Blendon Middle School News

The Westerville City School District (WCSD) Board of Education on Monday approved the resignation of Superintendent Dr. John R. Kellogg, who has accepted a new Superintendent in Residence position that will work jointly with Columbus State Community College (CSCC) and the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio (ESCCO).

The Westerville Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), with cooperation from the WCSD Gifted Education Department, has awarded four $325 partial scholarships to the Be WISE Camp at Muskingum University in New Concord this summer. 

Two Westerville middle school students competed in the Ohio State MathCounts competition on March 11 at Columbus State Community College.

Mason Wu, an eighth-grader at Blendon, placed 29th while Anna McCracken, a seventh-grader at Walnut Springs, placed 43rd in the competition that featured 162 competitors across Ohio.

Westerville Parent Council and Roush Honda of Westerville have announced the recipients of the 2022-23 Great Educator Mentor (GEM) Award, which is presented to individuals who go the extra mile to make a positive impact in the classroom and schools.

Blendon Middle School students Ava Arnold, Escher Koh and Kai Irwin joined middle and high school oboe and bassoon players in the area for Ohio State University’s Double Reed Workshop on Feb. 25 at the new Timashev Family Music Building.

Westerville City Schools is upgrading its current student medical records program to a new, easy to use, family accessible platform called SchoolCare. SchoolCare adheres to strict privacy regulations (FERPA & HIPAA) to ensure the confidentiality and security of your student’s school required health information. 

For the next six weeks, members of the Girl Talk-Power Circle at Heritage and Genoa middle schools will develop their leadership skills, learn how to advocate for themselves and find their passion.

It’s a journey their peers at Blendon and Walnut Springs middle schools recently completed as part of a new empowerment program for middle school girls that was launched by the Educational Equity Department at the start of the year. 

Westerville City Schools’ Summer Enrichment Theatre program is bringing the musical “Barnum” to the stage. 

Westerville Central High School senior Sidney Choo is organizing a book drive throughout March to support elementary schools throughout Westerville City Schools.

Two Westerville middle school students have moved on in the MathCounts competition, advancing to the Ohio State Competition on March 11 at Columbus State Community College.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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