Heritage Herald Fall 2017

Heritage Christian School

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E G A T HERI D L A R HE FALL 2017

Making a DIFFERENCE?

An update from Heritage Head of School Mike Annis

During a parent meeting last year I was many years, Heritage students have worked asked, “Would our community know if to support the Army Corps of Engineers’ Heritage suddenly ceased to exist?” Normally work around the Coralville Reservoir. While I have an answer for nearly every question. the work our students have done clearly This time I did not. My mind raced to aligns with the stewardship of the earth, it is respond, as I desperately wanted to be able less clearly connected to the people who live to say “YES!” and substantiate my claim in our community. This year, efforts are being with a litany of evidence. Instead, I thanked made for Heritage 4th-8th grade students to the mother who asked the question and partner with the city of North Liberty and responded with something to the effect of directly serve the people in our town.

“I’ll get back to you on that one.” For the We work very hard to prepare our last four months, that students for lives lived question has run through Coram Deo (before the “I want the name of my mind. I talked about face of God) and want it with the teachers at the to provide meaningful Christ to be made end of the year meeting as experiences for them well as with the Board of famous because of what that complement the Directors. Ultimately, our our community sees in instruction they are desire to answer “yes” has receiving each day. our children.”

These steps are just the already driven some change beginning. I want our within the school that I would like to share. community to witness the fruits of that For many years, Heritage classes have labor. I want the name of Christ to be made visited Solon Nursing Home once a month, famous because of what our community sees seeking to develop relationships with the in our children. residents there. Within the last two years, And I am so thankful for those parents Keystone Place at Forevergreen was built not afraid to ask the tough questions!

– two miles away from the school! Now We covet your prayers for God’s blessing Heritage classes visit them each month too. on our work.

The new relationship with Keystone stands to be an impactful one. In addition to our classes visiting residents, plans are in place to have residents visit the school, participating in classroom activities and attending events like our Veterans Day Celebration on November 10.

Another long-standing activity influenced by that question is Operation G.O.O.D. For

THE TIME HAS COME! This is a big year for Heritage Christian School! In April 2018, four Christian school leaders from across the Midwest will spend three and a half days on campus conducting our re-accreditation site visit. For those new to Heritage, the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) first accredited the school in 2009. We are excited for this visit, notwithstanding the amount of work it demands in preparation. We are truly blessed with some key people who have stepped up to see this process through. Kari Miller, a current member on the Board of Directors, has assumed the role of leading the steering committee. This committee has worked for the last seven months and will continue for the next five to compile all necessary evidence to showcase the excellence that exists within all facets of Heritage. In addition, ACSI has assigned Mrs. Sue Macaluso as chairperson for our site visit team. Sue Macaluso has served in Christian education for over twenty years and is currently the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Wheaton Christian Grammar School in Wheaton, Illinois. She is also a commissioner on the ACSI Accreditation Commission for Mid-America. The end result of this work will be a list of commendations and recommendations provided to Heritage by the visiting team who will also present their findings and a recommendation to ACSI’s regional accreditation commission for final approval of re-accreditation.

Please pray for both sides of this endeavor-for the school as we wrap up the work done in preparation for the site visit and that God provide the right people for the right team under Sue’s leadership.

TEACHER

BLESSINGS One of the things parents often speak highly of in regards to Heritage is the teachers and their genuine love and care for their students. You do not have to be a part of Heritage long before you realize how passionate our teachers are, not only for teaching academic subjects and having their students fully grasp the complexities of the world God created, but also shaping their hearts and minds to love others well in service to God. What is amazing is that several of our teachers have been teaching and training children for longer than many of our parents have even been parents! What a blessing to send our children to school knowing they are in experienced, capable hands that show and share the love of Jesus through their Christ-like examples. We wanted to share with you just how many years our teachers have been doing just that at Heritage (some have even additional experience at other schools!)

Lynn Jansen (Band) - 20 years Nichole Early (2nd Grade) - 19 years Joy Bartholomew (Kindergarten) - 15 years Connie Keel (P.E.) – 14 years Tammy Veenstra (Middle School)– 12 years Rachel Super (PreK & Art) – 9 years Sarah Franje (1st Grade) – 8 years Lysia Peters (PreK) – 6 years Sarah Lounsbrough (3rd Grade) – 7 years Shari Montgomery (Middle School) – 5 years Jocelyn Collins (2nd Grade) – 5 years Serah Snell (P.E.) – 5 years Mary Mysnyk (Middle School) – 4 years Emily Jensen (4th Grade) – 4 years Matt Ellerie (Middle School) – 4 years Courtney Gerardin (5th Grade) – 2 years Sue Leeland (Music Appreciation)– 2 years Lisa Bishop (Art)– 2 years

Educating for Eternity Banquet March 2, 2018 Doors open at 5:00 pm Bella Sala Event Center 205 South Park Road | Tiffin, Iowa

Let Your LIGHT Shine!

