Westover School - Review #4

Westover School is unique, for one, because it is an all-girls school. Being one of the few remaining all-girls schools in the surrounding area, Westover strives to instill in students qualities of independence and confidence. One example of how confidence is established within students is through the Women and Science and Engineering Program. Through the program, students are given the basic knowledge and skills to continue on into the male-dominated field of engineering.The comfortable atmosphere, the openness between students and faculty, and the willingness of students to participate in class and extracurricular activities all exist, in part, because of the same gender learning environment. Westover students are becoming leaders, athletes, and highly achieving academic scholars. As mentioned, another unique aspect to Westover is the close interaction among students and faculty. Teachers at Westover are required to post a conference schedule for each day. Because students readily use this opportunity to review class material or go over a paper, strong bonds grow between the students and teachers, making the level of comfort between them optimal for the learning environment.

The best thing that happened to me at boarding school was making friends with so many genuinely good people. I have forged friendships with girls from all over the world. By the end of senior year, my class of forty-four girls realized what a special connection we had with one another. In the weeks approaching graduation we gathered a few times to share memories and the things that we love about one another. The sisterhood at Westover seems as though it would be hard to find at another boarding school. When two hundred girls stand side by side in chapel each week, all listening to the same meaningful, relatable message, it is hard to imagine oneself in a closer community.One achievement that I am proud of is having been chosen, by the faculty, as the convocation speaker. I am thankful to have given a speech about the importance of taking advantage of opportunities. I spoke about how we learn the most from our peers and teachers. A missed conversation is a missed opportunity to learn.

Having been quite shy and reserved when I came to Westover, I wish that I had become friends with some people earlier on. Looking back, I could have become more involved in extracurricular activities at Westover earlier on in my career. My advice to incoming freshman would be to not let anything hold you back. Take a challenging class. Converse with your teachers as they are your best resources. Make friends with an upperclassman. Because of Westover's single sex, comfortable, non-judgemental environment, nothing should inhibit you from trying new things and putting yourself out there.

One thing that I loved about Westover was the overall feeling. The lack of separation between day students and boarders made my experience enjoyable because I did not live at Westover. I would describe the members of Westover's community as non-judgemental, kind, motivated, and willing to learn. The combination of students' acceptance for each other and their willingness to learn is what makes Westover a place that I enjoyed being at day after day.I must also add how remarkable Westover's English department is. I am now confident in my writing, whether it be a paper or a quick email. Beginning from freshman year, the faculty drills correct grammar, diction, and writing technique. In addition to being able to present oneself well, writing is a crucial skill to have when continuing on to college and the workplace after high school. Westover's dedication to poetry is a unique aspect of an English department. Students are able to have the work entered in "The Lantern", the Westover literary publication.I cannot say enough about the teachers at Westover to them justice. They are so passionate about their field of study that it rubs off on the students. They are willing to help students who struggle with a subject. The advising program at Westover is also important to mention. Students forge connections with their advisers so that no matter what, they have someone to turn to for guidance.

Definitely try the milkshakes from the student center! My advice, again, would be to make use of all the opportunities given at Westover. Try things out that you would never have tried because you're only in high school once. Four years goes by in the blink of an eye. You may find a passion for something or a true talent that you never thought you had. Take lots of pictures of the beautiful traditions and go crazy at rallying!

While the work load at Westover is often challenging, I would not have wanted any other academic curriculum for my high school career. Now having graduated I am appreciative of how the work load sometimes felt overwhelming. By senior year, I became talented at juggling six classes in addition to athletics and extracurriculars. Westover taught me how to manage my time well so that I could accomplish everything I wanted to. Even though I speak of a challenging academic environment, I must say that Westover is good at accommodating everyone's pace of learning or learning style. When I was struggling with some math material, the teachers were accessible and willing to help. Again, the ability for students to conference with teachers as much as needed is key in developing close connections between students and teachers. In addition, there is minimal pressure put on the students by faculty and peers. Even though students who achieve highly are awarded with publication of a literary work, or an recognition in a certain field of study, students are never thought less of by peers for inadequate work. They are, oppositely, motivated by their peers or given opportunities for tutoring and extra help. Lastly, the broad range of classes available and the structure of the academic curriculum are what make Westover students successful in their studies. By junior year, students are given some freedom in choosing class schedules. While the academic department and college counselor always ensure that students have the appropriate credits for applying to college, students are given some choice in what they want to pursue more in depth. For example, after completing my foreign language requirements, I opted to continue on to AP Physics my senior year instead of pursuing french. The flexibility of course choices in addition to the rigorous work load and motivation amongst students is what makes Westover academics quite strong.

