Westminster School Viewbook

Opportunity

FOUNDED 1888 | SIMSBURY | CONNECTICUT

WESTMINSTER

ExcellenceMeets

Where

WESTMINSTER SCHOOL OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS

995 HOPMEADOW STREET

SIMSBURY, CONNECTICUT 06070

P: 860.408.3060

F: 860.408.3042

WESTMINSTER-SCHOOL.ORG

[email protected]

OUR MISSION

Westminster School inspires young men and women of promise to cultivate a passion for learning, to explore and

develop their talents in a balanced program, to reach well beyond the ordinary, to live with character and intelligence, and to

commit to a life of service beyond self.

WE

ST

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WESTMINSTER

CONTENTS

COVER

Headmaster’s Welcome ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Where Inquisitive Minds Meet A Rigorous Curriculum .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Where Engaged Learners Meet Mentoring Faculty .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Where Enthusiastic Athletes Meet Top-Tier Competition.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Where Talented Artists Meet A Creative Showcase ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Where Active Students Meet A Dynamic Community ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Campus Map ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Where Today’s Scholars Meet Tomorrow’s Challenges ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

College Placement ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

The Armstrong Atrium at the heart of Armour Academic Center . Not only is this

where students and faculty meet throughout the day, this is where science meets the

humanities, where indoors meets outdoors, where the entire school meets twice a

week, and where everyone can see how vibrant and active daily life is on Williams Hill.

Westminster School reaffirms its long-standing nondiscriminatory policy and admits students of any race, religion, sexual orientation or national origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at Westminster. Westminster does not discriminate in its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.

This viewbook was written by Michael Cervas, Head of Westmin-ster’s English Department. Michael is a 29-year veteran teacher, dorm parent, coach and advisor. Primary photography is by alum-nus Chip Riegel ’90, Robert Benson, and Richard Bergen. Designed by Taylor Design. Printed by RR Donnelley.

VISITING CAMPUS

Visiting campus, participating in the admissions in-

terview, and experiencing a student-led campus tour

are the most meaningful and comprehensive ways to

understand what Westminster offers. We encourage

all families who are interested in learning more about

our school to schedule an interview and tour as soon

as possible. Beyond the formal interview and tour,

prospective families can gain more insight and informa-

tion by attending our Open Houses in the fall and the

receptions and school fairs held in various locations

throughout the country. Our website (www.westmin-

ster-school.org) also contains helpful data, news, links,

forms and detailed information about the school and

the admission process. Applications for admission are

due January 15 of the year of desired enrollment.

GETTING HERE

By Car: Westminster is accessible from major highways

including I-95, I-91, I-90 and I-84, and is located on

Route 10/202 at 995 Hopmeadow Street in the center

of Simsbury, Connecticut.

By Bus And Train: Service by bus (Bonanza, Greyhound

and Peter Pan) and train (Amtrak and MetroNorth) is

through Union Station in Hartford, Connecticut. Campus

is a 25-minute cab ride from the station. Car rental at

the station is available through Hertz.

By Plane: Bradley International Airport is a 20-minute

drive from campus, with service by most major airlines.

LaGuardia and JFK airports in New York and Logan

airport in Boston are within a 2-hour drive from campus.

1888Westminster School was

founded in 1888 and is the sixth

oldest independent school in

Connecticut.

4:1Our student-to-teacher ratio is

4:1. As teachers, coaches, men-

tors and friends, our 95 faculty

members know students well.

23Our curriculum includes 23

Advanced Placement offerings,

one of only 7 New England

schools to offer 23 or more APs.

390Westminster has 390 students:

54% boys, 46% girls; 70% board-

ing students, 30% day students.

23/24Westminster attracts students

from 23 states across the

United States and 24 countries

around the world.

17%Seventeen percent are

students of color. We value

diversity and all that we can

learn from each other.

15We have 15 interscholastic sports

teams. Our expansive playing fields

and health and fitness facilities

offer athletes of all levels space to

train, compete and perform.

200Our 200 acre campus sits

atop Williams Hill in Simsbury,

12 miles from Hartford, 110

from Boston, and 120 from

New York City.

100%Full college placement, with more

than 93% of 2015 Westminster

graduates accepted to Barron’s

“Most Competitive” and “Highly

Competitive” schools.

WESTMINSTER BY THE NUMBERS

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Westminster School began with the idea of surrounding young people with smart, accomplished and

resourceful adults who would instill in their students the desire to pursue excellence in everything they

did and who would give them plenty of opportunities to learn and grow. That idea of mixing excellence

and opportunity still captures the essence of a Westminster education.

A century and a quarter later, Westminster is one of America’s leading independent boarding and day

schools. Through the years, the school’s mission has remained constant, to provide boys and girls with

an outstanding education that extends far beyond the classroom. In the process, Westminster strives

to put the school’s motto Virtute et Numine, loosely translated as Grit and Grace, into the character

of every person who becomes a part of the Westminster community.

Students come to Williams Hill from 23 states and 24 countries. They come with open minds and

big hearts. When they get here, they mix in so many ways with a diverse and inspiring faculty—

a whole world of adults who want to be in their lives, who see being involved in the lives of their

students as another opportunity to develop character, as another way of building grit and grace.

At Westminster, grit means never, ever giving up, no matter how perplexing the problem set, no

matter how intractable the canvas or the song, no matter how great the odds in the gym or on the

playing field. Grit means seeking every opportunity to learn and grow.

Grace means always pursuing excellence, always aspiring to do better and to be better, always

accepting the highs as well as the lows with humility, courage, and humanity. Grace means looking

people in the eye, always offering a helping hand, being polite and gracious, in victory and in defeat.

Welcome to Westminster

WITH GRIT AND GRACE

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There is a synergy between grit and grace that turns these virtues into the highest of ideals and the

most powerful of personal qualities. Where grit and grace come together, where excellence meets

opportunity, almost anything is possible.

The idea that individuals and the communities they live in could be defined by the pursuit of

excellence originated in Greece in the 5th century BCE. The ancient Greeks believed that human

beings were most fully human, and reached their fullest potential, when they aspired to be the

best they could be in every endeavor of their lives. Their word for excellence, arête, is sometimes

translated as virtue, as in Westminster’s motto Virtute et Numine.

People don’t start out excellent. That’s what education and schools are for, to provide boys and

girls with the training, guidance, inspiration, and, most importantly, the opportunities they need

to move towards excellence.

The word “opportunity” means a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal or a good

chance or prospect for advancement or success. The word comes from two Latin words meaning

“convenient” and “doors,” and nothing could describe better what Westminster offers its students.

Convenient doors to knowledge and skills and habits of mind. Convenient doors to the wisdom of

the past and to the possibilities of the future.

Westminster School sits on a hilltop in Simsbury, a small town in north central Connecticut in the

heart of New England about equidistant from Boston and New York City. Hartford Magazine

recently named Simsbury the #1 town in central Connecticut, noting that it is a town rich in history

and culture. It is a great location for a school, especially for a school dedicated to bringing excellence

and opportunities together for its students and committed to preparing them in every way possible

to meet head-on the world before them, equipped to make the choices they will need to make in

that world. That is the promise of a Westminster education.

Introduction

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Now Westminster School’s eighth Headmaster, I am entering into my 33rd year on the faculty. I have taught, coached, advised and served in a variety of administrative capacities, and with my wife, Jenny, have raised our two children, Kate ’06 and Alie ’09, in this school community. At a very personal level, we know that Westminster School is an extraordinary place, where excellence meets opportunity.

Founded in 1888, Westminster enjoys a long history as one of this nation’s finest college preparatory schools. Of course, this reputation rests on a foundation of excellence, beginning with our academic program, including our offerings in the arts, and extending to our competitive athletic program, where our teams compete in the Founders League, as well as to our many community service and extracur-ricular offerings. Most recently, more than 65 percent of our students gained admission to colleges and universities ranked as “Most Competitive” by Barron’s Profile of Colleges and Universities, and 93 percent gained admission to colleges and universities ranked as “Most” or “Highly Competitive.”

All the same, when you spend time with our students, our faculty, our alumni, our staff, or our current or past parents, uniformly they highlight the defining personal qualities of our school motto of Grit & Grace as well as our Core Values of Community, Character, Balance and Involvement. Westminster School makes a difference because the people who comprise our school community—including a diversity of students from across this country and around the world—continue to make a difference in their endeavors well after they graduate.

The best schools create an environment, a context, which encourages students to flourish. In this respect, at just 390 students, our school size offers a considerable advantage over many of our peer schools, because our students and faculty know each other. A student who enjoys a relationship with a calculus teacher that extends beyond the classroom, perhaps to the lacrosse field, to the dormitory corridor or even to the dinner table, is more likely to find the comfort and the accompanying resolve to follow up with that teacher on a complicated mathematics problem. Similarly, a student considering a controversial concept in history class might find the opportunity to return to that classroom debate with friends over the evening’s meal.

Our shared dedication to the people who comprise our school community defines us. As a sensitive, caring, tolerant and nurturing school community, Westminster provides an environment which encourages young people to take risks, and, in the process, to grow. At Westminster, we aspire to an extraordinarily ambitious commitment to education, a commitment that rests on the good will and enthusiastic participation of our entire school community. What better setting could a student find to pursue a passion for living a meaningful and rewarding life?

At Westminster, we aspire to an extraordinarily ambitious commitment to education, a commit-ment that rests on the good will and enthusiastic participation of our entire school community.

WILLIAM V.N. PHILIP P’06, ’09Headmaster

A Meaningful and Rewarding LifeHEADMASTER’S WELCOME

“

“


he culture of excellence at Westminster School

begins in the classroom. Westminster’s

academic program has been rooted in the

belief that young people are best prepared to

move on to college and then out into the world when

they start with a broad liberal arts education. We want

our students to graduate with the knowledge and skills

they need to achieve success in college and beyond.

