The special Westerville City Schools Board of Education meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Dec.  7 has been canceled. 

Westerville City Schools is receiving national accolades for its most recent Popular Annual Financial Reporting (PAFR), a document that provides an overview of the district’s finances in a user-friendly approach for the community and other interested parties.

Westerville community partners, civic leaders and Westerville City Schools officials honored the district’s 34 nurses and health aides at a surprise gathering Wednesday at Westerville South High School.

Kennedy Clark, a third-grader at Robert Frost Elementary, was recognized as a Kindness Hero this week for organizing a fruit stand that raised more than $3,000 for Westerville Christian Church’s Friday Fare program. The service provides food bags to WCSD children so they don’t go hungry over the weekend.

The Rotary Club of Westerville recognized its December 2021 Students of the Month during a Dec. 2 meeting. Throughout the school year, from October through May, the Club honors four students from local high schools each month.

Several Westerville North High School students spent Thanksgiving morning volunteering with Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS) to distribute food and toys to residents at Abbey Lane Apartments — home to many Somali families and families of other English Learners in the district.

The Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP), a hands-on summer internship that focuses on entrepreneurial thinking and development through practical experience, is set to expand to Columbus with its inaugural class of interns convening in 2021. 

Wilder Elementary’s Run Club has been gearing up for the Westerville Lions Club annual Rudolph 5K Run/Walk on Dec. 5.

Westerville North High School’s annual Chem Gems Soap Sale runs from 2:05-4:30 p.m. Dec. 10 in Room 247 at the school, 950 County Line Road.

All of Wilder Elementary has been showing just how thankful they are for each other.

Despite continuing to be underfunded by the State of Ohio, the Westerville City School District’s (WCSD) most recent Five Year Financial Forecast continues to improve due to federal pandemic relief funds, conservative budgeting practices and, most recently, the impact of the state’s new two-year budget, also known as the “Fair School Funding Plan.”

Westerville City School District nurses and health aides were among health care workers across the city that were recognized in a City of Westerville proclamation at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. 

Throughout the week, Emerson Elementary students explored different countries and cultures by hearing stories, learning dances and sampling food with local tour guides.

Westerville VFW Post 7783 purchased a pair of shoelaces for all students at Hanby Elementary, which is in the home stretch of its Shoe Tying Challenge.

To show students how a community takes care of its own, Hawthorne Elementary staff organized its first school-wide service project on Saturday.

Westerville students in second through seventh grade can learn about all aspects of theatre during Westerville South High School’s Theatre Drama Camp.

The Westerville South High School Marching Band, conducted by band director John Laswell, received a Superior rating at the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) State Marching Band Contest held at Medina High School this month.

The Westerville Community Bands is performing its “Holiday Reunion” concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19 at Westerville Central High School.

The Westerville Education Challenge is hosting a Mardi Gras Masquerade fundraiser on Feb. 26 for its work in supporting social and emotional wellness initiatives for students at Westerville City Schools.

The Westerville community is invited to donate and cast their vote for their favorite of three Westerville City Schools classroom grant proposals for the Westerville Education Foundation’s first-ever Golden Butterfly Award. 

Schools across Westerville City School District celebrated Veterans Day in various ways, from producing videos to honor those who served in the military to creating informative displays.

From the classrooms to the school walls, messages of kindness and being kind have been sprinkled all across Robert Frost Elementary as students and staff celebrated World Kindness Day on Friday.

To spread kindness at Walnut Springs Middle School, eighth-grader Avamarie Hedrick focused her Eagle Scout project on creating a positive space for her peers.

In the first wave of National Signing Days which run through April, six Westerville City Schools seniors signed their letter of intent for a collegiate sport on Wednesday.

Twelve band students at Genoa and Heritage middle schools will perform in the Ohio Music Education Association District 15 Middle School Honor Band at a free public performance 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20 in Thomas Worthington High School’s auditorium.

Twelve members of Westerville South High School’s Troupe 513 were honored at the Ohio Fall Thespian Conference on Nov. 6 at Westerville Central High School.

Diane Arko, a science teacher at Westerville Central High School; Marcus Lingrell, a teacher at Westerville North High School; Emily Swank, an English teacher at Westerville South High School; and Steve Rovtar, a science teacher at the Academic Enrichment Center have been named Westerville Education Foundation’s November Teachers of the Month.

Westerville City Schools high school students are invited to submit poems for a virtual poetry slam called Say It Loud in December.

Fourth-graders Archana Khanal, Shubhraketan Kanmury and Irika Shukla brought the Diwali celebration to Emerson Elementary last week, showing their peers how to make crafts and introducing them to Indian treats.

