Welcome to Westside Community Schools, located in the heart of Omaha Nebraska. Westside is a nationally-acclaimed public school district - one of the very best in the United States. Our superior staff, administration and Board of Education are committed to excellence in education for all students. Westside Community Schools provides high academic and behavioral expectations in a caring, friendly environment. We are proud of our strong record of success.

The Board of Education of School District 66, Douglas County, will meet at the ABC Building, 909 South 76 Street on Monday, May 20, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.  Click here for a copy of the agenda.  Click here to view the executive summaries.

Westside Community Schools will be closed on Monday, March 11 due to inclement weather. Designated staff should report. The District will provide any additional updates through our automated phone system, our Twitter feed (@Westside66), our Facebook Page (Westside Community Schools) and here on our website. Or, you can call  the Westside ABC Building during regular business hours at 402-390-2100.

The Elementary Parent Pre-algebra Meeting Video and Presentation materials are available here.

The Westside Community Schools in Omaha, Nebraska, invites statements of qualifications for professional planning and design services from qualified firms. The purpose of this process is to outline the enrollment characteristics of the Westside Community Schools, review the scope and location of the proposed work, provide an estimated project time line, and describe the evaluation and selection criteria. In general, the proposed services will include the following:

·     Identify and document present condition of facilities and infrastructure;

·     Recommend corrections for all deficiencies;

·     Provide cost estimates for facility corrections;

·     Forecast future facility renewal costs based on life cycle analyses of existing facilities

For more information, please contact Dr. Andy Rikli, Assistant Superintendent, at (402) 390-2100.

Click here to read the 2011-2012 Annual Report to the Community.

Click here for more information

In light of the impending weather, Westside Community Schools is cancelling all after-school and evening activities for Wednesday, December 19.  The District will provide any updates regarding school on Thursday, December 20 through our automated phone system, our Twitter feed (@Westside66) and here on our website.

Please click here to take a survey offering your views and opinions of Westside Community Schools.  The survey will remain open until December 31, 2012.

Westside Community Schools sends its condolences to the families impacted by the elementary school shooting in Connecticut. District counselors have created an informational sheet with tips on how parents can talk to their children about the tragedy. Click here for more information.

Westside Community Schools, in partnership with Arbor Family Counseling, is supporting Westside students and families with their mental health needs.  Click here for information on the services available.

The Board of Education of School District 66, Douglas County, will meet at the Gallup Organization, 1001 Gallup Drive, on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 8:30 a.m.  An agenda is available for public inspection at the ABC Building.

The Westside Community Schools mill levy override election takes place on Tuesday, September 11.  Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.  Westside parents are encouraged to vote in this election.  For more information on polling sites, go to www.votedouglascounty.com.

The Board of Education for Westside Community Schools will meet at the ABC Building, 909 South 76th Street, on Monday, September 24, 2012.  Property tax ask public hearing at 6:00 p.m., and regular business meeting at 6:30 p.m.  Click here for a copy of the agenda.

Every Wednesday throughout the school year, students will be dismissed early to allow time for teachers to collaborate in professional learning communities (PLC's). This early dismissal will not impact instructional time in the classroom. The following schedule notes the PLC dismissal times for the 2012-2013 school year:

Elementary dismissal at 3 p.m. (begins August 15)
Westside Middle School dismissal at 2:36 p.m. (begins August 15)
Westside High School dismissal at 2:50 p.m. (begins August 22)

Please contact your building principal if you have any questions regarding PLC's.

At the Westside Board of Education meeting on Monday, March 19, 2012, Westside Assistant Superintendent Sue Evanich presented results of the January Standards Based Reporting (SBR) survey.  Click here to see a copy of that presentation. For a more detailed report on the results of the Standards-Based Reporting Survey, click here.  For more information or for questions, please contact Dr. Evanich at sevanich@westside66.org.

Meet the declared candidates for the Westside Board of Education. Westside Community Schools is sponsoring a forum on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at the ABC Building, 909 South 76th Street.  School Board candidates Mark Drabik, Beth Morrissette, David Williams, and Rosie Zweiback will answer questions from the community from 7:00-8:00p.m. Click here for more information.

Westside Community Schools is selling surplus 7-year old and older G4 iBooks on eBay.  (Click on eBay link to see sale)

The Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy counties has announced the start of the 2012-2013 Open Enrollment application process. Click here for more information. The deadline for Open Enrollment is March 15.

The Westside Board of Education will meet at the ABC Building, 909 South 76th Street, on Wednesday, May 30, 2012. Board Meeting including Executive Session begins at 6:00 p.m. An agenda is available for public inspection at the ABC Building. Everyone is welcome to attend.

The Westside Board of Education will meet at 6:00 p.m., January 16- 20, at the ABC Building, 909 South 76th Street.  The purpose of the daily meetings is for the Board of Education to interview each of the finalists for the Westside Superintendent position. The community is invited to observe the interviews conducted by the Board.

On Tuesday, January 10, 2012, the Westside Community Schools Board of Education selected the finalists for the Westside Community Schools Superintendent position. Click here for more information about the candidates, along with the interview schedule during the week of January 16-20.  

On September 26 and 27, 2011, consultants from McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C. met with stakeholder groups to gather input regarding the selection of a new superintendent for Westside Community Schools. Click here to see a copy of that report.

To request a 2012-13 in-district transfer for your K-5th grade student, click here.

Beginning August 17, on every Wednesday throughout the school year, students will be dismissed early to allow time for the teachers to collaborate in professional learning communities.  This change will not impact instructional time in the classroom. To download the professional learning communities or PLC's schedule for the 2011-2012 school year, click here.

District residents who have a child who will be 5 years old by July 31, 2012, should register their child for entrance into kindergarten for the 2012-13 school year.  For more information click here.

Parents who live outside the Westside District and have a child who will be 5 years old by July 31, 2012 must complete an Open Enrollment Application to be considered for entrance into Westside’s kindergarten program.  Click here for more information.

Westside Community Schools is conducting a communications survey with District parents/guardians.  The survey is anonymous and will take about 5-7 minutes to complete.  Your answers will help us to enhance communication with District families.  Thank you for taking time to complete this survey. Please click on this link to take the Westside Communications Survey.

Mark your calendars for November 3rd for the second annual Food Evolution featuring Jump with Jill, the Rock Star Nutritionist.  Food Evolution will be held at Westside Middle School in the Performing Arts Center from 5:30-8:30 p.m.  Enjoy lots of food sampling and healthy activities from participating vendors.  Plus you will see and taste samples of elementary school lunch.  Tickets available in all Elementary Schools and the Westside Nutrition Services Office starting October 10th, seating is limited.  For more information please contact 402-390-3380.  Click here to see a personal message from Jump with Jill and here to go to her website.

The Westside Community Schools Board of Education is seeking a highly qualified, fully certified leader to serve as its next Superintendent.  The successful candidate will assume the responsibilities of the position July 1, 2012.  For more information, please click here.

Links to Video of Meeting (small video) (large video)
WHS Math Program (All Courses)
WHS Grade 9 Honors Geometry Track
WHS Grade 9 Honors Advanced Algebra Track

Westside is making plans for its biennial VI-­VI event. VI-­VI is a Gala evening sponsored by Westside Community Schools and the Westside Foundation for the betterment of the school district. VI-­VI 2011, The Drive for Excellence, will take place on Saturday, September 24, 2011. Click here for more information.

At the Westside Board of Education Meeting Monday, August 8, Superintendent Jacquie Estee announced her retirement as the District's eighth superintendent, effective at the end of the 2011-2012 school year. Ms. Estee has held Westside’s top position since the 2008-2009 school year. Read More

Westside Community Schools has again partnered with the Visiting Nurse Association to provide flu vaccinations for all Westside School families. Click here for the schedule.

The Westside Community Schools has surplus technology that they would like to make available for sale to their community through eBay.  They are trying to determine the level of interest that community members have in purchasing these items.

Completion of this survey does not commit you to a purchase OR reserve items for you.  This is only to help us gauge the level of interest.

If you are interested please click here, read the introduction carefully, and complete the survey.

Recently, you may have read or heard about a blighted/substandard economic redevelopment zone proposed by the City of Omaha Planning Department. The District was able to reach an agreement with the Planning Department to reduce the size and scope of the zone. Read More

The Westside Board of Education will meet on Monday, May 16, 2011 at the ABC Building, 909 South 76th Street.  Notice of Budget Amendment Public Hearing is at 6:15 p.m.; Board Meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Agendas for the meeting are available for public inspection at the ABC Building. Everyone is welcome to attend.

There have been recent reports in the news that some produce items such as cantaloupe and lettuce have been recalled due to reported illnesses. Westside Nutrition Services has confirmed that all fresh fruits and vegetables served at school are NOT included in the recall and are SAFE for consumption. Please call the Nutrition Services office if you have any questions.

The Westside Board of Education will meet in Executive Session at the Westside House, 1101 South 90th Street on Sunday, March 6, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. An agenda is available for public inspection at the ABC Building.

Open Enrollment Applications

During the Board of Education meeting on Monday, March 7, 2011, the Westside administration reaffirmed its decision not to participate in the focus programs at Underwood Hills and Lewis and Clark Middle School during the 2011-2012 school year.  To learn more go to http://www.omaha.com/article/20110308/NEWS01/703089908.

Westside Community Schools will be closed on Wednesday, February 2 due to inclement weather. Teachers should report. For more information, please call the ABC Building at 390-2100.

The Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties will hold a Community Forum for Subcouncil No. 3.  Westside Community Schools is part of Subcouncil No. 3. The Forum takes place at Lewis and Clark Middle School on Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 6 p.m. Click here for more information about the Community Forum, which is located under the Subcouncil No. 3 link.

The Visiting Nurse Association, working with Westside Community Schools, will once again offer flu shots for Westside families. Click here for more information on the locations and the cost for the annual flu shot.

Click here to view a short video about the new elementary standards based report cards.

Mark your calendars for the Learning Community's Annual Joint School Fair
Sunday, January 23, 2011
1:00 p.m. to 4 p.m.
UNO's Milo Bail Student Center
60th and Dodge Streets

Notice of Special Hearing to Set Final Tax Request.pdf
Notice of Budget Hearing and Budget Summary.pdf

EATS!, a program of Westside Community Schools, ensures that all children have access to at least one nutritious, balanced meal a day for absolutely no charge.  This annual summer lunch program starts on June 1 and runs through July 31 at 35 locations throughout Omaha.  Click here for more information about the program and click here for site locations.

The next Board of Education meeting for Westside Community Schools will take place at 6:30p.m. on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at the ABC Building, 909 South 76th Street.  Click here for more information on the meeting.

Gov. Dave Heineman and Nebraska's Commissioner of Education, Roger Breed extended special congratulations for academic achievement to students who earned the highest possible composite scores on college entrance exams. Of the ten superior students honored in the state, two were Westside Warriors. Read More

 

A laboratory-confirmed case of measles has been identified in a visitor to Douglas County. The Health Department has released the following advisory.  For more information, contact the Health Department at 444-7214 or 444-7000 after regular business hours.

The Westside Foundation recently recognized Julie Schmitz, a sixth grade teacher at Oakdale Elementary, with a Bravo Award. The Foundation created this award to recognize the work of outstanding teachers. Read More

For 10 weeks, fifth grade students from Underwood Hills Focus School prepared for a performance of a lifetime. They pulled together their poise and confidence, “dressed for success” and set stage on the dance floor for the Dancing Classrooms Showcase.  Read More

Westside Middle School students experienced a glimpse of history when Holocaust survivor Judy Meisel revealed to them her history.  Meisel “speaks in the memory of those who did not survive.” To read more about Judy's message click here.

Make plans now to attend the 2010 Westside Community Schools Candidates' Forum. Meet the individuals who are running for the Westside Board of Education. The Forum takes place Monday, April 26, 2010 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. at the Westside ABC Building, 909 South 76th Street. Everyone is welcome! Click here to learn more about the candidates.

Access information for these surveys will be distributed at Parent/Teacher Conferences.
Elementary Parent Survey
Middle School Parent Survey

Westside High School English teacher Jana Brawner knows the future is in good hands. “We’ve got some really capable and smart kids,” she said. Read More

 
 

Join us at the 2010 Parent Involvement Conference on Saturday, March 27 at Westside Middle School. Click here for more information and to download a conference registration form.

The Nebraska Action for Healthy Kids has awarded Westbrook Elementary a Silver level action award for the school's walking club, nutrition and wellness programs. In April, school representatives will attend an awards ceremony and conference in Lincoln to receive the award. In addition to the award, the school will be featured with other award-winning schools in a booklet highlighting wellness success stories.

Congratulations to Rockbrook teacher Rhonda Josten, who was honored Sunday, March 7 as one of the 2010 recipients of the Christa McAuliffe Award.  The award recognizes teachers who exhibit courage and excellence on the job.

When it comes to spelling, eighth-grade WMS student Emma Johanningsmeier might as well be the definition of winner.  She took home the title of 2010 Midwest Spelling Bee champion when she correctly spelled the words “quiescency” and “convalescent.” Read More

The musical West Side Story is a classic, familiar show recognizable by the sound of a single snap – snap, snap, snap. This show has integrated itself into American culture with catch phrases that make anyone, “feel pretty, oh so pretty.” And, this spring Westside High School will rejuvenate the classic love story. To read more about West Side Story at Westside, click here.

Westside Middle School proudly presents Willy Wonka Jr. April 27, 28 and 29 at 7:00pm in the brand new WMS Performing Arts Center.  The cast has been working tirelessly to present the audience members a fanciful and imaginative tour inside the Wonka Chocolate Factory. Tickets are $6.00 for adults and $5.00 for seniors and students. The show traces the journey of little Charlie Bucket and all of the other kids as they vie for  their own golden tickets,  a chance to tour the factory while learning valuable lessons along the way. Imaginations are welcome as the cast creates some of the more memorable scenes throughout the chocolate factory. Mr. Wonka is superb and cunning as he teaches life lessons to the kids who come to tour the factory. Come for a ride with us through the magical land of Oompa Loompas and chocolate fountains as we present to you Willy Wonka Jr.!

First National Bank of Omaha opened its first “educational branch bank” on Wednesday, February 24 at the Underwood Hills Focus School.  The Underwood Hills Focus School is a collaborative effort among the Westside Community Schools, Elkhorn Public Schools, and the Omaha Public Schools.  Read More

Westside Community Schools celebrates its staff and students.  Click here to learn more about the WE in Westside.

For the third year, Westside High School has been named an Apple Distinguished School. At the February 16 Board of Education meeting, Apple representative Paul Pittman presented Principal Pat Hutchings with the award. Pittman said Westside High School was one of the best schools in the nation in its effective use of technology as a learning tool for students. 

Gerda Weissmann Klein, Author, Academy Award Winner, Holocaust Survivor and Human Rights Activist spoke at Westside High School on behalf of the high school and the Institute for Holocaust Education. To read more about this event click here.

The Future Problem Solving Club at Westside High School teaches Swanson Elementary students what it takes to live healthy by trying to engage students in active, healthy lifestyles.  Click here to read more.

March 15 is the deadline to apply for Open Enrollment in Westside Community Schools.  Do you have questions about the process?  Click here to watch a short video about Open Enrollment.

Twelve Westside High School students in the Future Problem Solving Club will receive Presidential honors for their commitment to community service.  Read More

The Westside Community Schools will host its 2010 Caucus to nominate school board candidates on Tuesday, February 23, at 7pm at Westside High School. Click here for more information.

In the new Westside Middle School auditorium, students sat quietly and attentively as they watched a presentation by members of the IncluCity Middle group. Read More

 Click here to post a comment on the new school lunch regulations.

Westside Community Schools will be closed on Friday, January 8 due to inclement weather. Designated staff should report.  For more information, call the Westside ABC Building during regular business hours at 390-2100 or visit this website for further updates. 

 

Judine Somerville, a Broadway performer known for her most recent role as one of the Dynamite Singers in “Hairspray,” visited and worked with students at Westside Middle School. Click here to learn more.

Click here for important information about Kindergarten Enrollment for 2010-2011 and for In-District Transfer Requests for 2010-2011.

Make plans now to attend the Learning Community Coordinating Council Educational Fair at UNO on Sunday, January 31 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. in the Milo Bail Student Center. Representatives from the 11 Learning Community school districts  will be on hand to share information about their schools. The event is FREE and open to the public. Click here for more information.

The Westside Board of Education will meet at the ABC Building, 909 South 76th Street, at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 7, 2009; followed by the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. An agenda for the meetings is available for public inspection at the ABC Building.

The Douglas County Health Department, in partnership with the Visiting Nurse Association, will offer H1N1 vaccinations at Westside High School on Monday, November 30 from 4:30p.m.-8:30p.m.  Click here for more information.

If you did not yet receive your seasonal flu shot, the Visiting Nurse Association will be in the District on Tuesday, November 24 to administer them to members of the Westside community.  The cost for the vaccination is $25.  Please note, this is the seasonal flu vaccination, NOT the H1N1 vaccination.

Tuesday, November 24
Westside High School 7-8:30a.m.
Westside Middle School 3-4:30p.m.
Cost:  $25

 

Westside Community Schools is sponsoring a technology auction to sell surplus technology to the public. Click here for more information.

Westside High School science teacher Michael Fryda is named the 2010 Nebraska Teacher of the Year.  Click here to read more.

The Westside Foundation recently recognized Jolene Vance, a second grade teacher at Westbrook Elementary, with a Bravo Award.  The Foundation created this award to recognize the work of outstanding teachers. Click here to learn more.

Current and past principals, teachers and students wished Swanson Elementary a “Happy Birthday” as they celebrated 50 years of excellence on Monday, October 26. Read More

Applause and congratulations were heard throughout the day in the staff lounge and during the student lunch periods at Westbrook Elementary on September 30. Nutrition services employee Maria Franco became an American citizen in a September 11 ceremony.
Read More

The seasonal flu shot clinics scheduled for this Thursday at Westside High School and Westside Middle School have been postponed. The Visiting Nurse Association has informed us that it has temporarily run out of the vaccine. Westside will reschedule these clinics at a later date.  Please check the District website for the latest updates. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Nigerian artist Ibiyinka Alao spent a week at Westbrook Elementary working with students.
Read More

Learning Community’s Achievement Subcouncil 3 (serving the Ralston Public Schools, Westside Community Schools, and Omaha Public Schools in the midtown area) is holding a Community Forum Wednesday, February 24, beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the UNO Thompson Alumni Center.

Learning Community invites families to come out and learn more about the new Open Enrollment Process. As part of the new Learning Community law, beginning in the 2010-2011 school year, parents in the Learning Community may apply to send their children to any public elementary, middle or high school within the eleven Learning Community member school districts, if there's room, subject to rules designed to foster socioeconomic diversity. Open enrollment replaces option enrollment for students living in within the Learning Community. The deadline for submitting Open Enrollment applications is March 15th.

Your Achievement Subcouncil #3 representatives from the Learning Community as well as representatives from Omaha Public Schools, Westside Community Schools and Ralston Public Schools will be presenting information and answering your questions at this Community Forum. Please visit the Learning Community website at www.learningcommunityds.org for more information about Open Enrollment.

Please join us on Sunday, November 1 to celebrate the completion of the Performing Arts Projects.
Open House
Westside High School
Westside Middle School
1:30p.m.-3:30p.m.
Transportation is available between the middle school and the high school.

On Tuesday, August 25, 2009, Dr. Adi Pour, the Director of the Douglas County Health Department, offered information to Westside families on the H1N1 virus.  Click here to watch three videos from that evening's presentation.

Westside Community Schools is again partnering with the Visiting Nurse Association to offer seasonal flu vaccinations to students and their families in October.  Click here for more information about the vaccination schedule.

Westside Community Schools begins its new school year on Thursday, August 13. 

Westside Community Schools invites you to a presentation by the Douglas County Health Department on the status of the H1N1 virus in the community.  Dr. Adi Pour, the Director of the Douglas County Health Department and several of her colleagues will be at the presentation to answer your questions.  That meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25 in Room 220 at Westside High School.  On Wednesday afternoon, August 26, a podcast of the presentation will be available on the District website for those who are unable to attend the meeting.  

In addition, we want to remind you that new cases of H1N1 are being reported in schools and throughout the community almost daily.  You should monitor your student for signs of illness and connect with your health care provider if you have any questions.  Students who have a fever cannot return to school unless they are fever free for 24 hours, without fever-reducing medicine.

The Board of Education will meet at the ABC Building, 909 South 76th Street on Monday, June 7, 2010; Notice of Amended Budget Hearing at 8:30 a.m.; and Regular Board Meeting at 8:40 a.m.  A agenda is available for public inspection at the ABC Building.

On Sunday, November 1, Westside Community Schools unveiled the performing arts projects at Westside Middle School and Westside High School. The Open House gave the public their first glimpse at the $10.4 million project.  Click here to read more of the story and to view a slideshow of the renovation at both buildings.

The next Board of Education meeting for Westside Community Schools will take place at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17 at the ABC Building, 909 South 76th Street.  The public is invited to attend.

The next Board of Education Curriculum meeting for Westside Community Schools will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 18 at the ABC Building, 909 South 76th Street.  The public is invited to attend.

