December 20, 2021 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2021!

You know the end of the school year is nigh when College Shirt Day arrives, Lower and Middle School students spill onto the fields for Spirit Days, and students appear on the South Lawn in all their finery for Dinner Dance. After this year, these celebrations seemed sweeter, infused with the joy of togetherness and the gratitude to be on this campus. We hope you enjoy these galleries of some of our year-end traditions!

College Shirt Day
In order to adhere to our COVID mitigation practices, the College Shirt Day photoshoot was held outside —and who can argue with the Greenwood field as a backdrop?! College Shirt Day is our annual celebration of the seniors' college choices. Check out the full gallery of photos here! (Pictured below are two of our 2020-21 Student Body Presidents: Alexis Rogers and Kavi Gandhi.)



Senior Car Parade
We continued to celebrate college choices at the Senior Car Parade. Last year's car parade — created so that there was a celebrate seniors in person during the height of the pandemic — was so much fun, we decided to do it again! See photos of the event here  and watch the parade below!

Lower School Spirit Days
This year, in order to maintain student cohorts, there were two Spirit Days for Lower School. Spirit Days are Westtown's version of field days, full of friendly competitions that end, of course, with ice cream! Check out the Spirit Day galleries! Pre-K, kindergarten, and first grade gallery here; second and third grade gallery here, and fourth and fifth grade gallery here.



Middle School Spirit Day
Middle Schoolers divided into teams by grade for their friendly competitions which included old favorites such as the balloon toss and tug of peace. See the teams in action here!



Dinner Dance
Dinner Dance was back on the docket for seniors this year! This time, in another health and safety pivot, the event was held on campus. Megan Schlickmann, Director of Event Operations, the Senior Class Deans, and the Upper School Parents' Council planned a splendid event for the students, and did a tremendous job of transforming one of the tents into a perfect venue for dinner and dancing! As has become tradition, students gathered on the South Lawn for photos before the event got underway. At the end of the evening, seniors walked down to the lake for sundaes at the Lake House.






Update from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion
By Marissa Colston, Dean of Diversity and Inclusion

Our ABAR work continues to be front and center at Westtown. Here are just a few examples that represent the kind of work students have been involved in this spring and throughout the school year.

Lower School students spent the year engaging in DEI/SEL (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Social Emotional Learning) lessons that focused on the themes of identity, empathy, community building, social justice, and anti-racism. In Pre-K students explored their own identity and learned about the human body. They learned about skin color, melanin, and the beautiful variations in skin tone and colors. In the second grade, students talked about bias and stereotypes and spent time discussing how to stop using stereotypes that are often formed around gender identity. In the fourth grade, when students study and learn about American history, they asked questions like Who’s telling the story? Whose voice is not being heard? These questions led them to learn more about the perspectives and stories of the Lenni Lenape, African, and European experiences.

In Middle School, a group of 6th and 7th graders represented Westtown at the Haverford Middle School Diversity Conference, sharing what they learned with classmates. 8th grade leaders spent the end of the year leading workshops for their peers. Students designed their own version of a diversity conference and delivered a series of workshops and activities over a few weeks addressing important themes like naming and addressing bias, identity, and social justice. They were supported by the Middle School Equity and Inclusion coordinator, Alejandra Navarro-Benbow, who helped them design these workshops and supported their presentation skills.

In the Upper School, the spring is a time of much activity. Student activists facilitated conversations connected to community and social justice. Prompted by students, there were campus-wide discussions around consent and sexual violence. After the conversations started on the Opinion Board and online, courageous conversations across many experiences were hosted so that students could share, listen, and learn from each other. These conversations were designed and led by trusted faculty with support from the DEI Office. Students engaged in this dialogue and left with new understandings. They also shared ideas about how to continue the dialogue as well as suggestions for changes in programming that will support more education about sexual violence and consent across the student body community.

Finally, as you may know already, earlier in the school year we launched our new ABAR website which includes an ABAR Community Blog. Every few weeks a new blog entry is posted and each post is related to a wide range of ABAR community topics, and are a sampling of the diverse community that Westtown encompasses. Check it out for yourself!

