KALONA

When Hillcrest Academy set a course to open sixth grade classes for the 2023-24 school year, they published a middle school purpose statement which reads as follows: “The middle school of Hillcrest Academy seeks to share the love of Jesus in a collaborative, joyful learning environment where all students are known and loved. Through a variety of rigorous learning experiences, students will grow their self-confidence, express themselves and experience a deep sense of belonging.”

It was important for Middle School Director Beth Swantz and sixth grade teacher Megan Walsh to use this framework while laying out the sixth-grade program’s foundation in year one.  Not only did the framework shape the design of the program, but it also shaped the classroom environment each and every day.

The pair of teachers honored their purpose simply by acknowledging their students.

“We learned that it’s really important to look at the social and the emotional [status of] our students,” Swantz said.

Walsh added, “I think about this all the time; what can I do to help support the kids in becoming the best version of themselves? What kind of things can I introduce to help them think more deeply about who they are as a person, what their role is in the world, what their purpose is going to be, and how to best navigate middle school, [which] is such a weird time in people’s lives. I don’t think that should be the truth.”

They also used this framework with various classroom activities, sparking engagement.

Swantz’s favorite activity involved students writing down a goal each week. The following week, the teachers would check students’ progress, offering guidance if needed.

“I think that builds an internal compass,” Swantz said. “It’s not an external teacher telling you, ‘Here’s what you have to do,’ but ‘How do we build that internal peace?’ And I think that we experienced this as a really powerful conversation with kids.”

“The fact that we were able to do it one-to-one was also really powerful. I feel like making those priorities and building that into the middle school is just going to be very important,” Swantz added.

Another activity which boosted the students’ morale involved School Counselor Tom Carey, who would visit the class periodically to discuss social and emotional needs.

Walsh stated Carey usually talks about whatever is the biggest need at the time, giving him flexibility and offering the students even more to learn from.

The pair did these activities, among others, to help create ambassadors among the sixth-grade class so that they could help integrate the new sixth and eighth grade classes next year when they are wedged in between as seventh graders, building onto the middle school’s culture.

Swantz feels they’ve achieved this goal.

“We’ve got a lot of leaders in that class,” Swantz said. “To see what God grows here is an exciting thing.”

Quelling challenges

Despite the wellspring of positivity, many challenges arose while Swantz and Walsh worked on the sixth-grade program. But for both, the personal challenge was paramount.

For example, Walsh recently graduated from Northern Iowa University and student-taught around Minneapolis, MN. After moving to the area to be with her fiancé, she heard that Hillcrest was hiring.

Walsh applied, interviewed and was hired in July 2023. She began working right away, identifying the colossal task ahead of her before she was even under contract – which began in August 2023.

Not only was Walsh preparing for her first year as a teacher, but she also had to collaborate with Swantz while creating the new program from scratch.

“It was hard trying to figure out what works best, especially with this age group; that’ll be a struggle for anybody,” Walsh said. “I think one way that we’ve kind of combated that is we have an advantage to say, ‘Here’s what God expects of you. Here’s what God would say about this specific situation.’ This is not a teacher battle; this is something that we can internalize in a deeper, more meaningful way.”

Walsh remained positive throughout the entire process, helping the challenge become an advantage.

“When I took the job, I was thinking in my mind, ‘There’s no way I can do this.’ Turns out, I can. I just had to put on some blind faith and say, ‘Alright, let’s just ride the wave.’ And when you ride the wave, it takes you to where you need to go,” Walsh said.

Swantz experienced a similar start as Walsh, despite having 35 years of teaching experience. That’s because Swantz hadn’t taught in 15 years.

“I felt like an old newbie,” Swantz jokingly said.

To make matters worse, it was her first year as a Hillcrest staffer, a significant shift from her normal position within public schools and libraries.

“I was a public school teacher for 35 years, so bringing the spiritual aspect into the conversation has been a growing experience for me,” Swantz said. “It’s not to take advantage of, but to be aware of God’s presence in the moment.”

Of course, a full year of teaching has quelled the initial nerves of Swantz and Walsh. Now, they must focus on broader challenges yet to be addressed.  Some of these challenges include scheduling, athletics (see Part One of this series) and integration.

But the biggest unaddressed challenge comes in the form of middle school culture, something Principal Dwight Gingerich hopes will come together next school year.

“I think a challenge for me [is] ‘What’s the best way to be a school all together?’ It’s taken some time for me to know more of what they need, and how can we best help,” Gingerich said. “Next year, it’ll be sixth, seventh and eighth. It’ll be more connected in that way. And Beth will be providing oversight. Hopefully it’ll be a little more cohesive.”

“I felt like things went really well this year, given it was our first time through, not knowing for sure how this is going to [work]. But really, it’s just been tremendous, thanks to the two of them [Swantz and Walsh],” Gingerich added.

Swantz, who will fully embrace her middle school director role next year, recognizes each challenge, hoping to solve some, if not all, in due time.

Things will become clearer the farther along the process goes.

Part One of this story on Hillscrest Academy’s new middle school ran in the June 6 issue of The News.  Part Three will follow next week in our June 20 issue.

Hillcrest Academy is a private Christian school with a “Christ-centered” educational system, based in Kalona, IA. The school is accepting applications for the upcoming school year. You can contact Rebecca Beachy Miller, Director of Enrollment & Transportation, at rbeachymiller@hillcrestravens.org if interested in enrollment, though any enrollment requests for the middle school will likely lead to a waiting list since the school, as of May 20, has hit their cap, though this could change with time.