Mark your calendars for our annual fundraising banquet (note the change to a Friday evening) held once again at Bella Sala Event Center. This year’s featured speaker is Megan Fate Marshman. Doors open at 5:00 pm for our silent auction, so be sure to come early and place your bids!

Megan Fate Marshman delights in sharing the gospel and empowering others to do the same. As an international speaker at churches, conferences and university chapels, Megan Fate Marshman is a leading voice to this generation. She has devoted her life to loving God and empowering others to do the same. She is driven to inspire, equip, and support others in experiencing spiritual formation for lifetime faith.

Join us as Megan shares how Christian education has affected her life and impacted her drive for sharing the gospel. As the

Megan Fate Marshman Young Adults Pastor at Arbor Road Church in Long Beach, California, Megan is helping make disciples who make disciples who love the Church and each other.

Join us as we are inspired to continue investing in the children of the future so that they can light up the community with love, light, reach the lost, change lives, and inspire others around them.

Pictured (left to right): Top Row: Emily Jensen, Tammy Veenstra, Jocelyn Collins, Sarah Lounsbrough, Shari Montgomery, Matt Ellerie. Middle Row: Sue Leeland, Courtney Gerardin, Sarah Franje, Joy Bartholomew, Lysia Peters. Front Row: Mary Mysnyk, Serah Snell, Nichole Early, Rachel Super.

Not Pictured: Lynn Jansen, Connie Keel, Lisa Bishop

Heritage Christian School 255 Hackberry St. North Liberty, IA 52317

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Heritage Christian School

Why Heritage?

by Steve Sherman

In the spring of 2003, my wife Amy and I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when we visited Heritage Christian School with our first child, Mollie. Our goal was to check it out as a possible place for Kindergarten.

We were young and only had our own experiences to guide us. I had gone to the public-school system of Grinnell and Amy was a product of twelve years of Catholic school in Carroll, Iowa. Our little 5-year-old Mollie was precious to us and we were nervous about this whole school thing.

We discovered that Heritage would have a brand-new Kindergarten teacher for our daughter’s class. Her name was Ms. B and this would be her first year teaching at Heritage.

After meeting the leadership of the school and listening to what they had to offer, we took a leap of faith and signed Mollie up and began our HCS adventure. She has led the way for her younger brothers and sister spanning 14 years.

Mollie is currently a Sophomore at UNI, Cole is a Junior at Clear Creek Amana High School, Brock is an HCS 7th grader and Sariah is an HCS 4th grader.

From our first visit, what drew us to Heritage was the love. God’s love pours out from everyone at HCS. Watching teachers pray with and for our children and teach them about the Lord as much as math or science was priceless to us and still is.

We found at Heritage a school that would partner with us in a way no other school would.

They would come alongside our parenting and put God’s word into our child. Heritage went on to teach a respect for others that is intentional.

It taught the important things like honoring an elder or a teacher and the small things like

holding a door for someone.

The education is top notch. Our two older children have left the safe place of Heritage behind and ventured into the world of “Public High School”. The academic excellence that is part of the HCS mission has been evident as our older children have found themselves ahead of other students in their high school classes.

It’s not that high school wasn’t still challenging, but the solid educational base provided to my children from HCS made it very manageable.

Mollie ended her Senior year at CCA and was honored to be a Valedictorian. She also excelled in extra-curricular activities and enjoyed Marching Band, Musicals, Plays, Show Choir, and so much more. She enjoyed moving on from high school, as most of us do. I still believe lessons she learned from Ms. B and all the other teachers along the way who invested in her have helped prepare her to face an expanding world of opportunity.

Cole is still in high school, and Heritage is in his rear-view mirror. He is currently on the Engineering track and thinking that Iowa State might be his next stop. As with Mollie, academically HCS prepared him to go any direction he wanted to. We’ve also watched him grow from an excited HCS middle-schooler with a larger than life personality into a young man that makes a father proud and not just because of his grades. Like any high school kid, he faces opportunities to go different ways than what is taught in our home or at Heritage. Many of which don’t lead through the narrow gate. I believe the messages put into his heart by HCS leadership and teachers still help to guide his decisions on his path to manhood.

When we visited Heritage for our sweet little

Mollie (‘12) and Cole (‘15) Sherman Kindergartner we didn’t know what we were getting into, but we thank God every day that He knew exactly where He was taking our family. All of our kids will eventually be Heritage Alumni. Wherever they go and whatever they do, Heritage will remain a part of their history. I imagine when they look back it will be viewed as a sweet place where they took their first steps from childhood toward adulthood. A place where they learned a lot about school stuff, but more importantly that God can infiltrate every facet of their lives.

Someday, when they find themselves looking into the eyes of their own precious little five-year-old, they will look around for a school for that child. I believe, somewhere in their mind, Heritage will remain the bench mark for the best they can give their children.