The students in Mara Katz’s fourth-grade class at Emerson Elementary dove into the world of fossils on Monday thanks to a virtual classroom visit from Dr. Briana Pobiner, an archeologist, research scientist and museum educator for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

The Westerville City School District is partnering with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for children ages 5-11 attending Westerville City Schools.

Westerville City School District has launched a new resource to help parents, caregivers and staff members better understand the district’s COVID-19 processes and protocols.

The students in Heather Alexander’s fifth-grade class paraded out of Whittier Elementary Monday morning armed with clipboards, paper and markers.

Seniors pursuing their International Baccalaureate diploma held court in Westerville South High School’s media center Thursday, stationed at tables where they explored questions such as: “What role does imagination play in producing knowledge about the world?”, “What features of knowledge have an impact on its reliability?”, “To what extent is certainty attainable?” 

Five Westerville City School high school seniors have been named School Winners in the Heisman High School Scholarship program, which honors outstanding scholar-athletes who make a difference in their schools and communities.

The Rotary Club of Westerville recognized its November 2021 Students of the Month during a Nov. 4 meeting.

For five years, Westerville South High School’s Student Council has kept a fund of excess dollars to be used once the building’s renovation project has been completed.

With the money, student council members could decide what personal touches they’d like to add to their new spaces such as adding plants or flowers on the school grounds to welcome students and community members.

Westerville Central High School’s Key Club has been named “Outstanding Youth Group” by the Delaware County Foundation during its Evening of Generosity on Oct. 20.

Blendon Middle School was one of three schools in Ohio to receive an award for their Ohio School Counselor Accountability Report (OSCAR), which highlights the school counseling team’s achievements and impact on students.

It won’t be hard to miss the artwork by Alcott Elementary’s third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students this winter. 

The blades of four Genoa Township snowplows serve as a canvas for their designs, which include a collection of flowers, an aquarium scene, their take on Van Gogh’s The Starry Night and snowflakes surrounding the phrase, “Let It Snow.”

Throughout October, the whiteboard near the kitchen area of the Academic Enrichment Center has become a living comic strip panel.

Chase Wood, a senior at Westerville North High School who attends the Educational Options for Success (EOS) program, sketches drawings inspired by Halloween-themed jokes in hopes of bringing levity to the roughly 100 students and 14 staff members at the center.

Two Blendon Middle School seventh-grade students placed third in the 2021 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior National Championship earlier this month in Tennessee.

The new elementary school slated to open fall 2022 has been named Minerva France Elementary School, its namesake a Westerville native who was among the first Black women to receive a library science degree.

Minerva France was relatively unheard of in Westerville — until last year.

The Westerville City School District has received a $1.7 million grant through the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Connectivity Fund to expand students’ access to technology during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Middle and high school students interested in exploring math topics can participate in free, virtual workshops with the Ohio State University Department of Mathematics each month.

For the first time since he joined Heritage Middle School’s eighth-grade football team, Micah Stein was going to play. 

His parents — Keith Stein and Lauren Faubel — watched from the home stands at the 40-yard-line at Westerville North High School’s McCann Stadium, preparing to capture the moment they didn’t think was possible.

Fouse Elementary’s PTO raised more than $28,000 through their first dance-a-thon fundraiser where families, businesses and donors contributed money so students could dance during recess at school. 

The latest mural installations for Genoa and Heritage middle school have been taking shape since the start of the year in the teacher workspaces next to the art classrooms. 

After more than a month of research, design and working the math, a team of sixth-grade students at Walnut Springs Middle School was ready to put paint to plow.

The third-grade students at Robert Frost Elementary harvested their first full cycle of radish crops last week, after weeks of planting, watering and weeding the school garden. 

The Rotary Club of Westerville recognized its October 2021 Students of the Month during an Oct. 14 meeting.

Westerville City School District is facing food service challenges due to product shortfalls, delivery delays and staffing shortages among food vendors and distributors.

Since the start of the school year, Genoa Middle School seventh-graders Sydney “Sam” Lisi-Huber and Madison “Lennon” Daniels have spent much of their free time in the sixth-grade girl’s bathroom.

Before the start of school and during their art period, the two have committed to covering the walls with bright artwork and positive messages, creating a welcoming space for their younger peers. 

The to-do list for the inaugural KinderGARDEN Club meeting at Longfellow Elementary may have been somewhat ambitious.

Hawthorne Elementary’s English Language teachers heard a similar question among the families of their students whose first language is not English: How can we help?

Shelley Seabury, a fifth-grade teacher at Mark Twain Elementary; Lisa Dapoz, a first-grade teacher at McVay Elementary and Lee Rutherford, an English teacher at Blendon Middle School have been named Westerville Education Foundation’s October Teachers of the Month.

