Top Ten Reasons for Choosing WES
10. Superb preparation for secondary school, college and life. WES graduates consistently are accepted at an impressive list of Washington-area high schools and at boarding schools around the country.
9. Episcopal tradition. A respect for each individual and for the importance of spiritual life underlies every aspect of WES life. WES follows the traditions and practices of the Episcopal Church but honors the beliefs and customs of the world's major faiths.
8. Remarkable facilities. WES offers students a large, modern library, three science rooms, two art studios and a ceramics studio, two technology centers, three gyms, a full athletic field and an outside sports court. The recent purchase of adjacent six acres allows for future building of additional sports fields, performing arts center and chapel.
7. We love to travel - and hit the road early! Fifth-graders complete their study of the American Civil War with an overnight visit to the Antietam battlefield. Sixth-graders spend a week in the American southwest studying rock formations, erosion and fossils, white-water rafting and rock climbing. Seventh-graders travel to Italy for ten days spent visiting museums, exploring Greek ruins in Paestum and the Vatican in Rome, and wandering through Pompeii. Gelato sampled liberally at all locations, of course! Eighth-graders participate in an exchange with students in either France or Spain and forge international friendships that will last a lifetime. All trips are included in tuition costs.
6. Exceptional teachers teaching small, manageable classes. WES offers an enthusiastic group of men and women who make it their job to know every child in the school. Faculty members regularly stay in touch with students for years after graduation. Student to teacher ration is 7:1. Average class size: 14 for Nursery and Transition; 16 for Kindergarten through Grade 8.
5. Interscholastic sports, starting in Grade 5. The fearsome WES Dragons compete against other area schools in cross country, track, soccer, basketball and lacrosse. For the last three school years, WES students have brought home the Maryland President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Award. Blue and Gold Field Day competitions include a school-wide tug-of-war, picnic and a host of stimulating outdoor activities.
4. We love to eat! Our hot lunch program provides a full menu of choices sure to please the most discriminating eater and nutrition-conscious parent.
3. We make beautiful music together. Third-graders are introduced to instrumental music and serenade with their recorders. All fourth, fifth and sixth-graders rock out in the school band. Seventh and eighth-graders wow audiences with their musical technique and choral skills. All classes perform and sing on stage throughout the school year.
2. A hearty dose of foreign language instruction. Beginning their Transition (age 4) year, students are provided instruction in either Spanish or French - their choice. Latin is offered in Grades 6 through 8.
1. Diversity. WES students come to the school from across the city and around the world. Their diversity enriches the school and its multi-cultural curriculum.
