Headmaster Messages

16 Nov

Posted at 15:32h in Headmaster Messages

​​Dear WA Community,  In much of our nation, November brings fall. In South Florida, November brings snowbirds. Technically, we have fall too, but instead of colorful leaves, we mark the end of hurricane season. Regardless of location, November contains my favorite holiday—Thanksgiving! I appreciate Thanksgiving because it is a low-pressure holiday. One doesn’t have to purchase the perfect gift, listen to carols, and argue about the best Christmas movie. Instead, Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy the company of family and friends. It provides an opportunity to eat too much, take a nap, and catch some football. With few expectations, this...

12 Oct

Posted at 13:32h in Headmaster Messages

​​Dear WA Community,  Our family has been afforded the opportunity to live in various parts of the county. While we have enjoyed each stop, every location requires adjustment. For example, one doesn’t need to order grits with breakfast or specify what kind of iced tea in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Both are assumed. In Chicago, pizza generally comes one way—as a pie, not thin. One thing we appreciated about Lexington, Kentucky, our hometown, was that the year has all four seasons—fall, winter, spring, and summer. South Florida, on the other hand, has only two—tourist and hurricane. Perhaps seasons are on my mind...

14 Sep

Posted at 15:56h in Headmaster Messages

​​Dear WA Community,  Over the years, our family has developed a kind of short-hand and sayings that both reflect our culture and values. One of those sayings is “normal is just a setting on the dryer.” While that colloquialism captures a number of different ideas, it often is our way of saying that normal really is a bit relative. For example, when our children were young, and we were struggling to parent well, a normal dinner looked nothing like a normal dinner for our empty-nester status today. From a more spiritual point of view, “Normal is just a setting on the dryer”...

17 Aug

Posted at 15:37h in Headmaster Messages

​​Dear WA Community,  With more than 50 years of Christian education to call upon, Westminster Academy is a school rich in tradition. Among them are special events that reflect the values of our school. The two most significant events are bookends of the school year. Our year begins with Convocation—a school community chapel and ends with Commencement—a community celebration of our graduates. While every school experiences a first day of the year, Westminster Academy uniquely marks the beginning of each new school year with an opening chapel highlighting what makes our school unique. We experience community. We worship. We fellowship. We are...

11 May

Posted at 15:16h in Headmaster Messages

​Dear WA Community, As the old poem goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” Perhaps that saying is more reflective of my native Kentucky than South Florida, but it does seem to indicate that May is a month for flourishing. Perhaps the horticultural cycle fits within that sentiment, but not necessarily the realm of schools which instead fits a theological theme—the already and not yet. For us, the month of May is fraught with wrapping up the current academic year while at the same time forging ahead for the next one. The idea of “already and not yet” captures the tension between what...