Westminster Christian Academy (Missouri)

Westminster Christian Academy (WCA) is a private Christian school in Town and Country, Missouri[1] serving students in grades 7–12. As of 2022, the school has an enrollment of approximately 940 students. The Upper School (9-12) enrolls approximately 685 students and the Middle School (7-8) enrolls approximately 255 students.

Westminster Christian Academy
Main Entrance, Town and Country campus
Address
800 Maryville Centre Drive

Town and Country
,
St. Louis County
,
Missouri
63017

United States
Coordinates38°38′13″N 90°30′13″W
Information
TypePrivate
Established1976
Grades7–12
Enrollment940
Color(s)Blue and White
MascotWildcat
Websitehttp://www.wcastl.org

History

Westminster Christian Academy opened on September 7, 1976, to 72 students. In its first two years, Westminster operated out of rented classrooms from Missouri Baptist University under the leadership of Headmaster Nolan Vander Ark. Before joining Westminster, Mr. Vander Ark served as a Christian Reformed missionary in Africa. After two years, the administration purchased a campus known as the "Des Peres School" in Kirkwood, Missouri. Once Westminster moved to the new campus, Evelyn Downs assumed the position of headmistress and remained so until 1981.

After four years at the Des Peres campus, the student body doubled and the necessity of finding space for the rapidly growing school was unavoidable. In 1982, Westminster purchased a 30-acre campus in Creve Coeur. During this time, Arlen Dykstra became headmaster and oversaw the relocation of the school. In 2000, the school completed an $11 million construction and renovation project to add a gymnasium, student commons, hallway wings, a weightlifting facility and locker rooms, a bookstore, and offices. The 2010–11 school year marked the last of its use by the school; the campus was sold to the Ladue School District for $18 million.

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. 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. Construction on the new campus finished in early August 2011. The current campus has made the addition of a multitude of fields for both practicing on and hosting games including 12 tennis courts, three gymnasiums, one theatre that seats more than 600 people, a black box theatre, football stadium, soccer field, practice fields, swimming pool, and many storage facilities and lockers. Each grade level also has its own common area, including meeting spaces for student organizations.

Leadership

The school has had seven heads of school since its inception in 1970: Nolan Vander Ark (1976–77); Evelyn Downs (1977–81); Arlen Dykstra (1981–84); Larry Birchler (acting headmaster 1984–85); Jim Marsh (1985–2013); Dr. Tom Stoner (2013–2016); Barrett Mosbacker (2017–present). Tim Hall, Scott Holley and Todd Fuller served as an interim head of school team during the 2015-16 school year.

Programs

Academics

During the 1990–91 school year, Westminster was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education.[2]

Arts

The school has been recognized by the St. Louis High School Musical Theatre Awards multiple times—awards received include Outstanding Production (2017, 2019, 2020, 2022), Outstanding Ensemble (2019), Outstanding Costume Design & Execution (2018), Outstanding Direction (2018), Outstanding Supporting Actress (2017), and Outstanding Lead Actress (2022).[3] During the 2018–19 school year, 15 students were selected to participate in the St. Louis metro district honors choir and orchestra.[4] Two students were also selected to participate in the All-State Choir.

Athletics

Westminster is a member of the Metro League (Missouri) along with John Burroughs, Lutheran North, Lutheran South, MICDS, Principia, Priory, and Villa Duchesne.[5]

Athletic performance

In the past seven years, Westminster's athletics program has won ten team state championships and more than 18 individual state titles.

  • The Westminster boys baseball team placed first in state in the spring of 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. They are the first school in Missouri history to win four straight baseball championships. In 2019, the boys' placed second in the state.
  • The boys cross country team has finished third at the state meet three times (2010, 2014, 2015).
  • Girls cross country has won three district championships (2001, 2017, 2018).
  • The boys soccer team has won two district championships (2009, 2014) and a metro league conference championship (2009).
  • Since its inception in 1997, the girls' golf team has won two state championships (201, 2012), five district championships (2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015) and two conference championships (2011, 2012).
  • The Wildcat softball team has won six district championships (2007, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2018, 2020).
  • The girls tennis team has won one district championship (2013) and a doubles team state championship (2009).
  • Westminster girls volleyball won the MSHAA class 4 state championship in 2012, 2021, and 2022, was a state runner-up in 2007, and has won 15 district championships.
  • Since the inaugural varsity season in 2001, Westminster football has won five district championships (2006, 2009, 2013–15) and two conference championships (2006, 2014).[6]
  • The boys basketball team has won six district championships (2005, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2019, 2020).
  • The girls basketball program has won four district championships (2007, 2011, 2012, 2020).
  • Westminster hockey won consecutive Wickenheiser Cups in 2017 and 2018.
  • The boys golf team has won one team state championship (2010) and eight district championships (1996, 2001, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013).
  • The girls soccer team has won three district championships (2007, 2008, 2018).
  • The boys volleyball team has won one state championship (2015).
  • Margo O'Meara is the only athlete in Missouri history to win four straight state diving championships and broke the state meet diving record for highest point total ever in 2019.

Accreditation and memberships

Accreditation

Westminster was the first Christian school to be accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS),[7] an accreditation the school maintains to this day. The school is also accredited by Cognia.[8]

Memberships

Westminster is a member of the following organizations: Council on Educational Standards & Accountability,[9] Independent Schools of St. Louis,[10] Christian Schools Association of St. Louis,[11] and Christian Schools International.[12]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Subdivision Map". Town and Country, Missouri. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  2. http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf
  3. "SLHSMTA - Home". St. Louis High School Musical Theatre Awards. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  4. "St. Louis Metro District 8". stlmetro8.org. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  5. "Athletics".
  6. "Summer 2005.indd" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  7. "ISACS". Archived from the original on 2010-03-24. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  8. "Cognia". home.cognia.org. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  9. "Schools". www.cesaschools.org. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  10. "Westminster Christian Academy". independentschools.org. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  11. "Westminster Christian Academy — CSASLGettysburg-DC Trip--Central Leadership Forum". CSASL. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-08-25. Retrieved 2008-05-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America". TIME. 2005-02-07. Archived from the original on February 3, 2005.
  14. "Jacob Turner Stats, Highlights, Bio | MiLB.com Stats | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Westminster Christian Academy (Missouri).
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.