The Class of 2012 and the Modulars of Doom
I relish driving our children to school in the morning, although the occasions are too rare, as my wife might attest. I often forgo carpool and join the kids for a walk through the doors. These few extra steps are consistently rewarded by the experience of enjoying a close up view of the joy on the faces of the students entering the school.
In stark contrast to my memories of walking into elementary school with an uneasy dread and a gait resembling that of a man headed for the gallows, at Westminster I see students excited to see their friends afresh while bounding through the doors full of optimism for the day to come. At the heart of their ritual and joy, however, is the dash to hug and be hugged by their encourager in charge: Mrs. Keeler.
Lori Jill Keeler is an administrator of the first order. Her loving smile and tender morning embrace of each child belie the mind and heart of a firm leader with an unyielding will to move forward the vision of the school. Ask her a question, and you may hear her range freely from the importance of a literature-rich curriculum to the value of the timeline approach to history and the Bible. Listen closely, and each answer is unmistakably underpinned by the Gospel mindset that is at the heart of Westminster’s mission.
Memorization is an important part of the lower school curriculum as well, and Mrs. Keeler displays the fruits of that discipline by knowing every child by name and by heart. She is, in truth, doing what you will see from so many of the teachers at Westminster: Living out the school’s directive to have a Gospel-centered, grace-driven authentic community that nurtures the students. In a society enraptured and entrapped by a cynical worldview, Westminster stands out like an oasis welcoming the individual child to a place of love seeking to draw out what God has made them to be.
It is likely our children will encounter many doors to enter in the coming years. I am optimistic that their time at Westminster will play an invaluable part in preparing them to act with wisdom so that they might choose doors that lead to life. I believe they will always carry with them the memory of mornings at Westminster: Memories of Mrs. Keeler, and of God’s love expressed through a school visioning and working for their good. Something tells me that they, with ever increasing appreciation, will reflect on these mornings often – as shall I.
Dalton Smith – Westminster Parent
It is no exaggeration to say that Westminster wouldn’t even be here without the support of Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church. Since the school’s founding in 1998, the church has always been there for us: helping us grow, housing our classrooms, and helping us make the Gospel-centered decisions. Not only do we have the church’s support, we also have its endorsement. Check out this quote from Senior Pastor, Bob Flayhart:
“One of the most beautiful elements of the Gospel is liberty in areas where Scripture does not bind the conscience. One of these areas involves educating our children. It is not to become an area of guilt or pressure, but an opportunity to experience exhilarating freedom! In light of this Gospel freedom, let me encourage you to at least give the Westminster School at Oak Mountain a close look. All three of our children attended Westminster and THEY as well as Laurie and I saw great benefits (even beyond academics) as a result. Westminster School is a ministry of Oak Mountain Church and, therefore, our mission statement of ‘Seeking Grace from God, Sharing Grace in Community, and Showing Grace to All’ is the foundation undergirding the school’s purpose. Check it out. Because of our beautiful freedom in the Gospel, you have nothing to lose…and perhaps much to gain!”
- Bob Flayhart, Senior Pastor, Oak Mountain Church
Thanks so much Bob! We wouldn’t be here without your support!
The Westminster Golf Event is coming up on Tuesday, April 17th, and there are several reasons why this day is special.
1. It is a community tradition. This golf tournament will bring together almost every level of the Westminster community, including students, teachers, board members, parents, and strategic partners. It has quickly become tantamount to Homecoming and Graduation for our school.
2. It is a day to celebrate and rehearse the remarkable story of our school. Each hole will tell one part of our story. Students and staff will be on hand to interact and tell another part of our story. There will also be staged opportunities to showcase what God is doing among us and how we intend to use our resources to expand our platform.
3. It is a day to broaden the support base for our mission. The Westminster Golf Tournament is the most time we will have with our strategic partners all year. No other place or event–not even commencement–gives us this much time and space to connect with new friends. This is no chore; this is a privilege. We have much to be proud of, and we have much to look forward to. Our goal is to tell our story so well that those who are to be a part of us will be drawn to us, and those that would not be a good fit for our story will clearly be repelled. We trust our Father enough to take this risk.
