Annual Report 2019–20

ANNUAL REPORT

Love Your Neighbor 1

Catch Mr. Kim’s broadcast class in action at wcastl.org/annualreport.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: 2

YOU SHA L L LOV E YOUR N EI G H B O R AS YOU RSE L F.

M ATTHEW 22:37-39

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR THEME VERSE

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F ROM TH E H E A D OF SCH OOL I am pleased to present our 2019–20 Annual Report which summarizes our financial blessings and anticipates what God will do through us this year.

It is tempting to focus on the challenges we face as individuals and as a country.

While these challenges are real, we should not let them obscure God’s continuing blessings, of which there are many!

One such blessing is our financial health and the generosity of our many donors.

I am delighted and grateful to report that last year we received just over $1.88 million in annual and capital giving with total giving at $2,034,000, which exceeded our goals. Details are provided on pages 20–22.

Our theme for the 2020 –2021 year is Reaching Higher: Loving Our Neighbor as We Love Ourselves. This theme will focus our attention on practical ways to apply the Golden Rule while we navigate these challenging times together.

Your generous gifts and support are indispensable to our goal of engaging the hearts and minds of our students. Your investment of time, talent, and treasure enables us to equip students to Reach Higher as they prepare to serve Christ in college and career.

You are making an eternal investment, thank you!

Dr. Barrett Mosbacker Head of School 4

Board of Directors

“

Curtis Francois, President

Steve French

Randy Cross, Vice President

John Hartwig

Ron Moser, Treasurer

Barth Holohan

Anita Chimento, Secretary

Tony Kinney

Matthew Ring, At Large

Chris Moellenhoff

Ely Britton

Steve Rasche

Rich Broyles

Owen Tarantino

When I walked across the stage to receive my Westminster diploma 38 years ago, I didn’t dream that someday I’d be presenting my daughter Isabella ‘20 with her Westminster diploma. While many things have changed since my graduation in 1982, I am grateful that our mission and vision have remained the same.

Westminster exists to help Christian parents fulfill our biblical calling to “train up children in the way they should go.” The Christian home, church, and school work in close partnership to prepare our children to engage and change the world for Jesus Christ. In this uncertain world, Westminster partners with parents to provide a strong spiritual foundation that cannot be shaken.

God continues to bless Westminster, even in the midst of a pandemic.

Our students have teachers and coaches who care about them. Our administrators and leaders daily seek wisdom from the Lord as they make decisions. And we belong to a loving and generous community who gave even more than we asked of them. Your partnership is invaluable. Your gifts of time, talent, and treasure further the mission and vision of the school, and make an eternal impact on generations to come! Thank you!

Walking in partnership with you, Curtis Francois ‘82, President of the Board

” 5

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EMB ODYING GOD’S LOVE

A Community that Cares Love is joyful. Love is proactive.

Love is sacrificial. During this past year, the Westminster community came together in countless ways to ensure that every member of the community felt pursued and valued. The community celebrated their school pride at events like Homecoming and Spirit Week and gave back to the larger community through traditions like ITSOG (In the Spirit of Giving). When hardship struck in the form of a global pandemic, Wildcats banded together to tackle online learning and ensure that every student could remain at Westminster.

Through the giving of time, talents, and resources the Wildcat family truly lived out Christ’s call to “love your neighbor”.

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Reflecting the Kingdom of God More diverse than ever, Westminster continues to nurture a community that reflects the kingdom of God through lovingly pursuing and valuing each individual.

We partner with families from

905 86 STUDENTS

23%

FACULTY

identify as students of color

“

191

churches

&

77

zip codes 8

Westminster has been on an intentional journey for many years. We have been working to help the school and the community reflect the diversity we see in the Kingdom of God as represented in Revelations 7:9. It has not been an easy journey and we have made mistakes along the way, but we have stayed the course and continue to work toward this goal. It is an incredible blessing to see the fruit of our labors.

We rejoice and celebrate God’s goodness—He has allowed us to increase the diversity within our school to 23%. Praise be to God!

A A RO N L AY TO N

Coordinator for Minority Community Development & Inclusion

VISION

P R E PA R E A N D E Q U I P

M O R E YO U N G M E N A N D WO M E N TO

ENGAGE THE WORLD

AND CHANGE IT FOR JESUS CHRIST

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LIV ING F O R H IM

Students Loving One Another and Learning Together Last year, Westminster students worshipped their Creator in Chapel, learned His truth in the classroom, and supported one another as they shared their Godgiven gifts on the stage, field, and court. The unexpected events of the spring challenged students in new ways, but they persevered. No matter their location, Westminster students endeavored to love their neighbor through their faith, character, relationships, and service to others.

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A NEW A P PROACH

Learning Online Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

The Wildcat community met the transition

JAMES 1:2–3

enhancing the online learning experience for

to distance learning with a great deal of patience, grace, and flexibility. Students and teachers grieved the loss of in-person interaction, but swiftly adjusted to their new normal. Westminster took this challenge as an opportunity to begin developing a more dynamic and innovative program filled with new opportunities for our students. The school continues to invest its time and resources into future possibilities.

