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Whiz Kid: Talented Parkway West Athlete is Scholar, Too

High school seniors like Maggie Wenstrup have received their diplomas, tossed their mortarboards and are prepping for college, but she's still receiving kudos.

Maggie Wenstrup, a 2011 graduate of Parkway West High School has been chosen as the school’s St. Louis Post Dispatch scholar athlete. Students are selected by their school for the honor. 

“Maggie is an excellent example of what a student-athlete should be at the high school level,” John Sloop, basketball coach at Parkway West, said by email. “She excels in the classroom. She participated and was a major contributor in three sports during her senior year: volleyball, basketball, and soccer. She's an extremely warm and caring individual who people seem to gravitate toward.”

Maggie graduated in the top 25 percent of her class, and she is deeply involved in sports. She is a four-time Parkway West scholar-athlete and a two-time triathlete, participating in three different sports in her freshman and senior years.  She was captain of the basketball team last season and has also served as captain for the volleyball team. Maggie enjoyed her tenure as team captain.           

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“I was the connection between the players and coach,” she said.  “My job was to aid in communication between the players and Coach Sloop.”

Assisting the development of other students is part of her caring spirit. “I am a member of High School Heroes and Peer Teaching,” Maggie said. “These groups visit the middle school several times each year. We talk with sixth- and seventh-grade students about staying drug and alcohol free. We also talk about responsibility, honesty and integrity, in hopes of helping them get a good start in high school.”

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As a student on the Teen Advisory Committee, she and other Parkway West and Central High students meet with the local police chief to discuss and address school and community issues impacting teens.    

Wenstrup plans to study nursing at William Jewell College in Liberty, MO. “I chose Jewell because I wanted to do something in the medical field, and they have a great nursing school. Plus, I can continue to play basketball there,” she said.  The William Jewell women’s team has competed in the NAIA National Tournament seven out of the last nine years, making the Sweet Sixteen round most recently in the 2007-08 season.

“Maggie is intelligent, hard-working, and a great leader. She has earned the respect of her administrators, teachers, and peers. She represents the best qualities of a high school student-athlete and is a great role model for those who will follow her at Parkway West. I only wish I was able to work with her longer,” Sloop said.

Maggie is the daughter of Pat and Kathy Wenstrup.  Her two older sisters, Claire and Colleen, attend the University of Missouri.

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