The nine Fruits of the Spirit are the heart of Christian values at Lake Highland: Kindness, Faithfulness, Peace, Gentleness, Patience, Love, Self-Control, Goodness, and Joy. Each month of the school year focuses on a different Fruit of the Spirit. The student body comprises many different faiths, and families of all religions are welcome. The LHP mission statement believes that each student is a unique child of God, and every child can thrive in an atmosphere of love, concern, and mutual respect.
Lake Highland welcomes a new Chaplain, Reverend Greg Laible. In the past, he served as a chaplain at five Chick-fil-a restaurants in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he would hang out with high school students and young adults as a “Care Coach” to listen and give advice. Rev. Laible explained, “I really wanted every person to know that they were loved by God and special.” What brought him to Lake Highland was, “A like-minded passion to encourage the next generation to be all that God created them to be within an atmosphere of love, concern, and mutual respect,” as well as, “A desire to encourage students to have a positive impact on the world around them, by taking time for their own soul-care and mental health.”
Reverend Laible’s family was looking to relocate to be closer to family and to enjoy Florida’s warm weather after years of living in the cold north. As the new Reverend, he plans to bring a love for God and a love for people to Lake Highland. He looks forward to caring spiritually for the LHP Community, including both faculty and students. He stated, “It is a privilege to bring hope to other people and to help them to understand just how special they are in God’s eyes.”
With less than a month into school, Rev. Laible was already making strides to enhance the school community and help it grow spiritually with the help of President Jim McIntyre. Two Assistant Chaplains have been welcomed to the Chaplain Team. President McIntyre realized that two teachers were already actively involved in the spiritual care of students on a daily basis: Mr. Cris Denard (“Coach Cheese”) and Mr. JR Solis. Mr. Denard will be serving the Charles Clayton Campus as an Assistant Chaplain, and Mr. Solis will be serving the Bradshaw Campus as an Assistant Chaplain. The Chaplain at LHP is focused on the Christian development of its students and staff, but anyone can come to the Chaplain for advice, guidance, or someone to talk to.
The Chaplain’s desire to serve comes from his Christian faith. The Assistant Chaplain has the same role and responsibilities. They are just focused more on a certain division, like the Charles Clayton Campus and Bradshaw Campus. There are a lot of students and staff at LHP, so it is easy for one Chaplain to get overwhelmed. Mr. Solis and Mr. Denard are helping to better facilitate the role for the whole campus. The team of three will be working together throughout the school year to develop and coordinate efforts to instill Christian values within the school community, which will include assisting in character education and other activities for LHP students.
Mr. Cris Denard teaches Engineering at the Innovation Institute at the Charles Clayton Campus. He is also the head coach of the Middle School Football team. He has coached Varsity Football too, as well as the wrestling, soccer, track, baseball, and softball programs in the past. His contact with LHP started in 2000 when he was working with a para-church ministry called K-Life, which is similar to Young Life. He was coming on campus, meeting with former LHP Chaplain Reverend Joe Sims and students, and running a lunchtime meeting where he talked with students about their faith.
Mr. Denard also began helping Rev. Sims to coach Middle School football. A few years later, Rev. Sims asked him to be his assistant when Lake Highland was still one campus. When the Charles Clayton Campus was created, Mr. Denard became an extension of Reverend Sim’s role on the new campus. Now, as a part of the Chaplain Team, he leads the Middle School weekly chapel, FLO (Faith Lived Out-loud) on Thursdays during FLING, as well as discusses each of the Fruits of the Spirit each month during Middle School Unity Meetings.
Mr. JR Solis teaches World History Honors and coaches the J.V. Boys Basketball team. As an Assistant Chaplain, he supports Rev. Laible and the LHP community by echoing the school mission statement, along with advocating for and encouraging students, staff, and faculty. Mr. Solis explained, “The role of Assistant Chaplain for the Bradshaw Campus is something that was discussed with me as a possibility, and when the opportunity came my way, I was incredibly grateful. I love Lake Highland Prep., and in whatever way I am able to serve the Highlander community, I was all in. It was just something that worked out, and I knew it was meant to be.” With Mr. Solis and Rev. Laible on the Bradshaw Campus and Mr. Denard at the Charles Clayton Campus, Rev. Laible believes the team has a great opportunity to have a widespread impact on the LHP community. Rev. Laible expressed, “While our physical locations may be distant from one another, spiritually we are close. Staying rooted in the true reason as to why we serve will guide us going forward. Whether it be through praying for the community, supporting faith-based clubs, or living out the Fruit of the Spirit, I’m excited to be a part of this team.”
To create a culture where students respect and understand different religions, teachers and staff strive to personify the nine attributes of the Fruit of the Spirit through the Fruit of the Spirit Initiative to set an example for students. Also, the promotion of national prayer events such as See You at the Pole, an annual back-to-school nationwide event where students unite at school and surround their flag poles to pray for our nation and local communities, can bring students and the campuses together. Special times like FLO every Thursday at the Middle School allow students to come together during FLING to hear about what the Fruit of the Spirit looks like in day-to-day living.
Fruit of the Spirit stations are featured throughout all campuses in order to celebrate demonstrations of the Fruit of the Spirit and for Highlanders to focus on a specific Fruit of the Spirit each month. Some “swag locations” include the Chaplain Office of the Kind Family Library, the Lower School Faculty Lounge, the Middle School Faculty Lounge, the Rex Second Floor Breakroom, and the Porter Family Center for Innovation and Academics Faculty Lounge. These are mini hubs of supplies that have previously existed, but just restocked and expanded. Teachers and staff are encouraged to have an extra button or sticker on hand to give to a student who they see demonstrating a particular Fruit of the Spirit towards their classmate or teacher. With students grade 5 and up are all wearing lanyards, this gives an easy place to attach “FOS swag.”
The Fruit of the Spirit for October is Faithfulness. Faithfulness is being loyal and consistent, following through on commitments, and showing dedication. It is important to uphold the Fruits of the Spirit in order to grow individually and help the community. As Mr. Denard said, “The Fruit is what is inside us. It is who we are, shown to the world.”