Though there is no physical eduation class at Westover, students are required to participate in three team sports up until junior year. Participation in the dance program always counts as a team sport. Participation in a drama production sometimes fulfills a team sport requirement depending on previous involvement in athletics. Junior and senior year, students can be a part of the community service team as a team sport. Because team sports such as soccer, swimming, and lacrosse are not everyone's forte, Westover offers outdoor team, rock climbing, and fitness and weight training, just to name a few alternatives. Because Westover places a primary emphasis on academics, the degree of competitiveness at Westover is somewhat less than other boarding schools. However, the level of comfort that we are at with each other and the confidence we gain from the all-female environment proves useful on the playing field. Time after time Westover sports teams succeed because the girls work well together. Both the quality of facilities and broad range of sports or activities to participate in is praiseworthy.

I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the photography program at Westover. While Westover offers classes such as drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, and needle arts, I have taken only photography since my sophomore year. I have been lucky enough to take not only digital photography courses, but color and black and white film courses. The darkroom and photography facilities are impressive and hard to come by in this digital age. One of my favorite things about the visual arts at Westover is the Schumacher Art Gallery. Here, Westover alumnae and visiting artists display their works. These professional artists have inspired some of my own work. The photography program, or any visual arts program at Westover, is successful at giving students the skills to create artwork and giving them guidance in choosing works for final portfolios in the advanced placement courses.Having been a member of the handbell choir for four years, I am always impressed by talent displayed at the various concerts throughout the year. A Capella singing groups, small instrumental groups, and the Glee Club always come together and display great talent for such a small school. Similarly, the drama department puts together three plays of advanced caliber per year. The visual arts, music, and theatre departments show great commitment to the arts by gaining a great deal of participation from the somewhat small student body in these important extracurricular activities.

The extracurricular activities thrive on Westover's diversity. Having girls of all different origins makes for a great deal of participation in most of the clubs and organizations. Students from other countries become involved in foreign language clubs. Students adamant about human rights become involved in Amnesty International. Students with strong alumni connections may be members of Dialtones. Westover clubs and organizations exist because of the broad range of talent girls have and the various backgrounds they come from.Many students become involved in leadership opportunities at Westover. Our seven heads of school, student elected senior representatives, act as liaisons between Westover administration and the student body. Other positions include the spirit team heads, community service fair heads, student academic committee heads, and club heads.Lastly, community service is an important extracurricular to many Westover students. In free time girls often volunteer at various walks, blood drives, or soup kitchen trips. When the soup kitchen sign up sheet goes up around ten in the morning, all of the slots are filled by lunch time.

The dorm at school becomes a second home for most students. On each corridor, there are one or two dorm parents who reside in apartments with their families and provide guidance and nightly snacks for the girls. In addition there are a few student proctors assigned to each corridor. These student elected leaders are helpful in looking out for younger students and providing assistance when an adult does not need to be involved in a problem.Having been a day student at Westover for four years, I can speak to the integration among day students and boarders. There is absolutely no separation between these two types of Westover students. The day student lounges are included on corridor with the boarders and day students are allowed to stay overnight on campus when needed.

I like how the dining hall at Westover provides certain hours when meals are served. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are each served for about an hour and a half each. While the windows of time sometimes make for long lunch lines, they ensure that many students will be eating around the same time and thus encourage conversation amongst peers. While there is no assigned seating in the dining hall, each class most often sits with their own class. The kitchen staff is instrumental in providing a wide variety of food each day and mixing up the different meals students are provided with each week. One element unique to Westover is the sit-down dinner. Three times in the fall, twice in the winter, and once in the spring, boarding students are required to attend sit-down dinner. Here, students are assigned a table integrated with faculty members and students from every class.

Though the town life at Westover is quite minimal, it is often enough to keep students occupied. There are a couple of pizza places within walking distance and a Dunkin Donuts about a mile away. On weekends, the school provides numerous trips to Target, the mall, the movie theater, or a delicious ice cream spot a couple of towns over. Sometimes the school sponsors trips to Boston or New York City. There are often trips to dances or other events affiliated with nearby boys schools or co-educational schools.

I like that Westover social life is what you make it. Of course all of the girls develop close bonds with one another. When it comes to guys, you can take them or leave them. There are many dances and activities hosted by other boys schools or co-educational schools that Westover girls take part in. Not your thing? There are two hundred girls right down the hallway to hang out with. I often found myself doing things with my close friends. We would take trips to the movies or out to a nice dinner. I would often invite boarders to my house for a Saturday night. There are plenty of activities to be involved in, and whether or not you want them to involve guys is your choice!