Click the photo to see a gallery of the performance.
Lower School Musical
Fourth- and fifth-grade students presented “The Binding Tale of Beethoven’s Bookworms,” written by Michael and Jill Gallina with adaptations by Sara Lawson. The story begins as bookworms living in the texts of Beethoven’s works share facts they’ve digested. Using the musical works of Beethoven along with facts related to his life, the playful bookworms treated the audience to an entertaining and informative production.
Pre-K & TK Celebrations
Our youngest students enjoyed some fun, end-of-year activities in their classrooms this week. Click the photo at left to view a gallery.
Click photo to see a gallery of this event.
Celebrating a Milestone!
Kindergarten students (right) and their parents enjoyed a special program to celebrate the end of this special year of school.
Fifth-Grade Promotion
Click to view gallery of the Promotion Ceremony, including each student receiving their diploma.
The year of being “top dog” ended for 38 fifth-grade students who were recognized for their accomplishments at a promotion ceremony Thursday night. The ceremony was held at First Presbyterian Church in St. Andrew’s Hall. Chapel speaker favorite, Scott Franklin, was the speaker!
Out with a Splash
Click to view a gallery of the Splash Day event.
This event, in its third year, quickly became a new tradition. Students splashed about in a selection of water slides and sprinklers and even got to dunk a few dads in the dunk tank. This was special day together for students and teachers as they brought the year to a close.
Fifth-Grade Art Project
Our fifth-grade students did an amazing job beautifying Pamplin Hall with their art project. Visit the Fine Arts blog to read more.
D.E.A.R. Day
Drop Everything And Read Day is a fun day that third-grade students always look forward to. On Wednesday, students brought in favorite books, sleeping bags and pillows and lounged on the floor reading for a good part of the day.
Upper School Summer Work Assignments for AP History Courses (coming soon)
Upper School Summer Work Assignments for AP Spanish Courses (coming soon)
Summer athletics practice and try-out information, as available, will be posted on the Athletics blog
Summer Office Hours
From June 3 to July 19, our offices are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. After these dates, we will resume the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule. We will be closed on May 27 and July 4 – 5.
To contact the offices over the summer, please click on the following links: email hidden; JavaScript is required | email hidden; JavaScript is required| email hidden; JavaScript is required
Congratulations to senior Nina McCallie for being named Youth of the Year by the Augusta Exchange Club. She was honored at the Exchange Club’s awards banquet held on May 16. View the article by The Augusta Chronicle here.
ANYONE CAN DANCE & COOK Rising first- through sixth-grade
July 16-18 (3-Day Camp) from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Westminster Summer Programs and the Augusta Ballet join together to offer a dance and cooking class that everyone will love. Campers will dance the day away as they learn the basic steps of classical and contemporary ballet along with hip-hop and Latin dance. Lunch will be served in style as each camper will create their own healthy masterpiece with the help of Chef Marcel Biro of Edgar’s Grille. No previous dance experience is required. A recital will be held on the final day. Camp will be located in Downtown Augusta at Heritage Academy.
Fee: $90
Instructors: Augusta Ballet & Westminster Summer Programs Staff
SUMMER CERAMICS & SCULPTURE Rising sixth- through 12th-grades
June 3-14 (2 weeks) from 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Summer Ceramics and Sculpture is an intense and fun two-week program where students will learn advanced techniques in 3D art making, create completed works of clay art and learn about the history of sculpture. Campers will create pottery by throwing on the kick wheel (reserved exclusively for our summer classes). Off-campus field trips will take students to meet with a local artist and explore local art. Price includes the materials fee. Upper School students may earn a quarter of fine arts credit for completing this summer session. Min. 5/Max. 10.
Fee: $325
Instructor: Vivian Hornsby, Westminster Middle & Upper School Art Teacher
TENNIS CAMP
Rising first- through fifth-graders
June 3-7 from 9-10:30 a.m.
