Westminster School, Connecticut
Encyclopedia
Westminster School is a small, private, boarding school located in Simsbury, Connecticut
.
In 1900, as enrollment increased, Mr. Cushing moved the school to its current location in Simsbury, Connecticut
. The move to Simsbury provided more land, which had been donated through a trustee of the school, Arthur M. Dodge, a member of an old Hartford family. Williams Hill (the site of the school) offered more than 230 acre (0.9307778 km²) with commanding views of the Farmington River
. The Simsbury location also provided train service for students to New York and Boston, a boon to families from those areas.
A graduate of Yale University
and a firm believer in the traditional form of English boarding school education, Mr. Cushing was strongly influenced by the Reverend Edward Thring the headmaster of Uppingham School
in England.
In the early 1970s, Westminster School opened its doors to day students. In 1971, girls were admitted for the first time as day students and in 1977 as boarding students. Like many boarding schools, Westminster faced difficult times in the 1970s as it competed for a shrinking pool of boarding students led by Headmaster Donald Werner (appointed in 1972). When Werner retired after nearly twenty-five years, he left a thriving school for successor Graham Cole. With Cole's retirement in 2010, Westminster has appointed William V.N. ("Bill") Philip as its eighth Headmaster. Philip has ascended to the top job after a 26-year career at Westminster as a teacher, coach, dorm-master, college counselor, and most recently Associate and Assistant Headmaster.
A relatively new tradition is the signing ceremony. At the beginning of each year all the new students file through the Headmaster's office, shake the hands of the prefects, and sign a book. The students then file to the pin ceremony.
Another long-time tradition is the Sixth Form lawn, a grassy area on the main quadrangle that can only be walked upon by Sixth Formers (seniors) or alumni in recognition of present and past leadership of the school. In past years, the prohibition on underclassmen walking on the Sixth Form lawn resulted in a bit of a cat-and-mouse game between vigilant Sixth Formers and bold freshmen and sophomores testing the limits of this senior privilege, with apprehended underclassmen paying a penalty usually involving the wearing of embarrassing attire (one unfortunate found himself wearing a piece of the lawn itself for several days). More recently the Sixth Form lawn is a focus of positive traditions celebrating the rising leadership of the school, including a pin ceremony in which new Sixth Formers are giving lapel pins, and several Commencement ceremonies (culminating in Sixth Formers' receiving their diplomas in a circle on the Sixth Form lawn).
Many students' favorite tradition is stickball
, a game in which teams made up of dormitory floors and day student teams compete in a baseball-like game on the quad and athletic fields in the late spring when the days lengthen and the temperature rises. Each floor must make its own bat, usually a hockey or lacrosse stick that has been cut, or a wooden dowel of a large diameter. Generally the stickball "season" will culminate in a single-elimination tournament to crown the Hill Stickball champion.
Upcoming shows for the 2011-2012 school year are:
"Recently Demolished Buildings"
Simsbury, Connecticut
Simsbury is a suburban town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 23,234 at the 2000 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's twenty-first town in May 1670.-Early history:...
.
History
Westminster School was founded by William Lee Cushing in 1888 as a boys’ school in Dobbs Ferry, New York.In 1900, as enrollment increased, Mr. Cushing moved the school to its current location in Simsbury, Connecticut
Simsbury, Connecticut
Simsbury is a suburban town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 23,234 at the 2000 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's twenty-first town in May 1670.-Early history:...
. The move to Simsbury provided more land, which had been donated through a trustee of the school, Arthur M. Dodge, a member of an old Hartford family. Williams Hill (the site of the school) offered more than 230 acre (0.9307778 km²) with commanding views of the Farmington River
Farmington River
The Farmington River is a river located in northwest Connecticut, with major tributaries extending into southwest Massachusetts. Via its longest branch , the Farmington's length increases to , making it the Connecticut River's longest tributary by a mere over the major river directly to its...
. The Simsbury location also provided train service for students to New York and Boston, a boon to families from those areas.
A graduate of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and a firm believer in the traditional form of English boarding school education, Mr. Cushing was strongly influenced by the Reverend Edward Thring the headmaster of Uppingham School
Uppingham School
Uppingham School is a co-educational independent school of the English public school tradition, situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England...
in England.
