"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
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Educators Discuss Preparing Students for Life After High School
Westminster hosted educators from around the region Jan. 6 for this year’s Westminster Teaching Symposium titled “To College and Beyond: Preparing Students for Life After High School.”
The keynote speaker was Wendy Fischman, project director of Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The mission of Project Zero is to understand and enhance learning, thinking and creativity for individuals and groups in the arts and other disciplines.
Wendy joined Project Zero in 1995 as a researcher with Project Co-Arts, a study of educationally effective community art centers. Since 1996, she has managed various aspects of the GoodWork® Project, specifically focused on the meaning of work in the lives of young children, adolescents and novice professionals. She has written about education and human development in several scholarly and popular articles and is the lead author of “Making Good: How Young People Cope with Moral Dilemmas at Work.” Wendy co-developed the GoodWork Toolkit, a curriculum designed to introduce students and teachers to the concept of “good work.” Most recently, she is involved in the management of a large, national study on liberal arts and sciences in the 21st century at 10 college campuses.
Before coming to Project Zero, Wendy taught humanities to middle school students and evaluated school reform programs facilitated by a government-sponsored regional laboratory. She received a B.A. from Northwestern University.
Wendy began her presentation by giving an overview of the Good Project. “I come to you as a researcher and a participant,” she said. She discussed how good work is “at once excellent, engaging and ethical.”
“It is important for people to find value in work and enjoy it,” she said. She shared highlights of major findings of the study and the genesis of the GoodWork Took Kit. Following this, she discussed a large-scale national study that is documenting how different groups think about the goals of college and the value of a course of study emphasizing liberal arts and sciences. She shared some of the issues identified from the research and offered takeaways for those in the audience.
After her presentation, those attending the symposium had a chance to attend two breakout sessions given by educators on related topics. Nick Pinkerton of Southern Connecticut State University spoke about “How Student Mental Health Trends Inform Our Work Moving Forward”; Joe Di Christina and Jody Goodman of Trinity College spoke about “Helping Students Transition to College”; and Tim Quinn, Amy Rogers and Lesley Skendarian of Miss Porter’s School spoke about “Miss Porter’s School’s Senior Seminar: Designing Your Life; Purpose, College and Career.”
Following the morning’s presentations, participants shared lunch in Armstrong Dining Hall.
The symposium was sponsored by the Westminster Teaching Initiative (WTI), which was formed in 2010 to enhance teaching and learning at Westminster by encouraging collaboration and dialogue among faculty members and departments about curriculum and pedagogy. The purpose of the symposium is to widen the circle of sharing and allow teachers from area schools to come together, converse and learn from one another. Westminster faculty member Charlie Griffith P’11, ’14, ’17 serves as director of WTI and planned the symposium.
Members of the Westminster faculty concluded the day by further discussing the morning’s presentations in afternoon group meetings. “The hope is the symposium will spark ongoing, productive conversations about what we do and how we do it, and from our follow-up discussions, there is every indication it will do just that,” said Charlie.
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.