17 Apr A Word from Dr. Satterly—April 16, 2026
Dear WA Community,
Last Thursday morning, I was joined in my office by second grader Derrick Holbrooke. He was there, not because he was in any sort of trouble, but because his parents, Troy and Joanna, had won “principal for the day” at the annual gala last year. Visits from students are always interesting because one never knows what they might say. Derrick came with his clipboard and was well prepared to review his list. After we discussed each item, he wanted to ask a final question – “What does your day normally look like?”
It was a good question and one that required a bit of consideration. I wasn’t exactly sure how to describe my work calendar to a second grader, and was even less certain that “normal” even exists. One thing I do know is that everyone on our team is hard at work. While I am still not willing to concede that any day is normal or typical, I can say, with great gusto, that every day is filled with opportunities that reflect our mission and contribute to the advancement of our school and community.
But, Derrick deserved an answer… so I shared a couple of things from a recent day – opening chapel for Spiritual Emphasis week, a meeting with the senior leadership team, a briefing on North Campus progress, reviewing monthly financial statements, a video call with our construction team, and preparing for this year’s gala. Kindly and respectfully, Derrick nodded as if that all made sense. It really couldn’t because it doesn’t always make sense to me either. What I do know is that God is working. He prepares good works in advance for us to do, and He equips us along the way for them. I also know that God actively works to build our faith.
Shortly after Derrick left my office, our team met to discuss the fast-approaching Star Spangled Gala. As we were discussing the heart raise portion and rejoicing at the prospect of a $250,000 match, I was reminded that the best evidence of mission is our alumni, and was excited to feature the Shaw brothers that night.
That meeting prompted us to reflect on all that is happening in the life of our school – many of those highlights are featured in the articles below – but the one thing that stands out to me is the generosity of our community. In the last 45 days, our community has given more than $3M to Westminster Academy for the Annual Fund and for The Next Chapter Capital Campaign. While I look forward to sharing more about our project in the coming weeks, I don’t want to miss how God is working beyond our expectations.
Instead of attempting to capture a typical day for Derrick, perhaps I should have just said that every day I get to see how God provides for this place and how He is raising the next generation for His Kingdom. That describes everything on the calendar and captures the mission best.
For His glory,
Dr. Joel Satterly
Headmaster