Westtown School

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Westtown School
WesttownSchool.jpg
Address
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
975 Westtown Rd

West Chester
,
Pennsylvania 19382

United States
Information
TypePrivate
Religious affiliation(s)Quaker
EstablishedMay 6, 1799; 222 years ago (1799-05-06)
Interim Head of schoolChris Benbow
Faculty107
Enrollment694
Average class size10 students
Campus size600 acres
Color(s)Brown, White, Blue
Athletics21 Varsity Teams
MascotMoose
RivalGeorge School
PublicationWestonian
NewspaperBrown and White
YearbookAmicus
Websitewww.westtown.edu

Westtown School is a Quaker, coeducational, college preparatory day and boarding school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, located in eastern Pennsylvania.

About Westtown School[]

Founded in 1799 by the Religious Society of Friends,[1] Westtown's campus is located in Chester County, PA, 25 miles west of Philadelphia. In 1799, Westtown was around one day's carriage ride from Philadelphia.

Westtown is a Quaker school affiliated with the Friends General Conference branch of the Religious Society of Friends. All students are required to attend Meeting for Worship together with adults in the community who voluntarily attend (boarding students are required to attend Westtown Monthly Meeting on Sundays as well). Westtown uses the traditional Quaker practice of coming to unity in making some high-level decisions.

Westtown has been a coeducational school since its founding in 1799. Students come from many states and foreign countries.

The 2018 documentary, We Town, is about the 2016-2017 Upper School Basketball Team, featuring Mo Bamba and Cam Reddish. It chronicles the quest of the team to win the State Championship.[2][3]

Currently, students at Westtown come from 16 states and 13 countries.[4]

History[]

Westtown School first opened on May 6, 1799. It was founded by Philadelphia Quakers who raised the money to build a boarding school and purchased land a full day's carriage ride from Philadelphia—where they could provide a “guarded education in a healthy environment" away from the secular influences of the city. For many years, Westtown was nearly self-sufficient, with the campus providing raw materials used in the construction of its buildings and food for the people who lived and worked at the school.

Boys and girls had separate classes until about 1870. Boys learned useful skills such as woodshop, surveying, and bookkeeping, and girls had classes like sewing. However, Westtown eventually recognized that students of both genders should know basic academic subjects such as reading, penmanship, grammar, mathematics, geography, and science.

The 1880s brought physical changes to Westtown. The main building was replaced with a structure designed by architect Addison Hutton, which was completed in 1888 and is still in use today. During the 20th century, the student body and the curriculum both became more diverse. Visual and performing arts were added, for example, and non-Quakers, African-American, and international students were eventually admitted.

Westtown's Esther Duke Archives is a facility dedicated to collecting and maintaining materials relating to the people and history of the school. Students and historians alike use the Archives for historical research.

Westtown's Campus[]

Westtown is located on a campus in southern Pennsylvania. The campus is 600 acres, including a 14.5-acre lake, arboretum, frog pond, 14 playing fields, stadium tennis courts, organic farm, Lower School mini-farm, medicine wheel garden, wooded cross country course, and 21-element ropes course.[5]

Notable alumni[]

Photo gallery[]

  • The Westtown campus is surrounded by several acres of woods.

  • Campus trees.

  • Geese flying over Main Hall.

  • Main building

  • Athletics building

  • Middle school playground

References[]

  1. ^ "Westtown School: Our Mission, Values, & Philosophy". www.westtown.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  2. ^ WeTown, retrieved 2020-02-04
  3. ^ Haughton, Dania. "Meet the starting five featured in SI TV's 'We Town'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  4. ^ "Westtown School: Private co-ed Quaker Day & Boarding School". www.westtown.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  5. ^ "Westtown School: Our 600 Acres". www.westtown.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  6. ^ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-history/2021/08/06/rebecca-lukens/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=socialmedia&fbclid=IwAR1QZggAjt3UeKG3kOX8Eu95c9SDuEXVXfZFjdDBmSzKObIxL7l3r5OZd1g

External links[]


Coordinates: 39°56′58″N 75°32′16″W / 39.9494°N 75.5379°W / 39.9494; -75.5379

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