Westminster School Accomplished Much During its 125th Anniversary

Westminster School launched a yearlong celebration of its 125th anniversary the week of Sept. 23, 2012, with the theme “Leading with Grit & Grace,” based on the school’s motto of Grit & Grace, which has defined and distinguished the school and its graduates since its founding in 1888.

“Anniversaries offer special opportunities to mark milestones and commemorate achievements,” said Westminster School Headmaster Bill Philip.  “Throughout Westminster’s 125th anniversary year, we have paid tribute to the school’s illustrious history, celebrated its national leadership among independent schools, and presented programs in its core areas of academics, athletics, arts and service.”

Activities throughout the year have included a teaching symposium —drawing more than 100 educators from the region — performing arts presentations, guest speakers from many fields of expertise, an alumni art show, an alumni athletics panel moderated by Rebecca Lobo and numerous community service initiatives.

More specifically, Westminster’s community initiatives in Simsbury during the anniversary year included:

• sponsorship of fireworks at Septemberfest in 2012 and of the Kid’s Korner “Innovative Inflatables” in 2013
• sponsorship of the Gifford Pinchot PBS documentary
• sponsorship of the Mark Twain House and Museum’s “Mark My Words”
• hosted a Chamber of Commerce reception
• donated 125 turkeys to Jack Bannan’s Turkey Trot last November
• held a holiday gift card drive and donated 125 gift cards to the Simsbury Department of Social Services
• donated funds to the Simsbury Public Library to purchase 125 books for its teen collection
• hosted free public speakers and arts events throughout the year to which the public was invited including Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan 
• sponsorship of the HSO Talcott Mountain Music Festival
• contributed to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial project in Simsbury

         There were also other community service initiatives that took place during the year that are ongoing events each year such as donating food collected by students to the Simsbury Food Closet, hosting the annual MS Walk and blood drives, conducting an all-school community service day throughout the region and presenting free cultural events to which the public was invited.

The 125th anniversary celebration ends Sept. 28 with the dedication of two new student and faculty residences, an address to the campus community by New York Times columnist and best-selling author David Brooks and a closing celebration featuring Brooks as the keynote speaker.

History of Westminster

Westminster School was founded in 1888 by William Lee Cushing as a school for boys in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. It relocated to Simsbury in 1900 to a more expansive 200-acre location on Williams Hill that commanded vistas of the Farmington River. The school opened in the new location on Oct. 17, 1900, with 34 boys and six teachers.  The original building still stands today.  As the school’s programs and enrollment grew over the decades, it added a wide range of facilities and became coeducational in 1971.

Current Facts

Today, Westminster is a diverse co-educational community of 391 students, two-thirds boarding and one-third day, in grades 9-12 and postgraduate. The students represent numerous Connecticut towns, 24 states and 18 countries. The school offers state-of-the-art academic, athletic and performing arts facilities, a challenging curriculum with 23 AP offerings, a three-season athletic program with 55 teams, an impressive arts program, and a wide spectrum of co-curricular activities. The school annually awards more than $4.5 million in need-based financial aid.