T H E AC A D E M I C E X P E R I E N C E

Inquisitive

A Rigorous

Minds

WHERE

MEET

Curriculum

Academ

ics

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Westminster’s commitment to excellence in its academic program is visually apparent in the magnificent Armour Academic Center located at the center of the campus. The academic center was designed for the 21st century, proclaiming to everyone that the life of the mind is, was and always will be at the heart of the Westminster experience.

Classes are small by design, averaging 12 students per class, and meet four times a week in a rotating block schedule, twice for 45 minutes and twice for an hour. Classes are held six days a week, but only in the morning on Wednesdays and Satur-days. For those students who want to pursue the most challenging curricular options, there are 23 Advanced Placement offerings, as well as other honors courses and independent study opportunities in every discipline.

We expect all of our students to dive whole-heart-edly into our rigorous academic program. But stu-dents aren’t working alone. Westminster’s courses are taught by men and women who are passionate about their work, teachers who publish books of poems, books about Connecticut in the Jurassic

We expose our students to a wide range of methods and technologies used by scientists. This stimulates them in a very direct way, enhancing skills and knowledge that will be useful as students move into college and postgraduate studies.

BILL SISTARE

SCIENCE TEACHER,DIRECTOR OF STUDIES

AND BASEBALL COACH

Fostering Academic ExcellenceAge, and articles about social entrepreneurship. Westminster teachers conduct environmental science research in Simsbury and climate change research in Ecuador, perform their own musical compositions and have their own art openings, all pursuing excellence in their fields. But these are also teachers who make themselves available day and night for extra help and enrichment activities.

The curriculum is demanding, but also interest-ing with assignments that stress the myriad ways in which academic subjects are interrelated, and ask students to use the traditional resources of the library as well as all the newer resources of the web and the cloud.

Westminster’s traditional liberal arts program provides students with a curriculum that stretches and inspires them to become lifelong learners. The Armour Academic Center is a place for hard work and big dreams. It’s a place that was purposefully designed to foster intellectual venturing. All those windows let in the light, true, but they also open up young minds to the world of ideas and experiences that lies beyond Williams Hill.

Students in APES grapple with the question of how humans

affect the environment. Through a grant-funded water monitoring program called Project

SEARCH, students test the waters of the Farmington River and other streams. In addition to

mastering field techniques, students collect and interpret useful data that is submitted to the

Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and municipal officials.

A CLOSER LOOK

AP Environmental Science

““

Academ

ics

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Jack HorriganFIFTH FORMER | SIMSBURY, CONNECTICUT

“ My teachers are very committed to my personal success and get to know me on a personal level. They are preparing us for college and life beyond… In addition to facts and information, they teach organizational skills and good habits that can be applied in college and the world beyond.”

Grace BrentanoFIFTH FORMER | LEAWOOD, KANSAS

“ Before I came to Westminster I was afraid to talk to my teachers. Once here, I decided to make more of an effort both in and out of class. Now I am much more comfortable giving my opinion and even having casual conversations with my teachers outside of class.”

FORM EXPERIENCE

3 A great start to high school—ranked third in the class, achieved high honors, even while taking three honors-level courses: Spanish, Geometry, Physics. Loved Global History and Society. Became an admissions tour guide, played soccer and lacrosse, and swam.

4 Another ambitious and successful year, high honors again. Liked the discussions in AP European History and the challenge of Chemistry Honors. Swam again on the varsity team, and played soccer and golf. Rounded out the experience with Model United Nations, sang in Chorale, and continued as a tour guide.

5 Committed to a rigorous schedule, including AP English and Spanish Honors, adding AP U.S. History, Calculus Honors and AP Biology. On the soccer, swim and golf teams. Continues with Model United Nations, Chorale, and admissions tours.

Fun Fact: Off The Hill, plays the saxophone and can’t get enough skiing.

FORM EXPERIENCE

3 An impressive first year, excelling in Physics Honors, French 2 Honors and Precalculus/calculus Honors, but her favorite course was Global History and Society.

4 Earned high honors even with a course load of all APs and honors. Worked on the student newspaper as news layout editor, joined the Math Club, Girls of Today—Women of Tomorrow, and Model United Nations. Ran cross country and track, and played basketball. Won the Robert Rodney History Prize, awarded at graduation.

5 A challenging schedule again, with all APs: French, Statistics, Biology, English, U.S. History, and Computer Science. Moved up to varsity basketball. Staying with the newspaper, Model United Nations, the Math Club and Girls of Today—Women of Tomorrow.

Fun Fact: Plays the piano and most recently the guitar, but also became very interested in computer programming and video editing.


Offield Center for the Humanities houses classrooms and offices for the English, History and Language departments.

The Davis Center for Science and Mathematics houses classrooms, science labs and offices for the Science and Mathematics departments.

Gund Reading Room offers a quiet study area and a beautiful community meeting place and venue for events.

ARMOUR ACADEMIC CENTER

In the middle of this remarkable 85,000–square– foot facility, you will find the spacious three-story Armstrong Atrium and a beautiful two-story library. Twice a week, the entire school gathers as a unified community in the atrium for assemblies led by the school’s Head Prefect (student body president). The library is a hub of activity day and night, brimming with students doing research, writing papers, clustered in one or another of the many group study rooms, or simply reading in the comfortably furnished Gund Reading Room which overlooks Commencement Lawn and Andrews Memorial Chapel.

THE

DAVIS CENTER

OFFIELD CENTER

GUND READING ROOM

GITTERMAN FAMILY STUDENT LOUNGE

Gitterman Family Student Lounge accommodates approximately 50 students in a diner-like setting.

Academ

ics

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8


The Sejong Lecture Hall is used for special presentations, class meetings, visiting lecturers and standardized testing.

Atrium lounges provide attractive areas for students and faculty to connect during the school day.

Armour Academic Center is a LEED Gold certified “green” building.

The school store offers munchies, beverages, school supplies and Westminster gear.

Cole Library offers small study and tutoring rooms for group work and collaboration.

Two wings of spacious classrooms and state-of-the-art labs extend from this core complex of library and atrium: the Davis Center for Science and Mathematics and the Offield Center for the Humanities. The building also features a 120-seat lecture hall for special presentations, class meet-ings, visiting lecturers and standardized testing; a sixteen-seat planetarium for as-tronomy instruction; an attractive student lounge which accommodates 50 students in a café setting; and the “Martlet’s Nest,” a school store full of Westminster apparel, school supplies, snacks and beverages.

All of the classrooms and labs in the academic center are equipped with integrated technology, including interactive whiteboards, direct and WiFi internet access, document cameras, multimedia players and advanced sound systems. The availability of this academic technology has encouraged teachers to explore new ways of teaching, including the use of Google Docs and web-based course sites.

The academic center earned a LEED gold certification from the U. S. Green Building Council. It is one of the first facilities of its kind to use a geothermal heat exchange system on a large-scale basis. With floor to ceiling windows in the classrooms and many study spaces throughout the building, the Armour Academic Center is a beautiful, sun-filled place to learn and study.

ARMSTRONG ATRIUM

THE MARTLET’S NEST

SEJONG LECTURE HALL

COLE LIBRARY

Armstrong Atrium provides an informal meeting space for students and faculty, and a place for the entire school community to gather for assemblies and receptions.

ATRIUM LOUNGES


The Academic Program

We get to know students in all areas of their lives, build-ing relationships in a variety of settings, from the classroom to the playing field, to the dorm. A strong bond develops, ensuring that students are getting the attention they need and feel comfortable around adults in our community and in the world beyond our campus.

COLLEEN JONCAS

HISTORY TEACHER, CORRIDOR

SUPERVISOR, FIELD

HOCKEY AND LACROSSE COACH

Westminster’s English Department approaches the study of language and literature from the perspec-tive of four essential questions: What does it mean to grow up? What does it mean to search for an identity? What does it mean to be an American? What does it mean to make choices? The curricu-lum features classic and contemporary works of literature that engage students in thinking about these questions.

Writing in a variety of different modes (analytical, expository, personal, and creative) is at the heart of the program. Students are given opportunities to perform, read, and publish their works through such vehicles as the English Paper of the Week, the This I Believe Essay Writing Contest, and the Short Story Writing Contest. Westminster students also

get the chance to read from their own works at Friday Night Readings.

Qualified Fourth Formers (sophomores) may elect to take AP English Language and Composition, and qualified Fifth Formers ( juniors) may take AP English Literature and Composition. The spring elective program provides Sixth Formers (seniors) with courses designed as college seminars and taught by English teachers and teachers from outside the English Department. Recent offerings have included Science and Nature Writing; The Road Trip in Literature and Film; Public Speak-ing; What It Means to Read and Write in the Age of the Internet; Americana in Books, Movies, and Music; and Children’s Literature.

ENGLISH

HISTORY

LANGUAGE

The History Department guides students to be critical readers, thinkers, and writers in a four-year curriculum that is centered on core courses in world and American history. Through challenging readings, thoughtful discussions, innovative exercises, and thorough research projects, students come to an understanding of both their heritage and the world they live in.

Fourth and Fifth Formers have the option of taking AP courses in European History and U. S. History. As Fifth and Sixth Formers, students can explore a wide range of electives that encourage

them to appreciate the major themes and trends of history, the importance of the individual experience in understanding these trends, and the historical context of fact and opinion and cause and effect. These electives include other AP courses, like Psychology, Economics, and Comparative Government.

The History Department ultimately teaches students to be respectful of and objective about the past, and to use this knowledge to become productive, responsible, and contributing citizens of the world.

The Language Department offers courses in French, Spanish, Latin, and Chinese from the beginning level to the AP level. Through intensive study of grammar, oral and aural skills, reading and writing, students are immersed in language learning that opens up new worlds for them by helping them understand different cultures, communities, customs, and people in the target language. For students at the beginning levels, teachers stress comprehension and communication skills. Regularly scheduled classes in the language studio help to reinforce students’ oral and aural skills in

a variety of situations. As the students become more proficient, they are asked to read and write more critically and analytically. Culture, art, history, literature, and cinema studies play a big role in the development of the language student. Current publications, magazines, news-papers, computer software programs, and internet research are vital in the linguistic and cultural immersion of Westminster language students. Every year some Westminster students choose to live and study in Italy, China, France, and Spain through the School Year Abroad Program.

