by admin | Jan 5, 2023 | Around Campus
On December the 8th, Westbury Christian’s 4th grade visited Evergreen Commons, a retirement home in Southwest Houston. They were able to minister to the residents there by sharing Bible verses, singing Christmas songs, reading to them, and showing them Christ’s love.
Fourth grade teacher Mr. McDonald says, “I am thankful to God that all went well and the senior citizens were blessed by our students. Our theme verse for the year, Ephesians 2:10, is something we want to live by- For we are God’s handiwork created in Christ Jesus for good works. I am very proud of our 4th grade!”
Lower School Principal Amanda Archer says, “It fills me with joy to think about how our lower school students are courageously sharing the love of Jesus with our surrounding community. As we seek to develop the next generation of Christian leaders here at WCS, our fourth graders provided a great example for all of us to follow in how they ministered to the residents of Evergreen Commons in December, serving the senior community and blessing their lives with love, hope, and acceptance. For many of our students, it was the first time they had ever visited a senior citizens’ home/facility. While they were a bit nervous, they reported back about how great it felt to read books, sing songs, and visit with the residents.”
About Project HUG: Westbury Christian School’s preschool through fourth grade students have embarked on a new path of service called Project HUG (Hearts Understanding Goodness). The Lower School initiative promotes the idea that kids can serve in mighty ways. Students are learning how to give back to the community, to support one another, and to encourage those both near and far.
Each grade level has chosen a theme project for the year. For example, fourth grade is focused on cancer awareness in October and will be writing encouraging notes to those dealing with this disease; third grade will have a food drive for the Houston Food Bank; and second grade will visit a nursing home to encourage the residents through song. Even the school’s 3-year old class will take part in Project HUG by planning a donation drive for the House of Tiny Treasures in Houston. In Wednesday chapel, students report on their Project HUG progress by sharing “bucket fillers” – stories of moments when students have done something kind or helpful for other students or staff on campus.
WCS Lower School Principal Amanda Archer says the school’s young students are increasingly using words like compassion and mercy as they discuss and plan opportunities for serving others. “Our students’ hearts are being changed as they learn the value of giving back to the school and surrounding community while following the model of Jesus,” Archer said.
To learn more about Christian service in our Lower School please visit https://www.westburychristian.org/lower-school-chapel/
To learn more about Evergreen Commons, visit https://www.aplaceformom.com/community/evergreen-commons-inc-51489
by admin | Dec 7, 2022 | Around Campus
WCS Ranked #19 Out Of 100 Small Size Companies This Year, Improving From Its #63 Ranking in 2017.
Westbury Christian School was one of just 200 local public/private entities or nonprofit groups — and one of just 100 in the small company category, for organizations with 50-149 employees — to be named to the Houston Chronicle’s Top Workplaces list for 2022. Only two other private primary/secondary schools — The Westview School, which specialize in serving students with learning differences and high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder, and St Vincent De Paul Catholics School respectively — made the list for 2022. These Top Workplaces awards are determined on quantitative employee feedback, as well as the statements and demographic information that Energage collects within the Workplace Survey from more than 23 million surveys at over 70,000 organizations. This year, out of 4,974 organizations in the greater Houston area that were invited to have their employees take the survey, only 200 companies were recognized as Top Workplaces – including 100 in the small size category.
Employees rated their companies in areas such as potential for culture, advancement, flexibility of work schedules, pay and benefits, and leadership, via an online survey conducted for the Chronicle by Energage, a Philadelphia-based research and consulting firm.
“It’s exciting to receive this recognition as it affirms what we experience each day at Westbury Christian,” says Nathan Wagner, Head of School. “Our Wildcat faculty love our students, our mission, and one another. They are committed to our students and spiritual growth. That level of cohesiveness and support for one another makes WCS a special work and serve.”
To join our team, please visit https://www.westburychristian.org/employment/
For more information on the Houston Chronicle Top Workplaces, please visit https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/topworkplaces/
For more information about Energage, please visit https://www.energage.com/top-workplaces/
by admin | Nov 18, 2022 | Around Campus
Founded by Rotary International, Interact Club strives to serve the community on global, national, and local levels. Westbury Christian’s Interact president Joseph Tillman initiated a project to create cards for the children at Texas Children’s Hospital.
