Headmaster Messages

27 Feb

Posted at 15:53h in Headmaster Messages

Dear WA Community, Flamingle and flocking. Prior to a few months ago, I had no idea those words existed. I am not even sure that they can be used in a game of Scrabble. While we’ve taken some creative linguistic license, our dinner auction, “Let’s Flamingle” is for a good cause, and here’s hoping the folks at Webster’s will overlook our transgression. Each year Westminster Academy hosts an auction, and like clockwork, the planning team selects a theme. Thankfully, this year’s theme doesn’t require me to wear a ringmaster’s costume like last year, but it does press the aforementioned language limits. The logistics...

13 Feb

Posted at 16:45h in Headmaster Messages

Dear WA Community, On Tuesday night, about 175 people gathered in the DeVos Chapel for our February Open House. If I’m honest, my favorite part comes towards the end of the evening when I get to drive the robot during the showcase in the gym. Nonetheless, it is fun to showcase our school and highlight our students. Talking about recent accomplishments and sharing stories from our rich history is exciting. Last Sunday was WA Sunday at Coral Ridge. Here was another opportunity to share how God is working in our school. In this case, we also had the treat of hearing Christian...

06 Feb

Posted at 17:41h in Headmaster Messages

Dear WA Community, Why do we all seem to long for belonging? Recall that after pronouncing the creation “good,” God said that being alone was “not good.” The challenge for us today is not the lack of community—lots of those exist. However, the rub is finding the ones that matter. Most of the places where we seek community are not communities at all; they are facsimiles at best and utterly false at worst. While it has been said that it takes a village (or a community, if you will), that’s not entirely true. A better statement is that the right village...

30 Jan

Posted at 15:41h in Headmaster Messages

Dear WA Community, Any leadership conference or workshop will, at some point, focus on the mission statement. It is also fairly common to hear people talking about their personal mission statement. The challenge rests on how to know when its “mission accomplished.” At Westminster Academy, one way we capture mission is our Portrait of a Graduate, and with nearly 50 years of history, we have many examples among our alumni. With such a rich history, we love to celebrate the accomplishments of our alumni. They serve as real Westminster Academy portraits and also remind us about the potential of our current student...

09 Jan

Posted at 16:04h in Headmaster Messages

Dear WA Community, Once upon a time when most schools like ours were getting started, achieving the status of “accredited school” was an aspirational goal. Such a stamp of approval carried great weight and served as a mark of distinction among competitors. It indicated something significant—it was a mark of excellence. Early in my career, I was privileged to participate in a school’s initial accreditation. It was quite an accomplishment at the time. Upon receiving official notification, there was great celebration. Some years ago, Westminster Academy helped establish a new school organization, Christian Schools of Florida. We remain an accredited member of...