Seven Upper School students, along with teachers Elson Blunt, Tom Berrian, and Director of Outdoor Education Chris Costa, traveled to the Delaware Water Gap for the Outdoor Education Fall Backpacking Trip. They hiked on a section of the Appalachian Trail with heavy packs on steep and rocky terrain. During their unplugged weekend, they learned how to live and travel in the backcountry including how to work within a group to set up camp, build a fire, protect their food from bears, navigate with a map and compass, and cook delicious food. Costashared that despite the rain and cooler temperatures, students layered up and stayed positive while 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. And, she added, “All of the students expressed so much gratitude for the opportunity to challenge themselves in this way.” You can see more from their mountain adventure here!
Students in teacher Abby Lausch’s seventh grade English class had the wonderful opportunity to have a conversation with Amy Sarig King, author of Attack of the Black Rectangles, which they are reading in class. The students are having conversations about censorship and access to books. Lausch shares, “We’ve talked about lists of books that are banned in some schools and reasons why, and students have reflected (in writing) on whether they agree with this censorship. We are focusing mostly on the activism that we read about in the book and are learning persuasive communications skills. In the novel, the main character and friends write persuasive letters, protest in their town, and speak at school board meetings. We are practicing all of those same skills: practicing debates, preparing presentations for a school board/town council meeting, and writing persuasive letters. We will also be doing some research about young activists in the real world and studying some of their strategies.”
It was an engaging visit with Sarig King and she spent time answering students’ questions.
Our Lower School artists participated in a beloved Westtown tradition—our Mask Parade! Students designed and created their one-of-a-kind masks in their art classes then showed them off to cheering families and friends. We loved seeing frogs, unicorns, hot dogs, and more parading by! Enjoy their creativity here!
We were honored to welcome author Patricia Park as our first Shoemaker Visiting Lecturer of the school year in September. Park is a tenured professor of Literature at American University, Fulbright scholar in Creative Arts, Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, and author of the debut young adult novel, Imposter Syndrome & Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim, which some students chose for their summer reading. She is also the author of the acclaimed adult novel, Re Jane, a Korean American reimagining of Brontë’s Jane Eyre named Editors’ Choice by The New York Times Book Review; Best Books of 2015 by American Library Association; O, The Oprah Magazine pick; NPR “Fresh Air” pick; and others. She has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Guardian, Salon, and others.
After an engaging lecture on Monday evening, Park had breakfast with some faculty members on Tuesday morning, then met with students to talk about the book, the writing process, identity, and imposter syndrome. She also met with students in the Asian Student Association and Multiracial Student Union. It was a wonderful visit and we were thrilled to host the Shoemaker Visiting Lecturer Series once again.
See our Community Section below for information about the next in our Shoemaker Visiting Lecturer series.
On Friday, October 3, 2023, members of the Board of Trustees, donors, students, Visual and Performing Arts Department faculty, and community members gathered for the groundbreaking for the Center for the Living Arts (CLA). Anne Roche, Clerk of the Board of Trustees, opened the ceremony and read the land acknowledgement, and Head of School Chris Benbow, Director of Pre-K- 12 Visual and Performing Art Alex Ates, and ninth grader Jamila Burgos shared in the ceremony before ground was broken.
The groundbreaking marks the beginning of the third phase of the CLA renovation and expansion. During Phase I, renovations included creating a dedicated sculpture studio, a natural-light ceramics studio, and a reconfigured digital arts lab. The rehearsal spaces for choral and instrumental music were revitalized, state-of-the-art soundproof music practice rooms were created, and the green room and dressing rooms for theater productions were updated.
Phase II of this project focused on the Barton-Test Theater which received wall finishings to sharpen acoustics, a new theatrical sound systems and lighting, HVAC installation, new catwalks, expanded storage and safety upgrades, and aesthetic renovations to the scene shop and costume storage areas.
Head of School Chris Benbow shared with the gathering, “The vision for this final phase of the renewal speaks to our collective belief in the importance of the arts at Westtown. It will tie the entire Center together by means of an exciting addition, replacing unused space with a stunning gallery, creating a formal visual arts wing, adding flex performance space, and common gathering areas. Alongside critical modifications for accessibility and an aesthetic upgrade of the building’s façade, we will take advantage of one of the most beautiful vistas on the Westtown campus with additional outdoor education space, tying the community together around the arts.”
Alex Ates, Director of Pre-K-12 Visual and Performing Arts, said, “To mark this occasion, I’d like to make three brief points as to why I love the name ‘The Center for the Living Arts.’ First, the word ‘center.’ Not only is this facility the center of operations for our artistic activity, it is also in the center of Westtown’s campus. When I first visited Westtown, it moved me that the CLA was located right next to the Meeting House, as both facilities feel like soul siblings, both are containers designed to induce divine expression and the equally divine reception of expression. Another way to think about the word ‘center’ is that the process of centering before Meeting for Worship is a similar process to centering before creating art, or receiving art. When we center ourselves, we ground ourselves in place. We also connect with others, we meet each other where we stand. Second, I love the term ‘living arts.’ We all agree that this building will be state of the art and will be a testament to Westtown’s commitment to creative expression. However, it’s a building. What I’m most excited about are the experiences of living that this building will contain, elucidate, and catapult. The arts are a way of expressing our aliveness. At a school like Westtown, where we see folks grow through childhood, we see a lot of living. This building will center the art and the heart of all that living. Finally, I’ll note that our department has been intentional in preparing for this moment to ensure that everyday we center living arts…As a department, we have cleared and aligned our thinking to ensure that we’ll engage these new facilities with mission-driven zest.”
