District News

The members of Westerville Central High School’s Student Equity Council gathered for the first time on Tuesday, getting to know each other and learning about the issues they want to tackle to make their school a more equitable and inclusive space. 

The dance and cheerleading teams at Westerville North High School are celebrating history this season. 

When Westerville North High School’s theater department sought submissions for its annual One Act play showcase directed by seniors, Jeffrey Siefker decided to compose his own piece.

Westerville City School District’s “Parent Prep” returns to an in-person event this year after two years of a virtual format. The free workshop series provides parents and caregivers the opportunity to take sessions on various topics, including mindful parenting, healthy relationships, substance education, college and career planning and mental health and school resources. 

The competition is over for Genoa Middle School’s Future City team but that hasn’t stopped them from wanting to help the Maa community, a nomadic tribe in Africa whose life has centered on following available resources. 

Rhonda Hoffman, an administrative assistant at the Academic Enrichment Center, has been recognized by the Westerville Sunrise Rotary for going above and beyond to serve students.

The Rotary Club of Westerville recognized its February 2023 Students of the Month during a Feb. 2 meeting.

Twelve Westerville Central High School seniors signed letters of intent for a collegiate sport this week.

Sixth-graders at Heritage Middle School recently spent their FLEX periods diving into friendships, talking about what healthy relationships look like, the dangers of gossip and rumors and the negative impact they can have on friends and peers. 

Westerville South High School alumnus Matthew Phillips plays the lead role of SpongeBob SquarePants in The SpongeBob Musical with the Columbus Children’s Theater. 

The playground at Huber Ridge Elementary will soon feature resources to help students play well with each other and resolve conflicts. 

As part of the Peaceful Playgrounds initiative, educators will promote monthly themes around friendship, social and conflict resolution skills on yard signs sprinkled across the playground area. The signs will also feature games and activity ideas for structured play.

Thanks to funding from the Westerville Education Foundation’s fall grant cycle, Huber Ridge staff plan to launch the initiative in March. Peaceful Playgrounds is among 10 projects awarded funding from WEF.

For weeks, McVay Elementary students looked to the display near the cafeteria for hints of the book they would be reading this year as part of the annual school-wide book read.

Pictures of dragons, New York, scenes from the book and author Zetta Elliot offered some clues. This week, the school hosted a spirit week where students could dress up in a daily theme such as animal print, a mythical creature and fiery colors — all hints of the title McVay staff revealed on Friday.

Rebecca Armstrong, a teacher at the Preschool at the Early Learning Center; Lisa Dapoz, a first grade teacher at McVay Elementary; Michael Grant, a third grade teacher at Pointview Elementary and Melissa Hall, a speech/language pathologist at Cherrington Elementary have been named Westerville Education Foundation’s (WEF) December Teachers of the Month.

The Walnut Springs Middle School MathCounts team will compete at the regional chapter competition on Feb. 11 at Columbus State Community College, vying as individual competitors as well as a team to advance to the state competition. 

Genoa Middle School PTSA is hosting a Glow Run on Friday, March 10 at the middle school.

The fundraiser features a Kids Run at 6:45 p.m., a 1-mile Fun Run at 7 p.m. and a 5K Run at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the 5K and 1-mile run are $35 and include an event T-shirt.  

Westerville students in grades K-12 can now submit entries for the 2023 Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District poster contest. The theme for this year’s contest is One Water, focusing on watersheds and water quality. Entries are due March 22. 

The Hope Squads at all three Westerville high schools are kicking off Hope Week on Monday, organizing events and activities that promote hope, spread kindness and raise awareness about suicide prevention.

Westerville City School District’s “Parent Prep” returns to an in-person event this year after two years of a virtual format. The free workshop series provides parents and caregivers the opportunity to take sessions on various topics, including mindful parenting, healthy relationships, substance education, college and career planning and mental health and school resources. 

