Excellence in Youth

The Excellence in Youth (EY) Program at Westside Community Schools provides expanded learning opportunities for students with high ability, in addition to fostering and encouraging talent development in all students.

The 2022-2023 WCS District Spelling bee was held at WMS on December 16th. The top spellers from each elementary school, along with the top spellers from WMS competed to determine the 1st place speller in WCS.

It took 12 rounds, but we have a District Spelling Bee winner! Congratulations to Jonathan R.(WMS) he will represent District 66 in the Omaha Sports Commission Spelling Bee on March 18. Jonathan won by spelling the word “augment”, beating out Lucy B. (Rockbrook) and Brock L.(Westgate). In the Elementary School Bee, Lucy B. took first and Whitney L. (Rockbrook) and Brock L. (Westgate) tied for second. Remi K. (Westbrook), Dorian G. (Westbrook) and Davison L. tied for third place.

The Excellence In Youth Team is proud to announce Toby S., Vivian Z. and Antonio B. from Sunset Hills, and Henry L. from Swanson as the most recent recipients of the Digital Dozen Award for the 2022-2023 school year & the first recipient at Rockbrook! This award is presented to students who have earned 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 Hudson should be proud of this accomplishment!

The Excellence In Youth Team congratulates Sammie M. from Hillside on her 2nd Digital Dozen award for this school year!

She turned in her 26th badge and is already working on badge #27! Any guesses as to how long it will be before she gets her 3rd Digital Dozen??? Congratulations, Sammie!

The EY Team would like to give a shout out to the following students who have earned 6 or more badges. These students are well on their way to earning the Digital Dozen. Keep it up!

Lewis K. - Sunset

Peter B. - Swanson

Sienna G. - Hillside

Emma D. - Oakdale

Abram B. - Sunset

Ben W. - Sunset

Luka Z. - Sunset

Cooper F. - Swanson

Maddox S. - Swanson

Johnny D. - Loveland

Stella D. - Prairie Lane

Mallorie B. - Sunset

Brion C. - Sunset

Thea F. - Sunset

Anais K. - Sunset

Olive K. - Sunset

Blake S. - Sunset

Cooper R. - Swanson

Parrish J. - Westgate

Claire M. - Hillside

Erin W. - Hillside

Colt M. - Sunset

Beckett S. - Sunset

Aya Z. - Sunset

Marley A. - Swanson

Finn D. - Swanson

Drew K. - Swanson

Annil M. - Swanson

Isabella R. - Swanson

Brock L. - Westgate

Isabel V. - Swanson

Addison W. - Sunset

Nori F. - Sunset

Are you familiar with the popular biography series Who/Is Was that has been recently made into short movies on Netflix?

Check out this new badge to choose from a variety of fun activites related to this series.

Every student in Westside has the opportunity to begin earning badges. Working towards earning a badge allows students to dig deep into topics and explore individual interest areas. Badges can be found in various subject and interest areas.

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!

Mini Sparks are quick lessons that introduce learners to various topics. Sparks can be found under every subject area on the EY website. These activities require minimal supplies and make for a great family activity!

Do you know what day of the week you were born on? If not, you could… Ask your parent(s)/guardian(s) if they remember the day of the week or you could “Google”: What day of the week was May 16, 1975 (that’s my birthday)

OR

You can do this ridiculously long way…which is more fun!

Did you notice the EY Challenge tab when you visited the website? We encourage all students to participate in the challenge. Each month, a new challenge will be posted. We aim to keep the challenges timely and relevant to what is happening in the world around us.

You can find the current challenge by clicking the link below or visiting the EY website.

SIGMA is a mathematics league that promotes problem solving through competition. SIGMA provides opportunities for students to apply their mathematical knowledge in new and different ways by solving non-routine problems. During the month of October, Sixth grade EY students participated in this contest. Congratulations!

Hillside

Cyrus - 1st

Claire, Erin, Harmony - 2nd

Loveland

Luke - 1st

Kocis, Sonali - 2nd

Oakdale

Jasper, Emily - 1st

Graham - 2nd

Paddock Road

Jaxson, Dolan, Brooklynn - 1st

Cooper, Cody, Lucas, Conrad, Gracelynn, Keaton - 2nd

Prairie Lane

Grace, Michael - 1st

Joseph, Maggie - 2nd

Rockbrook

Charlie - 1st

Whitney - 2nd

Sunset Hills

Zuriel, Antonio, Collin - 1st

Max - 2nd

Swanson

Isabella, Drew - 1st

Alexander, Arrow - 2nd

Westbrook

Remi - 1st

Ashbury, Nataniel, Finley - 2nd

Westgate

TBD

Student across the district celebrated Computer Science Week in early December by engaging in coding activities. Here students are learning the basics with a program called Scratch Jr.

The EY program website is the hub of communication for the EY Team. For our K-8 students, monthly challenges, seminars and events, as well as other learning opportunities are posted to the site on a regular basis.

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!

• Swanson
• Sunset Hills

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

• Hillside
• Oakdale
• Rockbrook

Email: sindt.katherine@westside66.net
Website: ey.westside66.org
Twitter: @ksindt1972

• Paddock Road
• Westgate
• Westside Middle School
• Math 7 Honors Coordinator

Email: spady.lynn@westside66.net
Website: ey.westside66.org
Twitter: @LynnSpady

• Loveland
• Prairie Lane
• Westbrook

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