The Westminster School is a K-12 classical Christian school and a ministry of Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church (PCA). Founded in 1999 as Oak Mountain Classical School, the school has grown to an enrollment of more than 550 students. The first graduating class matriculated in 2006.
The leadership of Westminster is committed to a thoroughly Christian approach that includes shepherding the heart, training the mind, nurturing the soul and partnering with parents. Whether through the curriculum, on the playground or in day-to-day relationships, we want the gospel of Christ to be preeminent in our community. Our vision is: Building Christ’s kingdom by equipping students with wisdom, virtue and eloquence.
Since we seek to prepare each individual child for a stronger and richer relationship with God and man, our primary distinction is that we offer a classical education. Some would understand this as simply an education in the traditional liberal arts (which originally included the sciences). A classical education is concerned foremost with teaching the tools and techniques of learning rather than merely the transfer of information. The goal is to cultivate life-long learners.
We also assume there are necessary and helpful priorities in a good foundational education. God made us to be relational creatures, and so we believe in the primacy of words and language in our curriculum. The natural sciences are also important because God made the laws that govern the universe, and it is a joy and wonder to observe and understand them. Though the natural sciences are broadly significant, we believe mathematics is especially important as a foundation, as it is the “language” through which the various sciences relate to each other most precisely. Finally, the fine arts are integral to a well-rounded education for all students rather than an elective for some. It is through the fine arts that a child learns to appreciate more clearly the forms of visual and musical beauty.
Westminster is committed to a healthy community of faith and learning. All students in grades 7-12 are assigned to one of four houses. These houses, in large part, serve as the basis for community-building, competition, service and student government. Each student has a faculty advisor who acts as a mentor, both academically and spiritually, throughout their time in the Upper School.
Westminster is equally committed to academic quality. We believe in discipleship and scholarship without one compromising the other. While the curriculum and pace is challenging, we are not a school targeting the academically elite.
The core disciplines taught in the Upper School emphasize classical languages, the Great Books, natural sciences and the story of humankind from the beginning to the present. The Humane Letters are taught as Socratic seminar courses. Students attending Westminster, beginning in kindergarten, cover the historical timeline (from antiquity to modernity) two separate times. Formal logic and rhetoric are taught as well.
As part of a capstone senior year, students have the opportunity to travel and study for two weeks in Greece and Italy after completing a presentation of their thesis paper to their teachers, peers, parents and administrators.
If you have an interest in taking a tour of Westminster, please contact Kristen Williams at kwilliams@westminsterknights.org or call 995-9694.
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