I just wanted to pause and share how proud I am of the students at Hickory Grove Christian School. I love sports and personally witnessed over this first semester the hard work, dedication, and fortitude that our students have put into their craft. I would like to share what has become a common occurrence over this first semester an example of this type of herculean effort that I have watched in multiple events whether athletically or in one of the other endeavors that our students pursue ranging from the arts to the books.
Charlotte Country Day has more than twice the number of students as Hickory Grove Christian School, but on Tuesday night I watched as our JV Boys Basketball team came from eight points down in the 4th quarter to win. It was a gritty, hard-fought win that our boys can hang their hats on as a signature win. Following the JV game, our undefeated varsity girls battled through three-quarters in a highly contested game to put the Buccaneers away by ten points to remain undefeated. These girls continually leave everything on the floor when they play and currently offer one of the best records in Charlotte as an example of their successes.
Lastly, I watched a completely undersized HGCS varsity boys team display their trademark, "never say die" attitude battle from being down by a huge margin in the first quarter to have a chance to win in the last minute. It was a gutty, enjoyable performance against an athletic and super talented team, despite the result. Each of these teams should be proud of their efforts. As a school, we are proud of how they displayed this work ethic on Tuesday night and each and every game.
Finally, these games were played in front of a large group of spirited, yet respectful, group of students. These students (Manford's Madmen) never sat down for the entire game. They displayed the type of atmosphere that makes high school such a wonderful experience. Our athletes felt supported. This raucous "6th man" provided a huge advantage for our teams.
If you have not seen any of our sports teams play, then I encourage you to come out and support these student athletes. If you have not attended a drama or a band performance or any other activity that supports your friends, then please do so. These sports mentioned here represent only a few of the dedicated students that we have here at HGCS. Their efforts should not diminish the hard work that those that are involved with the arts, clubs, academics, etc put in each and every day but provide just a glimpse of what goes on here at HGCS after the last bell rings.
God is honored when we take the gifts that He has given us and maximize them for His glory. You are doing this on a daily basis, and we as a school appreciate it. Thank you!
