Interior toughness led Hillcrest to the win, and Ella Knutson was a highlight, posting a powerful double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds, while also adding five assists to keep the offense flowing.

Moments like the National Honor Society induction matter. They celebrate diligence, leadership, service, and scholarship, but they also affirm that these virtues are meant to be lived out in love. Academic excellence becomes a means of equipping students for lives of eternal significance, where knowledge is guided by wisdom and achievement is anchored in gratitude and humility before God.

When children are truly known by their parents, their teachers, and their school, they don’t just learn more effectively. They live more faithfully.

For Coach Hannah Clark, win No. 100 arrives not as a single achievement but as a reflection of sustained culture. The numbers tell the story: disciplined defense, focused ball movement, unselfish offense, and players empowered to contribute in multiple ways. On a night that celebrated a milestone, the Comets delivered a performance that captured exactly why that milestone matters.

The Hillcrest Comets put together their most complete performance of the season Tuesday night, overwhelming Brandon-Evansville 93–55 behind suffocating defense and disciplined rotations, a connected team effort on both ends of the floor.

Each month at Hillcrest, students are invited into something deeper than a lesson or a theme. Through a unified and intentional virtue program, the Lower School is being shaped in how students think, respond, forgive, and love. This January, that focus is Grace: loving others despite their faults.

Walking through the fourth-grade display yesterday felt less like stepping into a classroom and more like entering another century. Towers rose from tables, stone walls wrapped around courtyards, banners marked kingdoms, and drawbridges hinted at danger just beyond the gates in their dioramas. Parents and members of the Hillcrest community gathered not simply to admire displays of medieval castles, but to witness learning that had taken root and shaped imagination and understanding, and strengthened character.

An article published last year in The Harvard Crimson came across my desk recently. It highlighted how Harvard had to introduce a remedial math course for their students.

Hillcrest set the tone early, jumping out to a commanding 43–9 lead at halftime with relentless defensive pressure and crisp ball movement. The Comets never let up, holding Border West to just 24 points for the game while continuing to share the scoring load and push the pace on both ends of the floor.

There are moments in a student’s life when faith moves from something heard to something seen, from abstraction to encounter. Hillcrest students experienced one of those moments in chapel as Pastor Dave Foss and Michele Foss led the community through their recent journey to Israel, inviting students to step into the places where Scripture unfolded in real time, among real people, under real skies.

That tone was set on December 18 in Hancock, when Hillcrest opened what would become the toughest three-week stretch of the season with a hard-fought 60–57 road win. In a gym where every possession mattered and every rebound was contested, the Comets showed early signs of the toughness they knew would be required moving forward.

Community care was on full display at Hillcrest’s annual Gingerbread house decoration party.

Head coach Hannah Clark pointed to the tempo and intent that brought the results on the scoreboard. “I liked the way we pushed the ball up the floor. Our offensive movement and ability to attack the hoop got our girls a lot of good looks at the basket.”

When the final horn sounded on a 70–62 Comet victory, it was clear why this Hillcrest team is off to such an impressive start: they share the load and trust one another, and they respond together when the moment gets hard.

From the opening possession, Hillcrest’s defensive pressure set a clear tone. Disciplined rotations and strong help defense disrupted Ashby’s rhythm and allowed the Comets to control the pace early. That attention to detail translated into a 40–15 halftime lead and reflected a team that understands how defensive intensity fuels everything else they want to do on the floor.

The Hillcrest Comet girls continued to show why December is about preparation as much as performance, earning a convincing 68–27 win over Ashby while putting on display the finer points of the game that often separate good teams from great ones.

Winter has officially arrived, and with it, the girls’ and boys’ basketball programs are storming into December with commanding performances. The Comets are sending an early-season message: these are teams, and a school, on the rise.

From the first carol to the final goodbye, Lower School students became messengers of Christ’s light when they visited LB Homes this week. They did this by simply showing up, singing boldly, speaking Scripture, and offering their presence with love.

Residents welcomed the sight of students with wide smiles and full hearts. They leaned in as Scripture was narrated, poems were recited, and songs filled the room.

The room warmed with every carol led by Mrs. Redlin. Some residents joined softly; others let the music soak into their souls. Tears surfaced everywhere, but they were tears of gratitude.

Hillcrest students didn’t just perform. They ministered.

Third graders shined during BINGO, guiding residents with patience, celebrating every win, and turning a simple game into a moment of belonging. One resident, a former teacher without children of her own, said seeing the students together “was everything.”

Younger students, with their shy waves and big smiles, added warmth and innocence that melted hearts on both days. Their narration, their poems, their willingness to stand before strangers and speak God’s Word. It made an impact. Residents noticed.

Nothing captured the spirit of the visit more than the ornament exchange. When the younger students handed residents their handmade ornaments, the reactions were priceless. Some held theirs tightly the entire time. Others quickly said “yes!” when offered another. Even residents unable to join the group were promised ornaments so they wouldn’t miss the blessing. Every single gift mattered.

One of the most moving parts of the visit was the simple act of conversation. Students asked thoughtful questions. They listened. They made eye contact. They showed genuine interest in stories about childhood, work, family, and school from long ago. A staff member noted, “Residents could sit and talk like this for hours.”

On the walk back, students talked nonstop about what they learned, when they could return, and even suggested future visits.

In the busiest season of the year, our students learned to pause. To be present. To give generously. To see people the way God sees them.

For two days, Hillcrest students didn’t just visit LB Homes. They brought Jesus with them.

While the Retzlaffs combined for an astonishing 45 of Hillcrest’s 56 points, the Comets’ win was anchored on the glass. Hillcrest outrebounded Underwood 34–27, with production coming from all corners of the roster. Emme Berge was the engine of that effort, pulling down 10 rebounds to go with 4 points and one of the strongest defensive performances of the night. Her pressure on Underwood’s ball-handlers disrupted the Rockets’ offense and forced hurried decisions.

Fourth graders began analyzing Paul’s words, not skimming, but paying attention to structure, emphasis, and meaning. They were using grammar to uncover theology. They were applying the tools of the classroom to the living Word of God.