Excellence in Youth

INTEREST & TALENT DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL LEARNERS!

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.

Get ready for the Geo Bee!

Nov 10th-14th - Classroom Geo Contest Window

Dec 1st-5th - Online School Level Bees

Geography Bee Prep

Social Studies Badges

Check Out Local Events & Contests!

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!

Events & Contests

Digital Dozen Stars!

The Excellence In Youth Team is thrilled to shine a spotlight on Evelyn W. from Oakdale and Arju A. from Swanson for being the first 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!

Evelyn W.

Oakdale

Arju A.

Swanson

The EY team would like to shout out the following students who are well on their way to earning the Digital Dozen! These students have earned 6 or more badges this year.

Keep up the great work!

Modou N. - Swanson

Jaquith C. - Oakdale

Hadley M. - Rockbrook

Marian R. - Rockbrook

Bhavya B. - Swanson

Evelyn W. - Oakdale

Shawn C. - Prairie Lane

Chloe. E. - Swanson

Madelyn T. - Prairie Lane

Owen O. - Sunset

EY Badges

STEM Event for 5th-8th Graders

The Scott Scholars with the University of Nebraska at Omaha are excited to announce that that we are hosting another Scholars in STEM camp this semester! Scholars in STEM is a camp meant to provide rich STEM exposure to middle school students. Students will participate in a morning full of activities learning about real-world applications of STEM topics all led by current Scott Scholars. We encourage all middle schoolers to attend and pass this registration on to their friends to make this the biggest Scholars in STEM yet!

Register Here!

STEAM Project Spotlight!

Making Stop Motion projects is one way Westside students can earn an EY badge while exploring their interests and passions. Fifth grader Owen discovered a love for the process and even teamed up with his brother to create their own project—turning a fun learning experience into a new hobby! Check out Owen's stop motion "Bunny Builders".

SIGMA Math Contest

During the month of October, Sixth grade EY students participated in math contest called SIGMA. SIGMA is a mathematics league that promotes problem-solving through competition. SIGMA provides opportunities for students to apply their mathematical knowledge in a fun and engaging format.

Congratulations to our top scorers from each school. Way to go!

Hillside

Nathan W.

Luke S.

Loveland

Ben H.

Reid C.

Oakdale

Wesley W.

Brady W.

Kelsey R.

Paddock Road

Olivia E.

John N.

Anna M.

Prairie Lane

Shawn C.

Gavin K.

Rockbrook

Luke J.

Casey S.

Sunset Hills

Christopher S.

J H.

Charlie S.

Swanson

Peter B.

Arju A.

Westbrook

TBD

Westgate

Heartlin F.

Natalie P.

Nathan J.

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!

WMS Enrichment

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!

Science Olympiad

On October 8th, 10 WMS students took a field trip to Gifford Farm to participate in their Science Olympiad events! WMS had a great showing, as 2 groups earned 1st place ribbons and 3 groups took 3rd place!