Westminster School (Connecticut)
| Westminster School | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | |
| 995 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury, CT 06070 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Boarding, Day |
| Motto |
Virtute Et Numine (Grit and Grace) |
| Established | 1888 |
| Headmaster | William V. N. Philip |
| Faculty | 86 |
| Enrollment | 390 |
| Color(s) | Black and Gold |
| Mascot | The Martlet |
| Rival | Avon Old Farms, Pomfret, Greenwich Academy |
| Website | www.westminster-school.org |
Westminster School is a small, private, highly selective boarding and day school located in Simsbury, Connecticut.
Westminster School was founded by William Lee Cushing in 1888 as a boys' school in Dobbs Ferry, New York. The school celebrated its 125th anniversary in the 2012-2013 school year.
In 1900, as enrollment increased, Cushing moved the school to its current location in Simsbury, Connecticut. The land had been donated through a trustee of the school, Arthur M. Dodge, a member of an old Hartford family. Williams Hill, the new site, offered more than 230 acres (0.93 km2) with commanding views of the Farmington River. It also provided train service for students to New York and Boston, a boon to families from those areas.
A graduate of Yale University and a firm believer in the traditional form of English boarding school education, Cushing was strongly influenced by the Reverend Edward Thring, headmaster of Uppingham School in England.
In the early 1970s, Westminster School opened its doors to day students, and in 1971, girls were admitted to the school (first as day students and then, in 1977, as boarding students). Like many boarding schools, Westminster faced difficult times in the 1970s as it competed for a shrinking pool of boarding students. When Donald Werner retired in 1993, after serving as Headmaster for 21 years, he left a thriving school for successor Graham Cole. During the Cole years, enrollment for the school grew from 340 to 385 students, with 88 faculty, and the school's endowment grew from $19.4 million to $77 million. Significant building projects undertaken included:
With Cole's retirement in 2010, Westminster appointed William V.N. Philip as its eighth Headmaster. Philip ascended to the top job after a 26-year career at Westminster as a teacher, coach, dormitory parent, college counselor, and most recently Associate and Assistant Headmaster.
From the playing fields to the stage, Westminster students are active participants in an afternoon program that brings balance, enjoyment and competition to their lives. All Westminster students participate in an afternoon program during each term of the school year. The emphasis is on athletics; however, the afternoon commitment can include drama, stagecraft, dance, community service or another independent study project. The afternoon program is designed to encourage Westminster core values: community, character, balance and involvement. Students have the opportunity to compete, to be physically active, to perform, to hone their skills or to try something new.
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