““

Academ

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The faculty in Westminster’s Visual and Per-forming Arts Department are practicing artists, for whom teaching and the creative process are symbiotic. Daily classes are enhanced by trips to museums, galleries, and performances in the greater Hartford area, Boston, and New York City. In addition, professional artists routinely come to campus where they interact with students in workshops, lectures, and performances.

In addition to foundational courses in drawing, painting, studio art, photography, theater, and music appreciation, the department offers electives such as Digital Arts, Technical Theater,

Architecture, and Engineering and Design, as well as AP courses in Studio Art and Music Theory.

Westminster students gain the formal tools neces-sary to interpret and communicate in non-verbal forms of language. The main emphasis of the program is on process; students develop good work habits, and motivate themselves and their peers to create cohesive bodies of work. Student visual and performing artists gain an understand-ing of past traditions and current methods. The department encourages co-curricular connections that strengthen the act of making art.

* Consult our website for complete course descriptions.

12:1AVERAGE CLASS

SIZE, STUDENT-TO-

TEACHER RATIO

MATHEMATICS

SCIENCE

VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

The Mathematics Department emphasizes comprehension and skill acquisition, while encouraging student participation, strengthen-ing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, stimulating interest, and building confidence in the handling of mathematical topics.

Courses and classes are structured so that students attain graphical, numerical, algebraic, and verbal understanding. We cultivate the ability to write mathematical models, make conjectures, and give reasoned arguments in support of assertions. Most students take four years of mathematics, advancing to the highest level possible. We offer

AP Calculus AB and BC, AP Statistics, and AP Computer Science. Top students also have the opportunity to enroll in independent study courses under the direction of a mathematics faculty member. These courses tend to be under-graduate level courses that follow differential and integral calculus. Students will leave Westminster School well pre-pared for the study of mathematics in college. We also aim to inspire an appreciation for and comfort with math so that, regardless of whether they make it a part of their college experience, our graduates are prepared to use math throughout their lives.

At Westminster, the science curriculum begins with physics, the discipline most fundamental to the workings of the universe, and progresses through chemistry and biology to build a well-rounded knowledge base. Students employ both experimental and applied learning, and they use many of the instruments and techniques used by scientists around the world. The program is designed not only to prepare those students who will eventually work in scientific fields, but also to provide non-science focused students with an appreciation and understanding of scientific knowledge. For talented science students, “Physics First” allows them to take a greater number of AP classes.

Westminster requires two years of laboratory science, one during the Fifth or Sixth Form year. However, most students take three or more courses during their years at school. In addition to the core science courses of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, the department offers a full slate of AP courses, as well as non-AP-elective offerings such as Astronomy, Geology, and Human Anatomy and Physiology.

Special opportunities in science include the use of an observatory for night-time study of the skies and a planetarium for day-time study, as well as independent evening research classes for interested students.

Students are exposed to such a diverse array of programs and opportunities that they are able to hit the ground running in any direction they choose when they arrive at college. They possess the academic, inter-personal, and time management skills to find success, but, most importantly, they are inspired, curious and ready to make a difference.

GRANT GRITZMACHER

SCIENCE TEACHER,FORM DEAN,SWIMMING, DIVING AND

BASEBALL COACH

““


Engaged

Mentoring

Learners

Faculty

MEET

WHERE

he culture of excellence at Westminster is

decidedly not a culture of specialization.

In fact, our core values of balance and

involvement encourage students and faculty

alike to participate in a wide variety of activities.

Anonymity is not an option for our students, who come

to understand early on that they must be active, engaged

participants in their education. Although teachers will

hold students to the highest standards, the atmosphere

on campus is always nurturing and supportive.

Faculty

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As a small school with a big program, we give our students multiple opportunities to become engaged and active learners. Even more impor-tantly, we give them the role models of our fully engaged faculty to show them how a life lived with passion can ultimately be its own reward.

At Westminster, faculty members are not simply teachers—they are advisors, coaches, corridor supervisors, counselors and friends. Nearly 85% of the teaching faculty live on campus, either in dormitory apartments or in faculty homes. Over 40% have been on the faculty for 15 years or more. They teach Psychology and English and Econom-ics and Spanish, but they are also musicians and artists and athletes and public-minded citizens. They believe in balance and involvement and, in the way they live their own lives, they personify grit and grace.

Because of the many ways that students and fac-ulty come together on campus—at family-style dinners, in the practice rooms of the Werner Centennial Center, in the locker rooms and on

the fields and courts, in dormitory apartments and common rooms, as well as in the many meeting areas of the Armour Academic Center—students and faculty members quickly become a major presence in each other’s lives. This familiarity leads students to see teachers as very approachable and easy to relate to, which, in turn, deepens the level of dialogue, both in and out of the classroom.

Making it possible for so many adults to be involved in the lives of students and in so many different ways is one of the main reasons the school can sustain its culture of excellence. But the lessons run both ways. Being involved in the lives of students keeps the faculty young and ener-gized, too. The myriad formal and informal ways in which students and faculty interact shed light also on the other two core values of the school: community and character. Close-knit and vital communities simply cannot exist without relationships anchored in trust and respect. And it is in the strong, personal mentoring relationships between adults and young people that character is best molded.

Setting High Standards

The Westminster experience is enriched by travel near and far,

throughout the world. In addition to field trips to Hartford, Boston and New York City, students can

travel with faculty to a French- or Spanish-speaking country during spring vacation. Through the

School Year Abroad program, our students have been to France, Spain, Italy and China. They have traveled

to Greece, Senegal, Costa Rica and numerous other countries through various summer programs.

Field Trips and Travel Abroad

A CLOSER LOOK

Westminster prepared me for meet-ing a wide variety of people from different places and helped me develop a greater understanding of many world views. Westminster also taught me balance. Having sports after class every day helped me realize how to balance my priorities and enjoy life, while still getting my work done.

ALEX CLASS OF 2006

HARVARD UNIVERSITY ’10

““

Faculty

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WESTMINSTER’S FACULTY INCLUDES:

• A language teacher who was a translator for the Olympics

• Music teachers who sing professionally and compose original music

• A history teacher who went from corporate banking to a Master’s Degree at Yale, and another who holds New England Prep School diving records

• An English teacher who has published two books of poems

• History, language and mathematics teachers who are AP readers

• Teachers (from the Departments of English, Mathematics, and Spanish) who play in their own jazz quartet

• Teachers who have coached town and travel teams in soccer, softball, basketball, baseball, lacrosse and swimming

• Former All-American athletes in lacrosse, soccer, field hockey and ice hockey

• A veteran history teacher who is a published author and the first recipient of the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools’ highest award for his work with students in the Hartford public schools

• Teachers and their spouses who are organizers of Red Cross Blood Drives, the Relay for Life and the MS Walk

• Two Ironman triathletes

* Consult our website for the biographies of all faculty members.

We push students hard, but support them while pushing them. We have high standards and we expect kids to set high standards for themselves in how hard they work for something —whether that is a starting posi-tion on the second girls’ soccer team, an 85 in Physics Honors, the lead in the school play, or the captain of the boys’ tennis team. We want them to know it is okay to fall and they need to get up and try again, and we will help them to do just that.

MARK DE KANTER CLASS OF 1991

DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC

TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE TEACHER,

CROSS COUNTRY COACH

“

“


•

INSPIREDEDUCATORS.

GIFTEDLEADERS.

KERRY KENDALL

Teaches Studio Art

TONY GRIFFITH

Head of the Mathematics Department Director of Student Life Coaches Basketball

m

A-MEN RASHEED

Director of Theaterm

COLLEEN JONCAS

Teaches History Coaches Field Hockey and Lacrosse

They hail from all over the country. They’ve studied at small colleges and large universities. They are accomplished writers, scientists, historians, artists, musicians and athletes. Some are single. Some are married. Many have children. They all share one goal: to make a difference in the lives of their students.

TIM JONCAS

Athletic Director Coaches Hockey

m m

m

Faculty

WESTMINSTER

16


LISA MCGRATH Director of Multicultural AffairsAdvisor to the Multicultural Student UnionTeaches English

m

LEE HUGULEY Teaches English Dean of the Fourth Form Coaches Football and Track

m

BETSY HECKMAN Head of the History Department Advisor to the Model U.N.Coaches Tennis and Cross Country

m

SARA DEVEAUX Head of the Language Department, Teaches French, Advisor for the Westminster News student newspaper

GRANT GRITZMACHER Dean of the Sixth FormTeaches Science Coaches Swimming, Diving and Baseball

MARY PAT GRITZMACHER Associate Director of College CounselingTeaches History

With Adelaide and Nathan

MICHAEL CERVAS Head of the English DepartmentPublished poet and authorFounder of the Westminster Poetry SeriesAdvisor to The Martlet creative magazine and the Community Garden ClubCoaches Squash and Golf

m

m

m

m


As is true of so many other areas of school life, advising at Westminster has both formal and informal components. The first, and sometimes the most important, opportunity for a student to establish a personal connection with a teacher is through the advisor system. The relationship begins immediately when new students arrive and are assigned an advisor. Returning students, meanwhile, can choose their advisors, with many opting to stay with the same faculty member throughout their time at Westminster. The rela-tionships between advisors and their advisees are some of the deepest and most long lasting of the many relationships formed on the Hill.

Advisors and students meet frequently, at least once a week, to discuss everything from course selections to how to study for upcoming exams to options for the next season’s afternoon program to outfits for the upcoming spring formal dance. These meetings can take place in classrooms and in the dining hall, but also in faculty homes and at cafés in town.

Advisors also stay in close contact with their advisees’ teachers and play a pivotal role as liaisons with parents, communicating with them via telephone and e-mail, as well as meeting with them when they are on campus to visit their children or to watch games.