Some days mean more than others, and few days in Westminster’s history will mean more than Tuesday, April 17, 2012.
Click here to register a foursome for the tournament!
If you are a potential volunteer (space is limited), or to suggest a contact for a corporate sponsorship, please contact Jim Doggett via email.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of American Literature
There’s no better way to get a sense of cosmic irony than to become a teacher. The very works of literature that I summarily scorned as a teenager now form the bulk of my curriculum. Now I have to defend these works against the very critique that I once leveled against them: That’s so depressing!
Consider the great authors of American Literature: Poe, Hawthorne, Twain, Steinbeck, O’Connor. Not exactly a list of motivational speakers. In fact, most of them are. . .well, downright depressing.
So how is it that we should read such authors? Is the complaint of the average high schooler legitimate? Why should we subject our young, impressionable children to such tragic literature?
I have two answers. The first is to intersperse the tragic material with literature that is both truly redemptive and truly great. By redemptive I mean that it acknowledges tragedy, but points beyond it. Take for example Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It’s a heavily didactic novel, but it’s also a very compelling story. It shows us how Christian conviction can lead a person to cleanse the Temple one day and carry his cross the next. It shows us how there is victory both in Uncle Tom’s quiet suffering at the hands of the cruel Legree, and in the Quakers’ daring struggle to aid Eliza in escaping to Canada. It is perhaps one of the most thoroughly redemptive works of American literature that exists.
The other answer, though, is to face the harsh realities that authors like Hawthorne and Steinbeck so adeptly show us. They may not point us to hope, but I believe they can be read redemptively. I can illustrate with the very poem that vexed me most as a teenager: “Richard Cory” by E. A. Robinson.
The poem tells the story of a handsome and wealthy young man, highly favored by society and envied by the lower classes. Cory is a “gentleman from sole to crown,” who “fluttered pulses when he said, ‘Good Morning.’” He was “richer than a king” and “schooled in every grace.” And yet one day, for no apparent reason, Cory goes home and promptly shoots himself in the head.
Whew.
“Richard Cory” is certainly fine poetry. It is well structured. Its use of language is artful, but not impenetrable. Cory’s character is well developed. And like it or not, the ending packs a punch. There’s no doubt that it’s a work of great beauty. But is it true? Is it good? I think the right kind of reading can make it so.
Though Robinson probably didn’t mean it for Christian instruction, the poem does seem to reinforce the teachings of Jesus: “Judge not that you be not judged” and “First take the log out of your own eye.” However, it comes at it from a different angle. Rather than warning against condemning our fellow man, Robinson’s poem warns us against envying him. In our day of celebrity worship and the endless quest for wealth, it’s a warning we would do well to heed.
I can’t recommend a steady diet of such poetry, but authors like Robinson show us our fallen world with a clarity and starkness that we Christians are liable sometimes to soften. And, in this sense, we need them. But their work cannot be read as final. It must be understood as a necessary element in the plot of a larger narrative that will certainly not end in tragedy.
- Charlie Ritch
The other day the Birmingham News wrote an article recognizing our achievements at the indoor state track meet. The praise offered to our student athletes was wonderful and seeing our students’ names and pictures in the paper was exciting. However, it was interesting that they referred to us as “Tiny Westminster.” Without a doubt, it is true. We are a small school- the second smallest school in the AHSAA. It is just that praise predicated on surprise at the source of the greatness is confusing. It is like finishing dinner and exclaiming with excitement that Mom made a great meal. While one might hope she will enjoy the praise, she is probably going to be a little annoyed her family is so surprised by the source.
Westminster will always be small. Our goal to grow Westminster to 3 sections per grade with only 16 students per section means Westminster will never have more than 624 students and will barely be a 2A school.
We could, of course, take comfort in the tendency of Americans to celebrate underdogs and Cinderella stories. While we most certainly will celebrate every time we catch some big, overconfident school sleeping, the significance of the celebration will be greater if it establishes a tradition. I have no desire for our wins to be dismissed as anomalies or merely exceptions to the rule that larger is better. Larger is not better. Better is better.