Tennis Camp provides both beginning and advanced players the opportunity to improve their tennis game in a fun, small group environment. All campers will receive instruction on the fundamentals of tennis while developing their skills, learning ball control and stroke techniques.
Great job, Westminster supporters. We earned $2,900 from Box Tops For Education® this school year – way to go!
Keep clipping your Box Tops over the summer. It’s the longest time span we have to collect. Just think of the impact we can make! We’ll be submitting again next October, and we’ll receive another check next December.
Also, don’t forget to use your grocery partner cards at Publix and BiLo as well as RedCards at Target (Partners in Education). We also earn money to recycle ink cartridges and old cell phones. If you have any questions about Box Tops, please contact email hidden; JavaScript is required.
Muffins with Mom
This has become a first-grade annual celebration of moms, and the hats the students make for the moms to wear are to be rivaled with Kentucky Derby fashion. The young students dress in their “best,” read a letter aloud to mom, pull out her chair and serve her snacks.
Mrs. Wiggin’s Math Wizards
Students in Mrs. Wiggin’s third-grade class participated in a contest on the math website Tenmarks.com for six weeks in March and early April. The site encourages the practice of math problems that are organized by grade level and by topic.
The website sponsors an online contest during the month of March called “Math Madness.” The students choose the type of age-appropriate math content they want to work and try to do as many problems as they can each week. Hundreds of schools participated, and though the Westminster students initially ranked #682, they ended the contest being ranked #214.
Though the competition is now officially over, students will be working on this math program through May. Great job, students!
Fifth-Grade Chapel
On Thursday, fifth-grade students had the opportunity to help plan and lead their last chapel as Lower School students. Each Lower School class recited Bible memory and a song, followed by a special farewell message by fourth-grade teacher Kathy Buurma.
Admission to Harvard University is not something that comes along every day, but Harvard is exactly where Westminster is proud to send the Class of 2013 valedictorian, Hope Patterson. Not only did Hope gain admission to this selective school, but she also received a full scholarship to attend! Hope has prepared herself well throughout high school to be very successful in the elite levels of academia, having taken five years of Latin and two years of Greek while also excelling in all her other classes. Hope has earned high marks on both the National Latin and National Greek Exams multiple times, and she performed so well in her Latin studies that she received the honor of being named a Georgia Governor’s Honors Program Finalist for Latin.
In addition to her success in classics, Hope has also made a name for herself by receiving multiple awards throughout her four years of participating in debate and Science Olympiad. Outside the classroom, Hope remains involved by serving as founder and president of Westminster’s Junior State of America Club, vice president of Westminster’s Latin Club, and event organizer for the Boys and Girls Club of America in the Augusta community.
Wes Maddox | Salutatorian
Salutatorian Wes Maddox has similarly set himself apart as an outstanding individual. Wes has studied French throughout high school and was ranked 10th in the nation for his performance on the National French Exam as a sophomore. As captain of the debate team since his sophomore year, Wes has led his fellow debaters to a region championship and has earned further individual recognition throughout high school for his skills. He has also been a member of the Science Olympiad team for four years, helping the team to win a region championship his senior year.
In addition to his impressive academic achievements, Wes has participated in four years of varsity tennis, which culminated in his winning the GISA AAA men’s singles state championship his senior year. As he heads to Case Western Reserve University in the fall, Wes is prepared to excel.
The Westminster community celebrates the impressive accomplishments of both Hope and Wes and wishes them well in their future endeavors.
Some exciting changes have been made to our Lower School reading program this summer. In the past, certain books have been required at each grade level. This summer, we are asking that each student read a minimum of four books of their choosing (appropriate to their grade level). Our goal is to encourage reading so that our students, early on, begin to develop a love of reading. Some of the many benefits of reading are as follows:
Reading improves vocabulary.
Reading develops a child’s imagination.
Reading exercises our brain and improves our ability to concentrate.
Reading helps our children develop empathy and teaches us about the world around us.
During the inaugural AP Art Show and Fine Arts Banquet on April 25, students were recognized for their accomplishments in the arts during the 2012-13 school year. The award winners are listed below along with a slideshow of pictures from the evening. Congratulations to our fine arts students!
