Westtown School / About / Publications / eCollections / Page 22

Living Museum

Stacey Lopez on June 30, 2023

The 4th grade social studies curriculum focuses on the history of this continent from pre-European contact through the abolishment of slavery. It is based on the queries Who’s telling the story? Whose voices are missing? and seeks to amplify the voices in history that have often not been heard. Teachers Shelagh Wilson and Colby van Alen build a strong foundation by having in-depth conversations with students. They clearly articulate the impact of a young learner embodying the spirit of a person who fought for human rights and, because of this, Westtown 4th graders have access to true and accurate history. Furthermore, students gain firsthand knowledge of how people sacrificed their lives to progress towards a fair and just society. 

Their studies culminate with doing deep dives into the lives of historical abolitionists, then presenting the Living Museum, to which families and fellow Lower Schoolers were invited, where they share the work, struggles, and successes of many notable abolitionists. Well done, 4th graders! You can see the Living Museum here!

Middle School Visiting Artist

Stacey Lopez on June 30, 2023

The Middle School and the Visual Arts Department welcomed guest artist Todd Drake to campus this spring. Drake is a printmaker, photographer, and educator, who worked with our students to create a permanent art installation in the Middle School main hallway. Drake and students made linocut prints inspired by the Quaker SPICES (simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship) and put together collages of these prints that now hang in the Middle School. “[They] beautifully reflect a few essential elements of our students’ experience,” shared Principal Will Addis. “These collages bring together the collected perspectives of nearly 100 students, creating something new and beautiful through collaboration…and remind us of the importance of making space for every voice. The ideas that inspired the students are built on the same values that guide our curriculum and program today and have also influenced Westonians for 224 years.” Drake’s visit was supported by Alex Ates, Director of Visual and Performing Arts, and Middle School art teachers Cindy Hodgson and Marta Willgoose Salo, who co-led this project. The next time you’re on campus, stop by the Middle School to have a look at the installations.

Spotlight on Performing Arts

Stacey Lopez on June 30, 2023

Upper School Musical

Our spring musical, Broadway Our Way, was a smashing success! We congratulate the 55 students onstage, backstage, and in Scenic Arts Design who put together such an incredible production. This musical review featured songs from Hadestown, Spring Awakening, Beetlejuice, and others. You can enjoy photos from the musical here. 

Spring Dance Concert

The Spring Dance Concert, A Bouquet of Movement, featured wonderful performances by Elements Dance Company, Middle School Dance, and original pieces choreographed by other Upper School Students! You can appreciate their artistry in this gallery here! 

Middle School Concert

Middle School’s final concert of the year was an opportunity for students to sing, play, and shine! In case you missed it, here is a gallery of photos of the Spring Concert.

Lower School Spring Concert

Lower Schoolers did an amazing job at their Spring Concert. Please enjoy the gallery of their performance here!

PMEA District Band Honors

Congratulations to our students Milo Salvucci ’23 (center), Ella Cook ’24 (right), and Solveig-Michael Daniels ’23 (left) who were invited to attended the PMEA District Band Festival, and a special shoutout to Milo! After being selected for District Band, District Orchestra, Region Band, and Region Orchestra, Milo has reached the highest level a high school musician can achieve by earning a place in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) All-State Festival music ensembles. For Milo, this is the third year in a row he has reached this level. This year, he was selected as the top percussionist in Concert Band. Congratulations to Milo and all our talented musicians! 

Sports Roundup Spring 2023

Stacey Lopez on June 30, 2023

There are many highlights from the spring season of athletics to lift up as the school year comes to a close!

  • The girls varsity lacrosse team wins its first Quaker Cup Championship!
  • Boys lacrosse advanced to the Friends School League (FSL) Finals. They had an impressive season, beating two nationally ranked-teams.
  • The baseball team also advanced to the FSL Finals. Jack Ingino ’23  pitched a perfect game.
  • The girls softball team advanced to the FSL Semi-Finals. Junior Lucia Sanchez pitched a perfect game! 
  • Two school records were broken in track and field this year: Santi Benbow ’23 broke the record in the javelin throw, Ella Cook ’24 broke the record for the girls 800m! 

And, drumroll please…Westtown wins the 2023 Patterson Cup, earning it back from George School! The Patterson Cup is a yearlong athletic competition between Westtown and rival George School. 

Girls varsity lacrosse team wins the Quaker Cup!

In addition to team achievements, the following athletes garnered Friends Schools League recognition on the All-League Team: 

First Team Selection

  • Santi Benbow ’23 (track)
  • Jack Combs ’23 (lacrosse)
  • Ella Cook ’24 (track)
  • Taj Donald ’23 (baseball)
  • Matt Hamill ’24 (lacrosse)
  • Jack Ingino ’23 (baseball)
  • Michelle Olak ’24 (track)
  • Dylan Precious ’24 (golf)
  • Lucia Sanchez ’24 (softball)
  • Bella Swipes ’23 (lacrosse)
  • Carl Wagner ’23 (baseball)

Honorable Mention

  • Charlotte Anstine ’25 (golf)
  • Jack Bartholomae ’26 (tennis)
  • Arjun Gill ’24 (lacrosse)
  • Sophie Jones ’25 (lacrosse)
  • Delia Sanchez ’27 (softball)
  • Noah Snyder ’24 (lacrosse)

The spring season Waring Award winners are: Jack Combs ’23, Avery Allison ’23, and Jack Ingino ’23. The Waring Award recognizes athletes who may not have titles and accolades, but who tirelessly strive for excellence, persevere through hardship, and elevate their teammates with their positive attitudes. It is for those who have devoted their hearts and souls to their teammates, their coaches, and their school.

