A little while ago, I sat across the table from a Hillcrest alum who served on the mission field. “It was at Hillcrest that I first sensed God calling me to something greater. That’s where the Lord grabbed my heart.”

“We see the College Credit Track as an on‑ramp to calling,” says President Luke Fiskness. “Students launch their college journey early, yet remain rooted in biblical truth and surrounded by mentors who know and love them. Because the courses are delivered in a non‑sectarian format, they equip teens for a wide range of majors and worldviews; while our community keeps Christ at the center.”

At Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, the sound of pages turning in a Great Books seminar blends naturally with the scrape of skate blades on fresh ice and the rhythmic swish of skis on winter trails.

This was truly a record-setting year for Hillcrest. In the 46-year history of Track & Field at Hillcrest, only 15 individual athletes had ever competed at the State Meet. This year alone, six athletes represented Hillcrest! Even more inspiring, while only four female athletes had previously competed at State in school history, five girls qualified this year alone.

Hillcrest’s Senior Honors Dinner blessings work because the homework happens months in advance. Faculty jot down hallway moments, dorm staff collect late-night conversations, coaches file away bus-ride pep talks. The president and principal sift the pile, pray, and craft the blessings.

Anika’s essay stood out for its clear prose, vivid storytelling, and heartfelt vision. Parents, teachers, and community members celebrated the culmination of weeks of brainstorming, drafting, revising, and dreaming at the reception.

These preschool students didn’t just learn about their local business people. As they learned about the ice cream machines and poured their own ice cream cone they were building connection with local business owners that links them to a community that celebrates kids and celebrates connectedness.

Today, third-grade students at Hillcrest Academy brought their notebooks and pencils outside to reflect on Charlotte’s Web—one of the most enduring children’s novels in American literature. With the sun overhead and the grass beneath them, students quietly wrote their reflections in cursive, combining literature, handwriting, and outdoor learning in one meaningful experience.

After 35 remarkable years in the classroom, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy is celebrating the retirement of a beloved teacher, mentor, and prayer warrior—Mrs. Diane Selvig. Her name has become synonymous with grace, faithfulness, and an unwavering commitment to the hearts and minds of young students. Though this marks her second retirement, her legacy of discipleship and partnership with families continues to echo through the halls of the Lower School and into the lives of generations she has shaped.

Victories came in waves for the Comets. The girls dominated in the 4x800 relay, 100-meter dash, 4x200 relay, 200-meter dash, and the 4x400 relay. The boys secured first-place finishes in the 4x800 relay, 400-meter dash, 800-meter run, 4x400 relay, and the high jump.

The 5th grade went on a field trip today to the Minnesota Hatchery and to God's Acres.  It was a fun day, with many games and interactive activities to learn about preservation.  We are thankful to the Fergus Falls Fish and Game Club that subsidized the bus for this trip.

Hillcrest’s commitment to growing its band, orchestra, and choir programs is bearing fruit. These sixth through eighth graders aren’t just learning music—they’re learning how to communicate what they know with clarity and heart. They are developing voices that will not only sing in harmony but speak truth into culture.

In the classical Christian model, education unfolds in three stages: grammar (knowledge), logic (understanding), and rhetoric (wisdom and communication). By the time students reach the rhetoric stage, they are ready not just to know and understand, but to communicate truth effectively and persuasively.

In a world that often equates education with test scores, Hillcrest’s classical model stands out. At Hillcrest, students aren't just asked to repeat facts. They're invited to contemplate—to wrestle with the decisions these historical figures faced and to reflect on what kind of people they want to become. The study of biography becomes soul work.

There’s a unique attribute in Hillcrest's coaching—an intentionality that’s rare in high school athletics. Wins are celebrated, but they're not the end goal. Coaches Andy Stender, Maddie Heiser, Zach Stich, Derrick Clark, Matt Hendricks, Allen Aase, Jessica Knutson, Chad Brown, Eric Ewan, and others model mentorship that stretches beyond sport. They disciple students to pursue excellence with humility, to lead with Christlike character, and to see their identity rooted in more than performance.

Throughout the day, Hillcrest seniors led discussions on foundational topics such as "Defining the Unborn," "The Science of Life Before Birth," and "What Does It Mean to Be Pro-Life?" Students carefully walked attendees through the historical landscape of abortion in America and the development of the pro-life movement, blending strong apologetic reasoning with a heartfelt call to defend life from a place of grace and truth.

At Hillcrest, we believe God made each child to reflect His image—to be a creative, truth-telling, life-shaping influence in the world. Author visits, journaling, art, music—these are not electives to the classical learner. They are essential practices that awaken the soul, deepen connections, and give students the tools to express what God is doing in their lives.

Something special is happening with Hillcrest Track.

At the Barnesville Booster Invitational, the Comets didn’t just break records—they showed what happens when hard work, encouragement, and a team-first mindset come together. This is more than competition. It’s a culture of joy, discipline, and unity—and it’s turning heads.

A slight wind rippled across the University of Minnesota–Morris track when Maddie Miller settled into her blocks for the 100‑meter dash. Moments later, she exploded down the straightaway, eyes on the finish, and claimed a new Hillcrest record in 12.54 seconds. Miller’s triumphant smile hinted that this was only the beginning for the Comets, a team radiating talent and promise from first event to last.

The bell had barely finished echoing through Hillcrest’s lower-school corridors this morning when a new kind of hush settled over the campus. Grandparents filled the hallways with gentle laughter and smiles, ushered down hallways to grandkids’ classrooms where their presence wasn’t merely sentimental; it was essential. In a classical Christian school that treasures the great conversation of the ages, grandparents are living footnotes, primary sources whose lives testify to the truths students encounter daily in class.