HERITAGE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
2024 ANNUAL REPORT
IT IS OUR MISSION TO GLORIFY GOD
THROUGH THE DISCIPLESHIP OF STUDENTS AND THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION WITH THE BIBLE AS THE FOUNDATION AND JESUS CHRIST AS OUR FOCUS.
Dr. Brian Dougherty
REFLECTING ON YEAR ONE
HERITAGE BY THE NUMBERS
THE MOST COMMON QUESTION I HAVE BEEN ASKED SINCE RETURNING TO HERITAGE IN 2023 IS: “HOW HAS HERITAGE CHANGED
SINCE YOU LEFT?”
WhenI left Heritage in 2003, I had no idea God would grow and prepare me to return to this school that I love. As I aim to answer the question of change at Heritage, I find it best to start with the things that have not changed since 2003.
It is of no surprise that we still have the best staff—dedicated, mission-focused, seeking to glorify God in everything. We still have the timeless tradition of the annual All-School Christmas Chapel in the gym. We still have the Ark on the elementary playground. We have our graduating class group portraits that hang proudly in the hallway as memorial stones of those who have gone before us to pave the way for what Heritage is today. From the first graduating class of three, to the 127 seniors who received their diplomas this May, I am grateful for each alum and their individual contribution and commitment to see Heritage thrive for future generations.
Lastly, the most important element left unchanged at Heritage is its mission. Despite all the changes occurring around us, Heritage Christian School still exists
to glorify God through the discipleship of students and the pursuit of excellence in education with the Bible as the foundation and Jesus Christ as our focus.
Simply put, it means we honor God in everything we do: in our focus, our effort, our planning, our execution, everything. It is our calling from God to carry out this mission and our motivation should always be to glorify God.
Now, back to the original question, “How has Heritage changed since you left?”
The best way to share how this school has changed is by focusing on some specific numbers. By the end, you will see that these numbers tell a bigger story of God’s blessing on Heritage.
Heritage Christian School completed its 59th year of ministry this May. Praise God! When I consider this number, I am grateful for the contributions and sacrifices of those who helped found Heritage Christian School.
Dr. Brian Dougherty is a career Christian school educator with 34 years of experience including 10 years serving as a teacher and middle school Principal at Heritage. After leaving Heritage in 2003, he served as the Head of School at Liberty Christian School (Anderson), Elkhart Christian Academy, and Sherwood Christian Academy in Albany, Georgia. He returned to Heritage in 2023 to serve as its Head of School.
We have 252 staff members serving at Heritage. As we have grown, we have had the opportunity to add more staff members to meet the needs of our students. I am truly grateful for every worthy servant who has answered the call to serve the Lord with me at Heritage Christian School.
We are at 100% capacity in student enrollment on our campus. Our total enrollment in the 2023-2024 school year was 1,570. For the 2024-25 school year, we have reached our 1,600 student capacity. We also have a record student retention rate of 97%, with a waitlist of 90 students. While these numbers are exciting as a school, the capacity issue is something we must and will address.
Our current campus spans a total of 42 acres, with 39 acres on the main campus and three acres that were added this past fall with the purchase of the office building adjacent to campus. This strategic purchase gives us a highly functional administrative building, creating more office and instructional space on campus as well as parking spaces. Additionally, we are adding a new spirit store to the new building to help strengthen our branding and promotion of our school through merchandising.
With these changes, we are currently working on a new master site plan so we may best utilize the land we have to expand our campus and accommodate more families. If we can provide ministry to more students, then we will be expanding God’s kingdom in a powerful way.
We have 5 incredible safety and security officers on our team. Having well-trained, mission-fit, armed officers to protect the students and the staff is a huge blessing. We have an excellent safety and security plan in place—from the various measures employed by the school, to the front gate, the main entrances, and down every hallway. We have a commitment to keep everyone safe in a world that is unfortunately bent on evil. I am truly grateful for God’s hand of protection over our campus through the work of our safety and security team.
We have 173 local churches represented in the school family. As an independent, non-denominational school, we value the depth and breadth of each of these Bible-believing
churches, their pastors, and their impact. The formula for parenting success is children being raised in a home that lifts up the name of Jesus as Lord and is committed to individual discipleship, who faithfully attends a Bible-believing church together, and who receives a Christian education by passionate born-again believers who teach from a foundation of Biblical truth.
