The 2012-13 school year has concluded in the Westerville City School District, and many students and staff are planning to begin their summer break by visiting The Eyes of Freedom Memorial, paintings depicting the 23 fallen Marines from Lima 3/25.  The exhibit is on display from noon to 5:00 p.m. on May 25, 26 and 27 at Westerville City Hall, which is located at 21 S. State Street.  The Memorial tells the story of love and sacrifice, as a reminder of the great price men and women are willing to pay for their country.  It has become a remembrance of spirit and choice for all who have answered the call of service.

For meeting their fundraising goal, Huber Ridge Elementary students got to enjoy the new looks of Assistant Principal Dr. Aloma Gibbs (Hello Kitty) and Jonathan Langhals (Mr. Incredible).

Forty students from Blendon, Genoa, Heritage and Walnut Springs middle schools visited Ohio Wesleyan University on May 16 for a campus tour and meetings with the Admissions Department to learn about campus life, admission requirements, college preparation, and career information.

Walnut Springs Middle School students worked together to earn $1,003 to support the Buckeye Clinic in Southern Sudan.  Beginning last week with a visit from Bol Aweng, pupils learned about the journey of the “lost boys” of Sudan. 

A ceremonial signing took place for several students at Westerville South High School on Wednesday, May 15, who will continue athletic pursuits at the college level.

As the school year comes to an end, the Westerville North High School staff celebrated with a softball game. Team Ring and Team McGeorge battled in a close game with Team Ring winning with a score of 11 to 8.  Teacher John Birkhimer celebrated his retirement by throwing out the first pitch.

The 10th annual Central Ohio 6th and 7th Grade Battle of the Books Competition took place at the McCoy Performing Arts Center in New Albany on May 13.  Each of Westerville’s four middle schools competed along with other Central Ohio teams from Hamilton, Whitehall, Columbus, Groveport-Madison, New Albany-Plain Local, St. Brigid, and Canal Winchester.  Teams buzzed in with correct answers about titles from the 20-book list in a Jeopardy-style contest.

Pointview Elementary School has a brand new look for spring.  On Saturday, May 4, members of the Pointview PTA joined forces with volunteers from the Westerville Christian Church for a Spring Cleaning and Spruce-up work session at the school.  More than 40 volunteers gave three hours of their time that morning to clean out, replant and mulch flower beds and gardens around the building.

A special graduation ceremony was held at Huber Ridge Elementary School on Monday morning, May 13, when fifth graders received certificates for having completed the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, taught by Deputy Tony Casper.

Celebrating student achievement is fairly common at middle schools in Westerville, but what makes Blendon Middle School’s Renaissance Awards Program stand out is the way that achievement is celebrated.  Starting with an awards program in the school gym, each qualifying student receives not just a certificate for their accomplishment, but a tangible reward donated by various local businesses.

On May 8, 40 highly talented visual artists from each of the four Westerville middle schools attended the fourth annual “Career in the Visual Arts” trip.  Students visited the Columbus Museum of Art and Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD), thanks to funding from the Career Education and Gifted Education Departments.

Mark Twain Elementary School students and staff gathered outside on the morning of Thursday, May 16, to dedicate a new piece of playground equipment in memory of Tucker Northeimer, a kindergarten student who died in an automobile accident in December.

Family Reading Night took place on Thursday evening, May 9, at Fouse Elementary School.  The event, dubbed “Camp Read-a-Lot,” was organized by the Fouse Literacy Committee.  Students and their families visited several reading activity stations throughout the school, watched plays at the Reader’s Theater, played reading bingo, and even got to make smores in the teacher’s lounge.

Two-hundred-seventy student representatives in grades 3-5 attended the Spring 2013 Elementary Leadership Summit on Friday, May 10, for the purpose of further developing their leadership skills, as well as sharing community service endeavors conducted in their schools.

The paparazzi was out in full force on Wednesday afternoon, May 15, for the gala, red carpet premiere of Reflections through the Years, a celebration of short films featuring some of Westerville’s finest senior citizens.

SOH Productions will be selling customized DVDs of Westerville City Schools graduation ceremonies for $14.95 each.  Commencement exercises for Westerville’s graduating class of 2013 will take place on Saturday, May 25, at the Ohio Expo/Celeste Center.  Westerville Central High School ceremonies will be held at 10:00 a.m., followed by Westerville South High School at 2:00 p.m. and Westerville North High School at 6:00 p.m.

