West Valley High School

WVHS is a tiny school in a middle-of-nowhere town called Cottonwood. The campus is placed on a farm, and students in the district have appropriately given the school's football field the nickname "The Pasture" due to the rural environment. Farm animals are often seen in the halls and cows can be heard through the classroom windows. The mascot of the school is the Eagle. WVHS is an ugly, underfunded school. Drugs, bullying, underage pregnancy, and dangerous scandals are common. Recently the school was in the news for the football team's severe hazing of new members that included rape. The school and community reject the arts and other creative pursuits and instead spend all their money on things like football. The selection for electives is severely limited and the ones that are available often require students to physically leave the school. Students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and students who have non-traditional interests are treated poorly and unsupported by much of the staff and administration. Other features of the school over the years have included the "gum tree" and the "shoe tree." It has also been popular among students to point out that the acronym "WVHS" upside down appears to spell the word "sham," which summarizes the way many students feel about the motivational and positive messages the school artificially promotes. The only thing that saves this school from being a complete wasteland are the rare staff that truly care and the resilience of the students.