Shoemaker Visiting Lecturer Series Presents: Negin Farsad Monday, November 17, 2025 7:30 p.m. in the Barton-Test Theater
We invite you to our next Shoemaker presentation by comedian Negin Farsad. Farsad is a TEDFellow and gave a TEDTalk on social justice comedy seen by millions. She is a regular on NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and Neil deGrasse Tyson’s StarTalk. She is author of How to Make White People Laugh and host of the podcast Fake the Nation. You can see her on Hillary Clinton’s Gutsy Women on AppleTV+.
Saturday, September 20, 2025 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Join us for food, fellowship, and family fun! FallFest is a carnival-like event for the entire Westtown community. There will be food trucks, games, crafts, prizes, and so many more special activities. We hope to see you there!
For more information about FallFest or volunteering, please contact Bridget Cadden.
In the Lower School, the last Meeting for Worship of the school year honors fifth graders and their graduation from Lower School. Each student stands from the facing benches to share a thoughtful reflection about their time in Lower School, then Meeting for Worship is observed. It is wonderful tradition that centers on each student’s experience. Congratulations to our rising sixth graders!
Eighth graders, their families, and Middle School faculty gathered on June 4, 2025 to celebrate the Middle School Closing ceremony. As they were presented with their certificate, recordings of each students’ reflections on their time in Middle School were shared. The ceremony also featured student performances, and messages from Middle School Principal Will Addis and Head of School Chris Benbow ’90. Following the graduation, families gathered in the Center for the Living Arts for a lovely reception. Congratulations to our rising ninth graders!
On a joyful (but soggy!) June 7, the Class of 2025 processed into the Greenwood to receive their diplomas. This class joins a vibrant alum community that spans the years and the globe. We wish them well as they set off upon their next endeavors!
We have created a web page for the Class of 2025 where you can watch individual videos of our Commencement speakers, get links to the Commencement photo galleries, and see where some of our graduates are off to in the College Shirt Day gallery. We invite you to watch the Commencement in its entirety below!
It was wonderful to welcome so many alums back to campus for the 2025 Alums Weekend! Thanks to all who attended and to the staff, faculty, and students who worked hard to make the weekend a succuess. There will be much more about Alums Weekend in the next issue of The Westonian, but in the meantime, you can enjoy photos from the weekend here!
Director of Athletics Mich Canuso-Bedesem, sums up the awesome spring sports season:
This spring was a rainy yet exciting time in Westtown Athletics! All of our spring teams qualified for the Friends Schools League (FSL) playoffs which is a first for Westtown, at least in the last decade. The Oak Lane Athletic Complex hosted games and practices for the first time and our Middle School baseball team had their first season on the new Middle school baseball field.
The girls lacrosse team made the FSL playoffs for the first time since 2006. This is a huge step for the program as they finished just shy of the playoffs the past two seasons. Additionally, senior Sophie Jones broke Westtown’s all time goal’s record scoring 210 goals in her career.
Our baseball team was hit with the injury bat this season but still managed to take a spring break trip to Florida, secure a winning record, and advance to the FSL semi-finals for the eighth year in a row.
We hosted our very first “Under the Lights” game this spring for our boys lacrosse Senior Night game against league rival Shipley. It was a beautiful night and the team played an amazing game and beat the Gators! Boys lacrosse finished 2nd in the FSL losing a heartbreaking game in overtime in the FSL Championship match up with ANC.
Westtown hosted the FSL Track and Field Championships this spring. It was an exciting event and two records were broken. Laila Atkins’27 broke her own school records in the discus and shot put and Charlie Reed ’28 broke the 100m hurdles record. Both went on to win the state championship in their respective events.
Our golf, softball, and tennis teams had solid performances this year and their ranks are filled with young talent eager to make their mark on the FSL in years to come.
We welcomed alums and current players for a Westtown Alums Field hockey event on Alums Day. This event allowed our alums to check out the new field and our current players a chance to play on the turf since it wasn’t completed until after the season. Some alums jumped in to play with our current students while others cheered from the Clubhouse or stands. We even had two board members—Emily Abels and Liz Osterman—come out in support!
Westtown student athletes continue to be amongst the best in the FSL and we took home 23 FSL All League and Honorable Mention recognitions this spring!
Finally, congratulations to the seniors (new graduates) who signed their National Letters of Intent to play their respective sports in college. They are:
Charlotte Anstine – Dickinson College (golf) Francisco Benbow – Lafayette College (soccer) Angelis Bolivar – Adrian College (softball) Avery Canady – F&M College (track) Mason Davis – Rhodes College (lacrosse) Ella Dobrzelewski – Penn State, Harrisburg (field hockey) Jayden Forsythe – West Virginia Univ. (basketball) Vianna Kanyamiheto-Watson – Swarthmore College (basketball) Landon Laney – Hampton University (lacrosse) Rariwonote Maracle – Clarkson Univ. (lacrosse) Kash Sanders – Rosemont College (basketball)
Spring is the time our students showcase their musical talents and demonstrate all they’ve learned throughout the year. If you missed the concerts you can at least enjoy photos our students’ performance here!
The Lower Schoolers sang, danced, drummed their hearts out at their end-of-year concert! See the gallery here.
The Middle School strings ensemble, band, and chorus regaled the crowds at their spring performances, one in the Barton-Test theater, and one showcase in the Center for the Living Arts. Enjoy the photos here!
Bravo to our Upper School musicians on their wonderful performances! String Orchestra (photos by Coco Chen ’25), Symphonic Band, and Jazz Ensemble performed for our community a diverse repertoire written by composers from around the world. The String Orchestra and Symphonic Band also performed at The Hickman, a Quaker retirement home in West Chester, to share live music with their residents. Their performances showcased their hard work and talents! There are more photos of their performances here!
The spring dance concert, entitled A Bouquet of Movement, was a celebration of our graduating seniors and their work. There were also student-crafted dances from Upper School and Middle School dancers and collaborative work led by dance teacher Amy Grebe. You can enjoyphotos from their wonderful performance here!
On Friday May 30, our 7th and 8th grade band students participated in their first Trills and Thrills Music Festival. This festival has events throughout the country hosting school music ensembles from elementary to high school to participate in an adjudicated performance before spending the day celebrating at an amusement park. This year the 7th and 8th grade band and their director Jason Wu went to Boyertown Area High School for their adjudication, where they performed two pieces and earned an Excellent Rating which is the second highest rating in the event. They spent the rest of the day at Dorney Park! Well, done middle schoolers!
