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.

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 Rotary Club of Westerville, which sponsors a Student of the Month program, recognized recipients at a luncheon at Villa Milano held on Thursday, April 3.  April students are:  Jessica Stroh, Westerville Central High School; Roderick (R.J.) Hutcherson, Westerville North High School; and Rachel Putnam, St. Francis DeSales High School.

Students at all three Westerville high schools got the opportunity during the month of May to view Chasing Ice, an Academy Award-nominated documentary film that captures visual evidence of climate change through the use of time-lapse photography.  The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, has been shown in 172 countries, and has won nearly 40 awards from festivals around the world.  It was also screened at the United Nations, before Congress, and at the White House.

For the past few years at Westerville North High School, representatives from Kemba Financial have spoken with U.S. Government students about financial literacy. They share information about the importance of having a budget, a bank and a savings plan in order to obtain financial security. 

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.

Twenty-nine State finalists have been chosen in the 2014 Laws of Life Essay Contest, three of whom are students in the Westerville City School District.  At the high school level, Avery Pierson and Christopher Scheren from Westerville North were selected, along with middle school participant Arianna Kellum from Genoa.  Elizabeth Glenn is the Westerville North High School contest coordinator, and Brandy Spears is Kellum’s teacher.  Westerville’s middle school Laws of Life contest is facilitated through the Gifted Education Department. 

Three central Ohio high school students have been recognized by Otterbein University in the third annual Martin Luther King Jr. Multimedia, Essay and Art Contest.  Twenty-seven students participated in the contest.