Westside Community Schools is proud to introduce a new look to its District website.  Click here for more information.

Congratulations to Westside High School science teacher Brenda Zabel, who is a recipient of a 2009 Presidential Award for  Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th-grade mathematics or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. Enacted by Congress in 1983, this program authorizes the President to bestow up to 108 awards each year.  An award ceremony will be held in Washington D.C. later this year.

The next Board of Education meeting for Westside Community Schools will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 4 at the ABC Building, 909 South 76th Street.  The public is invited to attend. 

The next Teacher Collaboration day for Westside Community Schools will take place on Friday, April 17. All grade levels will dismiss at 1 p.m. that day. 

Hillside's second-graders had a special visitor recently.  Thirstin the Water Bottle, the new mascot from Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD), came to promote drinking water for health and refreshment.  Thirstin also shared a "Water Follies" video, which students loved watching. 

Westside Middle School teachers Caroline Sheffield and Mark Durante have been recognized by the Nebraska Association for Middle Level Education (NAMLE)  for going above and beyond the textbook to develop new projects to engage their students. NAMLE President, Julie Herink, at left, awarded Sheffield and Durante with NAMLE's Merit Award for their wind turbine project. They were presented with a check for $250 for their efforts.

Westside High School has been named to the list of most challenging high schools in America by The Washington Post. This is Westside's third consecutive year in the annual Washington Post poll. Schools are ranked by a simple formula. Read more about Westside's ranking here.

Seventh-grade students from Westside Middle School spent May 10 serving others. Students picked up trash, worked with young children at a school and with seniors at a skilled nursing center, along with a variety of other projects.

Math, social studies and technology were integrated at the "Shops of Oakdale" recently. Oakdale Elementary third-graders operated stores where guests could purchase food and clothing and enjoy games. The project was a culminating activity for the students, who had studied how communities use resources and a variety of math skills. Students also integrated technology using the "Aurasma" augmented reality app on the iPad. The app plays a pre-recorded video, in this case a commercial the students created, when the user aimed the iPad's camera at the shop advertising poster.

The Westside Foundation will be part of a new online, fundraising campaign on May 22. Omaha Gives, a 24-hour charitable challenge, is a community-wide event that will celebrate Omaha's spirit of giving, raise awareness of local non-profits and celebrate the collective effort it takes to make Omaha great. The 24-hour donation period begins at 12:01 a.m. on May 22. The minimum donation is $10. To donate or get more information, visit omahagives24.org. More than 300 non-profit have signed on to participate in the event, including Westside Foundation. The Foundation currently supports the Westside Early Childhood Education Program at 11 locations within the District, involving 100 teachers and 1000 children. Other activities and projects are curriculum improvement, mentoring programs, parental support activities, facilities improvement, student activities, grants to teachers and staff, scholarships to graduating seniors and donor-established scholarships and honorariums.

Congratulations to Westside seniors Ben Ashby (at left), Grant Glazer, Mackenzie Mikkelsen, Joe Hack and Andrew McVea. Ashby was named one of the 141 U.S. Presidential Scholars for 2013. Scholars are selected annually based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership and demonstrated commitment to high ideals. Glazer, Mikkelsen, Hack and McVea were named to the Omaha World-Herald's All State First Academic Team. Read more about their selections here.

Westside Middle School eighth-graders created walk-along gliders as part of their science class with teacher Caroline Sheffield. You can watch a video of students flying their gliders here.  A walk-along glider is a lightweight flying model designed to be kept afloat by controlling air flow with a piece of cardboard. A walk-along is designed to catch the air very easily once in flight. Essentially, the air works like a wave. When you walk forward with the cardboard the air bends upwards, creating a column of air/draft that pushes the walk-along. Getting the walk-along to work is a combination of having the right size cardboard, the right weight of paper, and the right walking speed. The walk-along then surfs on the wave of air, causing it to fly when you walk forward with the cardboard.

Oakdale Elementary School's annual kickball tournament raised funds for "Bella's Battle" this year. The tournament, held on May 6, 7 and 9, is coordinated each year by the sixth-graders at Oakdale. It features teams from third through sixth grades. This year participation and concessions raised money for "Bella's Battle," benefiting local middle school student Bella in her fight against cancer. As a special treat, Bella and members of her family were able to visit and even play in part of the tournament.

The staff and students of Hillside Elementary have been recognized for their work to instill respect and appreciation of diversity. On May 3, Jessica Gall from the Anti-Defamation League presented students and staff with the "No Place for Hate" banner. Students also participated in a number of diversity activities. Fourth-graders attended a presentation of The Bully Show presented by the Rose Theater. Third-graders viewed the Blend of Friends puppet show.

It's Throwback Thursday again on our Facebook page. This week it's a two-fer. Two pictures, two chances to relive your Westside years. Check it out!

Westside: Warriors for the Cure was recognized recently as one of the top 25 teams in Nebraska for participation and fundraising. Westside’s team, comprising students, families and staff, has worked to end the disease that has touched so many. The team is led by Swanson P.E. teacher Debra Kaplan. The team was recognized on April 12 at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Nebraska Full Circle Breakfast. The Nebraska Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is committed to the promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures.

Congratulations to the Westside High School Amazing Technicolor Show Choir for finishing the show choir season ranked #8 in the National Show Choir Ranking System, http://ow.ly/kLbz6

Oakdale Elementary third-graders took a tour of Omaha recently and stopped in at El Museo Latino to learn more about Latino culture. Along with a visit to the museum's exhibits, students also learned the history of the pinata. And then they created their own pinatas.

Westbrook teacher Davina Faimon recently received the Future Leader in Mathematics Award from the math and education departments at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Davina is pursuing a master's degree in mathematics at UNO. UNO Associate Professor Michael Matthews, quoted from one of Davina's papers at the award event:  "Math is thinking.  It is the ability to reason that all other learning flows from. Reasoning is the foundation for all knowledge.  Without the ability to reason logically people find great obstacles to anything they are trying to accomplish." 

Westbrook Elementary students went beyond celebrating the earth for just a day and took a week recently to think about ways to improve our planet. Monday was "Keep It Clean Day." Classes were encouraged to go out and clean up the school grounds. Tuesday was "Turn It Off Tuesday." Teachers and students were encourage to unplug for one day. That meant turning off all electronic devices and learning tools, as well as keeping the lights off. Wednesday was "Wear Green and Blue Day." Everyone was invited to wear green and blue to show support for Earth Day. Thursday was "Give Back Snack Day." Students paid 50 cents to bring a snack to enjoy during school. The money then went to purchasing plants for the school grounds. The week ended with the Recycled Bookstore and Poster contest. All week students brought books/posters from home. For each book brought in a student could then exchange it for a new one at the recycled book store, which was open on Friday morning.

Loveland’s Student Council’s April outreach project was a huge success.  Council members collected multiple boxes of gently used clothing and peanut butter for the Heartland Hope Mission. This mission provides food and clothing, while promoting self-sufficiency, to those in need.  Pictured in the photo are 3rd grade Student Council members, Elina Gigantelli, Ellie Bowen, and Gretchen Nelson.

On Saturday, April 27 several 7th and 8th graders participated in the Millard Solo and Ensemble Festival at Millard Central Middle School.  Westside finished with 15 Superior ratings and 7 Excellent ratings.  7th grade students receiving Superior ratings were:  Hannah Johnson, flute solo; Ellie Sadler, clarinet solo; Grace Calderon, oboe solo and alto saxophone solo; Christian Madsen, trombone  solo.  Kaitlyn Mathis received an excellent rating for her clarinet solo.  8th grade students receiving Superior ratings were: Allison Hall and Gillian Herrera for flute solos; Daniel Guo and Simon Bessmer, alto saxophone solo; Daniel Guo and Danny Berentson, alto saxophone duet; Tyler Douglass and Jacob Wigodsky, trumpet solos; Simon Bessmer, french horn solo; Candace Cusimano, trombone solo and Taylor Schendt, tuba solo. Students receiving Excellent ratings were: Howard Thiel, oboe solo; Anna Shehan, alto saxophone solo; Zach McCarty, tenor saxophone solo; TK Kim and Phillip Trimble, trombone solos and Francine Watkins, vibraphone solo.  Congratulations to these fine musicians!

Swanson Elementary first -graders' recent community field trip covered a lot of ground, from a bank to a ferris wheel. The students in Miss Beck's and Mrs. Conyers's classes started the day at Great Western Bank where they saw the safety deposit box vault, estimated how much money there was in a piggy bank, did a money activity and left with a goody bag and a roll of pennies for everyone. Next they went to the Omaha Public Power District Arboretum where they hiked on the trails and ate lunch. Then it was off to Scheel's for a Ferris wheel ride. The students ended the day at the Apple store where they learned the program Photo Booth and were given a free T-shirt!

More than 20 German students represented Westside Middle School and brought home multiple awards from the annual Nebraska State German Convention recently. They competed against 300 other German students from Nebraska. The convention theme was "Zusammen Sind Wir Stark?" (Together We Are Strong). For a list of students who placed in various competition, click here.  

Hillside fifth-graders got their first college visit in early, spending the day at Creighton University recently. A small group from Mrs. Beran's class even got to meet basketball Coach Doug McDermott. Students soaked in the atmosphere of a campus, took tours and heard tips intended to help them to be prepared to attend any college.

Five Westside High School students have been recognized for scoring in the 70th percentile or above on the National German Exam. An awards tea was held in the Dodge Room at the University of Nebraska Omaha on April 13. The WHS students pictured from left to right are: Stevie Allison, Everett Henry, Elizabeth Bruckner, Adela Moravova, and Kristin Udhus.Teacher Diane Wulf is on the far left, and teacher Mike Bendorf is on the far right.

Westside Middle School math teacher Vicki Tomlinson is taking to the hoop in math class. Tomlinson was selected as one of 300 teachers nationally to pilot a new math game called NBA Math Hoops. She was selected by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. “What attracted me to it was the idea of sports and math. If you can draw them in through sports, you can gain their attention,” said Tomlinson. To read more about this fun math option, click here.

Swanson Elementary students are extreme about their gymnastics! The school hosted an afternoon of extreme gymnastics on April 12. Students who had been studying gymnastics in P.E. had the chance to share their knowledge and skills with family and friends. Swanson students demonstrated skills of balance, weight transfer, strength, rotations and rolling. Go here to see more fantastic photos.

Swanson Elementary was recently recognized as a 2013 "School in Action" at the Nebraska Action for Healthy Kids Summit. The vision of NE AFHK is that all school-aged children will adopt lifelong habits necessary to health and learning. The mission is to engage and educate to improve children’s nutrition and physical activity. Swanson was recognized for wellness activities; nutrition services and nutrition education; physical education and activity; and community involvement. Swanson was represented at the ceremony by fifth-graders Harper Gordman, Alex Estopare and Kelly Kroeger and P.E. teacher Debra Kaplan. In addition, Swanson has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a Healthier U.S. School with a Silver Level Award. This award recognizes excellence in nutrition and physical activity.

Prairie Lane Elementary has a secret weapon when it comes to dealing with April showers. The school's Squeegee Patrol of sixth-graders from Miss Krysl's class clears the playground of puddles. Armed with industrial-sized squeegees provided by the Prairie Lane Community Club, the students spend about 20 minutes clearing the playground's low spots. When the job is done, there's plenty of room for recess fun.

It's Throwback Thursday on our Facebook page. We're celebrating the 1990s today. Check it out and see if you can name anyone in the photo.

Second-graders in Mrs. Frederick's class at Hillside Elementary celebrated their reading success with a hard-earned dance party. The students read more than 10,000 minutes during the third quarter. Each student recorded how much time they spent reading outside of class. Parents signed their reading records, and when all the minutes were put together the class had read more than 10,000 minutes. In other words, a person would have to read for a full seven days with no sleep or breaks to equal 10,000 reading minutes! Wow!

Students in third through sixth grades at Westgate Elementary read more than 1,200 minutes each from December through March to win a free ticket to a Omaha Storm Chasers baseball game. On April 15, the 120 students who met their reading goals attended the Storm Chasers vs. the Nashville Sounds game. It was also "Jackie Robinson Day" at the ballpark. During the game, all the players wore 42 on their jerseys and the students saw the "42" plaque unveiled in the outfield in honor of Jackie Robinson. Although it was snowing and a little chilly, all 120 students braved the weather to watch the Chasers beat the Sounds 3-2.

Westgate Elementary kindergarteners learned about the three Rs from speaker Kumari Durick. She showed the students many examples of items that can be recycled and reused. The highlight of the program was her worm bin. She has four bins at her home for composting. Students observed the worms with a magnifying glass and touched the red worms. Durick gave the students many examples of items that can be composted.

It's Throwback Thursday on our Facebook page. And this week it's for Gen Xers. Visit the page and see if you can name that cheerleader.

Paddock Road students voted for "Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine and a Miracle," "Because of Mr. Terupt" and "Lucky: Maris, Mantle, and My Best Summer Ever" as their nominees for the Nebraska Golden Sower Award. The Nebraska Golden Sower Award develops an appreciation among Nebraska's youth for excellence in writing and beauty in illustrations. The award's sponsor, the Nebraska Library Association, hopes the program will sow seeds that stimulate children's thinking, introduce different types of literature, encourage independent reading and increase library skills. "Nubs" was chosen by kindergarten through third-grade students. The other two books were tied in voting by fourth, fifth and sixth-graders. Students voted for their favorite selections in the library the week of April 8th. Paddock's votes will be sent to the Golden Sower committee, and the statewide winner will be announced on May 1st.

WHS art student Natasha Arritt is the winner of a design contest to create a new logo for the Metro Conference.  Natasha also won $250. She is a student in Liz Dittrick's design class.  WHS Assistant Principal Tom Kerkman presented Natasha with the award.

Some Swanson Elementary students spent a day at Memorial Stadium at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln learning about nutrition and physical activity and meeting UNL athletes. The eight students were invited to the Fuel Up to Play 60 Game Day Reward Summit on April 10 because Swanson has been involved in Fuel Up to Play 60 throughout the year.

April 25th & 26th at 7 pm and 27th at 2 pm in the WHS Auditorium
 
“Rumors”, by Neil Simon, is a madcap, door slamming  farce set in a large home located just outside of New York in the year 1988. The characters are arriving as guests at a 10th Anniversary Dinner. The first couple to arrive discovers that one of their hosts (Charley) has apparently attempted suicide...unsuccessfully. So find a date for the "dinner party", settle into your seat and watch the eventful evening unfold for these high society friends. Tickets go on sale Monday, April 22nd online at seatyourself.biz  and in the Warrior Walkway from 11–1 pm. Adult tickets are $8. Student tickets are $5.

Warrior TV staff members brought home a first place award for best broadcast for the sixth year year in a row from the spring journalism conference at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Executive producers of the broadcast were: Grace Hoyme, Brigit Mahoney, Anna Skold and Sydney Wieseler. Hoyme also brought home a first for best news story and a first for best sports story. Wieseler won third place for a news story; Laurel Oetken and Rachel Kaup won third for a sports story; Madison Pflug won second for a feature story. Dilnoza Inoyatova and Hannah Hadley won third in features.

Westside DECA had an amazing weekend at the State DECA Career Development Conference that was held in March in Lincoln.  We are very proud of our students. Seventy-four out of our 112 students who participated ranked in the top eight.  That is outstanding!  More than 900 students from across the state competed. Read more about the competition, as well as the names of the all the Westside competitors, here.

It's Throwback Thursday on our Facebook page. Check out the cool black and white, 1940s-era photo and see if you can answer the questions.

Paddock Road Elementary student Theodore Jansen took first place in the Nebraska Geography Bee and will represent the state at the national competition in Washington D.C. on May 22. Jansen took a test to initially qualify for the state bee. He then competed against 99 other students at the state event on April 5 at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Theodore made the top 10 and moved into the finals after a perfect score in preliminary round. After many exciting rounds, Theodore took first place. At the national bee, Theodore will meet Jeopardy host Alec Trebek and have the chance to be crowned the 25th National Geographic Bee champion. Prairie Lane student Brendan Pennington and Sunset Hills student Daniel Wood also performed well at the state bee. Daniel was in the top 16 and Brendan was in the top 14 out of the 100 contestants. Other Westside students who earned a spot at the bee included: William Clark (Westgate);  Anna Fleming (Loveland); Andrew Li (Rockbrook); and Preston Noll (WMS).

Students in Mr. Fry's sixth-grade class are studying the relationship between electric currents and magnetism. Students created electromagnets and attempted to see how many paper clips they could attract. Electromagnets are useful because they can be turned on and off.

Paddock Road Elementary School students learned about sound and vibrations during a recent presentation by musician Joey Gulizia.  He demonstrated many ways to create sound with such instruments as the saxophone, the steel drums and the didgeridoo, as well as homemade creations such as vacuum cleaner parts and rulers with holes in them. A member of the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame who sometimes performs with Manheim Steamroller, Gulizia is an artist in residence at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Head over to our Facebook page to learn more about the history of Westside schools, especially the instruction of foreign language.

Members of the Westbrook Elementary National Honor Society raised more than $1,500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Pennies for Pasta teaches students about helping the community and raises money to help fight against blood cancers. Each student received a coin box to collect money for two weeks. After two weeks, the class with the most money won a pasta party from Olive Garden. Mrs. Sinclair's class raised more than $240 and won the pasta party!

Westbrook Elementary fifth-graders recently put on their dancing feet and demonstrated the merengue, foxtrot, rumba, tango, swing, waltz and polka for friends and family. The students ended the night with a performance of the cha-cha slide, inviting parents onto the floor to dance, too. It was the culmination of third-quarter lessons from dance instructors provided by The Artery Foundation. Instructors taught students at Westbrook twice a week for 10 weeks. Click here to see more photos of the event.

Westbrook Elementary School students raised more than $2,200 for Jump Rope and Hoops for Heart this year. The top fundraiser this year was sixth-grader Emma Allison, who raised over $250 dollars.

WMS students Kathryn Horwath, Zach McCarty and Preston Noll earned spots at the National Middle Level History Bee after a regional competition on March 27. This is the second year WMS students have competed in the event. Joitree Alam also competed. At the beginning of the competition, students take an online tests to determine if they qualify for regionals. Joitree, Zach, Kathryn and Preston qualified for the competition in Des Moines, which included students from Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. At that competition, after three rounds of questions, Zach, Kathryn and Preston moved on the top 10 and then the top 5. Then they had to earn their way into the top two. Zach made it and barely missed the championship. Zach placed second, Kathryn, the only girl in the top 10, placed third. Preston  was fourth. All 3 have earned their way to nationals in Atlanta. The event is sponsored by the History Channel and hosted by Al Roker.

Kindergartners at Rockbrook are studying living and non-living things. They categorize them by the characteristics of each group. Over the course of the last three weeks they have been observing and collecting data on their eggs. Finally, two eggs hatched this week!

David Shabram and Anna Sumner recently presented at the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) Conference in Columbus, Ohio. Their presentation highlighted the CEENBots robotics program and how the engineering and teacher education departments at the University of Nebraska cooperated to develop the CEENBoT with STEM robotics curriculum.  At the conference Anna Sumner was recognized as one of the nations Outstanding Affiliate Representatives for ITEEA.

It's Throwback Thursday on the Westside Facebook page. Check out the photo and let us know if you can identify the gentlemen who gathered to celebrate Westside Community School's 35th anniversary in April 1982.

Northern Tool + Equipment Omaha store manager, Richyrd Sorsveen (center), presented $1,000 in donated tools to Westside High School students on Friday, March 22, 2013 to support the school's engineering and technology program. (L to R) Tyler Foster, WHS skilled and technical science teacher, Hanco Germishuys/WHS student, Taylor Hedrick/WHS student, Richyrd Sorsveen/Store Manager, Jacob Andrews/WHS student, and Grant Schuttler/WHS student.

 

The Westside Middle School SkillsUSA Club brought home multiple medals and even more memories from the Second Annual Nebraska Middle School SkillsUSA Conference held in Grand Island on March 22. Earning medals for WMS were Taylor Schendt, first place in Mousetrap Vehicle Distance; Gabby Henderson, second place in Bridge Building; the Quiz Bowl team of Benjamin Brodkey, Kathryn Horwath, and Jack O'Dell earned second place; the Technical Team Problem Solving team of Brianna Beasley, Gabby Henderson and Rebecca Kisicki earned second place. Others competing for WMS were Christopher Alexander in Applied Math and CO2 Dragster, Kathryn Horwath in CO2 Dragster, Shawn Plucinski in Applied Math and Bridge Building, Taylor Schendt in CO2 Dragster and Rebecca Kisicki in Bridge Building. The WMS SkillsUSA Cub is sponsored by David and Kristeen Shabram. Other middle schools participating in the conference were Elmwood-Murdock, Keya Paha County, Louisville, Thedford and Wahoo. To see photos of WMS students, click here.

The annual Westside Hall of Fame Golf Outing is set for July 1. The event will be held at The Players Club in Omaha and is open to all players of all abilities. All funds raised at the golf outing will benefit the Westside Foundation and the Westside Alumni Association. To get all the details for this event and to register, click here.

