Missionaries Embrace HPHS Motto, Serve Around the World
By: Val Holley
At Highland Park High School, the motto “Enter to learn, go forth to serve” is more than a slogan etched on a wall — it’s a way of life.
Rooted in a tradition of excellence now spanning more than a century, Highland Park requires students to complete a minimum of 50 hours of community service, alongside rigorous academic standards, to graduate.
While these expectations might seem daunting to students (and parents) at first, many embrace service not as a requirement, but as a guiding principle to shape their futures.
Among those are more than a dozen graduates who have either accepted calls, are serving, or have recently returned from full-time missionary assignments for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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These young men and women, who volunteer at their own expense and often must learn a new language before departing, credit their Park Cities education with helping prepare them.
Class of 2025 graduate Will Hinze, a standout on the Scots tennis team, put his athletic career on hold to accept a mission assignment to the church’s newly created Montana Missoula Mission.
“As a competitor, I thrive being out of my comfort zone,” Hinze said. “I knew wherever I was called would be exactly where I needed to be.”
Hinze credits his coaches, teachers, and fellow students at Highland Park, as well as the examples within his family, including his sister Savannah who is serving in the Canada Toronto Mission, for helping to build the confidence to serve.
Elijah Son, a 2024 graduate and All-State pianist, is another alum who says his time at the school helped shape his desire to serve and eagerness to accept his call to the Japan Kobe Mission, where Christians represent just 1.5% of the population.
“I feel so fortunate to be able to serve the people of Japan,” Son said. “The first thing we want people to know is that God loves them — that He knows us by name and wants to help us through our trials.”
Maren Hamilton, Class of 2022, recently returned from an 18-month mission in Frankfurt, Germany.
“Serving others and focusing on God every day for 18 months strengthened my devotion to the Gospel,” Hamilton said.
Dallas Tanner’s son Krew, from the Class of 2024, competed on the Scots gymnastic team and is now serving at a Mandarin-speaking mission in Orlando, Florida.
“Watching Krew grow through serving others has been incredibly rewarding,” Dallas Tanner said. “He’s more Christ-centered, and it shows in his demeanor and what he teaches our family in our weekly letters and Zoom calls.”
Mark Nance, Class of 2024 and a former distance captain of the Scots Track and Field team, is serving in the Brazil Ribeirão Preto mission.
“Mark went from being focused on himself to focusing on others,” his mother, Julie, said. “That shift in perspective has made him genuinely happier.”
Flynn Hatch, Class of 2023, was a Highland Park Student Ambassador, multi-sport varsity athlete, and a member of the acapella singing group Park Version.
His parents, Troy and Anne describe Flynn’s experiences working in the Mexico City mission as “transformative.”
“He listens more closely to the needs of others, acts more purposefully, and leads with humility,” Anne said.
Val Holley is an award-winning former reporter and has been a resident of the Highland Park community for more than a decade.