Of course, students find many mentors and advisors among the adults with whom they live and work: teachers, coaches, corridor supervisors, and club advisors. In a community in which relationships are paramount, any relationship can become the one relationship that can alter a student’s life for the better.

THE ADVISOR SYSTEM

More an intellectual rite of passage than a mere course, Moral

Philosophy is often recalled by alumni as one of their most memorable and meaningful

learning experiences at Westminster. In class discussion, written work and lively debates,

students analyze the moral contexts of figures in literature and apply moral reasoning

to capital punishment, euthanasia and other ethical issues of the modern world.

Moral Philosophy

A CLOSER LOOK

The sense of pride in the Westminster community and everyone’s willingness to make it a better place is what really drew me to Westmin-ster. Grit and grace means to me doing whatever you can to better yourself, the community and the people around you. You do whatever it takes to win the game, do well on the test, make other people happy—that is the grit, but you also do it with poise and an attitude that is graceful.

EMILY CLASS OF 2009UNIVERSITY OF

VERMONT ’13

““

Faculty

WESTMINSTER

18


Colleen JoncasHISTORY TEACHER, COACH, DORM PARENT

Peter Newman ’80SPANISH TEACHER , COACH, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING

Colleen graduated from Bowdoin College with a degree in history and sociology. At Bowdoin, she was captain of the field hockey and the lacrosse teams and was named Inside Lacrosse First Team All-American, IWLCA Third Team All-American, First Team All NESCAC and First Team All New England. At Westminster, she enjoys working with students in the class-room, as well as bringing a wealth of playing experience to her positions as the head of Westminster’s field hockey program and head coach for First Girls’ Lacrosse. Colleen also coaches summer programs in lacrosse and field hockey, and recently completed a Master of Arts in Liberal Sciences degree in the Graduate Liberal Studies Program at Wesleyan University.

Colleen is a big fan of country music and the Red Sox, and enjoys running and reading in her spare time. She resides in Milliken House with her husband, Westminster graduate Tim Joncas, who is the varsity boys hockey coach and Director of Athletics and their daughters Finley and Riley.

A graduate of Westminster, Peter co-captained the baseball team, served as a school prefect and was a member of the John Hay Vestry. He went on to Colby College, where he majored in Spanish and administrative science, and captained the lacrosse team. After graduation, he spent three years in sales at Aetna in Nashville, before turning to teaching and coaching at Milton Academy and the Buckingham Browne and Nichols School in Massachusetts. He returned to Westminster in 1987 and has served as a teacher, coach, dormitory supervisor, form dean, director of athletics and development associate.

During summers, Peter works as a college planning consultant for the Westminster Crossroads Learning Program in Hartford (WCLP) with students from Hartford Public High School. He enjoys visiting colleges, working at lacrosse camps, fishing and working to keep his fishing boat afloat. A talented musician, he plays the drums for a local jazz band. Peter and his wife, Robin ’87, have two children, Abby ’16 and Charlie, and live in a house on Winterset Lane on the edge of campus.

B.A., Bowdoin CollegeUNDERGRAD

GRADUATE

YEAR

M.A.L.S., Weslyan University

Joined Westminster in 2005

A.B., Colby CollegeUNDERGRAD

GRADUATE

YEAR

M.A., Middlebury College Certificado de Gramática Superior, Málaga, Spain

Joined Westminster in 1987


EnthusiasticAthletesTop-TierCompetition

MEET

WHERE

he meeting of excellence and opportunities is

nowhere more apparent at Westminster than

in athletics. Athletics has traditionally been

an integral part of the Westminster experi-

ence and the school enjoys a well-deserved reputation

for fielding highly competitive teams. But Westminster

also provides plenty of opportunities for students of

all ability levels to play on teams, sponsoring multiple

levels of teams in every sport so that students who

are not naturally gifted athletes can still experience

what it means to put on a black and gold uniform and

compete for their school.

Athletics

WESTMINSTER

20


For the vast majority of students, the Afternoon Program means sports. The rink and the track, the gymnasiums and the pool, the fields and courts, are in our view just other places to learn the lessons of grit and grace. The Afternoon Program also allows students to participate in dance, or community service, or other approved individual projects.

At Westminster, there is a synergy between the school’s core values and its athletic program. We measure success in terms of the bonds created between teammates and coaches, individual and team improvement, and personal growth. Wins and losses count, too, but, in our view, if our students learn how to compete and how to cooperate, they will be ideally prepared to be citizens of the global world of the 21st century.

Year after year, Westminster competes successfully as the smallest school in the Founders League, one of the country’s oldest and strongest prep school leagues. Every season we have several teams, boys and girls, in the hunt for Founders League titles. Recent Founders League champions have included Softball (six of the last eight years), Boys’ Lacrosse, Girls’ Ice Hockey, and Boys’ Squash.

Our first-rate facilities include the Sherwin Health and Athletic Center (with a magnificent fitness room overlooking the upper fields complex),

the Kohn Squash Pavilion, the Hibbard Aquatic Center (with its eight-lane, 25 yard pool), the Osbourne Baseball Field, and the Hovey Turf Field (anchoring the lower fields complex) where the whole school can gather to watch field hockey, soccer, and lacrosse games under the lights. The school boasts 35 acres of playing fields, 14 tennis courts, one of the premier ice hockey rinks in New England, and a 400-meter synthetic track.

To learn how to play hard until the final whistle or buzzer is at the heart of Westminster’s athletic program, but we also want our student athletes to learn how to be gracious whether they win or lose. We are definitely proud of the championship trophies and the undefeated teams, but we are equally proud of how many times Westminster teams have won sportsmanship awards or of how many Westminster athletes have become captains of their teams in college.

As in so many areas of life at Westminster, the games themselves, the wins and the losses, pale in comparison to what happens on a daily basis during a season. The practices, the camaraderie, and the relationships are what ultimately count. The bus and van rides all over New England, the lessons of hard work and mental preparation, the sweat and the laughter, the opportunities to play in the true spirit of sport, that’s what Westminster alumni remember.

A Full Spectrum of Options

FALL

Cross CountryField Hockey

FootballSoccer

WINTER

BasketballHockeySquash

Swimming & Diving

SPRING

BaseballGolf

LacrosseSoftballTennis

Track & Field

3 SEASONS

15 SPORTS

55 TEAMS

Ben Smith, Westminster ’06, Boston College ’10, and Tommy Cross,

Westminster ’08, Boston College ’12 are stellar athletes. Ben and Tommy captained their national

championship BC hockey teams and were drafted to play in the NHL. But as important, their

commitment to community, their personal character, and their deep involvement in life on the

Hill, are testament to the true Westminster experience.

Excelling in Athletics

A CLOSER LOOK

Ath

letics

WESTMINSTER

22


F O U N D E R S L E AG U E

M E M B E R S

• Avon Old Farms School

• Choate Rosemary Hall

• The Ethel Walker School

• The Hotchkiss School

• Kent School

• Kingswood Oxford School

• The Loomis Chaffee School

• Miss Porter’s School

• The Taft School

• Trinity-Pawling School


WHAT IT MEANS TO WEAR BLACK & GOLD

Sweat. Tears. Laughter. Sweat. Competition. Discipline. Sweat. Heart-wrenching losses. Exhilarating victories. Commitment. Friendships. Lifelong memories. “We are Black. We are Gold. We are Westminster!”

Athletics

24

WESTMINSTER


Field HockeyFounders League Champions, 2009; New England Class A semi-finalist, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014

GolfFounders League Golf Tourna-ment Champions, 2005; K-O Tournament 2005

Ice HockeyBoys: New England Champions, Large School Division, 2011; Flood Marr Champions, 2010 Girls: New England Champions, Division I, 2010, 2011, 2014; Founders League Champions, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013

LacrosseBoys: Founders League Champions, 2011, 2012

SoccerGirls: New England Class A finalist 2010; semi-finalist, 2007, 2013, 2014

SoftballWestern New England Champions, six years straight: 2008–2013, and 2015

Founders League Champions, seven years straight: 2007–2013, and 2015

SquashBoys: New England Class A Founders League Champions, 2012, 2013; semi-finalist, 2011; and the New England Champion, #1 Flight, 2011, 2012 Girls: New England Class B Champions, 2011; and the New England Champion, #1 Flight, 2013

Swimming & DivingBoys: Swimming, New England Prep School, Small School Team Champions, 2009 Boys: Diving, Founders League Champions, 2009

RECENT ATHLETIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The value of commit-ment has been rein-forced every season. It takes time, practice and dedication on every level to meet the requirements set by each coach and team. When players are committed to their team, there’s a great feeling of accomplish-ment at the end of the season regardless of the results.

CHRISTIAN CLASS OF 2012FRANKLIN AND

MARSHALL COLLEGE ’16

“ We are Black. We are Gold. We are Westminster!”

“

“

Athletics

WESTMINSTER

26


Emma MerlinFIFTH FORMER | LAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS

“ The toughest part is being able to balance school-work, athletics, and social time. The best part about Westminster is the people. Everybody knows everybody, making the community that much stronger and closer.”

Adrian EnchillFOURTH FORMER | PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

“ Outside of class, our teachers are like friends. We joke around, but they also listen to any problems and issues you might have. And they are preparing us for college, challenging us academically but also personally. One of my teachers always pushes for more from me because he believes I have more in me… and he’s right.”

FORM EXPERIENCE

3 Global History was a favorite class, in a course load that included Physics Honors, Geometry, and Spanish 2 Honors. Earned high honors each term, and a commendation in History, while excelling at soccer, basketball, and lacrosse.

4 Took honors level in Chemistry, in Algebra 2 and in Spanish 3, along with AP English. Added a photography course for some creative expression. Became a board member for the new club “Better America.” Again played soccer, basketball and lacrosse. Elected captain of the varsity basketball team for the next season and won the MIP award.

5 All AP and honors courses this year, including Spanish, English, U.S. History, Biology, Precalculus/calculus. Having gone beyond the coursework, is pursuing an independent study in photography. For the third year, enjoying soccer, varsity basketball (as captain), and lacrosse.

