Headmaster Messages

19 Sep

Posted at 11:41h in Headmaster Messages

Dear WA Community, Westminster Academy is a Christ-centered, biblically-based college preparatory school dedicated to equipping covenant students to excel by using their gifts and talents for God’s glory. These twenty-five words capture the essential mission of Westminster Academy. As is the case with any mission statement, each word is carefully selected. While not specifically mentioned in our mission statement, safety and security are of the utmost importance. Like all schools, we must now incorporate training and planning for safety and security. Usually, we would spend our first professional development day investing in our faculty in areas such as refining curriculum, differentiated learning,...

12 Sep

Posted at 16:33h in Headmaster Messages

Dear WA Community, Wow! What a night. If you missed “Teacher’s Got Talent,” you should make sure you have a seat for next year’s. I’ve already heard many pledges to be on stage next year, and there’s talk about how to make the event even better. So, another show is already in the making. In the meantime, everyone can enjoy this highlight reel. It is very difficult to pick a favorite. The Lions Parent Association who held down our judges’ panel had a very difficult job. Mr. Jarrett Van Tine showed a new gift set. Mr. Walt Jominy and Mrs. Betty Gage...

05 Sep

Posted at 16:47h in Headmaster Messages

“He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, ‘Quiet, be still!’ Then the wind died down, and it was completely calm.” — Mark 4:35–41 Dear WA Community, After watching Hurricane Dorian hover over the Bahamas, this scripture seems the appropriate one to recall. The storm not only reminds us of the power and might of our God over all things, but it also highlights the brokenness of our world. As we begin to see the full scope of our neighbor’s devastation, the early reports and images are shocking. They echo how this is not the way things are supposed to...

29 Aug

Posted at 15:22h in Headmaster Messages

Dear WA Community, It is often said that “it takes a village…” when raising children. I do not think this quote adequately expresses the substance of that incredibly important task. A more precise notion might be…“it takes the right community, properly aimed, and fully engaged…” Since students spend upward of 16,000 hours engaged in formal schooling to earn a high school diploma, the right community becomes even more critical. This week I had the opportunity to speak to our new parents over breakfast. While it is probably like drinking from a fire hose, we supply our new families the names, the faces,...

15 Aug

Posted at 15:50h in Headmaster Messages

Dear WA Community, After the confetti settled, students found their way to new classrooms, and parents shared a cup of coffee, we gathered together for Convocation. Convocation begins our academic year by turning our attention toward heaven. As members of our community gather on the first day of school, we remember the things that define Westminster Academy—the nexus of faith and learning all within a spiritual family. This year, I reflected on Joshua 4. In these scriptures, we get a depiction of a forgetful people who found themselves erecting a stone structure. After 40 years of wandering, the Israelites were poised to...