Westerville Central High School juniors Chloe Abernathy and Delaney Compson and Westerville North High School senior Dezmon Howard are recipients of the 2023 MLK Fouse Award, which was announced during the 17th annual Westerville Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Monday. 

More than 60 educators and support staff from across Westerville City Schools got their first look at the building they are interested in working at next fall: the new Minerva Park Middle School.

Molly Bussard, the registrar at Westerville Central High School, has been named the Westerville Educational Support Staff Association’s Staff Member of the Month for January.

Westerville North High School’s Music Boosters is hosting a bingo fundraiser at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11 at the high school.

The event, which is open to ages 18 and up, includes raffle prizes and concessions. Tickets are $25, which covers bingo cards.

Westerville families sign up for United Way of Central Ohio’s Tax Time program if they need help filing their taxes.

Several Mark Twain Elementary students toured the Big Bus on Friday, getting acclimated to the retired school bus that now serves as a mobile classroom.

Pointview Elementary received a full-orchestra performance from the Columbus Symphony Orchestra as part of its educational outreach program to bring classical music to schools throughout Central Ohio. As part of the concert tailored to elementary schools, Pointview students learned about the different instruments that make up an orchestra and flashed cards that showed different emotions to express how pieces of music made them feel.

During the Westerville City Schools Board of Education organizational meeting on Jan. 9, Tracy Davidson was elected president while Kristy Meyer was elected vice-president.

Westerville North High School senior Kwame Boateng has two milestones in his plans after graduating this spring: attending college and becoming a doctor.

All across Westerville elementary schools, students are diving into their science lessons by exploring a variety of questions: How do you find animals in the woods? Where do clouds come from? Why did the dinosaurs go extinct?

The Rotary Club of Westerville recognized its January 2023 Students of the Month during a Jan. 12 meeting.

Eleven Walnut Springs Middle School students in Tammy Saltzmann’s advanced seventh grade language arts class are now published authors.

Students at Robert Frost Elementary spent Friday showing what it means to be a friend in their community. 

As part of a school-wide Friendship Celebration organized by Robert Frost's PTA, students worked on a variety of projects that extended messages of love, thanks and friendship beyond their school doors. 

The program is coordinated through the Deputy Superintendent’s Office for families who are enrolled full time in the Westerville City School District. Parents or guardians wishing to apply to have their children attend a school different from their school of attendance must complete and submit an Intra-district Open Enrollment Application. Application forms are available at each school building; at the Early Learning Center (936 Eastwind Drive); or at www.wcsoh.org, where general guidelines can also be found.

Those attending the commencement ceremonies for Westerville City Schools’ three high schools on May 27 at the Celeste Center on the Ohio State Fairgrounds should be prepared for heavy traffic around the area.

Westerville students, staff and community members are invited to nominate district staff and adult volunteers for a Great Educator Mentor (GEM) Award, which is presented to individuals who go the extra mile to make a positive impact in the classroom and schools.

The sixth-graders in advanced math and science classes at Westerville City Schools’ middle schools were issued a challenge: create a container to ship a single Pringles potato chip to the district’s office in the Early Learning Center.

The goal was to design a package that had the smallest volume and smallest mass, which protected the chip so it would arrive at its destination undamaged. 

Westerville students can submit original written work to the 2023 Celebrate the Arts Writing Contest sponsored by the Arts Council of Westerville, Westerville Public Library and Friends of the Westerville Public Library. The entry deadline is March 1.

Westerville families can register their incoming kindergarten students for the 2023-24 school year starting Jan. 17. 

Kindergarten is required for children before entering first grade; families may register their children for kindergarten if they will be five years old on or before Sept. 30.

Keychains for family members. Custom-made chess boards. Puzzles with a beloved video game character. LED lamps featuring a variety of acrylic pieces, from Disney characters to sports logos. 

If Genoa Middle School students think it, they can make it in the school’s engineering lab. 

The inaugural members of McVay Elementary’s Sunshine Yoga Club stepped into their weekly gathering spot Monday for their last practice of 2022.

