Spiritual Growth & Character Development

At its base, character is the spiritual and moral quality of every person. Sometimes people have a natural inclination toward certain character traits but most of the time these are “caught” as we watch how our family and friends deal with life. These traits are also “taught” through intentional instruction in what strong character does and doesn’t look like. At WPA, we seek to have character “caught & taught” throughout the school year in our chapels, prayer ministries, student events, missions and service outreach. It is our passion to develop purposeful Christlike character in every student, teacher, and parent that we interact with.

Chapel

In every chapel we examine the character quality our students are learning about in the current 4-week period. Through stories, personal testimony, discussion questions and God’s Word we seek to go deeper into a particular character quality and discover how each one of us can live it out daily in our attitudes and actions.

Elementary chapel

In these chapels we also emphasize giving by collecting an offering for the child we support in our World Vision Sponsorship.

Secondary Chapel

One of the special things we emphasize in Secondary Chapel is the student-led music portion. We also include interactive discussions and activities.

Prayer at WPA

Our prayer ministry overall calls us to remember our dependence on God as the giver and sustainer of all we do. We humbly recognize that without His work and calling in and through our lives, nothing of importance is accomplished. Our desire is to seek Him and His will in all that we do and call every part of our school to join us in this desire.

Prayer In classrooms

Every class, every day starts with prayer. In athletics, every practice ends with prayer and every athletic competition starts with prayer.

Partners in Prayer

This ministry breaks down the school day into time segments. Families, teachers, and staff sign-up for times throughout the day to pray so that every day, the entire day – from start to finish – is immersed in prayer throughout the entire school year.

Prayer Breakfast

WPA sets aside a Saturday morning to have breakfast together with staff, teachers, parents, and students and then pray over every class of students by name, every classroom and workspace. Our administrator will usually have a short devotion on prayer. We try to do this once a semester.

Prayer at the Pole

Each year we have a group of volunteer students who put up our flags and then pray for that day. In addition, we also participate in the See You at the Pole which is a student-led prayer time in September.

Student Events

Leadership Groups

These are high school students who meet with a mentor seeking to disciple them not just to be better leaders, but also to talk about difficult life events that challenge good character.

JH Bible Study

These Bible studies were started because our junior high students wanted more Bible in the month. We talk about how the Bible, real life, and Christ-like character come together in Junior High living.

SYATP

See You at the Pole is a student-led prayer time in September.

Retreats

These are extremely special times for our students to step away from technology and the busyness of life to accomplish two things: 1) be challenged to deepen their walk and reliance on Jesus’ power and grace, 2) strengthen their relationships with other students and staff.

• Junior High Retreat – This retreat takes place during the Spring Semester. A retreat highlight is that 6th grade students are invited to attend and that first evening are placed in their House for the next year. In 2018 we initiated the use of Lakeview Camp & Retreat Center, completing 2 service projects for the camp as a part of our time there.

• High School Retreat – This retreat takes place during the Fall Semester. There are numerous House competitions and purposeful times to bring our high schoolers closer together, challenging them to seek to allow Jesus’ power to work through them and their character throughout the school year. This retreat has been held yearly at Mt. Lebanon Baptist Camp & Conference Center.

Student Outreach

In education circles it is no secret that colleges are looking for students who serve in their community. WPA sees this a way we live in the character of Christ because He served His community, the poor, the outcast, and the oppressed.

service hours

We give service hours to our students for work done inside our school and also in our community. Depending on the grade, we require a certain number of hours each year per grade. 

Safety Patrol

We have students who serve on our morning and afternoon Safety Patrols and help our smaller students in and out of cars, watch for parents needing help closing car doors, and walk younger students into the building.

Morning Flag Duty

We have student volunteers put up our flags every morning and pray over our school day.

Student Mission Trips

Because of God's great love for us and His commission to go to all the world, we seek to offer and encourage involvement in missions as a school.

*Every other year, we schedule a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, inviting all 10th-12th grade students to be a part. We help in a variety of ways depending upon need.

*In response to Hurricane Harvey's damage and destruction in the Houston area, we implemented the Father/Son Spring Break Mission Trip as a way to be involved in meeting local needs. This trip is an opportunity for our students and their dads to take part together in local missions together as well as strengthen their relationship. In 2018 we spent several days during Spring Break Week at River Bend Retreat Center. Fathers and sons worked side-by-side on projects, went on hikes on the camp property and at Dinosaur Valley State Park, played games, told stories around the campfire, and had memory-making moments with Jesus in devotion times.

World Vision Sponsorship

The Elementary Students and Secondary Students separately sponsor children from World Vision – two children from the Dominican Republic. Offerings collected during Chapel (Elementary) and House Lunches (Secondary) go toward helping other students half a world away.

Warrior Family Association

The WFA is our family association at WPA. Through this organization the school seeks to strengthen the family relationships and community within the school. The WFA has four meetings each year that include fellowship, activities, and training for parents. 

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 Special Events

• Family Fall Picnic- This October event is our biggest family night at WPA. This special night is filled with the annual senior class pumpkin auction, games, and entertainment that gives us a time to fellowship as a family. A highlight of this event this year, is our ribbon-cutting ceremony dedicating our new library!

  Chili Cook-Off & Homemade Ice Cream Contest- This fun and delicious event challenges our parents to compete for the coveted chili and ice-cream trophy and bragging rights. This delicious event is usually held in the first part of the spring. 

• In-N-Out Burger Night - In March, In-N-Out Burger comes to campus for a great evening of fellowship and burgers.

WPA Community Groups

All of the families at WPA are placed in one of our community groups. These groups seek to foster community within our WPA family across the grade levels. Each group has board members, teachers, staff, coaches, and parents from every level of the school. These groups meet twice a year at our WFA meetings.

Family Enrichment Opportunities

• Resource Library - WPA has numerous videos, books and people on staff that are available to help our parents with the process of raising children and having a successful marriage. The books and videos are located in the Welcome Center.

• Marriage Seminars - A successful and God-centered marriage is key to a strong family, and WPA offers marriage seminars every other year. The goal is to move all marriages towards God and thus towards each other.

• Financial Peace Conferences - Occasionally, WPA offers Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University material for our families to help them develop economic stability and to help create a strong financial foundation within their home.

• Mommies & Muffins - This monthly meeting brings mothers together to accomplish a number of things: get to know one another, minister to one another, teach mothers how to teach their student on the home campus, and how to grow in Christ-like character. 

• Father’s Breakfast - On occasion, WPA hosts a breakfast for dads to come together and look in the Bible to understand how to be loving and godly examples to their children and family. 

• Parent/Child Events - WPA host events such as the Warrior Run, Field Days and the Fall Family Picnic that bring parents and their children together in unique and fun ways. 

  Family outreach Opportunities

• Father/Son Retreat - In 2018 we started this retreat during part of the Spring Break Week at River Bend Camp & Retreat. Fathers and sons work side-by-side on work projects, go on hikes on the camp property and Dinosaur Valley State Park, play games, story-tell around the campfire, and have memory-making moments with Jesus in our devotion times.

• Shoe Box Donations - In November, we partner with Operation Christmas Child and Samaritan’s Purse to pack shoe boxes for kids in need all over the world. Our most recent shoe boxes went to Ecuador, Honduras, South Africa and a "hard to reach" area.