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very spring, a group of HCS seniors graduate from the only school they’ve ever known. These students, deemed “Heritage lifers,” bring a unique dynamic to the Heritage community as they leave over a dozen years of memories and relationships with students, teachers, and coaches. Senior Reagan Cornwell is one such “lifer,” having attended Heritage since kindergarten. Her leadership and care for others are evident at Heritage. Her mom is also an active member of the Heritage family, serving as a substitute teacher, ABCare instructor, middle school small group leader, a Parent Resource Partner, and a room parent for Reagan’s youngest sister. Reagan has been able to learn to lead selflessly and to use her gifts to help serve people in every sphere of influence. A gifted athlete, Reagan plays varsity soccer and junior varsity tennis. She started playing soccer when she was five and has been playing ever since. She finished her fourth and final varsity soccer season this year, and she knows she will sorely miss her soccer family. “Each and every girl on that team is there for one another and will be there by your side, good days and bad,” said Reagan. “The bond we share is one that cannot be explained.”
Reagan’s involvement in the Heritage community extends beyond the athletic field. After having led a girls’ small group for two years, Reagan decided she wanted to continue working to bring students deeper into their relationships with Christ. Her senior year, she began serving on the high school chapel planning team. The student leaders are in charge of preparing the
SPRING 2019 HERITAGE MESSENGER
“I selected Reagan for the chapel planning team because of her heart for the Lord,” said Director of Discipleship Becky Stowers. “She is consistent and wants to see students grow in their walk with Christ.” Reagan and a few other senior girls also spearheaded the Fall Girls’ Night, an after-school event for all high school girls.
“Each and every girl on that team is there for one another and will be there by your side, good days and bad,” said Reagan. “The bond each and every one of us shares is one that cannot be explained.”
As for tennis, Reagan decided to pick up the sport on a whim. “That’s the thing I love about Heritage athletics: you have the choice to begin a completely new sport and the coaches will welcome you and spend time training you,” she said. The last two years, she has discovered the influence she has as an upperclassman on each sports team. “As a senior, the girls on the team look up to you,” she said. “It is a great opportunity to help shape other girls’ lives and encourage them.”
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chapel introductions each week, which include fun things like “On the Spots,” in which a student leader will select a student at random to come up and be interviewed on the spot. Student leaders also organize Spiritual Emphasis Week, working together to select a theme, speakers, and worship leaders.
Reagan’s commitment to service and to working with people influenced her decision to take a gap year before college. In the fall of 2019, Reagan will attend YWAM (Youth With a Mission) Discipleship Training School. She will attend a YWAM school for three months, and then she’ll be sent overseas to do two months of mission work. The location is still unknown, but Reagan is eager to find out where God will send her. After YWAM, Reagan hopes to attend college to study exercise science or kinesiology to become a physical therapist.
Reagan has mixed feelings about graduating from Heritage in the spring. Though she’s eager to embark on a new adventure, she is also sad to say goodbye to her beloved friends and teachers. “The teachers here are top notch. They truly care about every student and their education,” she said. “I love that each class and subject is taught from a Christian worldview.” Reagan considers her class of 2019 “one big family,” and as for the other “Heritage lifers” that she’s known since Kindergarten, “It’s something you won’t find at any other school,” she said.
