Westside Pride
April 2022
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WESTSIDE!
This month - March 2022 - marks the 75th Anniversary of Westside Community Schools! Formed in March 1947 through the merger of three rural school districts (#31-Oakdale, #46-Underwood and #65 Loveland), District 66 was established with 344 students, 17 teachers and 7 non-certified staff members. We now have over 6,100 students, 593 teachers, and over 400 non-certified staff members!
You can help show your Warrior pride with a new special edition 75th Anniversary shirt! Our friends at Lawlors have set up an on-line store (LINK BELOW) with several style options to choose from. Please feel free to share this link with any Warrior fan you know!
AND PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS! We are hosting a FREE #Westside75 celebration event for all Westside students, families, staff and community members at Westside High School on Sunday, August 14, 2022 from Noon until 4:00 PM! We will have games, activities, food, entertainment and more! We will celebrate Westside's 75th year throughout the fall as well. We have much to be proud of and much to look forward to!
Thank you for your ongoing support of Westside Community Schools… 75 years and counting!
Message From Board of Education President, Doug Krenzer
Dear Westside,
As we head into the home stretch of the school year, we are looking forward to All Staff Appreciation Week April 4-7 to honor ALL of our dedicated school employees. On Saturday April 9, our juniors and seniors will enjoy a traditional prom they so richly deserve.
On Monday, the Board of Education approved two resolutions to refinance our bonds that will save the district over $1M. ATSC had a very successful trip to Orlando, placing third, and DECA distinguished itself again at state.
The board is excited to celebrate the recognitions and awards for students and staff that this time of year brings. Go Warriors!
Yours in Education,
Doug Krenzer
IMPORTANT DATES
Who Is Your Favorite Westside Staff Member?
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Who is YOUR favorite staff member and why? Maybe it's a teacher who impacted your life. Maybe it's a nutrition services staff member who always greets your child with a smile. Maybe it's a building services worker who goes out of their way to keep your school clean. We want to hear who has impacted your life - and how!
Please email communications@westside66.net and let us know! We will feature Shout Outs across Westside social media next week!
THANK YOU for helping us show our staff how much we love them!
FOR YOUR CALENDAR
MARCH 2022
March 31: Outdoor Ed Parent Meeting (6th Grade Parents), 6pm @ WMS
APRIL 2022
April 4-8: Westside All Staff Appreciation Week
April 4: Board of Education Meeting
April 4 & 5: 6th Grade Information Night at WMS
April 9: Prom
April 11-15: NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)
April 18: Board of Education Meeting
April 18: WE-SIDE Unified Kickball Game
April 20: Scholar Athlete Banquet
April 23: Kicks For the Cure Game, Westside V Creighton Prep
April 23: Coffee With Counselors, WHS
April 28-30: WMS School Musical
April 30-May 4: District Soccer Championships
MAY 2022
May 3: District Band Solo/Ensemble Concert
May 4: Special Education Meet & Greet, WMS
May 6: Sports Hall of Fame Banquet
May 7: District Baseball Championships
May 10: District Track & Field Championships
May 11-16: State Soccer Championships
May 13: Warrior Walkabout (6th Grade Students)
May 14-19: State Baseball Championships
May 15: Graduation
May 17: Boys District Golf Championships
May 18-19: State Track & Field Championships
May 19: College Application Bootcamp, WHS
May 19-20: Girls State Tennis Championships
May 24: District Strings West Fest
May 24-25: Boys State Golf Championships
May 27: Last Day of School
Aug 14: #Westside75 Back To School Celebration
Changes will be updated on each building's calendar, websites, and the Westside app.
Have an incoming Kindergarten student? Watch your school's calendar and newsletters for information about Round-Up and parent meetings!
Want to follow your favorite Westside Warriors activity or sports team? CLICK HERE!
Registration Help For Multilingual Families
DISTRICT NEWS
Westside's Team Gizmo Gang Heading To World Championships
Local FIRST Lego League (FLL) Team Gizmo Gang won the First Place Champions Award and the Robot Performance Award at the Nebraska State competition. The Champion Award is presented to the team that demonstrates having a balanced, strong performance across all judging categories – Core Values, Robot Design, Innovation Project, and Robot Performance. Gizmo Gang will advance to the FIRST Championship World Festival in Houston where they will compete against 100 teams from around the world. In addition, the teams Innovative Project, earned the Global Innovation Award Nomination. The team has been invited to participate in a separate competition showcasing their innovative project for the opportunity to be chosen for a separate 20 team global competition later this summer.
Team members include two Westside Middle School 8th Graders, Liam Cronican and Aaron Thernes and Henry Thernes from Rockbrook Elementary.
Swim & Dive State Championships
CONGRATULATIONS to Westside Boys & Girls Swim & Dive Teams who represented Westside High School at the 2022 NSAA State Championships. Both teams won 3rd Place in the state!
STATE CHAMPIONS:
- Nate Germonprez, 100 Fly & 200 Free (Record), Male Swimmer of the Meet
- Jack Ellison, 500 Free
We continue to cheer for our Warriors as they compete across the country - just weeks after state, Nate Germonprez and Colin Davis were invited to the TYR event to compete alongside 30 Olympians!