For some reason we cannot help but to be impressed when a David-sized school wallops a Goliath. Here’s the point: While David’s small size stunned the Israelites, it was his superiority as a warrior and as a leader that convinced Israel to follow him. Somehow, too many Christians walk away from this text believing this was an accident. David did not just show up so that God could miraculously give him supernatural giant- killing powers. Since God could have killed Goliath anyway he wanted, we should find it instructive that he used David who had been taught as a child to face difficult challenges (like lions and bears) by using the right tools (a sling, a rock, and his bare hands) and by trusting in God (1 Samuel 17:34-37). It was this inculcated habit of trusting God to help him to overcome difficult tasks that prepared him for Goliath and made his size irrelevant. In David’s story, it was not long before all that mattered was that “Saul has killed his thousands, David his ten thousands.”
This is the secret of tiny Westminster: we are not afraid to ask our students to face difficult challenges. Learning to face skills that appear to be beyond one’s ability is the perfect way to inculcate the habit of seeking grace from God. What David learned from facing lions and bears, Westminster students learn by studying the times tables or writing essays. This inculcated habit of seeking grace to master skills at a level that leaves others shaking in their boots will prepare our students to do what is extraordinary.
Tiny Westminster stunned the Birmingham News last week. I cannot wait to see their reaction to the fact that 25% of this year’s graduating class earned National Merit Scholarships.
As Robbie mentioned in his blog “The Peculiar Beauty of an Opportunity”, we recently enjoyed a visit from Westminster Alumnus Calvin Nixon. At the upper school chapel, he spoke to our students about the benefits of a classical education and the importance of hard work.
We have had a lot of requests for the video from those that couldn’t make it that day, so here you go!
Enjoy!
The athletic arena is a developmental opportunity. It is a place where athletes are challenged to understand their physical bodies, to strengthen and expand their physical capacity. It is also a place where mental toughness is developed, as well as the fine art of synergy, balance and strategy. There are rules of engagement to be obeyed, philosophy of process to be followed, and explosive execution to master. For an athlete, there is much to gain.
And I have noticed that the demands of this development lead athletes to generally respect one another–even when battling a rival. Who has not felt a little bit strange witnessing the sweaty embrace of rivals on the field of competition after a hard fought contest? One of these guys has just suffered a bitter defeat, and the other is filled with exult and triumph. Yet they suspend for a moment their display of emotions to genuinely embrace and engage eye to eye. Fans can learn from this moment.
Which brings me to the under appreciated opportunity that a sports arena can be for all of us. The players get it better than we do. If I have learned anything about sports here in the South it is this–we tend to exhibit our worst behavior as fans. It is as if we allow ourselves to get a pass on civility and chivalry when it comes to sports. As a fan, I have said things and treated others much more poorly as a fan than I ever would as a host or guest. I am so much more likely to suspend logic and fairness when it comes to a judgement call on the field or to verbally assault another person who sees thing differently than me. Why is this so? I believe it has something to do with our “it’s just a game” approach to sports. And I believe we are missing a glorious opportunity.
What if fans approached the sports arena as a developmental opportunity as well? What if we assumed the posture of host or guest at each venue? What if we used our natural bent to see every call through our loyal colored lenses as a check on our self centered hearts? What if we appreciated the efforts on both sides of the contest with admiration and encouragement? Please don’t hear me wrong here. I am not promoting wimpy passivity. I want to cheer my team on better than the other guys. I want to be a true fan with all the emotion and passion directed in our favor that I can muster. I do not want it to be close when it comes to home field advantage on our turf. But I think I should stop short of poor behavior, internally or externally directed, just because I am a sports fan. The sports arena should not be a place where I suspend civility, but where it is tempered, strengthened, and generously displayed. I should be a better man because of sports, not a lesser one.
