Ask anyone connected to Westminster Christian Academy, and they’ll tell you it’s a special place. In fact, the school has a national reputation as one of the top Christian schools in the country, according to Noah Brink, assistant head of school for academics. The reasons for this success go well beyond the classroom. The school prepares leaders for life not only intellectually, but also as confident, capable leaders.
What started as a small school on Ladue Road in 1976 is now the second largest private school in the city, with 1,010 students. Serving seventh through 12th-grade students, Westminster is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Brink says the school has a national—and even international—footprint within Christian education. “I came to Westminster this past summer from a Christian school in Memphis, and I knew about it as a high-performing community on many levels,” he notes. And he points out that while Westminster has grown exponentially, it has held onto its commitment to Christian ideals. “We’re very specific in saying we don’t just want our faculty to say, ‘I’m a Christian,’” Brink explains. Faculty need to embrace the faith actively. “We have very clearly defined who we are.”
Brink says another philosophy that sets Westminster apart is the belief that every student and teacher is in the image of God. “We don’t see our students as just rational beings,” he explains. “They are complex organisms that we’re trying to prepare to be confident members of the workforce and citizens of the country. Ultimately, they are image bearers, so we also try to nurture the soul, which increases curiosity.” Faculty and staff recognize that involvement in various academic challenges, combined with extracurriculars, creates a well-balanced student, which is why Westminster offers 24 different sports and 45 fine arts opportunities as well as rigorous and engaging academic courses.
“Art and athletics fall under my role as assistant head for academics because we believe they are just as much a part of the curriculum as classes,” Brink says. “It’s a holistic view of education.” The philosophy apparently works; students are performing at high levels across the board, he notes. Ninety-nine percent of graduating seniors are college-bound, the top 25 percent of students score an average ACT score of 32.5, the football team ended its season this year at the semi-finals in the State tournament, and the baseball team continues to excel with a winning record year after year. This year, Westminster has eight National Merit semifinalists, and two students received a perfect ACT score.
To further challenge students, Westminster started a gifted program this year for eighth-graders and will add two more grade levels next year. “It’s a very rigorous selection process to determine who will be in the program,” Brink says. The students who are chosen receive lessons in a more accelerated format. “This way, they have time for personal exploration and innovative projects. We’re combining students’ intellectual capacity with their creative drive.”
Even Westminster’s sprawling, 70-acre, state-of-the-art campus encourages reflection and creativity, offering beautiful facilities and plenty of space for students to collaborate, says Brink. “We want to equip our students not to retreat from the world, but to wisely, compassionately and thoughtfully engage it,” Brink says. “Our desire is that our students can both engage and change the world for Jesus Christ.”
Westminster Christian Academy, located at 800 Maryville Centre Drive in Town & Country, is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school for grades seven through 12. For more information, call 314.997.2900 or visit wcastl.org. Pictured on the cover: National Merit semifinalists Alexander Hopkins, Sydney Thomas, Matthew Rush, Sarah Ragsdale, Timothy Sell, Zachary Hughes, Haley Weinberg, and Joseph Albertson
Pictured: Seventh-grader Joshua Adamson with assistant head of school for academics, Noah Brink
Photo courtesy of Westminster Christian Academy
Cover design by Jon Fogel | Cover photo by Colin Miller of Strauss Peyton Photography