The Westerville Education Foundation (WEF) recently announced that four grants totaling $4,608.51 were awarded to school employees.  These groups and individuals were recognized on May 10 at an award ceremony and breakfast held at the Westerville Public Library.

Westerville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Dan Good was surprised on May 15 when Sunrise Rotarians named him as the monthly recipient of the Westerville Sunrise Rotary Diane J. Conley Service to Youth award.  He was attending the breakfast meeting, held at the Old Bag of Nails, to support all Service to Youth winners during the 2012-13 school year.  Under his leadership, the district was rated as Excellent with Distinction for three years in a row by the Ohio Department of Education.

Meghan Wilson, a Westerville Central High School junior, has been awarded one of approximately 625 National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarships for 2013-2014.  The NSLIY program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students to learn less commonly-taught languages in summer and academic-year overseas immersion programs.  NSLIY offers overseas study opportunities in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, and Turkish.

Solutions to today’s energy challenges are being developed in classrooms and homes around Westerville.  The Ohio Energy Project’s annual Youth Energy Celebration on May 14 at The Ohio State University’s Ohio Union welcomed more than 350 students, teachers and partners from around the state.  In Westerville, 70 students and six educators were recognized for their outstanding work this school year through the Westerville Energy Education Partnership.

The Westerville Education Challenge (WEC), established in 2009 to raise private support for public education in Westerville City Schools, will be awarding $10,000 in grant funds this year. Applicants may apply for up to $5,000, or request a portion of the available award dollars. The grant funds are intended to reward teachers and the school district by funding creative and innovative projects that enrich curricular and extra-curricular activities and directly enhance educational opportunities for a significant number of students in Westerville City Schools.

At a dedication ceremony held May 13 at the Larimore Land Lab, Westerville North High School was officially certified by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife as a WILD School Site.  School officials and students watched and listened as Karen Norris, Wildlife Communications Specialist, presented two plaques of commendation.

Using grant funding, students from each of the four Westerville middle schools’ advanced 6th grade Social Studies classes spent a day on Capitol Square, a complex that includes the Ohio Statehouse, Senate Building, and Atrium, providing the opportunity to bring lesson plans to life on such subjects as history, civics, architecture, and art.  In addition to viewing and interacting with the museum’s treasures, students participated in active discussions and simulations regarding Ohio government.  Some trips included personal visits from Representative Anne Gonzales, who was able to take students onto the House Floor.

In an effort to help connect students globally and locally, Film and Literature pupils at Westerville Central High School have participated in an International Education and Resource Network (lEarn) project entitled Folk Tales/Storytelling:  Past and Present.  lEarn is the largest non-profit global network with more than 40,000 teachers and two million students involved in various projects.

The Rotary Club of Westerville, which sponsors a Student of the Month program, recognized recipients at a luncheon at Villa Milano held on May 2.  May students are:  Shae Feenstra, Westerville Central High School; Rachel Jackson, Westerville North High School; and Jared Higdon, Westerville South High School.

This past weekend Westerville City Schools once again made a strong showing at the Central Region Road-E-O and brought home some hardware to prove it.  Overall 7th place winner was Gary Case, an alternate for the State contest on May 18.  Taking overall 9th place was Cindy Russell, who will also serve as a State competition alternate.  The First Place Team members (collective score) were Westerville drivers Gary Case, Debbie Diller, Cindy Russell and Steve Smith.  The third place team also hailed from Westerville City Schools -- Rafael Guigni, John Holmes, Shelly Smith and Shirley Timberlake.

The Westerville Parent Council and GFS Marketplace recently awarded five $500 scholarships to students at Westerville Central, North and South high schools.  This year’s recipients are...

Westerville City Schools will be working with the Westerville Area Resource Ministry to provide meals to students this summer.  The 2013 season of the Westerville Area Kids Summer Lunch Club will run weekdays from May 28 through August 9 at six sites. This year there will be five open sites: Alum Creek South Park, Huber Village Park, La Vista Townhomes, Ridgewood Park and Strawberry Farms Park and one enrolled site: Church of the Nazarene.

Last week, most Blendon Middle School 8th graders went on the annual trip to Washington, D.C.  Students who couldn’t make the journey were also treated to a very special week, however, thanks to the efforts of teachers Kelly Blum and Pam Aylor, who worked together to come up with various service and educational activities.

The Westerville South High School Wind Ensemble, directed by Mark A. Stevens, earned the highest rating possible at the Ohio Music Education Association’s State Band Competition held May 3 at North Royalton High School.  This is the first time since 1997 that this group has earned this prestigious ranking.  They were required to perform a piece called Foundry, which was composed by Westerville South graduate John Mackey.

