Westridge School

Westridge families, alums, and faculty and staff joined the Upper School Black Student Union for an end-of-year celebration and cookout—the perfect way to kick off summer, welcome new families, and celebrate our seniors! 💚

Just eight days until Commencement, seniors! 💚 From class trips and traditions to spirit days and PE games, you’ve shared so many special memories together during your years at Westridge.

From the archives: Petridge in the 80s and 90s! 🐶🐾

We can't wait to meet all your pets tomorrow during this fun school tradition. Share your pet's name below, Tigers! ⬇️

Ready, set, launch! 🚀 Earlier this spring, in the spirit of NASA’s Artemis program, 5th graders sent their bottle rockets soaring above Frank Field—culminating their exploration of the physical forces behind flight and weeks of designing, testing, and iterating their own rocket designs.

Kudos to Research in Science students for presenting their research to our community, culminating a year-long independent research project in a professional laboratory setting (such as Occidental College, City of Hope, Caltech, USC, and Children's Hospital Los Angeles).

Topics of student research this year include:
🐞 Bugs as Drugs: Bacterial-Based Therapies for Cancer Treatment
🔎 Training Children to Detect Fake News
🧬 Using CRISPR-Cas9 to Model Neuroblastoma-Relevant Genetic Deletions
🌿 Using Secondary Vein Density in Leaves to Approximate Leaf Size: Estimating Rainfall in Ancient Amazonia
..and more!

Chalk Day for the Class of 2026 is in the books—next stop: Commencement! 🎓

What happens when ocean temperatures rise? To find out, 8th graders took on a hands-on climate science lab, building mini ecosystems and studying how changing seawater conditions impact snails and crabs! 🐚🦀

Through observation and analysis—such as measuring how concentrations of dissolved oxygen and pH change as seawater temperature increases—students explored the connections between environmental change and overall ecosystem health.

Taking on modern-day issues through a global lens! 🌐

Global Scholars—a Westridge program in which students create their own multi-year, transdisciplinary study of an important global issue—wrapped up the year with TED Talk-style presentations, with topics ranging from social media's impact on the environment and the spread of misinformation to threats to journalists' free speech, infrastructure barriers to green transportation, and women's access to mental health support.

"[Students] are challenged to step outside of their comfort zones and engage thoughtfully with complex global topics." said Dr. Jessica Perez del Toro, who chairs the program. "These projects not only prepare students for the kind of culminating work they will encounter in higher education, but also help cultivate the empathy, global perspective, and leadership skills needed in today’s world."