Warhawk News
Information/Updates about Westerville Central High School
Message from Mr. Lanier
Welcome back to everyone from what I hope was a relaxing spring break. It is hard to believe that there are only seven weeks remaining in the school year. Trust me, it will go very fast!! With that said, I'd like to share this quote with the community regarding how to keep things in their proper perspective.
"Success seems to be connected with ACTION. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they DON'T QUIT."
It is easy to fall into the "perfectionist" trap that is so prevalent in today's world. So often students don't end up doing their best because they get stuck trying to be perfect. This quote points out the importance of keeping things moving...even when they're not perfect...so that you are able to experience success in the end. Please encourage your student to focus on their educational journey and not get too hyper focused on singular results. It is especially important at this time of year because of all the testing and end of year activities that occur. Students feel a lot of pressure to be 'perfect'. I think by keeping things in their proper perspective you will find that your student is happier, more productive, and in the end, more successful.
What a great lesson to learn at a young age...a lesson that can last a lifetime.
Enjoy the April edition of the newsletter.
"It's Time to Soar Warhawks"
Mr. Lanier
Important Dates
April:
2: "Stop the Bleed Training" @ Central.
4: Jostens Cap and Gown distribution day. During lunch periods 4-7.
11: Yearbook Photo day for Clubs/Activities at Central.
12: Hall of Fame Luncheon. 11 a.m. in the Media Center.
17: Kiwannis Top Ten dinner/ceremony. 6-8 p.m. @ WNHS.
19: No School.
22: Board of Education A+ Awards Ceremony. 6 p.m. @ Board Office.
26: Arts Alive Event. Chalk walk during p.m. Assembly period.
27: Junior/Senior Prom. 8-11 p.m. @ Renaissance Hotel in Westerville.
29: GEM Awards. 6-8 p.m. @ WNHS.
Information for Class of 2019
Senior Dates: (Mark your Calendars)
May 14: Evening of Excellence (7 p.m. by invitation)
May 16: Senior Breakfast w/ Chris Cakes (6:45 a.m. in the stadium)
May 17: Senior Walk (1:55 p.m.)
May 20: Cedar Point Trip
May 21: Night of Reflection (7 p.m.)
May 24: Graduation practice (mandatory, 8:30 a.m. @ Ohio Expo Center)
May 25: Graduation Ceremony (10 a.m. @ Ohio Expo Center)
Spring Testing Information
As you may know, the State of Ohio recently modified graduation requirements beginning with the Class of 2018. As a result, there are two components of graduation requirements:
· The Credit Component, which requires all students to earn a minimum of 20 high school credits in specific subjects; and
· The Assessment Component, which offers students several ways to become eligible for their high school diploma.
For a list of current graduation pathways specific to your child’s graduation cohort year, please visit this link: https://tinyurl.com/ODEGradPathways
Regarding Assessment Component options, the State’s current points system appears to be the most likely way that students will earn their diploma. Students receive 1 to 5 graduation points based upon their performance on each of the State tests. The State presently requires students to earn a minimum 18 out of a possible combined 35 points from all tests to be eligible for a diploma. Of those 18 points, a student must earn at least 4 total points on English tests, 4 total points on math tests, and 6 combined points on science and social studies tests. There is no additional, formal recognition for students who earn more than 18 points on these tests.
We encourage your child to take one or more of the State’s upcoming End-of-Course Assessments because they are, or have been, enrolled in one of the tested subjects; or they earned only 1 or 2 points out of a possible 5 points on a prior administration of the test. Your child will have the opportunity to take the identified test(s) on the following date(s):
Friday, April 12 - Algebra I/Geometry
Monday, April 15 – English I/English II Part 1
Tuesday, April 16 – English I/English II Part 2
Wednesday, April 17 – American History/American Government
Thursday, April 18 – Biology
Ohio’s State Tests are produced by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and taken online. For additional information and resources on State assessments, please visit http://tinyurl.com/OSTParentResources.
Should you have any questions regarding the spring administration of Ohio’s State Test End-of-Course Assessments, please contact your child’s school counselor. Thank you for your continued support and assistance as we work together to ensure that your child is prepared for these assessments.
Spring Testing Bell Schedules
Central 'Top Ten' Students Announced
Callie Barry
Gianna Brooks
Camron Hubble
Maxwell James
Olivia Loesch
Briana McNeal
Benjamin Middleton
Jordan Mori
Sarah Wolfe
Jacob Yaussy
Emily Enyame Places 3rd at Poetry Out Loud State Competition
Central is so proud of Emily and the effort she put in to this year's contest. Looking forward to her returning to the competition next year and winning the whole thing!!
