Westminster School (Connecticut)

Westminster School
Address
995 Hopmeadow St Simsbury , Connecticut 06070 United States
Information
Type	Private, Boarding, Day
Motto	Virtute et Numine (Grit and Grace)
Established	1888(137 years ago) (1888)
Founder	William Lee Cushing
CEEB code	070680
Head of school	Elaine B. White
Faculty	95
Enrollment	400
Student to teacher ratio	5:1
Campus size	210 acres
Color(s)	Black and gold
Athletics conference	Founders League
Mascot	Martlet
Endowment	$100,500,000
Tuition	$62,475 Boarding, $47,225 Day
Website	westminster-school.org

The Westminster School is a private, coeducational college-preparatory, boarding and day school located in Simsbury, Connecticut, United States, accepting around 20% of applicants. The total student population is approximately 400, and includes pupils from 25 US states and 30 countries. ^[1] It is also a member of the Founders League, an athletic league comprising ten college preparatory boarding schools in Connecticut and one in New York. ^[2]

History

Gund House, on the campus of Westminster School, is a student and faculty residence.

Westminster School was founded in 1888 as a boys' school by William Lee Cushing, a graduate of Yale University. ^[3] Girls were first admitted to the school in 1971. 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 was succeeded by Graham Cole.

Significant building projects undertaken include:

• Edge House. Designed by Westminster alumnus Graham Gund and built in 1996, Edge House houses 33 students and three faculty families. ^[4]

• Kohn Squash Pavilion. Completed in the Spring of 2000, The Squash Pavilion contains eight squash courts around a stepped viewing area with natural light from skylights above. The team rooms, locker rooms, and other support spaces are located on a second floor mezzanine overlooking the viewing area and squash courts below. ^[5]
• Sherwin Health & Athletic Center. Completed in 2003, the Sherwin Health & Athletic Center, the Hibbard Aquatic Center and the Health & Counseling Center is a multipurpose building. The Aquatic Center contains an eight lane competition pool with support facilities and a viewing area on the mezzanine floor. ^[6]
• Armour Academic Center. This 85,000-square-foot Center houses the Humanities, Math and Science departments, library, and administration. Building features include a centrally located atrium, two-story library, classrooms and laboratories, 120-seat lecture hall, planetarium, faculty and administrative offices, and a variety of lounge spaces. ^{[7] [8]}

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 Associate and Assistant Headmaster. ^[9] Philip stepped down at the end of the 2020–21 academic year.

Elaine B. White was appointed the ninth Head of School in 2021. ^[10] Prior to her arrival at Westminster, Elaine was Associate Head of School at The Governor's Academy.

Faculty and staff

Headmasters

• 1988-1920: William Lee Cushing ^[11]
• 1920-1922: Lemuel Gardner Pette
• 1922-1936: Raymond McOrmond
• 1936-1956: Arthur Milliken
• 1956-1970: Francis Keyes ^[12]
• 1970-1993: Donald H. Werner
• 1993-2010: W. Graham Cole Jr. ^[13]
• 2010–2021: William V.N. Philip ^[14]
• 2021–Present: Elaine B. White

Student activities

Theater

Each year the theater program stages three productions in the Werner Centennial Theater: one dramatic production spanning the varied genre of Western theater, a musical production, and the student-directed performances, which offer advanced students the opportunity to direct. Each of these productions offers many opportunities for student involvement and leadership, both on stage and backstage. ^[15]

Situated at the northeastern corner of the campus's central quadrangle, Centennial Center was upgraded in 1988 into a 30,000 square-foot building including a two-story lobby, a 400-seat, multi-use Shakespearean-style theater, music and dance studios and rehearsal room, dressing rooms, a scene shop/laboratory and other production support spaces. Particular to the “courtyard” theater form, all 400 seats are within 40 feet of the front of the stage, and there is built-in flexibility for both audience size and style of production. ^[16]

