From Aerospace Engineering to Madness in Literature

Next Wave Of Advanced Courses On Deck

In August, Westridge introduced its first Advanced Courses—courses developed by our own faculty members to thoughtfully increase the intellectual rigor of our program. Teachers report that the change in learning outcomes and student engagement demonstrated in the new classes has exceeded their expectations.

“I draw upon some of my content (from the college classes I taught) and I have never seen anything like what is happening in this class,” says World Languages Department Chair Vicki Garrett, who teaches Advanced Cultural Studies in Spanish. “This is on par with work of college Spanish majors that I taught, and the Westridge students are more engaged—even during the first semester of their senior year when they were spread very thin.”

“The rigor has actually increased because students aren’t just being fed information. We are being forced to think on our feet and make connections with the guidance of our teachers and that’s really what the real world is,” said Isabella H. ’23.

Advanced Courses replace AP courses as the most rigorous course offerings at Westridge. New courses will be phased in each year until the 2025-2026 school year, when the full complement of Westridge Advanced Courses will be complete.

According to Head of School Andrea Kassar, who previously led the Upper School at New York’s Nightingale -Bamford which moved beyond APs years ago, the change both enhances learning and reflects the foundin principles of independent education.

“This is a return to the foundational idea of independent schools as institutions with unique curricula rooted in mission, aligned with school values, and taking full advantage of the creativity and expertise of our faculty members. It’s an important and exciting evolution,” said Kassar.

WITH THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR JUST AROUND THE CORNER, THE SECOND WAVE OF ADVANCED COURSES IS BEING READIED FOR THE FALL. THEY ARE:

Aerospace Engineering Ii

Students will propose and complete major projects over the course of a school year that solve a problem within the aerospace world. Students will study rockets, aircraft, satellites, landing vehicles, extraterrestrial habitation, extraterrestrial exploration vehicles, and more.

Computer Science Capstone

Working in teams, students will develop and build enterprisegrade software (a software product or physical device powered by student-created software). Topics include source control, large-scale project workflow structure, prioritization, Pareto’s Principle, project management, and bug tracking.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY:

Through research investigations and project-based learning, this course will help students understand the fundamental role the environment has in all aspects of human survival and the impacts of humans on the earth.

MANDARIN CHINESE V ADVANCED STUDIES IN CHINESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE:

This course provides students opportunities to use the language collaboratively and gain a deeper understanding of the Chinese speaking culture, including changing family structure, gender roles, cultural identity, influences of art and beauty, and the impact of science and technology.

Perspectives In Literature

This team-taught, literaturebased interdisciplinary course is designed to develop and hone students' critical thinking and analytical skills. Students consider questions of genre, language, academic disciplines, and the contextualization of literature through close reading, analytical writing, interdisciplinary projects, and presentations.

Advanced Physics I

Students will explore the mathematical underpinnings of the world around them with an emphasis on conceptual reasoning, logical thinking, and algebra-based problem-solving that will include multi-variable systems of equations, advanced trigonometric applications, and symbolic manipulation.

Advanced Physics Ii

This is a rigorous, college-level, calculus-based physics course that expands on topics covered in Physics I and introduces others, including rotational motion, calculations with extended mass and/or charge distributions, waves and oscillations, AC circuits, advanced circuit analysis, Maxwell’s Equations, and electromagnetic waves. Significant emphasis will be placed on experimental design.

Senior English Course Options

Seniors will have the option of registering for an advanced course focused on one of the following topics—Banned Books and Censorship: A Study of the Challenges to Intellectual Freedom; Madness in Literature; and Women of the Novel.

Advanced Statistics

This course is the equivalent of a one semester, introductory college statistics course. Students will develop strategies for collecting, organizing, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data and prepare frequent written and oral analyses of real data to develop statistical communication skills.

WE THE PEOPLE—THE SEARCH FOR FREEDOM IN THE UNITED STATES

Students will gain an understanding of how freedom has been defined and pursued throughout U.S. history, as well as the limits to freedom and the consequences of its pursuit. (While all juniors will take this course, students may opt to earn Advanced Course credit by completing requirements such as supplemental reading and advanced-level writing assignments.)

Updates on this year’s Advanced Courses, including videos with students and teachers, can be found at Westridge.org/advancedcourses.

Westridge Theatre Puts on ‘She Kills Monsters’ and ‘Matilda, the Musical’

A much-deserved congratulations to the casts and crews behind Westridge Theatre’s fall production “She Kills Monsters” and “Matilda, the Musical” in the spring!

