More than 1,500 people packed into Westerville South High School for the Westerville Partners for Education’s Starry Night family festival on Sunday afternoon, April 6.  Critters, robots, origami, LEGOs, music, costumes, bonsai trees and over 60 different exhibits from Columbus’ premier educational organizations were on hand to present interactive experiences for students and families.  Students watched puppet shows, drove robots, acted out dramas, explored live insects, learned about 3-D printing, and watched sky shows from within the indoor planetarium.  Dr. Tom Burns from Perkins Observatory and the Ohio State University’s Meteorology Club presented to auditorium audiences and Tim Kaiser demonstrated handmade instruments.

Fifth grade Wilder Elementary School student David Osborne (pictured above) was named Overall Grand Winner at the eighth annual Westerville City Schools Lego Competition held April 5 at Heritage Middle School.  Dr. Scott Ebbrecht, facilitator of the annual event, commented to the nearly 130 student participants and their family members, “Perseverance paid off for David in that he has competed each year since kindergarten, and on his final attempt, took home the grand prize!”  Proceeds from the event benefited Westerville’s Elementary Leadership Summit and the Children Supporting Children Foundation.

From April 7-11, the Otterbein University Special Olympics Club, along with Westerville City Schools students from the Best of Both Worlds program, engaged in a campaign to get individuals to sign a pledge to stop using the ‘R’ word – retard(ed).  The R word hurts those with intellectual disabilities because it is exclusive, offensive and derogatory.

The Westerville Education Foundation (WEF) has received a generous donation in the amount of $10,000 from Alliance Data.

Parents of children who will be attending kindergarten this fall are eligible to register their youngsters online for Safety City beginning on April 21.  The program will be held Monday through Friday, June 2-13, at Robert Frost Elementary School, which is located at 270 North Spring Road.  Two sessions will take place each day – one from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., and one from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.

On Sunday, April 6, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., the Westerville Partners for Education (WPE) will host the second annual “Nationwide Children’s Hospital Starry Night” family learning festival at Westerville South High School, 303 S. Otterbein Avenue.  The festival will offer the community interactive learning opportunities with experts from Columbus’ premier educational and non-profit organizations.

The Westerville Parent Council and Roush Honda are pleased to announce the 11^th annual Great Educator Mentor (GEM) Award winners.  GEM awards are given to individuals who make a difference in the lives of the students in the Westerville School District.  All GEM winners promote the welfare of students in the home, school and community, and each goes above and beyond the call of duty. 

Recent action by the Ohio Department of Education has expanded the window in which school districts can administer Ohio Achievement Assessments (OAA) to students in grades 3-8.

Kindergarten registration is under way in the Westerville City School District for children who will be five years old on or before September 30, 2014.  Individual appointments are being conducted at the Enrollment and Family Resource Center, which is located in the OhioHealth building at 300 Polaris Parkway.