“TCH is a local hospital and a tremendous asset to Houston and the nation, treating children, some of whom have debilitating and terminal illnesses,” says Interact Club Sponsor Carole Booker. “I especially like this project because it serves the most vulnerable and helpless in our community.”
The project returned for its second year at WCS with the help of Interact members. The Interact Club reached its goal to create over 100 cards for children at Texas Children’s Hospital in an effort to brighten their days and pass the time while undergoing treatments.
“I was so proud of our Interact members for the great job they did in preparing and leading our students in such a heart-warming project. Our high school students seemed to put much thought and love into the cards for the children at the hospital and accomplished so much working together,” says Interact Club Sponsor Karen Keese.
During chapel time, the WCS High School student body enthusiastically participated in creating 138 cards, which were delivered to patients at TCH over the weekend by Interact Club members.
“It was really fun to see everyone work so hard on it,” says Interact Club President Joseph Tillman.
“Thank you to our Interact Club members for planning and leading chapel last week,” says Principal Kaitlyn Ballard. “It was impactful to witness our students caring and loving on others through writing encouraging cards. I am extremely proud of our high school Wildcats and how they serve others!”
by admin | Nov 18, 2022 | Around Campus, Fine Arts, High School News, Middle School News
In its first performance of the year, the Westbury Christian Theatre program presents the historical drama Radium Girls from December 1-3.
The play opens Thursday, December 1, at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The upcoming shows are Friday, December 2, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, December 3, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Admission is $15 for reserved seating, $10 for general seating. Student tickets are $5. Purchase tickets at the door or here
In 1926, radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie an international celebrity, and luminous watches the latest rage—until the girls who painted them began to fall ill with a mysterious disease. Inspired by a true story, Radium Girls traces the efforts of Grace Fryer, a dial painter, as she fights for her day in court. Her chief adversary is her former employer, Arthur Roeder, an idealistic man who cannot bring himself to believe that the same element that shrinks tumors could have anything to do with the terrifying rash of illnesses among his employees. As the case goes on, however, Grace finds herself battling not just with the U.S. Radium Corporation but also with her own family and friends, who fear that her campaign for justice will backfire. Written with warmth and humor, Radium Girls is a fast-moving, highly theatrical ensemble piece. Called a “powerful” and “engrossing” drama by critics, Radium Girls offers a wry, unflinching look at the peculiarly American obsessions with health, wealth and the commercialization of science.
Q&A with Directors Ronnie Blaine and Malaika Lund
What do you hope the audience experiences while watching Radium Girls?
RB: Amazing courage and bravery can rise from the most underestimated and underappreciated. Grace [the lead character] is a young girl, only in her teens who never spoke up for herself and always did what she was told because that is how her parents raised her. Yet, once the shameless and unjust actions of a huge corporation claim the lives of her friends, she summons strength from within to do what’s right and hold them accountable against all odds.
ML: There is no such thing as being too young or not being educated enough to make a change. These were young girls from poor backgrounds and little education that stood up for what they believed in, regardless of all of the odds stacked against them. Their sacrifices and bravery shaped so much of what we take for granted today.
Is there a specific scene you are looking forward to seeing? If so, why?
RB: Grace has a monologue directed to her mother that sums up the message of the play for me. She tells her mom that the company knew that she would consider herself too small and insignificant to make a fuss about what was going on even though she knew. This speech hits home for me because too often our youth, specifically our young women are made to feel like they have no voice and they need to stand down no matter how righteous their cause may be. “That is what they were counting on.”
ML: There is an amazing scene with Kathryn, Grace and Landon as Kathryn is searching for answers at the records office. In that moment we learn just how much these girls suffered as well as the obstacles they faced from the public and government. In this scene, Kathryn’s persistence and desperation sets the tone for how Grace later responds to their situation.
What is one of the biggest challenges of the show?
RB: Definitely one of the biggest challenges for most of our productions would be scheduling. Trying to coordinate a cast of 20 students who all have different extracurricular obligations is never easy. It truly takes a village. Thankfully, our athletics department, as well as the VEX, engineering and fellow fine arts departments all make a concerted effort to be as flexible with scheduling as possible to allow our students to participate. Still nothing is as important as all of our amazing parents! Along with our incredible PTO, our cast parents are the glue that holds this entire show together. From feeding us amazing meals on those late tech nights to setting up seats for our audience to sit in, it is without a doubt the WCS Families that make it happen!