We have over 125 prayer partners who join each week in praying for the school. Each Monday morning, these prayer warriors are sent a prayer list with needs for staff, students, and the school. John 15:5 reminds us that apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. It is imperative that prayer permeates our entire ministry. Along with these 125 individuals, additional parents come at a variety of times to pray over the campus. I am thankful for each prayer warrior who prays on behalf of the school!
We had 510 fathers and daughters attend our Spring Father-Daughter Ball, one of the several PTF events we hold annually. Each year, our PTF plans a strong slate of events to bring parents and students together for fun and fellowship. Healthy schools have strong parent involvement, and Heritage is blessed to have the caliber of parent association it does. As we grow our school, it will continue to be a blessing to have new parents join in with our thriving PTF.
40 represents $40,000, which is the salary now offered to beginning teachers at Heritage Christian School. This initiative, included in the Thrive Campaign a few years ago, has allowed us to get closer to paying our teachers a competitive salary. Our greatest asset at our school, next to the Holy Spirit, is our staff, and primarily our teachers who spend more time with school-aged children than any other people including parents.
As we look at the next five years, we would like to further the benchmark for our teacher salaries. Additionally this fall, we launched our New Teacher Academy. This is an extensive two-year onboarding program designed to train new teachers in the Heritage Way. It will cover eight key areas to be an effective teacher at our school.
With the incredible importance placed on the role of the teacher, it is incumbent on us to make sure we train our teachers well to fulfill our mission in the lives of their students.
The number 10 represents a strong data point related to financial health. First, I am pleased to report that Heritage Christian School is a debt-free school, and has been for seven years. Debt-free means we are unencumbered to enhance our ministry and are financially nimble to move and pivot versus being weighed down by having to service a debt.
Furthermore, I am pleased to report that the Finance Committee of the Board has been able to establish over the course of a few years a contingency fund. Our current contingency fund is 10% of our operating budget. This move represents wise stewardship and positions the school with an emergency and maintenance fund as well as the availability of funds when opportunities arise such as the acquisition of the Kitley Building last fall. I am thrilled to see that Heritage is positioned well financially for its next stage of growth.
We have earned 20 state championships as a school. We have 15 team state championships and five individual state champions. Our student-athletes and their teams have distinguished themselves both on and off the field.
This past graduating class had 18 student-athletes who earned college scholarships to play at the next level and represent Christ and Heritage in their respective schools. As we look to the future in athletics, we have needs in many places including renovations of existing facilities such as locker rooms and other sports-specific areas. We also need to create new practice spaces, and I personally would love to see a state-of-the-art fieldhouse in our athletic complex. At Heritage, we aim to be the gold standard in not only academics, but athletics as well.
We have 88 participants in our highly accomplished Robotics program. Robotics is our fastest growing student activity on campus. Our teams have won numerous state championships and we sent three Robotics teams to the World Championship in Dallas this year.
We continue to add STEM courses in our middle grades and AP Computer Science in the high school to further extend the reach of science, technology, engineering, and math to our students. To accommodate this growth and enhance the experience of Robotics and our STEM offerings, we are renovating the former high school library into the new Media and Innovation Center. The goal for this new center is to champion deeper scholarship and innovation at Heritage Christian School. We are excited about the impact this new space will have on our academic program and Robotics.
We have 27 annual performances in the area of fine arts including instrumental, vocal, visual, and theater productions. Research supports that schools of excellence have high quality fine arts programs, and Heritage is blessed to have a strong fine arts department. We have so many gifted fine arts students led by dedicated fine arts professionals.
As we look to the future of fine arts, we must continue to support the arts and find more ways to raise the bar. In my strategic thinking, a new fine arts center and auditorium would help us take fine arts to greater levels.
At Heritage Christian School, 77% of students earn a passing score on the College Board’s Advanced Placement tests. This means that three out of every four high school students who take an AP exam, earn AP credit for that college level course. This is an excellent statistic and speaks to the caliber of our students as well as the strong teaching our students are receiving. We currently offer a record number of AP courses and look to offer more in an effort to increase the rigor of our academic program. I am pleased that we received a Silver rating for our AP program from the College Board.
To increase our investment in college preparedness for our high school students, we are increasing the size of our guidance staff to four counselors. With additional staff, we will be able to provide more guidance support for families and students.
