Local News
Highlands University Prep opens
Marc Valero | Highlands Today
Published: August 20, 2012
SEBRING - Highlands University Preparatory School opened for classes last Monday, marking a big change for a private school that originally opened in 1979 as Sebring Christian School and became Heartland Christian School in 1988.Published: August 20, 2012
"We are off to a really good start; we just finished our first week, and it was great," said Head of School Wes Johnston. "We need more students, but the ones we have are just superb, and we are really excited.
"The students love their teachers and the teachers love the students, so it's really going well."
The school's enrollment is around 120.
"Our admissions process has changed, too, so we are much more selective," Johnston noted.
They have done a lot of renovations around the school, including a large depiction of a lion's head in the gym with the words "home of the pride" to reflect the school's new "pride" mascot, he said.
The school has eight new teachers who are off to a good start, Johnston added.
Around Jan. 1, Heartland Christian's board of directors adopted a new vision, along with new goals and strategies that included sharpening its focus on higher standards and students with Christian values.
The new vision and effort to prepare students to enroll in the nation's most selective colleges and universities included the name change to Highlands University Preparatory School, or UPrep for short.
The school received a $247,000 bequest in March, which is believed to be the largest donation the school has received.
At the time, Johnston said, the gift was welcomed, noting that a tuition-driven school with no tax support is pretty much dependent on enrollment and donations.
The bequest came from the estate of Everett and Gertrude "Trudy" Nussman of Sebring. Gertrude passed away in 2009. Everett, 90, passed away Feb. 27.
mvalero@highlandstoday.com (863) 386-5826