A Prairie Lane tradition of more than 20 years continued this March as students and teachers gathered to create green popcorn balls. The popcorn balls are sold throughout March as a school fundraiser. Early in the month, in the hour before school starts, student council members and some early-rising teachers come together with popcorn, butter, marshmallows and green food coloring. The teachers take the ingredients and huddle around microwaves, brought in just for this project, and wait for the few minutes it takes to melt, stir, add food coloring and stir again. This mixture becomes the perfect sticky concoction that will form the popcorn into popcorn balls. The students, with gloved hands, wait patiently at the green, paper-covered tables around the large buckets filled with popcorn. After the sticky concoction is added to the popcorn, the students' hands dive in and begin the messy, yet fun job of producing some 500 or so green popcorn balls. For the next week, all students are given the chance to buy popcorn balls after school. To see photos of the fun, click here.

Westside's Amazing Technicolor Show Choir was named first runner-up at FAME Orlando, a national show choir event held at the Hard Rock Live concert venue on the Universal Studios property. Choirs from eight states competed at FAME.  ATSC earned a record five Grand Championships during the 2013 competition season. ATSC has one final performance this year on Friday, May 3, for An Evening of Show Choirs at 7:30 pm in the WHS Auditorium.  Tickets will be available at the door the night of the performance.

Westside is the first school district in the country (and one of only 37 workplaces total) to receive the Well Workplace Platinum Award from the Wellness Council of America. This is WELCOA’s highest designation. Platinum workplaces are leaders and innovators in workplace health promotion and demonstrate exemplary implementations of all seven WELCOA benchmarks. Read more about the award here. 

It's Throwback Thursday on the Westside Community School's Facebook page. Visit the page to see if you can name the guys in the photo from 1957. We'll give the names at the end of the day today, March 21.

Excellence in Youth students at Swanson walked a timeline through history recently - tracking the impact of innovation and change through the lives of famous inventors. Fourteen fourth and fifth grade students researched the lives of inventors, wrote papers on them and then presented first-person narratives to students, friends and family on March 7. Inventors featured on the timeline were: Alexander Graham Bell (telephone); Thomas Edison (phonograph); Nikola Tesla (AC current); Anna Wessel Williams (diphtheria vaccine); Wilbur Wright (airplane); Henry Ford (Model T); Walt Disney (multi-plane camera); Charles Drew (plasma and transfusions); Hedy Lamarr (secret communication system); Virginia Apgar (APGAR scale); Jonas Salk (polio vaccine); Ruth Handler (Barbie doll); and Gertrude Elion (drug AZT). Click here to see photos of the presentations.

Students at Rockbrook Elementary are busy collecting food for the annual food drive. Food collected will be donated to the Westside Food Pantry. Classes will compete with each other to build a creative sculpture out of the goods they bring.

Two WMS Destination Imagination teams have qualified for the state competition. Wind Visible team members Taylor Schendt, Libby Seline, Kate Alston, Ava Bowman and Alexander Bayles placed first in their division. This team had to solve a creative problem using wind energy research and kinetic art. The team also placed first in the instant challenge, which is a creative problem-solving exercise. The Real to Reel team of: Olivia Robino, Audrey McCann, TK Kim, Lilli Marvin and Ande Bilyeu, won second. These team members had to do a community service project and create a movie and press conference about their problem. This team also scored first in the instant challenge. The two teams competed at the Lewis and Clark Regional Competition on March 16. The state competition is April 6 in Kearney.

Westside Middle School presents the musical comedy HONK! It is the story of Ugly, whose odd, gawky looks instantly incite prejudice from his family and neighbors. Separated from the farm and pursued by a hungry Cat, Ugly must find his way home. Along his rollicking and harrowing journey he discovers his true beauty and glorious destiny, as well as love and acceptance in all its forms. HONK!  is a story for all ages to enjoy. The musical will be presented at 7 p.m. on March 21, 22 and 23. TIckets, available at the door, are $6 for adults; $5 for seniors and students.

Rockbrook preschoolers and the sixth-grade students in Ms. Dorn's class cooperated recently to create quilts for Project Linus. This was the culminating event for the preschool's unit on clothes and cloth. The students made eight fleece tie-blankets to donate to Project Linus. Project Linus distributes blankets to children who are hospitalized.  

Students and families at Hillside Elementary won a SMART Board for their school through a program at the Peony Park Hy-Vee. Members of the Hillside family have been shopping and collecting SmartPoints from Hy-Vee since the start of the school year. Lily Goc, a fourth-grader, was the Hillside student who collected the most points. She won an iPad 2, which she generously donated to Mrs. Falcone's fourth-grade classroom. On Feb. 28, officials from the Peony Park Hy-Vee, including store director Martin Stokes, presented the SMART Board to Mrs. Frederick's second-grade class.

Westside Wired is a finalist for the Pacemaker Award from the National Scholastic Press Association. It's the top honor for scholastic journalism. Click here to learn more.

In their first-ever jazz band contest, musicians in the WMS Hot Jazz band placed first in the junior high division of the Bellevue East High School Jazz Festival held March 7. Eighth-grader Tyler Douglass was named outstanding trumpet soloist for the festival. There are 30 students in the 2012-2013 jazz band, under the direction of Matt Sheppard.

Teddy Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter and George Washington, along with many other of our country's past leaders, made appearances at Rockbrook Elementary recently. The second-graders researched presidents and then made presentations to their classes and family members, about the lives and accomplishments of our presidents. Ronald Reagan was a favorite as he brought jelly beans to share.

WMS student Ethan Beier was the winner of the World Math Day Competition. He solved 2,083 correct problems to win the contest held at WMS on March 6. In second place was Christian Kasel with 1,686 correct problems; in third was Samuel Sweeney with 1,462 correct problems. Students went online and were matched up with other students from around the world to compete with each other to solve math problems. There were 32 math classes participating and a total of 671 students. These students worked a grand total of 165,709 math problems correctly!

Westside show choirs rocked the Lewis Central "Clash of the Titans" Show Choir Invitational on March 2 in Council Bluffs. Members of the Amazing Technicolor Show Choir kept their winning streak alive, earning awards for Best Vocals, Best Choreography and Best Band. Westside Connection won the Middle School Division. Simply Irresistible placed second in the Female Show Choir Division and Warrior Express capped a perfect season by winning the Prep Division. With a record five Grand Championships to ATSC's credit this season, the possibility of a perfect season is alive. Next stop is FAME Orlando to compete for a national title.

Art students at Loveland have their own online gallery. Art teacher Jamie Krueger uploads pictures of student artwork to the website, We (heart) Art, to share with the community. The website features artwork inspired by famous artists, books and landscapes. Various art techniques and supplies are used to create the work in the colorful and imaginative online gallery.

Westside teacher Debra Hanslip has been recognized with a lifetime achievement award from the National Association for Gifted Children. Hanslip received the award for her many years of service to NAGC and gifted education in Nebraska. Dennis Hansen, Hanslip's mentor at Westside, attended the annual spring convention to present the award.

The Atomic Brains team from Oakdale Elementary took first place at Westside's annual Battle of the Books competition on Saturday, March 2 at WHS.  Members of the team are Lilly Bowman, Mily Loo, Justin Solheim and Catherine Boyce. The Green Book Packers from Sunset Hills took second place. Members of that team are: Daniel Wood, Nate Weibel, Sawyer Barnhart and Grant Cai. All 10 Westside elementary schools were represented, with more than 180 students participating. Forty-seven teams entered in the competition. Students have been reading from a list of 20 books to prepare for the competition. At the contest, students were asked questions about the 20 books and earned points for knowing the title and author of the book to which each question pertained.

Security National Bank employees spoke to Advanced Algebra students at WHS on Friday, March 1, about the real-world applications of exponential and logarithmic functions. Dawn Dries, Emilee Harvey and Joe McGonigal gave a lesson to students about a variety of subjects, including establishing good credit.

Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle visited WHS on Friday, March 1, to speak to students who are studying federalism in an American Government class. The mayor visited the class taught by Diana Schergin. He spoke about his personal political history and about how city government relates to federal government. Suttle's political career began when he was a student at West Virginia University. He was elected to the student legislature and vowed then to someday become the mayor of a city. Decades later, he was sworn in as Omaha's 50th mayor in 2009. Along with Suttle, the class also celebrated the state of Nebraska's 146th birthday.  Click here to see more pictures of the visit.

Westside High School Orchestra violist Jehong Ahn has been invited to be a member of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America during the Summer of 2013.  Ahn, a senior, is going to New York and will tour with conductor Valery Gergiev and violin soloist Joshua Bell. The tour includes stops in Washington D.C., St. Petersburg, Moscow and London.

Rockbrook Elementary students are on a mission to collect one book for every child enrolled at the school. That's 273 books that will be donated to charities around the city of Omaha! The book drive is sponsored with Westside High School’s National Honor Society.

Four WMS students have been recognized by the Nebraska Educational Technology Association (NETA) for excellent technology skills. NETA sponsors various contests that allow students to use technology to create logos, videos, etc. Dani Barton earned first place honors in NETA's Brand It Contest. For this contest, students were asked to re-design their school logo. Jaylen Knight received an award for one of the top entries in NETA's LOGO Contest for the 6-8 grade level. Jackson Zito and TJ Sheibal received an award for creating a point/counterpoint video about why cell phones should be allowed in the classroom.

Fourth-graders at Paddock Road Elementary re-enacted a march for civil rights as part of a social studies lesson recently. Students in Mrs. Woodland's and Mrs. Kring's classes studied the history of Montgomery, Ala., the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. Students learned about segregation in the 1950s and about examples of prejudice at that time. For example, African Americans couldn't vote or drink from water fountains reserved for whites. Class members made protest signs and marched around the classroom while "We Shall Overcome" was played. To see more photos of the march, click here.

Third-graders at Loveland learned how to keep their smiles bright. Kristin Schroeder, D.D.S., from Got Smile Dental Group taught the students all about dental health. February is National Children’s Dental Health Month.

The WMS Robotics team brought home multiple awards from the Nebraska Robotics Expo and CEENBoT Robotics Showcase on Feb. 15. The event was held at the Strategic Air and Space Museum. Team members are: eighth-graders Christian Kasel, Nyca Gaskill, Søren Johnson, JJ Life and Olivia Robino; and seventh-graders Samuel Sweeney, Kyle Trivilino, Olivia Wing and Frank Owusu. Christian Kasel won first place in the Engineering Notebook Documentation contest. The Autonomous Programming team led by Olivia Robino, Olivia Wing and Samuel Sweeney also took first. Presenting on the topic of Ag Robotics: Past, Present and Future, Nyca Gaskill and Søren Johnson took second. The teams also competed in the Navigational Course and Ball Course, performing well.  Working themselves up from the loser's bracket, a third place finish went to all the team members as they rallied and defended their positions in the Arena Robot Foosball competition. In the Robotics Creative Visual Arts Expo, eighth-graders Kate Jensen and Josh Wonder both received first place ribbons for their entries.

Fifth-graders at Westbrook Elementary have been learning ballroom dancing for the past three weeks. They have been participating in a Dancing Classrooms Residency Program. The student have and will continue to learn ballroom dances, while also learning the life long skills of respect for themselves and for others. At the end of the program the students will perform for parents, teachers and students to demonstrate what they have accomplished.

Karly Meyer, WHS senior basketball player, has been honored by Westside Kiwanis Club for achievements on and off the court. The club honors a senior boy and a senior girl basketball player each year. Honorees are represented from Westside, Marian, Northwest and Burke.  They receive a plaque and certificate for their accomplishments. Meyer is pictured with Assistant Coach Jamie Davis and Head Coach Steve Clark.

On Feb. 7, fifth and sixth grade students and some fourth graders participated in History Day at Sunset Hills Elementary.  Each of the students researched an influential person in history following the theme; Innovation in History: Impact and Change. Their work was shown with a written report and trifold display board. In addition, the students dressed as their chosen person and presented information about that person during an event held for family and friends at Sunset Hills. Click here to view photos from the event.

Second graders at Rockbrook Elementary use Garage Band to record stories for fluency practice. Students read their story into the computer, listen back, and see how they can improve their reading. They do another recording and compare the two. Students use a fluency rubric to guide the expectations for reading.

Congratulations to members of the WMS Quiz Bowl team for their first place win at the Roncalli Wits Clash tournament on Feb. 8. The following students participated in this competition: Zach McCarty, Preston Noll, Robert Gabel, Ava Bowman, Audrey McCann, Alexander Bayles, Asa DeWitt and Madeleine Rauhauser. The team is coached by Holly Weeks and Corrie Philo.

As part of a unit studying community helpers, Hillside's kindergarten classes invited Jim Siedlecki from WOWT Channel 6 to visit the classroom on February 11th. He shared information about his job as a newscaster, and he read Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss. Siedlecki also spoke about being on TV and the work he did in school to achieve his goal of being a newscaster.

Oakdale third graders participated in a service project this winter lending a hand to children and their families at Children's Hospital and Medical Center. Students, parents and siblings stayed after school in January to make more than 20 fleece blankets for patients at the hospital. The blankets are one way to help the children at the hospital feel just a little bit better. Families also came together to prepare a delicious meal for families of the patients staying at the Rainbow House. "Breakfast for dinner" was a big hit!

WHS is offering a new physics class focused on real-life examples rather than memorization. Modeling Physics might begin with students observing a car rolling downhill. Instead of memorizing formulas and theorems, students are first asked to share their thoughts about the car and problem solve – what can they measure? What relationships can they explore? How can they analyze their data? Teachers and students agree, it's a good way to learn. Junior Michael Trivilino says, "... it makes more sense. We get more examples to apply it to the world around us." Click here to read more about Modeling Physics. 

Halfway through his year as a teaching fellow for the U.S. Department of Education, Aaron Bredenkamp is more passionate than ever about his profession and about Westside Community Schools.

Congressman Gene Green of Texas visited Mr. Higginbotham's class at Oakdale Elementary on Feb. 1. Congressman Green read the book House Mouse, Senate Mouse to the students and spoke a bit about his job in the House of Representatives and about the recent Presidential Inauguration.  In addition, the Congressman presented the school with a flag previously flown over the House of Representatives and a copy of the book House Mouse, Senate Mouse.

Third-grade students in Mrs. Riffner's class at Hillside Elementary celebrated reading success with a Read and Feed event on Feb. 1.
The students were challenged by Dr. Hauptman to read at least five hours over the winter break and to record their reading times on a log. Mrs. Riffner's students returned the most logs of any class at Hillside. Students who completed the challenge received a book and enjoyed some popcorn and juice, along with more reading.

Westbrook Elementary fourth-grader Angel Sabino took her own advice and followed her dreams. She is the regional winner in the music making category of the Boys and Girls Club's annual digital arts competition. Sabino, 9, won for her original song, Follow Your Dreams. She created the song using computer software and knowledge she gained while at the Westside Boys & Girls Club. Entrants were asked to create a song that speaks to their peers about future life goals. Sabino will now compete in a national competition in the 6-9 age group. She was surprised by Boys & Girls Club representatives on Feb. 1 when they came to her classroom at Westbrook to present her with the award.

Westside High School presents "The Outsiders" on Feb. 13, 14 and 15 at 7 pm in the Westside High School Theater.  This dramatic adaptation of S.E. Hinton's classic coming-of-age novel stars Ponyboy, an insightful young man caught in a class war between the "have-it-all" rich kids - the "Socs" - and his underprivileged "Greaser" friends and family. In the midst of this urban warfare, kids on the brink of adulthood must face the loss of their innocence, and the line between hatred and acceptance.  Tickets are $8 for Adults, $5 for Students (Children under 5 are free). Tickets go on sale February 11th at www.seatyourself.biz

First grade students at Swanson Elementary celebrated the 100th Day of School in style. They made 100 day hats with 100 stickers, spelled 100 words, completed 100 math problems and drew pictures of what they might look like when they are 100 years old. The 100th Day of School was January 23.

Westside High School's varsity basketball team visited Rockbrook Elementary to work with Jered Hellman's fifth-grade class. The students chose a Readers Theater script to read with their second grade buddies and the basketball team helped them record their readings into iMovie to make a video to share with the class.

With choices like video games, iPads and sports for boys, it’s easy to see why reading may not be a top activity. “Research shows boys just don’t like reading as much as girls and I have seen that teaching for 13 years in this district,” said Hillside literacy coach Ally Hauptman. She and Hillside librarian Stacy Johnson saw a need to engage boys to spend more time reading. “We want to motivate our unmotivated readers,” Hauptman said, so they wrote a grant that was approved by the Westside Foundation to start the Boys Read Book Club at Hillside Elementary. Click here to read more.

Hillside Elementary's Student Council decided to collect money for Pennies for Patients, a program sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society during the first semester of the 2012. Hillside families, staff, and students raised a grand total of $567.38. The money will be sent to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help blood cancer research.

Westgate Elementary sixth-grade teacher, Stephen Pesek, regularly brings in guests to be a part of ‘Celebrity Quiz’. January’s celebrity was Channel 6 News anchor, Jacki Ochoa.  Each student has an opportunity to ask a question, such as:  What kind of student were you in 6th grade?  What do you value most in others?  What advice would you give?  The question and answer session is designed to inspire and motivate his students. 

Third-graders throughout the District spent the morning of December 6 dancing and drumming with nine artists from African Culture Connection.  Students saw the program at Westside High School while the third-grade teachers were at training as part of Volunteer Council's Student Enrichment Program.  African Culture Connection is an organization of professional artists using traditional African dance, music and story to encourage students to learn more about the positive contributions African cultures have made to society.  Students, parents and volunteers watched three dances and participated by drumming and playing instruments. Executive Director Charles Ahovissi taught the students about African culture and the countries and languages of Africa.  The program was made possible by grants from the Nebraska Arts Council and The Westside Foundation.

Six Westgate Elementary students have been matched with six Westside High School student as mentors.  The high school students volunteer their time during their open mods or after school at Club 66.  Mentors spend time with the elementary students doing homework, playing games, eating lunch, shooting hoops and throwing the football around.

First-graders and third-graders at Swanson Elementary have been learning about how others help the community.  As a class they made six fleece tie blankets for Project Linus. The new, bright-colored blankets will be donated to area hospitals and given to children. For more information on Project Linus, visit their home page at www.omahaprojectlinus.org.

During the week of December 3rd through the 7th students from Oakdale's Student Council led a drive to gather money for the annual "Gift-a-Family" event which supports community families in need.  Last year students raised $700 so this year's goal was set at $800.  The generosity of families far exceed the goal with student and staff donations topping $1,500 that helped provide a happier holiday for several families. 

The Westside High School cheerleaders held a fundraiser at the student vs. staff basketball game to adopted a family through the Salvation Army. They raised enough money to purchase gifts for a mother of four children. The cheerleaders gave a gift card to Hy-Vee and clothes for the kids 14-months to 12 years-old.

The Westside High School Future Educators of America club, along with staff sponsor Lori Huffman hosted a Project Linus Make-a-Blanket day. Students made blankets to donate to Omaha Project Linus. Westside High School cheerleaders and members of the volleyball team also helped to make more than 30 large blankets. The blankets are distributed to children who have faced trauma or have experienced a serious illness.

Loveland Elementary's Student Council Outreach Committee sponsored the Loveland Mitten Tree to help the Salvation Army's Winter Night Watch program.  The Night Watch program helps make cold winter nights bearable for homeless people in Omaha by providing hot meals and warm clothing. Loveland collected 37 hats, 87 pairs of mittens and gloves, six scarves, 21 pairs of socks, and 10 sets of hat, gloves, snd scarves.

Hillside kindergartners have been writing to some servicemen and women who are serving overseas. They mailed flags around Veterans Day and made holiday cards to send with their Social/Emotional Learning buddies. Recently, as a service project, the students decided to collect goodies like beef jerky, candy, gum, chapstick, etc. and send the items overseas. They collected 98 different items and will be sending them to our servicemen and women. "The kids were super excited to see all of the goodies we collected. I think this was a great opportunity to show love and respect for others," said kindergarten teacher Jill Foster.

Students at Paddock Road used digital cameras to explore the geometry in the world around them. After learning the basic geometry vocabulary and being able to identify the various lines, angles and polygons, students headed out with cameras to capture the geometry that is all around. Students went through the school in partners and took as many pictures as they wanted. Then they used their technology skills to download and export the photos, saved them on a flash drive and printed two shots per student. The pictures will hang in the hallway of the school for others to see.

On Monday, December 3, 2012, the Westside Foundation recognized two Westside teachers with the Bravo Teaching Award. The Westside Foundation created the Bravo Award to recognize the work of outstanding teachers.  Read More

Fourth-grade students from Oakdale Elementary placed first in a Math Contest at Marrs Magnet Middle School in Omaha.  The contest took place on Monday, November 19th and students from Loveland, Oakdale and Sunset Excellence in Youth program participated in this competition.  Loveland's team tied for fourth-place in the contest in which students competed against 30 other teams in a timed written team test and participated in a math quiz bowl.

