Westerville City School District (WCSD) officials this week provided families with preliminary information about enrolling their students in the Westerville Virtual Academy (WVA) for the second semester, or in the case of those already enrolled in WVA, how to withdraw and change to the established instructional model that is based upon and determined by regional health data.

The Rotary Club of Westerville recognized its October 2020 Students of the Month during a virtual meeting Oct. 1. Throughout the school year, from October through May, the Club honors four students from local high schools each month. Working with the school principals and counselors, one student each month is chosen from Westerville Central, Westerville North, Westerville South and St. Francis DeSales high schools. The students, their parents, and the school administrators are introduced and honored at the Rotary Club’s first weekly luncheon each month.

Westerville North Cheerleading is collecting pairs of gently worn, used and new shoes as part of a fundraising drive for training and equipment needs for their competition and sideline teams. The shoe drive runs through Nov. 30.

Explore new cultures and virtually travel — for now — to international destinations as part of Westerville World Wide, a new district-wide travel club organized by educators from all three high schools.

As Wilder Elementary first-grade teacher Kate Mantenieks hiked along the Appalachian Trail this summer, she thought about what it would be like for her students to be outside learning among trees. 

Turns out, it was better than she imagined.

For years, Westerville elementary students got a deep dive into soil and erosion through in-person interactive demonstrations with Linda Pettit, an environmental education specialist with the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District.

All students enrolled in the Westerville City School District can receive free school meals through the end of the 2020-21 school year.

The update stems from a decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to extend the free meal program for the rest of the school year.

Due to parent-teacher conferences, classes will not be held at Westerville elementary schools or the Early Learning Center preschool on Thursday, Oct. 29 or Friday, Oct. 30. District middle schools will only be closed on Friday, Oct. 30. They will be in session on Thursday, Oct. 29. School will take place as usual at all three high schools – Westerville Central, North and South. Classes will resume on Monday, Nov. 2.

As part of the Westerville City School District’s Second Annual Parent Prep workshop series, parents can take sessions on various topics including technology, mental health, the college application process and adjusting to a changing school environment due to COVID-19.

Applications are being accepted through Friday, Oct. 23, for the fall 2020 Westerville City Schools A+ Employee Recognition Program, which celebrates extraordinary staff members. 

After completing only two meetings last spring, work of the volunteer community committee tasked with developing attendance boundaries for the district’s new elementary and middle school buildings came to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Jeff Bracken, a chemistry teacher at Westerville North High School, and Mary Taylor, a retired teacher from Emerson Elementary and the founder of The Friends of Faith Pruden Foundation, were named Kindness Heroes for their service to the Westerville community and beyond at Neighbor2Neighbor Westerville’s Kindness Rally.