Alternative education teacher brings social sciences background to new job

The alternative education class, now part of the Chase County Schools’ curriculum, welcomes Todd Westover as the new instructor. He also volunteers as a football coach for CCS. Born and raised in Burwell, Westover graduated from high school in 1981. He then attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln for two years on a rodeo scholarship. His main rodeo event was steer wrestling. After completing two years at UNL, he returned to Burwell to work on his family’s ranch. Westover returned to school in 1988 to continue his education, attending the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science/Social Sciences degree, with a certification in 7-12 social sciences. He said he was in the first class to graduate after Kearney State College became the University of Nebraska at Kearney. During the 14 years following graduation, he taught 7-12 Social Science and coached football, wrestling and track in the school systems in Central City, Hershey, Tecumseh and Fairbury. The next four years, Westover taught 7-8 Social Science, physical education, computer tech and keyboarding and was head coach in football, wrestling and track at Creek Valley Schools in the Chappell-Lodgepole area. The last three years, before coming to CCS, Westover taught alternative education at the Scottsbluff juvenile detention center before its closing. He said the dynamics of the new alternative education program at CCS are different this year. It still provides students who may have either dropped out or had life situations that made traditional classroom attendance difficult an option to finish high school. The alternative education class now offers courses in vocational job career planning and management, ACT preparation and foreign languages not currently offered at CCS, Westover said. The computer based program for many of the courses is called Odysseyware. He added that he also monitors students working on college credit classes. To view more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. https://etypeservices.com/Imperial%20RepublicanID359/