First and fifth grade students at Wilder and McVay elementary schools recently were able to explore and get an up-close and personal look at streams that flow into Big Walnut Creek below Hoover Dam.  Students scooped up water insects and other invertebrates for study.  Through such investigation, they were able to evaluate the composition of the aquatic community as an indication of the relative health of the stream.

The Westerville Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), in collaboration with the Westerville City Schools Gifted Education Department, has awarded four $300 scholarships to the Be WISE Camp at Denison University this summer. Middle school recipients are Madison Seabury (Genoa), Gabrielle McCrea (Walnut Springs), Sophie Hand (Heritage), and Claire Guinan (Blendon).

Westerville City Schools announces the sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program for Children.  Free meals will be made available to eligible children 18 years of age and under or persons over 18 who are determined by a state or local public educational agency to be mentally or physically disabled.  Children who are members of food stamp households or OWF assistance units are automatically eligible for free meals. To be eligible, children participating in residential camps must meet the income guidelines for reduced meals in the National School Lunch Program.

Cherrington Elementary School hosted its annual Multi-Cultural Night on Thursday, May 2, featuring food, art and activities representing a number of regions, including the United States, Central America, France, Asia, Africa, and South America.  Students received passports to guide them through various stations and guest readers from the Westerville area shared stories.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has announced this year’s National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners.  Included on the list is Melanie A. Raphael, a senior at Westerville South High School, whose probable career field is Medicine.  The 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program.

On Monday morning, May 6, the rain held off just long enough for students and staff at Heritage Middle School to dedicate their new memorial garden and park bench, created to honor the shooting victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  The tragedy touched the hearts of students in Andy Habing’s North Pointe class, who decided they wanted to create a special place of remembrance.

Each of the Westerville City School District’s four middle schools is unique and special.  In the case of Walnut Springs, the courtyard is a feature that sets the building apart.  Walnut Springs, the first middle school in the district, was built in 1964 and designed by architects Joseph Baker and Associates with the outside space in mind.  Over the years, many have played a role in its upkeep.  The space has a long history as an example of people coming together for a common good.

In an effort to constantly support a positive culture and climate and to make sure that everyone is on point with all of the building academic goals, Westerville Central High School participated in the fourth spirit week of the school year.

Emerson Elementary School third grade student Lanie Eckhardt has been notified that her written review of Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, will be published in the November/December 2013 edition of Storyworks magazine, a Scholastic publication.  Eckhardt’s teacher is Linda Cullison.

On May 1, the Westerville Education Association (WEA) hosted its Annual Reception at Villa Milano.  WEA President Rhonda Gilpin presided over the event, during which time a number of awards were presented. Retiring Superintendent Dr. Dan Good said Westerville City Schools has delivered, in each of the past six years, more added value, higher performance indices, and ultimately, the State’s top rating three times in a row.  “I attribute that success to each of you, and I humbly state that it has been a true honor for me to work here.”

The Community Service Project Team from the Westerville Leadership Class of 2013 is taking on a project to honor Hospice nurses and staff.  June is Hospice Awareness Month and donations are being sought to...

The Westerville Central High School Warhawk Marching Band went to Disney World in early April to perform in front of thousands of people from all over the world.  The band proudly represented their school by playing and marching in fine fashion down Main Street USA, right in the center of Disney.

The Westerville City School District (WCSD) Board of Education on May 6, 2013, voted 5-0 to approve revisions to administrative employment guidelines that will cap Board obligations to administrators’ retirement contributions, modify vacation benefits and reduce severance payouts to future retirees.

The Westerville City Schools Board of Education will hold a Special Meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29, in the Conference Room at the Early Learning Center, which is located at 936 Eastwind Drive. The Five Year Forecast will be discussed and action may be taken.

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has named Annehurst Elementary School a High Progress School of Honor, based on its 2011-2012 Local Report Card.  The department established the High Performing Schools of Honor and High Progress Schools of Honor programs this year to recognize Ohio schools that have sustained or increased student achievement over time in reading, math and graduation rates, while serving many disadvantaged students.

550 students from 80 schools participated in the State History Day competition on April 27 at the Ohio Union on the campus of The Ohio State University. Genoa Middle School pupil Madison Seabury received Honorable Mention in the Junior Individual Website category for her project, “The Little Rock Nine:  A Turning Point for Educational Equality.”  She ended the competition with a fourth place ranking in the entire state of Ohio.

