NHA Honors Night Celebrates Achievement and Character

Students from across National Heritage Academies^® (NHA^®) West Michigan schools gathered for NHA Honors Night to celebrate student achievement and listen to NHA alumni inspire them for what’s ahead.

The event honored top students across the region for their outstanding academics, strong character, and community service. Students felt support from family, friends, and their school leaders. Manager of Admissions Carri Bronkema said there was full participation from school leadership teams, who prioritized connecting with and recognizing their students.



Bronkema shared the night also served as a collaboration between the K-8 schools in Grand Rapids and NHA’s two high schools in the area, Grand River Preparatory High School and Wellspring Preparatory High School.

“It also serves as a good opportunity to bring awareness efforts together,” Bronkema said. “We’re all in this together. Our K-8s each have matriculation agreements with either Grand River Prep and Wellspring Prep, and two have agreements with both high schools. It’s important for our families to know they have great opportunities to attend our high schools.”



The crowd also heard from Chief Learning Officer Nick Sheltrown, Grand River Prep alum Kevin Kurgat, and Wellspring Prep alum and Walker staff member Savannah March. Kurgat and March spoke about how their experiences as students have helped them advance their lives and careers.

Both alumni speakers shared how important Moral Focus™ virtues such as perseverance and integrity have been as they grow as humans. This connection between high-quality academics and character growth showed students that what they learn in class, they will use in life.



Bronkema and Manager of Admissions Angela Liegghio said they want to expand the event to other NHA regions in the future. Recognizing high-achieving students and showing them how their hard work now will pay off in the future is something their teams want to prioritize network wide.

“It’s important to acknowledge the hard work these kids put in, and it doesn’t have to be just educational,” Bronkema said. “Our nominees for these awards excel in sports with Moral Focus™, in their communities, and with other extracurricular activities. We love how involved our students are, and we are happy to celebrate them.”