Hartford Partnerships

Building a Bridge to Hartford

The Hartford Partnership programs below are the outgrowth of the school’s mission and have a direct impact on the young people of Hartford and the students of Westminster School.

Horizons at Westminster

Founded in 2018, Horizons at Westminster advances educational equity through long-term partnerships with Hartford students and families. Horizons makes a 13-year commitment to its scholars, offering year-round programming from kindergarten through ninth grade, with plans to expand annually through Grade 12.

The program centers on a six-week summer session featuring academics, swimming, and enrichment activities, supplemented by monthly Saturday Academies during the school year.

This work thrives thanks to the Westminster community. Students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni make a vital impact by donating, working summer sessions, and volunteering as tutors.

For more information about Horizons at Westminster, please visit our program’s website or contact Patrick Owens at powens@westminster-school.org.

Loaves and Fishes

Each month, members of the Westminster community travel to Hartford to help prepare and serve lunch at Loaves and Fishes, a soup kitchen dedicated to addressing food insecurity in the Asylum Hill neighborhood. These trips, open to students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni, have a direct impact on both the volunteers and the Hartford residents who access the soup kitchen.

For more information about Loaves and Fishes, contact Mary Eckerson at meckerson@westminster-school.org.

Spring Break in Hartford

During a week in the month of March, our Spring Break in Hartford program seeks to extend its outreach by lending a hand to various organizations and schools in Hartford. Past projects have included organizing the food pantry at Loaves and Fishes, cleaning and cataloging the library at Moylan School, and painting barns at Ebony Horsewomen.

For more information about the Spring Break in Hartford program, contact Mary Eckerson at meckerson@westminster-school.org.

Classroom Curriculum

The Civic Engagement curriculum represents the educational wing of the Hartford Partnerships initiatives.

List of 1 items.

  • Civic Engagement

    In Civic Engagement, students learn to engage in meaningful dialogue around a variety of current personal and societal issues. Class discussions revolve around issues such as societal trust and polarization, media literacy, moral philosophy and ethical dilemmas, and a variety of other topics shaping today's cultural conversations. Students then work to translate these conversation topics into speeches that they write and deliver to the class, as they think about what makes for effective public speaking. Representatives from each class showcase their speeches during the Fourth Form Public Speaking Contest held annually each year.
    • How can we identify problems that need solving and better understand the different solutions that might exist?
    • How can we engage thoughtfully with one another about controversial issues, working to build a sense of trust and collaboration?  
    • How can we advocate for our ideas, both through writing and through public speaking?
    Ultimately, the goal for this course is that it contributes to your becoming informed citizens, ready to engage with and trust one another, and to contribute actively to our society.

List of 4 members.

  • Photo of Patrick Owens

    Patrick Owens 

    Executive Director, Horizons at Westminster & Hartford Partnerships
    (860) 408-3006
  • Photo of Kelly Wosleger

    Kelly Wosleger 

    Fourth Form Dean, Program Director, Horizons at Westminster & Hartford Partnerships
    (860) 408-3731
  • Photo of Katie McKinney

    Katie McKinney 

    Horizons Development Director
    (860) 408-3028
  • Photo of Mary Eckerson

    Mary Eckerson 

    Liaison, Loaves and Fishes

Contact Us

995 Hopmeadow Street
Simsbury, Connecticut 06070

P. (860) 408-3000
F. (860) 408 3001
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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. 
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