Jamila Burgos ’27, winner of the North Penn High School Black History Month Oratorical Contest and winner of the Winner of the Valley Forge Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Patriots Challenge, read a poem she wrote to celebrate the event entitled, The beauty of the world fit into one moment. You can read her poem here.
The special (and wonderful!) shovels used for the groundbreaking were created under the leadership and guidance of Middle School Art Teacher Cindy Hodgson, now in her twenty-first year at Westtown. Her Eighth Grade Visual Arts classes decorated the shovels to represent the various artistic disciplines taught at Westtown. The designs and artwork used on the shovels were inspired by visiting artist Todd Drake who worked with Middle School students during his residency last year to create linocut prints based on the Quaker SPICES: simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship.
At the conclusion of the groundbreaking—and just as the rain clouds opened—the gathering enjoyed a lovely reception in the Science Center. You can see more photos from the event here.
On a final note, we share our thanks to this community! Every phase of this exciting project was made possible through a tremendous outpouring of generosity from alums, parents, parents of alums, and friends of Westtown.
Stay tuned to eCollections and other publications for updates on the progress of the CLA!
More than 300 students and their families attended the Independent School Equity and Access Conference and College Fair. Since 2005, Westtown has hosted this biennial conference and college fair with a goal of creating space for substantive conversations with students and their families regarding issues of belonging, equity, access, inclusion, and allyship. The event had a variety of panel presentations, student-led discussions, and a college fair with almost 100 colleges represented. Thank you to Marje Ireland, Jay Farrow, our College Counseling team, guest panelists, and all who participated making this event such a success! And thanks, also, to student photographer Coco Chen ’25 who captured these images of this special day!
Join us on January 6, 2024 on Coach Downey Court to see our alums, parents/guardians, faculty, and staff in action for our annual Westtown Community Basketball Game! Whether you want to participate in the game or cheer from the stands, you’ll have a great time. Be sure to come before the game and stay after to support our girls and boys varsity basketball teams as well! Register to play here! See below for a schedule for the games.
3:00 p.m. – Girls Varsity vs. Fort Erie International 4:00 p.m. – Check-in and warm-up for Community Players 4:30 p.m. – Tipoff for Community Game 5:30 p.m. – Post-Game Reception for Community Players 6:00 p.m. – Boys Varsity vs. Olympus Prep
Parents and guardians have been engaging in learning and reflection in the “Quakerism in the Curriculum” informational sessions. Led by Dean of Faculty and Innovation Chris Wills, these sessions have examined how Westtown incorporates Quaker teachings and values into its curriculum and programming across the divisions, and explored Meeting for Worship. The next session will be January 23 at 6:00 p.m. in the Belfry and will be facilitated by Director of Pre-K-12 Visual and Performing Arts Alex Ates. This session will cover how Quakerism and Quaker values shape the Visual and Performing Arts curriculum. It is open to current parents/guardians who are new to Quakerism, who would like a refresher, or who would simply like to participate. If you would like to join us, please RSVP here.
We were fortunate, and it seemed fitting, to have a beautiful day when we gathered as a whole school to celebrate the start of the year! Students, faculty, and staff assembled in the Greenwood for our Opening-of-School Assembly. Head of School Chris Benbow kicked off the festivities, then our Student Body Presidents—seniors Zaria Johnson, Kien Dang, and Olivia Bley—led the crowd in cheers. Finally, Benbow led the traditional roll call of the classes to great fanfare. There was even a special appearance by the moose! Check out the photos here.
Sheryl Oring will be our next guest in the Shoemaker Visiting Lecturer series. She will do a performance of I Wish to Say on the Granolithic during the academic day for students and faculty; the lecture will be on April 8, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. in the Barton-Test Theater. This lecture is open to members of the whole Westtown community, but is not open to the public.
For I Wish to Say, artist Sheryl Oring sets up a makeshift public office—complete with a manual typewriter—and invites members of the public to dictate postcards to the U.S. President. Each card is typed verbatim; originals are sent to the White House and Oring keeps a carbon copy for her project archive. Oring has presented more than 100 performances at dozens of venues across the country.
Since launching the I Wish to Say project in 2004, artist Sheryl Oring has typed more than 4,000 postcards to U.S. Presidents from dozens of locations across the U.S. She is a Creative Capital grantee and her book, Activating Democracy: The I Wish to Say Project, was published by the University of Chicago Press. Oring is Dean of the School of Art at University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