When the Laws of Life State Awards Banquet at Villa Milano concluded on April 25, two Genoa Middle School students walked away with cash prizes.  Seventh grader Madison Seabury and eighth grader Megan Haller were honored at the gathering, where keynote speaker Clarence Mingo, Franklin County Auditor, spoke passionately about the importance of character.

The Westerville Elementary Boosters hosted the first annual Starry Night astronomy festival at Westerville South High School on Sunday, April 28.  More than 1,000 were in attendance for this free event featuring approximately 50 different exhibits on the intersection between science and art.  Perkins Observatory Director Tom Burns gave a special presentation, and families were treated to sky shows within the inflatable planetarium.

Starting and ending times for preschool during the 2013-2014 school year have been announced.  Morning preschool classes will begin at 8:45 a.m. and dismiss at 11:15 a.m.  Afternoon preschool classes will begin at 12:45 p.m. and end at 3:15. p.m.  The first day of preschool will be Monday, August 19, 2013.

Third grade students from Hanby Elementary classrooms of Kristina Roggenkamp and Rachel Lacy took a walking field trip to “California” via video conferencing to learn about the Journey of Milk: From Cow to Carton.  With the help of Dr. Scott Ebbrecht (Liaison for K-12 Partnerships, Otterbein University) and Willie Franklin (Senior Technology Specialist, Otterbein University), the children walked to Otterbein and used the technology resources available on campus in Roush Hall.  They met Dr. Kathy Krendl, President of Otterbein University, and Kristi Robbins, Chief of Staff at Otterbein and Vice-President of the Westerville City Schools Board of Education.

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has notified Westerville City Schools that it will partially fund its Third Grade Guarantee Early Literacy and Reading Readiness grant proposal. The ODE considered the strength of each proposal and its use of funding.  “Congratulations to your team for developing a quality proposal that demonstrates an innovative and replicable initiative to improve the early literacy and reading readiness in students,” wrote Sasheen Phillips, Senior Executive Director at the ODE’s Center for Curriculum and Assessment.

The Westerville Parent Council, Roush Honda, the Superintendent of Schools and the Westerville City Schools Board of Education recognized Great Educator and Mentor (GEM) award winners at a reception and special ceremony held Monday evening, April 29.  GEM awards are given to individuals who make a difference in the lives of the students in the Westerville School District.

The Bette Marschall Memorial Education Fund of The Columbus Foundation has announced the recipients of nine grant awards totaling $2,599 to Westerville City Schools personnel for applications submitted this spring.

Westerville South High School inducted three alumni into its Hall of Fame at a luncheon and ceremony held April 26 – Thomas Baker, Kevin Knapp and Jeffrey Reschke.  The school’s Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee selected those honored from a pool of applicants who graduated at least 10 years ago, have demonstrated success in their career, and have made significant contributions to their community.

Students who earned recognition at the Ohio PTA Reflections 2012-2013 State Competition were recognized by the Westerville City Schools Board of Education at its Regular Session held on Monday, April 22.

The Westerville Indoor Percussion Ensemble participated in three rounds of competition at the Winter Guard International World Championships in Dayton last weekend. The group advanced from the prelims into the semi-finals, and then again into final competition. They ended up placing fourth in the country with a score of 93.238. The group is directed by Nick Pelfrey and Jordi Vilanova.

Students at Annehurst Elementary School celebrated Earth Day on April 22^nd by participating in a Recycling/Upcycling drive.  They received a detailed list to take home which described what items could be used, and they brought them to school where Student Council members sorted them on Earth Day.

U.S. News & World Report has released its list of the nation’s top ranked high schools, and Westerville North made the cut, earning a silver medal.  The school, located at 950 County Line Road, placed 63rd in the State of Ohio and came in at 1,271 in the country.

The 2012-13 8th grade Mock Trial teams from Genoa and Walnut Springs middle schools participated in the State Showcase on Friday, April 12 at the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center in downtown Columbus. Each school competed in two trials, one with their defense team and the second with their prosecuting team.

Spanish speaking parents and children in the Westerville City School District gathered on Saturday, April 6, for the first annual “Pride Day.”  The group decided to show their appreciation for Westerville Schools by beautifying the front yard of a building.  This year, Whittier Elementary was the lucky recipient of their efforts.

