Westside Middle School (Nebraska)

Westside Middle School
Location
8601 Arbor Street
Omaha, Nebraska, 68124-2199
Information
Type Public
Principal Russ Olsen
Enrollment 947
Color(s)          Red and black
Mascot Warriors
Website http://wms.westside66.org/

Westside Middle School is the middle school of the Westside Community Schools district and is located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. It educates students in grades 7–8. Westside was named a national Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 1996–97,[1][2] the highest honor a US school can receive.[3][4]

Academic standards

When the school obtained Blue Ribbon status in 1996–97 special recognition was given to its technology program. The high standard of technology has been continued through the expansion of the Apple 1:1 program where each student is issued a MacBook laptop for each school year. There are two mentoring systems TeamMates and HOSTS Reading, which has earned an exemplary national rating.[1]

Fine arts

The Show Choir from Westside has won several awards. These include ten 'Winner of UNO's Show Choir Competition' awards, eight 'The Lewis Central Titan Cup' wins, and several 'NCDA Gold' awards. They also host the largest middle school competition in the Omaha area. The choir consists of 22 to 24 boys and 22 to 24 girls.[5]

A new arts complex has just completed construction by the Lueder Construction Company. Fully air-conditioned, it has an 850 seat auditorium, vocal music room, band room, and practice rooms. In addition, the cafeteria has been fully remodeled. The entry hallway has also been refurbished. Currently, the school is almost over capacity because of a sudden influx of new students, for the 2013-2014 school year.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "2007–2008 State of the Schools Report. A Report on Nebraska Public Schools". Nebraska Department of Education. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  2. "BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS PROGRAM – Schools Recognized 1982–1983 Through 1999–2002, US Department of Education
  3. CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department, Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
  4. Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post. September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
  5. "WMS Show Choir". Retrieved May 15, 2009.

Coordinates: 41°14′11″N 96°02′44″W / 41.23639°N 96.04556°W