Fun Fact: Very interested in travel, studying abroad and service trips.

FORM EXPERIENCE

3 Balanced a full schedule with classes, Physics, Latin, English 4, Algebra and favorite—Introduction to Theater, while excelling in three sports: football, bas-ketball and lacrosse. Was elected Class President and helped organize the new club “Better America.” Awarded the prestigious Butler Bowl at graduation, which recognizes one freshman for character and leadership.

4 In addition to being Class President, and performing at the highest level in varsity lacrosse, still finds time to help lead the “Better America” club. His course load remains full, with Civic Engagement, Geometry, Chemistry, English 5, Latin and 20th Centrury World History.

Fun Fact: When younger, was a very good self-taught magician, impressing audiences of all ages and backgrounds.


Talented

CreativeShowcase

Artists

WHERE

MEET A

s part of our commitment to a liberal

arts education, we want all of our

students to appreciate and understand

the arts. But most of what happens in

the arts at Westminster happens when teachers and

students get their hands and their feet dirty in the

practice rooms and studios, when they take advantage

of artistic opportunities.

AV

isual & P

erformin

g Arts

WESTMINSTER

28


Werner Centennial Center was constructed in 1988 to celebrate the school’s 100th birthday, giving the arts on Williams Hill a wonderful showcase for talent. The 420-seat theater has since been the setting for hundreds of performances, concerts, shows, lectures, poetry readings, and school assemblies.

It is a stunningly beautiful venue. But more impor-tantly, it was designed to be both a showcase for performances and a place of hands-on learning. What visitors see is a magnificent theater, inside and out. What students and faculty see are the practice rooms and studios and workshops spread throughout WCC, places where sets are designed, hammered together, and painted, where dance steps are painstakingly choreographed, where jazz solos are imagined, where lines of dialogue are rehearsed.

Adjacent to WCC are the Hamilton Art Studios, home to visual art courses and the study of draw-ing, painting, sculpting, and mixed media, plus gallery space for displaying the works students create in those classes. Hamilton also features an architecture studio for a unique three-course sequence in Architecture and Engineering and Design.

At almost any time, day or night, you will find stu-dents painting and sculpting in the Hamilton Art Studios, or working at the drafting boards in the Engineering and Design classroom, or developing

photographs in the school’s dark rooms. You will also find them building sets, or stringing lights, or choreographing dances in Werner Centennial Center, or creating digital art in the computer lab in Armour. Students also frequently get the oppor-tunity to work with outstanding visiting artists and musicians in master-class settings.

Excellence in the arts at Westminster is showcased at the school’s major artistic events, the Perform-ing Arts concerts that take place three times a year, the Candlelight Service in December, the major theatrical productions of Dramat in the fall and winter, and the art shows in Fearn Hall or in the Hamilton Art Studios. Excellence is also high-lighted by the number of students who qualify for All-State recognition in music, or win awards like the Smith College High School Poetry Contest, or go on to pursue majors in the arts in colleges and conservatories all across the country.

Opportunities in the arts often flower in smaller, spontaneous events, that involve both students and faculty. These events include Tuesday evening coffeehouses in Hinman Reading Room, or performances by singers and instrumentalists during chapels on Tuesdays and Fridays. Students organize and run the Talent Showcase, the spring Cabaret Show, and skits at assemblies or after dinner. There are also impromptu concerts on the quad sponsored by SMO (Student Music Organization) and student directed One Acts in the spring. The possibilities are unlimited.

Creative Students

We integrate the learning of artistic theory, history and technique with prac-tice and performance, forming a bridge between academics and arts activities and presentations. That bridge enlivens and enriches the living and learning environment of the school community. We aim to increase students’ skills and to instill a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

DAVID CHRZANOWSKI HEAD OF THE VISUAL

& PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT,

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

“

“

Visual &

Perform

ing A

rts

WESTMINSTER

30


Duncan KelloggSIXTH FORMER | PORTSMOUTH, RHODE ISLAND

“ I had never set foot on a stage before I came here, when someone suggested that I try it. A year later, I’m president of the Dramat Association and can’t get enough theater! It has become a huge part of my life.”

Eliza ChristmanSIXTH FORMER | SIMSBURY, CONNECTICUT

“ Westminster helped extend my horizons and move me away from the same activities I had always done. I tried something new—dance—and loved it! This experience will lead me to try more new and different things.”

FORM EXPERIENCE

4 Decided this was the year to try a new language, so added Chinese, along with 20th Century World History, Chemistry and Geometry. Played football and lacrosse. Received two prestigious awards at graduation: the Adams Bowl for character and commitment, and Dramat’s Francis Laurel Hopkins Award.

5 Favorite courses this year were Introduction to Theater, Biology Honors and Chinese. Elected President of Dramat and had the lead in two productions. Joined the Student Music Organization. Became well known for his professional DJ skills and gear, showcased at many school dances.

6 A balanced schedule of AP Computer Science and AP Comparative Government, plus Calculus, Statistics and more Chinese. Serves again as President of Dramat, performing in the fall and winter productions, and plays lacrosse in the spring.

Fun Fact: His dad, grandfather and great uncle graduated from Westminster.

FORM EXPERIENCE

3 A great start—ranked second in the class despite a very full and challenging first year with five classes including honors in Physics, Geometry and Spanish, plus Chorale. Became a class officer and played varsity soccer, JV hockey and varsity lacrosse.

4 Outstanding in the classroom and on the playing field, maintained a rigorous course load that included Chemistry Honors and Asian Civilizations, while playing three sports. Sang in Chorale, performed in the cabaret show and was elected class president.

5 In addition to varsity soccer and lacrosse, joined the Dance Ensemble with no previous dance experience. Beyond a challenging class schedule, still made time for admissions tours, Student Music Organization, Gay-Straight Alliance and being class vice president.

6 A lot of challenging but fun courses, including AP Environmental Science and Outsiders in America, and an independent study in photography. Elected “Junior Prefect” (senior class president) and president of the Student Music Organization. Playing varsity soccer and lacrosse (captain).

Fun Fact: Plays the ukulele, guitar and piano. Besides music, loves to draw, fish and hike.


The Werner Centennial Center Performances and rehearsals are held in

our beautiful, professional-quality theater.


In town, the valley and the Hartford

region there are countless venues, performances and opportunities to immerse

oneself in a vast array of cultural experiences. From Simsbury’s own concerts and

galleries, to Hartford’s renown theaters and museums, Westminster students have

so much within their reach.

In recent years, the Werner Centennial Center has been the site of impressive performances including those of:

• Maynard Ferguson, high-energy jazz trumpeter

• The Paul Taylor Dancers

• New York Voices, a jazz vocal quartet

• The Weston Playhouse Theater (As You Like It, 2009, and Death of Salesman featuring Emmy- award winning actor Christopher Lloyd, 2011)

• The Tap City Dance Troupe

• The Brubeck Brothers Quartet

• Savion Glover, versatile tap dancer, actor and choreographer

Soledad O’Brienm

David Garibaldim

Death of a Salesmanm

The school has also hosted readings, lectures and presentations by:

• Julia Alvarez, award-winning novelist

• David Brooks, columnist, author and NPR commentator

• Edith Widder, renowned bioluminescence expert

• Billy Collins and Ted Kooser, U. S. Poet Laureates

• Dr. Stephen Carter, author, ethicist, and Yale University professor

• Frank Deford, senior writer for Sports Illustrated

• David Garibaldi, acclaimed performance painter

• Taylor Mali, four-time Nation Poetry Slam champion

• Ray Suarez, National Public Television and radio correspondent

• Robert Reiss, leading environmentalist and expert on global warming

• Marilyn Nelson, Connecticut Poet Laureate

• Soledad O’Brien, broadcast journalist for CNN

THE WERNER CENTENNIAL CENTER

A Region Rich in Culture & the Arts

A CLOSER LOOK


ActiveStudentsA DynamicCommunity

MEET

he culture of excellence at Westminster is

anchored in the diverse and dynamic

community of young people and adults who

call Williams Hill home. Of Westminster’s

four core values, community comes first. The others—

character, balance, and involvement—are products

of the pervasive and palpable sense of community that

has always been the soul of Westminster.

Com

mun

ity

WHERE

WESTMINSTER

34


A number of factors combine to make Westminster an especially distinctive community. Our ideal size and our ratio of boarding and day students encourage engagement and partici-pation on the part of students and faculty alike. We remain principally a boarding school with boarders comprising two-thirds of the student body. The boarders bring the country and the world to Williams Hill, while the day students connect our community to Greater Hartford and to the towns of the Farmington River Valley. Day students feel entirely at home on campus in the evenings and on weekends, while boarding students occasionally leave campus to spend time at day students’ homes for meals, weekend getaways, holidays, and special occasions.

The dynamic life of the Westminster community begins in the school’s programs, but it extends far beyond those programs, too. Some of the most memorable experiences and some of the most important lessons happen at the edges of pro-grams or in the spaces between programs, walking

down to the rink or out to the fields, chatting with friends and teachers before a performing arts concert or in the common rooms of the dorms, having dinner in Simsbury with friends.

Life at Westminster is very busy. Boarding and day students alike quickly learn to recognize all of the exciting opportunities and responsibilities inher-ent in boarding school life. Their days and nights are full, challenging, and rewarding, whether they live on or off campus.

Everyone at Westminster gets to know one another quickly and, through the common experiences of attending classes, sharing meals, participating in athletics and the arts, and being involved in community service and student organizations, our students develop a sense of belonging to a special community and a corresponding sense of responsibility for contributing to the dynamic life of that community.

Student & Community LifeThe benefits of be-ing at a boarding school are tremen-dous. I had never known anyone who lived outside of the United States—my roommate was from Hong Kong and I’ve made friends with people from Mexico, Canada, Korea, and Vietnam.

GAVIN CLASS OF 2013UNIVERSITY OF

VIRGINIA ’17

Choices is a faculty-led, six-session seminar in which all new

students participate. The intent is to contemplate and focus on students’ responsibilities, to

themselves and to those around them. Research, discussion and self-reflective exercises are

applied to such topics as human sexuality, drugs and alcohol, and healthy habits of daily living

with the goal of encouraging rational, mature and values-based decision-making.