McVay’s motor room, which also supports students who receive occupational and physical therapy during school, has been set for the club’s 30-minute session: Mats were laid out facing the front of the space. A projection of pink and purple lights flashed along one of the walls where a tapestry of roses hung. Two children’s books focused on yoga — “I Am Yoga” by Susan Verde and “Hello, Sun” by Sarah Jane Hinder — were on display nearby. 

Deb Bergmann, an English Learners paraprofessional at Genoa Middle School has been recognized by the Westerville Sunrise Rotary for going above and beyond to serve students.

Anna McCracken, a seventh-grader at Walnut Springs Middle School, has been accepted into the Davidson Young Scholars Program and joins a community of gifted youth across the nation.

Westerville South Theatre Troupe 513 has resumed a holiday tradition that had been on hiatus because of the pandemic: its traveling show to Westerville elementaries.

Those walking along State Street in Uptown Westerville may encounter bits of kindness, well wishes and encouragement from fourth-graders at Whittier Elementary. 

The students in Tracy Jados’ gifted language arts class shared what skills they need to be successful in high school and beyond. 

In a class discussion, they talked about the importance of working with others. They knew they needed to adapt to changes all around them. They thought problem solving was especially important. 

Throughout the district, Westerville students and staff have raised thousands of dollars to support more than 600 children in need during the holidays through Westerville Caring and Sharing. 

Tina Showalter, a secretary at Blendon Middle School, has been named the Westerville Educational Support Staff Association’s Staff Member of the Month for November.

Westerville North High School senior Levi Sanders signed a letter of intent this week to play soccer at Tiffin University in the fall.

The Westerville Education Challenge is hosting a Mardi Gras Masquerade fundraiser on Feb. 11 for its work in supporting social and emotional wellness initiatives for students at Westerville City Schools.

Westerville City School District (WCSD) Treasurer/CFO Nicole Marshall recently informed Board of Education members that the district’s strategic use of federal pandemic relief dollars, combined with a one-time influx of revenue from property tax settlements and increased interest rates on investments, is projected to allow  the district to delay entering deficit spending for at least one more fiscal year.

The Adventurers reading group in Becky Burky’s fifth-grade class at Alcott Elementary were hooked on their latest novel, “Heartbeat” by Sharon Creech.

The six students embraced the drama, the descriptive free-verse passages and the pace of the story that could have been about a friend or classmate. In the book, 12-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life when her mother becomes pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and Max, her best friend and running partner, becomes distant.

Westerville City School District’s Parent Prep workshop series is returning to an in-person event March 4 at Westerville North High School.

The items on display at Heritage Middle School’s first-ever Maker’s Expo offer a glimpse of what the school’s engineering students can produce.

Minerva France Elementary’s PTA is ramping up their resources to help families support their kids’ mental and emotional needs.

The second season of Westerville South High School’s We Are South podcast kicks off Monday with a topic that organizers say sets the tone for the kind of conversations they would like to have for the rest of the school year.

Before Westerville South High School alum Abu Daramy-Swaray addresses all Emerson Elementary students in a special presentation on Dec. 8, he met with the building’s student leaders to better understand what’s on their mind, how they are feeling and what topics to cover. 

Jeffrey Holmes, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Walnut Springs Middle School, and Nikki Edwards, head custodian at Hawthorne Elementary, have been recognized by the Westerville Sunrise Rotary for going above and beyond to serve students.

After a two-year hiatus, the Hawks Nest Cafe at Westerville Central High School has reopened.

Westerville North High School has announced four new additions to its Athletics Hall of Fame — all of whom will be honored prior to the Warriors boys basketball game against Westerville South High School on Jan. 27.

Westerville North High School senior Savana Gurr signed a letter of intent this week to play volleyball at Marietta College in the fall.

Genoa Middle School students — mostly sixth-graders — spent all of November composing novels as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a national program that challenges writers to draft 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days. 

