News

The Westridge Community Picnic is back! On Sunday, September 18, families gathered on campus for the picnic for the first time since 2019. With almost 700 people in attendance, families were able to reconnect on campus and give a warm community welcome to Head of School Andrea Kassar. 

On Thursday, Middle School students were invited to sign up for affinity and alliance groups! These groups are spaces for students of shared cultural, racial, ethnic, or other background to meet, support one another, and discuss various topics.

As part of an ongoing project in the environmental engineering class, Upper School students moved on to the final steps of building their miniature self-sustaining environments which involved checking in on soil and water to create the perfect environment for fish.

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, students in Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica hosted a special community activity teaching peers how to make papel picado, which are traditional banners made of tissue paper to celebrate holidays and notable occasions.

In early September, nine Upper School students gathered in the STEAMWork Design Studio to share about their summer experiences—but it was no ordinary summer for these students. They were the recipients of the Westridge STEAMWork Summer Support Grant, which offers financial assistance to students in 8^th-11^th grade to continue their studies in STEAM fields at summer programs outside of the school.

The dinosaur-themed ceremony was held on Herrick Quad, where new students, faculty, and staff learned their Greek or Roman designation and were "initiated" by running through blue (Greek) or yellow (Roman) streamers and receiving a certificate and treats from ASB leaders.

This week, the 7th graders discussed the bystander effect—defined as a phenomenon in which people fail to offer help in emergencies, especially when other people are present—as they begin learning about the Holocaust in Middle School History Faculty Gigi Bizar’s class.

Last Friday, Upper School students and faculty gathered at the flagpole on campus in observation of the anniversary of 9/11. ASB President Morgan H. ’23 and Head of School Ms. Kassar (who was living in New York at the time) each shared words in remembrance of the lives lost—and held a moment of silence in their honor.