Morgan Meissner Named to the Top 7 in Letters About Literature Contest
Letters About Literature is a national contest in which students write to an author, living or dead, whose work of poetry, fiction or non-fiction has had an impact on them personally. Students compete in elementary, middle school and high school divisions. The winning letters from each category in each state are forwarded to the national contest.
Morgan’s letter is one of the seven finalists in the state, chosen from 657 students who competed in the high school division. Dozens of students from Westerville Central High School participated in the contest, ten making it to the third round.
Morgan wrote to poet Abdullah Shoaib about his poem, “Pretty Ugly,” a poem that can be read forward and backwards, the meaning changing with the direction it is read.
Seven awards in each of the three grade-level divisions will be announced in early April. The finalists will be recognized at a reception at the Ohio Center for the Book at the Cleveland Public Library May 11, and the finalists’ letters will be included in a commemorative booklet. In addition to First, Second and Third place winners, the contest will recognize four Honorable Mention letter-writers. The first place winner will receive $100; the second place winner will receive $75, and the third place winner will receive $50. In addition, all finalists will receive a selection of books.
Letters About Literature reports that their program is funded by a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and from gifts to the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. The goal of the program is to promote and celebrate reading for young people.
For information about how to participate at WCHS next school year, contact Jim Grannis [grannisj@westerville.k12.oh.us]. More information about the Letters About Literature contest in Ohio can be found here: [http://ohiocenterforthebook.org/letters-about-literature/]. More information about the national Letters About Literature contest can be found here: [http://www.read.gov/letters/].Brown Bag Diversity Series
The Westerville Central Diversity Dialogues Brown Bag lunch series provides opportunities for discussion and reflection about college and career readiness, equity, bias, and resilience. It takes place once a month during lunch and is open to all students. The first session in the series, which was held on February 28, featured local business owners Wendy and Letha Pugh, winners of Columbus Taste Makers 2017 and co-owners of Bake Me Happy, a gluten-free bakery and supplier to The Ohio State University and The Schottenstein Center.
Speakers are selected based on student, staff, and community nominations by teacher advisers Natalie Barrett and Kyle King. Next month’s session will take place on March 21 and will feature Dr. Chenelle Jones, who is the Public Safety Program Chair for Franklin University. This program is funded through a Westerville Education Foundation grant proposed by Dr. Jill Williams, Westerville City Schools Curriculum Specialist, English Language Arts and Social Studies, and Cynthia DeVese, Westerville City Schools Coordinator of Minority Student Achievement.
Interact Club 'Cans the Principal'
Another great example of how Central students care about helping the community.
School Safety Corner
Central is also excited to announce that we are bringing a safety training called "Stop the Bleed" to our school April 2. Senior Payton McCarthy took the training earlier this year and thought that it would be a good idea to bring it to Central. Payton worked with Assistant Principal, Brad Adams, to coordinate the training for staff and students. The program trains people to provide basic medical care in the event of an emergency. Fifty people from the Central and Westerville learning community will participate in this initial training including staff, students, parents, and district office personnel.
In addition to bringing the training to Central, Payton also wrote a grant proposal asking for $3,000 to purchase medical supplies for the EJAM Go Buckets. We are proud to announce that Payton's efforts were rewarded when Central learned that our building was awarded the grant. Central is super proud to call Payton one of our own and she is setting a great example of what it means to 'soar' as a Warhawk!!
Sunshine Rotary Student of the Month
See the information in the Safety Corner update above to learn more about why Payton was named as the Sunshine Rotary Student of the Month for Central.
Central students are doing great things to support their community!!
Academic Boosters Update
Some highlights of what this group supports includes:
* College Scholarships: Over $30k in scholarships were awarded to students in the class of '18 this past school year.
* Educator Grants: Teachers at Central can apply for $$$ to support cool ideas and programs in their classrooms that benefit our students.
* Purchase the awards for the Underclassmen Awards Night and the Senior Evening of Excellence events.
* Sponsor the Student of the Month program that recognizes students throughout the school year for their excellence in doing their best, exhibiting kindness, and embracing uniqueness in themselves and others.
* Conduct several Teacher Appreciation events throughout the school year.
* Sponsor the Senior breakfast during Senior Week in May.
Please consider supporting this group by joining the Boosters and volunteering some of your time. Single membership costs just $5 and family membership costs $10. Many hands make light work!! Click the links below to learn more about the great work that our Academic Boosters do for Warhawk Nation and where to buy your Warhawk Spirit gear for the '18-'19 school year.
March Students of the Month
Lyssa Zepfel: ELA
Cole Keller: ELA
Rugie Kabia: World Language
Enoch Frimpong: Math
Lauryn Stubbs: Business
Santa Biswakarma: English Learners
William Fowler: Social Studies
Academic Boosters Award Scholarships to the Class of 2019
The scholarship program conducted by the Boosters is funded by membership applications and the various fundraising events that the Boosters conduct throughout the school year. I encourage everyone to join the Academic Boosters (there is a nominal $5 membership fee for individuals and $10 for a family membership). Please know that 10 individual memberships can fund 1 scholarship for a graduating senior. Think of how many students we could help if our membership matched the number of families who have students at Central.