On Saturday, April 20, members of the Columbus Astronomical Society (CAS) shared their telescopes with approximately 250 people – mostly Westerville elementary students and their family members – at CAS and the Westerville Elementary Boosters’ Stars in the Park stargazing night. Throughout the course of the night, the amateur astronomers helped participants view Jupiter with its distinctive stripes and its many moons, Saturn and its stunning rings, our moon’s cratered surface, the Orion nebula where stars are born, several star clusters, twin stars, and even, briefly, a comet!

The seventh annual Arts Alive festival took place at Westerville Central High School on April 22.

Emma Fury, a fifth grade student from Hanby Elementary School, was selected as the First Grand Prize winner from entries submitted for Westerville’s annual Shade Tree Arbor Day Poster Contest.  The Second Grand Prize award was earned by Emily Hodges and Brandon Waebker and the Third Grand Prize award went to Mackenzie Madden, all from Hanby.

Huber Ridge Elementary School held its annual Pennies for Patients drive in order to help find a cure for leukemia.  As an added incentive for students, many of the Huber Ridge staff agreed to wear green hair (painted or a wig) for a day if the school raised $2,000 for this great cause.

In observance of Memorial Day, offices in the Westerville City School District will be closed on Monday, May 27.  Offices will open at regular times on Tuesday, May 28.

A King and Queen will be chosen at the 2013 Westerville North High School prom, which will take place from 7:00-11:00 p.m. on April 27 at Villa Milano.  Dinner is included with the price of a ticket and this year’s theme is “Las Vegas Night.”

Westerville Central High School ceremonies will be held at 10:00 a.m., followed by Westerville South High School at 2:00 p.m. and Westerville North High School at 6:00 p.m.  Graduates should report one hour before the scheduled events.  Parking cost for graduates, families and friends is $5 per car and tickets are not required to attend.

Girls on the Run at Fouse Elementary School are hard to miss.  Wearing bright pink T-shirts, the group gathers after school each Tuesday and Thursday to participate in activities that nurture friendship, positive self-image and healthful living.  They also run around their school several times, as they are in training to participate in a 5K county-wide event that will take place on May 11 at Genoa Park in downtown Columbus.

The last day of classes for the 2012-2013 school year in the Westerville City School District is Thursday, May 23, 2013.  A Teacher Professional Day will take place on Friday, May 24.

The tragic and senseless shootings that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, touched the lives and hearts of students in Andy Habing’s North Pointe class at Heritage Middle School.  Having read about some of the memorials being built around the country to honor the victims, the Heritage pupils decided that they, too, wanted a special place of remembrance.

The third annual Community Track Meet was held on Thursday evening, April 18, pitting top track and field stars from Westerville Central, North and South high schools.  The event was hosted by Westerville Central, but it took place at Westerville South.  Participants and spectators were asked to bring gently-used running shoes that were donated to the Columbus Running Company in Westerville.

Starting and stopping times have been determined for the 2013-2014 school year in the Westerville City School District.  Elementary students will begin classes at 9:05 a.m. and dismiss at 3:30 p.m.  The Middle School day will start at 8:00 a.m. and end at 2:45 p.m.  High school classes will commence at 7:25 a.m. and finish at 2:05 p.m. 

Westerville North High School inducted three alumni into its Hall of Fame at a luncheon and ceremony held April 19 – Molly Geyen Hartnell, Annie Kafoure and Collins McGeorge.  The school’s Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee selected those honored from a pool of applicants who graduated at least 10 years ago, have demonstrated success in their career, and have made significant contributions to their community.

Those who have not visited The Guernsey Bank are in for a surprise when they walk through the doors at 780 S. State Street in Westerville.  The unassuming store front location does not reveal the magnificence of the interior space, made more beautiful this month by the displaying of original artwork created by students at Heritage and Walnut Springs middle schools.

Westerville City School District Board of Education President Denise Pope tonight announced that the Board is stopping the elementary attendance boundary realignment process.

The Westerville City School District earned an Excellent with Distinction ranking on the 2011-2012 School Year Report Card, released yesterday by the Ohio Department of Education.  The district met all state standards and attained its highest ever Performance Index of 102.9 out of 120.  Students’ performance on the 14 Ohio Achievement Assessment measures surpassed the state minimum 75 percent passing rate by an average of 12.2 percent.  Student performance on the 10 Ohio Graduation Test measures also far surpassed the state minimums.

Parents or guardians wishing to have their children attend an elementary school different from their school of attendance must complete and submit an Intra-district Open Enrollment Application by June 1, 2013.