By Sydney Sears and Rachel Lamb

Early every Tuesday morning a small group of students meets with Highland Hills Middle School teacher April Elmore to gather in prayer.

“Prayer can change the climate of the school,” said Elmore.

Elmore started this group last year after a couple of girls in her small group at Northside Christian Church wanted to begin a prayer group at their school. Elmore took the initiative to create this group so that students can grow closer to God in high school and help prepare their faith for college.

“The prayer group is just a few high school kids that come to school early before school on Tuesdays and pray. It exists to be a time for students to simply read a few verses of the Bible and pray for what they feel like,” said junior Reagan Kurk.

Reagan is one of the girls in Elmore’s church small group.

The group meets every Tuesday morning at about 7:05 a.m. outside the athletic office. During this time they talk about life, complete a devotional, and then finally finish with prayer. This all ends at about 7:30 a.m., giving students enough time to prepare for their first class.

Senior Scott Schuchartdt shares how he has personally benefitted from the prayer group.

“You get to connect with others that share the same faith that you do and realize that you are not alone.”

Reagan and Schuchartdt agreed that this group creates a positive influence in your life.

“Allowing students the opportunity to meet, encourage one another, and pray together is a wonderful thing,” said Reagan.

“You are able to grow your faith so that you can impact the school in a positive way through prayer and fellow devotions,” said Schuchartdt.

Some students that attend this group like Schuchartdt said they not only grow closer with one another but God as well.

“This group helps brighten my day and opens my eyes to what He has done around me,” said freshman Elise Kurk.