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TH E CL ASS O F 2020

Persevering with Faith, Hope, and Love In March, the world changed dramatically as the Class of 2020 quickly adapted to online learning and grappled with a senior year that looked different than anyone could have imagined. With a spirit of perseverance, our 180 seniors celebrated and crossed the finish line at an outdoor commencement ceremony in August.

7,600

32.5

HOURS SPENT SERVING THE COMMUNITY

AVERAGE ACT OF TOP 25%

99% $19.6

ATTENDING COLLEGE

MILLION

TOTAL SCHOLARSHIPS EARNED

2020

36 BRIGHT FLIGHT RECIPIENTS

COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES Students were admitted into many notable universities, including Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, Vanderbilt University, University of Southern California, Yale University, Washington University in St. Louis, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Notre Dame.

Watch highlights of graduation at wcastl.org/annualreport

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So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

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M ATTHEW 7:12

LOV E YO U R N E I G H B O R T H E M E V E R S E

View photos from the performance of Godspell at wcastl.org/annualreport.

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WILDCAT WE CARE

CAMPAIGN

97.5%

Retention Rate

$2.45 Million

Tuition Assistance Given

28%

Students Receiving Financial Aid

A NOTE FROM A RECIPIENT

Caring for Our Students in Need This year, the Westminster community answered the call to ensure every Westminster student could remain at school despite hardship related to the pandemic.

With remarkable generosity from faculty and staff, alumni, parents, parents of alumni, grandparents, and our Edward Jones Leadership Investors, our community raised $263,000 from 239 donors to help 34 students return to school in August.

Wildcat We CARE funds coupled with overall tuition assistance help Westminster ensure greater socioeconomic diversity and fulfill our mission more fully— serving more young men and women to engage the world and change it for Jesus Christ.

To learn more about Wildcat We CARE or give a gift, visit wcastl.org/giving.

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“In March, we suffered a significant loss of income due to the country wide shut-down. For a brief moment, we considered an alternative school.

Days and nights of prayer kept telling my heart to trust in God. One morning I felt compelled to reach out to Westminster to discuss our situation.

I was received with so much compassion that I immediately knew God was in control and was eternally grateful that the Lord led us to Westminster. Thank you, Westminster family, for the stewardship of the Wildcat We Care Tuition program and for the many generous souls making donations to it.”

Why Our Alumni Give Many of our alumni view their time at Westminster as transformational—a turning point in their relationship with Jesus Christ and in their lives. So it comes as no surprise that when Wildcat students were in need, our alumni stepped up in a big way—with participation increasing 100%—to ensure that those students could remain a part of the Westminster family.

Kent Kehr ’78 “God transformed my life for Him through my relationships at Westminster. My prayer is that many others will know and see His wonderful hand upon their lives while at Westminster, and experience the lifechanging path He has mapped for them.”

Thomas Porter ’10 “As a black male, my experience at Westminster set me apart. It is my hope and prayer, that every Westminster student of color is afforded the same opportunities that have played such an integral role in my success. We must invest in our future.”

Hollie AndersonSchlueter ’92 & Brian Schlueter ’93 “It was at Westminster that my faith and roots in Jesus grew deep. That’s why I count it a joy to be able to sow seed into the next generation of students and teachers at Westminster. To give what God leads me to give and watch it grow, nurture, and flourish this generation of young men and women for whatever Jesus calls them to do.

It’s so exciting!”

—Hollie

The Bailey Family Scott ’88, Janna ’88, Emma ’14, & Betsy ’18 “We will be forever grateful for the lifechanging opportunities we’ve had at Westminster.

We have come together in support because it is our desire that others will also experience superior education and extracurricular activities that are rooted in a biblical worldview. Our hopes and prayers are for students to be blessed through Westminster for generations to come.”

—Janna

Read more alumni stories at wcastl.org/annualreport

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Legacy Donors Love and Invest in Future Generations In 2010, we secured a $35 million loan to purchase and develop our 70 acre worldclass campus, since then—with extraordinary generosity from our community—we have reduced the debt to less than $21 million.

This year, our faithful legacy donors invested $1,060,000 toward principal loan payments. Their support coupled with an advantageous refinance in March of 2020 reduced our annual debt payment from $2.1 million to $1.6 million. We continue to hold fast to the vision and goal to completely retire Westminster’s debt.

I stand in awe of God’s grace and your faithful, generous support in helping Westminster to reduce its debt and secure the future of our school. It has been a rich and personal blessing to be a part of the Westminster story with you for so many years. Your generosity is a blessing beyond measure as we strive to prepare our students— today and tomorrow—to “engage the world and change it for Jesus Christ.”

JIM MARSH, HEAD OF SCHOOL EMERITUS

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WHERE IS WORLD THE WILDCAT ?