Waring Award Recipients

Waring Award Recipients

Finally, we lift up the the recipients of the Most Valuable Athlete Awards (from left): Lucia Sanchez ’24 (softball), Jack Combs ’23 (lacrosse), Michelle Olak ’24 (track and field), Ella Cook ’24 (track and field), Jack Ingino ’23 (baseball), Carl Wagner ’23 (baseball), and Santi Benbow ’23 (track and field).

Congratulations to all our student athletes for a great spring season! You can enjoy team photo galleries from the school year here. 

Westtown Toile, Spirit Gear, and More!

Stacey Lopez on June 30, 2023

Introducing the Westtown Toile collection. This collection features images of iconic buildings on the school’s campus. Using the school’s rich archive of historic photographs, artist Joe Kulesza meticulously interpreted each building in pen and ink. The sketches were then digitized, enhanced with elements of the surrounding natural landscape, and put into repeat. The resulting fabric and wallpaper collection is produced by Adaptive Textiles/Lodestone Collective, a local company with alum and teacher ties to Westtown School. Click here to view the collection. Learn more about the print design here. A portion of the proceeds of the sale of these items support the school.

Looking for spirit gear or gifts? Visit Westtown’s online store here. Did you know you can personalize your gear with your name, graduation year, or more? Watch how easy it is to do here.

Westtown Toile Pouf

Metal Moose Motors To Worlds

Stacey Lopez on March 27, 2023

After the FIRST Robotics game was revealed on January 7, the Metal Moose robotics team got to work designing and constructing their robot. After many iterations and trials, they landed on their final designs. These systems combined to form “BAMI,” their robot for the 2023 FRC Season.

At their first competition in March, over thirty members of the team participated in a 3-day district qualifying competition. They were finalists (losing the tiebreaker in a close match), came home with two performance trophies, and qualified for the district championship. They won the Autonomous Award for the robot that best integrates environment sensing with robot performance through programming; the other award recognized their ascent to the finals.

On a weekend in early April, there was another 33-hour marathon event and the Metal Moose won the competition as well as the Excellence in Engineering Award for “design elegance and engineering robustness, performance, and full-machine integration.” They were ranked 8th in their district and 88th in the world among 3,297 teams. The intense work, focused collaboration, and iterative progress these students have taken this year now place the Metal Moose in the top 3% in the world.

By the end of the district championship, they had moved up to 7th in the district, 87th in the United States, and won the Quality Award which “celebrates machine robustness in concept, design and fabrication. Building the robot is only part of their success and the judges recognize them as a quality example to others.” This performance also qualified them for the FIRST [For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology] World Championships once again and they headed for Houston. After three exciting days, Team 1391 and their alliance partners made it into the semi-finals, where they performed well but ultimately did not qualify for the finals. Now back home,  finishing in the top 7% of all teams in the world, the team is meeting to review the year, identify systems for improvement, and set goals for next year, which include aspirations for another trip to the World Championship in 2024. Well, done, Metal Moose!

Check out the galleries of student photos from their competitions here!

Visiting Artists Share Their Talents with Our Students

Stacey Lopez on March 27, 2023

Recently, Philadelphia-based artist Tim McFarlane came to our Lower School to teach as the 2023 Candace Freeman Artist-in-Residence. Along with the students, he created four panels that will hang in the Lower School hallways. Tim’s paintings and collages include vibrant colors, layers, and expressive marks, or “glyphs,” that are representative of a unique visual language that Tim has developed over time. The Visiting Artist Program began over thirty years ago and focuses on bringing professional artists to Westtown’s Lower School who embrace a child-like approach to exploring their own creativity. The opportunity for young artists to work alongside a professional artist to learn about abstract art and explore varied art media is a valuable and an important piece of our arts curriculum. Enjoy the gallery of photos from McFarlane’s visit!

Thanks to the McLear Artist in Residence Fund, Westtown welcomed ceramicist and sculptor Kourtney Stone to Stephanie Wilhelm’s Upper School ceramics classes. Stone worked virtually for a time with Upper School art students teaching how to sculpt eyes and mouths on clay tiles. Then, during her week-long residency on campus, she worked with students on making silicone molds of their tiles and instructed them on pressing and molding techniques to make multiple clay casts. Through this project, students learned about close observation, creativity, and the unique history carried within every person. You can see examples of student work and photos from Stone’s time on campus here. Stone’s work, along with the work students did with her, will be featured in an upcoming show in the gallery.  She will return to campus for the opening reception on April 28, and will once again visit Wilhelm’s classes.