Westminster School – Washington FAMILY Magazine

With over sixty years of excellence in education, Westminster School’s classical curriculum and traditional approach to education is based on the belief that children between the ages of three and fourteen are driven by a natural curiosity for learning and enthusiasm for life.  To satisfy and stimulate this appetite for knowledge, understanding, and accomplishment, Westminster presents a well-rounded, challenging curriculum steeped in the classics and enhanced by the arts.  The purposeful classroom environment emphasizes thorough mastery of subject, high standards of achievement, good study habits, and personal responsibility.

Art, music, and STEAM classes are part of the weekly schedule for all grades, and dance is included as a regular part of the physical education program. Westminster recognizes and values time spent out of doors and physical activity; therefore, all students enjoy a daily PE class and grades K-6 have daily recess.  A unique aspect to Westminster School is its drama program.  All students participate in theater, performing in a class play every year, culminating with a Shakespeare play in the 7th grade and a Broadway musical in the 8th grade.  The students’ drama experience promotes responsibility, teamwork, creativity, and allows valuable practice in public speaking.  These skills transfer from the Westminster stage to everyday life, making our graduates confident, poised, and articulate young people who stand out amongst their peers.

This thoughtfully designed and carefully delivered curriculum is enhanced further by Westminster’s field trips and in-house events.  Students experience a field trip in every subject every year, so that a child who attends from kindergarten through eighth grade will have attended seventy to eighty field trips to museums, performance venues, natural wonders, and other sites.

Westminster’s rich and varied program is supported by extensive optional extracurricular clubs and activities, including community service through our K-Kids and Builders Clubs, Chess, Chorus, Orchestra, French Club, Math Counts, and Science Olympiad.  Our school also showcases a vibrant athletic department with junior varsity and varsity team sports in basketball, soccer, softball, cross country, and track and field. Sports competitions, art exhibitions, math contests, science fairs, and talent shows provide many opportunities for students to explore and share their natural gifts and practiced skills.

Westminster parents appreciate that the daily school life is supported by an array of programs, including small-group teacher-provided academic support which is built into the final class period of the school day. We also offer extended care, summer and intersession camps, after-school enrichment classes, door-to-door bus service, and an optional lunch program.

Westminster School cherishes the diversity of its community, which includes families of a wide variety of nationalities, ethnicities, and religions, all of whom celebrate the common human values of tolerance and respect that Westminster embraces.  Character education is a top priority here; staff members actively guide students toward qualities such as integrity, kindness, perseverance, generosity, and resilience.  This results in Westminster graduates who are not only prepared for success in their chosen professions but also to have a positive impact on the world as upstanding citizens.