A Message from the Head of School

During the spring, it is with great pride that we educators consider how far our students have come since they first walked into our classrooms in the fall. Our students have spent the year engrossed in learning, with teachers helping to prepare them for the future by captivating them in the present. This is one of the inestimable values of the Westridge program; we allow our girls to absorb the here and now, to be inquisitive children and young women, while encouraging them to discover who they are and who they want to become.

The success of a program such as ours, where diligence and drive are balanced with freedom and trust, is well illustrated by the Class of 2010. Annually, Westridge graduates matriculate to outstanding colleges and universities, and this year is no exception. Their plans for college are in place, and we could not be more proud of their hard work, planning, and accomplishments as they move toward college and beyond. With the guidance of Westridge’s college-counseling program, each student has carefully considered her greatest strengths and most compelling interests and has pursued schools well-suited to her personality, potential, and goals for the future.

The expansion of our college-counseling program, then, aims to build upon a successful model. In the fall, Westridge will welcome Lynn O’Grady as Associate Director of College Counseling. By adding another exceedingly qualified and experienced college counselor to work beside Lee Stork, Director of College Counseling, the school seeks to further support students and families through the college exploration and application process.

Lynn has three decades of experience working in education, most recently as a guidance and college counselor at Beverly Hills High School and the Princeton Regional School District. Energetic and dedicated, Lynn is passionate about her work in helping students understand and interpret how the talents, interests, and education of each individual play a role in the college application and selection process. Experienced in conducting hands-on workshops for students and parents, she also has led several staff development seminars for counselors and teachers. Lynn has raised three children, seen them successfully through the college process, and appreciates the importance of “finding the right fit.”

Each member of the Class of 2010 is continuing her journey toward self discovery beyond what has been nurtured here at Westridge. Commencement is a ceremony that salutes our seniors’ accomplishments, serves as the threshold to their futures, and gives us the opportunity to impart a final word of wisdom. We are proud to announce that Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga, President of Scripps College, will be our Commencement speaker on June 11. A quintessential role model for Westridge students, Dr. Bettison-Varga is an inspiring teacher, respected geologist and scientist, and leader of a renowned women’s college. In 2006, she published an article examining science and gender and, in 2003, while a professor in the Department of Geology and Associate Dean for Research and Grants at The College of Wooster in Ohio, created a university course, “Science, Gender, and the Environment.” The intricate relationship and essential balance between science and the humanities is a significant theme in Dr. Bettison-Varga’s interdisciplinary work.

With all the activity that comes with year-end exams, events, and activities, it is important to pause and appreciate the difference one may have made in the life of a student. They have not only grown physically and intellectually this year, but have grown also in terms of their humanity. They say that to teach is to touch the future, and we should be so proud of our students’ accomplishments and the promise that they have to make a difference in the world around them, now and in years to come.

Elizabeth McGregor
Head of School