If you missed the homecoming game Saturday night, you missed something special. We have a wonderful community. I appreciated the coaches and players, the painted up student section, the numerous lower school fans, the parents and grandparents, and the friends- all of whom made for an exhilarating evening. It helped that we won by 30 points, that Hope and Sylvia did such a wonderful job singing the national anthem, and that over 400 people came to support the team. If you want to know the difference you made, consider that the last time we played, Whitesburg took us into overtime. Thank you for offering your energy to the boys.
I wonder what would happen if we took this same energy to Parkway this Friday. There is nothing like facing a foe you have never beaten to increase the need for grace. Even if you cannot come, I would ask that you would contemplate the following petitions I have put together from quotes from Remember Why We Play. Use them to pray for Coach Butler and the boys:
1. Pray that Coach Butler “can accept whatever the results are, as long as he and his players give their very best effort.”
2. Pray that “We represent first and play [basketball] second.”
3. Pray that the boys learn that “The more selfish you are, the less satisfying life is. Your life is only enriched when you live it for a purpose bigger than yourself. ”
4. Pray that Coach Butler will remember that his “duty is to facilitate and cultivate lifelong behaviors that lead to success in every area of life, and if that means being unpopular for a period of time with a few teenage boys, so be it.”
5. Pray that our boys will embrace the following resolution: “Let others lead small lives but not you. Let others argue over small things but not you. Let others leave their future in the hands of others but not you.”
Whether we beat Parkway is not nearly as important as having a community to encourage these boys to grow in grace. So come out and see what happens.
- Robbie Hinton
Forget Tebow and “The Rematch.” If you want sports in its best and purest form, join us Saturday at 6pm at the Samford University gym for the annual homecoming game against Whitesburg Christian.
When you attend a Westminster basketball game, you enter the arena of the young athlete. On that court and during that game our young men will embrace virtues normally deemed uncool. They will work hard, make sacrifices, take the lead. They will even show respect for authority. And for the rest of their lives they will either tell stories of regret or greatness about what happens Saturday. Of course, if the basketball court is truly this important in their lives, it is a perfect place to find Christ at work.
Without a doubt, many adults have made an idol of high school sports and high school athletes. This weird form of idolatry explains why so many adults refuse to grow up. In one of the greatest and most absurd acts of folly, the arena of sports has become an opportunity for men to act like boys. At Westminster we want to turn this trend on its head. We want to use these games to teach boys to act like men.
If you join us on Saturday, I cannot promise a victory. But I can promise you a front row seat in the crucible of sanctification.
- Robbie Hinton
In his book Arts with the Brain in Mind, Eric Jensen outlines the benefits for children who participate in the arts. This topic is not new in the educational debate, however, Jensen’s research focuses specifically on how the brain is affected by what he terms as the three arts; musical, visual and kinesthetic. According to Jensen, the arts have “positive emotional, social, cultural, creative, collaborative, and neurological effects” and “are about life, growth, and expanding who we can become as human beings” (p. 110).
Creating a strong emphasis on the arts program at Westminster should be a priority as it only enhances an already rich curriculum. The addition of dramatic arts to our school adds a different perspective on the cultures and civilizations that the students study and gives them an outlet to actively compare their culture to that of the past. Students need guidance and support from parents and teachers to help them establish a well-organized drama department that will be sustainable for the years ahead. I am confident that we are well on our way to creating a drama department that will grow into a successful program. I am encouraged by the seeds that have already been planted this year for a future drama department. I am very proud of our two pioneers, Hope Thompson and Sylvia Welch who represented our school at the state level in the Trumbauer Drama Competition. This is our school’s first year to ever send representatives to the competition, and both girls received a superior rating advancing them to the state level where they placed in their event. We have many more plans for growing a drama department. At the heart of this pursuit is the desire of our students to use this as a forum to reach out to those who have never heard the Gospel. Greater participation in events like this would provide them that opportunity.
Plans are in the works to start an International Thespian Society, an annual one act play competition, greater participation in state and local drama competitions, and even possibly a Shakespeare in the Park! As for the visual and musical arts, who knows? Maybe somewhere down the road we will establish this in our upper school. Even though most of our students are involved in the arts through city wide programs or church events, it doesn’t take the place of school fine arts programs. The sense of community that is created through the arts is a valuable part of the school culture. Students need an opportunity to express themselves in a group that is united in its purpose to glorify God. They need to see this purpose exemplified through all areas: academics, sports, socially, and the arts as well.
I have always been an advocate for the arts. If anyone has ever seen me play a sport, you would certainly guess why. There are many children out there who also need the same opportunity for what may be similar reasons. I hope we can give students a choice when it comes to extracurricular activities. Our students are very well rounded and usually seek ways to learn about many different subject areas. Our extracurricular offerings should reflect this desire. The addition of the arts would not only offer students the chance to grow in other areas but it would also provide them the chance to engage in leadership activities as well.
