West Czech dance organization celebrates 50 years with reunion performance

WEST, Texas (KWTX) - Alumni of the West Junior Historians, the West High School organization which celebrates Czech culture, are reuniting after 50 years to perform at Westfest Saturday.

“It was a wonderful experience for us way back in the day,” Denise Mccauley, one of the original members of the club, said. “We’re so proud to represent our heritage, the Czech culture.”

In 1973, West ISD coach and history teacher, Milton “Poone” Morgan, started a group to teach students to embrace the Czech heritage and learn more about it. Since then, it has become a major tradition in the high school and the community.

“It was our project for our class at that time when our Junior Historian sponsor said, ‘Hey, let’s have dance,’” Mccauley said.

The group performed at Westfest for the first time in 1976 when they performed the Czech national dance, “The Moravian Beseda.”

“With our parents, growing up, we knew how to do these dances, and they just incorporated them into the group,” member Patty James said. “Now they’re fun, special.”

The group started with 16 members, and, now, it has grown to include around 145 members from all high school grade levels.

“We never dreamed that all these years later...there were 16 of us, originals, and, now, there’s, what, 145 of them in the high school that do it every year,” member Joyce Marek said.

The group performs polka, folk dance, waltz and more, and, this year, alumni are reuniting to perform these types of dance once again at Westfest.

The group of alumni from original members to recent graduates of the high school have been practicing for months and plan to perform in their traditional Czech costumes, the kroje, as well.

“We learned the dances, and here we are all these years later,” Marek said. “Having the time of our lives,” Mccauley said.

The group will be performing Saturday evening at the Sefcik Ampitheatre from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

West High School Junior Historians will perform from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.