Angelyn Dodson, Founder and Principal

  • AA Liberal Arts, Reading Area Community College

  • BA English & Philosophy, Albright College

  • MA (in progress) Literature, Faulkner University

A Little Bit About Westminster Academy:

Westminster Academy was founded in 2021 by Angelyn Dodson with the intent of merging all the best aspects of conventional educational methods, culminating in the most efficient and excellent model of education. We strive to combine the rigor and academia of a private school with the individuality, flexibility, and creativity of homeschooling and to merge the two with the financial accessibility offered at a public or charter school. The foundation of our school is a classical Christian curriculum which emphasizes reading, writing, languages, critical thought, and problem solving. From there, we work to develop an individualized learning plan for every single student to meet the needs, interests, and learning styles of each student. Additionally, we are committed to crafting an individual financial plan for every single family with the goal of making an exceptional education accessible to any student, regardless of financial status or background.

As our students mature, we want to provide them with additional experiences and resources (philanthropic, career-oriented, personal development, etc.) to become the most well-rounded versions of themselves, equipped to serve those around them and to contribute meaningfully to the world at large. Our philosophy is that education is less a system of memorizing information and more a lifelong process of becoming a thoughtful and compassionate individual, equipped with the ability to face unfamiliar circumstances, tackle obstacles, and to learn and work with confidence, light, and love. We prepare our students not simply for the workforce, but for the world.

Join us as we redefine education at Westminster Academy.

Religious Philosophy

Westminster Academy of Douglassville, PA, is governed first and foremost by the Word of God, which is summarized in the seven documents of the 1647 Westminster Assembly—The Westminster Confession of Faith, the Shorter Catechism, the Larger Catechism, the Directory of Public Worship, the Sum of Saving Faith, The Directory of Family Worship, The Form of Church Government—as well as all other attainments of the Reformation including the binding nature of the 1650 Solemn League and Covenant. Parents should understand that the Bible will be taught from the perspective of these documents, and we encourage parents to familiarize themselves with them. We believe that God is the source of any known truth, and we strive to teach no truth outside of God’s Word. Additionally, we believe that the only legitimate system of education is based exclusively upon the Bible.

VALUES

Westminster Academy’s core values are faith, rigor, and compassion (fides, duritia, misericordia). At the heart of everything we do and everything we are is our religious faith. The primary tenet of Christianity is to serve God and our fellow man, so we strive to do that in every aspect of our lives. In an academic setting, that encompasses kindness, respect, and hard work from both our teachers and our students. Additionally, we value rigor in our academic standards as well as our personal conduct. We seek to challenge our students, teachers, and administrators to hold themselves to the highest standards both in their academic endeavors and in their individual lives. Finally, we value compassion in our students and educators. For Westminster Academy, this means that we will work with every student and family to make their education possible, regardless of financial status. For our students, this means that we will encourage and provide them with every opportunity to serve those around them.

EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

We believe that the aim of education is to restore our students to the image of God, lead them to reconciliation with Him, and equip them with the knowledge to be faithful and gracious members of society in all facets of the human experience. Therefore, our focus is not simply on intellectual advancement but on the education of the whole student. Westminster Academy adheres to a classical Christian model of education. For students in first through sixth grades, a grammar school model emphasizing reading, writing, and mathematics is utilized. For students in grades seven through nine, a logic school emphasizing systematic study and application of logic supplants the grammar school content and methodology as each discipline comes to life in deeper and more expansive ways. In grades ten through twelve, rhetorical skills are developed to equip students to become integral and influential members of the greater learning community and society.