Hill Headlines

Horizons at Westminster Holds Fourth Summer Program and Receives Grant

Horizons at Westminster hosted 60 first through fourth grade students from Hartford on campus this past summer for six weeks. “We were so excited to welcome them back to campus in our fourth year of operation,” said Kathleen Devaney P’19, ’22, executive director of Hartford Partnerships and Horizons at Westminster.

Horizons at Westminster is part of a national network of K-8 summer enrichment programs that aims to build a “bridge” from one academic year to the next and is designed to boost educational achievement and broaden access to opportunity for students from underresourced communities.

With health protocols in place related to the pandemic, the Horizons students were on campus five days a week completing academic work in Armour Academic Center, participating in enrichment activities in Werner Centennial Center and Pettee Gymnasium, and eating breakfast and lunch in Armstrong Dining Hall.

Many members of the Westminster community — students, faculty, staff and alumni — served as volunteers by greeting students when they arrived, providing math help, reading aloud with students and waving them goodbye at the end of the day.

Horizons will continue to add 15 first graders each summer through 2025, when the program reaches full enrollment with 120 students in first through eighth grades. In addition to its summer program, three Saturday academies take place during the school year with many Westminster students serving as volunteers.

In April, Horizons at Westminster was awarded an E.E. Ford Traditional Grant of $100,000 to provide critical support for salaries and volunteer stipends in summer 2022. The grant comes with a requirement to fundraise an equivalent amount within one year to support the long-term sustainability of the program.

“Horizons at Westminster is at a crucial juncture and acutely aware of the significant funding needed to fulfill its promise of expanding educational opportunities for students from underresourced communities in Hartford and to deliver on Westminster’s commitment to ‘service beyond self,’” said Kathleen.

The Edward E. Ford Foundation helps improve secondary education by supporting U.S. independent schools and encouraging promising practices. By making traditional grants to eligible schools and associations, the foundation helps programs like Horizons at Westminster to grow and develop in pursuit of their own missions.

Westminster Begins 134th School Year

Westminster School welcomed 414 students to campus as it began its 134th academic year. The students hail from 27 states and 19 countries, and include 132 new students.

The year kicked off Aug. 31 with a day student welcome that included a parent reception at Pratt House. The next morning, Sixth Formers, returning day students and international students arrived. Despite some rainy weather, Sixth Formers spent the afternoon participating in a form welcome, a college counseling meeting and an orientation program.

On Sept. 2, members of the Prefect Board assembled at the top of Perkin Memorial Drive to greet new and returning students. Other Sixth Formers helped arriving students move into their dormitories. After completing some registration tasks in Armour Academic Center and attending meetings with their advisory groups, all students participated in afternoon form orientation activities. The day concluded with an all-school cookout and kickball tournament.

Classes met briefly Sept. 3, and all new students attended a performing arts meeting. The school year officially got underway Sept. 4 with an assembly, and the traditional Pin Ceremony and Sign-In Ceremony.

Head of School Elaine White welcomed everyone to the assembly in Armstrong Atrium of Armour Academic Center. “Soon we will listen carefully to the words of Cooper Kistler, head prefect for the 2021-2022 school year,” she explained. “I want to point out that Westminster taps a student to give the first address of the year to the entire school community, not a faculty member, not the head of school. Students are at the core of our community, and your voices are powerful and strong. Use them well.”

She shared the history of the Pin Ceremony which would take place following the assembly: “The Pin Ceremony itself celebrates the Sixth Form. Head of School Graham Cole began the practice early in his tenure as a way of both recognizing the Sixth Form and emphasizing their responsibility as leaders to uphold our core values of character, community, involvement and balance. Sixth Formers wear their pin all year as a physical reminder of that responsibility.”

She also spoke about the Sign-in Ceremony: “Underformers, too, are expected to commit themselves to doing their very best to live up to our community standards, and they embrace that commitment when they sign the school ledger, another tradition begun by Graham Cole, at the new student Sign-In Ceremony, which occurs in the chapel immediately following the Pin Ceremony. It should not be lost on anyone today that as we pin the Sixth Formers and remind them of their commitment to create the most inclusive and supportive community possible, we also welcome all new students into the fold and anticipate the ways in which they will make us even stronger as a community.”

Lastly, she discussed the Sixth Form flag and its role in announcing Hill Holidays throughout the year.

During his assembly remarks, Cooper Kistler ’22 shared some of his early experiences at Westminster and highlighted the welcoming presence of Charles Ruffin at the security booth as Charles enthusiastically greets everyone arriving on campus. Cooper also mentioned the complicating factors of the pandemic last academic year.