In the early 1970s, Westminster School opened its doors to day students. In 1971, girls were admitted for the first time as day students and in 1977 as boarding students. Like many boarding schools, Westminster faced difficult times in the 1970s as it competed for a shrinking pool of boarding students led by Headmaster Donald Werner (appointed in 1972). When Werner retired after nearly twenty-five years, he left a thriving school for successor Graham Cole. With Cole's retirement in 2010, Westminster has appointed William V.N. ("Bill") Philip as its eighth Headmaster. Philip has ascended to the top job after a 26-year career at Westminster as a teacher, coach, dorm-master, college counselor, and most recently Associate and Assistant Headmaster.
Headmasters
- William Lee Cushing (1888–1920), first headmaster and school founder
- Lewis Pettee (1920–1922), namesake of one of the school's two gymnasiums
- Raymond McOrmond (1922–1933), namesake for a faculty home
- Eugene Bueller (1933–1936), namesake for a faculty home
- Arthur Milliken (1936–1956), namesake of one of the school's dorms
- Francis Keyes (1956–1970)., namesake for the Admission and Development building
- Donald ("Don") H. Werner (1970–1993), namesake of the Centennial Center, home to most of the arts on campus
- W. Graham Cole, Jr. (1993–2010), namesake of the school's library
- William ("Bill") V.N. Philip (2010 -)
Traditions
Westminster has many traditions including Fall Bonfire, which was originally the time when freshman boys would throw their "freshmen ties" into the fire to show that they were now a member of the community. A tradition much beloved by students in particular are "Hill Holidays"--an unscheduled day off from academic classes. Hill holidays generally occur four times during the year and are usually announced in honor of the birth of a faculty child or another important school events. In recent years, Hill Holidays have been announced Headmaster W. Graham Cole is spotted in a building on campus wearing a hat (the only occasion on which he does so). William Phillip now raises the class flag to announce the Hill Holiday.A relatively new tradition is the signing ceremony. At the beginning of each year all the new students file through the Headmaster's office, shake the hands of the prefects, and sign a book. The students then file to the pin ceremony.
Another long-time tradition is the Sixth Form lawn, a grassy area on the main quadrangle that can only be walked upon by Sixth Formers (seniors) or alumni in recognition of present and past leadership of the school. In past years, the prohibition on underclassmen walking on the Sixth Form lawn resulted in a bit of a cat-and-mouse game between vigilant Sixth Formers and bold freshmen and sophomores testing the limits of this senior privilege, with apprehended underclassmen paying a penalty usually involving the wearing of embarrassing attire (one unfortunate found himself wearing a piece of the lawn itself for several days). More recently the Sixth Form lawn is a focus of positive traditions celebrating the rising leadership of the school, including a pin ceremony in which new Sixth Formers are giving lapel pins, and several Commencement ceremonies (culminating in Sixth Formers' receiving their diplomas in a circle on the Sixth Form lawn).
Athletics
Westminster offers a sports program in fifteen interscholastic and one non-competitive sport.| Sport | Season | Boys/Girls | Competitive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross Country Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road... |
Fall | B/G | Yes |
| Soccer | Fall | B/G | Yes |
| Football American football American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by... |
Fall | B | Yes |
| Field Hockey Field hockey Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks... |
Fall | G | Yes |
| Ice Hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
Winter | B/G | Yes |
| Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
Winter | B/G | Yes |
| Swimming Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
Winter | B/G | Yes |
| Squash Squash (sport) Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball... |
Winter | B/G | Yes |
| Martial Arts Martial arts Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development.... |
Winter | B/G | No |
| Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond... |
Spring | B | Yes |
| Softball Softball Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand... |
Spring | G | Yes |
| Lacrosse Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh... |
Spring | B/G | Yes |
| Tennis Tennis Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... |
Spring | B/G | Yes |
| Track and Field Track and field Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area... |
Spring | B/G | Yes |
| Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes.... |
Spring | B/G | Yes |
Many students' favorite tradition is stickball
Stickball
Stickball is a street game related to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game, played in large cities in the Northeastern United States, especially New York City. The equipment consists of a broom handle and a rubber ball, typically a spaldeen, pensie pinkie, high bouncer or tennis ball. The...