Chorus
Sixth-Grade District Honor Chorus
This event was held on April 2 at Wesley United Methodist Church in Evans. Out of 90 participants from our four-county area district, nine of those students were from Westminster. These students received a certificate from the Georgia Music Educators Association for their excellent contributions and participation.
Janna Barinowski
Sydney Buchanan
Sancken Hatch
John Knox
John McCraith
Dorothy McLeod
Alli Medlock
Meaghan Rich
Olivia Wahl
Sixth-Grade Statewide Honor Chorus
This event is a two-day event held in Tifton, Georgia, for a limited number of excellent choral students from public and private schools across Georgia. Five Westminster students were selected this year, and they received a certificate and medal from the Georgia Music Educators Association for their excellent participation in the rehearsals and the culminating concert.
Sarah Banta
Matthew Campbell
Luke Hartenburg
Avelina Lee
Luke Yarid
District Honor Chorus
This one-day event was held at Abilene Baptist Church in Martinez in November. These students worked above and beyond normal class music rehearsals to learn an entirely new set of concert music, and they performed an outstanding concert in the evening. These seventh- through 12th-graders received a certificate from District 10 of the Georgia Music Educators Association.
Middle School Student Participants:
Michael Axel
Thomas Gore
Ellie Lynch
Gini Blake Nichols
Mackenzie Odom-Jones
Upper School Student Participants:
Michael Almond
Bradley Carter
Evan Downs
Lillie Gore
Anna Grimm
Grant Hall
Amalia Lee
Robin Lee
Lauren McGahee
Erin Nye
Aaron Reynolds
Maya Roberts
Katelyn Shiley
Ben Whitlow
All-State Chorus
Of all the choral events in Georgia, All-State Chorus is the highest honor. Students in grades seven through 12 must pass two rigorous auditions in order to be accepted, and Westminster had a record number of seven students make All-State this year. Considering that even large suburban high schools across the state usually average only five to 10 students making it, we are extremely proud of these seven students representing Westminster. They received both a certificate and medal from the Georgia Music Educators Association for their personal musical development and their dedication to choral music, which culminated in a three-day mass choir in Savannah in February.
Stephen Cave
Anna Grimm
Jarred Hanner
Amalia Lee
Ellie Lynch (yellow medal)
Lawson Powers
Receiving a gold seal on her certificate for a top percentage in the second audition:
Caroline Cain
Solo and Ensemble
Westminster hosted the second annual Vocal Solo and Ensemble for District 10 Georgia Music Educators Association on April 20. These students were recognized for their performances.
Receiving the second-highest rating of Excellent for a Vocal Solo:
Michael Axel
Sydney Buchanan
Anna Grimm
Ellie Lynch
Katelyn Shiley
Receiving the second-highest rating of Excellent for a Vocal Ensemble:
Janna Barinowski
Caroline Campbell
Dorothy McLeod
Alli Medlock
Receiving the highest rating of Superior for Vocal Ensemble:
Michael Axel
Janna Barinowski
Sydney Buchanan
Ellie Lynch
Dorothy McLeod
Katelyn Shiley
Large Group Performance Evaluation
While individuals are not recognized for this choral judged event, we do want to acknowledge all members of our choral program who participated in the March event known as the Large Group Performance Evaluation. Hosted by the Georgia Music Educators Association, our choirs performed two challenging songs from memory for judges at Richmond Academy on March 26 and also sight-read completely new music in front of a different judge.
Our Sixth-Grade Chorus received the absolute highest rating of a Superior from every judge, and they will have a plaque added to the choral room to commemorate their achievement.
Our Chorale received the second-highest rating of Excellent for their memorized songs, and their sight-reading score of Superior was further emphasized by the judge’s immediate praise and her request for us to “sing something else for me!” There will be an additional plaque added to the choral room to commemorate this group’s achievement.