We thank the hard work of our Boosters and congratulate the scholarship award winners in the class of 2019.
Athletics Info
Please visit our Athletic Webpage for the latest in Warhawk Athletic News and upcoming contests.
Athletic Director Andy Ey at eya@westerville.k12.oh.us.
Central Bowling Teams Compete in the State Tournament
Central girls ended up placing 12th and the boys advanced to the Baker game finals where they ended up placing 6th after losing a heart breaker to Ashland H.S. Wes Minke was named 2nd team All-Ohio by placing 10th in the individual competition. Devin Richardson was named Honorable Mention All-Ohio in placing 15th.
Central's bowling program is recognized as one of the top programs in the state of Ohio and has been a fixture in the state tournament the past several years.
Congratulations to Coach Gonzalez and the student athletes who competed for the Warhawks.
APES at Wilder
Otterbein Essex Program for Gifted Students
Key Club Raises over $1,200 for Pennies for Patients
Hall of Fame Inductees
Central will conduct the Alumni Hall of Fame induction ceremony April 12, 11 a.m., in the library. This year's inductees are Ben Buchanan and Kathryn Golden. Alumni are nominated by members of the Warhawk Learning community for their contributions to the school while they were students along with their service to the greater community after they graduated. Central students who are member of the Superintendent's Advisory Committee plan and conduct the ceremony. Hall of Fame inductees have their pictures hung in the Commons, a tree planted in their honor, and a plaque placed next to the tree to remind future Warhawks of their contribution to the community.
Congratulations Ben and Kathryn.
ASL Students Make Music Videos
Great job Mrs. Day and all of the students in ASL.
Health Pathway Students Learn from Local Professionals
NHS Induction Ceremony
Winter Athletic Awards
Central Teachers Participate in Early Release
The learning opportunity was planned by teachers and administrators based upon feedback received from previous Early Release programming.
Mr. Adams Announces his Retirement
Mrs. Martin's Chemistry Projects
Attendance Info
Students who attend school regularly will experience greater success than students who have poor attendance. Helping students with attendance issues is a team effort that includes the family, school counselors, administration and health care providers. Proactive communication around attendance will help the team work together to support students in their efforts to be successful in their academic experience.
Please find some helpful hints from our attendance clerk below to help get the school year started off on the right foot:
Attendance Office Phone #: 614-797-6820
Please call when you know that your student is going to be absent from school for any reason.
Appointments
Occasionally students have a medical or dental appointment during school hours. In the event that such an appointment is necessary, the following procedure must be used or that student will be considered unexcused: A note from the parent/guardian prior to the appointment is appropriate. A phone call/voice mail message at least 1 hour prior to the student’s necessary dismissal time is acceptable. Parental/guardian calls and notes must be specific about the reason for and the time of the appointment and the approximate time of return. Prior to leaving the building, the student must stop in the attendance office to sign out. Upon return, the student must sign in to the attendance office and bring verification of his/her doctor, dentist, or court appointment.
Thanks for your help in helping us track your child's attendance.
Communication
Central will use the following means of communication throughout the year:
* Daily announcements are found on our webpage.
* School Messenger: School wide messages will be delivered via phone calls and emails through our School Messenger account.
* Newsletter: I will send a monthly newsletter (Warhawk News) updating Warhawk Nation about the great things our students and staff are doing during the school year. The newsletter is electronic and will be emailed and distributed via Twitter.
* Remind 101: To receive text messages directly, consider signing up for Central's Remind 101 service. It's easy...text @6k39d7 to 81010.
* Twitter: Consider following me on Twitter @ThomasWLanier. I share lots of fun events and great pics about Warhawk Nation via Twitter. Be sure to tweet @ThomasWLanier and use the hashtag, #hawkssoar when you see great things that our Warhawks are doing.
Administrators/Counselors
Administrators:
Tom Lanier, Principal
Brad Adams, Assistant Principal
Nick McIlwain, Assistant Principal
Eric Nickel, Assistant Principal
Andy Ey, Athletic Director
School Counselors:
Monica Johnson, Counselor A-CO
Jim Kloepfer, Counselor CR-HE
Megan Lemmon, Counselor HI-ME
Erica Guice, Counselor MI-SA
Carrie Ackermann, Counselor SC-Z
Email: laniert@westerville.k12.oh.us
Website: http://www.westerville.k12.oh.us/29/Home
Location: 7118 Mt Royal Ave, Westerville, OH, United States
Phone: 614-797-6800
Twitter: @ThomasWLanier