Diana Droste Herak, an orchestra teacher at Genoa and Walnut Springs middle schools, has received the Elvin Donaldson Most Inspirational Bandsperson Award in recognition of her work and contributions to Ohio State’s TBDBITL Alumni Club.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Bette Marschall Education Fund of The Columbus Foundation will not award monetary grants during the fall of the 2021-22 school year.  

Robert Frost fifth-grade teacher Nate Van Sickle sat at the front of one of the buses transporting the school’s fifth-graders to Sharon Woods Metro Park Thursday.

As the bus rolled into the pavilion where Metro Park Naturalist Alli Shaw was waiting for them, Van Sickle looked back. All the students were cheering.

“It was hard not to tear up,” he said. 

Westerville North High School’s new Cardinal and Gold Union is close to completion. 

Westerville City School District (WCSD) officials today announced the release of the district’s 2021-22 local testing calendar for students, along with an acknowledgment that the testing schedule remains subject to change.

Hawthorne Elementary PTA hosted a Mumkin fundraiser to support the school, selling nearly 800 mum flowers.

Before the start of the lunch rush, Westerville South High School senior Curtis Wyglendowski claimed his spot in a booth along the side of the newly-renovated cafeteria, which opened its doors Wednesday. 

The dining space now features new lighting, refinished floors and updated seating throughout the area. 

The Westerville North High School’s boys soccer team had been hitting their practices hard with only one break in 14 days. The last Saturday in August gave them another chance to rest.

Then came the message from Coach Nate Hartnell just before the weekend:

“Hey boys, can you come help out Saturday?”

Senior Alex Lowery didn’t hesitate in his response. 

“Sure.”

The popular soil and erosion lessons with Linda Pettit, an environmental education specialist with the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District, were virtual at Emerson Elementary last year because of the pandemic.

The conservation district’s Education team wanted to build off that experience by making the lessons more interactive and tested their new approach with Emerson students on Wednesday.

Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program all Westerville high schools have implemented this fall, was recognized in a City of Westerville proclamation honoring National Suicide Prevention Month.

The school community at Wilder Elementary dedicated this week to building connections among students and staff and creating an inclusive environment.

As part of Wilder’s Start with Hello week festivities, students participated in daily lessons and activities that encouraged them to connect with their school community. They talked about ways to reach out to someone who is alone. They read books featuring themes of kindness and inclusion. They learned how to say hello in different languages. They created postcards to their “family” teacher, who serves as another adult they can connect with in addition to their home teacher.

Westerville North High School chemistry teacher Jeff Bracken has received the Great Blue Heron Award from the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District. The award, which he received this month, recognizes outstanding contributions in natural resources and stream protection within Franklin County.

Tami Santa, Director of Mental Health & Wellness for Westerville City Schools, has been named the 2021 Advocate of the Year by the Ohio School Counselor Association.

The students and staff at the Educational Options for Success (EOS) program kicked off their monthly celebrations of unique national recognition days with National Pepperoni Pizza Day on Sept. 20. 

Sophie Sneeringer, a ninth-grader at Westerville Central High School, and her younger sister, Lena Sneeringer, an eighth-grader at Genoa Middle School, participated in a virtual mentorship experience in late August with leftchannel, a design consultant group focused on content in motion. 

From the school walls to the student section at the Friday football game, all of Westerville South High School has been spreading the word about suicide prevention. 

Five Westerville seniors are semifinalists in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, according to a recent announcement by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

When asked to organize an observance of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the social studies department at Westerville North High School came to a few conclusions:

• Teaching the event has changed over time as more and more students in school today had not been born when it happened. 

• Teachers and students alike have experienced a lot in the last 18 months because of the pandemic and the department didn’t want to add one more traumatic, triggering event to their consciousness.

Genoa Middle School eighth-grader Addison Shoults has always been drawn to art, diving into different mediums such as painting and cross-stitching. 

When the state shut down schools at the start of the pandemic last year, she used her time at home to merge the two art forms — with satisfying results. 

With more than 50 pieces completed, Shoults is among the several local artists whose works are currently on display and for sale at the Ohio Art Market in Uptown Westerville. At 13, she was the youngest artist to participate in an outdoor event throughout Uptown last Friday where Ohio Art Market artists conducted live art demonstrations and shared how they create their works.

Westerville North High School junior Tahira Johnson has been selected to the College Board National African American Recognition Program, which recognizes African American students across the country based on their PSAT or AP scores.

Westerville North High School has been awarded a Purple Star designation for its commitment to serving military families, a renewal of an honor the school received from the Ohio Department of Education in 2018.

