Congratulations to our Middle and Upper School Latin students who scored above the national average on the National Latin Exam and received awards for their high scores! These students took the National Latin Exam with approximately 130,000 students across the country and more than 40 Westridge students earned cum laude, magna cum laude, maxima cum laude, and summa cum laude awards.

The Upper School Chamber Orchestra concert will premiere next Friday, May 28 at 7 pm on the Westridge YouTube channel.

For their final project in their Modern World Systems class, 10th graders took the reins from teacher Sandy de Grijs to demonstrate their understanding of complex topics: modern genocides and human rights violations.

This afternoon, 22 students were inducted into the Cum Laude Society, an organization that recognizes academic achievement in secondary schools for the purpose of promoting three essential qualities: excellence, justice, and honor.

This weekend, the Westridge Theatre Department will present the 8^th grade play What If? as its final production of the year. What If? is an original show comprised of four vignettes inspired by movies and TV shows, with scripts, costume design, scenic design, animation, and performances by 8^th grade students.

The Upper School Virtual Dance Concert will premiere on the Westridge YouTube channel Friday, May 7 at 7 pm!

The English Department’s annual “Voices in Literature and Culture Conference” is taking on a new form this year and expanding the scope of its theme to ensure that the conference remains accessible to student participants from all three divisions of the school. The conference went live as a digital exhibit this month, featuring 16 student works around the theme of “Storytelling.”

We often hear that Westridge students are highly sought-after babysitters. For 22 members of the Class of 2027, that may be truer than ever as they just completed the first-ever, synchronous online American Red Cross babysitter certification program. The collaboration with the American Red Cross was made possible by our 6^th grade parent grade-level representatives (GLRs), who were determined to find a meaningful and fun way for their students to connect while in remote learning this spring. 

Congratulations to Middle School Teacher Gigi Bizar who has been awarded the Service-Learning Practitioner Leadership award for her work with the Westridge Water Warriors by the National Youth Leadership Council!

Last month, Counselor Sheri Johnson and Human Development Teacher and Co-Dean of Student Voices Regina Wei established a new support group for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) students at Westridge.

The Westridge School Board of Trustees has appointed Andrea Kassar, current head of Upper School at The Nightingale-Bamford School in Manhattan, as the school’s next head of school. She will join Westridge in July 2022, succeeding Elizabeth J. McGregor upon her retirement. 

Ms. Husmann’s 7th grade computer science class made the most of being on campus this week by testing out their 3D-printed boats in the fountain on Ayshire Court!

“You have to see it to be it,” is a motto Middle School Coding & Game Design Teacher Sally Miller frequently repeats to her students, and this year the 7th and 8th graders are diving deeper into issues of representation in STEM fields than ever before.

Westridge is thrilled to announce the appointments of two, director-level administrators as part of the implementation of the 2020-2025 Westridge Strategic Plan. Ian Tatum will join us as director of equity, leading our school-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. James Evans will join us as director of teaching and learning.

The Westridge Speech and Debate Team has now been competing in online tournaments for more than a year, and the team has met the challenge with great success! They have taken advantage of the opportunity to virtually compete in out-of-state tournaments they wouldn’t normally participate in and proved that they hold their own against competitors across the country.