By Himan Basnet Ten years into teaching art in our district, Mr Garrabrant still believes the whole thing comes down to two words: “just try.” From Illustration to the Classroom Mr. Garrabrant has been teaching at our district since 2016, and he still lights up when he talks about it. He teaches Art Fundamentals, Drawing, Painting, and Advanced Art Studio, the same subjects he focused on in college. It was not some grand plan that brought him here. Those classes were the

By: Isla Rice CHECK OUT WMHS SPORTS EVENTS FOR THIS WEEK HERE! (Photo by Jacson Comer) Athletic Schedule through October 30: Thursday, October 22nd: Varsity Girls Soccer District Semifinal HOME vs. Westerville South – 7pm Friday, October 23rd: Varsity Football @ Mt. Vernon Saturday, October 24th: WMAA CRAFT SHOW Varsity Boys Soccer District Semifinal @ Whetstone – 7pm Tuesday, October 27th: Varsity Girls Volleyball District Semifinal HOME vs. TBD – 6pm Wednesday, Oc

By: Gia Killilea Watkins Memorial and Licking Heights High Schools met for their highly anticipated annual football rivalry game, the Battle for Broad Street. Both teams demonstrated intense energy and enormous school pride. (Photo by Anthony Gould) Licking Heights and Watkins Memorial first met in 1957, 69 years ago. The teams have faced off 45 times over the course of the rivalry. The rivalry paused in 1991 due to the disbandment of the LCL. The rivalry remained inactive u

By: Gia Killilea Jack Purtell, previously Newark High School's girls' varsity basketball coach, is bringing his 12 district finals, 3 semifinals, and 1 state championship to Watkins Memorial's girls’ basketball program, hoping to turn around last season's 5-18 record. Coach Purtell cutting down the net at OHSAA Girls' Basketball State Championship Purtell grew up in Ashland, Ohio, located 1 hour and 30 minutes northeast of Pataskala. He grew up a basketball and baseball mult

By: Madison Lantz For Ben Boyce, band isn’t just band. It’s unifying. It’s inspiring. It betters him as a person! WMHS has some pretty interesting people, you just have to look beyond where you usually do. Sophomore Ben Boyce is a great example of one of these people. Ben holding his main instrument, the euphonium On the outside, you might think that Ben is just your average Watkins student. He grew up in Pataskala, like most, and has been going to school here since kinderg

By: Gia Killilea Mrs. Carah Casler is a jubilant, compassionate teacher who truly cares about her students. As Watkins Memorial High School's German teacher, Mrs. Casler is the smiling face you see in the hallway; you will often hear her saying, “Good morning!” or “How is your day?” Mrs Casler on the WMHS German trip, summer of 2026 Mrs. Casler is an enthusiastic, joyful teacher who makes her job not just about teaching German, but also about teaching life lessons. This year