National Blue Ribbon Schools Program

West Side School celebrates a history that spans over 220 years and continues to shape its tradition. We are a community that strives for a student-driven environment, and we enjoy a culture in which students are empowered to assume responsibility for their learning and take an active role in assessing their growth.

At West Side, we truly believe that students and faculty are continuously learning from one another. Our teachers guide students in a collaborative process that allows students to identify and work to achieve their academic and social goals. Through teamwork, our staff provides students with a learning environment that prepares them to be leaders of the local and global community. Our children learn in student-centered classrooms and are immersed in literacy. Students explore the world through various lenses using a variety of texts. Through differentiated instruction learners develop the skills necessary to grow in the content areas. The classroom is interactive and students are free to explore and take risks. Charters created by each class serve as reminders of the learning environment we all work together to maintain and help to support West Side’s culture of empowerment.

Beyond the classroom, students have the opportunity to participate in numerous activities, as well as after school programs and benefit from an involved Parent Teacher Group. Together, the students, faculty, and community have discovered how to continue to honor our history and traditions, while focusing on our community and the future of our students and our school.