IN THE

TRI VI A NIGHT

A Night of Friendship, Fellowship, and Funding Needs Under the leadership of event co-chairs Beth Andrews and Meg Terry, a team of 15 parents blessed Westminster with a trivia night! It was a roaring success as 320 guests enjoyed a night of fun, friendship, and funding school needs. The community raised $120,000 for direct investments in the daily student experience.

Improvements were funded for many areas, including the theatre, weight room, and special services department.

Teams dressed up and decorated tables to get in the spirit for the theme of the evening: Where in the World is the Wildcat?

Funds were raised to provide improvements for theatre lighting, weight room equipment, and more!

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The Extraordinary Goodness of God

31%

from the previous year

164

FIRST TIME DONORS

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

EPHESIANS 3:20–21 20

TM I NS TE

R

Y

IS

R

donors contributed this past year

CH

620

Donor participation increased by

W

ES

TIA

EM

Through the loving generosity of our community, we were greatly blessed and surpassed all of our giving goals!

N AC A

D

The Investors Circle

248 leadership donors contributed $1,000 or more in support of the mission this year

38

were new Investors Circle members

$820,000 given to the Annual Fund this past year

Annual Fund gifts increased by

16.5% from the previous year

$1,060,263 donated in capital gifts, an increase of 4% from the previous year

WILDCAT WE CARE CAMPAIGN

$263,000 provided in tuition assistance

239

donors gave to Wildcat We CARE

34

students received

$ 2.45

MILLION IN TOTAL TUITION ASSISTANCE PROVIDED TO 28% OF FAMILIES

EVERY GIFT

makes a difference.

tuition assistance

GIVING PARTICIPATION INCREASES Alumni, Faculty, and Staff:

100% Parents and Grandparents:

33%

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Financial Report OPERATING INCOME STATEMENT (unaudited; does not include restricted giving or related expenses)

REVENUE

As of July 31, 2020 Net Tuition and Fees $14,755,000 Ancillary Income $265,000 Donations $1,880,000

Annual Fund: $820,000

Capital Purposes: $1,060,000

Total Revenue

$16,900,000

EXPENSES Payroll & Benefits $12,460,000 Instructional, Athletic, & Admin Expenses $2,005,000 Facilities $780,000 Debt Service $1,940,000

Total Expenses

$17,185,000

BALANCE SHEET ASSETS Operating Funds $4,075,000 Endowment Funds $2,580,000 Pledges Receivable $2,240,000 Property & Equipment $57,445,000 Other $510,000

Total Assets

$66,850,000

LIABILITIES Accounts Payable $245,000 Prepaid Tuition $5,465,000 Debt $20,840,000 Payroll Protection Program Funds (COVID) $2,300,000 Other $125,000

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Total Liabilities

$28,975,000

Net Assets

$37,875,000

An outpouring of generosity from our loving community!

In these challenging times, the Lord has shown His loving kindness and generosity to the school through you! Together, we surpassed our annual and capital giving goal of $1.8 million raising $1.88 million. All giving, including restricted funds, exceeded $2 million.

A warm welcome to our 164 new donors and a heartfelt thanks to our alumni, faculty, and staff who doubled their participation. Parents and grandparents responded in a big way, increasing their participation by 33 percent. We have so much to celebrate together!

PARENTS FOSTERED FRIENDSHIP AND FUNDED NEEDS This past fall, parent leaders with a passion for communitybuilding hosted a sold-out Trivia Night! A roaring success, 320 supporters raised $120,000 to directly impact students.

LEGACY DONORS INVESTED IN FUTURE GENERATIONS With a vision for future generations, faithful legacy donors invested more than $1 million toward debt reduction. In March, God provided for an advantageous refinance, reducing our annual payment by $500,000. We hold fast to the goal of retiring our debt with under $21 million outstanding—down from $35 million in 2010. Thank you Legacy Donors for your commitment to a sustainable Westminster for our children’s children!

OUR LOVING COMMUNITY CARED FOR STUDENTS IN NEED When the pandemic struck, 239 supporters joined in the mission to keep all Westminster students at the school despite financial hardship. Our loving community provided

$263,000 in special tuition assistance ensuring that 34 students will continue to receive the blessing of a Westminster education!

Through you, God has provided abundantly more than we had hoped, asked, or imagined! Even amidst hardship, we will praise Him!

Carolyn Holt Advancement Team Leader, Major Gifts

ADVANCEMENT TEAM Carolyn Holt Advancement Team Leader, Major Gifts

Kat Martin Assistant Head of Institutional Advancement

Michelle Burke Director of Advancement Relations and Giving

Hannah Murray Alumni Relations Coordinator

Jim Marsh Head of School Emeritus

Lisa Westrich Advancement Associate 23

2019–20 A N N UA L R E P O RT W E ST M I NST E R CH R I ST I A N ACA D E M Y 800 Maryville Centre Drive, Town & Country, MO 63017 24

314.997.2900 • wcastl.org/give