PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING // WESTMINSTER SCHOOL
Westminster School Principal Simon Shepherd inside the race of the new Thomas Pavilion in the School’s sporting precinct.
Leading by example WESTMINSTER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL SIMON SHEPHERD SPEAKS TO EDUCATION MATTERS ABOUT HOW ITS GRADUATES ARE ULTIMATELY NOT REMEMBERED FOR THEIR ATAR OR QUALIFICATIONS, BUT RATHER FOR THE POSITIVE WAY THEY INTERACT WITH OTHERS AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE SOCIETY.
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WHAT IS THE SCHOOL’S PHILOSOPHY AND HOW DOES IT GUIDE YOU AND YOUR STAFF? Westminster students are encouraged by our staff to achieve more than they thought possible. We want our students to leave school equipped cognitively, emotionally, and spiritually with the skills they need in life to achieve eudemonia. Helping students of all ages achieve this during their formative years becomes a guiding beacon for all staff.
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HOW DOES THE SCHOOL DIFFER FROM OTHER SCHOOLS? We aspire to ensure that our graduates are ultimately not remembered for their ATAR or qualifications, but rather for the positive manner in which they interact with others and contribute to our society. Of course, this grounding starts in their primary years. As students age, we also offer a number of significant pennant programs. Perhaps the most influential of
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these is our Outdoor Education program, which encompasses the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Awards where we regularly receive the most Gold Awards in South Australia. We are one of only two Round Square Schools in South Australia, providing our students with great opportunities to develop internationalism and relationships with schools and students from around the nation and world. WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL? Westminster School was initially founded by the Methodist Church to provide another boarding school in Adelaide, offering educational opportunities for rural students. Our doors opened in 1961 and cater for Years 1 to 8 (equivalent). Over 60 years, we have grown into a significant coeducational day and boarding ELC to Year 12 school of around 1200 students.