All-School Day 2023: Into the Wild

All-School Day returned to Westridge this year with a bang! Planned by the Associated Student Body (ASB) leaders, the “Into the Wild”-themed event had students trekking across campus to visit “the farm” (Herrick Quad) to ride a mechanical bull, compete in potato sack races, and try their hand at line dancing; “the tundra/arctic” (Ayrshire Courtyard) for popsicles and hot chocolate, photo booth, and even a foam pit in the Amphitheater; “the savannah/safari” (Frank Field) for face painting, popcorn, and inflatable slides; and “the jungle/rainforest” (Ranney Court) for craft activities and tea.

Reintroducing the Maxwell Artistin-Residence Program

The Westridge Art Department was pleased to bring back the Maxwell Artist-in-Residence program this year, allowing students to benefit from the resources of innovative, professional talent from the local area and beyond. By the end of the school year, six artists— including sculptor Joel Otterson, headpiece designer Mike Sullivan, garden artist Abudu Nininger, mixed media artist Lila de Magalhaes, and illustrator/abstract painter David Shannon—will have visited art classes, with plans for a final showcase of all the art created under their tutelage.

The program, established in 2004, is named after Cynthia Clark Maxwell '71 and was created by her parents to honor her memory and Westridge experience. The program's inaugural visiting artist was Sigrid Burton '69, a current Westridge trustee.

Varsity Golf Wins Prep League Championship!

Varsity Golf remains undefeated! The team claimed its fourth consecutive Prep League title in the fall. Go Tigers!

Grace N. ’23 Signed to NYU Volleyball!

A big congratulations to Grace N. ’23 (center above), who has committed to playing volleyball at New York University after graduation!

New FLEX Period Preps 6th Graders for Middle School (& Leadership!)

This year’s new 6th grade FLEX period—designed to help students develop executive functioning (such as study skills and organization)—is developing the next generation of female leaders!

In the spring, 6th graders focused on leadership, learning to identify different styles of leadership, writing and performing skits in the different styles, and taking part in team building exercises. Their budding skills came in handy as they helped lead clubs in Lower School!

8th Graders Host ‘Raising Our Voice!’ Exhibit, Showcasing Cultural Influence of Black Americans

Kudos to the 8th graders who worked in groups on thoughtful presentations for a joint history/English project: "Raising Our Voice!"

The project culminated the students' second quarter study of legal changes for Black Americans during the civil rights movement, prompting them to think about how Black Americans have effected change in the cultural landscape of America. Students did individual research (with support from Westridge Librarian Stephanie Bolton!) on a person or institution. Then, they worked in groups to compare the people and institutions they researched and look for commonalities. Students studied how Black Americans have effected change through the lens of film, visual art, comedy, dance, beauty and fashion, education, music, and more.

Upper School Peer-toPeer Destigmatizes Conversations Around Mental Health, Body Image

In December, Upper School Peer-toPeer (Westridge’s student support group, P2P) led “Be Kind to Your Mind” Week with campus-wide activities and an all-school assembly. Be Kind to Your Mind week evolved from the previously named “Love Your Mind” Week at Westridge to acknowledge that students are in difference places in the process of “loving their mind” and “to encourage the practice of being kind to your mind, giving yourself the space and time to love your mind no matter where you’re at in that journey.”

Inspired by the National Organization of Women’s Love Your Body Week movement, in February Peer-to-Peer led “Everybody for Every Body” week to start meaningful conversations regarding pressures to look a certain way. This work continued with a Student Voices assembly focused on the topic of “Modern Misogyny”—during which students shared ways in which they had experience misogyny and how they would like to see things change in the world.

Westridge Purchases Arlington Drive Property!

In April, the school purchased a 20,000-square-foot property on Arlington Drive that sits directly behind the school’s Rothenberg Humanities Building. Pending city approvals, the site will ultimately be home to a new classroom building.

“We are thrilled at the prospects for strengthening our program and advancing our mission created by this unexpected opportunity,” said Westridge Board Chair Valerie Rubio Lemmon ’92 in an announcement to parents and students. “In mature communities such as Pasadena there are few chances to acquire contiguous property, making this is an important moment in the school’s forward trajectory.”

“It will allow us to dream big, think strategically about both the new space and the repurposing of current spaces, and provide more flexibility in the scheduling of classes. As such, its benefits will ripple across the entire campus.”

The school believes it will be at least a year before it has plans for use of the new space—but we look forwarding to sharing concepts with our community when they are available!

Venus’s Flytrap

My sister is a Venus flytrap that catches everything and tries to swallow it even though there isn’t enough room.

She swallows time, and makes it a warm mug of tea on a day with falling leaves or a box of fresh strawberries.

She swallows recipes for cookies, mochi cakes, and caramel candies until our house is a maze for the aromas coming from the oven, weaving through the cracks and bursting into fish swimming in the clouds.

She swallows blank canvases and untouched piano pieces, serving as soil to plant more gifts, while finding bridges and ladders to improve, crossing and climbing.

She swallows books and stories that fill her world with stars that whisper to her, showing her worlds without frames or string to pull them together.