Wow, what a summer this was!

There was so much that happened at HLCS this summer to gear up for the school year! I thought I would use my letter this month to give you a glimpse into all the work that went on to prepare for students this year. It has been incredible to see God move in big and small ways. In addition to the building of the expansion moving towards completion, this summer, HLCS held:

• A volunteer appreciation brunch to show gratitude for the many hands that serve the students of HLCS

• Parade entries in the Harbor Springs and Petoskey July 4th Parades. We had over 20 families help walk in the parade and represent the school.

• An Audi Fundraiser with 699 tickets sold, raising $28,000 for the school

• Seven different work bees with over 1,000 man-hours of work to prepare the school for the year

• Our first annual family cornhole tournament

We also changed and updated the following spaces throughout the existing building:

• Our north bathrooms were painted and beautified by the Jakeway family

• New high school classrooms were created in the old kitchen and staff lounge

• A new staff lounge was created in a former chair storage room

• The curtain was removed between 3rd and 4th grade and a wall was constructed

• Hundreds of upper and lower cabinets for classrooms were removed from Shay Elementary in Harbor Springs

• Cabinets were installed in six classrooms at HLCS

• There was an extreme makeover in E-18. Our science lab became a Kindergarten room

• The former kindergarten room transformed into a sixth-grade classroom

• All of the hallways were painted gray, which complements the carpet that was installed last December.

• 170 lockers were installed for student use

We’ve also welcomed 10 new staff members and 5 new volunteer teachers. We’ve celebrated Josh Ernst being named the Herzog Foundation's Excellence in Education Science Teacher of the Year. Staff and board members participated in 200 hours of Christian worldview training.

We have had countless tours for both supporters of the Solid Rock Center and potential admissions. We reached out to over 350 generous donors to confirm logos and names for the legacy wall in the Solid Rock Center.

With all this work, I am reminded of Colossians 3:23-24 which says: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Thank you to everyone who helped get HLCS ready for this school year! On behalf of the entire HLCS staff, I am confident in saying it’s going to be another amazing!

In His service,

Kelly Dutcher

We are happy to announce that we officially have an AMAZING fourth-grade teaching team! We are blessed to welcome Cal Prins, who recently retired as principal of Central Elementary. Before becoming principal, Mr. Prins has experience teaching 4th grade, and it's one of his favorites to teach! Cal will partner with HLCS special education teacher, Carmen Skop.

Join us in thanking the Lord for answering our prayers with abundance!

On May 9th I received an email from the Herzog Foundation notifying me that I had been nominated for their inaugural Christian Science Teacher of the Year Award. Thinking that it must be a phishing expedition, I deleted it and laughingly told Mrs. Dutcher, who informed me that Mrs. Cope and herself had conspired on my nomination. A couple letters of recommendation, a few short essay responses, and an email later – I assumed I had completed my part in honoring the time they had spent on the nomination. I was wrong.

On June 29th, while being irresponsible and checking my emails while driving, I was surprised to find a congratulatory email from the Herzog Foundation, notifying me that they had chosen me as the 2021-2022 Christian Science Teacher of the Year – and inviting me to a Gala in Washington D.C. to be honored.

First thought: I don’t remember winning some lecture-a-thon, or competing in a test question writing contest, or dominating a classroom management skills challenge. But, after a month of processing, I am now to the point where I am just in awe of how God works.

22 years ago, this week, I was at football practice preparing for my junior year of high school football. I was also getting my bedroom ready to welcome my daughter who was due in November. I was being bombarded by people who were telling me that I had messed up my entire life, that I should just drop out of school, get a job, and accept the fact that all of the things I had been working for were now gone. My response? “I’m going to show you all how wrong you are.”

That’s how I lived the next 15 years of my life. “You can’t go to college.” “You can’t play baseball in college.” “You can’t become a scientist.” “No way you and Stephanie will both be able to get degrees.” “No way you guys are going to make it.” From Central Lake to Alma College to Northern Illinois University to Fermilab to the University of Chicago – I made sure to shut everybody up.

And one day, not too long ago, I realized that everything that I thought I had accomplished really meant nothing. Goals determined by worldly aspirations, driven by selfish desires. And the whisper I had been ignoring for far too long, that still small voice, got louder – “come to work for me.”

It didn’t make sense then, and it doesn’t now. I didn’t go to school to be a teacher – never have taken an education class. I don’t belong in a one building school house. I usually don't even know what I am talking about most of the time. And yet, every step of the way, over the past five years, God has just continued to whisper in my heart, “love the kids, and I will do the rest.”

Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what God would do – simply because I finally said yes. Just the fact that Mrs. Dutcher has been able to put up with me for three years, is proof of God’s greatness. But the relationships, the family, the fulfillment, the successes, the fruit, the meaning found – all the glory to God.

I know I am not the best Christian science teacher in the nation. I know, on my own, I am capable of accomplishing nothing of real worth. I am so blessed that I don’t have to do it alone. I am so thankful that I can lean on Him.

Thank you for all the support during my time here. Thank you for all the congratulatory words, notes, and messages over the past month. I don’t know how I could ever pay the HLCS family back for the way you have welcomed and come alongside us. I promise to continue to lean into the Lord, and ask Him to use me for His will in this place.

God Bless! See you at school.

- Mr. Ernst