Westminster Begins 123rd Year

Westminster School welcomed 394 students to campus this fall, including 263 boarding students and 131 day students. The students represent 49 Connecticut towns and cities, 24 states and 20 countries.

At an assembly on the first day of classes Sept. 14, Headmaster Bill Philip greeted students and introduced Head Prefect Matt Leach ’11 of West Hartford, who welcomed students to the new year, encouraging them to set a goal to “try to do something you have never done before, try something new.”

Matt also explained some Westminster traditions in which the students participated. All Sixth Formers assembled on the Sixth Form Lawn, where they were presented a senior pin or pendant as a symbol of their leadership roles at school in the coming year. A new flag depicting the design of the pin was then lowered from the flagpole, where it had been flying. It will reappear on campus throughout the year to announce Hill Holidays. And all new students assembled in the chapel where they entered their signatures in a book that holds the signature of every Westminster student, signifying their formal entry to the school and their membership in the campus community.

Headmaster’s Chapel Talk

In the first chapel talk of the year on the following day, Headmaster Philip spoke about the promise of a new school year. “The opening of a new school year is always electric with an energy filled with both excitement and anxiety,” he said. “At Westminster School, beginning a year with a new headmaster is especially significant. In our school’s 122-year history, this moment of transition has occurred only seven times.”

He highlighted how students at Westminster enjoy multi-dimensional relationships with their teachers. “Drawing on the power of an environment which fosters these sorts of relationships, our community offers you the opportunity to stretch yourself as a student in ways that you may never have imagined before and, in the process, to achieve more than you ever thought possible.”

He encouraged students to share something about themselves with other members of the campus community, and then offered some of his own history and why he has devoted his life to Westminster. “I learned many of my most important lessons here at Westminster, after graduating from college,” he said. “When I look at the photographs of our emeritus faculty in the Armstrong Atrium and the adjacent hallway in Armour Academic Center, memories flood into my mind, memories of advice and lessons that continue to inform all that I do.”

He challenged students to “seize the opportunity offered by the enriching environment of our school community” and to “make a special effort to reach out and meet each other, share your stories, don’t be passive, foster and cultivate the relationships with peers and faculty alike which will enhance your experience as a student.” He concluded by providing some history of Pratt House, the headmaster’s residence, and how its new view symbolically “reconnects this school with the greater community beyond our campus.”

Full text of Headmaster Philip's Opening Chapel Talk