An exceptional student athlete with a wide circle of friends and activities, Ronan’s Grace Heiner is the recipient of the Winslow Nichols Leadership Award from Logan Health. Heiner will receive a $500 check to give to the organization of her choice.

“Grace brightens up everyone’s day when she comes through the door,” said Ronan High Principal Kevin Kenelty. “There’s never not a smile on her face or a good word she says to others.”

“She’s friends with everyone,” he added. “She’s an outstanding kid.”

Love, study, learn, run, cheer and friends are all words the junior uses frequently.

Heiner loves English, and she loves to write. In her Creative Writing class, Heiner and her classmates write poems and short stories; in English, they focus more on essays and analysis.

And apart from assignments, sometimes it’s just nice to write how you feel, Heiner said.

Her teachers in language arts are Claire Hibbs-Cheff and Clarissa Anderson.

“They’re amazing,” she said.

For an end-of-the-semester paper, students could pick a subject “they wanted to argue about.” Heiner chose to write about whether high levels of social media use affects teenagers and makes them more depressed. Heiner found the research interesting, and said she learned many things from studies done on the subject and from her peers.

“I think it does make teenagers more depressed,” she concluded.

Heiner wants to study, learn, and succeed – and not just in English class. It’s her belief that “the more interests you have, it will affect grades, and it might help you do well in school.”

Math is a subject she enjoys when “I’m learning and doing good; I don’t like it when I’m not doing so hot.”

In Jedd Tougas’s chemistry class, Heiner said they’re learning about lightning, “and it’s pretty cool.”

Heiner has positive things to say about all her teachers, but Anderson is one of her favorites. “She just tries to really connect (with students), to get to know you personally.”

Anderson attends the same church Heiner does, and she’s Heiner’s seminary teacher in the morning as well as her English teacher.

 “Ms. Anderson is so passionate. It’s nice to have a teacher who really cares about what they’re teaching.”

It’s a mutual admiration society, since Anderson nominated Heiner for the Winslow Nichols Award.

“Grace is an excellent student; she is intelligent, conscientious, and diligent,” Anderson wrote in the nomination letter. She notes that Heiner participates in many activities, including cross country, HOSA, and cheer, is a leader in each of those areas, and engages regularly in service to the community.

“But most importantly, Grace is genuinely kind,” writes Anderson. “She goes out of her way to include others in her circle, and she encourages those around her to make life better for her classmates. It is a privilege to know her, and I am better for being her teacher.”

Heiner likes to read, and includes the Bible, princess stories (“I’m a sucker for those”) and Jane Austin’s “Sense and Sensibility” among her interests. In English class, students are reading “Huckleberry Finn” and “The Great Gatsby.”

High expectations

Heiner’s parents are Cryse and Aaron Heiner. The family lives in Ronan, and Heiner has three siblings. Her older sister is in college in Dillon and was married last summer while her younger sister is in middle school. Her older brother is a service missionary in Ronan, where he works in the lunchroom and volunteers to help folks around town.

She describes her mom, Cryse, as having “high expectations” for her daughter.

“She’s a sweetie and a smarty,” Grace adds. “That lady is crazy smart.”

Musically inclined, which she attributes to her dad’s side of the family, Heiner sings in honor choir. She qualified for the Montana State Music Festival in 2023, and then was accepted to the NAfME All-Northwest Music Festival in Bellevue, Wash.

She appreciates getting positive feedback “on things you might not even think about,” and notes that judges for music festivals “come from all over the world – so many different people, so diverse.”

She’s also a member of the National Honor Society and participates in the group’s service projects. Two she remembered fondly were making Christmas stockings for St. Luke Extended Care residents and following that up with a visit to sing for the older folks.

“They loved that,” she said.

Another Heiner activity is cheerleading. She’s cheer captain and takes a leadership role in teaching moves and new cheers, to assist their coach.

“We run, we jump, we work out in the weight room together,” Heiner said.

That athleticism carries over into track season. Last year, Heiner competed in the 400-yard dash and the mile. This year she plans on running the two-mile.

“It kind of keeps me in shape for cross country,” she said of her other sport.

According to Ronan cross-country coach Noelle Winebrenner, “Grace has a great work ethic and an abundance of both enthusiasm and determination when it comes to cross country.” The young athlete is also a mentor to the younger runners, “making sure they feel a part of things and helping them by giving valuable advice/support.”

Heiner says her teammate Annie Adams inspires her.

“She is an amazing runner. There’s no way I’ll ever beat her, but I try,” Heiner said. “She keeps me on my toes,”

Heiner says one of her goals is to have “a really good cross-country season for my senior year.”

In addition to running, swimming and biking are also passions.

Heiner is planning to attend college, and says Brigham Young University is high on her list of possibilities.

As far as choosing a major, “That’s a mystery,” she said. “There are so many things I could pick up.”

The multi-talented young woman is right: she has many paths she could follow, or she could forge a new one.

    Cheer Captain Grace Heiner prepares for an evening of cheering on the RHS Maidens or Chiefs. (Courtesy Photo)