ML: I would say one of the biggest challenges of the show is also one of our biggest blessings. We have so many new students participating in the production this year. This includes students new to Westbury Christian School as well as students who have never done a production before. Our veteran students have done an excellent job with supporting the newer cast and crew members and “showing them the ropes.” The new actors and crew members have done amazing jobs with reaching out for assistance when needed and building relationships with the veteran cast and crew members in order to ensure success with this production.
How have students been preparing? How would you describe the preparation?
ML: This has been a demanding process for our cast, especially for our younger students as the play is very serious in tone due to its historical context. Mrs. Hatfield and Mrs. Román worked with our cast members to help them to understand the context of the show and what informed the decisions the different characters made. The students have worked hard to support one another and it has been amazing watching them research more into their individual characters and connect to the show.
I heard the 5th grade class is doing the stage crew! How are they doing?
ML: It has been great seeing the 5th grade class step up and join the stage crew. I had the opportunity to work with many of these young students in Mary Poppins Jr. last year, and it is amazing to see how much their love of theater has grown. They are working very hard, and it is often difficult to tell that this is the first time they have ever done stage crew for a show!
Anything else you would like to share?
RB: I cannot overstate what a privilege it is to watch these young people grow in self-confidence and self-assuredness. It is truly a blessing.
ML: I am so excited to see Westbury Christian School’s interpretation of Radium Girls. This is my third time working on this show, and each time has been from a different perspective. It has been fun to see how these students and Mr. Blaine take this show and put their own stamp on it!
We have been blessed to have three of our alumni return to participate in the crew for Radium Girls. Jill Chauvin ’22 has returned in the position of Stage Manager, and is fully utilizing her experience from Fourth Wall Theater to elevate the theater program here at WCS. Sarah Asteriou ‘22 has returned to act as our props master and has been thriving taking what she has learned in the WCS theater program to guide the young crew members and create amazing props for the show. Finally, Andrew Archer ‘20 has returned as our lighting designer and has brought with him his training from University of Houston as well as the professional work he has done with lighting and sound design.
by admin | Nov 9, 2022 | Around Campus, High School News, Senior Spotlight, WCS Service
HOUSTON, Texas – Three Westbury Christian seniors–Trina Gonzales, Faith Jonesia and Lexi Kunetka–gained real-world experience on Election Day. They volunteered their time to work the polls, and some of them cast their own ballot for the first time.
The AP Government students were at three different locations across Houston from 6AM – 6PM.
“I’m proud of our student volunteers who are getting to see the inner workings of democracy firsthand,” says Courtney Hatfield, Social Studies Department Chair. “I think we can take our election workers for granted, and it’s easy to overlook the amount of work that goes into putting on an election in each county. Our students get to work with people who care so much about your right to vote (regardless of which political party you are supporting) that they are giving up their time to ensure that the election runs smoothly.”
For Trina, the recognition and appreciation shared by complete strangers stood out to her.
“I was shocked that people didn’t even know me, yet they stopped to tell me that they were proud of me and of my being involved in politics somehow. Despite how hot it was and how long the lines were, everyone was so nice. It was a really wonderful experience.”
Faith also had a positive experience with voters, and she learned important lessons through volunteering.
“Make sure to register in the right spot. Volunteering was fun and informative. I loved helping the age range from young to elderly.”
Spending time at the ballots before casting their votes helped clarify the confusing parts of the voting process. Lexi shared that she grew more confident in her understanding of the election process.
“Everyone was confused walking into the polls and now I know what to do and the process of how to vote. I learned all about the voting process.”
The opportunity to work the polls enriched the learning that had taken place in their classroom over the preceding weeks. The classroom lectures and discussions came to life as they saw the process up close.