Paddle On!
A great Middle School tradition resumed this year: canoe trips! Although days trips supplanted the overnight experiences and additional protocols were in place because of our COVID mitigation practices, students and teachers alike were elated to be back on the water. Chris Costa, Director of Outdoor Education, Tom Berrian, Middle School Outdoor Education Coordinator, and a host of Middle School faculty did double duty in the canoes this year. Each grade was divided into two groups in order to maintain cohorts, so they ran two trips for each grade. Seventh and eighth graders paddled the Upper Schuylkill River and sixth graders enjoyed a day on Westtown’s lake.

With the exception of added safety measures, this constant in our education program looked much like it always has. The pre-trip training conducted by Costa and Berrian consisted of: meetings with the groups; “ground school” in which basic water and boat safety, the basics of boat movement, and paddle strokes are taught; lake sessions, which included practice maneuvering and navigating the boat on the water, and opportunities to reinforce safety protocols; and, safety sessions in which groups review outdoor education protocols and cover things like river communication, hydration, lightning drill, etc. Costa says, “For over 30 years, Middle School students have participated in an outdoor experience with a canoeing component. These trips are so valued by students and faculty that their design and delivery have been woven into the fabric of their Middle School experience for decades. Among their many benefits, these trips allow students to step out of their comfort zones, connect with themselves and their peers, and to realize the collective power of the whole. Now, more than ever, these trips are needed.”





African Dance
The annual third grade African Dance performance was outside this year, but no less amazing! Third graders have a comprehensive unit on Africa studying its countries, their cultures, economies, wildlife, art, and more. That study includes a six-week on-campus residency with Jeannine Osayande Dunya Performing Arts Company in which kids learn not only many dances but also about storytelling in the music and movements. Well done, third grade, and a special thank you to the Jeannine Osayande and Dunya Performing Arts Company, who have been partnering with Westtown for 19 years! Enjoy the gallery of photos here.



Martin Ma '22 Wins Chester County Science Fair Award
Congratulations to Yangyue Martin Ma '22 who won the Chester County Science Research Fair in the Computer Science Category for the cane he designed for the blind! The cane uses sensors integrated to a computational device running AI recognition software to both alert for objects and identify said objects to the user.

“The preciseness of the detection of objects on streets is extremely important for blind people, since no other references can be made for them,” says Ma describing his project. “In order to help them get familiar with the surrounding environment, I created a blind crutch that not only will alert users about obstacles, but also can identify objects with clear labels using the convolutional neural network (CNN), a neural network especially designed for image identification, to train the classifications needed...To make up for the insufficiency of the GPS module of detecting exact locations, I also created a function of detecting guideposts on streets that broadcasts the current location. After testing, the blind crutch can precisely classify objects and complete the broadcast function under different environments caused by different weather. The project took me approximately two years.”

After the Chester County win, Ma moved into the next level of competition at the Delaware Valley Science Fair, a three-state competition. At this level, he won the Computer Science Division and was awarded the Yale Science and Engineering Association Special Award, which,"recognizes the most outstanding 11th grade projects in Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, and Physics."

Design Engineering teacher and robotics team coach Steve Compton, says, “Although he did not advance to the national competition, he plans to continue the work on this project, iterate, and improve both the hardware and the computational artificial intelligence and training of the algorithms in order to compete again next year. Martin is doing extraordinary work and I’m thrilled he has been recognized in these competitions.”



Third Grade Poetry Slam Celebrates the Harlem Renaissance
A poetry slam in third grade? Absolutely! Upon the completion of third graders’ study of the Harlem Renaissance, teachers Vicki Shelter and Kristin Hayman organized a poetry slam in which students performed the poems they wrote that celebrate what they learned. Shelter explains: “After an in-depth study of the European Renaissance, the third graders were introduced to the Great Migration in the United States and the Harlem Renaissance that followed that migration. They connected that the word renaissance means ‘rebirth’ and it celebrates a very important time in history. After understanding why the Great Migration began and its importance to the African American people, we focused on learning about its impact on American History. The students learned about different artists such as Jacob Lawrence and Aaron Douglass. They also studied the poetry of Langston Hughes, which encouraged them to have in-depth conversations about his life and the racial tensions that were occurring during his time period. The students resonated with his poems and were inspired by his writing. Lastly, we listened to and learned about some of the jazz greats that performed during this time period. The students learned that jazz is an American art form and it is special because of the solos that occur in each song or performance. They heard Cab Calloway scat and saw the Nicholas Brothers tap-dance their hearts out. They danced in the classroom as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong sang. They learned about Dizzy Gillespie's hard childhood and how playing the trumpet inspired him. The kids also learned that Duke Ellington, as a child, wanted to play baseball, but as he got older he learned to love the piano and leading his orchestra was his favorite thing. They watched videos of the Harlem Globetrotters entertaining and showing off their basketball skills. Their poems celebrate this time period and their love for what they learned.

