Westside High School (Omaha)


Westside High School is the only high school of the Westside Community Schools district of Omaha, Nebraska, United States.

History

In 2021, Westside High School, has an indoor golf facility called the Swede Center. It includes putting and chipping areas, two hitting bays, a players’ lounge, and a locker room. The facility cost $350,000 and was funded by 61 donors.

Student life

Modular schedule system

Westside has used a modular schedule since 1967. Each module, or "mod", is either a 20 or 40-minute period used for classes or independent study time in an instructional materials center. This allows freedom in scheduling as classes can be 40, 60, or 80 minutes long, as needed for one-to-one, small group, large group, and laboratory instruction. Classes are taught in a similar format to many universities; students typically meet a large group lecture once per week and have small group recitations throughout the week. An average student has at least one or two open mods per day, to be used for studying, interacting with teachers, eating lunch, or socializing. Students who have met specific requirements are eligible to apply for a pass that allows them to leave the building during open mods.

Supreme Court case

In 1985, Westside Senior Bridget Mergens was denied the ability to create an after-school Christian Bible club. The principal at the time rejected the idea since he said a religious club violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. In addition, the club lacked a school sponsor that was required when forming a club. Mergens argued that the district's decision was in violation of the federal Equal Access Act requiring that groups seeking to express messages containing “religious, political, philosophical, or other content” not be denied the ability to form clubs. The case was initially ruled in favor of the school by the District Court, being over turned in the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court granted Westside certiorari, following appeal.
In 1990, Westside Community Board of Education v. Mergens was heard by the Supreme Court. In an 8–1 decision, the court said that since the club did not study school curriculum, it was permitted under the Equal Access Act. Supreme Court of the United States decided in favour of Mergens in Westside School District v. Mergens saying that in distinguishing between "curriculum" and "noncurriculum student groups," the Court held that since Westside permitted other noncurricular clubs, it was prohibited under the Equal Access Act from denying equal access to any after-school club based on the content of its speech. The proposed Christian club would be a noncurriculum group since no other course required students to become its members, its subject matter would not actually be taught in classes, it did not concern the school's cumulative body of courses, and its members would not receive academic credit for their participation. The Court added that the Equal Access Act was constitutional because it served an overriding secular purpose by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of philosophical, political, or other types of speech. As such, the Act protected the Christian club's formation even if its members engaged in religious discussions.

Extracurricular activities

Westside athletic teams have won the following state championships.

Notable alumni