Willy Theisen, restaurant entrepreneur, stopped by Westside's Entrepreneurship Class to speak with seniors. Theisen spoke to the class on November 29 and mentioned the importance of being a part of something you are passionate about, engaging in projects, working hard, getting excited and giving back to the community.  One of the most important things the students took away from his presentation was “have confidence in yourself.”  Theisen is the founder and former owner of Godfathers Pizza with locations in over 40 states, he also owns Pitch Pizza which opened in 2009.  Entrepreneurship is an elective class offered to seniors and each student works with a team to plan and operate a small business within the school.  The students are also exposed to local entrepreneurs that share their time, knowledge and success stories on a weekly basis.

Students from Westside's elementary i66 Program helped stock the District food pantry as part of the service learning component of the i66 curriculum.  The students worked with Social Worker Jessica Lowe on stocking shelves and sorting food that came in during the food drive.

Author Michael Shoulders visited all ten elementary schools during November 26-30 and spent time discussing his writing process with students.  Shoulders, the author of a number of non-fiction alphabet books including "T is for Titanic: A Titanic Alphabet" and "D is for Drum: A Native American Alphabet."

Westside High School graduate, songwriter and American Idol finalist Tim Halperin paid a visit to Westside Middle School's show choir Westside Connection.  They are singing one of his original songs, "I Believe" as a ballad in their competition show.  The students performed it for Tim and he gave feedback and told his personal story on this song as well as some background on how show choir had helped him along the way.  Tim took a few requests and Westside Connection ended the rehearsal singing "I Believe" as a group with Tim.

Congratulations to the Amazing Technicolor Show Choir and Show Band on being named Grand Champions at Viterbo 101 this past weekend at Viterbo University in Lacrosse, WI.  In addition to placing first, they received caption awards for Best Vocals, Best Choreography, Best Male Soloist: Will Frei and Best Female Soloist: Sophie Goldberg.  The show band also received the highest instrumental score of the day and Josh Montanye placed first in the solo competition singing "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables.  ATSC has never won their first competition before and this is their first win in the state of Wisconsin.  Congratulations on this huge achievement!

Westside High School is hosting a traveling exhibit that honors military personnel who gave their lives for our country.  The "Remembering our Fallen" exhibit will be on display in the front entry of the high school from November 26-30.  During the opening ceremony on Monday, November 26, Westside Superintendent Blane McCann and Nebraska Congressman Lee Terry thanked veterans for their service to our country.  The free exhibit is open to the public.

Westside Middle School presents The Big Friendly Giant at the WMS Performing Arts Center, December 12-14 at 7pm.  Tickets are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for students.  For more information click here.

Kindergarten students at Paddock Road Elementary built a web out of yarn as they participated in a lesson of team building.  The objective was "when we are part of a team, we must all do our share and help others when needed."  The students had to throw the yarn ball to each other, without letting go of their string of the web  Students then held their friends web string while they took turns crawling under the web.

The Westside Middle School SkillsUSA Club recently held a fundraiser benefiting Habitat for Humanity of Omaha.  From October 29 through November 9, the SkillsUSA Club members collected money before school, raising a total of $376.43. 

Oakdale Elementary's kindergarten through second-grade students participated in Bounce for Bella, a fundraiser for a student battling cancer put on by the Oakdale sixth-graders as a service project. Students brought in their loose change and had the opportunity to participate in a fun basketball activity. The sixth-grade students ran the stations that were set-up in the gym and coordinated the event.  The event raised $1,005 for Bella and her family, click here to see a slideshow of students participating in Oakdale's Bounce for Bella.

Swanson Elementary first-grade students celebrated Career Day on November 20, 2012. Students were studying neighborhoods, communities and where people work within our community. They chose a career they would like to be when they grow up and came dressed with "tools of the trade" for those careers. The class showed up as doctors, nurses, space jumpers, teachers and a principal, moms and dads, zookeepers and veterinarians, a chef, mail carriers and artists just to name a few.   

Congratulations to Westside Journalism, they had a terrific showing at the National Scholastic Journalism Convention in San Antonio, TX.  Warrior Television received sixth-place in the Best of Show Broadcast category, Craze Magazine won third-place in Best of Show Newspaper Special Edition Category and The Lance won eighth-place in Best of Show Newspaper Category.  The Warriors also had several individual award winners: Emily Glazer and Laurel Oetken won for Honorable Mention for Broadcast Package, Ally Stark won Superior Rating- Photo Story, Jordan Meradith won Excellent Rating- Literary Magazine Layout and Eva Phillips won Excellent Rating - News Magazine Layout.

Thank you, Veterans! In honor of Veterans Day, several Westside schools held activities to celebrate and recognize these American heroes. Click here to view a slideshow.

On Tuesday, October 30, Holocaust survivor Bea Karp spoke to Westside High School students participating in the Dynamics of Global Intolerance class. Bea spoke about her childhood in Nazi Germany, her time living in a concentration camp, and her eventual reunification with family members.

Creighton University Head Volleyball Coach, Kirsten Brenthal Booth visited with the Paddock Road Pandas on October 23, 2012.  Kristen spoke to the students about the importance of making safe, respectful and responsible decisions at school and in life.  Following her speech, first quarter Panda Pride Awards were given out and two students from each classroom received a trophy and an award for making safe, respectful and responsible decisions.

Two hundred students across the metro area participated in the 22nd Annual Sixth Grade McMillian Math Competition on Thursday, November 8.  Five teams from Loveland, Oakdale and Sunset Hills represented Westside Community Schools in the head-to-head contest.  The first portion of the competition consisted of 60 questions the teams had to complete in 40 minutes.  To win, the students used their math, teamwork and strategy skills.  The Quiz-Bowl competition was designed to be a quick-paced, fun event for the participants. The team from Sunset Hills took first place in both the written competition and Quiz Bowl.

Sixth-graders at Swanson Elementary celebrated Election Day by playing Algebra Election.  Students worked to win a state's electoral votes by solving an algebraic equation.  Students substituted the variable in the equation with the number of electoral votes designated to the state.  The first team that collected 270 or more votes won the election.  The winning red or blue team members became the President and Vice President.

Nutrition Man and Dr. Exercise from the Rose Theater paid a visit to second-graders at Rockbrook Elementary. They talked about the importance of having a balanced diet and 60 minutes of exercise each day. Try as they might, many villains tried to get the duo to stray from their healthy ways to become slugs however health won out in the end.

Westside Choral Director Doran Johnson has been selected as the 2012 Nebraska Music Educators Association Music Educator of the Year!  The letter that Doran received from NMEA stated "this is a wonderful tribute to your dedication and commitment to music education, your program, and students.  Your nomination letters were inspiring and spoke to the quality of the program you have developed and the richness of the musical experiences you provide for students.  Your mentorship of students and fellow educators is recognized and truly admired by many." Doran will be presented his award at the Annual NMEA Awards Banquet on Thursday, November 15 at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln.

The Boys Varsity Tennis team finished fourth-place in the State Championship which was held on October 11 and 12. Congratulations! Grant Glazer, Camden Bilyeu, Sean Padios, Trent Gardner, Michael Mellen and Noah Placzek are pictured.

For Boss's Day, Westbrook students and staff showed their appreciation to their principal by wearing ties to school. Principal Glen Jagels wears a tie everyday, so they felt it was a great way to show how much they appreciate all the hard work he does for Westbrook. The students all decorated paper ties and wore them around throughout the day while staff members brought ties from home. 

Students in Hillside's kindergarten classes made scarecrows for the residents at Ambassador Omaha.  The students made the scarecrows out of a paper lunch-sack and decorated the sacks with construction paper. They stuffed them and made two each, one to keep at school and one to give away. "The kids really enjoyed saying 'happy fall' to the residents at Ambassadors." said Hillside kindergarten teacher Jill Foster.

Westside Community Schools held its annual United Way fundraiser October 1-12. Staff and students participated in a variety of activities to raise funds for the United Way. Click here to see more pictures of how schools raised money.

Congratulations to the 2011-2012 Lance, Shield, Wired and WTV staffs.  Each of those publications/media (newspaper, yearbook, media convergence and broadcast journalism) received a Cornhusker award at the Nebraska High School Press Association convention in Lincoln on Monday, October 15. The Cornhusker is the highest rating awarded by the NHSPA critique service. Westside was the only school to earn this honor for all four mediums.

Westside High School math teacher Angela Mosier was named the 2013 Nebraska Teacher of the Year in a surprise announcement at Westside High School on Monday, October 15, 2012. The Nebraska Commissioner of Education Roger Breed made the announcement in Mosier's classroom. Mosier has been teaching in the District since 1999. She is a Nationally Board Certified teacher, receiving her certification in 2007.  (Read More)

The week of September 24-28 was Bullying Awareness Week for Westside Community Schools. Schools used the week as an opportunity to educate students and staff, and to highlight anti-bullying and anti-cyber-bullying efforts in their buildings. Click here to see how schools participated.

Several Westside elementary schools including Hillside, Swanson, and Loveland participated in International Walk to School day on October 3. Students met staff along the route to their schools, to form "walking school buses." The day was designed to build awareness and support on the need for walkable communities. The activity also promoted exercise and wellness among students.

Westside Community Schools dietician Tracy Watsabaugh spoke to Westgate kindergartners about making healthy food choices.  She told the students that healthy foods give them the vitamins and nutrients they need to grow, be strong, and have the energy to learn. Following the talk, students were able to sample some new foods, including kiwi berries and romanesco (cross between broccoli and cauliflower).

On Sunday, September 30, the Westside Middle School Robotics team traveled to the CenturyLink Center Omaha to compete in the River City Robotics Competition, held in conjunction with Ak-Sar-Ben’s River City Rodeo & Stock Show. 

The mission of the contest was medical robotics based, using robots to retrieve foreign objects from a cow's stomach. A giant 20 foot-long cow-shaped mat was used as the surface for this competition.  Each team had approximately 2 hours to design, construct, and test their solution before competing in a 5 minute competition to collect as many foreign objects as they could from the cow's stomach.

The WMS team made up of Nyca Gaskill, Christian Kasel, and Taylor Schendt. They competed against 14 other middle school teams fhroughout the state, earning 2nd Place in the middle school division.  The team is coached by WMS teachers Anna Sumner and David Shabram.

As part of the social studies curriculum dealing with sequence of events and change, students in Jamie Pedroza’s second grade class at Paddock Road Elementary created buildings where people can work, play, and live. Students then worked in groups to build an imaginary community and decide where to place their buildings within their community. Each group presented their community to the class and explained why they arranged their community the way they did.

On September 27 and 28, the crows didn't stand a chance as 17 scarecrows were created by each of the classrooms and pre-school at Oakdale.  Themed to topics the classes have been studying, and connected to District indicators, each scarecrow demonstrates the learning and creativity of the students that worked to create it.  Weather permitting, the scarecrows will be on display through parent teacher conferences October 16 and 17.  Click here to see a slideshow.

Firefighters from the Omaha Fire Department presented a program to Hillside Elementary on the importance of fire safety.  The discussed  having an escape plan for students and their families as well as their homes.  Students participated in skits and demonstrated ways of having a fire escape plan. Firefighter Fred, a 10 ft tall mascot, attended the assembly and helped students learn more about fire safety. 

Loveland Elementary invited families to join them for their Open House/ Family Football Frenzy and Math Night.  Parents had the opportunity to play a math game with their students.  By participating in the math games, they were given a ticket which was turned in to the office to earn yardage for their child's classroom. The classroom with the most yards and touchdowns won a prize. 

The Westside High School Theater Department presents Williams Shakespeare's "MACBETH", adapted and directed by Vincent Carlson-Brown, Thursday through Saturday, September 20, 21 and 22, at 7:00 pm at Westside High School.  Tickets are $8 for adults; $5 for students.  Advance ticket sales begin Sept 17 at www.SeatYourself.biz.

Fourth graders at Paddock Road Elementary spent some time in the classroom using QR codes to check their math. QR codes, otherwise known as Quick Response codes, are "super" barcodes that contain stored information.  

The Westside High School Social Studies Department hosted its first ever Ice Cream Social celebrating students who earned a 3 or better on last year's College Board exams in the social studies.  Over 120 students, sophomores through seniors, were invited to attend for their efforts within the AP European History, AP Human Geography, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Psychology, and AP U.S. History exams. "The idea for this event began when we were brainstorming how we could get students motivated to increase AP test preparation and improve scores on the AP U.S. History exam," said Social Studies teacher Bob Brousek. "When we announced last spring of this incentive, I was surprised at the positive response from the students in class."  Current AP students volunteered to helped serve the ice cream at the social.

In honor of the 2012 Olympics, sixth-grade students at Oakdale Elementary did a little research about the ancient and modern Olympics. They then competed in the "Frog Olympics" by creating an origami frog to compete in events like the long hop, the timed hop (30 seconds), the high hop/jump, and the sprint hop. Students integrated skills of measurement and inquiry, and all paper amphibians were checked for matching dimensions and weight class.

Sunset Hills Elementary held a Fun Run to celebrate the start of the school year. The students started at Sunset Pool with some stretches before the run. After the run, they had healthy snacks and water donated by parents and staff at the Snack Shack.  Click here to see a slideshow of pictures from the Fun Run.

Swanson Elementary kindergartners were in for a storytime treat on Tuesday, August 21 when they received a visit from Westside Superintendent Blane McCann. Dr. McCann read two books about going to a new school, Froggy Goes to School and The Kissing Hand. Dr. McCann acknowledged the fears students sometimes face when they start at a new school. Students listened while Dr. McCann shared how he felt the night before he started at Westside; then students shared how they felt. Everyone agreed that nervous feelings don't last long when you're part of Westside Community Schools.

With the help of the Nature Explore Classroom Certification Program and the City of Omaha, Underwood Hill Early Learning Center is creating an outdoor classroom for students to learn.  The classroom will include a gathering area, music area, nature art center, a messy area and a garden grown by the students.  The City of Omaha donated 35 tree stumps and truck load of mulch to spark this project. "Our goal at Underwood in regards to our nature yard, is to give children the opportunity to explore all their senses and develop social and emotional skills. Allowing children to be outside, helps in their self-regulation and improves upon their social and physical being," said Andreea Shnayder, Site Director at Underwood Hills.  Click here for a slideshow of Underwood Hills' outdoor classroom. 

Loveland Elementary kindergarten students read a story called "Listen, Buddy" where Buddy was a rabbit who had a hard time listening.  When Buddy went down a wrong path, the kindergartners tried to help him find his way by following Buddy’s clues around the school. They met school helpers and visited important places around Loveland including the Principal's office, the lunchroom, the media center, and the health office. The students found Buddy resting in their classroom when they returned.

School was back in session on Tuesday, August 14 and teachers and students alike were excited to get back into the classrooms. Click here to see a slideshow of back to school pictures from around the district.

Westgate Elementary started the year off right with an all-school assembly and in honor of the Olympics, students and teachers participated in a bucket race. Racers had to complete two laps around the gym gliding in their laundry baskets. Music was played at different speeds so that during the fast music the audience would cheer loudly and the racers would move quickly. During the slow music the audience cheered silently and racers moved in slow motion.

Superintendent Blane McCann welcomed students and staff to the 2012-2013 school year. During the first day of class, he visited schools throughout the District. Dr. McCann joined the Westside Community School District as the new superintendent on July 10.

We are excited to welcome you to the start of the 2012-2013 school year! What an exciting time for our students, parents and staff.  Click here to watch a welcome back video. 

The U.S. Department of Education recently recognized Westside High School Career Center math teacher Aaron Bredenkamp as one of 12 Teaching Ambassador Fellows. The 12 fellows were selected from a field of 625 applicants from throughout the nation. Bredenkamp is the first Nebraska teacher selected for this honor. Read More

The Brick Mural that sits to the left of the main entrance of Westside High School has won the silver medal in the 2012 Brick Industry Association Competition Education Division.  The mural will also be featured in the November issue of Architecture Magazine.  It was created in 2009 by Westside High School students and teachers Al Vap and Erin Lunsford. Click here to see pictures of the mural. 

The start of a new school year is just around the corner! Be sure to check your school's homepage for any summer newsletters, dates for sneak-a-peeks and curriculum nights and any announcements.  School starts August 14!

Fourteen Westside High School choral students recently returned from a two week trip through Europe where they were touring with the Midwest American Honor Choir.  Students, along with Vocal Music teachers Doran Johnson and Kyle Avery, traveled through France, Spain, Monaco, Switzerland, Austria and Germany.  Johnson said the highlight of the trip was performing in La Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, Spain.

Westside Middle School technology and business teacher Crystal Bolamperti won a BEST award at the 2012 Nebraska Career Education Conference.  The award, which stands for belong, excel, study and travel, is based upon involvement in professional associations, community and school activities, professional leadership development and service to the business education profession.  BEST awards exemplify superior qualities including: dedication to students, community outreach and continual classroom improvement efforts. Congratulations Crystal!

Swanson Elementary students celebrated Don't Fry Day sponsored by the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention.  Students were encouraged to protect their skin by wearing protective clothing and eye-wear like hats and sunglasses when playing outside.  They also were encouraged to wear sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher while enjoying the outdoors.  Click here to see a slideshow of Don't Fry Day.

Sunset Hills Elementary sixth-graders have been earning money throughout the school year to present a gift to the school.  The class decided to use their money and improve the playground at Sunset Hills for all students to use.  The sixth-graders met on a Sunday afternoon and they painted new forms on the playground.  In addition, there will be new basketball nets and paint on the backboards and poles this fall. Click here to see a slideshow of the sixth-graders updating the Sunset Hills playground.

The Westside Foundation recognized Sarah Ehlers, a special education teacher at Prairie Lane Elementary, with a Bravo Award. She received this award in a surprise announcement on May 30. The Foundation created this award to recognize the work of outstanding teachers. Sarah was recognized for her ability to inspire and engage students to more fully participate in school and community life. She possesses a unique combination of skills, including innovation, organization, and diligence. Westside Superintendent Jacquie Estee, Westside Foundation Executive Director Laura Iliff, and Prairie Lane Principal Jennifer Harr presented the award to her.

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To honor the 2012 retirees of Swanson Elementary, Vicki Wojtalewicz, T.J. Jensen, and Kristy Damkroger,  the Swanson Literary Resource Center was created and dedicated on Friday, May 25, 2012.  The Swanson Literary Resource Center will meet the needs of students and teachers through a wide assortment of books to be used to teach reading comprehension and instill a love of reading.  Donations were made in honor of the many years these teachers have impacted students in the Westside Community Schools.

Loveland Elementary students participated in a week of fun to raise money for their sister school in Kumi, Uganda.  Students brought in donations to participate in Crazy Hat Day Monday, Twisted Tuesday, Run Your Socks Off Wednesday, Read-n-Feed Thursday and Beach Bonanza Friday.  Students raised $417.72 and all proceeds went to fund their continued partnership with students in Africa. 

Four teachers from Westside High School ran four different science workshops for Westgate Elementary students.  The workshops called "What do My Fingerprints Look Like," What Colors of Light do Plants Use to Make Food," "How Can We Build Rubber Band Rockets," and "What Parts of My Tongue are Most Sensitive," were geared to a specific grade level.  Students had the opportunity to work with the High School teachers and to explore interesting aspects of the world as interpreted through science.  Click here to see a slideshow of the four workshops.

It has been a long standing tradition for sixth-graders at Oakdale Elementary to launch rockets. Earning rockets is part of Oakdale's classroom management system and it is something the students work towards all year. In the fourth quarter, students learn about rocket design and the importance of following a multiple-step process as they build the rocket in science class. "The final step is to launch the rocket which is a symbol of the students launching their middle school education," said Rebecca Kratky, Oakdale sixth-grade teacher.

Students and families at Swanson Elementary opted for two wheels instead of four and participated in Bike to School Day.  They started at 96th and Harney street and stopped by two other locations, picking up more students and family members along their way.  "We had a great turnout and the event was a huge success," said Debra Kaplan, Physical Education Teacher at Swanson.  Click here to see a slideshow of Bike to School Day.

Swanson students and families participated in the Swanson Spokes: A Bike Rodeo Event in Swanson's park.  The rodeo included minor bike tune-ups and tire inflation, an obstacle course, the smoothie bike blender and Vitamix smoothies, helmet checks and bike decorating.  Students also received information on safe riding from the National Safety Council in Nebraska.  The rodeo was sponsored by the Swanson Wellness Committee and Activate Omaha.  Click here for a slide show from the Swanson Spoke Bike Rodeo. 

Sixty eighth-grade girls at Westside Middle School presented to seventh and eighth-grade homerooms about becoming cyber allies during Digital Citizenship Week.  The girls have been working all year on how to be allies against bullying and cyberbullying.  They met with the Anti-Defamation League and participated in a three hour training session on being cyber allies called The Secret Life of Girls.  In homerooms, the girls presented two video clips, one from Omaha Town Hall and Common Sense Media and one from MTV's A Thin Line, both on cyberbullying.  They asked students about what they share online and how they can take a stand against cyberbullying.  The cyber allies shared tips on how to be a good digital citizen by guarding your privacy and wisely choosing the information you share.  Students then had the opportunity to sign a pledge that stated "I will stand connected against cyberbullying." Click here to see a slideshow on the presentations.

