A Student Conversation
A comprehensive analysis of student voice, belonging, and school culture at Westover School—powered by conversational research.
In December 2025, Westover School partnered with Education consultants, Suri Seymour and Derek Hall to conduct an in-depth listening tour with students. Using Nesolagus' conversational survey format hosted by Suri and Derek, we gathered rich, consented, qualitative and quantitative data on student experiences with belonging, authenticity, adult relationships, and school culture.
The findings reveal a nuanced picture: students feel strongest belonging with peers, but classroom and adult spaces present consistent challenges. Code-switching is prevalent, rule enforcement feels inconsistent, and students want to be heard—not just listened to. These insights point directly to actionable faculty development priorities.
By The Numbers
Comprehensive student voice data from across grade levels and student experiences
Deep dive into each survey section with theme extraction, sentiment analysis, and actionable insights
"Think of a time when you felt heard, or a time when you didn't. What happened?"
"Think of a time when an adult at Westover really helped you. What did they do or say to make you feel this way?"
"My advisor, [Name redacted], has made a huge impact on my life. One time, I was in a conference with her and we were going over test corrections for Chemistry. She kept asking me questions from the packet and I was getting them wrong. I started crying because I felt stupid, couldn't do anything right, and I was really stressed out and frustrated. She told me to never ever feel that way because nobody's perfect and things like that takes time so you just have to be patient with yourself. It really helped me because to me, she acted like a 'mom' in that situation rather than an advisor and that's what I needed. So, I'm really grateful for [Name redacted] and everything that she has done for me."
"Think of a time when you didn't feel helped by an adult at Westover. What did they do or say to make you feel this way?"
"Can you give an example of a lesson, topic, or activity that connected class content to your real life or current events?"
"How do you describe your race or ethnicity? (ie: I'm Black from the US, or I'm multiracial: Italian and Japanese, or I'm white from England etc..)"
"If there's anything specific you'd like Westover adults to improve or keep doing in the areas we mentioned above share it here!"
"Can you describe a time at Westover when you felt 100% yourself? A time when you didn't feel like you had to change or hide any part of who you are."
"In your classes, how do people who share your identities show up (such as race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, ability, or age etc)? Empowering stories, struggle stories, both, or not much at all?"
"When learning feels really good here, what matters most? Rank these in order of importance to you:"
Weighted score calculation for rank-choice questions:
Where n = total options (5), rank = position (1-5), count = number of respondents. First place gets 5 points, second gets 4, etc.
Switch to Edit Mode to upload a screenshot of the rank choice question
Students prioritize feeling competent and psychological safety to ask questions over content relevance or challenge level. This suggests that how teachers make students feel about themselves matters more than curriculum sophistication. Faculty PD should focus on building student confidence and creating judgment-free classroom environments.
71% of students report adjusting themselves depending on context. Faculty should understand this phenomenon and create spaces where authentic expression is welcomed.
Advisors are the #1 cited source of adult support. Invest in advisor training, reduce caseloads where possible, and ensure consistent check-in practices.
Students feel most authentic with peers but struggle in classroom spaces. Focus on classroom community-building and culturally responsive teaching practices.
Students perceive significant variation in how different adults enforce rules. Create aligned protocols and train faculty on consistent, culturally responsive approaches.
Rasin Center is highly effective but representation shouldn't be siloed. Integrate empowering identity narratives across curriculum—not just struggle stories.
Boarding students face unique challenges: facilities, food quality, health center policies. These practical issues impact belonging and should be addressed systematically.
Explore individual survey responses, demographic breakdowns, and student segment analysis in the full dashboard.
Methodology: Data collected December 18-19, 2025 via Nesolagus conversational survey platform. Theme extraction verified against source responses. Sentiment analysis based on qualitative coding.
Report generated December 2025 • Westover School Student Experience Survey