Westerville Student Education Foundation

Someday is today.

We are a student-led organization that gives students in the Westerville City Schools District the opportunity and resources they need to take their ideas and turn them into positive action and change in our community.

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Who We Are

Our Roots

Back in 2018, Colleen Moidu, executive director of the Westerville Education Foundation, had an idea. After she watched a student present to the organization about why they needed to bring the Stop the Bleed program to the school district, she realized that there needed to be more encouragement for students in Westerville City Schools to share their own ideas on how to improve their schools.

So, in February that same year, 40-some students were invited to attend the first meeting of a new, student-led education foundation. (The only known one in existence!) There, the students collaborated about how to solve problems that were important to them. Environmentalism, diversity, safety, and mental wellness were just a few of the topics that came up.

From there, a small group of founders emerged that were passionate about continuing Colleen's idea. They named their new group the Westerville Student Education Foundation, and got to work.

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What We Do

Bringing Change

Dear WCS

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Diversity Policy

Diversity is something that is extremely important to the Westerville Student Education Foundation. With the Black Lives Matter movement on the rise after the murder of George Floyd, Westerville City Schools students have come together to demand change both locally and globally. A conversation has already begun amongst the students to begin a collaboration with district leaders to improve the lives of underrepresented students. (To read some testimonies of WCS minority students, please visit the @dearwcs Instagram page by clicking on the button above. *Please note that WSEF does not own that Instagram account.)

Our Spaces

This was WSEF's first project that is still being continued today. At the first meeting, a group of students had the idea to create safe spaces that students could go to during school if they were feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed. So far, we have brought this idea to Westerville Central High School, and progress has already begun at Westerville North as well. Our ultimate goal is to have spaces like these in every school, and to inspire other school districts to do the same.

Sustainability Policy

With climate change looming over our heads, the students want to start a conversation with the school district about creating a sustainability policy for Westerville City Schools. Each day, we see single-use plastics being thrown away, recyclables not even having a chance to be recycled, and old, inefficient building systems that negatively impact our environment and the district's budget. We hope that by implementing such a policy, we can positively impact our local environment and inspire other school districts to follow suit.

Warrior 2 Warrior

Warrior 2 Warrior (W2W) is a student-led mentoring program at Westerville North High School. According to their website, "the mentor and mentee have a flexible schedule where they can work together to accomplish their goals. Through W2W, mentees receive the academic assistance they need and mentors will receive community service hours." After receiving a grant application from one of their organizers, WSEF was able to provide them with new iPads and white board tables to help take their program to the next level. Click on the button below to view their website.

Westerville Green Collaborative

After our group gained more momentum, we were encouraged by a city leader to start the conversation about reducing plastic bag usage in Westerville. Thus formed the Westerville Green Collaborative. With help from city officials, five students created a presentation to express the need to ban plastic bags to the Westerville City Council. (Although Ohio made it impossible to create such a ban, there is talk about creating Westerville-themed reusable bags for local business to use.) Click the button below and go to 5:00 to watch their presentation.

Warrior 2 Warrior

Westerville Green Collaborative

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