More than 32 career professionals from the community and 30 Westside Volunteer Council members contributed toward the success of Career Day at Westside Middle School. Eighth-grade students began their morning by learning about service hour opportunities required for graduation from Westside High School.  The keynote speaker and former Westside student, Pete Ricketts, spoke about the importance of pursuing students’ interests in addition to essential education and skills. Students previously completed a career interest survey that represented their top career clusters or categories identified by the Nebraska Career Education Model.  During the remainder of the morning, eighth-graders attended presenters representing their top career clusters.  This is one of many career education opportunities offered within Westside for students to recognize their career interests and obtain real-world knowledge from professionals working in the industry. 

Westside High School's Journalism Department including the Lance and the Shield took third place at the 2012 State Journalism Championships at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  The one-day championship event is sponsored by the Nebraska School Activities Association, the Nebraska High School Press Association and UNL. Click here to see the individual results.

In celebration of Earth Day, all Swanson Elementary students had the opportunity to cast two votes for their Henry Doorly Zoo Adopt an Animal Project. Students voted on their top two choices out of animals like a penguin, clownfish, shark, frog and butterfly. Once the ballots were counted, the winners were a tiger and a polar bear. This was a project sponsored by the Swanson Student Leadership Team.

Each year Loveland Elementary students participate in Art Smart, a program that enriches student's learning through art-focused projects that complement Loveland's curriculum. These projects give the students hands-on opportunities to learn about, experience and apply art in many forms as it relates to culture, history, science, geography, math, reading, writing, nature and so much more. This year, the students created Garden Stepping Stones for the new Nature Path.  "We had 302 students each create an 8x8 garden stepping stone," said Amy Kelly, co-chair of Art Smart.  Each grade was represented by a different color. The program, which is presented annually is sponsored by Loveland's Community Club. Click here to see a slideshow of the Art Smart stepping stones.

Paddock Road's Student Council assembled May Day Baskets to deliver to the Rainbow House.  Destinee Rosemond, Anna Carrig, Christian Madsen, Casey Brattain, Lauren Kruger, Kelsi Staehlin and Virginia Jansen, helped delivered these May Day Baskets and received a tour of the Rainbow House.  The Carolyn Scott Rainbow House is open to anyone who has family receiving treatment at the Children's Hospital & Medical Center.  Created to be a home-away-from home, the Rainbow House is a free place for families who live 60 miles or more outside of Omaha to sleep, eat, do laundry, and more.  The baskets brought joy to everyone spending their May Day at the Rainbow House.

Westgate Elementary students used recycled materials to create sculptures to celebrate Earth Day.  Students brought their own materials and each classroom created a piece of art to be showcased during the Earth Day performance.  During the performance the sixth-grade classes sang and used the recycled materials to make music. Students also picked-up trash from around the school grounds.  Click here to see a slideshow of Westgate's Earth Day celebration.

Paddock Road celebrated Earth Day with a whole week of Student Council events encouraging students to appreciate the world around them.  The week ended with the planting of a Colorado Blue Spruce tree purchased by Student Council for Paddock Road.  With the help of Tony, a representative from Earl May Nursery, and Mike, Paddock Road's engineer, the Student Council representatives dug a hole and planted the tree.  The Student Council named the tree Bruce the Spruce.  Click here to see a slideshow of the tree being planted.

After reading a novel where the main character survives an avalanche, Charlotte Simon, Jaxon Duin, Harry Boggust, Laina Bayles, Kaelyn Mettler and Rosalie Wilke, Swanson fifth-graders, conducted a phone interview with former Westside graduate, Matt Jensen, son of fifth-grade teacher Mrs. T.J. Jensen.  Matt, Program Director of the University of Washington's Climbing Facility, teaches avalanche search and rescue classes in the Seattle area.  Prior to conducting the interview, students researched avalanches, developed questions and organized their information. One of the coolest things students learned about were avalanche air bags. Matt stressed the importance of using your brain, "the most important piece of safety equipment," to avoid getting into dangerous situations. 

Students at Rockbrook Elementary showed off their artwork for parents and staff at the Rockbrook Art and Pizza Night.  Families enjoyed pizza and drinks in the gym and then strolled throughout the school to see displays of art from every class.  Rockbrook's string students performed for attendees as well to give the school more of an art gallery feel.

Paddock Road Elementary students planted flowers and cleaned up trash from the school grounds as part of a service project called Spring Clean-Up Day for KKids.  KKids is an international student-led organization providing members with opportunities to perform service, build character and develop leadership.  Paddock Road has about 40 members who belong to KKids, a program which is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. Click here to see a slideshow of Spring Clean-Up Day. 

Professional ballroom dancers visited Prairie Lane Elementary's fifth-grade class to exhibit different types of dance.  The fifth-graders watched the waltz and fox trot and then had an opportunity to dance with ballroom dancers.  The students have been taking ballroom dance for the past nine weeks through a grant provided by the ARTery, a non-profit organization to promote dancing in schools, the arts and diversity.  They will show off their dance skills on May 17 when they perform in a showcase for parents, students and guests.

Swanson Elementary kindergarten students were treated to a demonstration of how to crack open and try coconut. Lanessa Lehr and Tammara Nusrallah from Westside's Nutrition Service showed the students how by poking a hole in the coconut with a nail.  Students shook out the coconut milk and then kindergartner Griffin Bahan hammered the coconut to crack it open. All the students then tried a bite of the raw coconut fresh from the shell.

Seven Westside High School students were recognized for scoring in the 70th percentile or higher on the National German Exam. The awards tea was held at University of Nebraska-Omaha and students Samuel Adams, Tessa Fulmer, Connor Rock, Elizabeth Deonarain, Andrew Gerber, Richard "RJ" Weiss and  Elizabeth Bruckner were awarded with certificate.

Students from Loveland, Oakdale, Rockbrook, Sunset Hills and Westbrook participated in the annual Brownell Talbot fifth and sixth-grade math competition.  Laura Liu, representing Sunset Hills, won first place in the fifth-grade individual competition.  Preston Noll, a sixth-grader from Rockbrook, tied for second in his division for the individual competition.  Rockbrook's Team A, which included Rylan Bishop, Melissa Holmes, Preston Noll, Olivia Washburn, and Matthew Zimmerman, won the overall team competition.  Click here to see a slideshow from the competition.

Westside Middle School English teacher Sarah Kroenke and Westbrook sixth-grade teacher Deb Kruse were recognized with a certification pin at the University of Nebraska at Omaha National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Cadre event.  Both teachers earned their National Board Certification in November of 2011.

Rockbrook Elementary parents, Tim Leibel and Toni DiBlasi-Leibel, volunteered their time to engage Rockbrook and Westbrook Excellence in Youth students in learning about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics or STEM concepts.  "The STEM curriculum has become an important focus in exposing today's students to future career possibilities," said Davine Faimon, EY Coordinator.  Nuclear engineer, Tim Leibel taught the students how to code and decode binary numbers and then transmit binary numbers using a simple multiplexer circuit.  The students learned how to read circuit diagrams, build circuits, read blueprints and much more.  The Westbrook and Rockbrook EY students will continue to use this information as a springboard for continued study of other STEM concepts. Click here to see a slideshow of the visit.

In March, Hillside students enjoyed a book swap and an evening of reading to some furry friends as part of their Reading Pups program.  The program is designed to motivate students and to improve their confidence levels in reading in a fun and unique environment.

At a ceremony in March, 83 WMS students were inducted into the newly formed National Junior Honor Society. Students selected for this honor were high academic achievers, displayed outstanding leadership both in the classroom and outside of the classroom, are members of a variety of school and extra-curricular activities and dedicated many hours to service within their communities. Along with the students application core teachers were asked to evaluate each student on the leadership they display in the classroom, their citizenship and their character in the classroom. Established in 1921 and 1929, respectively, the National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) are the nation's premier organizations established to recognize outstanding high school and middle level students.

After 37 years of teaching, Westside High School's Director of Bands Roger Groth is retiring.  But not before the annual celebration of the area’s top student musicians, the Big Band Extravaganza. Seventeen alumni, including members of the band 311, to pay tribute to Groth. Tickets on sale now, only 300 left.  Read more.

James Rizzi was an American pop artist who, in his life, created many prints, drawings and paintings. Students at Loveland Elementary hosted an Art Show where all of the art was inspired by Rizzi and his style.  Each grade worked together to create large canvases celebrating an important landmark in Omaha.  Rizzi was inspired by his city and he used bright and cheerful colors to create scenes of New York.  Students also worked individually to create something that they loved about Omaha. Click here to see a slideshow of art displayed at the Loveland Art Show.

DECA awards were given to Nebraska high school students, teachers and business partners recently at the 55th DECA conference in Lincoln. Westside High School had 40 students place at the conference and Westside DECA teacher Sarah Schau won Marketing Educator of the year. Read more.

Loveland fourth-grader Rayann Maze was surprised with an award for a clay movie contest, sponsored by The Boys and Girls Club. She won first place out of all the entries submitted across thirteen states. Congratulations!

Students Theodore Jansen, Ethan Beier, Jim Schueneman and Grace Johanningsmeier represented Westside Community Schools at the 2012 Nebraska State Geography Bee on Friday, March 30, 2012. Only one hundred students with the top scores across our state were invited to the competition in the Milo Bail Student Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.  Grace, Jim, Theo and Ethan participated in eight rounds of questions to determine if any of them would be in the final round.  Theodore and Ethan each missed one question which sent them into the largest head to head run-off competition.  Both students went out on question three, a respectable conclusion to their competition. Congratulations on your hard work!

Westside High School senior Lauren Meyers is the 2012 recipient of the prestigious Earl Siegel Female High School Athlete of the Year award. She will receive this award on May 9 at the 58th annual Sports Banquet presented by B'nai B'rith held at the Century Link Center. Meyers also received an award from the Omaha Sports Committee who honored five athletes from the winter sports season as Outstanding Scholars and Athletes. Lauren Meyers was honored for her success in the classroom and the basketball court, as well as her many other activities she's been involved in throughout her high school career. Pictured are from left to right, Athletic Director Tom Kerkman, Assistant Dean, Varsity Volleyball Coach and teacher Kim Eymann, Lauren Meyers, and Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Steve Clark. Congratulations!

The Westside Middle School Destination Imagination Team of: Lauren Chesire, Amy Conaway, Madison Hoy, Bridget Mizener and Ben Volberding placed first in their state competition. This team has now qualified for Global Competition in Knoxville, TN on May 21-26. Destination Imagination, is an educational program in which student teams solve open-ended Challenges and present their solutions at Tournaments. Teams are tested to think on their feet, work together and devise original solutions that satisfy the requirements of the Challenges. Participants gain more than just basic knowledge and skills, they learn to unleash their imaginations and take unique approaches to problem solving.

Students at Sunset Hills Elementary have to solve a mystery, the mystery of who will be reading to them on Fridays.  Parents, siblings and family members have become Mystery Readers for Tiffney Koopman's second-grade class.  Students are given five clues by Koopman on Monday and additional clues throughout the week.  By Friday, they have to guess who will be reading to the classroom.  "It's a great opportunity to show students the importance of reading and how exciting it can be," Koopman said.  The mystery reader can bring their child's favorite book to read or borrow one from classroom. 

Sunset Elementary sixth-grade Excellence in Youth students presented the "Wonders of Omaha" to Superintendent-Elect Blane McCann.  Boys Town, the Henry Doorly Zoo, Children's Hospital and the Nebraska Humane Society were a few of the highlights the seven students covered.  They brainstormed an extensive list and then selected the individuals or places they were interested in researching.  Many of the pictures used in the presentation were taken by the students on a field trip of Omaha.  Each student then created a Keynote presentation of their specific topics and presented them to the class. Read more.

Westbrook Elementary's Principal Cindy Vann followed through on a promise she made her students, if they read 140,000 minutes in two weeks she would climb the rope tower on Westbrook's playground.  Vann, who is afraid of heights, climbed up the tower in front of her students as they went well beyond the goal she set for them, by reading over 160,000 minutes.  "I felt very good when my feet were down on the ground," Vann said.  Click here to see a slideshow of Vann scaling the rope tower. 

Students from Westbrook's National Elementary Honor Society sponsored a blood drive in honor of Savannah Kniewel, a second-grader at Westbrook.  Twenty-three parents and staff attended and donated blood at this event. The National Elementary Honor Society is a group of fifth and sixth-graders that are chosen based on their grades, good character, and recommendations by their teachers. The students choose four projects throughout the school year that will impact the community and in May, they will host a breakfast for the Police and Fire Departments to thank them for their service.

Congratulations to Westside High School students Jenny Solheim and Casey Callahan for receiving national recognition in The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2012, presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.  Both students received recognition in Drawing.  These students have been identified by panels of professional artists as the most talented young artists in the nation.  This year, 200,000 works of art and writing were submitted.  Only the top 1,500 were recognized at the national level.  Jenny and Casey have been invited to attend a ceremony at the world-famous Carnegie Hall on June 1st and to participate in a number of showcase events at Parsons The New School of Design in New York City. 

Rockbrook Elementary's first-graders teamed up with their fourth-grade buddies to do some Spring cleaning.  The students prepared the garden for planting vegetables and raked up old leaves and twigs from last fall. First-graders are learning about plant growth and are working on a "How To" writing project about how to plant a garden. Click here to see a slideshow of the Spring cleaning.

Oakdale Elementary held their third-quarter High Five Assembly which celebrates students' safe, respectful, and responsible behavior each quarter. Teachers Nick Djernes and Garret Higginbotham kicked the assembly off with a tunnel walk, several students in fifth and sixth-grade participated in the walk, carrying the 'We are Oakdale' banner. They performed an Oakdale rap written by Djernes and dressed like rappers to complete the theme. Students names were then drawn from each of the grade's high five containers. Several students from each grade level earned the opportunity to participate in a high five celebration after the assembly.

Westside High School's Theater Department presents The Who's TOMMY, a rock musical by Pete Townshend. Dates for the musical are March 22, 23 and 24 at 7 p.m. and the performance will take place in the WHS auditorium.  Tickets are available online here and will be sold at Westside's front entrance on March 19 through the 23.  $12 adults, $6 students. For more information visit the Westside Theater Department.

Third-grade students at Rockbrook Elementary have partnered up with students from Rockbrook's Early Childhood Program.  The new guidance program, which assigns a third-grade student with a pre-school student meets each month.  The students play games for learning skills, cooperation, taking turns and how to work with others.

Underwood Hills Early Learning Center held a Sweet Heart Dance featuring DJ Shif D.  The students dressed-up in their nicest dress and suits and danced with parents and staff.  The Underwood Hills Early Learning Center has toddler, half-day and full-day preschool programs and its curriculum focuses on nature and the arts. 

Swanson Elementary kindergartners traveled to Great Western Bank on 93rd and Dodge to learn about money and how a bank works. They were treated to a snack and a story about saving money and given a tour of the facility. Kindergartners reviewed coins and their values and each student dropped coins into the coin-counting machine. They also saw where the safety deposit boxes were stored and greeted a customer who went through the drive-through window. Great Western Bank is a community partner with Swanson Elementary.

Students and staff at Loveland Elementary helped raise over $200 for Sunset Elementary student Isaac Barchus.  Isaac, a second-grader at Sunset was diagnosed with CANDLE syndrome, a very rare auto-inflammatory disease. The student council sold bracelets for Isaac at a Loveland pancake breakfast. 

Swanson Elementary's kindergarten class partnered up with New Cassel to carry out projects funded by a grant from Westside Foundation. Kindergartners develop academic and social skills in addition to learning the value of community outreach and inter-generational relationships. One of the projects included a family pajama party and blanket making night at which students and parents measured, tied and counted the blankets for Cassel Companions.

Three groups of sixth-grade students from Oakdale Elementary attended the 2012 Robotics Showcase hosted by the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and the University of Nebraska at Omaha departments of Engineering and Education. The competition was held at the SAC Museum and each group participated in a ball course challenge, a driving course challenge and a navigational course/robot rescue challenge. Team Bridwell, consisting of Austin Middleton, Joshua Ray-Price and Jordan Reeves brought home a first-place trophy for the navigational course. They were the only team to reach all four rescue areas of the course and completed three out of four rescues within four minutes.

Congratulations to Lauren Meyers, a senior basketball player at Westside High School. She was honored by the Kiwanis Club of Westside, as the oustanding senior basketball player.  Athletics, academics, and leadership were the criteria used to choose Lauren.  Also being honored at the luncheon were players from Omaha Northwest, Omaha Marian, and Omaha Burke.  Pictured with her is Head Coach Steve Clark and Assistant Coach Jamie Davis. 

Westgate Elementary celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday with it's annual birthday breakfast.  Parents and students enjoyed a delicious breakfast of green eggs and ham in the gym. Then is was off to the classrooms where more Seuss activities were going on throughout the building. Students and parents enjoyed reading Seuss books, playing Seuss games, and doing Seuss art activities. Click here to see a slideshow of Dr. Seuss' Birthday Breakfast.

Swanson Elementary wins a $4,000 grant and has launched a new school wellness initiative called Fuel Up to Play 60. A joint project between the National Dairy Council, Midwest Dairy Council and the NFL Movement for an Active Generation, Fuel Up to Play 60 helps students make better choices every day. Click here to read more.

The Westside Foundation has recognized Kimberly De La Cruz, an English teacher at Westside High School and Gloria Stover, a music teacher at Loveland Elementary with the Bravo Award.  The Foundation created this award to recognize the work of teachers who skillfully and successfully tap into the unique academic, social, emotional and/or physical talents of students and who inspire students to fully engage in school and community life. Click here to read more.

In February, several WMS students attended the 2012 Nebraska Robotics Expo at the Strategic Air and Space Museum to compete in a variety of CEENBoT Robotics competitions. Two WMS teams, made up of 7th and 8th graders, competed in a variety of contests against 30 other middle school teams from the metro area. Click here to read more.

Thirty-six teams representing all 10 elementary schools participated in the 2012 Battle of the Books competition at Westside High School. Participants were given 20 books to read between May and February.  During the competition, the teams are asked questions about the books and they have to answer with the title and author.  All the teams did a great job and were well-prepared. Many rounds ended with tie-breaking questions.  The winning team was the Bookheads from Hillside. The Paralyzing Paragraphs from Sunset Hills took second place.

Congratulations to the 2011-2012 Scholastic Art and Writing Award winners! A combined 70 students from Westside High School and Westside Middle School submitted artwork and received awards. Click here to see the winners and read more.

Congratulatios to the Westside High School VEX Robotics Team! They finished the Nebraska State VEX Robotics Championship as the State Runner-up.  The team made up of ninth-graders Alex Zimmerman, Jordan Estee, and Tori Johnson persevered through many mechanical challenges. They will advance to the National Tournament in March.

Students and parents visited Oakdale Elementary sixth-graders as they held their annual Night of the Notables.  The theme this year was "The Individual in History: Going Beyond the Extra Mile." The sixth-graders dressed up and presented research on their historical figure.  They raised over $300 in donations for Children's Hospital in exchange for answering questions related to their historical figures. The project started when the students read a biography book on their chosen figure and they researched and wrote an essay about that person. The students then had to write a three to five minute speech on their notable.  Click here to see pictures of Oakdale's Night of the Notables.

Westiside High School Spanish teacher John White has been awarded a fellowship from the U.S. Department of State to participate in the 2012 Uruguay Educator Exchange Program.  As part of the exchange program, Julio Barreiro, an educator from Minas, Uruguay, traveled to Westside High School for two weeks. Julio spoke with students and collaborated with staff while at Westside, he also visited many of Omaha's cultural and local attractions including the Henry Doorly Zoo, El Museo Latino and the state capitol.  The program provides a short-term professional development opportunity for the U.S and Uruguay educators to share best practices on issues of mutual interest to their schools, students and communities.  John will travel to Uruguay for two weeks during the summer 2012.

Author and illustrator Adam Rex visited students at Loveland Elementary as part of a four city tour promoting his new book "Cold Cereal".  Students were amazed at his artwork and illustrations and laughed at his wild writings. 

Five fourth-graders from Paddock Road Elementary will compete in the Nebraska Robotics Expo at the SAC Museum. Team PANDA has been practicing for the competition using a CEENBoT provided by the district. Team members include Mia Flores, Oliver Gurney, Ashleigh Madsen, Hannah Olson, and Quinton Peterson.

Eight students from Westside High School and one student from Westside Middle School received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for volunteering at various agencies throughout Omaha and the surrounding communities. Click here to read more.

As members of the Westside High School technology support team, Rob Uchtman, Joe Morris, and Jordon Bellanti are used to having their hands full. Yet, on February 2nd, they found themselves faced with a unique challenge that impacted nearly every laptop in the building. Read more

Students at Sunset Hills and Loveland Elementary celebrated History day, an educational program that makes history come alive.  Students studied an individual in history and what made that person go above and beyond, or the extra mile.  Loveland sixth-graders and Sunset Hills fifth and sixth-graders completed boards, presentations and biographical papers on their historical figure. Sunset Hills kindergartners drew pictures of George Washington or Abraham Lincoln and first-graders created a fact board on their figure. Second, third and fourth-graders researched a person in history and wrote a paragraph about them. Click here to see a slideshow on history day.

Congratulations to Benjamin Stokowski for being named Hillside Elementary's Student of the Month! Benjamin was awarded $50.00 to start a college fund from Five Points Bank.  The award was presented by Tom Kelley, Omaha Market President of Five Points Bank and Director of Operations Jackie McCabe.

