The English department will be undergoing a few changes next year, the most prevalent being the addition of an Honors English 9 course as an alternative option to English 9. English department head Kimberly De La Cruz thinks offering an English 9 Honors class will allow the English department to be more able to meet the unique needs of learners.

The English department will also be offering a new elective called Introduction to Oral Communication, and it will be offered to students grades 9-12. This will be a course that teaches students the basics of public speaking and different types of speech.

Other popular electives in the English department are Creative Writing, offered to grades 11-12, and Vocabulary Enrichment, offered to grades 10-12.

There are also opportunities for students to get involved in activities such as debate, journalism and theater within the English department. If a student is interested in joining a publication at Westside, he or she should sign up for either Mass Communication or Photojournalism, as either of these are prerequisites to be on a publication staff. Similarly, if a student wants to get involved in theater or debate, they should sign up for a theater or debate class.