"Westminster School seeks curious and engaged students who want to grow and learn in a challenging and supportive environment. Students who are motivated to become their best selves both in and out of the classroom, taking advantage of the myriad of opportunities Westminster has to offer."
“At Westminster, we aspire to an extraordinarily ambitious commitment to secondary education, a commitment to nurture the participation of our diverse school community across our entire program — from academics, to studios and labs, gyms, fields and rink, and service to our Hartford community partners. Westminster students are inspired by opportunities to make a difference in all their endeavors.”
"Through gritty trial and error, Westminster students grow into independent learners who are curious, critical thinkers. With the support of faculty, students gain the skills to understand the world around them and enrich their communities at school and beyond."
"The visual and performing arts program at Westminster weaves the community together and nurtures the spirit of the Westminster campus. The arts at Westminster inspire students of all levels of experience from the very beginner to the advanced artist to practice the freedom of creative self-expression. Professional teachers guide students to work through the creative process from inception to the presentation, building a lifelong respect and appreciation for the arts."
Kerry Kendall Head of Visual and Performing Arts Department
"Athletic success at Westminster is measured not only by wins and losses, but through the bonds created between teammates and coaches, individual and team improvement, and personal growth. When students learn how to be competitors and how to cooperate with one another, they are better prepared to be citizens of the global world."
“Driven by a desire to serve young people and conscious of the opportunities for private schools to support a public purpose, Westminster School’s mission statement concludes with the call ‘to commit to a life of service beyond self.’ Westminster’s Hartford Partnership programs aim to deliver on that mission while making a direct impact on people and programs in Hartford.”
Patrick Owens Executive Director, Horizons at Westminster & Hartford Partnerships
“Involvement will be the key to your success at Westminster School. Get involved with the arts, try a sport you've never played, start your own club, run for student council. You will get out of this experience exactly what you put into it. Do these things early in your life — keep seeking more opportunities for growth.”
“Support for Westminster School provides a way to remember the past, shape the present and steward the future of the school.”
Newell Grant ’99
Director of Advancement
Shannon O’Shaughnessy
Director of Advancement Operations
Details
Martlets Fall to AOF
The Black & Gold made the short trip down Route 10 to take on the Winged Beavers – a perennially exciting contest. To add to the drama, the Martlets dropped a game to Avon earlier in the season after taking the lead into the third period – a crusher the JVs were hoping to avenge. Alas, dear reader, it was not to be. Westminster ended up on the losing side of a 4-8 score, including a late empty-netter for the home team. Avon is always a scrappy, talented, and well-coached team, and today was no exception. The game did not begin on an auspicious note for the visitors, as the slow-to-start Martlets allowed AOF to score twice in the first 51 seconds. You read that right: the Martlets were down on the road in John Gardner Rink 0-2 only 51 seconds into the game. Neither goal falls on Jake Holland ‘24, who played well overall and certainly kept his team in the game throughout. Chasing the lead once again – a familiar refrain this season – the Martlets dug in. Battening down the hatches and battling through the end of the period, all while generating some good offensive chances of their own, the first frame ended with that same score on the board. Given the opportunity to gather themselves during the intermission, the team looked ahead to the second period with more purpose and focus. Despite a good start, it was Avon that got the next goal midway through the second to pad their lead, 0-3. Undaunted, the team redoubled their efforts and within a minute the Black and Gold were on the board. Xavier Kahn ‘27 finished an electrifying play that began when Daniel Venture ‘24, evading two Winged Beaver defenders, made a perfect cross-crease pass to a net-crashing Kahn. Dylan Ness ‘26 also assisted on the play. Both Venture and Ness forechecked relentlessly to force a turnover just inside the blue line, and a quick pass from Ness to Venture and then to Kahn made it 1-3. The second period ended with the JVs down, but the team felt the momentum building a bit. Certainly, the coaches believed the team was well in the game with the final 16 minutes to play. After the puck drop, and fewer than 45 seconds into the final period, Captain Reid Bulger ‘24 picked up a loose puck along the near boards – the product of a sustained forecheck from the hardworking line of Anthony DiBartolomeo ‘25, Jackson Alpaugh ‘24, and Jack Grahling ‘25 – and quickly wristed it through traffic over the Avon netminder’s outstretched glove. Though Bulger’s goal goes in the books as unassisted, it clearly resulted from the efforts of all five Martlets on the ice (the above quartet was joined by Dillon Seals ‘25 – who played perhaps his most complete game of the season – on the ice as Bulger’s defensive partner). Unfortunately, that 2-3 score was as close as the Martlets would get today. Avon kept coming, and their energy and tenacity produced the next four goals in a span of five minutes as Westminster tried to stem the tide. The Westminster blueliners, hard-pressed but doing their best, had their hands full as Avon’s forwards peppered Holland. Two of those goals came on the power play for Avon as the Martlets found themselves in the box and struggling to get the puck out of the zone. Down quickly 2-7, to their credit the JVs did not quit. Scoring twice in the final five minutes of the game, the Martlets demonstrated the same grit they’ve had throughout the season, often down but never out. Reed Ghriskey ‘26 banged in a rebound of a James Frangos ‘24 shot from the near the goal line; Frangos had collected a pass from Brenden Gilooly ‘26 in center ice before skating around an Avon defenseman towards the corner. Venture notched the final Westminster goal less than a minute later on a similar play; Kahn and Ness, with Venture buzzing all afternoon, assisted on Venture’s goal. The Winged Beavers added their eighth and final goal into the empty net with Holland on the bench for the final two minutes as the Martlets pressed hard to get closer but to no avail. Ultimately, the slow start handicapped the JVs: down 0-2 early is a hard hill to claim against Avon playing well at home. The final score perhaps doesn’t tell the whole tale; the Martlets outshot the Winged Beavers 29 to 23 and certainly in the second and third periods the game was fairly even. Absent the first 51 seconds and the empty-netter, it was a 4-5 game. But as this old coach well knows, “ if ifs and ands were pots and pans, there would be no work for the tinkers.” The team returned to Williams Hill disappointed with the result but overall pleased with the effort. Contributing this afternoon were defensemen Lane Gallagher ‘25, Richard Kim ‘25, Max Simpson ‘24, and Nick Wurts ‘24 (Wurts was converted to defense in a game-time lineup shuffle that the coaches appreciate). Forwards Zac Jainchill ‘25, Auggie Barrett ‘24, and Benji Hanson ‘27 also turned in some solid shifts. Next up is the season finale against Deerfield; the Big Green will be in town for a 1 pm matinee. The Martlets will look to finish the season on a high note in front of the Jackson Rink faithful. The gates will open in the morning for the anticipated standing-room-only crowd expected. See you at the rink!
Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy as to Students In keeping with our support for a diverse community, Westminster abides by all applicable federal and state laws and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic, including race, color, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national and ethnic origin, ancestry and/or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. Westminster admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School.