The first in-person performance since November 2019 took place in the newly renovated theater on Sunday, December 12. The performance featured Symphonic Band, String Orchestra, and Jazz Ensemble. Students were eager to share their music with a live audience once again. The concert was also recorded, so if you’d like to see the concert, visit LocalLive. Enjoy the photo gallery, too!
Double congratulations are in order for Jake Richards ’22! Last year, Jake was named one of the top clarinetists in the state of Pennsylvania as part of the All State Music Festival. This gave him the opportunity to, alongside all of the All State clarinetists in each of the other states, to audition for the All Nationals Ensembles. Jake auditioned this fall and was accepted into the All-National Concert Band making him one of the top high school clarinet players in the country. In addition to performing with Westtown School’s Jazz Ensemble and Symphonic Band, Jake plays with the prestigious Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. In addition, earlier this year Jake was named a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist. Congratulations, Jake!
The annual International Festival was back in full swing this year! A celebration of the countries and cultures that make up our school community, the festival offered delicious food, memorabilia, cultural activities, and conversations about cultural heritage. New this year were “cultural stations” that were set up in Main Hall classrooms where students and adults could stop in to learn more and sample foods. Thanks to the International Student Organization student leaders, Assistant International Student Coordinator Bei Zhang, and the many students, families, and community members who participated in creating this rich and fun event! Enjoy the full gallery of photos here.
In teacher Natalie Cheung’s sixth-grade science class, students
took on the role of urban planners that specialize in renewable energies. They explored the question: How can we build greener cities? In the culminating project, students applied their knowledge by designing renewable energy plans for different cities based on their climate data, location, and population. In addition to communicating their plans in writing, students also designed ad campaigns intended to convince residents of the city to invest in and support the switch to their renewable energy plan. These kinds of real-world, hands-on projects are hallmarks of Westtown’s inquiry-driven science program.
Just before the fall break, Upper School students enjoyed a special Community Dinner, an Indigenous Peoples/Thanksgiving Dinner “In celebration and Thanksgiving for the Land of the Original Peoples.” This was the first sit-down, family-style dinner in the Dining Room since February of 2020, and it was wonderful to break bread and give thanks together once again. Kyren Lazore ’22, his mother, and his aunt joined our kitchen team to prepare delicious traditional Indigenous recipes like haudenosaunee corn soup, frybread, roasted chestnuts, among others. You can enjoy the entire gallery of photos here!
Third grader teacher Vicki Shelter writes, “Shrinidhi Venkatakrishnan and Geet Sandhu taught second and third graders about Diwali and what the holiday means to them. Shrinidhi is Hindu and Geet is a Sikh, and they explained that Diwali means light over darkness. They shared their religious stories and how they celebrate Diwali. They set up tables in the Lower School lobby filled with artifacts such as clothing, food, diyas, spices, bracelets and more, and arranged tables so that they could each teach a lesson to their classmates. At one table, students colored in a premade rangoli that Shrinidhi and Geet designed. At the other table, the lesson was how to create a rangoli with different colored sands which were in shakers. After the activities were over, Geet and Shrinidhi gave each student a diya, which is a candle that symbolizes goodness, purity, and light, and a bindi for them to wear on their forehead. The girls did a fabulous job teaching and the second and third graders loved their lessons!”
In the Upper School, a Diwali Community Dinner was hosted by the South Asian Affinity (SAA) Group with a special menu of delicious Indian foods. After the meal, students retired to the East End Student Lounge where the SAA offered engaging community sharing about the Festival of Lights and an outside celebration with sparklers! Enjoy the full gallery here.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in many Asian countries and, as students leaders in our International Student Organization (ISO) reminded us, “It is an occasion for family reunions and community unity. There was a special dinner in the Dining Room to celebrate and the menu included mooncakes, which are an important part of the celebration in many cultures. The ISO made a video about the ways they celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. Check it out!
Middle School students in Kaiyao Ni’s Chinese class made mooncakes in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, shown below.
Masks have been created and worn as expressions of art throughout history and across cultures, from Kabuki dancers in Japan to Taino Vejigante masks at Carnival. Different cultures have different reasons and occasions for creating and wearing masks. The Chinese Dragon Dance brings good luck at New Years, the Mexican Day of the Dead festival connects ancestors on All Souls Day, while the Yoruba Masquerade in Nigeria might be worn to ensure an abundance at harvest.
In Lower School during art classes, students have been designing, creating, and animating masks for over forty years! Teacher Jeff Waring inherited the Halloween Mask Parade upon his arrival in 1991, and has worked with several visiting artists to develop themes and forms. When the school expanded in 2002, Teacher Jeanne Watson-Smith, now retired, came aboard and added her mark on the evolving art show on sneakers, and now Teacher Kelly Nicholson has joined in the creative fun. While our parade coincides with Halloween, it is more than just a spooky surprise. Our parade presents creative interpretations from a spectrum of inspiration, from tiny bugs to imaginary aliens. It is an occasion to celebrate the diversity of our planet and the creativity within each of us. Marvel at all the students’ creativity here!
An integral part of the Upper School student experience is participating in clubs and affinity groups. It’s so important in student life that club periods are built into the academic schedule. There are a host of student clubs to join and, if there’s not a club that suits as student’s particular interest, they can start their own. This year’s Club Fair, the opportunity for students get to learn what clubs are available to them, was held outside on a beautiful day. There are a whopping 40 clubs this year that represent student interest in everything from visual and literary arts to politics and social activism to sports and hobbies to service and philanthropy — and myriad topics in between. These groups offer shared social time, an opportunity to develop a passion or focus on a favorite topic, and leadership opportunities for students.
Since 2005, Westtown has hosted the biennial access, equity, and inclusion program called the Independent School Multicultural Conference and College Fair on its campus. Westtown took the best of its in-person program to create a virtual program, and changed its name to reflect the mission of the event. The 2021 Westtown Independent School Equity & Access Conference and College Fair partnered with StriveScan to host a variety of panel presentations, student-led discussions, and a virtual college fair on Saturday, November 13, 2021. There was no charge for high school students, parents, guardians, or high school/community-based-organizations (CBOs).
The morning started with the keynote address by Dr. T. J. Snowden, Director of Admissions at Recruitment at Morehouse College, and a lively conversation facilitated by Veda Robinson, Westtown’s Upper School Principal. There were 671 participants from around the world who attended this virtual program. Some of the independent schools in attendance were the African Leadership Academy in South Africa; Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, California; Church Farm School in Exton, Pennsylvania; United World College — Dover in Singapore; and Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Oregon. To listen to the 2021 program recordings, please click here.
The program also featured panels led by Westtown alums and students. Special thanks to the young alums who hosted the “Beyond Westtown: What’s College Really Like?” session: Kavi Gandhi ’21, Anna Li ’20, Mia Melendez-Ruiz ’21, Mustafa Shabazz ’17, Lindsey Turner ’21, Enoch Wang ’20, and Jaydn Williams ’21.
The next conference is planned for the fall of 2023. We hope the 2023 Independent School Equity & Access Conference and College Fair will be in person on our campus. Please contact Dr. Marje Ireland, Clerk of the Independent School Equity & Access Conference and College Fair if you have any questions.
