The Webb Schools - Review #25

Webb is the only high school with a Paleo museum on campus. Working in the museum is an activity that you can choose to do after classes (I did that for two seasons). It is also easy to get involved by helping out on the family days each month when the museum does special crafts and activities for families. There are paleo classes available for upperclassmen and the freshmen all spend some time in their science classes learning about paleo. There is a freshmen "peccary" trip (the paleo trips are called peccary trips because the founder of the museum started calling them that after a student found a fossilized peccary) and there are optional spring and summer trips as well. I loved everything I did with the museum and look at it as one of best uses of my time in high school. It is an incredible resource. The honor code at Webb should also be mentioned because it was a very safe place. People respected other people's belongings and would not cheat on tests. All of this made for a comfortable environment.

I became much more independent as a result of boarding school and was better prepared than many other people when I went to college because I had the experience of being a boarder already. One of my fondest memories was spending two weeks in Paris with a French family through Webb's language program. Those were some of the two best weeks of my life and I can't imagine being able to do that if I hadn't gone to Webb.

Get involved, but don't try to do too much. It is a great time to try new things and make the most of opportunities. That said, it is important to make sure that you find a balance. (I really wish I had listened when people said that to me.)

The community on campus, including the teachers, was one of the things I liked the best. I loved how many international students were at Webb because I was able to meet people and make friends from around the world.

Talk to students! I can't say that enough. To know if a school is right for you, you have to ask questions. Visit classes to see what they are like, take a tour, and eat the food, but remember to talk to the students. They will be a major part of your experience.

I loved how the teachers really cared about our opinions and respected what we had to say. Classes were engaging and there were interesting options that we could take in addition to the core curriculum. I also really appreciate how well my classes prepared me for college.

As someone who had never played a sport before, it was actually great that we needed to participate in athletics because it pushed me to try something new. Water polo was difficult, but I kept it up for all four years and actually miss it now. There is a real sense of camaraderie. I went into it with very little idea of what the sport actually was and was always encouraged by the coaches and my teammates. I never became the best or the fastest, but I learned so much. If we had not been told to try a sport, I might not have had the courage to try something like water polo and I am so glad that I did. For people who are hate competition or dislike the idea of playing on a sport, there were positions as athletic trainers and team managers. Several of my friends chose to do that instead of being on a team and they got a lot out of the experience. If you want the absolute best athletic program, then Webb is probably not for you--although I have heard that it has improved a lot since I was there--but, if you want to learn new skills or play a sport that you already love, then you might really like the athletic program at Webb.

When I started at Webb, the arts program was relatively small. It grew each year that I was there and has continued to gain importance. I loved the theater program. They built a black box theater while I was there and it is amazing. The theater productions at Webb were consistently great and the shows are the best high school performances I have seen. The director/ head of the program is able to bring out the very best in her performers and people adored her classes. I really cannot say enough good things about the theater program. (Our music program is good too; I just don't really feel able to comment on it because I had very little to do with either the choir or orchestra.)

I loved the variety. We had to do one sport per year, but that left two other seasons to try something different. Everyone did an activity after classes and it was a great way to make friends.

The sense of community was my favorite part. It was nice living near friends all the time and I made some of my closest friends in the dorms. Our dorms were nice and even the smallest rooms had good closet space. I hadn't realized how much I took closet space for granted until I came to college.

Mexican food was particularly good at the dining hall and the formal dinners tended to be tasty. The dining hall is a great building and it was a nice place to eat with friends. I also liked the hours, because we didn't have specific times we needed to eat.

Claremont is a college town and there are lots of fun shops and places to eat in The Village. I loved Claremont. Technically, I only live about 10 minutes away from campus, but it is a wonderful place to walk around if you want to get off campus for a bit. It is also close enough to the mountains, beach, and tourist spots; you're only bored if you want to be.

Dances were frequent and well attended. My favorite part was how many fun things the school organized, like Theme Week, Webb Day and Open Dorms (the last is when boys could see the girls' rooms and vice versa, each dorm had open dorms once or twice a year). Even when it was quiet, it was easy to find a friend and just watch a movie or spend time with friends at Open Pool.