Westside Nutrition Services has students "try a bite" every other Wednesday to encourage them to try new foods.  Kumquats, a little fruit that tastes similar to an orange, were on the menu this week.  Students at Oakdale Elementary ate them, skin and all and were surprised how sweet and sour they were. Next on the menu is pomegranate seeds.

Congratulations to three Westside High School seniors, who signed athletic letters of intent to play football in college.  Tyler Schuster and Jack Sortino signed with Hastings College in Hastings, NE and Brandon Wiles signed with Grand View University in Des Moines, IA.

Congratulations to WHS seniors Megan Thacker, Malcolm Willett, and Kirsten Smith who all signed athletic letters of intent with Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD.  Megan and Kirsten will play soccer.  Malcolm will play football.

Kindergartners at Westgate Elementary were treated to a visit by Dr. Bert van Blerk.  He spoke to students about the job responsibilities of a doctor. During his visit, Dr. van Blerk allowed students to listen to his heart with a stethoscope.  He also gave each of them a surgical cap and mask.

Kindergartners at Oakdale Elementary celebrated 100 days of school by reading 100 books, counting 100 pennies, making 100 paper hearts and singing the '100 Days of School' song.  Students also read a book about chicks and made 100 chicks to display in the classroom. Westgate students counted to 100 in different forms and celebrated by having a 100th day snack at the end of the day.  Click here to see a slideshow.

Hillside Elementary students, families and staff gathered last Friday night to participate in Hillside Community Club’s Pizza Bingo Night.  Everyone gathered for yummy pizza followed by some fairly competitive bingo games.

For No Name Calling Week, held the week of January 16-20, Swanson Elementary students learned about RESPECT.  RESPECT is a educational theater presentation.  Actor-educators role-play with students, showing them, as bystanders, how to stand up to bullying behavior.

During a lesson where Rockbrook first graders learned about comparing and contrasting, teacher Elizabeth Raphael read several versions of the Gingerbread Man story.  Students wrapped up the lesson by decorating gingerbread man cookies and by sponge-painting gingerbread pictures.  Click here for additional pictures of the activity.

Swanson Elementary students experienced a science show of pops, bangs, and flashes on January 26th. The University of Nebraska at Omaha's CAPOW! presentation (Chemistry and Physics on Wheels) helped to teach 4th-6th graders about physics, chemistry, and energy resources. The students enjoyed Dr. Dan Sullivan's hands-on presentation.

Westside High School senior Jennifer Jimenez was named the Omaha area's "Youth of the Year" by the Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands. It's the highest award given to club members and is based on character, academics and community involvement. Jimenez will serve as the group's 2012 ambassador and plans to attend the Art Institute of California in Los Angeles after she graduates.  Omaha had five other finalists for this award including Westside High School sophomore Devin Rollins. 

Paddock Elementary fourth-graders investigated The Science of Goo with Jim Woodland, the Director of Science Education at the Nebraska Department of Education.  During their inquiry the students mixed cornstarch and water to create the goo, which they then studied for changes in shape, consistency and texture.  The lesson tied in with the Blue Man Group's visit to Omaha.  Click here to see a slideshow.

For the past three years, thanks to Opportunity Education, Loveland has had a sister school in Kumi, Uganda.  Last week, nine international educators visited Loveland to see what a student holiday celebration was like.  They attended Loveland's Halloween Parade and parties.  The educators came from Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, India and Zambia and stayed in Omaha for a week of intensive training.  Loveland was the only school in the United States that the educators visited.

Loveland Elementary's Student Council sponsored a mitten tree to collect items for the Salvation Army's Winter Night Watch program.  Students brought new mittens, hats, gloves and scarves for the program which helps make cold winter nights bearable for the homeless and near-homeless of Omaha.

Kindergarten students at Hillside Elementary had a visit from Lucius, an African penguin from Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. Lucius was accompanied by Stephanie Huettner, the Assistant General Curator and Curator of Birds and Mitch Carl, the Curator of Aquatics at the zoo.  Stephanie answered the students questions about what penguins eat and where they live while Lucius greeted the students.  To see a slideshow of the visit, click here.

Congratulations to the Westside High School Step Team. They won first place at the Sigma Youth Step Explosion at the Ray and Joan Kroc Center on Saturday, December 3. The team competed with others from across the state and were judged by representatives of collegiate step teams from the Midlands in six categories.

Owney, the unofficial mascot of the Railway Mail Service in 1885 traveled the world accompanying mailbags on trains and steamships. Today, a toy Owney travels from school to school to connect students across the United States.  Fourth-graders at Paddock Road had a visit from their Owney, who started his travels in Maine and Minnesota before arriving in Omaha.  The students involved him in their daily activities before sending him to his next stop in Colorado.  Click here to see a slideshow of Owney's time at Paddock Road.

Sixth-graders at Oakdale Elementary have decided to support Children's Hospital and Medical Center as a part of their annual community service project.  Every quarter, students will complete a project that will benefit the patients at Children's.  This past month, the sixth-graders collected craft supplies from all grades at Oakdale and donated over eight boxes to the hospital.

Westside Middle School's Student Mentoring Program traveled to Lincoln to participate in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Discover Engineering Day.  During the day, students participated in a variety of engineering-based problem solving activities.  UNL College of Engineering students organized and conducted the activities and also spoke to the middle school students about making engineering a future career choice.  At the end of the day, the students were treated to a tour of Memorial Stadium.

Westside Career Center Students recently took part in an "Apprentice" style thematic unit.  The students worked in groups to develop a public relations, marketing, and advertising campaign for the Omaha Roller Girls. Representatives of the Roller Girls met with the students and discussed what they liked about each campaign.  Ultimately, the women selected one winning group from both the morning and the afternoon sections. Team WCC developed the winning campaign from the morning section.  Click here for more information on the winning students. 

Sunset Hills sixth-graders decorated boxes to organize a food drive for the Omaha Food Bank. For a week, students brought can goods and non-perishable items to fill the decorated boxes.  On Halloween, the sixth-graders collected the boxes from each classroom and filled the blue bins from the Food Bank.  Click here to see a slideshow of the boxes and students. 

Swanson students and staff surprised Physical Education teacher Debra Kaplan with a sign and flowers in honor of her winning the 2011-12 Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Nebraska Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NAHPERD).  Kaplan will be recognized at the NAHPERD Awards celebration luncheon during the NAHPERD Conference on Tuesday, November 8th in Lincoln. This is the third time Kaplan has been recognized as Nebraska’s Elementary P.E. Teacher of the Year.

Fourteen students and three teachers supported the Salvation Army by participating in the Red Kettle Run 5K.  The race took place at Zorinsky Lake Park and for many of the participants, it was their first 5K. The Red Kettle 5K Run asked participants to donate $10 or bring a minimum donation of 10 non-perishable items to run in an effort to help stock pantry shelves in Omaha.

Congratulations to the 2010-2011 staffs of Lance, WTV and Wired. All three received Cornhusker awards from the Nebraska High School Press Association at the state journalism convention. The Cornhusker award is the highest honor bestowed upon Nebraska high school media through its annual critique service. In addition, Wired and WTV adviser Matt Rasgorshek was named "Distinguished Adviser," the year's outstanding journalism teacher by the NHSPA advisers.

During their United Way campaign week, Rockbrook Elementary held a dress-a-like day/Twin Day. Students donated 50 cents and dressed like a friend. Some of the kindergartners decided to dress alike with pink shirts that said "Kindergarten Rocks."  Rockbrook Elementary raised over $800 for United Way during their campaign.

Fourteen Westside High School students were among 16,000 from throughout the country who achieved semifinalist status based on their PSAT scores. Click here for a photo of students who earned this status.

Congratulations to Ginger Starks-Yoble and Barb Irvin, who received awards at the Nebraska International Language Association's annual conference.  Ginger was awarded the New Educator award which is given to a world language teacher in his/her first five years of service, who shows creativity and imagination in teaching, and is actively involved outside the classroom in promoting the study of world languages. Barb won a STAR Teacher award which is given for a world language teachers' Study, Travel, Achievement and Recognition. This is the fifth consecutive year Barb has won this award. Ginger and Barb are both world language teachers at Westside Middle School.

Thirty students in the Systems Technology Course at Westside High School participated in the Annual Systems Technology Cardboard Boat Race.  Students started the project by each designing and constructing a cardstock boat scale model, the prototypes were tested for speed and weight using sand and the final boat was created by selecting the best prototype from a team of two and making the boats out of cardboard and one to two rolls of clear packing tape. The students then had to both fit in the boat and make a round trip up and back the length of the Westside High School pool to get an A for a grade. Click here for a slideshow of the boats and the competitors.

Students at Swanson Elementary raised $1,111 for their United Way Just Give campaign. The campaign was based off the book The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein.  Students read the book aloud at an assembly to kick off the campaign and used a tree with dollar bills attached to act out the story. 

The 2011-12 Pen Pal Project between senior WHS National Honor Society students and Hillside third and sixth graders is off to a great start! This project partners these students from Westside High School with third and sixth grade students at Hillside to encourage the students' interest in writing. The students write letters to each other to help motivate them to become better writers and build relationships with great role models.  The program will continue every two weeks throughout the school year and will end with a closing celebration in the spring.

Swanson Elementary Superstars participated in this year's Westside High School homecoming parade.  Families came out and helped show the "Hollywood" spirit that shined throughout the streets, as students of all ages walked from Westside Middle School to Westside High School.

Sixth graders, Ellie Hansen, Bronson Hosey and Jaydon Carlson show off their pink on Swanson's Think Pink Day.  Think Pink was celebrated to support the Susan G. Komen walk and Breast Cancer Awareness month that takes place in the month of October. 

Congratulations to Westside High School teacher Dana Christensen on winning the Dale E. Black Outstanding Young Teacher Award.  The award is given by the Nebraska Speech Communication & Theater Association and given for such traits as enthusiasm for work, scholarly integrity, knowledge of subject matter, innovation, ability to motivate and stimulate students, worthy goals in teaching, and professional promise including such areas as involvement in professional associations, research, and writing. Christensen is the Debate Director at Westside High School.

Parents and neighborhood residents surrounding Loveland Elementary school met on Saturday, September 24 to plant hundreds of beautiful plants, trees, and flowers in new neighborhood planting areas created as part of the playground improvement project.  Ninety-five percent of the plants were "recycled" and donated from Loveland neighbors at no cost.

Students in Brian Nemecek's Sociology Large Group heard an inspirational message from motivational speaker Ron Gustafson.  Gustafson was just nine years old when he was seriously injured in a farm accident while growing up in Lyons, Nebraska. Gustafson spoke to students about overcoming adversity and turning a setback into a comeback.

Prairie Lane first graders recently completed a reading theme titled "Schools Then and Now."  As a culminating activity, the students spent a day pretending to be part of a pioneer school.  They wore clothes that students may have worn, and used chalk and chalkboards to do math and spelling.  Students read books about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her pioneer days in South Dakota. They also learned how to play marbles and cut out paper dolls. Click here to see more pictures.

How do you get a water balloon through the neck of a narrow jar? Can you really balance a ping-pong ball in the air using a hair dryer? How does a funnel cloud work? The first graders at Oakdale Elementary can tell you! KETV meteorologist Bill Randby stopped by and talked with the kids about the wacky world of weather. Click here to view a slideshow.

The Rose Theater's Nutrition Man and Dr. Exercise visited with Rockbrook Elementary second-graders as a part of the play "The Super Adventures of Nutrition Man and Dr. Exercise."  The play taught students about nutrition and health and how to make healthy eating choices.

Hillside Elementary fourth-graders became game show contestants in The Rose Theater's The Bully Show.  The performance takes place at the taping of a new game show, You Wanna Be a Bully!, with the students acting as the studio audience and contestants. The show challenges students to reconsider their assumptions about bullies, victims, and spectators.

Members of the Westside High School Concert Jazz Band volunteered to perform at the 2011 United Way Kick-off event, held at Security National Bank on Tuesday, August 30.  These jazz musicians weren't the only Westside students giving of their time.  On Saturday, August 27, more than 100 Westside High School students volunteered for the United Way's Day of Caring.  Students spent the day helping out at Girls Inc.  Click here to view a slideshow of their volunteer efforts.

Westgate fifth-graders participated in the The Social Emotional Learning Program which is a research based kindergarten through sixth-grade program that fosters classroom and schoolwide community. It provides specific lessons and activities that integrate community building efforts throughout the school day and the school year. The program consists of four components designed to work together to build community in the classroom and school:  class meeting lessons, cross-age buddies, homeside activities and the schoolwide community building activities. 

The first week of school is in the books! Click here to check out some of the back to school pictures we received!

Fifth-graders at Oakdale Elementary used digital cameras to go on a Photo Safari around the school.  The pictures student took will be used to spark ideas for writing topics for the semester.

The Westside Early Learning Center at Underwood Hills opened on Monday, August 15 with year-round toddler, half-day, and full-day preschool programs. Its curriculum is focused on nature and the arts. The Westside Early Learning Center at Underwood Hills uses the Nebraska Early Learning Guidelines and is a licensed facility through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Construction has started on the new Westside Girls's Softball Complex at 80th Street and Western Avenue.  The new complex will have two fields, a track, green space, batting cages, bullpens and will include an area for storage.  There will also be a multipurpose building that will house restrooms and concessions. 

Westside High School students who recently competed in the Future Problem Solving International Competition placed second in the Senior Education division of the Community Problem Solving competition.  The competition took place in LaCrosse, Wisconsin in early June. This is the second year Westside students have participated in the community problem solving competition.  (Read More)

The Westside High School 1 to 1 technology initiative was recently featured in the Nebraska Loves our Public Schools campaign, a social media project design to promote the great things happening in public schools throughout Nebraska.  Click here for a link to Westside's story.

Westside's Summer School program kicked off in June with 450 students attending from all ten buildings.  The theme of this year was "Celebrate" and four sessions were offered each day with 17 different sessions in all.  Students could take classes like writing, reading, math, pottery, rockets, ooey gooey science, drama, claymation, show choir, guitar and inventions just to name a few.  Click here to see a slideshow of summer school.

Francis Stevens, a sixth-grade student at Loveland created a model of Loveland Elementary and what it would look like in the future.  He started working on it in August 2010 and finished it this past May.  The model is complete with a outdoor eating area called the "Loveland Buffet," a football field, a basketball court, an outdoor courtyard and a rooftop terrace.  It has 50 light fixtures, 100 windows and a swing set which is Francis's favorite part.  Francis will be a seventh-grader at Westside Middle School this fall.  For more pictures of "Loveland of the Future" click here.

Congratulations to Bob Brousek and Cindy Perry for winning the Phillip and Terri Schrager Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award.  In a surprise announcement, the teachers were recognized at an awards ceremony at Westside High School.  Each teacher received a plaque and a $10,000 award.  Bob is a social studies teacher at Westside High School and Cindy is an Excellence in Youth teacher at Prairie Lane Elementary and Loveland Elementary. This award is presented to those teachers who, through their exemplary teaching and devoted service, have positively influenced the lives of young people.

Award-winning director and producer Alexander Payne visited Westside High School to speak to theater students.  Payne spoke about his education, how to get involved in the industry and the filmmaking process.  He talked about filming in the metro-area and in Nebraska and spent time answering student questions. Click here to view a slideshow of Payne's visit with students.

About 100 students and parents from Swanson Elementary participated in Livewell Nebraska's Ride to School Day.  The students rode their bikes to school in the morning, along with PE teacher Debra Kaplan and waved to passing motorists.  Livewell Nebraska gave each rider an I Ride reflector for their bike. The event was part of a nationwide effort to combat increasing rates of overweight and obesity among Americans.

The American School Board Journal (ASBJ) recently selected Westside's Inclusive Practices Special Education Program for inclusion in the Magna Best Practices database. The District's program was one of only 114 highly-scored programs selected for this special recognition from the 359 nominations ASBJ received this past year. (Read More)

After being a contestant on "American Idol," Westside High School graduate, Tim Halperin stopped by Prairie Lane Elementary School to perform and visit his childhood teachers. Tim was chosen as a contestant through an online submission of his talents and performed for the show.

Students and staff at Sunset Hills and Swanson Elementary raised $1,918.63 for Japan by wearing pajamas to school. As part of the fundraiser, Swanson Elementary welcomed Mrs. Furukawa, a Swanson parent, to read a traditional Japanese story to students and introduce them to the culture. Sunset Hills also held bake sales and an ice cream social to help raise the money that went to the Red Cross Japan.

Westside Community Schools invites elementary parents and their children to attend the Food Evolution on Tuesday May 3, 2011 at the Westside Community Conference Center, 3534 South 108th Street from 6-8p.m.  The evening will feature food tastings, cooking demonstrations and presentations designed to get your family to eat healthier.  School food vendors will also be on hand to answer your questions.  This event is open to all families in the community, regardless if they have children attending Westside elementary schools. For more information or if you would like to attend, please call (402) 390-3380.

Westside High School will induct four alumni, a former coach and a former administrator during its eighth Athletic Hall of Fame dinner. The Westside High School Athletic Hall of Fame evening will take place at Legacy Hall on Friday, May 6 beginning at 6:00 p.m. (Read More)

Congratulations to the three winners of District Speech Contest! District winners included the following: Seth Norton from Oakdale Elementary who placed first with his topic  Alexander The Great, Cassidy Morse from Rockbrook Elementary who placed second with her topic George Washington Carver and Jacob Thull from Sunset Elementary who placed third with his topic Joan of Arc.  The District winners will present their speeches to the Westside Kiwanis Club on Wednesday, April 13th. 
 

The College Board recently honored Westside Community Schools with a place on its AP Achievement List.  The District is one of just 388 school districts nationwide selected for this honor.  Westside received the recognition for opening advanced placement (AP) classes to a significantly broader pool of students, while maintaining or improving the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher.  From 2008-2010, Westside High School increased the number of students participating in AP classes from 222 to 288, while improving the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher, the score typically needed to earn college credit. That percentage of students earning college credit rose to 63 percent in 2010, up from 56 percent in 2008.  The College Board's Advanced Placement Program enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Founded in 1900, the College Board is a not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity.

Westside Community Schools has announced a partnership between the District and the Westside Foundation to place an early childhood program at the site of the former Underwood Hills Elementary School. Read More

After class gets out each day, most high school students are hanging out with friends, playing sports, or studying, but not the students in Westside High School’s Future Problem Solving Club. These students, with the help of other volunteers, are spending their free time tutoring middle school students in reading. (Read More)

Pat King is a regular visitor to Westgate Elementary. Every Friday, the 83 year old comes to the school for nearly two hours, listening to students read. She’s been doing this every week for the past 10 years. Pat decided to volunteer as a way to give something back to the community. She says, “Seeing the excitement in their faces, seeing them learn is very rewarding.”  Westgate teachers and staff members are pleased to welcome her each week. Teacher Deb Fayman says, “She is one of the kindest most caring people you will ever meet. We have been so fortunate to have Pat work with our students, supporting and encouraging them in their reading journey.” Pat, whose own children are Westside graduates, says she intends to keep coming to Westgate as long as she’s able.

Spend an evening with some of the area’s top student musicians at Westside’s Big Band Dance, Saturday, April 16 from 5:30 – 8 p.m. at Westside High School. The evening will feature Westside’s six jazz groups including the award-winning Stage Band and Concert Jazz Band. Tickets are available at the door, $5 for adults and $3 for students. Local dancers will provide free swing lessons and food is available for purchase throughout the evening. Proceeds will benefit the District 66 band program.

The Amazing Technicolor Show Choir has returned to Omaha following being named Grand Champions at the FAME Orlando National Show Choir Invitational held at the Hard Rock Live.  Their energetic performances also earned them caption awards for Best Vocals, Best Band and Best Male Soloist (Elijah Brown).  Groups from Iowa, Indiana, Florida, Nebraska and Virginia participated in this event.  FAME Orlando was one of five qualifying nationwide events for an invitation to the National Show Choir Finals in Indianapolis in April.  ATSC also earned a Grand Championship in 2009. Congratulations!

For the fourth year, Westside High School has been named a 2011 Apple Distinguished School winner.  At the March 21, 2011 Board of Education meeting, Westside Principal Pat Hutchings also announced that teacher Cristin Rold has been named a 2011 Apple Distinguished Educator Award winner.

Ms. Jacquie Estee, Superintendent of Westside Community Schools has announced leadership changes which will take place for the 2011-2012 school year.  Click here for more.

 

Sweet Justice, Westside High School's Ultimate Frisbee team, participated in the Open Chicago Invite against 29 other high school teams in Naperville, Ill. Going into the tournament, Sweet Justice was seeded 10th, but the team was able to finish in ninth place overall. The team is captained by Westside students Creighton Gerber and Connor Rock. Other team members include Westside students and alumni Matt Young, Emmitt Graeve, Austin Genzler, Jake Poots, Logan Graeve, Alec Brewer, Aaron Gallagher, and Sean Rock.

Joey Gulizia stopped by Paddock Road to show fourth graders how "Sound is Vibration." Gulizia, a member of the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame, taught the students about the origin of each instrument family and how they can create their own versions.

