Hillcrest Soars
Hillcrest Academy has been educating students, grades 9 - 12, since 1945 in the countryside of southeast Iowa. The campus is situated 14 miles southwest of Iowa City and 8 miles northwest of Kalona with the mission to offer “high school students an academically excellent, Christ-centered education rooted in an Anabaptist perspective. Within a caring community, Hillcrest Academy prepares students for lives of Christian discipleship, peacemaking and service.” Not only do they have students enrolled from surroundings towns like Williamsburg, Washington, North Liberty, Keota, and Washington state, but also from Vietnam, Mexico, and an exchange student from Moldova.
With a desire to see students gain confidence and leadership, Hillcrest has multiple student-led groups including the Reflector (student newspaper), Reverie (yearbook), Compassion Club, Y-CO, FFA, and clubs that vary from year to year. Some unique opportunities that the students have been able to invest in are the on-site greenhouse and orchard, as well as helping in the Wellman Community Garden. Though enrollment is growing with 24 freshman, they have taken advantage of the smaller class sizes with mobile classes - shifting to areas of the campus that may be more engaging for the topic they are studying (in the kitchen, outdoors, gymnasium, etc.) A great new addition to the school this year is concurrent classes. Students can take Kirkwood college classes on Hillcrest’s campus and receive college credit for it.
Now most locals may recognize this school as IMS (Iowa Mennonite School), but nearly three years ago the school made a significant change by renaming to Hillcrest Academy. “We wanted to remove the Amish/Mennonite barrier,” Rebecca Beachy Miller, director of enrollment, says. Whether families thought they had to be Mennonite, or completely misunderstood what Mennonite even was, the school wanted everyone to feel like they were welcomed. Not only the students, but the teachers come from different backgrounds as well. Keeping their core the same, the new name is already proving to be more inviting with increased enrollment. The name may be new to outsiders, but Hillcrest Union had been the name of their gymnasium, dedicated by Bessy Yoder, since 1955. The Ravens were deemed the new mascot in 2019 in remembrance of 1 Kings 17:6 when God used ravens to provide for Elijah when he was in need. Hillcrest strives to provide for their students, preparing them both academically and spiritually for their future.
When researching this school some people tend to get sticker-shock when they see the tuition costs. Rebecca encourages, “Any one, any budget, just email me.” Financial aid is available and they don’t want costs to hold families back. A great way to get a feel for the school is to visit during one of their “Visit Days”. Coming up, November 24, 8th graders can spend the day at Hillcrest Academy while school is in session. This gives students the chance to see teachers and classrooms in action, plus allowing time for questions and connecting with current students. If you have questions or would like to sign up for a tour INQUIRE NOW, or perhaps you would like to read a little more about Hillcrest and their programs by visiting HillcrestRavens.org.