Academic Team. This move will further strengthen the cooperative relationship between these two departments to provide more enhanced services for all students’ academic needs. We look forward to the progress we will make in our entire academic program through these and other important initiatives.
Our last number is 283, and it represents the number of students who participated in a weekly Bible study, Christian book study, or small group at school during Connect time or lunch. At Heritage, we are incredibly passionate about the area of discipleship—it is part of our DNA. We see discipleship as leading students to be like Jesus.
For several years, we have operated from the discipleship model of teach, mentor, and train. With the increasing secularization of our culture through social media and other cultural means, we feel the need at Heritage to further operationalize and expand this strong model. We are excited to see progress in this area as we take next steps with our discipleship plan, onboard our new Discipleship Director, and integrate discipleship, Bible instruction, and Biblical worldview training for our students.
We are also excited to announce that we will be adding a period to the high school schedule this fall called Connect. It will serve as a daily, mid-morning time including Chapel, Bible studies, Christian book studies, and small groups. We will also be re-engaging in ministry and mission trips this coming year.
These numbers are humbling, and exciting. When I look at all of this wonderful news, I see that Heritage Christian School is a healthy institution positioned to do even greater things. As I circle back to the question at the onset, Heritage has changed in many incredible ways, ways that continue to bring glory to God and equip students to do His good work. But, there is still work to be done. Heritage has changed, and it will continue to change. Our families are counting on it. Our students need it. Our Lord desires it.
The psalmist said it well in Psalm 127, “CHILDREN ARE A HERITAGE FROM THE LORD, A REWARD FROM HIM! LIKE ARROWS IN THE HANDS OF A WARRIOR ARE CHILDREN BORN IN ONE’S YOUTH!” The Great Commission starts at home. Let us always remember our children are our greatest legacy.
It is a joy sharing with you all that God is doing at Heritage Christian School and how He continues to write its amazing story!
THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF IT!
Brian Dougherty
DR. BRIAN DOUGHERTY HEAD OF SCHOOL
Another academic change is the repurposing of the current administration building to become The Learning Center where we will house both our ESS Department and our
OUR LEADERSHIP AND TEAM
Dr. Brian Dougherty Head of School
Stephanie Gillett Athletic Director
Burgess High School Principal
Kyle Ray Interim Elementary School Principal
Dr. Angela Ruiz Academic Director
Ken Shutt Director of Discipleship
Nathan Beadle Chief Operating Officer Gary Roebbelen Director of Advancement Emily Spencer Educational Support Services Director Katie Boling Intermediate & Middle Schools Principal Krista Roorbach Fine Arts Director
OUR STEWARDSHIP RESPONSIBILITY
TOTAL HCS REVENUE
STUDENT ENROLLMENT
1,250 2021-22
1,457 2022-23
1,570 2023-2024
THE 2024-25 HERITAGE FUND CAMPAIGN HAS STARTED
Our continued success — and that of generations of students to come — relies on the generosity and support from our community. Our 2024-25 Heritage Fund goal is $1.3 million to provide the following:
HERITAGE FUND UPDATE
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUPPORT HERITAGE!
THE 2023-24 HERITAGE FUND GOAL WAS $1.4 MILLION FOR VITAL CAMPUS UPGRADES, STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS, AND A WORTHY SERVANTS CHRISTMAS BONUS TO BLESS OUR FACULTY AND STAFF. WE ARE EXCITED TO REPORT THAT ALL OF OUR HERITAGE FUND SUPPORTED PROJECTS WERE ACCOMPLISHED.
THANK YOU!
Generous friends of Heritage raised $1,346,396, with $860,000 received through the popular Indiana Scholarship Grant Organization (SGO) program. Savings in several areas allowed us to cover all projects for less than $1.4 million.
STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS - $400,000 TARGET
To leverage SGO giving through the Indiana SEC (Scholarships for Education Choice) program, we provide baseline SGO student aid through the Heritage Fund. Along with ESS HOPE scholarships, approximately $400,000 in scholarships will be awarded.
WORTHY SERVANTS CHRISTMAS BONUS$180,000 TARGET
It is an annual tradition to bless our selfless faculty and staff with a Christmas bonus. We again hope to provide over $700 per employee family as a bonus in December.
