Overview
From its founding in 1951 to the present, Westminster has sought to live out the vision, expressed by founding Chairman of the Board Vernon S. Broyles, to provide "the best possible education for young people."
In the mid-1950s that vision took the form of Westminster 's being a pilot site for the Ford Foundation project that eventually matured into the Advanced Placement program, and today Westminster averages over four AP courses per graduate.
Similarly, the school founded on Judeo-Christian principles also cultivated a curriculum that, in preparing students for a life of service, emphasizes social awareness and spiritual understanding.
Over the decades, Westminster's commitment to balancing innovation with the best in time-honored academic traditions has resulted in an outstanding academic program.
At its core, Westminster's academic vision relies on three principles: Excellence, Relevance, and Balance.
Excellence
Westminster sets high standards for itself and for its students. The school is dedicated to hiring and developing a faculty with exceptional academic backgrounds who will share their intellectual passions with students and seek to inspire a commitment to excellence in scholarship and life-long learning. Westminster teachers believe in the importance of strong fundamental skills and work habits that provide the foundation for achievement in individual fields of interest, and encourage students to take the intellectual risks that lead to full engagement and mastery.
RelevAnce
Westminster recognizes that its mission of developing "the whole person for college and for life" means that what students learn should be truly relevant and helpful. Application of a discipline's principles and facts to real-life situations empowers students to see their education, and the hard work that it entails, as meaningful and enjoyable. The school's small classes also foster strong communities of learners who reinforce the social value of education.
Balance
Westminster conceives of education as multi-faceted. While there are opportunities to specialize in the later high school years, the curriculum is broadly defined to insure that each student develops a full complement of intellectual, artistic, athletic, and civic skills. In addition, students also learn how to suspend the pursuit of accomplishment and foster deeper relationships with each other, their families, their communities and, ultimately, with God.
