005. The JV and freshman football teams have also had some recent success, going a combined 7-2 in the 2007 season. In the 2009 football season West Jessamine's football team went a record 9-3, most wins in school history, and won their first playoff game against Harrison County High School, but was defeated by Boyle County, who would later win the state championship.
The boys' varsity basketball team has made a number of state tournament appearances as well, including 2005's Sweet Sixteen run. In 2009 they made it to the Final Four in basketball. The boys' baseball, girls' softball, boys' and girls' soccer, and boys' and girls' track and cross country teams have all also achieved status among the better programs in the state; West Jessamine's two-state athletics championship came in girls' slow-pitch softball and girls' golf.
The West Jessamine girls' soccer team is under the head coaching of Kevin Wright. Miss Kentucky Soccer 2010 was senior Arin Gilliland, who completed her career at West as a Parade All American and a member of the U20 National Team and several years on the Kentucky All-State team. The Lady Colts made school history in the 2011 season by reaching the KHSAA Soccer Final Four, although they lost to the eventual state champion in the Final Four game.
The boys' golf team is arguably the school's most successful sports team in recent years, having won the State Championship in both 2012 and 2013.
The archery team is the only mixed-gender athletic program in the school. The team was re-established in the fall of 2012 after several years without funding. The team practices at the Providence Activity Center alongside the East Jessamine team, as both teams have the same coaches. West and East hosted the 2013 pre-regional and the 2014 regional and pre-regional tournaments. West shot in the 2013 State, National, and World Tournaments, held in Louisville, Louisville, and St. Louis, Missouri, respectively. The archery team is the only athletic team in West Jessamine's history to compete at a higher competition level than the state.
In the 2008 season, boys' cross country team placed fourth in the state, only two points away from second place. The track and field team has placed in the top five in the state each of the past five years, achieving state champions in the mile, two-mile, pole vault, and 4 by 800-meter relay. The West Jessamine Baseball team has been successful in the past couple of years, most recently winning the district tournament and going on to win their first region championship, then advancing to state. The team was led by seniors Chase Greene who is now playing at the University of Kentucky, Joseph Griffitt now at Kentucky Wesleyan, Cody Stotts and Scott Gross.
The chorus program at West Jessamine High School has a reputation as one of the best in the state of Kentucky, receiving distinguished ratings. Elite voices in the chorus ensembles have represented West Jessamine High School at the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts majoring in Vocal Music. Three individuals have been selected in the past two years, two who attended as sophomores.
The band program at West Jessamine High School has received numerous "distinguished" ratings over the past several years. The band program consists of five major components - marching band, symphonic band, indoor percussion, pep band, and jazz band.
The school's Drama and Musical Theater program, under the theatrical direction of. Edie Moon and Hallie Brinkerhoff and with assistance from the other arts departments at the high school, has performed plays and musicals such as Antigone, Wait Until Dark, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Fiddler on the Roof, The Real Inspector Hound, and The Crucible.In the fall of 2007, the high school performed the play On the Verge. Also, in the fall of 2006 the drama department entered Antigone into the yearly competition sponsored by the Kentucky Theater Association.The school's drama department won the "Best Newcomer" award.Out of all actors attending, three out of ten were chosen from West Jessamine High School as "most talented".