FINE ARTS - $50,000 TARGET
We want to renovate our band room to enhance acoustics and functionality, and provide new instruments for our music programs.
ATHLETICS - $320,000 TARGET
Athletics upgrades and renovations include fencing along the practice field adjacent to the baseball stadium, a new scoreboard for the baseball field, and high school gym locker room renovations.
PLAYGROUND RENOVATION - $250,000 TARGET
As we continue through our multi-year elementary playground renovation, we are excited to move into Phase 4. This $250,000 upgrade will continue to remove remaining mulch, provide additional play apparatus, and install turf play fields.
SECURITY UPGRADE - $100,000 TARGET
An ongoing major upgrade to our campus security will continue to be part of the Heritage Fund. Our elementary school and high school need upgraded classroom and exterior door locks to complete the work already accomplished in our middle school, intermediate school, and administrative offices.
THE SGO OPPORTUNITY
We are sometimes asked how the SGO (Scholarship Granting Organization) program benefits all of the projects in the Heritage Fund since SGO giving is initially earmarked solely for student scholarships through the Indiana Education Choice program.
Here’s how it works. We have a baseline SGO student scholarship component we fulfill through the Heritage Fund. Additional SGO dollars are then used to meet tuition assistance needs that we would have otherwise fulfilled using our existing internal tuition aid budget.
Example: If we have a $2 million current aid budget, but $1 million is raised through (unbudgeted) SGO funding, we can repurpose $1 million of aid budget that we no longer need because SGO scholarship funding is filling that aid gap. We use our internal aid budget that SGO funding replaces, and use those dollars to spend on everything in the Heritage Fund.
Your SGO dollars take a journey from being received by our SGO partner (Sagamore), being applied to qualifying student scholarships (while you receive the 50% tax credit), and then - when that SGOmanaged tuition aid money flows into Heritage - we have the equivalent amount freed up from our internal aid budget to apply to Heritage Fund needs. It’s a bit of a longer journey for your gift but it’s an amazing way to leverage the SGO program to bless students, the Heritage Fund, and the donor! We’ve been effectively doing this for the past seven years through our Heritage Fund annual campaign.
Please consider joining the many donors who are taking advantage of this effective vehicle to bless both Heritage and you financially. To learn more, contact the Heritage Christian School Advancement Department at heritagefund@heritagechristian.net.
THE STORY OF HERITAGE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL AND OF A GOD FOR WHOM
SCHOOL IS ONE OF PROVIDENTIAL DESIGN NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.
35 STUDENTS WHO HAVE ATTENDED HERITAGE FOR AT LEAST 12 YEARS
57
STUDENTS EARNED MEMBERSHIP IN THE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
93 STUDENTS EARNED THE ACADEMIC HONORS DIPLOMA
INDIANA’S HIGHEST DIPLOMA
CLASS OF 2024
ADVANCED PLACEMENT SCHOLARS
8
STUDENTS EARNED THE EARLY COLLEGE
ACADEMY CERTIFICATION BY COMPLETING AT LEAST 30 COLLEGE CREDITS IN HIGH SCHOOL
25 STUDENTS EARNED HIGH DISTINCTION FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS INTERNATIONAL NATIONAL MERIT COMMENDED SCHOLARS 3 6 NATIONAL MERIT FINALISTS
CLASS OF 2024 ACHIEVEMENTS
NATIONAL MERIT FINALISTS
Of the approximately 1.5 million juniors who take the PSAT test each October, roughly the top 3% qualify as “High Scorers” in the acclaimed National Merit® Scholarship Program. This year, we had nine seniors recognized based on their exemplary PSAT scores.