Just like every team needs fans and supporters, the arts are no different. We need time, money, and support to have a successful program. I know we have some incredibly talented students at Westminster who are the best kept secrets in town. It is now time to give them the opportunity to let the secret out!
- Amy Hoaglund – Westminster Parent, Assistant Professor, Samford University
One of my daughters asked me if I ever drag raced like Shawn on the T.V. show Psych. Evasion seemed the wisest response. Thus, I asked her, “What do you think?” My other daughter responded with an unflattering tone, “No, Dad is too self-disciplined for that.” I must admit it was really hard not to tell her about racing down Collierville-Arlington Road or to give one of my classic dissertations on what it means to be an adult. The problem, however, is that whatever I said would have been heard as a comparison between fun-loving Shawn verses self-disciplined Dad. More than being bothered by their disapproval, I am disappointed by the dichotomy? Why do we believe fun and self-discipline are at odds?
I must admit that if the two traits can be merged, I am probably not the best example. Over time I have become quit skillful at staying under control. I like to think of this as maturity. However, I wonder if it has more to do with fear. I know if I become too interested in a cause I stammer and attack like a teenager about to lose his car keys. Thus, I tend to avoid causes rather than risk looking like a fool. People like me do the same thing with relationships. Relationships confuse us, distract us, or anger us. They create drama. Thus, we strive to maintain professionalism. And as much as I enjoy a good laugh, I have found that adult humor isn’t called adult because of its intellectual complexity. Thus, rather than risk being part of jokes that would leave senior boys blushing, I tend to keep busy and focused.
Teenagers, however, would never make such compromises. They would never let the fear of looking irrational stop the pursuit of something they wanted. Teenagers have this amazing ability to endure mind-numbing drama simply to spend time with friends, and they would rather laugh than win the lottery.
As the people who love them, we are often perplexed by their choices. We want them to grow up and make better decisions before they do irrevocable damage either to themselves or our mental well-being. However, how do we teach them to make better choices without forcing to give up on the pursuit of joy?
At Westminster, we believe this is one of the primary roles of a teacher. We strive to teach them about the real joys of life. More often then not this is simply pushing them to go deeper to pursue passions that are beyond their immediate reach. Sometimes I am bothered when my examples are scoffed at. Then, I remember that the true joys require a disciplined pursuit of life. Because here is the point, what has really created boring and jaded adults is that over time life became too hard. Instead of disciplining ourselves to learn the wisdom to choose wisely and the eloquence needed to bring others with us, it was easier just to stop trying.
May God give us the grace to equip students with wisdom and eloquence so they can enjoy what is truly beautiful.
- Robbie Hinton
I truly love serving in a school that will graduate 3 National Merit scholars this year and has averaged a 29 on the ACT for the last seven years. However, if that is all they had accomplished, I would be less than impressed.
The ACT is a fine test. It measures a student’s ability to stay focused on a Saturday morning for a considerable amount of time while doing some relatively difficult math problems and reading some less than intriguing writing. The ACT does a great job of distinguishing between those who can read, edit, and calculate under pressure and those who cannot. Certainly, these are useful skills that should not be dismissed, but are these skills really worth all of the hype the ACT receives?
To be clear, if we were doing poorly on standardized tests such as the ACT, I would be embarrassed. However, please do not confuse this with why we believe Westminster is so special.
The other day one of our founders was telling me that when they were starting Westminster, he was certain everyone assumed students would do well on standardized tests. At the same time he said he doesn’t remember a whole lot of discussion about it. This fits with everything I know about our school.
Westminster is an extraordinary school because it was started by people who refused to settle for less. Even though other schools could have helped their children perform well on standardized tests, they decided they wanted more. For now, I would like to define more as the summation of what Westminster offers that is not included in stats such as 29% of our graduates have received National Merit accolades. Now I know that in our materialistic and performance driven world Christian’s have rightfully become disenchanted with the word more and that as a word and as a concept more has fallen on hard times. We understandably think of any longing for more as simply referring to the idea that we deserve everything we want. For our community, I believe we use the word more to articulate our deep dissatisfaction with what was being offered. Of course, while it might be enjoyable, discussing what dissatisfies us probably isn’t very helpful. Thus, the purpose of this blog will be an attempt to define what we mean by the word more. I hope it will start a conversation about what we love about Westminster. I hope you enjoy it, and please join the conversation by sharing it with friends and making comments.
It is a unique privilege to be a part of a school that seeks so actively to partner with parents to educate their children instead of usurping their authority in this important sphere of God-given responsibility. Westminster’s covenant community of partnership is one of its greatest strengths, and one of the many ways that we worked to build it is through the Partnering with the Principal meetings.