“We start out every class with a discussion about current events, so of course we are discussing election results today. One of my favorite things about teaching seniors is that I have many students who are first time voters,” adds Mrs. Hatfield. “Voting is so important! Voting leads to results that can impact every person living in this country. Historically, 18-to-29-year-olds are the least likely age group to vote. If students can understand the importance of voting early on, we can create lifetime voters who will make sure their voices are heard. I’m so glad that I get to play a small role in each student’s political journey by encouraging students to be politically active and vote and celebrating with all of our first-time voters.”
by admin | Oct 11, 2022 | Around Campus
Westbury Christian is diverse like the Kingdom, a school where students, faculty and families contribute their unique backgrounds, talents, and experiences in growing together. The school is recognized by Niche.com as the fifth most diverse private school in Houston (2022). We view this as an opportunity to reflect God’s glory and the beauty of His Kingdom.
Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate the heritage rooted in all Latin American countries. It also allows our students to grow in their understanding of and experiences with different cultures, especially the cultures and heritage of many of their classmates and teachers.
To kick off National Hispanic Heritage Month, a guest speaker from the Holocaust Museum Houston spoke to our middle school students to share how and why the the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was established. The WCS 5th and 6th grade classes are reading Refugee, a story of three middle school-age children from different eras: Nazi Germany, 1990s Cuba, and modern day Syria.
“The guest speaker and the novel prompt students to think through connections between the text and the world and the text to themselves,” says middle school teacher Jackie Román. “It enforces reading strategies and skills beyond the classroom.”
In our Lower School, National Hispanic Month has been celebrated in the classroom and in art and library enrichment classes. Kindergarten students practiced scultiping in the style of Romero Britto, a Brazilian artist, painter and sculptor. Students have read books celebrating Hispanic and Latin American cultures such as ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat by Raúl the Third, ¡Bravo! Poems about Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle, and The Three Little Tamales by Eric Kimmel.
Lower School students also experienced a performance of baile folklórico, “folkloric dance” in Spanish, a collective term for traditional cultural dances that emphasize local folk culture with ballet characteristics – pointed toes, exaggerated movements, and detailed choreography.
“This was an amazing presentation for our students,” says Lower School Principal Amanda Archer. “I could see the joy on their faces and feel the energy in the room as our students watched the performance. They recognized the music that they had been listening to and learning about in their classrooms. I could see the connections they were making with that learning. It was wonderful!”
Middle and high school students have raved about Mrs. Lund’s Spanish classes. As one activity, students worked on a research project about Latin American countries and influential Hispanic and Latino Americans.
“We drew pictures of our country of origin and pictures of important people we have studied in our countries of origin,” explains Spanish I student Caylee B. “My favorite person to study so far has been Ellen Ochoa. Did you know she was the first minority woman and first Hispanic woman to go into space and become one of heads of NASA? That’s amazing. She worked so hard and learned everything.”
In our high school, students in Spanish III learned the history of Alberto “Beto” Pérez, the creator of Zumba. To celebrate, students learned a part of a Zumba routine.
“Hispanic Heritage month is a time to celebrate and recognize the achievements and influence of Hispanics and how they have championed change in the United States. Hispanic culture is so intertwined with our daily lives through music, history, language, art and more, especially living in Houston which has a large and thriving Hispanic population,” says Spanish teacher Malaika Lund. “God created a world full of beautiful cultures and communities and this is just one opportunity to celebrate the diversity we have in Westbury Christian School. This month gives us a change to highlight the amazing changes that have occurred in communities through people who persevered and stood for what they believed in.”
The intentional focus on Hispanic heritage this month has an impact on students. Many students observe that the events and activities provide an opportunity to celebrate their peers and recognize an important part of our history.
“To me, it means being able to celebrate my culture even more than I do now,” shares one high school student. “Celebrating Hispanic heritage month means a lot to me because it represents who I am, my culture and my people.”
To view photos of student’s celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, click here https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjA96s1
by admin | Oct 11, 2022 | Around Campus, High School News, Lower School News, Middle School News, WCS STEM
The WCS STEM Department opened an expanded Wildcat Makerspace this fall to engage the entire student body in STEM exploration.
Makerspaces are dedicated spaces for making things. Every makerspace looks different depending on the resources available to the school. In the past, these classrooms and labs may have been woodshops or the industrial tech areas of campus. In many schools today, the technology and tools used by students feature new advancements in manufacturing technology, engineering, and design; and makerspaces are usually full of crafting and construction supplies.
WCS STEM Coordinator and teacher Colleen Leeson has been dreaming of a high-quality Makerspace for WCS students for more than a decade, and over time, she’s been building and maximizing space on campus for this project.