Caleb Baker
Joseph Curnutt
Layton Dolvin
Luke Dunlap
Luke Himes
Janae Winn
NATIONAL MERIT COMMENDED
Mark Dai
Ava DeVoe
Foster Straub
AP SCHOLAR WITH DISTINCTION
Students who received scores of 3 or higher on five or more AP Exams with an overall grade point average of 3.5:
Joseph Curnutt, Mark Dai, & Luke Himes
AP SCHOLAR WITH HONORS
Students who received scores of 3 or higher on four or more AP Exams, with an overall grade point average of 3.25:
Daniel Pallekonda & Janae Winn
AP SCHOLARS AWARD
The College Board honors students who have scored 3 or higher on at least 3 AP exams by the end of their junior year. The following students achieved this honor:
Caleb Baker
Riley Cornwell
Daniel Davis
Ava DeVoe
INDIANA ACADEMIC ALL-STAR
The Indiana Association of School Principals’ Indiana Academic All-Stars program is open to all high schools accredited by the Indiana Department of Education. Each high school nominates one senior for consideration as an Academic AllStar. Schools select nominees based on criteria such as number of advanced classes taken, test scores, involvement in extracurricular activities, leadership, and community service. The student selected at Heritage was one of 50 Regional Academic All-Stars from 289 statewide nominations.
Luke Himes
EARLY COLLEGE ACADEMY PROGRAM
For a graduate to receive the eCAP endorsement on their high school diploma, they must earn at least 30 college credits during their high school career which amounts to completing one year of college. Students who completed the Early College Academy Program:
Riley Cornwell
Joseph Curnutt
Mark Dai
Emma Griffin
Kylie Flynn
Elliana Freeman
Lillian Giddings
Daniel Greene, Jr.
Emma Griffin
Noah Hamm
Joshua Harkness
Mikayla Hillebrand
Luke Himes
Audrey Holloway
Alexander Jones
Collin Jones
Eva King
Ian Korapatti
Solomon Leinbach
Zachary Lemming
Samantha Lewis
Eimy Lozano-Fuentes
Tyler Marsh
Nicholas Mason
Isaac Matlock
Sophia Mays
Grace McCool
Blake McDonald
Remy McDonald
Zachary Micheal
Caleb Miller
Keira Miller
Carly Minatel
Justin Mitterling
Noah Mosso
Simon Mudavadi
Adil Mustaklem
Alexa Norman
Daniel Pallekonda
Luke Peters
Samara Pitamber
Max Puntillo
Alexander Raber
Morgan Rawlings
Samara Reinhart
Cole Riggle
Hailey Rodgers
Audrey Scholl
Jadyn Self
Bella Semple
Isaac Simons
Andrew Solazzo
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
Luke Himes
Daniel Pallekonda
Alexander Raber
Lillie Kate Trapp
ACADEMIC HONORS GRADUATES
To receive an academic honors diploma, a student must complete advanced coursework, a minimum of 48 credits, and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above. Students who earned Academic Honors:
Ella Andrews
Owen Aslakson
Logan Atkins
Keegan Fick
Nicholas Mason
Carly Minatel
Alexander Raber
Jensen Steffen
Madison Stevens
Dylan Stewart
Foster Straub
Allie Terrell
Alayna Tesnar
Annaleese Timms
Lillie Kate Trapp
Natalie Uphus
Alex Vasquez
Nicholas West
Ryan Williams
Janae Winn
ZACHARY WARRICK SPIRITUAL LIFE LEADERSHIP AWARD
The recipients of this award are selected by their fellow graduates based on their entire high school career. This award is given to one female and one male graduate who are known for their commitment to the characteristics described in Hebrews 10:24 which includes a genuine faith in Christ evidenced in their daily life, as well as a lifestyle centered around Christian discipleship.
Lesly Castellanos & Justin Mitterling
AL LEINBACH SERVANT LEADERSHIP AWARD
This award was created to recognize the character qualities demonstrated by Mr. Al Leinbach who has served Heritage for 58 years, 37 of those serving as the High School Principal.
Ella Andrews
Caleb Baker
Molly Brunkow
Stephanie Butler
Stella Childs
Noelle Compton
Hannah Cooke
Riley Cornwell
Amanda Cuellar
Joseph Curnutt
Daniel Davis
Spencer Deaton
Ava DeVoe
Allison Dine
Keegan Fick
Kylie Flynn
Elliana Freeman
Solomon Leinbach
Zachary Lemming
Samantha Lewis
Eimy Lozano-Fuentes
Tyler Marsh
Nicholas Mason
Sophia Mays
Grace McCool
Blake McDonald
Remy McDonald
Caleb Miller
Keira Miller
Carly Minatel
Simon Mudavadi
Adil Mustaklem
Alexa Norman
Daniel Pallekonda
Alex Vasquez
Janae Winn
Hayden Wise
This award is given to a male and a female student nominated by faculty and coaches and selected by a committee of administrators based on demonstration of service and leadership through participation in at least four of the six categories of student government, academics, athletics, fine arts, other Heritage activities and ministries, and outside ministry involvement.
