11 Apr A Word from Dr. Satterly—April 11, 2024
Dear WA Community,
For those of us living in South Florida, one of our seasons is about to conclude—tourist season. College spring breaks are done, snowbirds are beginning to head back north, and hurricane season is still out of sight. This is not quite the case in much of the rest of the country, as folks are longing to shake off the winter doldrums for the freshness of spring—April showers and May flowers and all that.
Growing up in Lexington, Kentucky, spring was a special time as the gray skies tended to give way to blue, and the general mood brightened. As a sports fan, the season was marked by the NCAA tournament (of particular interest to a Wildcat alum), baseball’s traditional opening day in Cincinnati, and the Spring Meet at Keeneland. There is something majestic about standing along the rail on a bright spring afternoon with thoroughbreds pounding their way to the finish line.
Before you judge too harshly, let me remind you that when Westminster Academy opened in 1971, there was not a school campus. Instead, our first day of school featured classrooms in rented space at the Pompano Beach Horse Track.
Given that our collective stories include horse tracks, let me continue the analogy. The first Saturday in May is the Kentucky Derby. This year is the 150th renewal of that race, which has been called the most exciting two minutes in sports. If you’ve ever watched, you may be familiar with the call “…and down the stretch they come…” As the horses make the final turn into the last straightaway, the jockeys lean into their mounts, urging them toward the finish line. Usually, it is exhilarating and tense unless a horse like Secretariat is running.
The school calendar is a bit like a horse race. We break quickly out of the starting gate with Convocation, football games, back-to-school events, and renewed purpose. Then, we settle into our stride, seeking the right pace until Easter. The following weeks until Commencement represent the backstretch as we turn for home. Right now, students, staff, and parents are leaning in, running hard for the finish line. As I stand along the rail, I see us making the turn, the pace quickening, and in just a bit, our school will sprint toward the wire. I am praying for a glorious finish.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus …” Hebrews 12:1
Blessings,
Dr. Joel Satterly
Headmaster