A Great Start to 2024: A Few Updates from David Horner

Speaking of winter weather…. Have you ever wondered about what school administrators experience when we ‘Call a Snow Day’?   I think you would enjoy this fun, brief article on the topic written by a former Head of school in Atlanta. Check it out here. 

My fondest memory of a ‘Snow Day’ at Hartfield is calling our Student Body President one evening several years ago. I was on the fence, and certainly leaning toward a cancellation, when I issued this challenge. If he could get 100 students to share on social media why they loved their school, then I would “officially” cancel that evening (saving me a 4:30 am drive around town). Unsurprisingly, our kids reached the goal in under 10 minutes. Never underestimate the power and influence of our creative and motivated students!

Building Updates:

Have you been watching the changes in our building project the past weeks?  So much has taken place and I love sharing about it!  Among the recent additions are sidewalks installed along the north parking lot, bricks beautifully placed on our Junior High school and Athletic facility, as well as walls going up inside showing where all the classrooms will be placed. These small points of progress represent the major changes that our students will be experiencing next August. 

If you circle through the carpool line on our Main campus daily you’ve certainly seen the dirt work that has established the foundations of what will be a connecting bridge covering Hawk Creek. 😄 The expected date of the bridge installation is within the coming month and I can’t wait to see it.  Additionally, we expect the demolition of our current home bleachers to begin immediately after soccer season. We’ll be ready to seat you comfortably for all our fall sports in August. It will be exciting to watch the changes!  God has blessed our school community with a gorgeous campus and I’m extremely thankful for it.   

Be on the lookout for several ways you can be involved in the project firsthand, including continued opportunities to give and an invitation to join several ‘Hard Hat Tours’ that I’ll host.  We’ll share the specifics in the weeks ahead so you can sign up and reserve your spot.

Worldview & Culture Exchange Program:

This spring our school will be partnering with a Christian school in The Czech Republic to host an exchange of cultures and students. I’ve personally met their ‘School Director’ (the official title used for schools in Czech) and am very excited about this opportunity. Four students will be coming to join our classes and visit this part of the country for 9 days this coming April. It will be an amazing opportunity to interact and share while providing a great learning experience for them as well.  We will share more details soon, including a short application for host homes. Host homes will be needed during the time the students are here. Our plan is for a handful of our students, including several teachers, to experience visiting their school in Europe next fall.  If you’re interested in hosting, please be on the lookout for information on our weekly Tuesday email or contact Dr. Tyler Groves at tgroves@hartfield.org 

Re-enrollment:

It’s admissions season and re-enrollment is underway!  Thank you to those of you who have completed this annual process and are set for the 2024-25 school year. We are ahead of our normal enrollment rate for this period with several weeks before we begin accepting new student applications. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our enrollment team, led by Jennifer Ray jray@hartfield.org if you have any questions. 

Our new Junior High building and the shifting of our 5th grade into the Hartfield 56 program will provide more physical space for our students, but space remains limited in several grades.  As we move into this new building, think of it more like a growing family right-sizing their home into one that fits their current needs rather than having endless new space to use. So, don’t linger with re-enrollment, we want your family to be a part of all we will experience next year at Hartfield!  

Having shared that we are limited, we aren’t full yet, so please continue sharing your positive experiences with friends and neighbors. We desire that every prospective family visiting Hartfield leaves with a clear understanding of who we are.  Your recommendations and invitations make a difference, keep them coming!

 

A Thank You to our School Community:

I recently attended a school conference and was able to interact with leaders from other independent schools in Mississippi and Louisiana.  We exchanged some good ideas and I came back refreshed and ready for the Spring semester.  Most of all I was reminded, as I always am when visiting other schools, of how much I love our school community and our students.  God has entrusted us with a high and worthy calling to teach our kids and each of our faculty members and leadership consider it a privilege to do so.  

Thank you for trusting and supporting us so well!  

All the best, 

David Horner