Cultivating a strong intellect at all levels of maturation is a primary business of the Webb School experience. Beginning in kindergarten and continuing through Middle School and into the Upper School, students are immersed in a learning environment where critical and creative thinking are prized and where, regardless of the discipline, teaching and experiential learning emphasize both problem solving and effective communication skills. Emblematic of the scope of classes within the curriculum, Webb’s Upper School offers 24 Advanced Placement courses.

 

At its core mission, Webb School is a college preparatory school where the curriculum and standards each year reflect age-appropriate challenges that prepare our graduates to be admitted to, and more importantly, successful at and fulfilled by, their college experience. Beyond serving as a means to the end of that preparation for college, the academic experience at Webb is an end unto itself designed to be interesting, challenging, and enjoyable. We subscribe to Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences throughout all three divisions, and the development of those various “intelligences” or aptitudes form the basis for much of what we offer curricularly and extracurricularly. Additionally, we are a school that embraces the notion of Differentiated Instruction, a mindset that all children learn differently and that salient elements of the learning environment ought to reflect that reality.

 

The Webb School experience is designed to foster a strengthening of character within each student over the course of their time at the school. This process is intentional, organized, and delivered in age-appropriate ways. Cultivating leadership skills is intimately related to developing character, as at Webb we believe that no one can lead anyone else unless he/she can “lead” themselves in consistently honorable behavior.

 

The leadership initiative at Webb has two main thrusts. The first and most important is a schoolwide template for interpreting behavior that allows all students, faculty, and parents to see behavior through the lens of strong character development. Our definition of positive leadership is “being aware of what is happening around you and choosing behaviors that benefit the community.” We hold all students to that standard and work diligently to help them improve in that area. Additionally along those lines, the school holds dearly to an honor code that is the core of how we define acceptable behavior. Secondly, each of the three divisions has a Leadership Speaker Series through which students are introduced to and hear from a wide spectrum of community and national leaders.

Both performing and visual arts can and often do play an important role in the development of a person. Webb School’s core belief is that all students have a personal response to the world around them that can be expressed creatively through the arts, and that belief accounts for our extensive arts curriculum. To that point, there are presently 31 arts courses offered this year in the Upper School.

 

Students in both the lower and middle divisions have regular and frequent classes in the visual arts taught by full-time art educators and artists. Those same students have regular and frequent music classes (choral and instrumental) taught by full-time music educators. All three divisions sponsor drama productions as well.

The Webb School experience emphasizes athletics as but another potentially important avenue for self-exploration. The discipline, goal setting, character building, teamwork, and sportsmanship aspects of athletics can all be important to a young person’s development; and similar to the academic area, Webb supports an athletic program that is both broad and deep. We offer the opportunity to compete in 17 sports, and we offer various levels in most sports to fit the age and competitive nature of our students. Our athletic program is both for the student who wants to participate on a recreational level and for those who want to explore the limits of hard work and competition.