The Ministry of Noticing: How Hillcrest Loves Its Students
I walked into the Lower School this morning and felt that familiar mix of thankfulness and peace. At a place like Hillcrest, we pray, plan, and do everything we can to serve families and students well. Our resources are limited, yet our desire to love students and shape their lives is strong. That has always been the heart of this school, a community that wants to see every child grow in knowledge, faith, and character.
Every elementary school and every community has students who need a little more help in certain areas. Some need extra encouragement. Some need guidance on social skills. Some simply need a patient adult who sees them, knows them, and believes in them. Our teachers and support staff step into that need with humility and joy.
This morning I watched our Lower School Academic Dean, Julie Stender, gather a small group of students from different grades and work with them on simple but deeply important life skills. Skills like encouraging others, waiting your turn, listening well, and being patient. These are the quiet building blocks of a healthy life and they matter every bit as much as math facts and reading fluency.
Julie praised this group of three students more than twenty times in the fifteen minutes I listened.
“Great job with that.”
“I love how you are encouraging your friend.”
“You are showing the love of Jesus when you do that.”
The room felt calm, steady, and full of purpose. No rush. No frustration. No comparison. Just a gentle, consistent voice building them up and helping them grow. It was beautiful to see.
Moments like that show our mission in action. God is shaping minds and forming hearts at Hillcrest. We want God to raise up students who are strong in their faith, kind in their friendships, and confident in who God is calling them to be. Growth takes time, and it takes people who believe in the slow work of formation.
This is the heart of our school, a community that steps into the small spaces of a child’s day and chooses to love well. A school that cares not only about what students know, but about who they become.
I walked away grateful. God is at work here, and it shows in the quiet moments just as clearly as in the big ones.
~President Luke Fiskness