Channel 6 meteorologist Rusty Lord visited fourth-graders at Rockbrook Elementary. He taught the students about meteorology and the current technology used in the field. Lord also informed the classes about severe weather warnings and how to be prepared ahead of time for severe weather.  Click here to view the thank you Rockbrook students and teacher Wendi Meyer sent following his visit.

Nine Westside High School students and their teachers spent 24 hours in Ashland, Nebraska immersing themselves in the French language and culture. During the stay, students were split into 10 teams to compete in various activities. Some of the activities included creating a team flag, filming a video, and participating in a life-sized Boggle game.

Swanson Elementary sixth-grade students along with fourth and fifth-grade EY students celebrated learning by creating a Living History Timeline. After researching heroes and heroines from the past, students wrote a one-minute monologue and brought their figure to life.

In celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday, Westgate Elementary hosted a breakfast complete with green eggs and ham. After the breakfast, families learned songs, played themed games, made Dr. Seuss hats, and read some of his most popular books.

Grab your beach towel and golf clubs - the summer is just about here! We all could use a little sunshine, a nice pool and a great cast of characters to take our minds off the doldrums of winter. Westside Middle School has just the cure for your winter blues! Westside Middle School is proud to present High School Musical 2 in the middle school's new Performing Arts Center March 24, 25 and 26th. For tickets or more information, please contact Rob Huebner at rhuebner@westside66.org or Kristen Job at kjob@westside66.org.

For the second year in a row, a Westside Middle School student has won the Midwest Spelling Bee. Jenny Solheim beat out 70 other contestants for the chance to compete at the next level.  She will head to Washington, D.C. in June to compete in the national spelling bee. 

The Westside Foundation recently recognized Kim Dickhut, the EY Coordinator/Librarian at Swanson Elementary, with a Bravo Award. The Foundation created this award to recognize the work of outstanding teachers. Westside Superintendent Jacquie Estee and Westside Foundation Executive Director Laura Iliff surprised Kim with this honor on March 11. Kim is an exceptional teacher who has a great relationship with students. She works with high ability learners and addresses all of her students’ needs. She inspires her students with her enthusiasm and her caring. Kim is the fifth recipient of the Bravo Teaching Award.

Loveland Elementary students kicked off their annual Art Smart project which will focus  on music through the arts this year. Students will be learning more about the music of Robert and Phyllis Dunne who present the unique sounds of the Appalachian Mountain dulcimer and the Australian Aboriginal didgeridoo. Art Smart enriches students’ learning through art-focused projects that complement Loveland’s curriculum. These projects give the students hands-on opportunities to learn about, experience and apply art in many forms as it relates to culture, history, science, geography, math, reading, writing, nature and so much more.  This program is funded by The Nebraska Humanities Council.

The Westside High School QuizBowl team competed at the Bellevue University QuizBowl Competition.  This was the team's first year participating in this tournament composed of 32 teams from Nebraska and Iowa.  After several winning rounds of competition, Westside's team members Joe Hack, Mac Mikkelsen, Zane Fletcher, Emma Johanningmeier, and Jake Poots won second place.

Dreams of stardom might just come true for a former Westside High School student.  Alumni Tim Halperin is one of 24 finalists competing for the top spot on American Idol.  WHS music teacher Doran Johnson says, "Tim made a lasting impact on the Westside music program.  I remember him best for his personal integrity and I think that flows over into his music. He can take a song and make it his own. Tim is a real genuine performer who loves to put his own artistic stamp on everything he does.  We are all so excited that he has made it this far in the competition." Viewers can vote for their favorite contestant beginning March 1.  Voting will take place over the phone and online. For details, go to  http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/pid/4489/.

Westside students showed strong performances at the annual Nebraska Robotics Competition. The event took place at the Strategic Air and Space Museum on Saturday, February 19, 2011. The competition was a combination of two different robotics competitions. In the CEENBoT Showcase, students had to modify or program a robot to solve engineering problems in five different challenges. In the Lego League Robotics Competition, students had to program a robot to execute as many missions as it could within a given time limit. Read More

Second graders in Mary Urosevich's class at Swanson have been reading and learning about the election process through a reading theme called Cast Your Vote.  In early February, Todd Urosevich with Election Systems and Software visited the students and shared his knowledge of elections and the voting process. The students learned about polling places, ballots  and voting booths. They saw a variety of voting machines used to count ballots. Students were even able to vote on a ballot designed especially for them. 

Oral surgeon Dr. Michael Shnayder recently spoke to Westgate kindergarten students about dental care. They learned the importance of brushing their teeth for at least 30 seconds. Dr. Shnayder also showed them a model of adult and children's teeth.

Swanson Elementary students participated in the Live Well Omaha Kids 5-4-3-2-1 Go! Dance Challenge and they worked with PE Teacher Debra Kaplan to choreograph and produce three dance videos to the 5-4-3-2-1 Let's Go! song. The contest searched to find the best dance moves in the metro-area, and encouraged physical activity among youth.  Swanson submitted their entries, the community voted and Swanson won the 5 to 7 year-old, 8 to 10 year-old and 11 to 13 year-old divisions.  The students were presented with a check from Lesley Leach, the 5-4-3-2-1 Go! spokesperson.  Click here to see a slideshow of pictures.

Congratulations to the Westside Middle School show choir, Westside Connection, on winning the University of Nebraska-Omaha Show Choir Festival. The middle school show choir was among 16 groups performing on the UNO campus. Westside Connection won its sixth straight championship at this event. The group will perform next at a contest  at Omaha North High School. 

Maria Podariu has been selected as a winner in the 2010-2011 Siemens Awards for Advance Placement and will receive a $2,000 college scholarship. Maria was selected for this award based on exceptional performance on the AP exams in math in science. Only one male and one female student from each state are awarded this scholarship. Westside High School will display a banner in its entryway in her honor. Maria is the first Westside student to receive this prestigious award.

Westside High School students took home first and third place wins at the ESU #3 QuizBowl tournament. It was the first QuizBowl competition of the year.  Joe Hack, Sam Adams, Andrew McVea, Emma Johanningsmeier, and Aisha Wang won the gold, qualifying for the state competition.  Zane Fletcher, Jake Poots, Brian Jesteadt, and Mac Mikkelsen brought home the bronze with a 3rd place finish.  Click here for photos of the winning teams.

The three first grade classes at Swanson Elementary conducted a drive for hats, gloves, books, crayons and coloring books from early to mid-December. The students collected about 30 hats, 50 pairs of gloves, 100 books, 10 boxes of crayons, and 25 coloring books. The students also donated a few other items, such as board games and a pair of boots. The donations went to several local Head Start programs.  Click here to view some of the items donated.

Sunset Hills students in the fourth through sixth grades learned about the Underground Railroad and the causes of the Civil War through reenactments by Bill Hayes of the Mayhew Cabin & Historic Village. Hayes dressed up in Civil War garb for his role to help students learn more about the historic past. Students prepared for his visit by reading The House of Dies Drear, a book that focuses on the Underground Railroad.

Think back to 2002 and remember when life-sized J. Doe models appeared in spaces throughout the city. Each sculpture displayed a unique, artistic vision and community members were encouraged to discover all 105 of them. Drawing inspiration from this project, Westside High School is taking this creative idea and fitting it into its own community. Advanced students in the Drawing and Painting II classes are in the process of developing their own school-wide “community” art display; however, their life-sized models are not humans but ducks. Read More

Prairie Lane first graders in Dede Marshall's class recently used technology to help them learn.  During an activity that combined math, literacy and technology, the students used digital cameras to take pictures of shapes around the school building.  Technology integrationist Lynn Spady then showed them how to create a Comic Life document to share what they learned. Following the activity, the students' took their work home, so they can share their progress with parents.

 

As the winter season approaches, many things are happening at Westside schools. Students are gearing up for finals, engineers are preparing the parking lots and grounds for snowy weather. And behind the scenes, Westside school social workers Susan Sieczkowski and Jessica Lowe are getting the Westside Pantry ready as it braces for its busiest time of the year. Read More

As the temperature drops, the donations are on the rise. Contributions at the Westside Coat Closet are at an all-time high with shelves stacked with more than 140 coats. Members of the Westside community show a willingness to come together and support one another by providing families in need winter apparel. The closet seeks to keep everyone warm this winter and so far, its off to a great start. Forty-four coats, two pairs of snowpants and one pair of boots have been given out since the beginning of the school year.  For more on the Westside Coat Closet click here.

Students in Paddock Road's K-Kids program have been busy with various service projects during the past few months. During the month of October, the students made Halloween treat bags and filled them with goodies for children living in shelters connected with Heartland Family Service. The K-Kids also put together UNICEF boxes, and collected $145 for the United Nations Children's Fund. Read More

Throughout the month of November, Sunset Hills Elementary's Student Government Association raised $800 for the Open Door Mission.  The SGA encouraged students to donate to the Open Door Mission and with each donation a feather was added to a giant turkey in the building.  Each feather represented the amount it costs for one meal at the Open Door Mission.  Mr. James Cummings from the Open Door Mission received the check and spoke to Sunset students about how he was overwhelmed by the money and support for the cause. 

Loveland students have worked hard during the past few months to help those in need. In November, the student council hosted a food drive for the Omaha Food Bank. Each classroom built a “canstruction” project to display their can collections. In total, the students collected 1,103 pounds of canned food.

During the month of December, the Loveland student council is encouraging other students to bring in hats, gloves, scarves and other winter weather items for the school's mitten tree.  The students will donate the items collected to the Salvation Army's Winter Night Watch program.

Paddock Road students and staff took time doing a good deed for those less fortunate. During the week of November 15, the Paddock Road student council collected canned goods to donate to the Omaha Food Bank.  The following week, eleven student council members delivered and unloaded more than 1,000 pounds of food.  Afterwards, students received a tour of the Omaha Food Bank. Click here for a slideshow of students at the Food Bank.

During a staff gathering in late November, Hillside second grade teacher Kim Young was surprised with a $1,000 check from the Horace Mann companies. Ms. Young participated in the company's "Win $ Win" sweepstakes. Educators throughout the United States were invited to participate. Ms. Young wasn't the only winner during the morning presentation. Hillside Elementary walked away with a matching check for $1,000. The school will use the funds for technology within the building.

The fifth annual "Fourth Grade Marrs Math Contest" was held on Monday, November 22, 2010 at Marrs Magnet School located at 5619 South 19th Street.  Several Omaha Public and Learning Community schools sent one team of four students to compete in a written team test and a team quiz bowl test.  Westside's fourth grade team from Sunset Hills placed first in both the written team test and quiz bowl.   Rockbrook's team placed second in both competitions.  Students from Sunset Elementary who placed first in the competition include (l to r)  Elijah Marburg, Laura Liu , Gracie Berentson (alternate), Sylvia Fehr and Ian Pinhero. The team was coached by Patty Lusero, Sunset's Excellence in Youth facilitator.

Prairie Lane and Sunset Hills students honored Bully Awareness Week by pledging to stay "bully free" and by wearing the color purple.  Students and staff wore purple to show unity against bullying, and to remember the Purple Hands Pledge, "I will not use my words or my hands to hurt myself or others."  In Guidance classes, students acted out bully situations to show how powerful bystanders are.  Students used a "tug of war" example to show how powerful a bully is, unless bystanders step in to help the target.  Classes at both schools created posters that pledged that students will be "bully free".  Finally, students recited the "Bystander Pledge" as part of their morning routine. Click here to view more pictures of various Bully Awareness Week activities.

Congratulations to students the Underwood Hills Focus School Chess Club. The UH Focus School club recently placed second out of 250 teams at a Central High School chess tournament.

Hillside fifth and sixth graders had the opportunity to experience what technology and globalization have done for our world. Hillside alumni, Derek Ecklebe spoke to students via Skype from China. He enlightened the students on his experience as a college student and member of the Air Force. Students were able to ask Derek many questions – from what types of transportation are most frequently used in China to how the Chinese people feel about America. Hillside students were able to better understand this country ultimately broaden their worldview.

From breakfasts, to school assemblies, to class presentations, Westside students and staff honored veterans in a variety of ways on Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11.  Click here for a slide show of various events and activities.

At Oakdale Elementary, when students show safe, respectful, or responsible behavior on campus, any staff member can award them a “High Five,” an immediate reinforcer recognizing their acceptance of school rules and procedures.
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German students at Westside High School recently hosted seventeen students and two teachers from Crimmitschau Germany. The German students visited classes at WHS, spent a day at the middle school and attended a home football game. Since these students were in Omaha during Intersession break, Westside students showed them a little bit of Nebraska, taking them to Vala's Pumpkin Patch, haunted houses and Husker games. Seventeen Westside students will be returning the exchange next June. The exchange between Westside High School and a high school in Crimmitschau has been taking place since 2004.

Westside Community Schools honored four individuals during the District’s 2010 Hall of Fame/Lighthouse Leader dinner.   Michael Hopkins was honored as the Westside Alumni Association Hall of Fame recipient. Carrie May, Ed May and Bob Belgrade were honored as Lighthouse Leader recipients. Read More

In a surprise presentation at the District's Lighthouse Leader/Hall of Fame evening, former Westside Foundation President Jeff Sharp was honored with an honorary Diploma with Commendation from Westside High School. Superintendent Jacquie Estee thanked Jeff for his longtime support of Westside Community Schools.

During a unit on Community Ties, Swanson third graders were treated to a discussion with Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle. During an open-ended conversation, students had the opportunity to ask the mayor questions about issues in their city, their school and the community. They also found out just what it takes to be the mayor of Omaha.

Award winning intermediate and young adult author Gordon Korman spoke to Westside Middle School students during an assembly on October 19. Korman is the author of more than 55 children and young adult novels. His first book was written when he was 12 years old. He specializes in realistic fiction with boys often as the main characters.

In a surprise announcement, the Milken Family Foundation has selected Westside teacher Garret Higginbotham as a recipient of the 2010 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award.  The announcement was made at the Underwood Hills Focus School, where Mr. Higginbotham teaches fifth grade. Read More

You’d barely make out faces in a crowd filled with this much red and black. There’s a sound of helmets knocking in the distance issuing a distinctive warning – the team is ready for the big entrance. The crowd roars. Anticipation builds. This is Friday night at Westside High School. Read More

Thirteen Westside teachers and a few of their friends participated in the annual Buffalo Run on Sunday, September 12. The five mile run took participants around Pioneers Park in Lincoln. Read More

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separate
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 Instructions are available here.

After posting a record ACT score in 2008, Westside High School is once again celebrating another strong year with the release of its 2010 ACT composite on Wednesday, August 18. Westside High School produced a 24.6 composite average on the ACT, the second-highest score in the school's history. Read More

A volunteer from Fontenelle Forest visited Westgate students to talk about snakes. He read the kindergarten classes a book about snakes entitled Verdi. He taught students various facts about caring for snakes and patiently answered  questions about the corn snake he brought with him.  

Westside Community Schools welcomed students back to the 2010-2011 school year on Thursday, August 12.  Click here for a slideshow of the opening days of school.

Congratulations to Westside Middle School Teacher Crystal Bolamperti, who was awarded the 2010 Middle School Business Teacher of the Year award at the annual Mountain-Plains Business Education Association Conference.
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Welcome back to the 2010-2011 school year! Click here to view a video highlighting the people and places of Westside Community Schools.

Westside Middle School student Emma Johanningsmeier competed in her first spelling bee when she was in the second-grade, this summer she made it to the semifinals of the 2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Click here to read more about Emma's experience.

The Anti-Defamation League presented Underwood Hills Focus School with a new banner to congratulate students and staff on their efforts in the "No Place for Hate" program.  The "No Place for Hate" program is nationwide and encourages students and staff to make their school a place of respect, unity and character.  To become a banner school for the "No Place for Hate" program, students and staff had to sign a Resolution of Respect, complete three or more activities that promote diversity, anti-bullying and character building. Underwood Hills Focus School Principal Bret Anderson and students accepted the banner from Anti-Defamation League representative Jessica Gall.  The Underwood Hills Focus School is a collaborative effort among the Westside Community Schools, Elkhorn Public Schools, and the Omaha Public Schools.

Diagnosed with severe asthma as a child, mountain climber Luiz Benitez spoke to Westside Middle School students about the story of survival, determination, commitment and discipline needed in mountaineering and issues that parallel overcoming life obstacles. Read more about Benitez talk here.

Striders is a running/walking club at Swanson that completed a half marathon (13.2 miles) over a duration of seven weeks.  The running club consisted of third through sixth-graders and kindergarten through second-graders whose parents came out to walk with them.  In celebration of completing the half marathon families came out to join their children for smoothies as they received certificates of appreciation. Swanson student Libby Bekins used a bike to power up the blender, The Bike Blender is locally made and travels to schools in the metro-area who are celebrating success in walking, biking and activity based programs.

A representative of the Foodbank for the Heartland presented the Westside High School Career Center students with a trophy for their accomplishments as the winning school of the fall food drive for 2009 for Westside Community Schools. For the past few years the Westside High School Career Center students have participated in the fall food bank drive and in the last three years, the students have been the winners of the most food collect per student in the District. This year each student averaged 12 pounds per person of food donated.  

Swanson students went green for Earth Day in a big way. They suited up in all green attire and coined a name for themselves, the “Green Generation.” Each classroom had a job to clean up their, “little place here on Earth.” This opportunity demonstrated to students that through recycling, re-using and reducing students can keep nature beautiful both at school and in the world.

Oakdale Elementary students in third through sixth-grade planted trees to celebrate Arbor Day. Jack Phillips, a member of the Nebraska Nursery and Landscape Association, led the students in their green-thumb experience. Click here to see the new landscaping addition to the outdoor classroom.

Two Nebraska park rangers helped Westgate students and staff honor the Earth by planting trees on the school grounds. The rangers offered tips to students on how they could conserve resources in their everyday lives. They demonstrated this by passing out M&Ms to some of the students. The M&M's represented the Earth's resources. The rangers then encouraged students to share their M&Ms with other students. Through this activity, they demonstrated how people need to share the Earth's resources.

The sixth-grade class at Oakdale Elementary transformed a little physical activity into philanthropy when they created a kickball tournament to raise money for the Carolyn Scott Rainbow House. The tournament served as the sixth-graders fourth quarter community service project. The Carolyn Scott Rainbow House is an affiliate of Children's Hospital & Medical Center that serves as a home away from the hospital for families and patients undergoing acute, long-term treatment.

The tournament participants included students in third through sixth-grade. The participants were also provided with refreshments in between games with a concession stand made available by the sixth-graders. Collectively, the project raised $400 for the Rainbow House.

Twenty-four students ranging in ninth to eleventh grade competed in the state Knowledge Master Open competition yielding great results. The WHS team placed fourth in the state earning 1,324 points of out a possible 2,000. This total led the team to a ranking of 159th of the 622 teams competing internationally, placing WHS in the top 25 percent in the competition. The Knowledge Master Open competition poses students with 200 questions from a variety of topics:  American History, Economics & Law, Math, Physical Science, and Useless Trivia.

The follow students participated in this event: Zane Fletcher, Andrew McVea, Yuechen Zhao, Mac Mikkelsen, Cameron Davis, Kyle Thomsen, Sara Guo, Ella Sherman, Keenan Hawekotte, Emily Klimisch, Kate Branigan, Sam Adams, Shadi, Feddin, Jake Poots, Megan Thacker, Hannah Blazek, Samantha Salvatori, Aisha Wang, AJ Blazek, Brian Jesteadt, Mat Wiesman, Sam Fuller, Brogan Becker, and Ben Fenwick.

Over 12,000 students from around the world competed in Lousiville, Kentucky in the DECA International Career and Development Conference (ICDC). The DECA ICDC allows students to compete with role-plays and written projects that test students' skills in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. This experience prepares students for professional interactions in the business world as real-world, business leaders serve as judges in competition. The competition is rigorous; however, WHS qualified 17 students from the Nebraska State level to compete at ICDC in Louisville, Kentucky.  To see a full list of Westside DECA winners click here.

Westside High School sophomore Cassie Jia has been invited to represent Nebraska at the National Association of Academies of Science and the American Junior Academy of Sciences Convention in Washington, D.C. in February of 2011.  Cassie has earned this invitation as a result of her top ten finish at the Nebraska Junior Academy of Sciences competition in April of this year. Cassie's winning project is titled, "Effect of Hyperglycemia On The Expression Of Angiotensin II In The Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells."  Next year at the national convention, Cassie will be exposed to cutting-edge technology and given the opportunity to meet world-renowned scientists as well as other young scientists from across the country at the Convention.

Several students from Westside High School were recently honored at the Awards Tea hosted by the University of Nebraska at Omaha. WHS students were among students from ten schools in the region celebrated for their performance on the National German Exam; the WHS German students scored in the 70th percentile or higher on the exam. The exam tests students in the second, third and fourth level of German language study for measurement, placement and diagnostic purposes through written skill and listening comprehension.

The NE DECA program gears students with applicable skills in marketing, management and entrepreneurship to perform professionally in the business world. However, Westside DECA members have incorporated a refreshing connection to their work in this business-oriented organization and in the community.