Notable alumni

• William Acquavella, art dealer, head of Acquavella Galleries ^[17]
• Lake Bell '97, actress
• Eric Boguniecki, NHL hockey player
• Ethan Brooks '91, NFL football player
• Joy Bryant '92, actress
• William S. Beinecke, ‘32, Namesake of Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library ^{[18] [19] [20] [21]}
• Tommy Cross '08, Boston Bruins 2nd round draft pick and currently with the Columbus Blue Jackets
• David Doubilet '65, National Geographic photographer
• Jack Du Brul, writer
• Patrick Ellis, radio personality ^[22]
• Andrew Firestone '94, The Bachelor TV series ^[23]
• Peter Fonda, actor
• Bryan Nash Gill, '80, artist ^[24]
• Graham Gund '59, architect ^{[25] [26]}
• Clarence Leonard Hay, American archaeologist ^[27]
• Bertil Hille
• John William Kilbreth, 1894, U.S. Army brigadier general ^[28]
• Alec Musser, actor
• Ben Smith '06, NHL Hockey player ^[29]
• John V. Tunney '52, former United States Senator and Representative from the state of California ^{[30] [31]}
• Wellesley Wild '90, writer and executive producer of Family Guy

References

1. "Westminster School Profile (2018-19) | Simsbury, CT". Private School Review. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
2. "Founders League". www.thefoundersleague.org. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
3. "Westminster School - The Association of Boarding Schools - TABS". www.boardingschools.com. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
4. "Simsbury Prep School Gets Gift Of $27 Million" (Web article). The Hartford Courant. September 21, 1996.
5. "The Athletic and Wellness Complex at Westminster School". www.gundpartnership.com. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
6. "Sherwin Health & Academic Center" Gund Partnership, Hibbard Aquatic Center, Sherwin Health & Athletic Center and Kohn Squash Pavilion
7. "Armour Academic Center" Gund Partnership, Armour Academic Center, Westminster School
8. "Westminster School Concludes 125th Anniversary Celebration with Dedication of Two New Residence Halls". Simsbury, CT Patch. September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
9. "Tales of the Headmasters Philip" . Retrieved November 20, 2018.
10. "New Head of School Announced". Westminster School. December 8, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
11. FEDERICO, HILLARY. "Simsbury's Westminster School Celebrates 125 Years". Courant Community. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
12. Francis Keyes, a Headmaster at Westminster School, Dies. New York Times, Dec 13, 1981; p.54.
13. Buck, Rinker. "The Westminster School Names New Headmaster". The Hartford Courant. Hartford Courant. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
14. "A Biography of Board Member William V.N. Philip". National Network of Schools in Partnership. National Network of Schools in Partnership. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
15. "Westminster School Drama Association to Present "Urinetown: The Musical"". Simsbury, CT Patch. January 23, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
16. "Centennial Performing Arts Center, Westminster School". Gund Partnership. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
17. "Self-Effacing William Acquavella, Who Struck Art's Biggest Deal". The New York Times. May 10, 1990. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
18. Philip, B. (2018). Westminster School Fall Magazine 2018. Westminster School Press. pp. Class Notes.
19. "William "Bill" Sperry Beinecke". Cape Cod Chronicle. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
20. "Directors and Staff |". prospect-hill.org. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
21. Vidani, Peter. "WILLIAM BEINECKE- 96". Old New York Stories. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
22. Smith, Harrison (July 17, 2020). "Patrick Ellis, popular D.C. gospel broadcaster, dies at 77 of coronavirus complications". Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
23. Courant, Hartford. "81 GRADUATE FROM WESTMINSTER SCHOOL". courant.com. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
24. "Bryan Nash Gill – The Cornwall Library". cornwalllibrary.org. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
25. "ANN SWAIN LANDRETH, EXECUTIVE, WED". The New York Times. February 5, 1984. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
26. Writers, RACHEL GOTTLIEB and VAN ALDEN FERGUSON; Courant Staff. "SIMSBURY PREP SCHOOL GETS GIFT OF $27 MILLION". courant.com. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
27. "Clarence Leonard Hay, 84, An Archeologist: Former Trustee of Natural History Museum Is Dead". The New York Times . June 6, 1969. p. 39.
28. Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. (1998). Generals in Khaki. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, Inc. pp. 214–215. ISBN   1571970886.
29. Fitts, John (July 16, 2013). "Avon's Ben Smith Brings Hockey's Famed Stanley Cup to Westminster School". Avon Patch. Patch. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
30. Leslie, Jacques (December 26, 1971). "John Tunney, Kennedy's Friend In Muskie's Corner". The New York Times. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
31. "Gene Tunney Obituary - CA | Press Democrat". Legacy.com .

External links

• Official website

41°53′13″N72°47′48″W / 41.8869°N 72.7968°W / 41.8869; -72.7968