Hartfield Monthly Newsletter Update

Dear Hartfield Family,

Spring break is just around the corner, and we’re excited to see what this time of year means for our students. For many, it’s a break filled with sleeping in, a trip to the beach, and no homework. However, for many of our high school students at Hartfield, it’s about stepping out of their comfort zones, serving others alongside their friends, and growing in their faith. This year, nearly 70% of our 9th-12th graders are headed out on one of eight different service trips.  70%, wow! 

They’re going places ranging from Alaska to the Dominican Republic. Together with our dedicated faculty, nearly 300 individuals will be mobilized to serve, love others, and represent Hartfield, Mississippi, and Christ. We are proud of their willingness to serve and their heart for others.

Another area of growth I am so proud of at Hartfield is our theater and arts programs. If you’ve been part of Hartfield in recent years, you’ve likely witnessed the incredible expansion of these programs. 

This year, we are excited to announce our high school spring musical, Fiddler on the Roof. Our middle schoolers put on a wonderful performance of Annie this past November, and this Friday night, our lower school students will showcase their talents in the Colbert Theater in their annual production. In addition, our worship team, drumline, choir, and theater programs continue to thrive and take bold steps forward. 

I hope you’ll encourage your child to get involved in these opportunities. If you attended Hartfield’s Got Talent a few weeks ago, you know just how talented our students are!

We all remember teachers who made an impact in our lives, and I’m so grateful to see that we have dozens of teachers at Hartfield who do the same for our students. One such teacher is Mr. Bruce Sumrall, who teaches Senior Government and Economics. 

A few weeks ago, Mr. Sumrall was in a dangerous car accident on his way to watch his students play basketball. While the accident totaled his car, thankfully, Bruce walked away uninjured. He used this experience as a teaching opportunity, helping his students understand insurance and money management in real-life situations. 

After sharing how the accident would prevent him from going on a planned family trip, two senior students took action without any prompting from adults. They led their class to support him in a meaningful way. It’s an inspiring example of students putting into practice what they’ve learned about loving and serving others. If you haven’t seen the local news story about this, I encourage you to watch it here: 
https://www.wapt.com/article/dangerous-wreck-brings-students-together-to-help-teacher/63800360

At Hartfield, we don’t just have talented students in the arts and athletics—we have some incredibly gifted scholars as well. Our Mock Trial team, led by our political science teacher and former JAG attorney, Leslie Lee, has qualified for the State competition this weekend. 

Additionally, our Science Bowl team recently finished 2nd out of 24 teams at the Mississippi Math and Science School’s State Science Bowl, defeating teams from Oxford, Tupelo, Ocean Springs, and MSMS, among others. Dr. Kim Simpson continues to do an amazing job leading the Science Bowl team and our Medical Science Club. 

We are also proud to share that our Medical Science Club hosted a blood drive on campus, collecting 71 units of blood for Mississippi Blood Services.

Lastly, I want to share a special experience I had this morning. During my children’s weekly tradition of breakfast together at Chick-fil-A, I had the pleasure of greeting several Hartfield students as they came in who were fueling up for their school day. During this time, a retired teacher and former administrator approached me and shared that he comes to Chick-fil-A regularly for breakfast and has come to look forward to his interactions with Hartfield students.

 He wanted to pass along how kind, calm, and polite our students are, and he asked me to let the administration know how much he appreciated them. We shared a light-hearted moment when I reminded him that they likely hadn’t come to a state of being fully awake yet in the mornings and I also share that I am part of the administration team. We enjoyed a few more minutes together and wholeheartedly agreed that we truly have exceptional students. 

Whether it’s at an orphanage internationally during Spring Break, or at our local Chick-fil-A, I couldn’t be more proud of our students—not for what they do and accomplish, but for who they are becoming, step by step.

Please join me in praying for our students as they continue to fulfill their God-given purpose in all they do.

All the best, God bless, and Let’s Go Hawks!

David