Visual Art
Art Club
The art club is a way for students to share and explore the arts outside of the school day. Some highlights of this year were creating art for Golden Harvest Food Bank’s annual Empty Bowl Event, learning comic strip techniques, working on printmaking with leaves, and of course, all the food-celebrating with thanksgiving feasts and decorating Easter eggs with a side of scrambled eggs.
Officers:
President – Margaret Daniel
Vice Presidents – Haley Hall and Summer Hall
Secretary – Madison Handy
Middle School Representative – Emily Miller
Official Members:
Michael Axel
Andrew Daniel
Kailiegh Duckworth
Hailey Earle
Bailey Evans
Anne Elise Garrison
Abby Glass
Zachira Goldsbury
Lillie Gore
Hannah Mayo
Emma McElmurray
Charis Puckett
Lauren Rich
Ysabel Velez
Georgia Carolina State Fair Art Competition
Every year, students enter artwork in the Georgia Carolina State Fair and compete against several schools in our surrounding area. This year, the following students are being recognized for their award-winning artwork.
Josh Adams
Bailey Evans
Emily Forrester
Caroline Head
Slayton Lutz
Emily Miller
Ben Morgan
Will Nabholz
Tumah Ngoh
Samantha Trobaugh
Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art’s Agnes Markwalter Youth Art Competition
The Gertrude Herbert has an annual youth competition where three artworks from middle school and three artworks from high school are chosen to compete against schools around the CSRA. This year’s six artists from Westminster were:
Annabel Poteet
Josh Adams
Will Nabholz
Tumah Ngoh
Caroline Campell – Receiving Honorable Mention
Ysabel Velez- Receiving first place
Literary Magazine
This is the inaugural year for Westminster’s new literary magazine, Inscriptions.
Editor-in-Chief: Elizabeth Daniel
Managing Editors: Margaret Daniel and Madison Handy
Art Director: Ben Morgan
Debate & Forensics
National Forensic League (NFL)
Westminster competes in tournaments throughout the year, and each student earns points based on his record or overall placement in each tournament. NFL degrees are then earned based on accumulated points.
Debate:
Isabel Dickerson – Merit
Sarah Grace Heaton – Merit
Ian Vickery – Merit
Thomas Williamson – Merit
Emily Yarid – Merit
Rod Bayliss – Merit and Honor
Colson Herrin – Merit and Honor
Savannah Smith – Merit and Honor
Taylor Butler – Honor
Zach Kimbler – Honor
David Peltier – Honor
Tanner Wilson – Honor
Ben Whitlow – Honor
Katy Brock – Merit, Honor, and Excellence
Jacob Criss – Honor and Excellence
Caleb Herrin – Honor and Excellence
Caroline Page – Excellence
Ivan Syritsyn – Excellence
Forensics:
Emily Colley – Merit
Fallon Flatow – Merit
Jarred Hanner – Merit
Hamilton McDaniel – Merit
Brielle Smith – Merit
McKenzy Welder – Merit
Christopher Morgan – Merit and Honor
Brenton Durkee – Honor
Chandler Holgate – Honor
Christopher Lamberts – Excellence
Lawson Powers – Distinction
Drama Awards
These awards were voted on by the casts of each show:
“The Three Musketeers” One-Act Play
Best Newcomer: Brielle Smith (Playing the role of “Sabine”)
Best Supporting Actress: Grace Goodell (Playing the role of “Milady”)
Best Supporting Actor: Jason Bailey (Playing the role of “Rochefort”)
Best Actress: Aryle Pastore (Playing the role of “Constance”)
Best Actor: Christopher Lamberts (Playing the role of “Cardinal Richelieu”)
“The Music Man”
Best Newcomer: Holly Criss
Best Newcomer: John Knox
Best Dancer: Emily Miller (awarded by my wife/choreographer)
Best Dancer: Jarred Hanner (awarded by my wife/choreographer)
Best Supporting Actress: Kaleigh Anderson (role of “Zaneeta”)
Best Supporting Actor: Jarred Hanner (role of “Marcellus”)
Best Actress: Aryle Pastore (role of “Marian”)
Best Actor: Lawson Powers (role of “Harold Hill”)
Best Techie Awards (awarded by Mr. Jewett and Mr. Owen)
Best Techie: Hailey Earle (Extremely hard-working, great attitude, great set artist)
Best Techie: Erin Nye (Costume extraordinaire who gave countless hours and time to keep the actors looking great on stage and recently offered an apprenticeship with Vintage Ooollee)
