Westerville City School District Superintendent Dr. John R. Kellogg on Monday announced the district’s “Together Again Plan” that will return all students to their schools and classrooms just prior to the final quarter of the 2020-21 academic year.

Since the start of the school year, the entire Westerville school community has taken steps to better understand the racial climate in their buildings and examine the barriers that prevent underrepresented students from access to opportunities. Across the district, school leaders, educators, staff members and parents have dived into the Be the Change!: Implicit and Institutional Bias training which explores implicit bias and racial equity in schools.

The Westerville City Schools Board of Education will meet for a special meeting in a hybrid virtual work session 6 p.m. on Monday, March 1, out of the district's Early Learning Center, located at 936 Eastwind Drive in Westerville. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss board operations. 

Westerville City School District Board of Education members on Monday discussed the merits of boycotting this year's administration of mandated state tests. They then unanimously approved a resolution urging the Ohio General Assembly to waive all state-mandated standardized testing requirements for the current school year. The resolution also encourages lawmakers to request a testing waiver from the U.S. Department of Education and declares the Board's support for House Bills 67 and 40. These bills would fulfill both requests and declare an emergency, thereby making the measures effective immediately.

During his Eagle Scout service project last year, Westerville Central High School senior Haden Fulkerson decided to document his steps, laying out a road map on how others can get the most out of their Scouts experience.

His journal eventually became “SOAR: An Eagle Scout’s Guide to Advancement and Leadership,” a self-published guide that offers insight and advice for Scouts at every point of their journey from one of their own. 

Westerville City Schools is committed to collaborating with all stakeholders in the creation of a Portrait of a Graduate. During a year filled with unpredictability and challenges, it is clear that students not only need to engage in learning experiences aligned with state standards, but they also need experiences that promote a variety of skills and competencies.

Avery Long, a sixth-grader at Blendon Middle School, has been invited to compete in a regional spelling competition this spring sponsored by Ohio University School of Business after taking first place in a school-wide competition.

When second-grade students at Fouse Elementary attending the Westerville Virtual Academy realized they would not be exchanging Valentine’s Day cards in person this year, they wondered who they could show their love to in keeping with their classroom tradition.

Several Westerville middle school students are now published authors.

Applications are being accepted through Friday, March 12, for the spring 2021 Westerville City Schools A+ Employee Recognition Program, which celebrates extraordinary staff members. 

The Black History Month programs at all three Westerville high schools this year share a common inspiration: the widespread protests over the death of George Floyd and the racial unrest that followed.

The students behind the programs at Westerville Central, Westerville North and Westerville South high schools have taken different approaches to respond to the conversations from the summer. 

The first-graders walked into Alex Chapman’s music room at Pointview Elementary with their sights set on the stability balls at the side of the room.

The last time they were in his class they got a preview of an upcoming music lesson by pounding on the large vinyl balls with pool noodles as drum sticks. 

Today, they were going to spend their class time with the drum sets, learning about steady beats while getting a workout at the same time.