We are excited to share news about the newest members of Westtown’s Thespian Troupe! Recently, seven students joined the Thespian Troupe and four seniors received high honors from the program. 

The International Thespian Society is the honor society for students who’ve engaged in over 100 hours of participation in our Theater program. Westtown’s troupe has 32 members and is self-governed. 

The following students were inducted: Lena Johnson ’26, Shawn Sprott ’25, Terry Ma ’25, Jamila Burgos ’27, Emily Kessler ’25, Preston Morefield ’27, and Victoria Potts ’26. 

The following seniors received high honors: Odina Achike ’24, Sasha Khalo ’24, Eric Li ’24, and Jess Schottland ’24. 

One additional note: All new membership fees were paid for by student-organized troupe fundraising this year! 

Congratulations to all!

The Senior Art Show, a long-standing Westtown tradition, opened on May 22. Students, faculty, parents, and community members gathered to celebrate with a reception and viewing. The exhibit was a showcase of senior artists’ creative expression and talents and represents a culmination of their artmaking. Well done, seniors! We invite you to enjoy the wonderful work of our talented senior artists in this gallery here!

Spring is concert season at Westtown, a time when students share their talents with the community. We are grateful for the joyful voices and instruments that filled the theater and the halls of our school. Below are links to images of our student performances. Enjoy!

Enjoy the gallery of photos of the Lower School concert here!

You can see more of the Middle School Concert here!

Enjoy more from the Upper and Middle School Dance Concert here!

Scenes from the Upper School Concert can be found here!

Finally, enjoy the Strings and Sings Concert!

The Upper School Spring Musical, Chicago: Teen Edition, was a smash! Featuring 25 students on and offstage, this was a spectacular production showcasing the many talents of our students. Our thanks to teachers Amy Grebe, Justin Baker, and Jack McManus for helping bring this to the stage! Well, done, everyone!

In case you missed the show, you can view the recording here. We also encourage you to check out the gallery of photos!

Congratulations, Musicians!
Jugad Singh ’27 recently earned First Place at the Crescendo International Music Competition with the Penn Youth Orchestra at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York City! Eva Jaumann ’25 performed on oboe at District Band performing on oboe and Katherine Graham ’25 performed at District Orchestra on viola.

Chester County Band Fest
Congratulations to the Westtown sixth graders who were selected to participate in the Chester County Band Fest at West Chester East High School! The annual festival included 20 local elementary and middle schools in the Chester County area, and Jillian Burke-Huyette, Norah Davidson, Diego Fernandez, Lucas Roberts, and Solomon Yiadom represented Westtown Middle School. These talented musicians are pictured here with teacher Jason Wu, Lower and Middle School Instrumental Music teacher.

PAEA Exhibition
March is Youth Art Month, a national effort to raise visibility for visual arts education. Congratulations to several of our Middle School students who were featured in the Pennsylvania Art Education Association (PAEA) Youth Art Month Exhibition this year: Rose Cook ’28, Quinn Galey ’30, Trinity Ingram ’28, Piper Lowe ’28, Harrison Rupp ’28, and Scout Shipley ’28. You can see the exhibition and their amazing work here!  A very special congratulations to McKenna Lausch, the recipient of the statewide Middle Division Award. In addition to being showcased on the exhibition as an awardee, the image of McKenna’s work is displayed on a banner in the Capitol. Her original work, entitled Bookworm (pictured below), is displayed in our Westtown Library with award information and a QR code to the exhibition.

Summer Guo’s ’24 submission entitled “Bloom” for grade 12  has been accepted for display at this year’s national exhibition, held in conjunction with the annual international conference of NCECA, The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts.

There were an enormous number of entries, and we commend Summer on this achievement! Ceramics teacher Stephanie Wilhelm notes, “The work submitted at all levels was outstanding. Seen as part of the larger frame of current work from our schools, these submissions demonstrate the inspirational impact ceramic education is having upon a wide range of students.” Join us in congratulating Summer!

Students in the University of the Arts photography program curated and hosted a juried photography exhibit for high school students entitled Sense of Place. Eric Li ’24 won second place for his photo “In My World.” Junior Coco Chen’s photo “Till the End” was selected for the exhibition as were two of senior James Madonia’s photos, “Return” and “Lost.” Congratulations to all three student photographers on this prestigious recognition!

Congratulations to our many talented artists and musicians!

The Visual and Performing Arts Department embarked on its first-ever Upper School Philadelphia Arts Trip! Fifty-four students in various music, printmaking, collage, photography, ceramics, theater design, and dance courses joined Upper School Arts Department faculty, who led students through the city to participate in tours, hands-on activities, and observe professionals and professional environments. 

Music students and teachers Robert Frazier and Dwayne Morris were treated to a private performance by a student trio followed by Q&A about the creative process, techniques, and connections to the wider music community. Then they toured the University of Arts with Professor Micah Jones, the Instrumental Performance Program Director at the School of Music. 

A cohort of students and teachers Shannon Moriarty and DeVon Jackson focused on printmaking, collage, and photography. They met with Intisar Hamilton from The Dox Thrash Project who led a walking tour of Historic Sharwood. She spoke about legacy, the preservation of neighborhoods, and the rich history of Black Philadelphia. At the Cecil B. Moore Library, they explored different materials to create collages and prints as we processed our day together. Lynn Grant from Collage Philadelphia facilitated this workshop alongside Intisar. 

Ceramics students, along with teachers Stephanie Wilhelm and Omar Otero, visited The Clay Studio of Philadelphia, which is one of the best local clay studios, galleries, residencies, and community programs in the area. They took a class with artists and teachers Maya Wasileski and Hunter Fussell making handbuilt forms of their choice and learning and incorporating surface decoration techniques such as stamping, sgraffito, inlay, monoprinting, and underglaze painting. They also visited the Resident artist studios and met artists Ruth Easterbrook and Josephine Mette Larsen as they worked in their studios. 

Teachers Justin Baker and Jack McManus headed the group of students interested in theater design and technology.  Their group got to experience the professional world of production with a backstage tour at the University of the Arts, where they discussed real-world case studies on theatrical design and technology. They met with University of the Arts program Technical Director Joe Fasciano and toured several theater spaces throughout the campus. 

Students in our Elements Dance Ensemble ( as well as students interested in learning something new!) joined dance teacher Amy Grebe as they took a House and Street Jazz Masterclass at Urban Movement, which was led by teaching artist and dancer Alexis Curiel.

It was a wonderful day and our students enjoyed their behind-the-scenes look at professional life in these creative fields!

Enjoy the more photos from this exciting day here.

Westtown Lower School, and Lower School art teachers Jane Chesson and Kelly Nicholson, were pleased to welcome New York City-based artist, Todd Drake as our 2024 Candace Freeman Artist-in-Residence. Todd is a Quaker printmaker and street artist whose artwork addresses the themes of peace, resilience, and community. Todd worked alongside PK – 5th grade students during their art classes throughout the week-long residency to learn the process of lino-cut printmaking. Students learned about concept planning, carving linoleum-style printing blocks, and all had a chance to “pull a print.” Drake will take the student work back to his NYC studio to create a collaborative mixed-media collage, which will feature his own work alongside student prints and will be installed in the Lower School later this spring. Enjoy photos of Drake working with students here.

The Artist-in-Residence Program began over thirty years ago and focuses on bringing professional artists to Westtown Lower School to share their artistic process and inspiration with our students. The opportunity for young artists to work alongside a professional artist is a valuable and important piece of our arts curriculum. You can see many of the Artist-in-Residence projects from years past throughout the Lower School hallways.