The Webb School - Review #3

Small classes and a teaching community dedicated to its students make Webb feel like a home. Teachers are always available to help, support, and listen to their students. The honor code instills a sense of trust in the whole community and creates a safe and loving environment.

Boarding school was something that really prepared me in many ways for the rest of my life. Firstly I went into college much more prepared than my peers who hadn't gone to boarding school simply by having experienced going to school away from home. Second, I was more willing to jump into campus life because it was something I'd done before -- I had already experienced roommate conflicts, dorm life, and depending on a cafeteria for meals in an environment that was much more supportive of my failures than colleges are able to be.

I would encourage anyone going to boarding school to go into it fearlessly -- it can be intimidating at first, but no matter where you are there are always individuals feeling just as lost as you and individuals waiting to welcome you. Jump in and don't be afraid to try new things and be independent -- the good thing is that there are people there to help you and guide you, who aren't expecting you to be perfect at everything.

I loved Webb's atmosphere and sense of community. It felt like everyone belonged, no matter who they were or where they came from. And I loved my teachers to death. There was honestly not one whom I did not value.

The coffee shop downtown has these delicious chocolate-peanut-butter-covered-Ritz-crackers that are beyond amazing. Buy three, eat all of them, and don't feel guilty afterwards.

Academics at Webb were rigorous, but faculty were more than willing and available to assist every step of the way. They are engaging and genuinely care about their students. I also loved the variety of classes available -- my History of Russian Revolutions course is still one of the best I've taken.

One of my personal favorite athletic memories at Webb was being a member of the first Girls' Lacrosse team in 8th grade and watching it grow slowly and organically into an incredible program by my senior year. Teachers are required to be involved in some way with either a club or sports team, and so get to know their students on different levels. Something else I loved was the ability to be fully involved in two varsity sports (and captain of one) while still being equally as involved in the school's Quizbowl team -- athletics and academics are not by any means mutually exclusive at Webb.

Every student engages in fine arts at some point in his or her Webb career, so the fine arts department is joined beautifully to the rest of the community. The theatre department puts on two or more performances per year, and they range from classics to modern plays, from dramas to musicals, and everything in between. Even with such a small student body the productions are often enormous, and the quality is always high. The fine arts faculty are some of the most dedicated on campus.

A huge amount of extracurricular activities are offered at Webb, and my favorite was being able to tutor after school at the local elementary school. The school offers a wide variety of community service opportunities and in fact community service is required for all students.

I loved the community feel of dorm life. In my dorm senior year I lived in a suite with three of my close friends, and we were able to turn it into something that felt like home. The teachers who lived in the dorm with us were there for us in a way that all high school girls need. There are also plenty of opportunities to get off campus and escape for a little while when it starts to feel too much like a bubble.

With free seating and outdoor tables for sunny days, the dining set up at Webb is wonderful. You have to go to dinner, so it's a time of day when the whole boarding community is together. There are small kitchens in each dorm if you want to cook your own food. When I was at Webb we also had fourth meal at night -- extra late-night food for when you desperately needed a pick me up.

The school is in a small town, and the school and the town flow together pretty seamlessly. The people in and surrounding the town are so genuinely nice and incredibly welcoming. Also, this part of Tennessee is simply beautiful -- the school is surrounded by open air. The town is small and cute, with an old fashioned ice cream shop and a coffee shop that's amazing. Then there are larger towns and cities at not too great a distance, so you get the best of both worlds.

Something I loved about Webb was that there were very few groups or divisions between students -- the students who were athletes were often the same ones who gave incredible orations or who sang in the choir. There was something for everyone. Everyone knew everyone else in a way that was welcoming and made us all feel closer to each other.