I speak not as one who has yet mastered this approach. As an Alabama fan, I have drunk deeply the intoxicating mixture of idolatry. My mind has defended our record and approach with amazing speed and mental dexterity. I have equaled this speed in my tearing down of my opponents and pointing out any weakness or flaw. I have engaged the arena of fandom as if the goal were to convince my opponent that my sports heritage is superior and that that their only right response would be to lay down their colors and join me on the Side of Right. How silly.
And so I prepare now to enter our sports arena and developmental challenge tonight. How can I support my sons while encouraging the behaviors on the other team that are good and wholesome as well? How can I encourage our boys when things are not going the best in a way that allows them to reach deep into themselves and master their will to execute well? And how can I do it in a way that does not embarrass or shut down another man’s son in this same battle? How can I model for my other children the joy of victorious moments in a way that makes them better people and not arrogant asses? How can I help an official feel the good weight of impartial accountability while also being generously benevolent in the exchange? I am sure I will not do these things perfectly, but oh to do it well.
And to do it well in a community of others is perhaps the most beautiful benefit of the sports arena. We can all engage fully in this developmental opportunity and be a part of something truly remarkable.
Go Knights!
Jim Doggett – Westminster Parent
While leading chapel, Calvin Nixon (Westminster Class of 2010) told the students how several members of our community offered him the opportunity to attend Westminster. He explained how he embraced that opportunity, worked hard, and earned a scholarship to study at Marquette University. While just seeing Calvin succeed justifies the investment many of you made in Calvin, in chapel we discovered a second reward as he used his story to encourage current students to take advantage of the opportunity Westminster is offering them.
Calvin’s speech reminded me of Langston Hughes’s poem Harlem that asks “What happens to a dream deferred?” In vivid language, Hughes warns that dreams that are not given any opportunity for fulfillment will fester like sores not allowed to heal or rot like meat that is not eaten. One could see in Calvin the answer to the final question of the poem: “Maybe it just sags/like a heavy load/ Or does it explode?” Only a fool would stand between Calvin and opportunity.
Every time I discuss Hughes’s poem, at least one student scoffs at the idea that someone in America lives without opportunity. I am always stunned by this. It is not that I expect humility. I am stunned that they thought Hughes’s point was pity. To counter their misconception, I follow this poem with Updike’s Ex-Basketball Player. It is a poem about a once extraordinary basketball player named Flick. “He was good: in fact, the best. In ’46/ He bucketed three hundred ninety points/ A county record still.” Updike finishes this line with an expression that so perfectly describes not only Flick’s skill but the admiration of every Wizard fan: “The ball loved Flick.” The line also conveys a common American assumption that if a teenager can handle a ball, he will conquer life. Sadly, “he never learned a trade, he just sells gas,/ Checks oil, and changes flats.” All of his potential can now only be seen when “once in a while/ As a gag, he dribbles an inner tube.” When teaching this poem, someone always assumes Updike might be belittling mechanics. Flick is not a mechanic. “His hands are fine and nervous on the lug wrench.” He represents those for whom high school was a time of extraordinary potential that ended in squandered opportunity.
Calvin’s story tempts me to lecture my kids. However, I have always found illustrations more effective than lectures. Let’s start praying that God would provide more young men or women like Calvin to teach all of us about the particular beauty of an opportunity.
It is difficult to put into words how much we have seen our daughter grow in confidence and knowledge with the help of the academic support program. Our daughter Saddler entered first grade with a deficit in mathematics which lead to many tears when it came time for homework. She was totally overwhelmed and lacked the confidence to even attempt to work on her lessons at night. Through the wisdom of the school’s leadership and the Lord’s provision her beloved kindergarten teacher accepted this charter role of assisting children in areas of weakness.
Our daughter has gone from fearing math to absolutely loving it and excelling in the subject. Not only has she gained skills and confidence, going to “math club” is the highlight of her week. Our experience can best be summed up with this example: Last week our oldest three children were asked what fun activities they were involved in. Our oldest said soccer, the next said gymnastics, and Saddler quickly chimed in, “I’m in the math club.”
- Cord Sachs
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