Celebrating Westmeade

Westmeade students returning to school in 2020.
Celebrating Westmeade: Home of the Dragons
Posted on 09/20/2021
Westmeade teacher
Westmeade Elementary School, Home of the Dragons, sits in the middle of a beautiful neighborhood in West Meade, nestled between Bellevue and Belle Meade. The school opened in 1960 with 15 classrooms. In 2002, the building was expanded, adding 13 classrooms and a gym facility. The school is slated for a new building after the current Hillwood High School project is completed. No date has been set yet.

Westmeade is a zoned school that is enriched by the natural diversity of its neighborhood. All students live within a few miles of the school.   West Meade student walking hallway

Westmeade has a rich history of academic success and community involvement. The school participates in the Young Naturalist program with Warner Parks, a partnership that started 7 years ago. The program enables students to visit the park and enrich skills they learn in the classroom.

“At Westmeade, all students engage in individualized and unique learning experiences. We are dedicated to instructing the whole child. We believe each student needs a balance of art, music, academics, social-emotional learning, and physical education. In partnership with Warner Parks, students spend time in nature to inspire their natural awareness and curiosity,” Executive Principal Steve Breese said.  

Fun Facts about Westmeade

  • The current executive principal, Steve Breese, has been at Westmeade since 2005 and is only the fourth principal to serve the school since its opening in 1960. 
  •  In 2019-2020, Westmeade was a Tennessee Reward School. 

Westmeade was an early adopter of Positive Behavioral Intervention Support, also known as PBIS. The school has been using PBIS to develop a positive learning environment where diversity and differences are celebrated, and every child is known and valued. The school’s PBIS leadership team meets monthly to examine data and make sure they are on track to meet the district’s goal of “Every Student Known.”    Westmeade teacher in class

Westmeade uses the Navigator system, in which every child meets with their Navigator designee to complete weekly check-ins. This is accomplished through Sown to Grow, a computerized social-emotional learning (SEL) system. These meetings are called “Greater with my Navigator.” 

The school celebrates students through their positive incentive programs using Dragon Dollars. They also recognize student and staff successes through their monthly student and teacher of the month program, along with classroom celebrations. 

In the 2019-20 school year, Westmeade’s Speech and Debate team finished 2nd place in the city and had a chance to demonstrate their talents to the middle and high school principals in the same cluster. Since the beginning of COVID-19, the school has had several after-school activities that have allowed students to explore areas outside of their daily skills inside the classroom. Extracurricular activities include Speech and Debate, Disney Productions, and an art program.   

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