High School
Welcome to High School
Contact Us
Adam Hamilton, High School Principal
adamhamilton@hgchristian.org
Michele Wilson, Administrative Assistant
michelewilson@hgchristian.org
Tracey Bennett, Director of Counseling
traceybennett@hgchristian.org
Main Office: (704) 531-4077
Message from the Principal
When Augustine was sixteen, he stole pears he did not even want, for the thrill of it. For the next sixteen years he chased good things: success, friendship, and one of the most respected teaching posts in the Roman world. None of it gave him rest. His problem was never that he loved too little. He loved good things in the wrong order. After God turned his heart, he wrote: “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.”
That is what we are after in our high school, and our school verse says it plainly.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33
Jesus does not call the other things bad. He puts them in their place. Our students take on a rigorous college-preparatory program with Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses, compete hard on the athletic field, perform with excellence in the auditorium, and serve through various ministries in Charlotte to the Dominican Republic. Every subject is taught through a biblical worldview by teachers who know their students well. Yet even good things like grades, athletics, the arts, friendships, and family become idols when we love them more than the Lord.
So we keep asking a deeper question of every student: what does he or she love most? Our three Expected Student Outcomes grow out of that question. We want graduates who are Committed to God, with their loves rightly ordered; Connected to the Mission, joined to their family, their school, the local church, and the wider body of Christ; and Wise in Christ, able to tell the wisdom of God from the wisdom of the world.
We cannot order a teenager’s loves. Only God can do that. What we can do is put Scripture, worship, honest teaching, and faithful adults in front of our students every day, and trust Him with the growth.
We would love for you to visit. Sign up for a tour, join us for chapel, and ask our students what they love most about being a student at HGCS.
In Christ,
Adam Hamilton
High School Principal
More Information
-
Spiritual formation at HGCS is not a single program. It happens in Bible class, in chapel, on the field and the stage, and in the conversation after a hard week. As a ministry of Hickory Grove Baptist Church, we teach every subject through a biblical worldview, because all truth is God’s truth. Students study Scripture in Bible class every year, worship together in chapel, and serve through ministry partnerships like our aquaponics lab, which grows food for the HG Food Pantry. Every Wednesday, students also hear a devotion from this year’s Here I Stand series. Families can watch chapel any week through Live Chapel.
-
Every Wednesday, our high school students hear a devotion from our year-long theme, Here I Stand. The theme comes from Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms in April 1521. Standing before Emperor Charles V and asked to take back his writings, Luther answered: “Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”
Each week introduces a witness from church history who held to the truth of God’s Word when it cost them something, from Polycarp and Perpetua to Athanasius, Augustine, and C.S. Lewis. Students read the witness’s own words in the Here I Stand student journal, and teachers carry the week’s discussion question into class. The theme is anchored in Galatians 1:10:
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10
Standing firm is not the same as being stubborn. It is choosing the approval of God over the approval of the crowd, and our students face that choice every day.
-
- Committed to God: Devoted to the Lord with rightly ordered loves. We want students who love God above every other affection and keep good things like grades, sports, friendships, and family in their proper place beneath Him.
- Connected to the Mission: oined to the body of Christ in shared mission. We want students who belong to more than a friend group. They are part of their home, their school, Hickory Grove Baptist Church, and the wider body of Christ, and they build others up through encouragement, hospitality, and service.
- Wise in Christ: Discerning between the biblical wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world. We want students who know what is true, choose virtue over vice, and steward their time and gifts under the lordship of Christ.
-
Every high school student signs our Student Honor Code, a covenant organized around our three Expected Student Outcomes. In the words of the code itself, it is “not designed to implement rule-based legalism, but instead, to promote authentic freedom and human flourishing, both of which are only possible by living in accordance with the truths of Scripture.” Students commit to honesty in their work, respect for every person as an image bearer of God, and sound judgment on and off campus. The code rests on this passage:
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”
2 Peter 1:5–7
-
Academic Flex (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:05–12:05): An hour built into the school day for academic support. Before each session, students sign up for the teacher they need, whether that is help in a specific class or a quiet study hall. Teachers can also invite students who need extra help, so support comes before a student falls behind. We also use this time to preteach material for AP classes and review material for AP exams in the spring.
Club Flex (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:45–1:25): Time during the school day for student clubs to meet, so every student has a way to get involved. On most Thursdays, this time is used for D-groups.
-
HGCS communicates with families through ParentSquare, where you will find school announcements, calendar updates, and messages from teachers and administrators.