Dear Harvest Christian Academy and Westminster Christian School Families,

I am thrilled to share an exciting update that many of you have been patiently anticipating!

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) has officially approved the partnership between Harvest Christian and Westminster Christian to combine all athletic teams starting with the 2025–26 school year! This long-awaited news paves the way for a stronger, united athletic program that reflects the talents, values, and spirit of both school communities.

Together, our student-athletes will compete under the name Harvest-Westminster. This name was chosen simply based on alphabetical order, as a neutral and practical way to represent both schools equally. No preference is implied - just a thoughtful effort to honor both names fairly. This new chapter allows us to come together as one team while honoring the legacies of both schools. Uniforms for each sport will follow a home/away model, meaning teams will wear WCS or HCA uniforms based on the location of the game and availability. Specifics will be finalized by the sport.

Coaches for a Unified Future

In preparation for this new season, our Athletics Transition Team spent weeks carefully interviewing and hearing from coaches across both schools. This thoughtful process aimed to build a unified coaching roster of individuals who share a vision for discipleship, excellence, and Christ-centered leadership.

We are happy to share that the process is now complete, the transition team is notifying coaches, and our newly selected coaching teams will begin working with their unified teams in the coming weeks and months. We ask for your continued prayers over our coaches, as they will be on the front lines of building our athletics culture - one that is Christ-honoring, focused on character, and committed to equipping each athlete to grow both on and off the field.

Athletic Director, Facility Planning and Gym Access

As we move forward, we will also begin a search for an Athletic Director who will lead this new era of Harvest-Westminster athletics - someone with the heart, vision, and leadership to guide our athletes and programs through the transition and into the future.

We recognize that there are still logistics to finalize. With ACTS 2 Ministries moving into the HBC/HCA buildings, access to the Mitch gym will be limited. However, we are grateful to have full use of the Westminster gym and athletic fields for home games and matches. A few key exceptions:

• Cross Country will continue to utilize both HCA and WCS outdoor properties.
• Golfers will practice at the Golf Club of Illinois.
• Our athletics transition team is actively exploring additional local gym options to accommodate practice needs for all teams.

I want to thank each of you—families, students, and staff—for your incredible patience, support, and prayers during this season of transition. There are many moving parts, but I am confident that God is at work in every detail. I am excited to see what He will do through this new partnership, and I am committed to clear communication and smooth planning in the months ahead.

Partnering Together,

Carlye Hay

Head of School

847.695.0310 ext 205

chay@westminsterchristian.org



“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

Psalm 133:1