Wilmington Junior Academy Celebrates 95 Years

Wilmington Junior Academy (WJA) celebrated 95 years of providing Adventist education in Wilmington, Delaware at a special worship service at the West Wilmington church on May 8. 
 
“It was a privilege and honor to be a part of WJA’s 95th Anniversary celebration,” says Renee Humphreys, associate superintendent of schools for Chesapeake Conference, who delivered the morning sermon. “The school and church family are to be commended for their love and commitment to their young people and Adventist education.”
 
The Sabbath service was led by WJA students who participated throughout with singing, prayers, and musical selections. A vespers service on Friday night began the weekend celebrations. 
 
“When I consider the 95th anniversary of WJA, we do not know who the people were – their names, their faces. I’m sure that the differences that divide us were immense,” says Mike Marinkovic, principal of Wilmington Junior Academy. “They dressed differently, worked differently, lived in different times, yet there is one thing that we still have in common with the founders of this school after 95 years: they and we are preparing for the soon return of our Lord and Savior, and while we wait, we are leading generations of children to Christ.”
 
Wilmington Junior Academy was established in 1926 in the back room of the West Wilmington church. For 38 years, the school continued to share facilities with the church. As the church and school continued to grow, the need for separate buildings became apparent. In 1964, seven acres of land were purchased on Mill Creek Road for the building of a new church with a separate facility for Wilmington Junior Academy. A daycare center was established in 1980.