Self-starting group “keeps it real” at Eden High

What do you do when 60 grade ten girls show up for a “small group” every Tuesday? After a three-day retreat at Camp Crossroads in the fall Malorie Van Weelden, Lauren Hauck, and Jessica Evans decided to put together a group of 15-year-old girls who were committed to seeking God and growing together at Eden High School in St. Catharines, Ont.

(l–r) Malorie Van Weelden, Jessica Evans, and Lauren Hauck

“Discover” provides a safe place for these girls to be just who God created them. “You don’t have to put on a face,” says Jessica. “Here, you can be at your own level; you don’t have to hide.” Surprisingly, the group was organized totally independent from the school’s spiritual life department leadership. No one told them to do it.

As the biggest publicly funded high school in the region, Eden has nearly 800 students who attend for more than an academic education. Alongside scholastics, the spiritual life department within the school runs daily chapel programs, mission trips, grade nine Bible classes, and one-on-one chats with students.

—Leah Good, Eden Spiritual Life Dept.