Mission & Philosophy

Mission Statement

Westminster is a Christian, independent day school for boys and girls, which seeks to develop the whole person for college and for life through excellent education.

Philosophy

Westminster's founders envisioned a school community with its traditions and philosophy rooted in the Christian faith, and to this day, a Westminster education aspires to cultivate each student's distinctive God-given talents: to inform the mind, to develop the body, and to enlighten the spirit. Through a passionate, talented faculty, a rich and varied curriculum, and the blessing of excellent facilities, Westminster strives to help children in the journey toward maturity, marked by personal excellence, self-knowledge, responsible citizenship, and faith in God.

An excellent education engages the natural developmental stage of each child: the elementary student's joy of discovery, the junior high student's exuberant, dynamic growth, the high school student's emerging sense of purpose. Throughout their school experience, young people encounter opportunities to question, to reason, to express themselves, to discover and pursue a passion, to risk, and sometimes even to fail and to learn from that failure. Through a wide range of outstanding programs, Westminster students grow as healthy, balanced individuals and cultivate personal strengths as scholars, artists, athletes, leaders, and community servants. Through their classroom and extracurricular activities and a multitude of social interactions, they discover that knowledge about the world and their own character should be inseparable, and that knowing how to learn is as important as what one learns. A clear understanding of one's self contributes to responsible citizenship, whether that involves treating each other nicely on the playground, valuing the Honor Code, or respecting our mutual interdependence in a world of many races, creeds, and political views. Ultimately, this emphasis on character complements the students' spiritual maturation, as they learn that humble appreciation of God's bounty means respect for all creation. Westminster's commitment to the Christian faith is more formally advanced through biblical literacy in the curriculum and through an open and respectful inquiry about other faiths, as we intentionally and genuinely strive to model the love of Christ for all people.

Growing up into a whole, healthy, and accomplished young adult is a challenge and a joy, and the entire Westminster community seeks to support and celebrate students along their way. In the spirit of honoring Jesus Christ and his love for all children, we therefore offer this philosophy of education as a prayer: We pray that our students will prosper from and enjoy their journey, that they will mature into life-long learners and truth seekers, and that they will be good stewards, caring for and serving the world in accordance with Christ's example.