So Much More Than Just A Class
The students and parents of Westfield Academy form a vibrant community, which is in turn deeply and vitally embedded in the local greater Hartford community and connected to the world. Through community events and service initiatives, Westfield creates opportunities for students and their families that reach far beyond our curriculum.
Community Starts Here
Westfield students grow into global citizens in an environment deeply rooted in the local community.
Each year, Westfield Academy both hosts and attends a number of community events. These events are an essential part of Westfield, giving students the chance to situate themselves in their local and global communities and to forge meaningful personal and intellectual connections of their own.
Some events feature well-known speakers (students have heard from Michele Obama, Gloria Steinem and Malcolm Gladwell to name just a few) while others give Westfield students the chance to speak directly with local community leaders about pressing issues. Regular gatherings focus on bringing together the Wetsfield family to have fun and form friendships. Watch out for our parent-student debate at the end of the year—you might want to brush up on your argumentation.
“Westfield has been a life-changing experience for our family. Our daughter has learned lifelong skills, our family has made lifelong friends and somehow along the way our worldview became much broader and our appreciation of all the little moments more precious.”
Our Place In The Greater Hartford Community
We believe that as a responsible community organization it is essential that we have a close and abiding relationship with our larger neighborhood. For over a decade, through partnerships with local organizations and outreach to students from underserved neighborhoods, Westfield has been actively involved in cultivating and celebrating the greater Hartford community.
One crucial element of that commitment consists of providing financial support to local students who would not otherwise be able to participate in our programming through our Westfield Community Scholars program. In this way, we strengthen our community by working to make it better reflect the vibrance and diversity of the place in which we live and work.
Westfield Students At Work In Our Community
Spend five minutes with a Westfield student and you’ll find that they are deeply engaged in the world beyond the classroom.
Our students have helped to set-up a Model U.N. program at Capitol Prep, run debate programming for Hartford’s Legacy Foundation, and put on showcase debates for local retirement communities.
They also get involved in ways that go beyond the scope of debate and Model U.N. Westfield students are currently organizing a Westfield volunteer core dedicated to supporting the activities of FORA (Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America) and they regularly serve as ‘elves’ at the Connecticut Forum holiday party for underserved youth.
Even within Westfield itself, varsity students cultivate a culture of communal support by mentoring younger novices as they prepare for their competitions.
