Westminster Christian Academy (Missouri)

Westminster Christian Academy
The archway in front of the main entrance of Westminster Christian Academy
Location
Creve Coeur, MO, USA
Information
Type	Private
Established	1976
Faculty	73 Full Time / 5 Part Time Jim Marsh, Headmaster Dr. James Sefrit, US Principal Steve Hall, MS Principal Tim Hall, Dean of Students Scott Holley, Dean of Academics
Enrollment	approx. 865
Colors Mascot	Blue and white Wildcat
Website	http://www.wcastl.org

Westminster Christian Academy (WCA) is a private, Christian school. It is a 7-12 grade secondary school with its main campus located in Creve Coeur, St. Louis County, Missouri, United States.

The school currently has an enrollment of approximately 865 students in grades 7 through 12. It is further divided into an Upper School (9-12) of approximately 611 students and a Middle School (7-8) of approximately 254 students. Tuition for the 2008-2009 school year is $11,050USD regardless of grade.

History

Westminster Christian Academy opened on September 7, 1976 to 72 students. In the first two years, Westminster operated out of rented classrooms from Missouri Baptist University. For the first two years, Nolan Vander Ark was headmaster of the school. Before joining Westminster, Mr. Vander Ark served as a Christian Reformed Missionary in Africa. After two years of renting space, the administration purchased a campus known as the "Des Peres School" in Kirkwood, Missouri. Once Westminster moved to the new campus, Evelyn Downs stepped up as headmistress. She remained headmistress until 1981. Four years after changing locations, the student body quadrupled. The necessity of finding space for the rapidly growing school was unavoidable. So in 1982, Westminster purchased a campus in Creve Coeur where the school is currently located. During this tumultuous time, Arlen Dykstra became headmaster and oversaw the relocation of the school. Under his guidance, the school was accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States. (ISACS). In 1984, the school found itself to be without a headmaster once more. Larry Birchler, the registrar for the school, acted in the role of Headmaster until a suitable replacement could be found. In 1985, Jim Marsh became headmaster and continues to lead the Westminster community to this day.

Campuses

Creve Coeur Campus

Purchased in 1984, the 30-acre (120,000 m²) Creve Coeur Campus serves as the primary campus for the school.

In 1999, the school started an $11 million construction and renovation project. With the money, the school added a new gymnasium, new student commons, new senior and 8th grade hallway wings, a new weightlifting facility and locker rooms, a new bookstore, and new offices. Dubbed the "Creve Coeur Campus", the building has over 150,000 square feet (14,000 m²), a 25-yard (23 m) indoor pool, library, two gymnasiums, cafeteria, academic and administrative rooms, and outdoor sports facilities.

Town and Country Campus

In 2002, Westminster purchased the campus of the West County Vocational Technical School in Town and Country with plans to renovate the space to serve for future growth of the school. Currently, the property is being rented out to unaffiliated associations and is also used for various school activities. The school has recently announced plans to move the school to this location in the fall of 2011. Additionally, an adjacent parcel of land was purchased from Central Presbyterian Church. The purchase was made possible by a donation to Westminster by an anonymous supporter. Plans are underway for a total of $50 million in renovations of the property in anticipation of the school moving to this new campus in 2011. The current site plan contemplates the addition of a multitude of fields for both practicing on and hosting games, 2-3 gymnasiums, 1 theater that seats 1000, black box theater, a football stadium, soccer field, 2-4 practice fields, swimming pool, and many storage facilities and lockers.

Academics

Westminster is strong academically—during the 1990-1991 school year, it was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education. 65% of the faculty have advanced degrees, including 6 doctorates. 98% of the 2008 graduates went on to college. The school also offers a Special Services program to address the educational needs of those families who have students with diagnosed disabilities. Westminster was the first Christian school to be accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), an accreditation which the school maintains to this day. The school is also accredited by Christian Schools International.

In 2005, Westminster Christian's Academic Competition team (coached by Bob Vass) won the MSHSAA state championship. In 2009, the Wildcats won their district in Varsity Football.

Community Service

The student organizations and each class participate in community service projects. In addition, the seniors participate in “Faith in Action,” a program in which they serve in various help agencies throughout the St. Louis community for two hours each Thursday morning of the school year.

Memberships

Westminster is a member of the following organizations:

• Missouri Association for College Admission Counseling (MOACAC)
• National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)
• The College Board
• Independent Schools of St. Louis
• Christian Schools Association of St. Louis
• Christian Schools International (CSI)
• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)

Notable people

Alumni

Government, Law, and Politics

• Michael Gerson, 1982, former presidential speechwriter for George W. Bush and one of Time Magazine's "25 Most Influential Evangelicals In America".
• Mark F. "Thor" Hearne, 1979, attorney, national counsel to Bush-Cheney 2004 Campaign, 2004 recipient of Missouri Lawyers Weekly Missouri Lawyer of the Year Award.
• Jack L. Oliver III, 1987, Republican strategist, founder and Senior Policy Advisor of Bryan Cave Strategies, LLC and 2007 recipient of St. Louis Business Journal's 40 under 40 award.

Sports and Entertainment

• Curtis Francois, 1982, race car driver in the Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series.
• Stephen Hauser, 1988, author of screenplay for 1998 movie, Sphere, based on Michael Crichton's 1987 novel by the same name.
• Andrea Mackris, 1989, Former FOX News television producer, primarily known for bringing a sexual harassment lawsuit against Bill O'Reilly in 2004.
• Sandra McCracken, 1995, singer-songwriter.
• Jacob Turner, 2009, a baseball starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.

Arts and Sciences

• George Thampy, valedictorian 2006, Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion in 2000, featured in the movie Spellbound.

Faculty and Staff

• Todd Worrell, former Major League Baseball pitcher, pitching coach for Westminster's baseball team.

External links

• Westminster Christian Academy