Most of the time at HCA you hear me talk about spiritual growth, cultural issues, and the benefits of classical methodology. Although they are primary reasons people look for schools, I rarely highlight test scores or athletics because of the fear of "selling out" to the things that are popular in the world over the things that God has pointed to in scripture as eternally beneficial. Jesus himself is the one who said, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?" The pursuit of "success" by the world's definition has always been a trap for our flesh, and HCA has historically tried to steer away from those secular values, to point students toward eternal things.
However, the truth is that our students are getting the best academic education in the area as well, and sometimes, even the best sports experience, as evidenced by the girls 2021 soccer state championship. MaxPreps ranked our girls as the #8 overall soccer team in the state, including all public and private schools of all sizes. That's a big accomplishment for a high school of 145 people!
But, where I want to briefly focus is on the academic accomplishments of our most recent graduates, the HCA class of 2021. I am going here because, by not hyper-focusing on academic achievement, we may have led folks to wonder how we compare with other schools in this area. So, using Friday night's graduates as evidence, here is the product that just left HCA:
Of the 30 graduates in the class of 2021, one is entering the US Navy, one is going on the mission field, and one is joining a family owned business right away. The other 27 are entering college in the fall. These 27 students received 105 total college acceptance letters to 42 different colleges including:
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| HCA Class of 2021 |
Alabama, Appalachian State, Auburn, Belmont, Berry College, Campbell, The Citadel, Clemson, CVCC, East Carolina, Florida State, Florida, Fordham, Furman, Gardner Webb, Georgia, High Point, King University, Lenoir Rhyne, Liberty, LSU, Montreat, NC State, North Greenville, Ohio State, Pembroke, Radford, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, UConn, UNC, UNC Asheville, UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, Virginia, Virginia Tech, VMI, Wake Forest, Western Carolina, Wingate.
In addition these 27 graduates accumulated $2.6 Million in scholarship offers for their four years of college. Yes, you heard that right ... $2.6 Million. Now, that is offers, not accepted scholarships, but regardless, it is an amazing accomplishment. The bottom line is that graduates from Hickory Christian Academy are getting into their colleges of choice, and most are being offered money to come.
Now, back to my normal mantra. These 30 graduates are simply amazing young adults who are defined by kindness, servanthood, and friendship, as well as many who have a tangible pursuit of Christ in their lives. Since they have been trained to think for themselves, and to communicate intelligently and effectively, each will be well prepared to enter the secular world of universities and other social pressures with a Biblical Worldview and a strong foundation. Pray for these wonderful young people. Most have been at HCA since Kindergarten, and it has been an amazing privilege to see them grow into this moment in time where they will now be influencers of the culture they enter.
