Excellence in Youth
Westside Community Schools
March 2022 Recap
INTEREST & TALENT DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL LEARNERS!
Spring College for Kids Classes!
Central Honors Camp
CHI is a five-day residential camp open to students who will be entering the 7th or 8th grade in the fall of 2022 and who have demonstrated high ability in language arts, science and/or mathematics. Students who attend CHI will have the opportunity to meet other high ability learners from across the state while participating in one of four academic tracks. The instructors who lead camp are some of the brightest, most innovative educators in our state. They love helping high ability learners like you stay ‘academically fit’ over the summer break.
Academic Pentathlon
The United States Academic Pentathlon is a five-event scholastic competition for middle school students. The pentathlon areas of concentration are language and literature, fine arts, science, mathematics and social science. The following WCS students competed in the 2022 regional competition on Feb. 17 and will go on to compete at the state level on March 31. These students competed individually in the Honors category (GPAs of 3.80 or above).
Max R.-6th Grade at Swanson
Kelvin W.-7th Grade at WMS
Samara S.S.-7th Grade at WMS
Gabriella C.-7th Grade at WMS
Bethany M.-7th Grade at WMS
BingYi W.-8th Grade at WMS
Axel L.-8th Grade at WMS
In the area of Fine Arts, there were 130 participants and Max's score tied him for 8th place overall. Gabriella tied for 10th place and Samara for 15th place.
On the Math portion, BingYi tied for 4th and Kelvin tied for 5th out of 130 students. Axel tied for 7th place and Max tied for 12th.
BingYi tied for 12th place in Science and Axel came in 13th.
Max tied for 8th place on the Social Science test and Bethany tied for 11th.
Congratulations to all of these students and good luck on the 31st!
Math League Press
MathCounts Regional Competition
IAC Elementary and Middle School Regional FInals
These events include the National History Bee, International Geography Bee, and National Science Bee. Students took qualifying tests and those with high scores were invited to compete in the regional finals. Contests are being held online and in person in March, April and May.
Here are some results we have in so far, stay tuned for more coming next month!
Science
6th grade division
William Allpress
4th Place
March 27th Contest National Qualifier
7th grade division
Samara Sanchez-Soto
March 27th Contest participant
Top 20
8th grade division
Axel Lubbert
11th Place
March 27th Contest National Qualifier
History
7th grade division
Samara Sanchez-Soto
March 27th Contest participant
Geography
7th grade division
Harrison Hill
7th Place
March 27th Contest National & International Qualifier
8th grade division
Ethan Brooks
2nd Place
March 27th Contest National & International Qualifier
Braden Hewlett
2nd Place
March 27th Contest Participant
EARN A BADGE . . . or 12!
Earn 12 badges to achieve the acclaimed "Digital Dozen" and earn a prize and recognition! Choose from hundreds of badge options on the EY Website or choose one below to get kick started!
New Badges!
Digital Dozen Winners
Congratulations to Drew J. from Prairie Lane, Sterling A. from Sunset Hills, Stella H., Kumar A., and Parthiv M. from Swanson who are the most recent Digital Dozen recipients for the 21-22 school year!
The Excellence In Youth Team is proud to announce Sanjay from Swanson as the most recent recipient of the Digital Dozen award for this school year! This is the second award for Sanjay this school year. His favorite badge that he completed for the digital dozen was Sketchnote Fever. He turned in his 25th badge today and plans to start working on his third digital dozen! Congratulations, Sanjay!
This award is presented to students who earn 12 of the digital badges on the EY Website (ey.westside66.org), which is available to students district-wide. It takes self-motivation, grit, and determination to earn these badges and Whitney should be proud of this accomplishment!
SPARK YOUR LEARNING!
Spark Highlight
When reading a favorite story take some time to notice the length of the sentences you are reading. Writers often use a variety of sentence lengths to create a rhythm.
Using long sentences with lots of details, short and sweet to the point sentences, and combined with mid length sentences will make your story flow.
What Is Honors Language Arts?
Honors Language Arts is a class at Westside Middle School designed for students who are passionate about reading and writing. It is more rigorous than grade level language arts. Students are asked to read more challenging texts, work more frequently outside of class, and should be able to work independently.
Students who are successful in Honors Language Arts
- thoroughly enjoy reading and writing
- appreciate discussion about what they are reading
- have strong time-management skills, for both short- and long-term projects
- are capable of working without step-by-step guidance
- are willing to work through situations that are uncomfortable
- use self-advocacy and problem solving skills when confused or frustrated
- are dependable and trustworthy
- consistently complete quality work and take pride in the finished product
- complete work on time without reminders
- are capable and enjoy reading texts that are above grade level.
EY WEBSITE - YOUR ONE STOP INFORMATION HUB!
All students are encouraged to participate in the opportunities posted, regardless of whether they have been identified for the EY Program. Students can participate independently by accessing the opportunities at home or during tech time at school. Teachers may also facilitate these whole and small-group enrichment opportunities for students in the classroom.
Click below to check out all our website has to offer!
EY Team
Mrs. Henningsen
- Swanson
- Sunset Hills
Email: henningsen.jennifer@westside66.net
Website: ey.westside66.org
Twitter: @JHenningsen
Mrs. Sindt
- Hillside
- Oakdale
- Rockbrook
Email: sindt.katherine@westside66.net
Website: ey.westside66.org
Twitter: @ksindt1972
Dr. Spady
- Paddock Road
- Westgate
- Westside Middle School
- Math 7 Honors Coordinator
Email: spady.lynn@westside66.net
Website: ey.westside66.org
Twitter: @LynnSpady
Mrs. Thompson
- Loveland
- Prairie Lane
- Westbrook
Email: thompson.megan@westside66.net
Website: ey.westside66.org
Twitter: @MegT_Westside