“So here we are now,” he said. “It is 2021, and our whole school community is back together. I’ve spoken with many students, faculty members and administrators, and it has become clear to me that we need to reboot our school spirit.” He announced the names of students who would be heading an effort to promote all-school events, such as night games, dances and the fall play.

“Westminster is the strongest community I have ever been a part of, and now we are faced with an opportunity for growth and development,” he continued. “As we try to put the pandemic behind us, let’s embrace discomfort. Together let’s push ourselves to a space where we can all grow and develop new perspectives.” He encouraged everyone to try something new this year and to reach outside of their comfort zone.

“Charles sets the tone on this campus every morning by greeting everyone with a smile and saying ‘hello,’” added Cooper. “To all the new students at Westminster, an unwritten rule is that we smile and say ‘hi’ to everyone when we pass them. In a community built around kindness, you will never experience an environment where people are so supportive and caring. As a result, I encourage you all again to try new things, take new risks and embrace discomfort. There is no doubt that this will lead to some great successes and failures, but with the support of our community and the kindness within it, we will fail forward, we will grow and we will become stronger and better people because of it. Thank you all, and I look forward to an amazing year!”

All students, except for Sixth Formers, then proceeded to the edge of the Sixth Form Lawn, where they positioned themselves for the Pin Ceremony. Sixth Formers followed by walking together onto the lawn to receive their Sixth Form pin or pendants from alumni faculty and honorary alumni faculty. The design of the pins and pendants was created by the form last spring. Members of the Prefect Board also brought onto the lawn new members of the Sixth Form and Head of School White.

Continuing with another school tradition, all new students then entered Andrews Memorial Chapel to participate in the Sign-In Ceremony. They were greeted by Head of School White as they signed the book signifying their formal entrance into school. They were then welcomed by members of the Prefect Board. A pizza feed culminated the morning’s activities.

Students Recognized in National Merit Scholarship Program

Olympian Shares Personal Lessons of Grit and Grace

Westminster School Sixth Former Sung Min Cho the 2021 WALKS Constitutional Essay Contest. was named a Semifinalist in the 2022 National Merit “I want to take a moment to thank the Scholarship Program. He is among approximately Westminster faculty who have so generously 16,000 academically talented high school seniors to devoted their energies to my education, the men have an opportunity to continue in the competition and women who illustrated to me the power of for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships that will rigorous thinking and the thrill of fearless inquiry,” be awarded next spring. said Sung.

High school juniors entered the 2022 National To advance to the Finalist level of the Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2020 competition, each Semifinalist and a high school Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship official must submit a detailed scholarship Qualifying Test. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, application in which they provide additional representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, Sung Min Cho information about the Semifinalist’s achievements includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. in a variety of areas. National Merit Scholarship

Sung is a boarding student from Westfield, Mass., who has winners of 2022 will be announced next April through July. taken a rigorous course of study and earned high honors during In addition, about 34,000 Commended Students throughout his Westminster career. He is a member of the Prefect Board, the nation were recognized for their exceptional academic co-editor-in-chief of The Westminster News, co-captain of First promise and received a letter of commendation. Among those Boys’ Cross Country, co-president of Global Forum and co-head are Sixth Formers Isaac Mullen, Charles Pappas, Jonah Prentiss of Westminster Model U.N. He has also been awarded the Brian and Kellen Seeley. Ford Writing Prize, and was a finalist and runner-up overall in

Olympic runner Abbey D’Agostino Cooper visited Westminster Sept. 17 to share her story of rising beyond adversity to exhibit the best in sportsmanship. She gave a presentation to students and faculty in Werner Centennial Center as part of Westminster’s yearlong celebration of 50 years of coeducation.

Cooper is a longtime close friend of faculty member Arianna Vailas, who introduced Cooper to the audience. They were teammates at Dartmouth College.

Cooper began her talk by showing a video of herself competing during a semifinal heat of the women’s 5000-meter run in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, when both she and New Zealander Nikki Hamblin fell. Cooper got up, despite sustaining a major injury, and encouraged Hamblin to finish. Cooper also finished the race with Hamblin’s encouragement but ended up leaving the track in a wheelchair and could not compete further. The incident made international news, and subsequently, both athletes were recognized for their sportsmanship.

Throughout her career, Cooper has faced injuries, but they have not eclipsed her spirit. And this year, during the 5,000-meter finals at the Olympic Track & Field Team Trials finals in June, she came in fourth place, narrowly missing a berth in the Tokyo Olympics.

A graduate of Dartmouth in 2014, where she majored in psychology and competed as a runner, Cooper finished her collegiate career as a seven-time national champion, 16-time Ivy League champion and 12-time All-American. In 2012, she became the first Dartmouth woman to win a national title, and in 2013, she became the first Ivy League student-athlete to win the cross-country title.