, a game in which teams made up of dormitory floors and day student teams compete in a baseball-like game on the quad and athletic fields in the late spring when the days lengthen and the temperature rises. Each floor must make its own bat, usually a hockey or lacrosse stick that has been cut, or a wooden dowel of a large diameter. Generally the stickball "season" will culminate in a single-elimination tournament to crown the Hill Stickball champion.
Theatre
The Westminster Dramat Association has performed many well known and popular shows. The schedule for the Association throughout the school year is typically a comedy or a tragedy in the fall, a musical in the winter, and a student produced show (or shows) in the spring. The following is the list of plays and musicals that have been performed since the 1995-1996 school year.| Play | Year |
|---|---|
| An Enemy of the People An Enemy of the People An Enemy of the People is an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Ibsen wrote it in response to the public outcry against his play Ghosts, which at that time was considered scandalous... |
1995 |
| All in the Time | 1996 |
| Dracular (play) | 1997 |
| Alice in Wonderland (play) | 1998 |
| The Dining Room The Dining Room The Dining Room is a play by the American playwright A. R. Gurney. It was first produced in New York, New York at the Studio Theatre of Playwrights Horizons, opening January 31, 1981.... |
1999 |
| You Can’t Take It With You You Can't Take It with You You Can't Take It with You is a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The original production of the play opened at the Booth Theater on December 14, 1936, and played for 837 performances... |
2000 |
| A Midsummer Night’s Dream | 2001 |
| The Crucible The Crucible The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists... |
2002 |
| The Madwoman of Chaillot The Madwoman of Chaillot The Madwoman of Chaillot is a play, a poetic satire, by French dramatist Jean Giraudoux, written in 1943 and first performed in 1945, after his death. The play has two acts and follows the convention of the classical unities... |
2003 |
| Arcadia Arcadia Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan... |
2004 |
| All’s Well That Ends Well All's Well That Ends Well All's Well That Ends Well is a play by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1604 and 1605, and was originally published in the First Folio in 1623.... |
2005 |
| Museum Museum A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities... |
2006 |
| And Then There Were None And Then There Were None And Then There Were None is a detective fiction novel by Agatha Christie, first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 6 November 1939 under the title Ten Little Niggers which was changed by Dodd, Mead and Company in January 1940 because of the presence of a racial... |
2007 |
| The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie is a four-character memory play by Tennessee Williams. Williams worked on various drafts of the play prior to writing a version of it as a screenplay for MGM, to whom Williams was contracted... |
2008 |
| The Odd Couple (Female Version) | 2009 |
| Picasso at the Lapin Agile Picasso at the Lapin Agile Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a play written by Steve Martin in 1993. It features the characters of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, who meet at a bar called the Lapin Agile in Montmartre, Paris... |
2010 |
| Musical | Year |
|---|---|
| Grease (musical) Grease (musical) Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,... |
1996 |
| Big River Big River (musical) Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a musical with a book by William Hauptman and music and lyrics by Roger Miller.Based on Mark Twain's classic 1884 novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it features music in the bluegrass and country styles in keeping with the setting of the novel... |
1997 |
| Guys and Dolls Guys and Dolls Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably... |
1998 |
| Peter Pan Peter Pan Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with... |
1999 |
| Anything Goes Anything Goes Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London... |
2000 |
| The Boyfriend | 2001 |
| Merrily We Roll Along Merrily We Roll Along (musical) Merrily We Roll Along is a musical with a book by George Furth and lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim. It is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart.... |
2002 |
| Leader of the Pack Leader of the Pack "Leader of the Pack" is a 1964 pop song recorded by girl group The Shangri-Las. It became number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 28, 1964.-Original Shangri-Las recording:... |
2003 |
| 42nd Street 42nd Street (musical) 42nd Street is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, lyrics by Al Dubin, and music by Harry Warren. The 1980 Broadway production, directed by an ailing Gower Champion and orchestrated by Philip J. Lang, won the Tony Award for Best Musical and became a long-running hit... |
2004 |
| No, No Nanette | 2005 |
| On the Town | 2006 |
| Footloose Footloose (musical) Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. The music is by Tom Snow , the lyrics by Dean Pitchford , and the book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie.-Act 1:... |
2007 |
| How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name.... |
2008 |
| Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors (musical) Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman... |
2009 |
| Godspell Godspell Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway... |
2010 |
| A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart.... |
2011 |
Upcoming shows for the 2011-2012 school year are:
| Season | Show |
|---|---|
| Fall | Eurydice |
| Winter | The Drowsy Chaperone |
Buildings on campus
- Cushing Hall - 1900 (originally named Main Building)
- Memorial Hall - 1928 (remodeled in 1998)
- Squibb House - 1940's (originally named Westminster House)
- Andrews House - 1950's
- Andrews Memorial Chapel - 1961
- Milliken House - 1970's
- Werner Centennial Center - 1988
- Edge House - 1996
- Kohn Squash Pavilion - 2001
- Sherwin Health and Aquatic Center - 2005
- Armour Academic Center - 2009
"Recently Demolished Buildings"
- Baxter Academic Center - 1964-2009
Alumni
Notable alumni include:- Lake BellLake Bell-Early life:Bell was born in New York City, the daughter of Robin Bell, owner of the design firm Robin Bell Design, Inc. in New York, and Harvey Siegel. Her father is Jewish and her mother is Protestant, and Bell has stated that she was raised in a "comically dysfunctional family".Bell attended The...
