Excellence in Youth

Looking for something fun or inspiring to do? Visit our Events & Contests button on the EY website to find activities happening around the Omaha area for kids and families!

New opportunities are added often—so check back from time to time to see what might spark your interest!

• Art Inspiring Art Show
• Road Safety Art Contest

The Excellence In Youth Team is thrilled to shine a spotlight on Renee S. and Brenna K. from Westgate, Henry P., J H. and Annabelle P., Harrison B. and Ben S. from Sunset, Angelina M. from Paddock, Thomas L., Will F., Arju A., Tobin K. and Emma W. from Swanson and August C. and Barrett M. from Rockbrook as being the most recent recipients of the Digital Dozen Award for the 2025-2026 school year! This award is earned by WCS students who complete 12 digital badge projects from the EY Website (ey.westside66.org), which is accessible to students across the district. It takes hard work, grit, and dedication to earn these badges, and this bright star should be proud of this shining accomplishment! Congratulations!

The EY team sends a great big Congratulations to Johan from Swanson and Adeline O. from WMS who had projects chosen as part of Opera Omaha's poetry and music project!

Addie's poem, A World of Pure Imagination, was chosen as an inspiration for a musical piece that was composed with her input.

Johan wrote a poem about trees. His piece was chosen as inspiration for an art piece, created by Abz Cameron.

Addie's musical piece will be performed and Johan's poem will be on display at the Poetry & Music Project Concert held at the Omaha Conservatory of Music Omaha on May 9th.

The Young Writers Camp offers a two-week program (Monday through Friday, 10am-1pm) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. We offer workshops in slam poetry, fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, mystery, song-writing, poetry, memoir, and screen writing! Young writers work with professional writers, professors, teachers, and undergraduate interns! For grades 8-12

Dates: July 13 - 24, M-F, 10am - 1pm

The I Love to Write/We Love to Write Workshops are a series of summer writing workshops for youth and families to write in a supportive environment. This year’s workshops will focus on a variety of writing styles, strategies, genres and activities. Sessions will meet on the UNL Campus for a week in June. The Celebration of Writers Ceremony is held on the Saturday at the end of the week. These workshops are led by Sandra Peter and Susan Dinsdale, experienced teachers of writing, and the camp is sponsored by the Nebraska Writing Project

For ages 7-11:

June 1-5: 8:30 - 11 AM

For ages 12-15:

June 1-5: 12:30 - 3 PM

We Love to Write (For students ages 7-15 and their families or special adults)

June 1-5: 4 - 6:30 PM

Click on the WMS Enrichment tab to view the variety of enrichment opportunities your Westside Middle School students can explore! There are Math & Science Weekly Challenges, Writing Contests, and more!

Go check out the WMS Enrichment site!

• Students can earn candy for answering the Weekly Math Challenge and/or the Science Question of the Week!
• We have a running Current Events Competition on the Social Studies Enrichment page - encourage your student to get involved by taking the Weekly Current Events Challenge and emailing me a screenshot of their score! Prizes awarded each month!
• There are writing contests available on the Language Arts Enrichment page!
• Quiz Bowl and Classics Book Club are up and running! Send Mrs. Sindt an email at sindt.kathleen@westside66.net if you want to join!

Parents - please remind your WMS students to check their emails. Emails are the best way for me to communicate enrichment opportunities!

On Saturday, April 18th, WMS took a team of students to compete at the Nebraska Science Olympiad on East Campus in Lincoln.

Science Olympiad is the premier team STEM competition in the nation, providing standards-based challenges to over 6,600 teams at 425 tournaments in all 50 states. The Nebraska Science Olympiad supports over 90 teams and close to 1000 of Nebraska's top STEM middle and high school students per year.

Our amazing team of young scientists coached by WMS Science teacher Bill Condon, took 2nd place overall and many of the students brought home individual medals!

Congratulations to these students!

Check out the new tab of the EY website!

• Swanson
• Sunset Hills
• Pre Algebra

Email: henningsen.jennifer@westside66.net
Website: ey.westside66.org

• Hillside
• Oakdale
• Westside Middle School
• Pre Algebra

Email: sindt.katherine@westside66.net
Website: ey.westside66.org

• Paddock Road
• Westgate
• Rockbrook

Email: shearer.denise@westside66.net
Website: ey.westside66.org

• Loveland
• Prairie Lane
• Westbrook

Email: thompson.megan@westside66.net
Website: ey.westside66.org