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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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