| The Westminster Schools | |
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| Motto | "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." (Luke 2:52) |
| Established | 1951; traces origins to 1878 |
| School type | Private |
| Religious affiliation | Christian (non-denominational) |
| President | Dr. William Clarkson IV |
| Enrollment | 1,826 students in grades pre-first to 12; coeducational |
| Faculty | 271 |
| Alumni | 8,820 |
| Campus | 180 acres, suburban |
| Colors | Forest green and white |
| Mascot | Wildcat |
| Newspaper | The Westminster Bi-Line |
| Yearbook | The Westminster Lynx |
| Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools |
| Endowment | $209,000,000 |
| Tuition | $15,440 for grades Pre-first-5 $18,000 for grades 6-12 |
| Location | 1424 West Paces Ferry Road, N.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30327 |
| Homepage | www.westminster.net |
The Westminster Schools is a private secondary school in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1951, Westminster has the largest endowment of any non-boarding secondary school in the United States. The school's expressed mission is "to develop the whole person for college and for life through excellent education."
Contents |
History
The Westminster Schools originated in 1951 as a reorganization of Atlanta's North Avenue Presbyterian School, an affiliate of the North Avenue Presbyterian Church. Dr. William L. Pressly was brought from Chattanooga, Tennessee's McCallie School to become Westminster's first president. The school moved to its current campus in 1953 thanks to a land grant by trustee Fritz Orr. Also in 1953, Washington Seminary, another local private school, closed and merged with Westminster. Westminster was coeducational until the sixth grade, with separate schools for boys and girls continuing through the twelfth grade. In 1962, the administration building, later named Pressly Hall, was constructed, bringing the number of permanent buildings on campus to four. Three years later, in 1965, Westminster became one of the first Southern private schools to integrate, and four African American students graduated in 1973.[1]
Campus
Westminster is situated on 180 wooded acres in the Buckhead community of Atlanta. A new campus road, completed in June 2004, rerouted traffic away from central campus. In addition to a new junior high facility, completed in August 2005, Westminster has three main high school academic buildings — Campbell Hall, Askew Hall, and Robinson Hall; Pressly Hall, housing administration offices, the dining hall, and McCain Auditorium; Turner Gymnasium, which underwent major expansion in 2001; Broyles Arts Center; an elementary school; and various auxiliary buildings.
Miscellania
- Westminster's endowment, valued at $209 million, or more than $115,000 per student, is the largest of any non-boarding secondary school in the United States. The school is currently in the process of raising $100 million to pay off the new Junior High building and to increase its endowment. This campaign is the third-largest ever for an independent school in the United States.[2]
- 2006 graduates: 201 (Boys: 97, Girls: 104)
- Largest matriculations, Class of 2006: University of Georgia - 31, University of Virginia - 19, Georgetown University - 10, Georgia Tech - 9, Auburn University - 8, Duke University - 8, Vanderbilt University - 8, Southern Methodist University - 7, University of Pennsylvania - 5, University of Southern California - 5, Washington & Lee University - 4, Columbia University - 4, Furman University - 4, Harvard University - 4, Rice University - 4, University of Mississippi - 4, University of North Carolina - 4, Wake Forest University - 4. [3]
- Minority Enrollment: 19.6%
- Revenue & Expenses: $37,900,424. Tuition represents 63.8% of revenue.
- Financial Aid: $9,200 (average award to 12% of the student body)
- SAT Average: 2,080 out of 2,400 in 2006; 1,380 out of 1,600 in 2005.
Present and former traditions
- Big Day Off
- Christian Emphasis Week
- Fieldigras, discontinued circa 2000
- Homecoming
- Student/Faculty Hot-Dog-Eating Contest
- Salute to the Arts
- Westafest, discontinued in 1994
- Rivalry with the The Lovett School, as well as other area private schools including Woodward Academy, Marist School, and Pace Academy
- Strong connection with the Coca-Cola Company
- Student-enforced Honor Code that forbids lying, cheating, and stealing
Athletics
- 84 athletic teams, including baseball, basketball — boys and girls, cheerleading — fall and winter, crew, cross country — boys and girls, football, golf — boys and girls, gymnastics, lacrosse — boys and girls, soccer — boys and girls, softball, swimming and diving — boys and girls, tennis — boys and girls, track and field — boys and girls, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling.
- 204 state championships won since 1951.
- Recipient of the Georgia Athletic Directors' Association Directors Cup in its respective classification all eight years it has been awarded (2000-2007).
- Recipient of the GADA Boys and Girls Cup for best all-around boys and girls athletic programs in its respective classification for five years (2002-2006).
- Has won the boys cross country state championship for the past ten seasons (AA, 1996-1999; AAA, 2000-2005), the boys tennis state championship for the past 7 seasons (AA, 2000; AAA, 2001-2007), the A-AAAA girls swimming state championship for the past 6 seasons (2001-2006), the AAA girls soccer state championship for the last 5 seasons, and the A-AAAA boys swimming state championship for the past 4 seasons (2003-2006).
