Community and Culture

List of 5 frequently asked questions.

• Affinity and Alliance Groups

  Student Groups

  All as one Feminist Alliance 

  API:Asian Pacific Islander 

  BAG- Black Affinity Group

  Banana Split

  LOC- Ladies of Color

  The Gathering

  GSA-Gender and Sexuality Alliance

  Queer Affinity Group

  ISO-International Student Organization

  Jewnion

  HOLA-Hispanic & LatinX Affinity Group

  WLA- Westminster LatinX Alliance

  Muslim Club

  Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging Board(DEIB Board)

  
  Employee Group
  Faculty and Staff of Color Group
  
  Parent Group
  Parents of Students of Color

• Community Programs

  Community Learning Days are dedicated days for meaningful dialogue, reflection, and connection across our entire community. Led by both students and faculty, these all-campus experiences provide space to explore identity, belonging, and social impact through keynote speakers, interactive workshops and breakout sessions. Topics range from personal reflection and cultural expression to community engagement, social justice, and the arts—deepening our understanding of ourselves and one another.

  
  

  Peer Leaders are a team of Fifth and Sixth Formers who will help design, facilitate, and lead workshops and discussions among their peers on various topics related to empathy, active listening, social justice issues, consent, and other issues. The purpose of the Peer Leadership Program is to help support their peers in building agency, communication skills, and conflict resolution in partnership with the adults in the community. The Peer Leaders will be led by the Dean of Community and Culture, the Dean of Residential Life, and the Health Center.

  
  

  The Mentor/Mentee Program is a leadership program where Fourth Formers provide mentorship to all incoming Third Formers and new Fourth Formers as they transition into life at Westminster. Mentors offer guidance, connection, and encouragement, whether in the dorms, through day student connections, or across academic and extracurricular spaces. In partnership with trusted adults, these mentors help underformers feel seen, supported, and confident as they begin their Westminster journey. 

  
  

  Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Board

  Founded by members of the Class of 2025, the DEIB Board was created to ensure that all student voices are represented in shaping Westminster’s culture. The board’s mission is to bring diverse perspectives into leadership, foster dialogue across differences, and make our community more inclusive and connected.

  
  

  The Chapel Program is one of Westminster School’s oldest traditions that encompasses Judeo-Christian conventions while embracing the world’s religions and philosophies. It offers time for reflection as students, faculty, and guests share experiences through chapel talks or give musical performances. The program encourages members of the school community to think beyond themselves, to appreciate sacrifice and to be compassionate, sensitive, and inclusive.

• Admissions Outreach

  Westminster is committed to recruiting a diverse student body and the Admissions team actively connects with prospective students and families from different backgrounds and experiences in our local communities, across the U.S., and around the world.

   

  We also partner with schools and organizations, including A Better Chance, ASSIST, Capitol Squash, Covenant Prep, the Davis Foundation, Grace Academy, Harlem Lacrosse, Hartford Youth Scholars, LEAD Africa (founded by Will Smith, class of 2010), NJ Seeds, TEAK Fellowship, Ukrainian Global Scholars, and the Wight Foundation. We have strong ties with many private K-8 and junior boarding schools who have committed to increasingly diverse student bodies.  

   

  Where financial assistance is needed, we make every effort to ensure that students not only can attend Westminster, but also fully participate in student life. In addition to offering highly competitive financial aid packages, the Jenny and Bill Philip Fund for Student Support allows us to cover ancillary financial needs, ranging from spending money to significant medical coverage, in the hopes of providing as equitable an experience as possible for all of our students.

   

  Our current families and alumni are our greatest ambassadors, often connecting us with fantastic applicants we might not otherwise reach. We are always appreciative of information about additional opportunities and suggestions.  

• Hartford Partnerships

  Horizons
  Horizons at Westminster students come from Hartford Public Schools for a six-week summer program — starting in first grade and returning every summer through eighth grade. This deep, long-term investment over eight summers is designed to serve the whole child — fostering academic and social development that benefits students, their families and the broader Hartford community.
  
  Loaves and Fishes
  On the second Thursday of each month, this outreach effort draws on several constituents from the Westminster community — faculty, staff, parents and students — and sends a contingent to help serve lunch at Loaves and Fishes, a soup kitchen which assists the very neediest people of Hartford.
  
  Spring Break in Hartford
  During a week in the month of March, the Spring Break in Hartford program seeks to extend its outreach further by lending a hand to various service organizations (like Loaves and Fishes) and schools in Hartford.

• Conferences

  CAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference

  The mission of the CT-SDLC is to bring together students from grades seven through 12 and adults from independent schools across the state for a day of peer-facilitated workshops rooted in cross-cultural understanding and a call to action to improve our school communities and our world.

  
  

  The NAIS People of Color Conference (PoCC) is the flagship of the National Association of Independent Schools’ commitment to equity and justice in teaching, learning, and organizational development. The mission of the conference is to provide a safe space for leadership, professional development, and networking for people of color and allies of all backgrounds in independent schools.

  
  

  NAIS People of Color Conference & Student Diversity Leadership Conference

  The NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference is a multiracial, multicultural gathering of upper school student leaders (grades nine through 12) from across the U.S. and abroad. SDLC focuses on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community.