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Wednesday, Jun. 24, 2009

Westfield’s head of school looks forward to second year

Ending this past spring with an enrollment of 591 students, The Westfield School in Perry is anticipating the start of another exciting school year, which begins Aug. 6.

Rachel Deems, Westfield’s head of school who recently completed her first year, said she has seen a year of challenges, especially with the current economy. Still, she said, the school is well-positioned for the future.

“I think we were proactive early on in anticipating any possible downturn and planning for those very carefully,” said Deems, a former administrator with Stratford Academy in Macon.

“That has helped us be really in an enviable position in that we have not had to do what some schools have done with cutbacks or layoffs.”

In fact, Deems added, Westfield was able to offer positions to all of its returning faculty for the 2009-2010 year.

In addition, new staff members have been hired, including two kindergarten teachers, two upper school math and one upper school science instructor, and a new dean of students.

Something else to look forward to next fall is the revamping of Westfield’s current academic structure. There will be a separate lower school for students in grades pre-K through fifth grade, a defined middle school for students in grades 6-8 and an upper school consisting of students in grades 9-12.

“We let our architecture work for us. We had three distinct buildings, and we’re now able to have three distinct divisions without crossover,” said Deems. “That’s not a huge change from last year except in the way we recognize them.”

There also was a restructuring of existing faculty, allowing teachers to concentrate in their areas of strength.

“We’ve just created defined divisions that will serve students and provide academic support. We’re looking forward to that,” said Deems.

The distinction will also allow for extra programming, such as middle school students having their own leadership programs and age-appropriate activities without having to share space or personnel with the upper school.

“That entire project is to position Westfield for future growth and for the kinds of enhanced academic programs that we’d like to bring,” Deems added.

Through its academic restructuring, Deems said, the school was able to gain very valuable additions to the curriculum.

For example, Westfield was able to increase the amount of time available for academic support personnel through the addition of a writing program in its lower school and increased technological support for teachers.

With less than two months to go before the start of school, Deems is ready for what will perhaps be one of the shortest summers in her memory.

“I love the start of school. I love the whole idea that every year you start over with a blank page, so to speak,” said Deems. “I look forward to the second year as much or more than I did the first year. I know that there’s more to be done, and more to be achieved and more possibilities for our students.”

Skills such as relationship-building, team building and communication are all things Deems said she has found invaluable going into her second year at Westfield.

“Honing those (skills) over now almost 30 years certainly was a good foundation for becoming a head of school,” she said.

With its 40-year history, the independent school’s mission has always been to prepare its students for college in a Christian atmosphere. Students come to the 28-acre campus from throughout Middle Georgia, including Bibb, Crawford, Dooly, Houston, Macon, Peach, Pulaski, Taylor and Wilcox counties.

Academic statistics were not available for the 2008-2009 school year; but among the students who graduated this past spring, there were three AP scholars, a National Merit Commended Scholar and a Golden Eagle Award recipient.

In the 2008 graduating class, the average SAT score was 1593, and in the top 10 percent of the class, the average SAT score was 2103. Forty-one percent of the 2008 class received scholarships totaling more than $385,000, with 57 percent receiving the Hope Scholarship.

To learn more about The Westfield school, visit www.westfieldschool.org.