Student Life, Leadership, & Traditions

There’s a place for every kind of student at Westridge.

On-campus life at Westridge is vibrant, robust, and as varied as our students themselves. Students continue exploring their voice and leadership styles outside of the classroom playing sports, joining student organizations and affinity groups, participating in the arts, running the student government, and producing the student newspaper.

Students tell us that the Westridge community makes it safe to try new things and rise to new challenges without fear of failure or the need to make every endeavor a deep personal pursuit—they can just have fun.

Above all, our community is filled with joy and a desire to learn, collaborate, and grow. Learn more about our student clubs, organizations, and traditions below!

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Getting Involved at Westridge

Clubs

Clubs bring students with similar interests together to share knowledge, spread passion, and affect change. Students in all divisions can join clubs that reflect their interests, or they can start their own (and they do!). Every club has a faculty advisor and a student club head who organizes meetings and events—another opportunity to learn valuable leadership skills.

Recent Westridge clubs have included:

Lunar New Year dragon dance Westridge School tradition

Lower School Student Activities & Leadership Council (SALC) performs a traditional dragon dance for Lunar New Year.

Middle School Water Warriors Westridge School

The Water Warriors are just one of many clubs students can join in Middle School.

Middle School club fair

Students explore the Middle School club fair and sign up for clubs they're interested in.

Upper School students can join a variety of clubs and affinities.

The Black Student Union celebrates "Love Your Hair Day," a day inspired by the CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair).

Middle Eastern & North African Affinity (MENA) host a table at the Upper School Affinity Fair.

Student Voices assembly

Student Voices leads a number of themed assemblies each year, educating the student body about social justice and environmental issues.

Student Voices lead an all-school assembly on climate change and climate justice.

Westridgettes dancing

Above: Known for their Tigers spirit and green skirts painted with the names of students who have previously worn them, the Westridgettes are the cheer squad that performs at assemblies and events.

Affinities

Our affinity groups are spaces for students of shared cultural, racial, or ethnic backgrounds to meet, support one another, and discuss a variety of topics. There are more than 20 affinity groups on campus, including the Black Student Union, Chinese Affinity, Gender Affinity, Jewish Affinity, Latine Affinity, Muslim Affinity, Multiracial Affinity, Voices of Ability, and many more.

Student affinity heads also participate in Student Voices, a student-led leadership group dedicated to addressing topics related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. Student Voices raises awareness about local and global issues and events through assemblies, town meetings, and lunch talks.

Student Organizations & Leadership

Other student organizations and activities at Westridge include:

  • Associated Student Body (Upper School student government)
  • Student Action Council (Upper School leadership group)
  • Student Activities & Leadership Council (Lower School student government)
  • Student Life (Upper School organization dedicated to planning Town Meetings)
  • Outlook (Upper School literary magazine)
  • Spyglass (student newspaper made up of Middle and Upper School editors and staff writers)
  • Middle & Upper School Speech & Debate
  • Robotics (Upper School team that competes in robotics competitions)
  • Rocketry (Upper School team that competes in model rocketry competitions)
  • The Westridgettes (Upper School student spirit group that performs at assemblies and other events)
  • Yearbook
speech and debate

Above: Alumna Rachel Harris '19 founded the All Womxn's Debate Tournament, an all-female debate tournament hosted at Westridge and including students from various competitive programs in the area.

100 Years of Traditions

When you have more than 100 years of history behind you, you're bound to create a few traditions along the way!

Here are a handful of the most beloved Westridge traditions—some that have emerged in recent years, and many that have been with us since the days of our founder Mary Ranney, kept alive through the passing of the baton from one generation of Westridge girls to the next.

All-School Read

The English department selects a text that is read and discussed by the whole school. 

Alumnae & 4th Grade Meet & Greet

During Alumnae Weekend, 4th graders enjoy a meet-and-greet with that year's 50th Reunion Class.

ASB Theme Reveal

The first Associated Student Body (ASB) assembly of the year is where ASB reveals their chosen theme for the year.

Big & Little Families

Students from every division are organized into small “families" that meet for fun bonding activities.

Chalk Day

Seniors celebrate their college choices in the spring by drawing the logo in chalk on Ayrshire Courtyard.

College Conversations

Our most recently graduated class returns for a panel discussion about their first semesters at college.

Cookie Tuesday

Freshly baked cookies in the Commons that are only available on select Tuesdays every month!

Eco-Homes

An annual 6th grade project combining sustainable engineering, math, science, English, history, and Spanish skills!

Greeks & Romans

New students and faculty are initiated as either a Greek or a Roman with much fanfare at an all-school assembly.

Halloween Parade

Students and faculty come to school in costume and the ASB hosts a parade and costume contest.

Homecoming

A January event welcoming alumnae back to campus with a spirit assembly, College Conversations, and athletics.

Latin Club Initiation

Senior Latin Club members initiate new students into the Junior Classical League in an annual ceremony.

Petridge

Students bring pets to campus on the last day of school for this Lower School animal welfare fundraiser.

Ring Ceremony

The first Ring Ceremony was held in 1936. Today it is a milestone event where juniors receive their school rings.

Town Meeting

Monthly student-run town meetings create space for the Upper School to discuss a predetermined topic.

Senior Breakfasts

Hosted on campus by the Westridge Parent Association, these breakfasts are special, monthly meals for seniors.

Senior Table

A table on Foreman Courtyard (unofficially) “reserved” for use by seniors. 

Senior Skits

An annual assembly where the senior class does impersonations of their teachers.

Vespers

A year-end event the evening before Commencement celebrating seniors' time at Westridge.

Water Rocket Launch

A 5th grade science project where teams of students launch rockets constructed from recycled bottles.

Yam Festival

A lunchtime feast of yam dishes supplied by our families, celebrating the diversity of cultures at Westridge.