Hillcrest started in 1918, birthed out of a youth revival movement. Calls from churches around the nation inspired the Lutheran Brethren Church to offer a high school option to match their Bible School program. It is with this historical background that we are entering a new century incorporating Classical Christian Education. By the time our students graduate, they will be leaving Hillcrest with so much more than just a diploma.
Starting at a new school can be intimidating. We work hard to make your school transition smooth and comfortable at Hillcrest. Nearly half of our student body is new each year. Our Danielsen program, a partnership with the Danielsen School in Bergen, Norway, brings 25+ students each year. In addition to that, Hillcrest enrolls 60 to 70 new students each year. That means you are not the only one who is new.
To help students assimilate and make friends, we organize a Welcome Week. The week is devoted to orientation. There are athletic practices, school orientation meetings, and faith-forming services and teachings that help students understand what school is like at Hillcrest.
Every student, new or returning, participates in Welcome Week. This starts the entire student body together as we begin the school year. The culture at Hillcrest is warm and inviting, with returning students excited to meet and befriend new students. The teachers are known for their connection with students, and we conduct surveys of our student body to ensure that our students feel cared for and encouraged in their classes. The student life and classrooms at Hillcrest are fun, and you will find it easy to learn and grow in your academic knowledge, relationship with Jesus Christ, and connect with your fellow students inside our program. Our philosophy drives us to help you make friends and build strong mentorship connections. We believe that if you feel cared for, you will be more open to the maturing and growing opportunities that await you at Hillcrest.
Hillcrest holds a long and storied tradition: Alumni love Hillcrest. This is partly because students develop and fortify a Biblically-based view of the world that stands true outside the doors of Hillcrest. Hillcrest instructs students to love God's Word, have a passion for the world God created, and be active in His Kingdom.
Academic excellence is an expression of worship. As students build an understanding of God's love for them, they are inspired to understand God deeper in their academic pursuits.
By building a comprehensive Biblically-based view of Hillcrest's world, Students see that right living involves Biblically-based thinking. It is our prayer that our 18-year-old graduates will not merely attend college, but that they will impact their university with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
At Hillcrest, there is a healthy practice of staying in contact with graduates in genuine concern for the spiritual, academic, and social life. Students and staff often write letters of encouragement to recent graduates, and Hillcrest grads visit teachers and staff regularly.
In this community, Hillcrest students build muscles to manage life. They share rooms with students from other cultures, learning how to communicate in the face of conflict and cultural differences.
These cultures spill over in the classroom. A simple example is that Hillcrest students come from countries that support communism, socialism, capitalism, and tribal ideologies. The Hillcrest classroom holds varied perspectives. Students learn to use logic and to communicate in love inside the classroom setting.
The Bible governs the living and learning environments at Hillcrest. Students are taught that every person is made in the image of God and holds special rights. They are also taught that ideas have consequences that impact image-bearers. Ideas are handled with logic, while students are treated with love and support befitting their image that rests in God's character and not the content of an idea or argument.
Inside this learning environment, students build muscles that strengthen confidence and equip them for life. Students' sense of self is reinforced in the image of God, where they study and are taught that their value was set in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Inside this framework, Hillcrest students report that their first years of college are completed with confidence, facing difficulties but having the ability to handle the obstacles.
Hillcrest holds a long and storied tradition: Alumni love Hillcrest. This is partly because students develop and fortify a Biblically-based view of the world that stands true outside the doors of Hillcrest. Hillcrest instructs students to love God's Word, have a passion for the world God created, and be active in His Kingdom.
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