The Westminster Schools

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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.

[edit] History

The Westminster Schools originated in 1951 as a reorginization of the North Atlanta Presbyterian School. 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 grade 6, with separate schools for boys and girls continuing through grade 12. In 1962, the adminsitration 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.

[edit] Quick Facts

• 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. It 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.
• 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.
• 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 Mid-50% Range: 1290-1470 (Class of 2005)

[edit] 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; Pressly Hall, housing administration offices and McCain Auditorium; Turner Gym, which underwent major expansion in 2001; the Broyles Arts Center; an elementary school; and various auxilary buildings. Westminster is also currently in the process of acquiring more contiguous land on the perimeter of the existing campus to provide more growing room in the future.^{[citation needed]}

The administration building, Pressly Hall, is the centerpiece of Westminster's campus.

[edit] Athletics

• 84 athletic teams, including Baseball, Basketball - Boys and Girls, Cheerleading - Fall and Winter, Crew, Water Polo, Cross Country - Boys and Girls, Football, Golf - Boys and Girls, Gymnastics, Lacrosse - Boys and Girls, Soccer - Boys and Girls, Softball, Swimming/Diving - Boys and Girls, Tennis - Boys and Girls, Track - Boys and Girls, Volleyball, and Wrestling.
• 204 state championships won since 1951.
• Recipient of the Georgia Athletic Directors' Association Directors Cup in its respective classification all seven years it has been awarded (2000-2006).
• 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 Championship for the past 10 seasons (AA, 1996-1999; AAA, 2000-2005), the Boys Tennis Championship for the past 7 seasons (AA, 2000; AAA, 2001-2006), the A-AAAA Girls Swimming Championship for the past 6 seasons (2001-2006), the AAA Girls Soccer Championship for the last 5 seasons, and the A-AAAA Boys Swimming 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 seven seasons (1999-2006). 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 swim team, led by head coach Pete Higgins, is the best in the state of Georgia and widely regarded as one of the best in the United States.
• The sole varsity squash Team south of Woodberry Forest, VA, 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 55's-age divison.

[edit] Other Notable Clubs and Extracurricular Activities

• The Community Service Club headed by school Community Service Coordinator Stan Moor
• Discovery, an experiential learning program for freshmen headed by Don Snider and Beth Singleton
• 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.
• 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
• Men's A Capella, Women's A Capella, Ensemble
• Peer Leadership, a senior-freshmen guidance and counseling program
• Far Out Far East, a cultural club that explores Eastern cultures and traditions
• 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.
• Bridge Club
• Squash Club
• Culinary Society
• Young Republicans Club
• Young Democrats Club
• Embryo, an arts, music, and literature magazine
• Crossroads, a literary magazine in languages other than English
• Economics club

[edit] Notable Alumni

Notable alumni of The Westminster Schools include:

• Mason I. Lowance Jr. (1956), historian and author
• Taylor Branch (1964), historian and author
• Clark Howard (1973), consumer advocate and nationally-syndicated radio talk show host; 2006 Commencement Speaker
• Lisa Borders (1975), president, Atlanta City Council
• Hannah Storm (1979), co-host on The Early Show
• Dr. Phillip Alvelda (1982), co-founder, chairman, and CEO of MobiTV
• Shuler Hensley (1985), Broadway actor
• Laurie Dhue (1986), Fox News anchor
• Rob Kutner (1990), The Daily Show writer
• Brian Baumgartner (1991), actor, "The Office"
• Ed Helms (1992), The Daily Show correspondent; actor, "The Office"
• Sedrick Hodge (1997), NFL linebacker, Miami Dolphins
• Kaki King (1998), guitar virtuoso
• Sada Jacobson (2000), 2004 Olympic bronze medalist (sabre)
• Lauren Myracle, author
• Robert Ransom, (2000), Baseball, Pitcher for AA St. Louis Cardinals
• Ansley Cargill, (2000), Tennis, WTA Tour

[edit] In The News

Westminster raising $40.5 mil. to hire new teachers