25 Aug A Word From Dr. Satterly—August 25, 2022
Dear WA Community,
Defining summer can be a tricky thing. According to some, it begins with the summer solstice—when the north pole tilts closest to the sun. Others are a bit tidier and like to fit seasons within a tight three-month window of June, July, and August. Those of us in the school world know that summer ends when school begins.
The good news is that while the definition of summer may be a bit squishy, God’s Word is not. It is our source of Truth. And it is from God’s Word that we get this year’s theme—Cultivate. In particular, it comes from Colossians 2:6–8:
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
“Cultivate” is perhaps best associated with farming, and for that reason may not be clear since most of us are unfamiliar with the challenges and tasks of farm life. But the idea still holds. Another way to think about cultivation is improving or developing through careful attention, training, or study. Now that sounds a lot like a school!
It is in these verses that we see cultivation—rooted, built up, and established in the faith. Here we see the power of teaching and thus the need for schools like Westminster Academy. And it is here that we are reminded about what Christ has done for us, our proper place, and how that calls us to thanksgiving. As important as it is to develop how we think and train our minds, it is nothing without Jesus.
Westminster Academy holds dearly to the Holy Scriptures as the inspired and infallible Word of God, the only authority for Christian faith and life. We do not look to the world or human tradition, or philosophy. On this, we stand as we can stand nowhere else.
As we began this school year, I was reminded of how our faculty and staff reflect this commitment to the cultivation of hearts and minds—devoted to Christ and dedicated to excellence. This takes time. Fortunately, we’ve been allotted 16,000 hours for the task. It requires attention and patience. It takes a community.
My prayer for each of us is that in the 2022–2023 school year, we not only cultivate our minds but also cultivate our hearts.
To God be the Glory!
Dr. Joel Satterly
Headmaster