Cooper spoke about how grit and grace have defined her running career, saying about the video, “That was where I began to learn grit and grace.”

She also spoke about how sustaining serious injuries during her career has caused uncertainty and fear, and how competing in the U.S. at Olympic trials can be more nerve-wracking than at the games themselves.

During a question-and-answer session that followed her talk, she said that injuries are very hard for athletes to face. “Going through something hard makes you better on the other side.”

When asked about what is next for her, she said she continues to train and is hoping to compete in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. Before that, she is looking forward to competing in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore. (Please see related coeducation stories beginning on page 18.)

Members of the Westminster Community Share Their Talents

Westminster’s artistic talents were on display in Baxter Gallery during the opening reception for the Westminster Community Art Show Sept. 9. The show featured artwork and music from Westminster faculty, staff and community members. The show was open throughout the fall term.

The visual and textile artists included Wendy Bestor, Mallory Doyle, Newell Grant ’99, Kerry Kendall, Karl Lund, Daniela Perez, Amanda Rappold, Janet Reed, Scott Stevens, Jane Toner and Rebeccah TuscanoMoss. Among their artworks were acrylics on canvas, a pen and ink drawing, relief prints, a watercolor, an oil on canvas, digital photography, textiles made of silk, cotton and acrylic yarn, and handmade quilts. In addition, those who attended the show could listen to recorded performances by Dan Aber on the clarinet, and the musical group Firetown Road that includes Dan, Grant Gritzmacher and Michael Cervas.

The evening also featured the opening of Pratt House Gallery, showcasing student artwork. Head of School Elaine White has opened her home as a venue to display student artwork throughout the year with a current exhibit featuring pieces from 2021 graduates Nathalie Charles, Miranda Douglass, Rachel Ha, India Lalor, Ian Lee, Tatum McBreen, Claire Taylor and Alisa Toner, as well as Abigail Moss ’20.

“It was exciting to begin the school year with the grand opening of Pratt House Gallery featuring student artwork on the same evening that we celebrated the Westminster Community Art Show displaying artwork from faculty, staff and community members in Baxter Gallery,” said art teacher Kerry Kendall, who curated the exhibits. “I was thrilled when our new Head of School, Elaine White, approached me with her conception of the idea of a gallery in Pratt House. She has thrown open her doors and welcomed us into her home to appreciate the arts at Westminster. We have a lot of creative and hard-working artists on our campus. The opening night event was well attended and set a positive tone for the new school year. I hope more people will get involved and share their talent in future exhibitions.”

Kerry’s goal is to present three shows a year in each of Westminster’s art exhibition spaces.

Focusing on Empathy

Westminster students and faculty participated in a number of activities during Diversity Day Oct. 11, including a presentation by Andre Bradford, aka S.C. Says, a slam poet who has been performing since 2013 and is based in Austin, Texas.

Bradford is a two-time Austin Poetry Slam Champion, a three-time Texas Grand Slam Finalist and is the author of the upcoming book “Golden Brown Skin.” He earned a bachelor’s degree in theater and marketing from U.S.C., and has toured at venues across the country.

The one-hour presentation, titled “Kintsukuroi: On Empathy and Other Things,” focused on the importance of empathy. He began by sharing his Jamaican and Mexican heritage and how he grew up in a nonculturally diverse neighborhood in Grand Prairie, Texas. The first poem he read was “Crayon Box,” which described what that childhood experience was like. “I let you in a little bit on my life story,” he said. “One reason I like the art form is you can see some of my circumstances.” He added, “We will go through a roller coaster of emotions during this show.”

He said empathy is “one of the most powerful tools we have to change the world around us.” He read a poem titled “A Kindness” and explained its background, and how it was a good example of how he made a snap judgement and the importance of learning a little bit about someone’s story.

He also talked about mental health issues, his own life struggles and how showing empathy could save a life. “The best forms of empathy are intentional,” he said. “Intentional empathy requires skill. … Empathy fosters pleasurable feelings. … Empathy helps to heal painful and psychological issues. … Empathy is the active ingredient in conflict resolution. … I believe empathy is what we need to mend our pieces.”

Above and below, Andre Bradford gives a presentation to students and faculty.

He encouraged everyone to pay attention, tell their story and appreciate differences in life experiences. “If you want to change the world around you, start by trying to understand the people in it.”

He responded to a number of questions from the audience, including how he got into slam poetry, how he builds selfcare into his daily routine and how he developed the courage to share his story.

Following his presentation, students participated in workshops that involved a deep dive into empathy through two exercises.

Fall Performing Arts Concert

Students in the Concert Band, Jazz Band, Dance Ensemble, Chamber Choir and Chorale gave performances during a concert held in Werner Centennial Center as part of Parents and Family Weekend.