Westminster Christian School (Florida)

Westminster Christian School is a PK3-12 school in Palmetto Bay, Florida. WCS is governed by a board of directors- 13 people (mostly current parents, although some have been former faculty) elected by parents of current enrollees. It is operated by a Superintendent who is hired by the Board.

WCS provides a Reformed Protestant religious education (similar to Calvinist thought). Though the school is Reformed by charter, its students come from a wide variety of denominations, including Presbyterian, Southern Baptist, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox Christian. The parents of students are required to be active members at their local church (as evidenced by a letter from their pastor), and most of the students consider themselves to be Christians.

It is located on 31 acres in the Village of Palmetto Bay, near the Charles Deering Estate.

WCS' mascot name is the "Warriors." The athletic booster club is called the "Chiefs." The school colors are Green and White.

WCS may be most famous for its baseball program and fine arts – especially in choir and string orchestra. WCS is the home to the 1992 and 1996 USA Today National Champion baseball teams, and won several FHSAA state championships under the direction of former coach Rich Hofman. The 1996 team adorned the cover of one of the first Team Cheerios boxes, and notable baseball alumni include World Series winners Alex Rodriguez and Doug Mientkiewicz. The orchestra has taken first place in several national competitions, as well as superior ratings in district and state competitions. It was invited to play at Carnegie Hall in 2002 and 2006, and has also toured Europe.

Westminster Christian School added a new Student Activities Center in 2009, a new Middle School/High School Science Building in 2011, and a new Elementary School Building in 2013.

In 2006, Westminster Christian's High School (including the enrolling freshmen) began a program called "Warrior Week." Warrior Week received the The Creative Management Award for 2006–2007 from Independent School Management, a leading consulting firm for independent schools. The purpose of Warrior Week is spiritual renewal, relational development, the promotion of academic excellence, in a spirit of fun and adventure.

History

Around the start of the 20th century Jules Vroon, just a two-year-old boy from a conservative Calvinistic family, emigrated from Dinteloord, the Netherlands to the United States to grow up in Michigan's Christian schools where all subjects were taught from a Christian perspective. During the Depression, Vroon, then a husband and father, moved his company to Florida. When he found no Christian schools like those he knew as a boy, he shared his vision to bring Christian education to south Florida with friends at Shenandoah Presbyterian Church. Westminster Christian School opened in 1961 with four teachers and twelve students.

The school was formerly located in the census-designated place of Cutler until the incorporation of Palmetto Bay on September 10, 2002.^[1][2]

Notable Alumni

• J. P. Arencibia, Current MLB catcher (Toronto Blue Jays)
• Mickey Lopez, Former MLB infielder (Seattle Mariners)
• Doug Mientkiewicz, current manager of the Fort Myers Miracle and former MLB player (Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers)
• Dan Perkins, Former MLB pitcher (Minnesota Twins)
• Bill Henderson, 1st round pick 1987 MLB June Amateur Draft, former MiLB catcher (Detroit Tigers)
• Derek Phillips, stage, screen, & television actor
• Alex Rodriguez, Current MLB infielder (Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees)

Ronald S. Kerr (Captain, US Navy, 2002–2020)

References

External links

• Official website

Coordinates: 25°37′53″N 80°18′04″W / 25.6314932°N 80.3011631°W / 25.6314932; -80.3011631