Reflections from Head of School Scott Montgomery

As a former History teacher, I love to look back on the circumstances, documents, and events that have shaped our world, country, communities, and people. History majors at Stanford University are provided an overview of their course of study when they enter the university. The document includes information that prospective students should know: why pursue this particular field of study, notable Stanford alumni, what a successful future looks like, etc. The cover of the document includes this quote from Steve Jobs (founder of Apple), “You cannot understand what is happening today without understanding what came before.” Most Historians tend to agree with Job’s premise about the need to learn from history – it is always good to know from whence you came.

This year, as I sat down to pen the Head of School message for the fall Herald, I went back and looked at past Herald messages. What was on the mind of the Head of School at the time and therefore likely the important aspects in the life of the school? In 2014, Mike Annis wrote about the challenges that growth brings (the school had topped the 200 enrollment mark for the first time). He also wrote that as the school grew, we needed to be unified, and intentional, about what we wanted for our students. That edition of the Herald included information about Portrait of a Graduate and the desire we had for our students to be ready to flourish when they left our campus. In 2016, he wrote about the intentional work the Board and Administration were doing to ensure we stayed on mission. There was a desire to get clear, and stay clear, on the goals, objectives, and mission of the school. Last year, I wrote about our desire for students to deepen their learning both academically and biblically. I noted that we long for our students to ask the question: “What does God desire of me at the intersection of my academic and biblical learning and how do I use that knowledge in God’s unfolding story?”

Those messages, as well as others over the years, reflect a Deep Hope we have for Heritage. They reflect a desire that Heritage be a school that is intentional about outcomes for students, that we stay on – and live out – our mission, and that we seek ways for our students to engage the world around them in real work, addressing real problems, impacting real people. Coincidently, Deep Hope is a component of our Teaching for Transformation (TfT) model that we have implemented this school year.

Deep Hope represents why our teachers and staff followed the call to work in a Christian school. Deep Hope aligns with the desires that parents have for their children when they enroll at Heritage. And Deep Hope reflects the promises contained in Heritage’s mission statement.

This year as we deepen our TfT engagement, we’ll be exploring the Deep Hopes of our teachers and staff. What do they desire for their students? What do they hope to see at the end of the day, week, and school year? Likewise, we’ll be asking you, what are your Deep Hopes for your children?  What do you hope for each day when you send them off to Heritage Christian School? What is the Deep Hope you have for them when they leave Heritage? These important questions should focus us as we seek to provide the most academically excellent and biblically faithful education possible for our students.

If a future Head of School ever looks back at these documents, I hope he or she sees that Heritage has always been a place that challenges our students. More than that however, I hope they see our Deep Hope has always been that students daily see the goodness, faithfulness, love, and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray we continue to provide not only the opportunities for our students to see Jesus daily, but that they use the knowledge gained here to impact the world for Him in unimaginable ways.