, actress - Eric BogunieckiEric BogunieckiEric Boguniecki is an assistant coach for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.- Playing career :Drafted 193rd overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues, Boguniecki's scoring ability in the minor leagues led to him being signed as a free agent by the Florida Panthers in 1999. ...
, NHL Hockey Player - Ben SmithBen Smith (ice hockey b. 1988)Benjamin Alexander Smith is an American professional ice hockey player. He plays in the American Hockey League with the Rockford IceHogs.-Playing career:...
, NHL Hockey Player. - Ethan BrooksEthan BrooksEthan Barbier Brooks is a former American football offensive tackle in the NFL who played for five different teams in a nine year career....
, NFL Football Player - Joy BryantJoy BryantJoy Bryant is an American actress and former fashion model. Joy currently stars as Jasmine Trussell in Parenthood-Early life:...
, actress - Jack Du BrulJack Du BrulJack Du Brul is a New York Times Best-Selling Author from Vermont who writes Techno-thrillers.-Early life:...
, writer. - Andrew FirestoneAndrew FirestoneAndrew Boulton Firestone is an American TV reality show personality. He is the son of Brooks Firestone, a grandson of Leonard Firestone, and a great-grandson of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company founder Harvey Firestone and Idabelle Smith....
, The Bachelor TV Series - Peter FondaPeter FondaPeter Henry Fonda is an American actor. He is the son of Henry Fonda, brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget and Justin Fonda...
, actor - Graham GundGraham GundGraham de Conde Gund is an American architect and the president of the Gund Partnership, an American architecture firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and founded by Gund in 1971...
, architect. - Nina Hellman, actress
- Alec MusserAlec MusserAlec Musser is an American fitness model and actor.In August 2005, Musser won the reality TV contest I Wanna Be a Soap Star to get the part on the popular soap All My Children. He took over the role of Del Henry for Winsor Harmon after a long absence since 1995...
, actor - Jeff Natale, minor league baseball player.
- Thomas Lawrason Riggs, first Catholic chaplain at Yale University.
- Marina Rust, VogueVogue (magazine)Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
editor. - Dan Turton, White House legislative aide in the Obama administration.
- Wellesley WildWellesley WildWellesley Wild is an American animation writer. He is best known for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy. He is currently co-executive producer and an occasional voice actor for the show....
, writer and executive producer of Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
.
Trivia
- A season 7 episode of the MTV show MadeMade (TV series)MTV's MADE is a self-improvement reality television series broadcast on MTV. The series follows teens who have a goal and want to be "made" into things like singers, athletes, dancers, skateboarders, etc. The teens are joined by a "Made Coach", an expert in their chosen field, who tries to help...
was filmed over three June days on Westminster campus. It was the episode where the princess wanted to be a soccer player. - In the 1990s the Centennial Theatre Festival was held in the summer on campus.
- Cole PorterCole PorterCole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
attended many early Westminster Dramatic Productions at Simsbury's Casino. - Before becoming coed, Westminster performed their Dramatic Productions with girls from The Ethel Walker School including Oscar-nominated actress Sigourney WeaverSigourney WeaverSigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
.
Further reading
- Rinker Buck. Enrollment Shift Could Burden Farmington Valley Towns: From Private to Public Schools. Hartford Courant, 25 Mar 2009.