Walk onto the Westerly School of Long Beach campus during one of its community events — say, the annual Holi Celebration, where students arrive in white and leave in color — and something becomes immediately clear. This is not your typical school gathering.
"It's like a big family reunion," says Amber Dickens, director of admission and enrollment. "Not all the people know one another, but by the end of the event, everyone is exchanging numbers and wanting to get together again."
That feeling — vibrant, joy-filled and deeply intentional — is not accidental. It is the result of a school that has spent years building something most schools only talk about: a place where every family belongs, every culture is celebrated and every child is truly seen.
That vision is baked into the school's core values, known by the acronym RISE: Rise to the Challenge, Imagine the Possibilities, Stand Together, and Every Voice is Heard.
Built for Belonging, Rigorous by Design
Westerly draws families of diverse backgrounds from more than 30 zip codes across the greater Long Beach area, so its student body demographics reflect the full breadth of the city it calls home. But Head of School Rebecca Geary is quick to point out that diversity here runs deeper than numbers.
“I think that sometimes when you think about a small, close-knit community, you assume that you’re not going to be reflected,” Geary says. "What I see is that because we have such a diverse community — of all lived experiences — people know and see themselves. They also are exposed to and get to know a lot of different types of people, different types of families, which is very reflective of Long Beach but isn’t always reflective of other situations that you may find yourself [in]."
That standard of inclusivity and belonging doesn't stay within the school's walls. According to Dickens, the high schools their students go on to consistently report that Westerly graduates are the ones raising their hands, going to office hours and advocating for themselves and others. In a very real sense, Westerly doesn't just prepare students for what comes next. It sets the bar for how they expect to be seen, heard and valued for the rest of their lives — and perhaps more importantly, for how they see, hear and value others.
High standards apply equally to academics at Westerly. The program is built around inquiry-based learning, an approach that prioritizes curiosity and critical thinking over rote memorization — challenging students to ask questions, investigate problems and draw their own conclusions.
"The kids who would normally fly under the radar don't," Geary says. "Because we see that they're either struggling or need more challenge and enrichment."
Dickens echoes that sentiment. "It's not just approaching every child the same — it's knowing what they need and creating an environment for them to learn that is meeting them where they're at."
A Year Lived Together
From a Latinx Heritage Month assembly where mariachi musicians greet arriving families to a Diwali celebration where students explore traditions behind the Hindu festival of lights, Westerly's calendar reflects its commitment to belonging. During the school’s immersive Black History Month celebration, Dr. Michaelyn Thomas, a Black female rocket scientist, spoke to the students at the morning assembly. It was a moment Tiffany Starr, director of development, found particularly powerful.
"If they don't see it, it's harder for them to imagine it," Starr says on the importance of representation.
The school's production of “Legally Blonde” offered its own revelation. Starr was moved to tears watching a quiet eighth grader — a girl she rarely heard speak — take to the stage and deliver her lines into a microphone with confidence.
"At Westerly, every voice is heard," Starr says. "And up until that point, I hadn't really gotten a chance to hear hers."
The moment that perhaps best captured the year, though, came at its very start. Another eighth-grader named Madison opened the school year performing Andra Day’s “Rise Up” — first for faculty and staff, then for the entire community at the opening assembly. She closed the year on stage with her fellow graduates this past June.
"To see how she's grown," Dickens says, "and to see how she's taken those lyrics — she has risen."
The Community Between the Events
At Westerly School, the community doesn't clock out at 3 p.m. After school hours, the Westerly Parent Association (WPA) serves as the connective tissue between families, with a network of WhatsApp groups organized by class, activity and committee, giving parents a real-time channel to stay connected.
Parents share homework photos, coordinate rides and organize group outings. When a parent can't make it to a performance, someone else in the chat will offer to zoom in on their child's face and capture the moment for them.
"It's not just taking a picture of the whole performance," Starr says. "I'm taking a picture like your mom would. You can lean on the community and know that we have you, and we have your child."
Starr knows this community from both sides. She joined Westerly as a parent, rose through the WPA from room parent to president, then joined the staff as director of development in December 2024 — a testament to the gravitational pull this school has on the families it draws in.
What Makes Westerly, Westerly
What sets Westerly apart may be the small moments — the moments when faculty and staff help students solve everyday problems and remove barriers to their learning.
Students often wander into Dickens' office not because they're in trouble, but because they need someone. One day, a student told their teacher they needed to see Ms. Dickens. The reason: her hair was messed up and bothered her to the point that she couldn't concentrate.
"In that moment, all she could think about was, I can't get through the rest of my day." Dickens sat her down and fixed her hair. "That was the way I was able to show up for that student," she says.
Then there's tea time — born when a couple of students spotted Dickens' tea stash and asked if they could share it. Now it's a regular gathering for her middle school advisory groups — small cohorts of sixth- and seventh-graders come together to talk about friendships, feelings and navigating conflict. Dickens provides the tea and, more importantly, a safe space for the children to express themselves.
"They always ask for snacks," Dickens laughs.
Imagine the Possibilities
For parents standing at the threshold of this community, that's exactly what Westerly School of Long Beach is asking them to do. Imagine what school could look like for your child. Imagine them walking into a place where they are welcomed for all of who they are, challenged to grow, and surrounded by a community that shows up for them in all the ways that matter.
"From almost immediately when they start, the children are seen for who they are," Geary says. "They're welcomed and affirmed for all the gifts, talents and challenges they bring as individuals. And it is a sense of connection and community that not only the students feel, but the families feel."