Each semester since the fall of 2005, I have held grade-level parent meetings in my home to pray for the students and teachers, keep parents abreast of what is going on in the school, to get feedback on what we are doing well and how we can improve, and to reiterate and renew enthusiasm for the mission and vision of the school. The benefits of these meetings have been significant, and I convinced that they have been crucial to the success of our school.
Many curricular improvements have been made over the years thanks to the honest and constructive feedback from the partnering meetings, and it has been helpful for me to get the parents’ perspective on classroom activities. We have made changes in the length of the school day, testing schedules, recess activities, and even uniforms based on information gathered at these meetings.
Even more importantly, relationships have been forged and deepened through these meetings. Not only have I gotten to know families at a deeper and more personal level because of the time spent with them at the Partnering meetings, but also the parents have gotten to know one another better as well. Relationships are at the core of a covenant community, and our common love for Christ and desire for His glory have allowed even difficult conversations to be edifying and unifying.
I am so thankful to be a part of the kingdom work here at Westminster, and the sweetness of your partnership with us is a taste of what it will be like when all is restored and made new.
At the heart of Westminster resides a conversation. It can be seen in the humanities classes where teachers are trying to draw students into a dialogue with the brightest minds of history. As students discuss the books they are reading, teachers draw them beyond mere content and force them to grapple with difficult ideas.
As students discuss their the books they are reading, their teachers draw them beyond mere content and force them to grapple with difficult ideas. More importantly, it models and trains them in the lost art of conversation.
A conversation is the ability to listen, to contemplate, and to guide. It is the act of deeply pondering the words of others so that when we speak, we are speaking with each other and not merely to each other. Conversation begins with a deep respect for the student and to be effectual requires the student to offer the same in response.
While we make no claim of perfecting the art of conversation, we attempt to inculcate the art into the fabric of our school. The following four practices demonstrate our approach to creating a conversation at Westminster:
- The Scholarly Friends: A series of meetings where teachers meet to collaborate, to share ideas, and to push each other to improve.
- Pizza Rules: A weekly meeting between the administrative team and students to eat pizza together and to discuss rules.
- Coffees: A series of meetings between the administrative team and parents to listen to each other so that we can serve each other better.
- Opportunities for Conversations: If a student is late for class, out of uniform, or misbehaving he or she is given a form titled “An Opportunity for Conversation” to fill out. It gives a student an opportunity to offer an explanation or an apology for why he or she broke a rule. Then, one of our deans will follow-up with a conversation either helping a student to fix a problem or to grow in grace.
Being under the leadership, and in the fellowship, of professionals who seek to make the Gospel known in every area of a student’s life brings about great personal accountability and inspiration. I am consistently being asked, “But where is this lesson pointing students to the Gospel?” which has, in turn, allowed me to form a habit of looking at all things- big and small- through the thankfulness of a believing heart.
As the Lower School faculty has been reading through Teaching Redemptively by Donovan Graham, we have been reminded of our own tendency toward foolishness and the necessity to bow before the One whom we proclaim as Lord….even in the “small things” of life. Being able to quickly apologize to students when our patience has run thin, or our tone is unkind, is something that quickly points us all to the dependence we must find in Christ alone. We must identify, before our students, areas in our own lives that show our “folly” and opportunities to point ourselves to truth in order to shine the glory of God in His help to redeem us from those failures.
Students who are able to respect their teachers, and yet, forgive them for their sinfulness is an art with lines that can be easily blurred if not done with wisdom and grace in community. As we build this community, we must first recognize that our classrooms are a picture of the Body of Christ to our students. We are first brothers and sisters, and we ought to relate as such. We must remind one another of the “creation-fall-redemption-restoration” model of thinking. My students often do this for me.
“What if a school truly understood a child’s tendency toward folly and capacity for glory?” This is a question we are asking ourselves as we pray for the future of Westminster. The answer is in the very thing we seek to proclaim- the Gospel of grace. We were created to be like our Maker. We fell. We are being redeemed and will, one day, be restored! Praise God.
- Lauren Sheehan, 2nd Grade Teacher
For 12 years, people have asked when Westminster will become like other schools.
- What if a school truly understood a child’s tendency toward folly and capacity for glory?
- What if grace were not an excuse for mediocrity but a means of pursuing excellence?
- What if students were challenged to live for something larger than themselves?
Come see the “more” that Westminster offers.
For 12 years, people have asked when Westminster will become like other schools.
- 29 Average ACT Score (Ranks in the top 7% nationally)
- 5 National Merit Scholars in 7 years (These 5 students rank in the top 3% nationally.)
- Last year’s 6 graduates accepted over $300,000 in scholarships
Maybe it’s time for a new question.
Join us in committing to pray for our school, to share our story, and to invest in the Westminster Annual Fund. To find out more, email Karen at keddins@westminsterknights.org.
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