User:Labraun90/Westtown School

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Westtown School is a

About Westtown School

Founded in 1799 by the

Westtown offers an academic program that is both rigorous and engaging. Each student at Westtown is challenged to realize his or her intellectual, physical and spiritual potential. A spirit of inquiry reigns in classrooms, and Westtown expects students to be critical, independent thinkers who can work with a spirit of cooperation, understanding and tolerance of the views of others. Westtown believes in the importance of integrity, simplicity, equality, stewardship of the earth, and a concern for peace and justice, and emphasizes these values in classes.

At all levels, the Westtown experience is defined by its community life. This plays out in weekly Meeting for Worship and participation in service and the Work Program. These shared events reflect and teach such fundamental

Coeducational since the school’s founding, Westtown’s student body is wonderfully diverse. Over 20% are American students of color, and another 20% are Quakers. In the Upper School—where boarding is the capstone of Westtown’s program and is required in 11th and 12th grades—students come from more than 25 states and 20 foreign countries. The emphasis on diversity at Westtown is mission-driven in an effort to educate students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century: Westtown inspires and prepares its graduates to be stewards and leaders of a better world.

History

Westtown School first opened its doors in May, 1799. It was founded by Philadelphia Quakers who wanted to preserve and pass on their beliefs to their children. They raised the money to build a boarding school and purchased 600 acres of land in rural Chester County—a full day’s coach ride (25 miles) west of Philadelphia—where they could provide a “guarded” education in a healthy environment away from the secular influences of the city. For many years Westtown was nearly self-sufficient, with the campus providing raw materials used in construction of its buildings and food for the people who lived and worked at the school.

Although they had separate classes until about 1870, the education Westtown offered boys and girls was much the same even in the early years of the school, reflecting the Quakers’ belief in the equality of all people. Students studied reading, penmanship, grammar, mathematics, geography and science. Boys learned practical skills such as surveying and bookkeeping, and girls had sewing class.

The rolling hills and farmland on which Westtown School was—and still is—situated lent itself to many hours of exploration and recreation for the students and teachers. Camp suppers,

• Athletics: Westtown’s interscholastic
  playing fields including one softball and two baseball
  diamonds, and a brand-new all-weather track—support the development of student athletes.

• Exchange Programs: The Department of
  Languages at Westtown offers students the opportunity to participate in reciprocal exchange programs that are tied to the academic curriculum. These give students the practical experience of actually using the language within its cultural context. Annual exchanges occur with sister schools in Celaya, Mexico, Normandy or Martinique, and Stuttgart, and Westtown also offers exchanges during some years in Ghana, Italy, Japan, and Russia. Additionally, Westtown is one of only five American schools affiliated with Round Square
  , a world-wide association of more than 50 schools on five continents sharing common goals. Students attending Round Square schools are expected to make a strong commitment, beyond academic excellence, to personal development and responsibility. This is achieved by participating in exchange programs—as well as community service, work projects and adventuring—which can, and often do, take students half way around the world.

• Clubs: Clubs at Westtown are student-organized and reflect student interests. Student organizations in the Upper School, all of which have an adult sponsor, add to the vibrancy of student life and include such groups as Amnesty International, the Business Club, Film Club, Model UN, Multicultural Coalition, Philanthropy, Step Club, and Ultimate Frisbee. Some, such as Robotics, work together intensively in preparation for competitions. Students in Earth Service recently organized the first Friends Schools Day of the Earth, a two-day conference attended by representatives from Friends Schools across the country.

• Service Learning: Service is an integral part of a Westtown education and expresses the school’s essential belief that there is that of God within everyone. Westtown creates opportunities for students to engage in meaningful service within and beyond the school community. Established service sites include local Quaker retirement communities, West Chester Community Center and Head Start, the Westtown Lower and Middle School after-care programs,
  Elwyn
  (a school for people with developmental disabilities), and La Comunidad Hispana, where Westtown students help Spanish-speaking adults study for their GED exams.

• Work Program: Westtown’s Work Program reaffirms the dignity of all work. It exposes students to a variety of working experiences, such as janitorial and kitchen jobs. Work Program was originally developed as a response to the labor shortages of World War II, and in the decades since, it has become an important part of the educational process.

• Summer Sessions: Westtown offers an array of summer programs for students of all ages dedicated to providing opportunities that are creative and enriching, as well as being fun. Westtown’s Summer Sessions also offer some classes for high school credit..

Notable alumni

• Charles Polk, Jr.
  (1788 – 1857), served twice as Governor of Delaware.
• Martha Coffin Wright (December 25, 1806 – 1875) was an American feminist, abolitionist, and signatory of the Declaration of Sentiments -- sister to Lucretia Mott.
• John Howard Pugh
  (1827 - 1905), Member, United States House of Representative, representing New Jersey's 2nd congressional district (1877-1879).
• Richard T. James (1914 – 1974), with his wife, invented the Slinky.
• Edwin Bell Forsythe
  (1916 - 1984), Member, United States House of Representatives, represting the State of New Jersey (R).
• Herb Pennock, Class of 1915, Major League Baseball player and manager, baseball Hall of Fame
• Edward Binns, character actor in the 1950's through the 1980's, appearing in "12 Angry Men," "North by Northwest," "Patton," in television episodes of "Twilight Zone," "The Rockford Files," and "M*A*S*H," among many other film and television credits.
• Jim Fowler, Class of 1947, Conservationist and wildlife correspondent/show host - Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom
• Piers Anthony, Class of 1952, best-selling author in the science fiction and fantasy genres.
• Collin Wilcox, Class of 1953, actor, Broadway, TV roles, movies: To Kill A Mockingbird, Catch-22, Jaws 2 and more; founding artistic director of the Instant Theatre Company.
• Garrick Utley, Class of 1957, the correspondent for CNN’s New York bureau, after serving three years as ABC News’ chief foreign correspondent and 30 years covering international news with NBC News.
• Holland Taylor (born January 14, 1943) is an Emmy Award-winning American actress, known for her film, television and theatre work. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Ruth Dunbar in Bosom Buddies, as Judge Roberta Kittleson in The Practice and as Evelyn Harper in Two and a Half Men.
• Livingston Taylor, singer-songwriter.
• Mary Jean Eisenhower, the granddaughter of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Chief Executive Officer of People to People International [PTPI].
• Marysol Castro (b. September 29, 1976) is the weather anchor for ABC's Good Morning America Weekend Edition; since 2005, she has been the street reporter for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.
• Colin Harrison, Class of 1978, bestselling novelist: Bodies Electric, Manhattan Nocturne, The Havana Room, Afterburn, editor at Scribners.
• Don Wildman, Class of 1979, the current host and narrator of Cities of the Underworld on History.
• Kevin Roose, Class of 2005, author of The Unlikely Disciple.

Photo Gallery

• 
  The chimneys of Main Hall.
• 
  The Westtown campus is surrounded by several acres of woods.
• 
  The campus is filled with trees, often filled with climbing students.
• 
  Main Building in the snow.
• 
  Geese flying over Main Hall.

External links

• Westtown Website
• A visitor's impression of the school published in 1861