The “Choices” Program

A CLOSER LOOK

““

Com

mun

ity

WESTMINSTER

36


Ellen GyasiFIFTH FORMER | NEWARK, NEW JERSEY

“ Westminster is a community of students and faculty who are ready to support and help you in your quest to manage your responsibilities. Thanks to the support of my advisor, my teachers and my friends, I have learned how to manage my time and meet any challenge.”

Hieu DoSIXTH FORMER | HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

“ My teachers provide me with invaluable knowledge and teach me how to be a good person. I might forget the textbook lessons, but I will never forget the life lessons, such as being self-reliant, open-minded, or persistent. Those life lessons are what make teachers true educators and what will help me succeed later in my life.”

FORM EXPERIENCE

4 Started out with a full, tough schedule, including 20th Century World History, AP Chemistry and AP Calculus BC, along with Music Appreciation. Ran cross country and track, and joined the swim team. Very involved outside the class-room too, with Student Council, newspaper, EcoTeam, Math Club, Model United Nations, and International Student Organization. Received the prestigious Adams Bowl.

5 Excelled in AP Statistics, AP Literature, and AP U.S. History. Ran long-distance on cross country and track teams. Elected to Student Council, was layout editor for the student newspaper and co-president of the EcoTeam, and had an inde-pendent study in Multi-Variable Calculus.

6 Pursuing another challenging schedule, including AP Economics, AP Biology, and Spanish Honors, with an independent study in computer science. Very busy with the student newspaper (co-editor-in-chief), EcoTeam (president), the Math Club, Model United Nations, and International Student Organization. Also involved with WCLP—a program working with inner city students.

Fun Fact: Fascinated by electronics and programming. Enjoys working on software or hardware, and testing out different ideas to put into practical use.

FORM EXPERIENCE

3 Learned to balance her many activities—Latino student group “S.A.L.S.A”, Girls of Today—Women of Tomorrow, Student Music Organization (SMO), 100 Hearts club and Multicultural Student Union, with a full class sched-ule and three sports.

4 In addition to the challenges of AP European History and Chemistry, enjoyed Introduction to Theater, and played soccer and basketball, and ran track. Was on stage in the fall play, joined Conversations About Christianity (CAC), and Better America, was chosen to be a peer counselor, and won the National Junior Classic League Creative Writing Contest.

5 Now comfortably navigating her ambitious school life, is taking AP Latin, AP English, AP U.S. History, Biology, Pre-Calculus, and Theater. She has a part in the fall play; is running track, and making time for all her clubs: S.A.L.S.A., SMO, CAC, and Better America.

Fun Fact: Always had a passion for music, leading to playing the piano, the saxophone, and now the guitar.


DAILY LIFE ON THE HILL

Monday through Saturday, students attend classes from 8:20AM – 2:45PM (8:20AM – 11:35AM on Wednesdays and Saturdays). During their free periods, students use the resources of the library for reading and studying (especially the small group study rooms) or they congregate in one of the many open spaces of the academic center to study together or to chat. On nice days, students sometimes sit together outside on the many benches or on Commencement Lawn.

After classes, students head off to rehearsals, team practices, and athletic contests. The entire community gathers at least four times a week for assemblies in the Armstrong Atrium or for talks, presentations or performances in Andrews Memorial Chapel or the Werner Centennial Center. Boarding students also come together regularly for family-style dinners.

Evenings usually find Fifth and Sixth Formers studying in their dorm rooms or in the Cole Library, or perhaps working in the Hamilton Art Studios or rehearsing and practicing in the theater, while Third and Fourth Formers are placed in a more structured study environment, either in their dorm rooms or in Study Hall under the supervision of teachers.

Students learn important lessons about integrity, humility, respect and civility from their teachers, but also from the men and women who work in the dining hall, from the groundskeepers who keep the campus looking so beautiful, from their coaches and from each other. When you create a community in which everyone strives for excellence, the opportunities for learning are endless.

7:15AMBoarders are waking up, day students start arriving, and teachers are walking their dogs or getting their own young children off to school.

8:20AMThe bell rings and classes begin. Each class block runs 45 or 60 minutes.

VERY FULL & BUSY DAYS

MID-MORNINGAssembly or Chapel or meetings with advisors for all students and teachers. Then, back to classes, study hall or lunch.

MORNINGThe dining hall opens for breakfast. For many students, it’s time to fuel up and meet with study groups, teachers and friends.

Com

mun

ity

WESTMINSTER

38


2:45PMThe class day ends (earlier on Wednesdays and Saturdays). Everyone now has a role in the Work Program and there’s time for club meetings and extra help from teachers.

6:30PMFamily-style dinner in Cushing Dining Hall. Teachers host tables, students are assigned and change tables every two weeks. It’s just another way we get to know each other.

8:00PMStudy Hall: Time to focus on academics in the library, dorm rooms, common areas, studios and faculty apartments.

MID-AFTERNOONThe entire school community dives into the Afternoon Program: team practices, dance and theater rehearsals, community service and independent projects.

EVENING The day closes with check-in for boarders; day students depart campus.


An important factor that contributes to the fabric of life at Westminster is the school’s dedication to diversity. With students from 23 states and 24 countries and a diverse faculty, there are numerous opportunities for students to learn about and from others who may be different from them and who may have had very different experiences from theirs.

The world at once becomes a larger and a smaller place for everyone here—you may have breakfast with a friend from the Czech Republic, debate in class with a student from Egypt, compete side by side with a teammate from Ghana, and study in

Armour in the evening with a friend from Kansas or California. Our diversity enriches the communi-ty in so many ways and prepares all of our students to live in the global community that is their future.

Many different backgrounds come together here, united by an abiding school spirit, a common set of goals for educational achievement and myriad opportunities to work, perform and play together. Preconceived notions and judgments are often challenged and dispelled through formal and in-formal activities and discussions about differences leading to a more open and caring culture that celebrates–not merely tolerates—diversity.

A DIVERSE COMMUNITY

With character and involvement as two of Westminster’s core values, it is no surprise that community service is an integral part of life on the Hill. The John Hay Society (which coordinates the chapel program) and SON (Serving Our Neigh-bors) are the major official community service organizations. But students themselves often organize food, clothing, and fund-raising drives to support worthy causes locally and around the world.

As part of the Afternoon Program, students volunteer at healthcare facilities and non-profit organizations, organize holiday gift drives, and serve as tutors at local and inner-city schools. Working together for a good cause builds camaraderie and strengthens friendships, but, even more importantly, it encourages a life of compassion and service to others.

The Westminster Crossroads Learning Program (WCLP) is an outreach organization begun by one of our faculty members. WCLP offers career support, academic tutoring and summer enrich-ment courses to students at Hartford Public High School. Numerous students and teachers volunteer every year to work in WCLP. Our commitment to service is also evident in our school-wide Com-munity Service Day each fall when Westminster students and teachers fan out across Connecticut to work at food banks, senior centers, camps for children with disabilities, local organic farms, and other charities. In the spring, the school community teams up to coordinate one of the state’s largest MS Walks, a signature fundraising event of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Twice a year, the school hosts Red Cross blood drives to which a large number of faculty, staff, and students contribute (their blood as well as their time).

COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

One of the impor-tant benefits of a student’s experience at Westminster is the opportunity to get to know people from dif-ferent backgrounds. Students bring individuality to the community in terms of their academic, artistic, athletic, socioeconomic, racial and ethnic diversity. Through interactions with other students, they learn to see things from different perspectives, to chal-lenge their assump-tions, to expand their belief system and to see how marvelously varied the world is.

TONY GRIFFITH DIRECTOR OF STUDENT

LIFE, HEAD OF THE MATH DEPARTMENT, BASKETBALL COACH

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Com

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WESTMINSTER

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There are enough student clubs and organizations to capture everyone’s interest or curiosity (see the list below). Writing clubs and math clubs. An eco-club and a grilling club. Organizations with serious purposes and organizations designed to provide fun experiences.

SAC (the Student Activities Committee) is one of the most important of all student organizations since this group plans and coordinates everything that goes on during the weekends from trips off campus to dances on campus. Because of the school’s size, students who participate in extra-curricular activities often have opportunities to

become leaders themselves, to take charge in running meetings and planning activities.

Of these student leaders, the most esteemed are those who have been selected for more formal roles, such as school prefects or corridor proc-tors. Prefects are school officers elected annually by their peers and by the faculty to collaborate with the headmaster and faculty in addressing all issues of school life. Proctors, meanwhile, are Sixth Formers chosen by faculty who live in the dorms to be role models and mentors for underformers living in the dormitories.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

• Better America forum

• Black & Gold (Admissions tour guides)

• Debate Club

• Dramat

• Eco Team

• Gender and Sexuality Alliance (G.S.A.)

A PARTIAL LIST OF STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Founded and directed by a Westminster faculty member, the Westminster

Crossroads Learning Program (WCLP) offers college guidance, career support and a summer

enrichment program to students at Hartford Public High School. Both new and experienced

faculty members choose to teach in this outreach program, providing much needed service to

the broader community while improving their craft as educators.

Crossroads

A CLOSER LOOK

• Girls of Today— Women of Tomorrow

• Humans of Westminster

• Improv Club

• The John Hay Society

• The Martlet (art and literary magazine)

• Math Club

• Model United Nations

• The Movement (student writing group)

• Multicultural Student Union (M.S.U.)

• Rising Sons (male a cappella group)

• Seniors as Sisters

• Serving Our Neighbors (SON)

• Ski & Snowboard Club

• Spectator (yearbook)

• Student Activities Committee (S.A.C.)