Eimy Lozano-Fuentes & Caleb Miller
ACSI DISTINGUISHED CHRISTIAN STUDENT AWARD
Ella Andrews
Andrew Bradford
Emily Callaway
Mikayla Hillebrand
Luke Himes
Zach Klipsch
Samantha Butler
Stephanie Butler
Emily Callaway
Sophia Baber
Cole Benefiel
Kylie Bluem
Zackary Bluem
Andrew Bradford
Molly Brunkow
Erie Bryant
Alexa Champion
Stella Childs
Noelle Compton
Hannah Cooke
Riley Cornwell
Amanda Cuellar
Joseph Curnutt
Mark Dai
Daniel Davis
Mya Davis
Spencer Deaton
Ava DeVoe
Allison Dine
Layton Dolvin
Luke Dunlap
Margaret Fairweather
Keegan Fick
Lillian Giddings
Emma Griffin
Noah Hamm
Luke Himes
Audrey Holloway
Alexander Jones
Claire Jones
Eva King
Ian Korapatti
Morgan Rawlins
Samara Reinhart
Cole Riggle
Foster Straub
Allie Terrell
Alayna Tesnar
Annaleese Timms
Lillie Kate Trapp
Natalie Uphus
Lesly Castellanos
Stella Childs
Riley Cornwell
Joseph Curnutt
Daniel Davis
Layton Dolvin
Ellasyn Eggers
Lilly Giddings
Emma Griffin
Noah Hamm
Ian Korapatti
Eimy Lozano-Fuentes
Caleb Miller
Carly Minatel
Noah Mosso
Daniel Pallekonda
Alexander Raber
Alex Vasquez
Janae Winn
SENIOR ATHLETE AWARDS
These awards represent the student-athletes who have made the most significant contributions to Heritage athletics during their high school career. Our female recipient has showcased her talent over the course of her swimming career at Heritage. She has garnered six City Alliance Championships, five Circle City Conference Championships and one IHSAA Sectional Championship. While this alone is outstanding, considering she earned all of these honors while participating in an unclassed sport is even more impressive! Her coach characterizes her as “Christ-like and humble, encouraging and supportive of her team, as well as the hardest worker she knows.” This athlete will leave Heritage, holding four school records in the 50M Freestyle, 100M Freestyle, 100M Backstroke and the 400 Freestyle Relay, along with one State Finals appearance.
achievement in the classroom. Each new team Doc coached would learn his philosophy on discipline, organization and focus, with the goal of better equipping his athletes for life and the obstacles they may face.
We continue to honor his memory by naming two outstanding athletes who have committed themselves to academic and athletic excellence. This award is presented to the male and female athlete who have lettered multiple years and have the highest grade point average.
Riley Cornwell & Luke Himes
TOP SENIORS IN THEATRE AWARD
Janae Winn & Daniel Davis
LOUIS ARMSTRONG JAZZ BAND AWARD
Alex Vasquez
Our male recipient has dominated shot put and discus all four years of his high school career, setting multiple records along the way, not only at Heritage, but also in the City Alliance, Circle City Conference, IHSAA Sectional and multiple other meets and invites across the state. His coach considers him a leader among his teammates, seeking to not only make himself better, but those around him as well, spending time mentoring and coaching his teammates. In fact, his coach says, “His humility and focus are contagious and has created a culture on our team that I am incredibly proud of.” In his event, he is a State Champion, 8-time Conference Champion, 8-time City Alliance Champion, 6-time Sectional Champion, 2-time Regional Champion, AllAmerican, and Gatorade Player of the Year nominee, with more opportunities still ahead of him! He will continue throwing as a Division 1 athlete at the University of Notre Dame.
