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25 Feb

Posted at 09:51h in Academics, Lower School

The fourth and fifth‐grade classes have been working hard on this year’s Science Fair. Each elementary class conducted a Science Fair experiment. Fourth grade did 15 group projects in class, and fifth‐grade students did individual experiments as they displayed their knowledge of the Scientific Method. The fifth‐grade students presented their project before two judges on Monday, February 25. The judges were very impressed by all of the hard work, scientific thought, and creative display boards, making their job of deciding the top three very difficult. The boards were displayed in the Lower School hallway through March 1.

A special thank you to all of our judges: Mr. Alise, Miss Garcia, Mrs. Hatch, Mrs. Omslaer, Mrs. Pierce, and Mrs. Walker.

Fourth‐Grade Winners

  • First Place: “Lego my Eggo” by Lucas Boariu, Philippe Hyppolite, and Jaden Kriegel
  • Second Place: “Magtemps: Hot vs. Cold” by Mia Boghossian, Elle Geiger, Abigail Pierre, and Noelle Richardson
  • Third Place: “Will it Rot” by Denim Edwards, Skylar Freas, Marley Scott, and Lexie Thibaut

Fifth‐Grade Winners

  • First Place: “Leaf vs. Flask” by Juliana Lonetta
  • Second Place: “The Law of Attraction” by Margarita Pilipenko‐Kolina
  • Third Place: “Coffee vs. Tea: (who will win)” by Olivia Oropesa

Honorable Mentions:

  • “Is Bottle Water Safe to Drink?” by Michael DeTuro
  • “Tower Take Down” by Stephen McKeon
  • “Into Thin Air” by Lea Miller
  • “Change When” by Nathaniel Lencse
  • “Aqua Nation: The Surface Tension of Water” by Camilla Cruz‐Zayas

Afterward, each fifth‐grade student wrote a paragraph and drew a picture for our bulletin board reflecting on their “God Connection” they made as they were doing their project. Thanks to all for a job well done

21 Feb

Posted at 13:18h in School News

Our annual dinner auction is next Friday, March 1! Join us at 6:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Fellowship Hall at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. Tickets are $40 per guest or $350 for a table of ten. Online registration will close next Wednesday, February 27 at 10:00 p.m. Therefore, please visit wa.edu/auction today to purchase tickets and preview items! If you are unable to attend the event, you can still bid on items from anywhere through our website! However, Live Auction and fixed priced items are excluded from online bidding.

Our auction theme this year is A Night Under the Big Top. So, step right up and support the greatest school on earth! What do you wear when the circus comes to town? Under the big top, anything goes! A hat for your head or bells for your toes. Most importantly, be you and be comfortable!

Thanks to the generous support of corporate sponsors and families, this event is completely underwritten. We’re especially grateful for our Title Sponsor, Benedetti Orthodontics, and Ringmaster Sponsors: All‐American Windows and Doors, the Foundation for Christian Living, Lighthouse Point Yacht Club, and the Taylor family. With our costs covered, all proceeds raised at the auction next week will go directly to support our Annual Fund. In addition, a Heart Raise will take place to fund a Collaboratory, a new interactive, instructional space for our school.

For more information, please contact Sarah Hajduk, Director of Development, at hajduks@wa.edu.

21 Feb

Posted at 13:09h in Athletics

It wasn’t just at the Winter Court Dance that students enjoyed a “Winter Wonderland.” Thanks to our student‐athletes, our school celebrated district championship wins for each of our varsity winter sports. With a resounding 92–73 victory over Benjamin last Friday, the men’s basketball team joined ladies’ basketball, ladies’ soccer, and men’s soccer as District Champions!

During Winter Court Week, our soccer teams were the first to win titles. Ladies’ Soccer faced South Florida Heat for the District Finals. With only one senior on the team, many thought our lady lions would be underdogs. However, a 3–1 win proved our strength and brought home the district title. The team went on to play in the regional competitions, finishing the season in the semi‐finals with a 9–9 record. Meanwhile, Men’s Soccer faced Sagemont at districts and left District Champions with a 2–1 win. They also moved on to Regionals and finished the season at the quarterfinals with a 9–7 record and one tie.

Our basketball teams then joined the winning streak. First, Ladies’ Basketball defeated Benjamin 48–46 for their first District Title since 2016. Even though their season concluded at the regional finals on Tuesday, they enjoyed a great winning season of 19–7. Moreover, without a senior on the team, we look forward to next year when these ladies get back on the court.

Finally, the men’s district win marks the fourth consecutive district title for men’s basketball. Their current record is 19–4 and still going. They are seeking a third consecutive state championship and the fourth straight trip the finals. No matter the final outcome, the men celebrate the contributions of two seniors. Senior, Sam Griffin signed with the University of Texas at Arlington, and senior, Chase Johnston signed with Purdue University Fort Wayne. Each will play basketball at the collegiate level next year.

What a wonderful winter it has been at WA! Go Lions!

21 Feb

Posted at 13:07h in Academics, Upper School
Tuesday, February 19 at 11:59 p.m. was marked “Stop Build” for our robotics team, Shark Attack. They met their deadline to complete their new robot for the 2019 FRC Robotics Game Destination: Deep Space. The team took six weeks for intense strategy, design, construction, programming, and testing. Finally, Shark Attack “bagged and tagged” this year’s robot late Tuesday night until they compete in March. Testing of systems and programming occupied most of the evening.
However, the timing allowed the team to also demonstrate robots and new mechanisms to our WA Open House crowd on the same night. “One highlight of our night was our headmaster and many prospective students driving our 2018 robot,” said Mr. Kent Stolley, our physics and robotics instructor. At midnight, the stop build celebration included cake, food, drinks, cheers, and lots of pictures. Special thanks go to the many mentors and students who invested thousands of hours in building the robot. The result is perhaps the most creative robot Shark Attack has ever made.
The team will now spend the next three weeks completing construction on the “practice bot.” They will practice driving, refine programming, and autonomous routines. In addition, the chairman’s team will polish their presentation for the judges. This year the robotics team will compete at the Orlando FIRST Regional Robotics Competition at the University of Central Florida on March 14–16. Then on its heels will be the second competition. The South Florida FIRST Regional Robotics Competition will follow at the Palm Beach Convention Center on March 28–30.

21 Feb

Posted at 13:05h in Upper School

Our eighth‐grade students will embark upon an incredibly important season next year. They will experience individual growth academically, spiritually, athletically, and socially. Therefore, we invite eighth‐grade parents and students to preview high school next Thursday, February 28. Please join us at 6:30 p.m. in the DeVos Chapel (on the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church campus).

This brief High School Preview will highlight some of the excitement of becoming a Westminster Academy High School student. Not only will students enjoy WA traditions, they will embark on their preparations for college and then look towards their future career. For that reason, a number of leaders representing our High School will be present. Athletics, Fine Arts, College Planning and Placement, and Co‐Curricular Programming will each share about their programs. They currently serve in these capacities to strengthen our students for future success, and they look forward to coming alongside our middle school families too!