Many current and former middle and high school students know Mrs. Leeson’s room has always been a workshop for the robotics teams. Her walls are lined with motors, wheels, driveshafts, and spare parts for the VEX Robotics teams. An ever-changing competitive robotics field dominates most of her classroom space. The work done in this room has inspired more than 35 teams over the years and spawned a full robotics program at the school.
But Mrs. Leeson wanted all WCS students and classes to have access to this type of discovery space. The first Makerspace was developed in a portion of the high school science lab, a collection of work tables and resources in a limited space, approximately 640 square feet. Many middle and high school science classes used the space, but the size limited its use.
When a classroom became available this summer, Mrs. Leeson and Kenneth Okwuonu, a STEM teacher and robotics engineer, seized the opportunity to build something bigger and better for students. They relocated the Makerspace into this classroom and stocked it with all the tools and resources currently available at the school. The new space doubled the square footage, allowing more students the opportunity to explore STEM through the Makerspace.
Since that expansion, Mrs. Leeson has worked on encouraging the use of the space by all our Wildcat students–especially our Lower School students–as a hands-on introduction to STEM. One of the first Lower School classes to visit the space was our first grade students, who spent time learning about electricity through their use of Snap Circuits as they built a series circuit to spin and launch a motor operated propeller.
Today, the WCS Makerspace is stocked with three 3D printers, several drones, specialized cutting tools, materials and tools for electronics, hardware items, building kits, strategy and coding games and puzzles, and an assortment of up-cyclable materials. The new space will be a great opportunity for our students, but Mrs. Leeson is always dreaming of more ways to connect Wildcats with a love of learning and future careers and technologies.
by admin | Oct 11, 2022 | Around Campus
What traits reflect the best of our Wildcat faculty? How do we ensure those traits are consistent experiences at Westbury Christian?
These two questions inspired the creation of a new set of core values over the past year for our Wildcat faculty. After months of development, revision, and feedback, the final list includes relationships, commitment, teamwork, growth, and creativity.
“We realized that we needed to make an intentional effort to capture the traits and values that have defined the best of WCS faculty over the years,” says Nathan Wagner, Head of School. “Our people are our most valuable assets. They work in the classrooms, on the sidelines, and throughout the building to shape and mold our students. We want the experiences and interactions that students and families have with our faculty to be consistent and predictable.”
The initial draft of core values was developed by campus leaders at an off-site retreat last winter. The list was derived by identifying distinguishing traits of Wildcat faculty members, including teachers, coaches, administrators, and staff. In the following months, the leadership team spent many hours revising the list.
“When working on the core value development process, it was so encouraging that many of our teachers and staff already embody certain values that make Westbury Christian such a special place,” says High School Principal, Kaitlyn Ballard. “It was challenging to identify the specifics of each trait, but the time working together to reach this goal was well worth the investment for our school and culture.”
After making revisions, the leadership team presented the list to the faculty for their feedback and questions. The faculty adopted the core values in the spring and officially implemented them this fall.
“The new core values are really no different than how we live as disciples of Christ,” says kindergarten teacher Maria Reynolds. “These traits mirror our faith and describe the Christian ethic we pursue each day.”
Through the summer, more extensive examples and descriptions of the core values were shared with faculty, and these traits were the focus of daily in-service training.
“We have to be disciplined in our hiring practices, in our talent development, and in crafting our culture,” says Mr. Wagner. “We are making a concerted effort to emphasize, repeat, clarify, and illustrate these values with our faculty. They’ve also begun to shape our hiring practices and processes. Over time, our goal is to have our entire faculty embrace and eagerly reflect these core values. We want every student and family to have a consistent and predictable experience at WCS. When you are on our campus or interacting with our faculty, you will know exactly what to expect.”
New habits and change are developed over time, and the initial efforts can be challenging. The core values are talked about regularly on campus, and the faculty is becoming more familiar.
“No matter the quality of the adjectives, a list doesn’t change anything. An organization, starting at the top, has to be disciplined in the pursuit and application of those traits. They are intended to be descriptive of our best qualities, but also aspirational to guide our growth.” Mr. Wagner adds, “We are in the early months of this new work, but it is exciting to see glimpses of the impact this will have on our campus.”
