MIDDLE SCHOOL
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iddle school can be tough to navigate. This pre-teen stage also brings with it a critical time of self-discovery and exploration of the world’s ideas. Knowing this, the Heritage discipleship team has made it a priority to help middle school students discover their own voices and see how they are equipped to impact their communities. On a Saturday this past October, Heritage hosted the second annual middle school leadership conference, Lead Now, put on by Sagamore Leadership Initiative. Its primary goals are to teach students about leadership, to equip them to lead within their circles of influence, and to break down the low expectations that society places on teenagers. “Middle schoolers may not realize that they can be agents of change, but they do want to make a difference,” said Discipleship Program Coordinator Dina Furnish. “There’s so much we can do to help equip them to
Linda Znachko, founder of He Knows Your Name Ministry, with freshman Zachary Warrick.
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n October 2018, three HCS students presented a CuddleCot device to the NICU at St. Vincent Hospital. The students donated the device with the help of Linda Znachko, founder of the He Knows Your Name ministry, after Znachko spoke in chapel. He Knows Your Name began in 2009, when Znachko, the mother of four HCS alumni, heard a news story about the body of a
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SPRING 2019 HERITAGE MESSENGER
really see what their strengths are and see how they can make a difference.” In 2018, the theme of the conference was “Mission Possible.” Forty students from Heritage, surrounding schools, and homeschool groups met for this one-day conference. The students heard from speakers about how to be on mission and work together to make change, and also had several breakout sessions in small groups. Each student walked away with a personal mission statement and a problem or issue in mind that he or she could get involved with. “I love seeing kids realizing what they have to offer,” said Furnish. “We tend to think leaders are the ones who want to grab the microphone and boss everyone around, but there are so many strong leaders who are behind the scenes.”
Heritage Christian School students donated a CuddleCot device to St. Vincent Women's Hospital. newborn baby found in a dumpster. Znachko decided this child deserved a proper burial, so she adopted, named, and buried the baby. Since then, Znachko has made great strides throughout Indianapolis, bringing dignity in death to newborn babies. She does this often by naming and burying abandoned babies, but also by providing support to parents of NICU or stillborn babies. In the last few years, Znachko has raised money to provide CuddleCots for local hospitals. A CuddleCot is a device that