"During our poetry slam, the entire third grade [formerly in separate cohorts as part of Westtown’s mitigation strategy] gathered into a tent to share their poems. They got dressed up depending on what their poem was about. We snapped our fingers after each poem was read. It was a great way to gather together our entire third-grade community. It was fun for all of us!” You can enjoy a gallery of photos from the Poetry Slam here!




Sharing Their Professional Stories: Alums Visit Chemistry Class
Teacher Rose Koenig invited alums to speak to her Chemical Bonding (Advanced) class so that students had an opportunity to learn about how and why they pursued their various careers in the sciences. Koenig welcomed: 

Dr. Nahara Saballos, Class of 2011, Family Medicine Resident Physician
Katie Metzker, Class of 2010, Assistant Director for Education and Outreach Programs in Galapagos at Intercultural Outreach Initiative
Dr. Caitlin Hepps-Keeney, Class of 2010, Zoological Medicine Resident at N.C. State University
Dr. Beverly Aiyanyor, Class of 2009, Resident Physician at Boston Children's Hospital & Resident Physician at Boston Medical Center

At the conclusion of their presentations, students had an opportunity to ask questions. You can enjoy all of their presentations below (click on the upper left side of the image to see a drop-down selection). If you're an alum who'd like to be engaged with students in this way, contact Domi Waldron, Director of Alumni/ae/x Engagement. 

Looking Ahead to 2021-22

It was recently announced that Head of School Tori Jueds will step down at the close of the 2020-2021 school year. Tori will be moving on to serve as the Director of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, a nursery through grade 12 day school. We wish her well as she moves on to her next adventure! In the event that you have not seen the announcement about her departure, please see excerpts of the email to all constituents from Martha B. Bryans ’68, Clerk of the Board of Trustees, and Tori Jueds below, and you may read the entirety of this communication here. 

Martha B. Bryans writes: 

As the Clerk of the Board of Trustees, I write to announce that Tori Jueds will step down as Head of School at the close of the 2020-21 school year. Tori has accepted the opportunity to lead the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, a Nursery through Grade 12 day school founded by progressive educator John Dewey. I would like to convey our deep gratitude for Tori's passion for Westtown's mission, strategic thinking, and deep commitment to respect, equity, and inclusion. We wish her the very best in this exciting new endeavor.

  Tori Jueds writes: 

Since 2017, it has been my honor and joy to serve as Westtown's Head of School. It is bittersweet to share the news that on June 30, 2021, I will lay down my work at our wonderful school to prepare for a new career adventure… It has been an extraordinary privilege and pleasure to serve as Head of School. From the bottom of my heart, friends, thank you for the kindness and support you have given me in this role. I am proud and glad to be a Westonian.

The Board of Trustees has begun the discernment process for the timetable and search for the next Head of School, and they have invited Associate Head of School Chris Benbow ’90 to serve as Interim Head of School beginning on July 1, 2021. Chris has had a long relationship with Westtown and has served in myriad leadership roles including Upper School Principal and Dean of Students, in addition to his teaching and leadership experience at other institutions. We are fortunate that Chris, with his deep understanding of our culture, Quaker values, and mission, has agreed to serve in this capacity. “I’m sincerely grateful to be able to serve Westtown as Interim Head as we seek and transition to our community’s next long-term Head of School. I’ve been a part of the Westtown community—and this community has been a part of me—since I enrolled as a sixth grader in 1983,” reflects Chris. “I care deeply about this community, believe strongly in its aspirations, and am committed to doing my part to help us come as close as we possibly can to realizing our individual and collective potential together.”