• Student Tutor Program

• Westminster Belles

• Westminster News (student newspaper)

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• Cushing Hall: Reception, Offices, Cromwell College Counseling Center, Deans’ Office, Dining Halls, Fearn Hall, Hinman Reading Room

• Keyes House: Admissions Office Headmaster’s Office, Alumni & Development Office

• Andrews Memorial Chapel

• Armour Academic Center Armstrong Atrium, Cole Library, Davis Center for Science & Mathematics, Offield Center for the Humanities, Planetarium, School Store, Sejong Lecture Hall, Student Lounge

• Commencement Lawn

• Squibb House

• Milliken House

• Edge House

• Gund House

• Memorial Hall

• Pettee Gymnasium

• Gymnasium

• Squash Courts

• Community Garden

• Jackson Hockey Rink

• Kohn Squash Pavilion

• Sherwin Health & Athletic Center

• Hibbard Aquatic Center

• Sawyer Field

• Michelini Field and Brooks Family Track

• Osborn Baseball Field

• Wilbraham Field

• Hovey Field (synthetic)

• Gow and Haynes Tennis Courts, Watson Terrace

• Softball Field

• Harrison Field

LIFE ON THE HILLWestminster’s 200-acre hilltop campus has the feel and sophistication of a small college, the warmth and charm of a New England village, and a style that reflects the school’s 128-year history yet includes the latest in state-of-the-art facilities. It is an ideal setting for academic, athletic, artistic and social pursuits—a great place to live.

• Observatory Field

• Werner Centennial Center & Theater

• Hamilton Art Studios

• Timken Student Center

• Barnes-Bristow Observatory

• Maintenance facility

• Perkin Memorial Drive

• Baxter Lawn

• Faculty Homes

• Pratt House: Headmaster’s residence

• Site of new dorm

• Site of new dining hall

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Our campus life offers no shortage of ways for students to stay busy, especially on weekends. And Westminster’s location, adjacent to the heart of downtown Simsbury, makes certain that they will never feel isolated and that they will have plenty to enjoy just a short walk away.

Students can walk into town for pizza or ice cream or sushi or burgers—for

a town of only about 25,000

Simsbury supports an amazing number of excel-lent restaurants. Then, of course, there’s always Starbucks where students gather for coffee and conversation, but where they also frequently open their textbooks, connect to the internet, and study. Students can shop at one of the many stores and boutiques that dot Hopmeadow Street. Or they can spend an afternoon hiking Talcott Mountain to see panoramic views of the Farmington River Valley, Simsbury, Hartford and even Springfield, MA to the north. They can go biking (or walking) along the Greenway that extends all the way from New Haven in the south to central Massachusetts in the north. Or they can listen to music at Simsbury Meadows, the summer home of the Hartford Symphony, and a venue for concerts and town festivals. The Farmington River Valley in which Simsbury sits is rich in his-tory, culture and character, and weekends always feature trips to malls and theaters and restau-rants in the towns of the Valley. Moreover our close proximity to Hartford allows students to take advantage of the capital city’s many assets, including the Hartford Stage, the Mark Twain House and the Wadsworth Atheneum.

Our central location halfway between New York City and Boston offers students occasional op-portunities to go on faculty-led trips to those cities while simultaneously providing convenient access to the school for families living along the Northeast Corridor. And when it comes time for students to travel home, they can catch a bus or train leaving from Union Station in Hartford or a flight out of Bradley International Airport, both only 20 minutes from campus.

SIMSBURY AND BEYOND

Construction has begun for a new 39,000 square foot dining hall!


One tradition that epitomizes Westminster’s ethos of community is our practice of gathering the entire school community twice a week in Andrews Memorial Chapel for a 30-minute non-denom-inational program. This practice began in 1902 when John Hay, an advisor to President Lincoln and Secretary of State under Presidents McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, dedicated our former Hay Memorial Chapel in the memory of his son, Adelbert Stone Hay, a Westminster alumnus who died at a young age.

Today, our student-run John Hay Society directs the Chapel Program. These “chapels” become times to pause for reflection in our busy days as we listen to students, teachers, and guests speak about experiences that have made them who they are. Because of the diversity in our community, these presentations may be enlightening, moving, sobering, or amusing, and they are almost always memorable. A faculty member might discuss a crisis of faith occasioned by his daughter’s leuke-mia in an “open letter to God,” a student might discuss the lessons he’s learned from running cross country (“the strength of the wolf is in the

pack, the strength of the pack is in the wolf ”). A student from Thailand might discuss his some-times challenging, sometimes amusing experience of acclimating to American culture. A celebrated guest who spent his formative days working with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. might talk about the lessons of civil disobedience and non-violence he learned at Dr. King’s side. As the Chapel Program demonstrates, learning with and from each other is central to the Westminster experience of community.

Often the chapel presentations have a musical dimension as well with students, faculty members, and professional musicians from the world beyond the Hill performing for the school. Whatever the subject matter, however, giving a chapel talk can be a notable rite of passage for students because it highlights their personal courage and poise in speaking before the entire Westminster commu-nity. The program holds similar value for those in the audience who learn directly how important it is to listen with open minds and hearts to one another.

THE CHAPEL PROGRAM

From Westminster Abbey to the coat of arms of many English kings, martlets

are said to be birds from paradise that have no feet because they continually soar above the

earth. Heraldic martlets became part of the Westminster school crest in 1938, and thereafter,

the mascot for athletic teams. Martlets can be seen throughout campus in various buildings,

including in the “Martlet’s Nest” school store, the theater, and the chapel.

The Martlet

A CLOSER LOOK

Teachers and students get to know each other in so many different ways which breaks down barriers and helps make strong connec-tions. Students are, therefore, comfort-able seeking out their teachers for help, whether aca-demic or otherwise.

B E T S Y H E C K M A N HEAD OF THE HISTORY

DEPARTMENT, MODEL U.N. ADVISOR,

TENNIS AND CROSS

COUNTRY COACH

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Westminster has six dormitories (three for boys and three for girls) centrally located on campus around a spacious main quad. The school’s philos-ophy of residential life is to make dormitory living as close to family living as possible. The corridors are small and designed to encourage interactions among students and faculty.

All of the dormitories blend boarding students from all grade levels. Two-thirds of the rooms are doubles with the rest being singles. In addition to the student proctors, each corridor is under the supervision of a residential faculty member who often has a family and who serves as an invaluable resource to students who are adjusting to being away from home and learning to develop a sense of self-reliance.

Life in the dorms nurtures and sustains some of the closest and longest lasting of relationships for our students, not only with each other, but also with faculty members and their families. Frequent-ly corridor supervisors invite students into their apartments for study breaks and snacks. Students also gather in faculty homes to celebrate birthdays, to watch the big games on TV, or just to chat about life at Westminster. Conversely, the children and pets of the corridor supervisors have been known to wander the hallways and visit student rooms.

The family atmosphere of the dormitories is just one more way for the school to emphasize the core values of community, character, balance, and involvement. Most of the faculty either live on corridor now, or have lived in the dorms in the past, so they know by experience how important residential life is.

In its long history, Westminster has established many cherished traditions that help promote our sense of community and provide continuity from one generation of students to the next.

The most important of these traditions is the Lawn Ceremony which takes place every year on the eve-ning before Commencement. In this ceremony, the graduating class gathers on the Sixth Form Lawn while the Fifth Formers wait on the steps of the chapel. One by one, Sixth Formers bring the Fifth Formers onto the lawn, signifying that they will be the new leaders of the school. The final six to ten students brought onto the lawn are the newly elected Prefect Board. Parents, students, alumni, and faculty crowd the lawn to watch this ceremony with pride and anticipation.

Other annual events the whole school eagerly awaits include the Pin Ceremony in September where alumni on the faculty give the new Sixth Formers their class pins,

the Candlelight Service that takes place every December, and the always exciting spring stickball tournament dating back to the early 1900s. And, of course, there is the tradition of Hill Holidays (surprise days off from school announced by the Headmaster).

DORM LIFE

SCHOOL TRADITIONS

The traditions of lawn ceremony and commencement are so memorable, but I think for the entire school, our Candlelight Service is the most memorable. We come together as a school before departing for our December break and it reminds you of the importance of family, faith and how much students have to be thankful for at Westminster.

DARBY

CLASS OF 2011UNIVERSITY

OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ’15

““


Today’s

Tomorrow’sScholars

Challenges

WHERE

MEET

estminster’s students take advantage

of the many opportunities to pursue

excellence that we provide for them

while they are here on the Hill, from

demanding AP classes to top-tier athletic competition.

As a result, they routinely head off to the nation’s best

colleges and universities with all of the knowledge, skills,

and habits of mind they need to achieve great things.

WCollege

WESTMINSTER

46


As one of America’s leading college preparatory schools, Westminster takes the challenge and the responsibility of college placement very seriously. A team of four experienced men and women direct the College Counseling Office in Cushing Hall. Like most programs at Westminster, this one, too, succeeds because of close personal relationships, relationships between students and their college counselors and between counselors and parents. College itself is the ultimate opportunity, so we want to make sure that our students have every resource possible at their hands.

The mission of the College Counseling Office is to help students find a home in college that will be every bit as important and inspirational to them as their home at Westminster was. In order to assist students in finding matches for their abilities and their aspirations, college counselors work closely with them and their parents, as well as with their teachers, coaches, and advisors. The college office provides students and parents with the latest college search technologies, as well as the many online and print resources they need to make these difficult decisions.

Over the years, Westminster has had great success in college placement. Why? First of all, Westminster’s students present themselves as bright, multi-faceted, and personable candidates. Secondly, the office itself is staffed with knowl-edgeable and experienced college advising profes-sionals who themselves have established personal relationships with college admissions officers at colleges and universities across the country and who work tirelessly as advocates for our students. Finally, as a kind of secret weapon in the college search process, Westminster’s students can rely not only on themselves, their parents, and their college counselors, but also on the rest of the Westminster community. In a community in which everyone knows everyone else so well, it is easy to find ad-vice and support.

Personal attention throughout the college search process, close relationships between students and faculty in the community, and an impeccable institutional reputation, bolstered by decades of successful Westminster alumni, lead to outstand-ing results. In recent years, 93% of our graduates have been accepted to colleges and universities listed by Barron’s as “Most Competitive” and “Highly Competitive” schools—more than half in the top category.