Best Techie: Jose Rosaldo (Hard worker, Lord of our Underworld, and always smiling)
International Thespian Society Cords:
The International Thespian Society has been honoring excellence in the work of theatre students since 1929. Westminster has been a member since 2004. Honor Thespians have earned 60 points, which represents around 600 hours of work in theatre. Points are earned through participation in plays, musicals, backstage work and service. The following students were recognized as National Honor Thespians and received white stoles (which will be worn at graduation) and medals in recognition of their tireless work over the course of their Westminster theatre careers:
Aryle Pastore
Christopher Lamberts
Jason Bailey
Literary Tournament
Claiming the title of School State Champion at the GISA Literary Tournament has been one of our school’s biggest Fine Arts accomplishments this year. This is our first ever first-place state trophy, earned by our state team members.
Members of the Westminster 2012-2013 Literary Team received a certificate acknowledging their participation and their placing at the tournaments.
Second Runner-up at Region:
Jason Bailey – Personal Essay
Grace Goodell – Argumentative Essay
Chris Morgan – Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking
Second Runner-ups at State:
Lawson Powers: Humorous Interpretation
Amy Chan: Spelling
State Runner-Ups:
Hope Patterson: Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Chris Lamberts and Chris Morgan: Duo Interpretation
Aryle Pastore: Girl’s Solo
Aryle Pastore, Amalia Lee, Mary Garrett McLeod: Girls’ Trio
Will Nabholz, Jonathan Sanders, Nathan Vital, Jarred Hanner: Boys’ Quartet
State Champions:
Aryle Pastore: Dramatic Interpretation
Ivan Syritsyn: Extemporaneous Speaking
Amalia Lee: Piano
AP Music Theory
This year, the Fine Arts department offered one of Westminster’s newest AP courses, AP Music Theory. While these students do not have a specific award to receive, we do want to acknowledge them and thank them for their enthusiasm in learning the details of how God created music.
Caroline Cain
Jarred Hanner
Lawson Powers
Westminster Fine Arts Plaque Awards
Excellence in Music – Aryle Pastore
The Excellence in Music Plaque is awarded each year to a student who has made outstanding contributions to the Music Department at Westminster. This year, our recipient of this award has consistently held major roles in our musicals, participated in Chorale and Literary Trio, and this year had the honor of winning second place in state for Girl’s Solo.
Art Spirit Award – Josh Adams
Each year an outstanding artist is chosen for the Art Spirit Award.
Excellence in Forensics – Aryle Pastore
The Excellence in Forensics Award is given annually to a student who has demonstrated excellence in the area of public speaking, specifically in the competitive field. This year’s winner earned a degree of distinction and the highest point total of any non-debate student in our school history. The recipient also has three state titles in both Dramatic and Duo Interpretation.
Excellence in Theatre – Jason Bailey
The Excellence in Theatre Award is an annual award and a very difficult award to hand to just one student. This year’s recipient has performed in every one act and musical since his eighth-grade year. He has earned Best Performer Awards at Region One Act as well as All-Star Cast at Georgia Theatre Conference (both for his role as Clive in “See How They Run”.)
Excellence in Fine Arts – Christopher Lamberts
The Excellence in Fine Arts Award is given annually to a student who has shown a wide span of participation in all areas of fine arts. This student has contributed to the life of the arts in many ways. In theatre, this student has been recognized numerous times for his very memorable roles. He has contributed in the visual arts (primarily as a set artist), and this year, he showed us his range of talent in both improv and in singing.