ATSC & ATSB Among Best In Nation
Congratulations to ATSC for a fantastic showing at the Heart of America Competition in Orlando! The Amazing Technicolor Show Choir competed in the Championship Division and finished 3rd! The ATSC Band, ATSB, was named Best Band of the competition!
DECA Leaders Crowned State Champions, Qualify for Nationals
Congratulations to the Westside High School DECA team, bringing home 26 awards from the 2022 State Championships!
STATE CHAMPIONS:
- Zev Gordman, Start-up Business Plan Project
- Jack Smith, Business Services Marketing
- Bree Bell and Mary Nilius, Buying & Merchandising
- Jack Gerard and Umanga Ghimire, Financial Services
- Lilly DiPrima and Charlotte Murphy, Hospitality Services
- Chase Kroeger and Simon Hanus, Travel & Tourism
Thank you to everyone who participated in Battle of the Books on Saturday at Westside Middle School! More than 200 4th-6th graders representing from nine of the district's elementary schools participated in the annual event.
First place - The Literary Agency 2.0 from Rockbrook
Second place - The Rockbookers 2.0 from Rockbrook
Third place - The Wild Readers from Loveland
Fourth place - Rebel Readers from Loveland
A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered and a special thanks to the event's hard-working committee from the Westside Community Council!
Westside Connection Racks Up Awards
Their competition choir season over, Westside Connection from Westside Middle School just won the Johnston Showzam contest for the first time in 13 years. In total this year, they won:
- 6 Best Vocals Awards
- 5 Best Choreography Awards
- 1 Best Solo Award (Tallulah Sweet)
- 2 Best Performer Awards (Carter Pflug and Fiona Tobin)
Westside Connection was named Overall Grand Champion five times in the 2022 season!
Boys Basketball Wins District Championship
6 Journalism Award-Winners Heading To National Contest
35 Westside High School student journalism entries were recently recognized by the Nebraska Press Women! Of those award-winning entries, six were recognized with 1st Place, and will advance to the National Federation of Press Women Communication Contest.
1st Place
- Brady Meyerson: Best Newscast, 'The Westside Clothing Closet'
- Delaney Davis: Double-Truck Layout, 'Lademi Davies story'
- Joe Vermillion & Umanga Ghimire: Radio/Television Interview or Talk Show, 'Tackle Talk'
- Zoe Gillespie: Sports Photo, 'Varsity Basketball vs. Millard North'
- Cameron White: Video Feature Story, 'Walt and Benny: A Story of Two Unlikely Friends'
- Emily Jasa: Video News Story, 'Club Fair Day 2021'
CLICK HERE for a complete list of all 35 award winning entries from Westside High School!
WESTSIDE STRATEGIC PLAN PROGRESS
Finance, Safety and Infrastructure
In 2015, Westside Community Schools issued multiple bonds for Phase 1 of our Facilities Master Plan. This funded new construction of Oakdale, Swanson and Sunset Hills, renovation and new construction at Prairie Lane, and several other district projects. The district is paying the principal and interest payments on a schedule that stretches until 2035.
When those initial bonds were issued, there were not callable until 2025; we could not pay them off early or refinance until 2025. However, thanks to our fiscal oversight, knowledge and management, the Board of Education voted in a special meeting March 28 to lock in rates for 2025 and beyond. This means when the bonds do become callable, the District will already have a refinance plan worked out, and Westside Community Schools will save more than $1 Million over the course of the rest of the repayment of the bonds.
If interest rates rise (as they are expected to), our district is locked in at rates that will save us - and our valued stakeholders - money for years to come.
Student Achievement and Well-Being
Less than 7% of the 2-million students who took the ACT in 2021 scored a 30 or higher; 50 of those students are from Westside High School! On March 15, those students were honored in a special ACT Scholars Celebration to highlight their achievements.
While this is just one test, and we eagerly celebrate ALL of our students and their expansive achievements, we are proud of these scores - the result of Westside's efforts to provide FREE ACT prep courses, and the option to take this important examination TWICE at no cost to students. This often means more scholarships, more post-secondary opportunities, and more flexibility for our students and their families!
Community, Collaboration and Partnerships
Westside's groundbreaking Arts For Me! program is going nationwide! WHS Teacher Erin Lunsford presented our pilot program, providing more adapted art opportunities for alternative curriculum students, to the National Art Education Association's annual convention in New York City.
We are thrilled this amazing program is being shared with educators across the country! Please click here to learn more and to check out Ms. Lunsford's presentation!
WE-SIDE UPDATES
WE-SIDE Efforts Highlighted in Omaha World Herald
CLICK HERE to read more!
WESTSIDE OPPORTUNITIES
Download the Westside Community Schools App!
CLICK HERE to download the FREE APP for Westside Community Schools!
In one click, you can personalize the information important to you and your family including which schools to follow, important district news and updates, PowerSchool access, and MySchoolBucks - all in one place! You can also search for the app - Westside Community Schools - in the Apple Store and via Google Play.
COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES
The following flyers and information have been provided by community partners not affiliated with Westside Community Schools. We do not endorse any of the following organizations or events, but are providing this information at no cost as a public service to our children families, staff and community. For questions, please email communications@westside66.net.