Westerville South was awarded the designation last year and Westerville Central received the designation in 2019.

The first-graders at Hanby Elementary walked into the gym Tuesday morning where Alisa Franklin prepared a lesson in a topic she has never before covered since becoming a physical education teacher more than a dozen years ago.

“We’re going to figure out how to tie some shoes,” she told students.

The McVay Elementary school community kicked off the school year with their annual PRIDE assemblies last week where they premiered their latest school parody music video, “Off To Show Our Pride.”

The theatre programs for all three Westerville high schools have been accepted into the CAPA Marquee High School Musical Theatre Awards and will vie for honors in 11 categories from participating high schools throughout Central Ohio. 

Three Westerville middle school students have been selected to join the Capital University Junior Winds, a youth ensemble hosted by Capital University that provides high-level instruction and repertoire for band students in grades 8 and 9. 

At 9:37 a.m. each morning, there is a collective pause to the school day at Walnut Springs Middle School. 

During the advisory period, students meet with teachers and staff members across the building — in classrooms, on the gym stage, throughout the cafeteria and in the courtyard. They gather in circles where Walnut Springs adults lead a guided forum for students to connect, express their feelings and hear from one another.

Chris Cuprys, a 2021 graduate from Westerville Central High School, has been named the Educational Options for Success (EOS) program’s 10th Outstanding Graduate.

Cuprys earned all his high school credits through EOS — the second student ever to do so in the program’s 20-year history. 

“It’s an honor,” he said. “It was the best four years of school I’ve had. I loved it here.”

A new initiative between Westerville City Schools’ orchestra program and the Westerville Symphony brings live concerts to younger audiences while giving students the opportunity to learn from and connect with professional musicians. 

Westerville South High School has been awarded a grant from the Aladdin Shriners Hospital Association for Children in Grove City to purchase medical equipment that assists students with physical disabilities when using the toilet.

Westerville North High School added four members to its Athletics Hall of Fame prior to the Aug. 20 football game.

The Westerville Public Library is offering free delivery of library materials to Westerville City Schools students, teachers, and staff throughout the school year. 

Heritage Middle School has embraced a new approach to their sports teams this year that spelled out their expectations to students before they signed up: Scholar first, athlete second.

The yellow rose ceremony typically kicks off a new school year at Westerville North High School, setting the tone for seniors embarking on their last year of high school and giving freshmen a chance to see what awaits them in the future.

Last year’s celebration was canceled after the district started the year virtually because of the pandemic. However, school leaders surprised the Class of 2021 with yellow roses before commencement last spring.

Westerville High School Class of 1972 is holding its reunion on Sept. 10, 2022 at Embassy Suites by Hilton Columbus, 2700 Corporate Exchange Dr.

Three days before all of Westerville City Schools opened its doors to students, the district’s administrators, educators and support staff got some class time together. 

The inaugural group of Hope Squad student leaders across Westerville’s high schools took their first steps learning how they can help support peers struggling with mental health.

A crowd of Cherrington Elementary students and their parents gathered at their Blendon Woods neighborhood last week, awaiting the arrival of Principal Andy Heck and their teachers.

Blendon Middle School Principal Kendall Harris is part of a state task force charged with identifying best practices that improve educational outcomes for Ohio’s Black children.

The Westerville City School District (WCSD) Board of Education approved another organizational move during its June 28 regular board meeting as part of the district’s continuing succession planning initiative.

Anne Baldwin became the district’s Executive Director of Secondary Academic Affairs effective July 1, 2021, filling the vacancy created by Scott Reeves’ transition to Executive Director of Human Resources.

When a group of juniors at Westerville South High School (WSHS) surveyed their peers about a change they’d want to see in their school, many of them talked about a need for practical skills such as cooking, car maintenance and financial literacy. 

Another group of juniors at Westerville North High School (WNHS) focused their survey to peers about staff diversity and whether they’ve been able to connect with teachers whose racial and ethnic background is different from their own. 

Next school year, all Westerville City School District families will report student absences through a secure system called SafeArrival.  In addition to reducing the time it takes to verify student attendance, this system gives families more options to report a child’s absence and allows our staff to immediately investigate discrepancies. This is especially important when a child is reported absent during attendance and the office has not notified that the student would be missing school that day. 

Westerville City Schools Superintendent Dr. John Kellogg on Monday announced the district’s comprehensive approach to addressing the academic and social-emotional needs of students and staff because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Westerville North High School’s band director Sara Loney will join up to 300 band directors from across the country to march in the annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Rose Parade on Jan. 1.

Westerville City School District Board of Education members approved the following 2021 meeting calendar during their Jan. 11 organizational meeting.