Head of School

About this role

HEAD OF SCHOOL

ABOUT THE SCHOOL Established in 1999, Westminster School at Oak Mountain is a K–12 classical Christian school and a ministry of Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church (PCA). The school partners with Christian families in the formation of students who love what is true, good, and beautiful, grounding all of life and learning in the truth of Scripture.

Westminster’s classical model shapes both what is taught and how it is taught, emphasizing the study of language, history, science, and the Great Books alongside the formation of wisdom, virtue, and eloquence. In a close-knit community where relationships matter, students are known by their teachers and guided in both their intellectual and spiritual growth, preparing them to think clearly, communicate persuasively, and live faithfully.

The school operates on a 25-acre campus shared with Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church and is organized across two primary campuses. West Campus houses the middle and upper school, including 23 classrooms, locker rooms, athletic facilities, and student gathering spaces. East Campus serves the Lower School and early childhood programs, with 30 classrooms, a sanctuary seating approximately 1,200, a multipurpose gym, and dedicated outdoor play and athletic areas.

Today, Westminster serves 609 students across a fully integrated K–12 program, with the Lower School providing a stable and trusted foundation and the Upper School culminating in a course of study that leads to a 100% college matriculation rate. The school operates with an annual budget of approximately $7 million, employs more than 80 faculty and administrative staff, and holds accreditation through the Society for Classical Learning and the Middle States Association.

MISSION Westminster exists to build Christ’s Kingdom by equipping students with wisdom, virtue, and eloquence.

CORE VALUES Gospel Centered | Classical | Covenantal | Relational | Joyful Westminster’s life and culture are shaped by these core values, which guide its approach to teaching, community, and spiritual formation. Candidates are encouraged to review these values in full here.

RECENT INVESTMENT IN CAMPUS AND PROGRAM Westminster recently completed the $16 million “Writing the Next Chapter” capital campaign, culminating in the opening of the Community Life Center in April 2026. The project delivered a new competition gymnasium, student commons, seven classrooms, weight and training facilities, a field house, a lighted soccer field, and an eight-lane track and field complex, all now in use across the campus.

ACADEMICS Westminster’s academic program is built on a classical model that shapes both what students study and how they learn. From the earliest grades, instruction is structured and sequential, with strong foundations in reading, writing, and mathematics while cultivating habits of attention, discipline, and focused work. Students learn to handle language with care, commit key knowledge to memory, and express their thinking clearly.

As students move into the upper grades, the curriculum deepens through the study of classical languages, Great Books, and the history of civilizations from earliest origins to the present. Humane Letters courses are taught as Socratic seminars, where students engage texts directly and learn to listen, question, and respond with clarity. Fine arts, science, and mathematics are developed alongside the humanities, while formal logic and rhetoric are woven throughout the curriculum. Rhetoric culminates in a senior thesis, which requires students to research, write, and publicly defend their work. The Upper School also includes a broad honors curriculum, with 25 honors courses, four of which are Advanced Placement.

FINE ARTS At Westminster, the fine arts are integrated within the academic program, particularly in connection with the humanities, where students study artistic movements alongside the historical and literary periods they are reading. Students are introduced to visual art and music through regular coursework, with opportunities to create and perform while building familiarity with the language and practice of the arts. Among the goals of the Fine Arts program at Westminster is providing an environment that develops the next generation of creators, performers, and patrons for the glory of God.

In the Upper School, students continue this work through coursework and performance opportunities. Visual art includes foundational instruction with opportunities for advanced studio work, while music includes both individual and group performance. Theater produces two shows each year, a musical and a play, with students involved on stage and in technical roles such as set design and production.

ATHLETICS Westminster’s athletic program provides opportunities for students to compete across middle and upper school teams throughout the year. The school competes in the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), fielding varsity and junior varsity teams in sports including cross country, volleyball, basketball, soccer, tennis, golf, baseball, and track and field. The program has produced measurable success, including 16 AHSAA state championships, 24 state runner-up finishes, and 97 individual state champions, along with more than 300 individual medalists.

Athletics at Westminster are shaped by a clear priority: developing student-athletes spiritually and in character alongside their athletic ability. Training and competition are taken seriously but are intentionally ordered beneath the formation of identity in Christ. Coaches work to build disciplined, competitive teams while reinforcing habits of responsibility, teamwork, and consistency over the course of a season.

THE HOUSE SYSTEM All Upper School students at Westminster are assigned to one of eight Houses, which serve as a central structure for student life beyond the classroom. The House System fosters student leadership, peer mentoring, community building, competition, and service within smaller, consistent groups that span multiple grade levels.

That transition begins before students enter the Upper School. Each May, Westminster’s sixth graders participate in Salutatio, a ceremonial send-off from the Lower School into the House System. Students make the Knightwalk through the tunnel connecting the two campuses, where they are welcomed by Upper School students before participating in House sorting, House hospitality, and fellowship with House leaders, new Housemates, and parents.

Throughout the Upper School years, House life provides a framework for belonging, responsibility, and shared tradition. Students build relationships across grades, take on increasing leadership, participate in service and school- wide competition, and experience a community structure designed to ensure they are known within the life of the school.

Portrait of a Westminster Graduate Westminster School at Oak Mountain seeks to graduate students who exemplify the following characteristics and are increasingly:

Wise Virtuous Eloquent • Find their identity in Christ • Love and serve God • Recognize and articulate the • Know the gospel of grace as • Love and serve others value of truth, goodness, and revealed in Scripture beauty • Exhibit lives that are missional • Apply Christian worldview • Demonstrate mastery of • Exhibit lives that are self- principles to everyday life language in both written and controlled spoken communication • Read, understand, and discuss • Practice biblical stewardship great works of literature, science, • Speak the truth of the Christian • Cultivate diverse interests faith in love and grace mathematics, and the arts • Engage culture actively and • Craft compelling stories • Possess a working timeline of redemptively history • Possess a moral imagination • Solve problems creatively • Be equipped for life-long • Think and reason clearly, learning • Be prepared for life’s next step precisely, and creatively

THE OPPORTUNITY

Westminster enters this next stage of its development on solid footing, both financially and operationally, with steady enrollment, a cohesive leadership team in place, and the recent opening of the Community Life Center already shaping the student experience. The relationship with Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church is also more connected and coordinated than it has been in some time, and that alignment is evident in the daily life of the school and its commitment to Christ-centered classical education.

The next Head of School will bring consistency to the full K–12 experience, ensuring that the student experience holds together from start to finish in a way that feels connected, intentional, and distinctly Westminster. That work depends on strengthening the systems that support the school’s day-to-day life, including maintaining strong financial discipline and operational clarity as the school continues to grow.

Building on this progress, the next phase calls for greater alignment in curriculum, a stronger approach to f

Text from the original posting on carterbaldwin.com. Verify details with the hiring school.