Westside DECA members Erin Eaton, Kara Burns, Alec Williams, R.J. Foral and Zoe Vann integrated a philanthropic spirit with their DECA endeavors by raising $300 for Ted E. Bear Hollow. Ted E. Bear Hollow is a non-profit organization that provides support for children and their families who have experienced grief.

Months have passed since the earthquake devastation in Haiti. Yet as world's attention begins to wane, Westgate students continue to focus on Haiti's needs. The Westgate Student Council organized a Haitian relief fund that collected more than $900. The council created a week of activities to raise funds; events included pajama day, scented  “smencil” sales and an all-out wacky day. Proceeds from the fundaiser were donated to the American Red Cross.

Oakdale Elementary kindergarteners learned about the mechanics and bells and whistles inside everyday household appliances. Parents and students donated broken appliances to be taken apart as a science lesson. Students discovered circuit boards, magnets, heating coils and various other materials in these machines. This hands-on experience gave students a behind the scenes view of the interworking of appliances and set their minds to wonder how it all works. To see more on the constructive destruction click here.

Westside High School DECA recently competed at the State Career Development Conference in Lincoln with great success. More than 750 DECA students from all over the state competed with role-plays and written projects that test students' skills in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. This experience also prepares students for professional interactions in the business world as business leaders serve as judges in competition. The competition is rigorous; however, WHS qualified 16 students for the International Career Development Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. More than 7,000 members, advisors and businesspeople from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Guam, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Germany attend the conference each year. WHS will Live Learn Lead at the International Career Development Conference on April 23rd.

Westside High School recently hosted the State Latin Convention where 25 Latin students were present. This convention consisted of rigorous competition and WHS came out on top winning the Art Trophy, Best T-shirt, and Best Male Costume.

Other individual winners include: First place:  Jack Schrager, 12 (vocab); Abby Legge, 11 (2-d art); Olivia Wetzel, 10 (movie); Second place:  Alex Snodgrass, 9 (vocab); Leemah Nasrati, 9 (vocab), Abby Legge, 11 (vocab & history); Aaron Calderon, 10 (myth); Jim Kerrigan, 12 (history); Hannah Rector, 12 (derivatives); Third place:  Lauren Akers, 9 (vocab); Ben Fenwick, 10 (grammar); Aaron Calderon, 10 (history & derivatives); Abby Legge, 11 (derivatives).

WHS also had two students elected into State Junior Classical League Office for the 2010-2011 term. Freshmen, Lauren Akers and Leemah Nasrati will serve as secretary and Historian respectively.

This semester, Westside High School Earth and Space science students are participating in an online discussion with Dr. Christopher Hiemstra, a research scientist with Colorado State University and the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA).  This interactive experience allows students to post questions for Dr. Hiemstra on a wiki and engage in a dialogue about the topics discussed in the classroom. With Dr. Hiemstra as a resource, these students get a glimpse of the complexity of our natural resources and human impact on the planet.

On Saturday March 20, Westside Middle School students attended the Nebraska State German Convention. The convention focused on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and offered students with the opportunity for competition, cultural activities and seminars. Twenty-five 7th and 8th graders represented WMS at this convention and competed against 16 middle and high schools from across Nebraska. WMS ranked:  1st in Level 1 Poetry (Anna Bosch), 1st in the Art category (Stevie Allison, Ellie Bruckner), 2nd in Level 1 Knowledge Bowl (Justats Balsys, Amber Kischer, Caleb Jenkins, RJ Weiss), 2nd in Level 1 Video Skit (Aaron Bowen, Victoria Benak, Amber Kischer, Caleb Jenkins, Alexa Pugh, Matt Saucedo), 3rd in Level 1 Spelling Bee (Matt Gagne) and 3rd in the Poster competition (Connor Furchert, Matt Gagne, Josalyn Switzer).

Paddock Road Elementary students will bridge the worlds of building and banking to help those in need in Haiti. The school's first grade students and their families are working together to assemble coin-separating banks and to fill them with donations for the school's Help for Haiti project. During a field trip to Lowes Home Improvement Store, the students and their parents worked with store employees, who provided them with the skills, supplies and tools needed to assemble their banks. In the upcoming weeks, students will return to school with their banks filled and count the total amount collected. This money will be donated to the Red Cross' Haiti Relief fund.  Click here for a slideshow of other photos.

Westside Connection celebrated another successful contest season finishing as five time champions at Lewis Central and six time champions at UNO. The 2009-2010 season also marked the 20th contest championship for this group!

Swanson Elementary teacher Marlo Tomich's sixth grade class invited the primary students to their Probability Carnival.  At this carnival, sixth grade students created carnival games where younger students had a certain percent chance of winning.  For the games, students needed to include the outcome of the game, the probability of winning, a tree diagram, and a chart or table summarizing the outcome. This opportunity was a great experience for students to apply the math skills they have learned in the classroom.

Swanson Elementary made history come alive with their Living History Timeline. This year the class theme was, “Innovation in History: Impact and Change” and it focused on great inventors who changed the world. Inventors ranged from Levi Strauss to Thomas Edison and every student delivered a one-minute, first-person speech as an inventor.  Reilly Christensen is pictured here as Levi Strauss, inventor of denim blue jeans.

The 2010 Districtwide speech contest took place at the Community Conference Center on March 5.  The top three winners included (l to r) James Buckley of Paddock Road Elementary (second place), Bridget Mizener of Loveland Elementary (first place) and MegAnne Vasey of Hillside Elementary (third place). The students will present their speeches to the Golden K Kiwanis Club and the Kiwanis Westside Club later in the month. Click here for a photo of all the students who participated in the competition.
 

 

The Westside Middle School MATHCOUNTS team participated in the Eastern Chapter MATHCOUNTS Competition against 30 other middle school teams. The team of Audrey Leclou, Emma Johanningsmeier, Liam O'Riordan and Drew Gerber placed first in the team division and will compete at the state level on Saturday, March 20th in Lincoln on the UNL East campus. Emma Johanningsmeier placed 11th overall, Paul O'Dell placed eighth overall and Audrey Leclou placed seventh in the individual competition, the only girl in the top 10.

Other participants include: Colleen Hacker, Peggy Clements, Jenny Solheim and Teigen Swanson. Westside High School student Jake Poots coaches the team with the help of Westside Middle School teacher, Kristen Job.

The students of Westbrook Elementary held an assembly to present a “big” check to the American Red Cross. The school put on a variety of activities throughout the week and raised more than $1,600 for the people of Haiti.

Rita Bergstrom's Women's History and Studies class hosted a panel discussion with women leaders in the District. The panel, which consisted of Ms. Estee, Dr. Jackson, Dr. Evanich and Dr. Uchtman, shared their career paths and experiences with the Westside Middle School class.

Swanson Elementary students lent a helping hand to those in need in Haiti. They held several fundraisers to help the country that was hit by an earthquake in early January.  Through a student council project presented by third-grader Rosalie Wilke, students raised $550 to donate to the American Red Cross.  Lauren Thaden,  a fifth-grader, did a "Hands For Haiti" project where she made key chains and lanyards, sold them and gave her profits to the student council project.  Also, sixth-grader, Reilly Christensen helped develop‚"Water for Haiti," a project that encouraged staff members to collect bottled water. The bottled water was given to Christensen's uncle, who will bring the water to Haiti with his Rapid Recovery team. Staff members collected approximately 30 cases with approximately 700 bottles of water. To see more pictures of how Swanson helped Haiti, click here.

Dr. Van Blerk spoke with Westgate Elementary kindergarteners about the role of a doctor and just what they do to help people. Students were given the opportunity to become a doctor for the day in the classroom when they put on surgical caps and masks and listened to Dr. Van Blerk's heartbeat with a stethoscope.

Swanson Elementary students celebrated the start of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games by going back to the roots of the competition. The students studied the origin of the Olympic Games and participated in modified Olympic activities representing one of the five city-states of Ancient Greece.

Sixth-graders at Oakdale Elementary came together to learn how to solve algebraic linear equations.  Oakdale's sixth-grade teachers incorporated things like pawns, red cubes and a laminated balance scale to teach students how to solve the equations. 

Loveland Elementary School had a very special guest join them for their Friday activities on February 5th. Trixie, a two-year old Springer Spaniel Mix adopted from the Nebraska Humane Society, joined Loveland students during their reading time. Trixie and guest teacher, Mrs. Jody McArdle are a Certified Therapy Dog team with Domesti-PUPS.  Domesti-PUPS is an organization that specializes in improving the quality of life by providing unique personal service to groups in the community. As a “Petting Pup,” Trixie visits Loveland Elementary as part of the Reading-PUPS program to help student practice reading aloud to a different set of ears, even floppy ears.  Trixie provides assistance in the classroom to enhance learning and nurture reading skills in a positive, non-threatening and fun environment. The Edu-PUPS service can be linked to aiding in the emotional leveling of children and the development of students into better communicators.

By the excitement on their faces, Loveland students are headed in the right direction with Trixie's help and this program.  Click here to see more of Trixie’s adventures at Loveland.

The Westside High School Quizbowl teams competed at the ESU #3 quizbowl tournament on Monday, February 1st.  The two teams of 9th and 10th-graders competed against 24 teams from across Nebraska. Team "Westside A" with members, Zane Fletcher, Joe Hack, Jake Poots and Mac Mikkelsen finished in 3rd place. The quizbowl tournament tests students on mathematics, science, social sciences and literature. The WHS quizbowl team started this past fall.

On January 30, 2010 fifth and sixth grade Excellence in Youth students, parents, and teachers Cynthia Perry and Lynn Spady attended the University of Nebraska’s Spirit Showcase Robotics Competition. During the competition students had the chance to explore various aspects of engineering at the Strategic Air and Space Museum.  Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman made an appearance at the showcase and encouraged the more than 500 students present to become the critical thinkers and problem solvers of the future.  The members of the PL Bots include sixth-graders Amy Conaway, Lauren Cheshire, Madison Kalvoda, Mike Merical and Alli Vester. The fifth-grade team, Westside 53, consisted of Madison Haney, Kaya Miller, Jordan Shaw and Katya Ward.  The DHI team included Bridget Mizener, Nata Ward, Ben Volberding, and Tristan Martin, and the Geek Squad was comprised of Stephanie Dong, James Legge, Will Anderson, Andrew Mizener and Ethan Stark.

Mari Dolphens' kindergarten class celebrated the 100th day of school on January 29th.  The class sang a 100-day song and counted to 100 by 1's, 5's, and 10's.  They also counted 100 pennies then traded Mrs. Dolphens for a one-dollar bill.  The kindergarten class jumped 100 times, made 100 hearts and 100 chicks. Click here for a slideshow of the 100th day celebration.

Swanson staff and students laced up their saddle shoes and pulled on their poodle skirts as they celebrated the school's 50th anniversary. The school held an old-fashioned sock hop in the school gym on Friday, January 22. Click here for a slide show of Swanson showing off their school spirit.

Westside Middle School sponsored a "Hats for Haiti" day on Friday, January 29.  Middle school teachers and students raised $407.84 that will go to the Clinton-Bush Haiti fund to help with relief efforts in that country.

The Westside High School Amazing Technicolor Show Choir (ATSC) won big at the Millard West Singsation event on January 23.  The ATSC took first place in Open Class, Choreography and Best Vocals.  The group was also named Grand Champion in the finals. Other WHS musical groups did well in the competition. Warrior Express placed first in the Prep Division and Simply Irresistible placed first in the Female Division.  The groups will perform again at the Westside Competition of Excellence on Saturday, January 30. Admission is $12 for adults and $7 for students and seniors.  The public is invited to attend.

As part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities, Westside High School Career Center students competed against each other in their homerooms to see which one could contribute the most money to the Haitian earthquake relief.  Students then enjoyed cake to celebrate the achievements of the late civil rights leader.

Students at Prairie Lane Elementary celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with many activities including making a friendship chain, writing about their dreams for a better world, and acting out the Rosa Parks story.  The students made and decorated a bus, then went through the sequence of events that happened to Rosa Parks.

As part of Swanson's 50th Anniversary, Swanson sixth graders celebrate the snow with their school mascot during their First Friday Spirit Day.

In December, several fourth graders in Stephanie Curran's class at Westbrook Elementary delivered winter cards to residents of the Brighton Gardens Retirement Community. The students, along with their second grade reading buddies in Debbie Kirchhoff's class, made the cards. The students wrote an Acrostic Poem inside the cards. The fourth graders then read their poems to the residents and then gave them the cards.

For the second year in a row, students in Katie Mason's classroom at Oakdale Elementary collected books and monetary donations for needy students in the Omaha community. Oakdale students decorated canvas bags, created by staff member Carol Osborne. Each bag contained 10 books and other items such as hats, gloves, and art supplies. The Oakdale students were also able to purchase classroom items, such as tissues, disinfecting wipes, and hand sanitizer.

Prairie Lane’s kindergartners celebrated a traditional Thanksgiving on November 24. The students learned about the Pilgrims and the Native Americans harvesting crops and celebrating with a feast that eventually became an annual tradition known as Thanksgiving.

Congratulations to the Junior Warriors Red 11 year-old football team. The team won the Nebraska Midget Football League (NMFL)  Championship for 11 year-olds with a 9-0 season. The students won back-to-back championships and were undefeated both years.

Coaching the team were Westside High School Assistant Principal Jeff Wagner, Ronn Nolin, Ric Lindquist, Mike Duryee and former UNO All-American Ed Thompson, who is featured in this photo with the students.    

Swanson third graders are encouraged to read by participating in the Stick with Reading Program. The program requires students to read four books before a certain due date. If they make the deadline, they receive four vouchers to redeem for tickets to any Omaha Lancer’s home hockey game. On Tuesday, November 3, the hockey players visited the students as part of the program.

Gina Melton, a local radio D.J. from KAT 103 recently visited students in Alli Pontious' classroom at Westgate Elementary.  During her visit, Gina shared a story with the third graders. Alli's class was the first stop on the radio station's book tour of other schools.

Twelve Westside High School juniors were recently selected as National Merit semifinalists.  Click here to learn how these students earned this honor.

First graders at Prairie Lane Elementary studied schools "then and now" in their reading classes. They learned how schools from long ago are different from the way they are now.  At the end of the unit, the students and their teachers spent the day as students did long ago, dressing in prairie clothing, learning old-fashioned games, cutting out paper dolls and writing on chalkboards.  

First graders in Katie Mason's and Kara Pedersen's classes at Oakdale elementary practiced writing their sight words in a unique way! Instead of using a pencil and paper, the first graders enjoyed painting on the sidewalk and school walls using water. Click here to view more pictures of the activity.

Westside Community Schools invites you to participate in a survey about the District website.  Results from this survey will help us improve the usability of the website.  The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete and your answers are confidential.  Click here to take the survey.
 

In September, Sunset Hills students participated in the Pinwheels for Peace project.
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Seven Westside Community Schools teachers are among just 70 in Nebraska who have earned National Board Certification.  Read More

Sixth graders in Julie Schmitz science class at Oakdale Elementary took a trip inside a life-sized cell. Ms. Schmitz designed the "cell" to allow students to understand the different parts of a cell. Following the exercise, she asked each of her students to identify whether the cell was a plant or an animal based upon the different organelles found in the cell.

Click here for information about the H1N1 virus.

Members of Chosen, a singing group of seven children, performed for Westside students to raise awareness and funds for Action for Empowerment (AOET,) an organization that provides care and education for orphans in Uganda. 
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Westside's class of 2009 has set a new school record on both the critical reading and mathematics portions of the SAT.  Click here to learn more.

On Thursday, August 13, Westside students headed back to class for the start of the 2009-2010 school year.  Click here for a photo slideshow of the opening days of school.
 

Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle spent some time with Westside students to talk about the inner workings of city hall. 
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Westside High School students left their mark on the performing arts addition to their school and received real-life experience while designing and carving a 14 x 18 foot brick mural. 
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After posting a record ACT score in 2008, Westside High School is once again celebrating another strong year with the release of its 2009 ACT composite. Click here to learn more.

You already know that Westside Community Schools is committed to excellence in education.  But did you know that the District is also dedicated to student and employee lifelong wellness? 
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Long before the first student arrives, Westside teachers are busy preparing for the start of the 2009-2010 school year.  Click here to learn more about their work prior to the opening day of school on August 13.

The American Heart Association is benefitting from the healthy habits of Westside students. Through the Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart programs, students raised a total of $22,103 at eight elementary schools and Westside Middle School. 

Fourth graders in Lynda Loontjer’s Spanish class at Hillside Elementary connected with children in another country through handmade paper butterflies.  Read More

From June 1 to August 7, Westside Community Schools is offering FREE meals and/or snacks to all children ages 1 to 18 at 23 sites throughout Omaha as part of its summer feeding program.  Click here for a complete listing of those locations or call 390-3380 for more information.

Monkeys and snakes and kangaroos, Oh my! Eyes popped and oohs and ahhs echoed around the Swanson gym as a giant albino Burmese Python slithered across the floor. And that was only the beginning. Emmy Award-winning host of “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” Jim Fowler brought an array of animals to help illustrate the importance of conservation and saving the natural world during his visit to Swanson Elementary.
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Though they are replacing their ’ni hao’ for ‘hello,’ the 38 Chinese students from Tianjin, China, are settling into life at Westside High School without a hitch.  The students and two teachers are participating in a five-week cultural exchange at Westside High School. They are enjoying learning about American culture during their first visit to the United States. Read More

During a news conference at Westside High School, Governor Dave Heineman recognized ten of Nebraska’s best and brightest students for earning a perfect 36 on the ACT or 2400 on the SAT. Alexander Estes of Westside High School was one of the seniors honored.  Read More

Join us for a night of food, fun and entertainment.  All proceeds provide ongoing support of the District's Performing Arts Initiative.

Saturday October 3, 2009
Embassy Suites LaVista
12520 Westport Pkwy

6 p.m. Social and Silent Auction
7:30 p.m. Gala Opening (Dinner, Live Auction and Student Entertainment)

Click here for an invitation, raffle and auction details.

For residents at the Carolyn Scott Rainbow House, April showers brought May baskets from the Paddock Road student council members. Using money earned from a bake sale held earlier this semester, the council decided to give back to other kids in the community. They chose the Rainbow House, which provides accommodations for families undergoing long-term treatment at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center. Much like the Ronald McDonald House, there is no fee to stay, but donations are accepted. Members in grades 3-6 helped put together baskets filled with candy during their regular meeting time and the officers delivered them in person to add some cheer to young people suffering from illnesses.

Westbrook students didn’t have to sit quietly in their seats on big yellow school buses on Tuesday, April 22. Instead, they were walking, skipping and running down sidewalks and across roads following parents clad in yellow shirts with the words, “Walking School Bus Driver.”  Read More

 

Westside Community Schools is monitoring the recent outbreaks of H1N1 influenza throughout the world. At this time, there is no immediate impact on the District.  Westside Community Schools continues to remain in contact with local and state health officials.  We will provide further updates as necessary.  Read More

Hillside sixth graders kept their eyes on the President of the United States as they scribbled down notes, not missing a word. But rather than any of the 44 male presidents, it was a woman. The presentation was part of the Rose Theater’s theater-in-education show Famous Women of the 20th Century. Read More

It’s not everyday you get to meet the neighbor of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. However, Westside seventh and eighth graders got to do just that when author Frank Beddor stopped at the school to talk about his fantasy trilogy, “The Looking Glass Wars.”
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Writer shares her experiences with students from Paddock Road. Read More

A group of 11 Westside High School students recently returned from a service learning trip to Manassas, Virginia.  The students used their spring break to work with Habitat for Humanity in Prince William County, Virginia.  For three days, they cleaned up yards in the city of Manassas and refurbished a community soccer field at George Mason University.  Click here to view pictures of their community service.

 

Two freshmen Westside HIgh School teams recently competed at the Future Problem Solving state competition.  The team of David Glazer, Jacob Lehr and Allie Fisher placed first and advanced to the international competition at Michigan State University.  This is the first time a team from Westside High School has advanced to the international level! The team of Libby Slosburg, Maddie Goodman and Allie Tomek also performed well, placing sixth overall in the competition.

Rockbrook first graders have been learning about the earth. After completing a persuasive writing piece about why people should care for their environment, the first graders teamed up with their sixth grade "buddies" to clean the school garden. Students raked the leaves and pinecones, while others picked up trash. After they pulled up old plants, students dug up the dirt to get it ready for planting. They even learned that the yard waste will be used for compost. Students participated in this activity as part of the school's observance of Earth Day. Click here to see pictures of the day.

The Swanson gym was a hubbub of noise and theatrics this March as William Wallace, a fierce kilt-clad Scot from the 11th century stood gesturing menacingly near an academic, gray-wigged Antoine Lavoisier.
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Westside High School educators recently spent time at a high school in Tianjin, China. Read More

Students in Westside's all-day preschool program are learning about literacy and language, just like youngsters in the District's other preschool classes.  Read More

Smiling and friendly, 17 year-old Ellen Jane Peterson goes to school and works as a veterinarian’s assistant. But she’s not a typical teen- stacking measuring cups or reading a menu are difficult challenges. Read More

Congratulations to 40 Westside Middle School students who earned medals at the 2009 Nebraska Visual Arts Competition.  Read more

High Numbers of Westside Students Proficient on Statewide Test  Read More