Luke Himes
DOC RICHARDS SCHOLASTIC MALE AND FEMALE ATHLETE AWARD
Mark “Doc” Richards continues to impact the lives of Heritage student-athletes many years after losing his battle with cancer in 2005. Doc was a Heritage parent and former Heritage girls’ basketball and boys’ tennis coach. While he was passionate about athletic excellence, he was equally committed to academic
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN VEX ROBOTICS
Joseph Curnutt
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN STEM
Alex Jones
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SOCIAL STUDIES
Luke Himes
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SCIENCE
Riley Cornwell
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MATH
Mark Dai
INDIANA RIGHT TO LIFE AWARD
JOHN PHILIP SOUSA BAND AWARD
Luke Himes
NATIONAL SCHOOL ORCHESTRA AWARD
Janae Winn
NATIONAL SCHOOL CHORAL AWARD
Emma Griffin
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SPANISH HONOR SOCIETY
Keegan Fick
Ava DeVoe
Lesly Castellanos
Janae Winn
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD LANGUAGES
Janae Winn
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOCK TRIAL
Lilly Giddings
Emma Schneider
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Georgeanna Ashworth
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN BIBLE
Caleb Miller
COLLEGES
Ella Andrews
National Merit Finalists: Janae Winn, Luke Himes, Luke Dunlap, Layton Dolvin, Joseph Curnutt, and Caleb Baker.
AP Scholars With Distinction: Joseph Curnutt, Mark Dai, and Luke Himes
AP Scholars With Honors: Daniel Pallekonda and Janae Winn
National Merit Commended: Ava DeVoe, Mark Dai, and Foster Straub (not pictured)
Senior Athlete Awards: Ella Andrews and Luke Himes
Zachary Warrick Spiritual Life Leadership Award: Lesly Castellanos & Justin Mitterling
Al Leinbach Servant Leadership Award: Eimy Lozano-Fuentes & Caleb Miller
Early College Academy Program Endorsement: Alexander Raber, Daniel Pallekonda, Luke Himes, Mark Dai, Joseph Curnutt, Lillie Kate Trapp, Emma Griffin, and Riley Cornwell.
During her 11 years at Heritage Christian School, Riley was an outstanding student-athlete. In addition, she prioritized building relationships with her classmates and teachers. While achieving the second highest GPA, Riley earned four varsity letters in lacrosse and one in soccer. She also received the 2024 Outstanding Achievement in Science and Doc Richards Scholastic Athlete awards. She is currently a freshman at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she where she is majoring in biology. She is the daughter of Paul and Lori Cornwell.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
• eCAP Recipient
• AP Scholar
PERSONAL STATEMENT FROM SALUTATORY ADDRESS
ONE OF THE BIGGEST DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY AND OTHER RELIGIONS IS THE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE WITH OUR GOD AND SAVIOR.
“It
| Riley Cornwell: Salutatorian
LUKE HIMES
VALEDICTORIAN
Luke was a standout student-athlete at Heritage Christian School where he earned top academic honors while participating in track & field at the highest level. He won the Shot Put competition during the 2023 IHSAA Track & Field finals, reached the finals again in 2024, received the Doc Richards Scholastic Athlete and Male Senior Athlete awards. while participating in Track and Field. He competed in and won the shot put competition during the 2024 IHSAA Boys State Track and Field Finals and received the Doc Richards Scholastic Athlete and Male Athlete of the Year awards. Luke is currently a freshman at the University of Notre Dame where he is majoring in engineering and received an athletic scholarship on the track & field team as a thrower. Luke is the son of Stacy (HCS ’81) and Kathy Himes and is the youngest of seven children who all graduated from Heritage between the years of 2008 to 2024. He attended Heritage for 13 years.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
• eCAP Recipient
• AP Scholar with Distinction
• Indiana Academic All-Star
• National Merit Finalist
PERSONAL STATEMENT FROM VALEDICTORY ADDRESS “…if you enter the world hoping to find your identity, you won’t find it. We all already know our identity. It is in the completed work of Christ, His death, and His resurrection. We have no ability and therefore no obligation to create our identity, so do not be pressured by the world to ‘find yourself’.”
YOU HAVE ALREADY FOUND YOURSELF IN CHRIST. I STRONGLY HOPE YOU KEEP THIS TRUTH AT THE CENTER OF YOUR HEARTS.
FINE ARTS
ROBOTICS
Heritage Christian School excelled in musical achievement. At the ISSMA solo and ensemble festival, over 70 students participated in strings, band, piano, and vocal events. The high school Colla Voce choir participated at the Choral Festival and earned a Gold with Distinction rating. The middle school full orchestra was named “Best Overall” performance at King’s Island Music in the Parks Festival.
