Page Text: A Letter from the Director:
The Hillside Adventure
In many fairy tales and myths, the adventure seems to start by accident, but the children answer the call. They follow the strange bird into the forest and lose their way in the dark woods. That’s only the beginning. Through many struggles and ordeals, through travels both exotic and ordinary, they learn new skills. Often with the guidance and gifts of others, they solve a riddle, to rescue a prisoner, or to locate a mysterious treasure. In the end, they find that the treasure has been buried all along under their own hearth or in their own garden. But they only learn this by going on the journey.
The true purpose of education is to draw out and develop the potential that already lies within the individual like a hidden treasure or a magic seed. This is our goal at Hillside, and has been for over forty-five years; to allow the excellence that already exists in each student to flourish in a supportive and engaged community. In our small classes, students build the confidence and the skills to speak up for themselves and others. They learn the courage to take risks, to fail, to forgive the failure, and to try again. In such a small school, students discover how to get along with all types, ages and personalities. They learn to cheer each other on to excel.
Under the guidance of gifted teachers who share their excitement for their challenging academic subjects, students master mathematics, converse easily in French, deal with vectors in physics class, write with fluency, power and imagination, declaim Molière on stage, and fence sabre at the national level. Our graduates consistently win awards, earn high scores on SATs, and are accepted into top tier colleges and universities.
Above all, students at Hillside accept the call to adventure. They become thinkers and citizens, participants in a world that increasingly needs the gifts each of us has to offer. We welcome you to find out more about our school and its program.
Sincerely,