The Webb School - Review #8

Webb manages to be academically challenging while retaining a unique, quirky character that differentiates it from other schools. Every morning, the entire school congregates in chapel, which I believe shows the real character of the school. Chapel can involve anything from an intriguing lesson from longtime history teacher, Mr. L.R. Smith, to a puppet show put on by our art teacher, Mr. Quinn. Chapel is also great for showing off the diversity of the student body. Before chapel, students of different ages, nationalities, and cultures intermingle seamlessly. When chapel begins, there’s no telling what may happen. During the course of my senior year at Webb, I watched my peers orate, declaim, play instruments, and perform dances they choreographed themselves. After someone has performed especially well, they can expect congratulations across the whole of the student body, not just a select group of friends. Chapel demonstrates that Webb truly is a family.

The best thing that's happened to me so far in my life is the opportunity to attend Webb. I've learned so much, from the proper method of making crêpes in French Club to how to solve for X, Y, and Z in an equation. Webb transforms children into young adults, prepped not only for college, but to take on the world. Were it not for Webb, I definitely would not feel as prepared to start university next year as I do now.

The only thing I would change, could I restart my Webb experience, would to bring a camera with me every day.

Even though I was a day student, Webb still felt like home to me. Webb really opens its dorms and accepts you for who you are, no matter where you're from, or what you believe in.

Seriously, go to Webb. It's awesome.

I love all of the electives that Webb offers. During my senior year, I took a French V film course, studied the History of Russian Revolutions, and spent an hour a week delving deep into the archives of Webb’s library. These classes are both ridiculously fun to take and also look great on college applications. As a matter of fact, I managed to snag a job in college next year due to my experience archiving. These electives are almost completely unique for a high school. I feel much more prepared for college thanks to these classes, and strongly encourage any student looking at Webb to make sure to check out both these classes and any other electives that may interest them.

I played girls’ lacrosse at Webb for five years. To be completely truthful, we weren’t very good, up until my senior year, when we suddenly skyrocketed up in our win/lose ration. None of this mattered either to me nor my teammates. It didn’t bother us when we lost a game, as long as we tried our best. I remember when I played soccer when I was young and coaches would yell at their teams, making them run suicides or do push-ups when they lost. The members of the losing team would hang their heads and refuse congratulations to the winners. My lacrosse team wasn’t like that. After a truly horrendous game, we would all congratulate the other team, smiling, before piling back onto the bus and travelling to the nearest Chick-Fil-A for dinner. We all would pile around the table, talking about how well each other played, and how eventually, one day, we would win a game. I loved playing lacrosse at Webb not for the feeling of winning, but for our grace of losing well. I believe we were a much stronger team through our losing than we could ever be through winning. When we began winning games my junior year, the camaraderie remained. Although we now won more games than we lost, we never forgot how to lose with grace and poise. We all still manage to enjoy milkshakes at Chick-Fil-A after games.

During my junior and senior years at Webb, I played violin in the school orchestra. Although I had never before so much as picked up a violin, much less attempted to play one, my teacher, Mrs. Mullen, didn't think that was a problem. My strings class and I learned enough to perform everything from Pirates of the Carribean to Vivaldi.

The best thing about extracurricular activities at Webb is the sheer amount of things offered. If something isn’t offered, it’s almost certain that one can find more students interested. My friend and I founded the school’s Book Club at the end of our sophomore year. Webb offers the freedom to explore all your interests without obligation. I recommend any student search through all that Webb has to offer, from horseback riding to learning to play the cello in the orchestra.

Although I was a day student when I went to Webb, I always felt welcome for pizza in the dorms.

The only thing I really have to complain about lunch at Webb is how short it is. Other than that, I think our food’s pretty great, as far as the average high school cafeteria experience goes. In addition to the hot food line, there’s an option of salad, sandwiches, soup, cereal, fruit, and whatever is in the buffet-style line that day (I particularly love baked potato buffet line). Students can almost always find something that tickles their fancy when getting lunch.

Bell Buckle is like Webb -- small, quirky, and with a definate character. Although it's tiny, it boasts a small, country-style café, an ice cream parlor, a coffee shop to hang out in with friends, and a ton of antique shops to spend lazy afternoons and Saturdays exploring. Even though it's small, Bell Buckle hosts its share of events. My personal favorite is the Webb School Arts and Crafts Fair each autumn. Vendors from all over transform the small town into a labyrinth with brightly-colored tents offering everything from frozen cheesecake on a stick to a handmade wreath. Bell Buckle also boasts the Tennessee Shakespeare Festival, which many Webb students participate in every year.

My favorite thing about the social life at Webb was that it was nothing like a normal high school. There are no cliques or social orders-- everyone gets along with each other. It's typical to see star athletes sitting with the resident history buff, or to see kids interested in physics discussing novels read in English to an international student. It makes Webb unique.