The Rotary Club of Westerville recognized its December 2022 Students of the Month during a Dec. 1 meeting.

The Cherrington Elementary community collected more than 250 non-perishable food items and supplies weighing in at 287 pounds for the school's Ohio State vs. Michigan Food Drive for Westerville Area Resource Ministry's (WARM) Food Pantry.

Westerville City Schools joined five other Franklin County districts in sponsoring a college event that helps students with IEPs and 504s explore their post-secondary options. 

First-grade students at McVay Elementary raised more than $4,100 to purchase clothes and toys for 56 children in the Westerville Caring and Sharing program.

The members of Blendon Middle School’s eighth-grade boys basketball team headed into their first scrimmage of the season last Thursday thinking they would be without their coach.

It didn’t take long for Hawthorne Elementary fifth-grader Javier Brown to connect with the two younger visitors at his table in Sarah Ward’s classroom on Friday. 

Hawthorne Elementary art teacher Liz Kengeter-Bash is one of two Central Ohio teachers who was named a 2022 Outstanding Art Teacher by the Ohio Art Education Association (OAEA).

Mark Twain Elementary families from countries across the globe shared their culture with food, songs and traditions at the school’s first-ever Multicultural Night.

From the classrooms to cafeteria walls, messages of kindness and being kind have been sprinkled all across the district as students and staff extended their World Kindness Day celebrations throughout the week and month. 

Concord Counseling Services is hosting a new support group for those experiencing long COVID, a multisystem syndrome with multiple symptoms ranging from fatigue to cognitive impairment.

Twelve seventh- and eighth-grade students from Genoa and Heritage Middle School participated in the 2022 Ohio Music Education District 15 Middle School Honor Band Festival on Nov. 12 at Thomas Worthington High School.

All across Westerville City Schools, students, teachers and staff are celebrating Veterans Day by honoring those who served with class visits, assemblies, recognition events and other activities on Friday.

Westerville South High School government teacher Kelley Stocker is among a handful of educators in Ohio — and the only one in Westerville — who are developing the state’s model curriculum for a new instructional requirement for students: proper interactions with peace officers.

For the fifth-graders at Robert Frost Elementary, Wednesday’s lessons on energy were a familiar one.

They identified and examined various types of energy in three different learning stations: a stationary bike that demonstrates how energy can be used to light different bulbs; an exploration into the way energy transforms and transfers using a light wand, toys and other devices; and a study into the world of electronic circuits with Snap Circuits kits.

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

Members of Westerville Girl Scouts Troop 6661 wanted to serve their community in a pandemic world and the results of their 10-month-long service project now sit outside of Alcott Elementary.

Each Thursday, one fourth-grader at Fouse Elementary just has to know: “Rohan is coming?”

One glance at the language arts wall in Jami Patton’s third-grade class at Wilder Elementary and the students knew the next text they’d be covering in their language arts lesson. Under the words “We Are Reading” is a picture of the book “Giant Squid: Searching for a Sea Monster.”

The Rotary Club of Westerville recognized its November 2022 Students of the Month during a Nov. 3 meeting.

Linda Danna, a secretary at Hanby Elementary, has been named the Westerville Educational Support Staff Association’s Staff Member of the Month for October.

Frank Dustman, who spent several decades teaching and volunteering throughout Westerville City Schools, passed away on Oct. 15.

Blendon Middle School received an award for their Ohio School Counselor Accountability Report (OSCAR), which highlights the school counseling team’s achievements and impact on students.

A group of Westerville North High School students visited Hawthorne Elementary’s first-grade classrooms on Wednesday to read books, play games and let them know they are already part of the Warrior community.

Westerville City School District (WCSD) officials today announced the release of the district’s 2022-23 local testing calendar for students.

Westerville Central High School’s girls soccer team wanted to support more than their own program with their annual raffle tickets sale this summer.

Minerva France Elementary has an official PTA following Wednesday’s meeting where they were chartered by the Ohio PTA.