Tomorrow’s Scholars

THE COLLEGE COUNSELING PROGRAM

Another advantage our graduates have is that they have internalized the spirit of grit and grace. Because grit and grace have come to characterize the way they live their lives, they tend to make a nearly seamless transition to colleges and universi-ties where they excel academically and where they also become prominent members of their commu-nities. A large number of Westminster graduates, for example, captain their college teams or serve as elected student leaders, newspaper editors, and heads of various clubs and organizations.

Because they have absorbed the lessons of the past and prepared themselves for the changes of the future, they have become young men and women ready to make their marks on the world. Our alumni frequently cite grit and grace as the unique character traits that have enabled them to move into rewarding careers, to feel confident in their ability to overcome life’s inevitable adversities, and to understand and embrace their responsibility for contributing to the greater good in whatever ways they can.

Westminster students are impressive, multi-faceted candidates as a result of their liberal arts experience and bal-anced life. The College Office helps each student develop the strongest possible choices from which to select a school that is ‘the right fit.’

GREG WILLIAMS DIRECTOR OF

COLLEGE COUNSELING,BASEBALL COACH

Due to our school size, Westminster teachers and staff

members get to know students well—in the classroom, on the athletic fields, in the dormi-

tories, at meals, and even on weekends. Such close contact with students means that our

faculty have an outstanding and unique ability to counsel students, advocate for them and

assist them with every step of the college process.

The College-Bound Advantage

A CLOSER LOOK

“

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College

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SENIOR YEAR (FALL TERM)

SUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEAR

mJUNIOR YEAR (SPRING TERM)

m

THE COLLEGE PROCESS AT WESTMINSTER

Early on in their Fifth Form (junior) year, students are invited to visit the college counseling office to use the banks of computers and shelves of books to begin checking out the college admissions process. Fifth Form College Weekend in February brings repre-sentatives from colleges and universities into direct contact with students and parents.

In the spring, the Fifth Form, along with the college counseling staff, attends a local independent school sponsored college fair. Individual meetings between students and their counselors then result in the creation of a preliminary college list by the end of the Fifth Form year. Counselors then help students and their families plan out summer visits to colleges all over the country.

Students are asked to draft their “college essays” during the summer before their Sixth Form year. The school’s counselors then work closely with the rest of the faculty to provide students with a network of mentors in this process. The English Depart-ment’s team-taught senior course opens with a unit that focuses on personal and expository writing, designed in part to help students as they finalize their applications.

Throughout the fall of their Sixth Form year, as they continue to work on their applications, students have the opportunity to meet with some of the over 100 college representatives that visit Williams Hill annually.

Because of the close personal attention students get throughout this process, they feel empowered to make choices and to take charge of their own futures. The college admissions process is never easy, but at Westminster, students have the resources they need to get the results they want.

JUNIOR YEAR (FALL TERM)

m

I suspect that in every Westminster teacher there is a corner that will forever be a student, and that empathy—fundamental to the success of any collective effort—will always push us to share with them the drive for mastery and individual success, to hunger for the support of teammates and peers, to comfort their anxiety about the future, and to offer the strong spirit and steady hands needed for the occasional foothold necessary on the climb to adulthood.

CHARLIE GRIFFITH HISTORY TEACHER,

SOCCER AND HOCKEY COACH

“

“


Amherst ...................................... 5Bates ............................................ 5Boston College .......................... 17Bowdoin ...................................... 6Bucknell ..................................... 13Colby ........................................... 13Colgate........................................ 13College of Charleston ................ 5Colorado College......................... 5Columbia .................................... 4Connecticut College................... 6Cornell ......................................... 4Dartmouth College .................... 6Denison ....................................... 5Duke ............................................ 4

Elon University .......................... 7Emory .......................................... 7Franklin & Marshall ................. 11George Washington ................... 9Georgetown ................................ 5Hamilton.................................... 12Harvard ....................................... 4Hobart & William Smith ......... 12Holy Cross ................................... 7Middlebury ................................ 14New York University ................ 11Northeastern .............................. 5Princeton University ................. 4Providence College ..................... 7 Skidmore ................................... 10

Southern Methodist Univ. ........ 5St. Lawrence ............................. 25Trinity College ........................... 18Tufts ............................................. 4Tulane ........................................... 7Union ........................................ 10Univ. of Connecticut .................. 5University of Delaware ............... 7University of Richmond ........... 18University of Vermont ............... 6University of Virginia ................ 6Wake Forest ............................... 12Washington & Lee ..................... 5Wesleyan ..................................... 8Yale .............................................. 5

When seeking admission to the nation’s most selective colleges, students benefit from Westminster’s strong reputation, built by years of consistently talented, well-rounded and well-qualified alumni.

The list below indicates where four or more Westminster School graduates of the classes of 2010 through 2015 enrolled, denoted by the number in the right column.

Westminster’s graduates head off to college and out into the world fully equipped to be successful. There they make their marks in business and science and law, in medicine and public service, in art and music and theater, in professional sports and journalism, and in teaching.

But there is a difference, too. The boys and girls who first came to Williams Hill as curious and enter-prising young teenagers, who eagerly embraced the opportunities the school provided, who passionately pursued excellence while they were here, leave as young men and women whose lives have been forever shaped by the ideals of Grit and Grace.

College Placement

A friend asked me about my boarding school experience. I said, ‘let’s put it this way -every single day I find a reason to thank my lucky stars that I attended Westminster.’ I wouldn’t have had it any other way and I will be forever grateful for what I learned and the friends I made.

JULIA

CLASS OF 2001PROVIDENCE COLLEGE ’05

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College

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WESTMINSTER

CONTENTS

COVER

Headmaster’s Welcome ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Where Inquisitive Minds Meet A Rigorous Curriculum .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Where Engaged Learners Meet Mentoring Faculty .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Where Enthusiastic Athletes Meet Top-Tier Competition.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Where Talented Artists Meet A Creative Showcase ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Where Active Students Meet A Dynamic Community ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Campus Map ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Where Today’s Scholars Meet Tomorrow’s Challenges ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

College Placement ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

The Armstrong Atrium at the heart of Armour Academic Center . Not only is this

where students and faculty meet throughout the day, this is where science meets the

humanities, where indoors meets outdoors, where the entire school meets twice a

week, and where everyone can see how vibrant and active daily life is on Williams Hill.

Westminster School reaffirms its long-standing nondiscriminatory policy and admits students of any race, religion, sexual orientation or national origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at Westminster. Westminster does not discriminate in its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.

This viewbook was written by Michael Cervas, Head of Westmin-ster’s English Department. Michael is a 29-year veteran teacher, dorm parent, coach and advisor. Primary photography is by alum-nus Chip Riegel ’90, Robert Benson, and Richard Bergen. Designed by Taylor Design. Printed by RR Donnelley.

VISITING CAMPUS

Visiting campus, participating in the admissions in-

terview, and experiencing a student-led campus tour

are the most meaningful and comprehensive ways to

understand what Westminster offers. We encourage

all families who are interested in learning more about

our school to schedule an interview and tour as soon

as possible. Beyond the formal interview and tour,

prospective families can gain more insight and informa-

tion by attending our Open Houses in the fall and the

receptions and school fairs held in various locations

throughout the country. Our website (www.westmin-

ster-school.org) also contains helpful data, news, links,

forms and detailed information about the school and

the admission process. Applications for admission are

due January 15 of the year of desired enrollment.

GETTING HERE

By Car: Westminster is accessible from major highways

including I-95, I-91, I-90 and I-84, and is located on

Route 10/202 at 995 Hopmeadow Street in the center

of Simsbury, Connecticut.

By Bus And Train: Service by bus (Bonanza, Greyhound

and Peter Pan) and train (Amtrak and MetroNorth) is

through Union Station in Hartford, Connecticut. Campus

is a 25-minute cab ride from the station. Car rental at

the station is available through Hertz.

By Plane: Bradley International Airport is a 20-minute

drive from campus, with service by most major airlines.

LaGuardia and JFK airports in New York and Logan

airport in Boston are within a 2-hour drive from campus.

1888Westminster School was

founded in 1888 and is the sixth

oldest independent school in

Connecticut.

4:1Our student-to-teacher ratio is

4:1. As teachers, coaches, men-

tors and friends, our 95 faculty

members know students well.

23Our curriculum includes 23

Advanced Placement offerings,

one of only 7 New England

schools to offer 23 or more APs.

390Westminster has 390 students:

54% boys, 46% girls; 70% board-

ing students, 30% day students.

23/24Westminster attracts students

from 23 states across the

United States and 24 countries

around the world.

17%Seventeen percent are

students of color. We value

diversity and all that we can

learn from each other.

15We have 15 interscholastic sports

teams. Our expansive playing fields

and health and fitness facilities

offer athletes of all levels space to

train, compete and perform.

200Our 200 acre campus sits

atop Williams Hill in Simsbury,

12 miles from Hartford, 110

from Boston, and 120 from

New York City.

100%Full college placement, with more

than 93% of 2015 Westminster

graduates accepted to Barron’s

“Most Competitive” and “Highly

Competitive” schools.

WESTMINSTER BY THE NUMBERS

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Opportunity

FOUNDED 1888 | SIMSBURY | CONNECTICUT

WESTMINSTER

ExcellenceMeets

Where

WESTMINSTER SCHOOL OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS

995 HOPMEADOW STREET

SIMSBURY, CONNECTICUT 06070

P: 860.408.3060

F: 860.408.3042

WESTMINSTER-SCHOOL.ORG

[email protected]

OUR MISSION

Westminster School inspires young men and women of promise to cultivate a passion for learning, to explore and

develop their talents in a balanced program, to reach well beyond the ordinary, to live with character and intelligence, and to

commit to a life of service beyond self.

WE

ST

MIN

ST

ER

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Westminster School Viewbook

Documents

Transcript of Westminster School Viewbook