Teachers often seek ways for cross-divisional work among students, so that older students can teach younger ones, or students with proficiency in one area can tutor those developing skills as exemplified in the math and English peer tutoring programs in the Upper School. Recently, Upper School students who are native Spanish-speakers (students from Spain, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico) visited Upper and Middle School Spanish 1 classes to help students practice their conversation skills. Spanish 1 students interviewed the Spanish speakers about their homes, and drew pictures based on their conversation. This is just one of the ways our students’ varied experiences and gifts enrich the classroom experience for all.

Additionally, back in February, the youngest members of our community, Primary Circle, joined faculty and students in Upper School for a special visit to the Science Building! Initiated by chemistry teacher Rose Koenig and supported by her science colleagues in the Science Department, students got a taste of chemistry, biology, and robotics in the Upper School. They made giant bubbles, elephant toothpaste, looked through a microscope, and got to try their hand at operating the robots of the Metal Moose, our robotics team. These “crossovers” are reminders that students are teachers, too!

Enjoy the full gallery of photos here.

Director of Outdoor Education Chris Costa, along with trip leaders Elson Blunt, Fran de la Torre-Shu, Justin Boyer, Jodie Driver, and Melinda Janofsky, traveled to the High Peaks Region in New York’s Adirondack Mountains with a group of 23 students during the long winter weekend in February. Costa reports, “We had early mornings and very full days! Students were fully engaged in programming from Friday morning through Monday night. They worked well together and learned a lot about themselves, one another, and the pace and rhythms of traveling together in the mountains. They unplugged while at camp, engaged in family style meals and joined in the work of making our expedition run smoothly.” They hiked, skied, snowboarded, played games in the evening, and shared campfire s’mores. Costa adds that it was not an easy trip, and that was largely by design. Students faced challenges such as those presented by living in rustic accommodations in the winter, practicing the patience required to travel in a large group, learning to ski and/or snowboard, and shifting their relationship with technology. “They displayed resilience and flexibility and reflected in our closing ceremony about ways that they would bring their experience back to their life at Westtown.” Experiences like these are natural team builders, as well as opportunities to be in and learn from nature. Check out some photos from the weekend here!

It is a marvelous thing when students return to campus each fall. Student return is incremental and happens in stages  —athletes arrive for presesaon, then international students, then student leaders, then new students — until at last all students have returned; in all this year, 696 students!

The Opening-of-School process includes orientation sessions, team-building exercises, and fun events for students and families to get to know the school and one another, such as the Lower School Sneak-A-Peak  and the  Middle School Ice Cream Social.

In the Upper School, great care is taken to make students feel welcome and at home, especially those coming from great distances. This year we welcomed students from 21 states and 18 countries! Check out some of  activities offered to students, from special orientation sessions for internationals students to team-building, to a special BBQ, to a night out at Ice Line for ice skating.

This fall, 10 Upper School students hiked 14 miles with heavy packs on steep and rocky terrain on the Appalachian Trail during the Outdoor Education Fall Backpacking Trip. Students carried everything they needed for the weekend on their backs, and learned how to live and travel in the backcountry, including how to work within a group to treat their water, set up camp, build a fire, protect their food from bears, and navigate with a map and compass. Chris Costa, Director of Outdoor Education reports, “Our overnight/morning temperatures were in the low 40s to mid-30s and students layered up and stayed positive. They spent time reflecting together and laughing a lot. They showed great leadership in their support for one another and their ability to meet and push their edges.”  See more from their experience here.