Established 1909 (1909) Chaplain Tom Hungerford Founder Mary Robbins Hillard | Head of school Julie Faulstich Phone +1 203-758-2423 Founded 1909 | |
Type Private, Day & BoardingCollege-prep Motto Cogitare Agere Esse(To think, to do, to be) Religious affiliation(s) Nondenominational Christian Similar The Gunnery, Cheshire Academy, The Taft School, Canterbury School, Chase Collegiate School Profiles | ||
Scenes of westover school
The Westover School, often referred to simply as "Westover," is an independent college-preparatory day and boarding school for girls. Located in Middlebury, Connecticut, United States, the school offers grades 9-12. Founded in 1909, the school buildings were designed by noted female architect Theodate Pope Riddle.
Contents
- Scenes of westover school
- Westover school harlem shake
- Academic program
- Faculty and advisors
- Athletics
- Extracurricular opportunities
- Admission information
- Traditions
- Notable alumnae
- References
The school’s operating budget for 2013-2014 is $10.4 million; parents, friends, and a base of 3,497 alumnae raised $1,505,401 for the 2012-13 Annual Fund. The school’s endowment market value as of 6/30/13 is $54 million. The largest campaign in the School's history, the Inspiring Women: Campaign for Westover, has raised $40 million as of June 30, 2013 with a total goal of $45 million. The campaign closes January 1, 2015.
The school is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and approved by the state of Connecticut. Memberships include the National Association of Independent Schools, the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools, and the College Board.
Westover school harlem shake
Academic program
A minimum of 18 credits is required for graduation, including 4 in English, 3 in mathematics, 3 in languages, 2? in history, 2? in science, and 2 in the arts. Computer literacy and community service are required. Twenty-four AP courses are offered. Some requirements may be modified for entering juniors.
There are numerous English trimester electives for eleventh- and twelfth-grade students—for example, Contemporary Poetry; Dante’s Vision; Fantastic and Possible Futures (Film and Fiction); Inner and Outer Nature; Genesis, Job, and the Gospels; Poetics and the Iliad; Romantic Poetry; James Joyce's Ulysses; Shakespeare: Comedy, Tragedy, and Romance; Tolstoy; and Truth, Beauty, Justice. Advanced Placement courses are offered in art, art history, biology, calculus, chemistry, computer science, English, environmental science, European history, French, Spanish, statistics, Latin, Chinese, music, physics, U.S. history, and U.S. government.
The arts requirement may be fulfilled not only by numerous studio art, art history, and music courses but also by advanced trimester courses in dance and theater arts.
Signature programs help to enhance the curriculum at Westover. For talented musicians, there is a joint program with the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Division. For qualified girls who hold a strong interest in science and engineering, Westover offers the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program. Westover Poets Program is For students who have the desire to develop skills in the craft of poetry through English electives, special writing workshops, and individual work with visiting poets who have included Billy Collins, Katha Pollitt, and Eamon Grennan. Global Exchange Programs offer students a unique two or three month academic exchange programs in Australia, South Africa, England, and Jordan, six-week language immersion exchanges in France and Spain, and a two-week volunteer program in Rwanda. As a founding member of a national consortium of all-girls schools, Westover's Online School for Girls offers online courses for students taught by consortium faculty. For those students interested in Art History, the Sonja Osborn Museum Studies Internship with Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT offers students practical experience working with curators and museum educators culminating in a final project. For those girls interested in the world of finance and business, there's a program called Invest in Girls.
Westover School provides an advanced English as a second language program for international students who are otherwise highly qualified but who require assistance in improving their English skills.
Faculty and advisors
There are 52 teaching faculty members. All have bachelor's degrees, 21 have master's degrees, and 1 holds a Ph.D. The majority of the teaching faculty members live in school-owned housing. Dorm parents live in apartments on the eight residential student corridors. All members of the faculty are encouraged to seek professional development, and funds are available to do so.
The current Head of School is Julie Faulstich, who received her B.A. from Smith College and her M.F.A from Emerson College.
Athletics
The school's athletic program offers a variety of sports ranging in levels of competition from highly competitive varsity teams to noncompetitive individual endeavors such as rock climbing. The Fuller Athletic Center houses a full-length basketball court, four volleyball courts, a multi-level indoor-climbing wall, a fitness center, four international squash courts, and a multipurpose room for yoga, aerobics, and meetings.
Westover is a member of the New England Prep Athletic Council and the Western New England Prep School Athletic Association (WNEPSAA). Some of the schools from WNEPSAA that Westover plays are Gunnery, Kingswood-Oxford, Kent, Miss Hall's, Miss Porter's, Taft, and Westminster.
Westover also participates in the Connecticut Independent School Athletic Conference (CISAC) in basketball, field hockey, swimming, lacrosse, soccer, softball, and tennis. Some of the CISAC schools include Chase Collegiate, Ethel Walker’s, Hamden Hall, and Williams.
Extracurricular opportunities
There are numerous clubs and organizations that support interests in the environment, social services, arts, languages, and writing. Three school publications and the Glee Club involve large numbers of students. Many students and other members of the Westover community take part in all aspects of the production of a musical.
Classes often make trips to New York, Boston, New Haven, and other cultural centers to visit museums or to see theater productions, operas, or ballets.
Clubs include:
If a student wants to start a club that is not already established, she may do so by getting a faculty advisor to assist her in running the club.
Admission information
Acceptance to Westover is based on school performance, academic potential, motivation, and character. The SSAT is required; the TOEFL is required for students whose native language is not English.
Westover School admits girls of any race, color, or national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.
Traditions
Other traditions include the Dorcas Fair, a Junior class community service project, the Lantern Ceremony, and Germans.
Notable alumnae
Mothers of Noted Actors