- The varsity boys' tennis team has won the Georgia State High School AAA State Championship for the past eight seasons (1999-2007). The boys' team has yielded many Division 1 NCAA scholarship tennis players over the years, and it has won several regional tournaments as well, notching 24 wins in the 2006-2007 season. Head Coach Wade Boggs has been at the helm of the program for 34 years.
- The sole varsity squash team south of Woodberry Forest School in Virginia featuring full interscholastic competition, and placing 16th in the 2004 U.S. National High School Team Championships, held at Yale University. The team is coached by Tom Rumpler, a former hardball tour player and current U.S. #2 in the 55s-age division.
Notable extracurricular activities
Activities
- Academic Quiz Team, which regularly places highly in meets and is regarded as one of the best teams in the region
- ASK, after school kids, includes many extracurricular activities including swimming, cooking, dancing, chess, knitting, arts and crafts, and tennis.
- Discovery, an experiential learning program for freshmen headed by Don Snider and Meghan Brown
- Peer Leadership, a senior-freshmen guidance and counseling program
- Policy Debate: The team has won 16 state championships as well as many large national tournaments, including the national Tournament of Champions. The team finished first place (both individually and as a team) at the Glenbrooks Tournament, the largest national debate invitational of the fall semester (2005). The team also won the Greenhill tournament, the Greenhill round robin, and the New Trier tournament in 2006. The team also came in finals in the 2007 Tournament of Champions and received top speaker.
Clubs
- Bridge Club
- Campus Conservation Corps, an environmental conservation club largely responsible for new attitudes toward conservation at Westminster headed by high school math teacher Dr. Chris Harrow
- Community Service Club headed by school Community Service Coordinator Stan Moor
- Culinary Society
- Economics Club
- Far Out Far East, a cultural club that explores Eastern cultures and traditions
- Human Rights Club
- Origami Club
- Squash Club
- Tea Club, a club that meets twice monthly and serves teas from around the world
- Young Democrats Club
- Young Republicans Club
Fine Arts
- Men's A Capella, Women's A Capella, Ensemble
- The Westminster Players: Westminster's theater department, led by Eric Brannen, is widely regarded as one of the best high school theater programs in the region.
Publications
- The Westminster Bi-Line, the nationally acclaimed monthly newspaper publication
- Crossroads, a literary magazine in languages other than English
- Embryo, an arts, music, and literature magazine
- Evolutions, a poetry and creative writing periodical
Notable alumni
Notable alumni of The Westminster Schools include:
- Margaret Mitchell (Washington Seminary 1917), author, Gone with the Wind
- Mason I. Lowance, Jr. (1956), historian and author
- Taylor Branch (1964), historian and author
- James H. Shepherd, Jr. (1969), Chairman of the Board of Directors, Shepherd Center, the country's largest catastrophic care hospital
- Daniel R. White (1971), author
- Clark Howard (1973), consumer advocate and nationally-syndicated radio talk show host; in his 2006 commencement address, he announced his interest in running for mayor of Atlanta in the future
- Lisa Borders (1975), president, Atlanta City Council; 2009 candidate for mayor of Atlanta[4]
- Hannah Storm (1979), co-host, "The Early Show"
- Phillip Alvelda (1982), co-founder, chairman, and CEO of MobiTV
- Shuler Hensley (1985), Broadway actor
- Laurie Dhue (1986), anchor, Fox News
- Lauren Myracle (1987), author
- Rand Knight (1990), 2008 United States Senate candidate in Georgia
- Rob Kutner (1990), writer, "The Daily Show"
- Brian Baumgartner (1991), actor, "The Office"
- Ed Helms (1992), former correspondent, "The Daily Show"; actor, "The Office"
- Rob Lathan (1994), actor, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "Human Giant"
- Sedrick Hodge (1997), former NFL linebacker
- Kaki King (1998), musician
- Ansley Cargill (2000), professional tennis player, WTA Tour
- Julian Dorio (2000), musician
- Sada Jacobson (2000), 2004 Olympic bronze medalist (sabre)
- Robert Ransom (2000), pitcher, AA St. Louis Cardinals
- Parker Gispert (2001), musician
- Emily Jacobson (2004), 2004 Olympic fencer
Footnotes
- ^ "History of Westminster."
- ^ "Teaching For Tomorrow Assures Excellence for Today." Adams, Abby. The Westminster Bi-Line, December 8, 2006. pg. 3.
- ^ "Grad Gossip". The Westminster Bi-Line, May 26, 2006. pg. 3.
- ^ Pendered,David: "City Council head takes step for mayoral run". Atlanta Journal Constitution, 04-25-2007.
