The Hill School Explained

The Hill School
Motto:Whatsoever things are true
Motto Translation:Philippians 4:8
Address:860 Beech St
Zipcode:19464
Former Name:Family Boarding School for Boys and Young Men (1851-74)
Status:Currently operational
Ceeb:394080
Chair:James L. Alexandre '75
Head Of School:Kathleen Devaney
Faculty:74.1 (FTE)
Enrollment:529
Enrollment As Of:2019–20
Grade9:108
Grade10:126
Grade11:142
Grade12:153
Average Class Size:10
Ratio:7.1
Hours In Day:7.1
Campus Size:200acres
Student Union Label:to override the default label -->
Colors:Gray & Blue
Song:A Thousand Hands
Fight Song:Dear Old Hill
Sports:31
Mascot:Ram
Accreditation:MSA
Endowment:$163 million[1]
Annual Tuition:$63,870 (boarding)
$44,060 (day)
Revenue:$57 million
Affiliation:Ten Schools Admissions Organization[2]

The Hill School is a coeducational preparatory boarding school located on a 200acres campus[3] in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about northwest of Philadelphia. The Hill is part of the Ten Schools Admissions Organization (TSAO).

The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools.[4]

History

The Hill School was founded in 1851 by the Rev. Matthew Meigs as the Family Boarding School for Boys and Young Men. However, it has been known as the Hill School since 1874.[5]

The school opened on May 1, 1851, enrolling 25 boys for the first year. It considered itself a new type of boarding school, namely a "family boarding school" with students housed on campus, not boarding with families in the town.[6]

In 1998, the school became coeducational, enrolling 88 girls in its first year.

Academics

In the early 20th century, The Hill was a feeder school for Princeton University;[7] The Hill School Club was active at Princeton for the benefit of Hill alumni.[8] Princeton's admissions standards were relaxed for Hill School students.[9] At one point, Lawrenceville and Hill sent more students to Princeton than all public schools combined.[10] Today, Hill alumni attend a wide variety of colleges.[11]

The Hill School offers classes in each of its nine academic departments and offers 28 Advanced Placement courses.[12]

Partner schools

The Hill School has cooperated with Charterhouse School in the United Kingdom since 1994; they organize instructional trips and exchanges of extracurricular programs and teachers.[13] It is linked with the Maru a Pula School in Botswana.[14] As well, the Hill hosts a Thai King's Scholar every year.[15] The Hill School is a participating school in the Naval Academy Foundation Prep Program.[16]

Athletics

In the early days of the school, boys played shinney, town ball, football and cricket. During John Meigs' tenure as headmaster, organized and interscholastic sports began at The Hill. Tennis became the dominant sport during this period, unlike baseball at other schools.[17]

The Hill School is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL), which the School joined in 1998.[18] The Hill School was a charter member of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA), which became an officially sanctioned organization in 2011.[19] In 2014, The Hill School received associate membership in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC).

The Hill School's rivalry with Lawrenceville dates back to 1887. It is the fifth-oldest high school rivalry in the United States.[20] Originally an annual football game, the schools compete against each other in all of the fall sports on either the first or second weekend in November.

Peddie School also maintains a "Hill Day" during which several teams from Hill and Peddie compete.[21]

Culture

The Hill School has been described as different in style and spirit from its counterparts in New England, and has been described as strict and demanding.[22] [23] It has also been described as conservative.[24]

Alumnus Oliver Stone described his experience at The Hill School: "I hated the Hill School at the time. It was monastic. Horrible food, no girls. It was truly one of those Charles Dickens' types of experiences. And I really hated it. Years later I came to appreciate it."[25] The Hill has been criticized, alongside other East Coast Protestant schools, for promoting "snobbish", undemocratic, and "un-American values".[26] [27]

E. Digby Baltzell's book The Protestant Establishment identified the Hill School as one of the "select sixteen" best boarding schools in the United States.[28]

Notable alumni

See main article: List of The Hill School alumni.

Heads of School

Heads of School for The Hill School since its founding in 1851:[29]

Name Tenure Education Notes
1851–1876 Union College, Union Theological Seminary Presbyterian minister and former President of Delaware College.[30]
John Meigs 1876–1911 Hill, Lafayette College Took over as headmaster at age 24.[31]
Alfred G. Rolfe 1911–1914
Dwight R. Meigs 1914–1922 Son of John Meigs, who created the current dining room, described by the school as "a pivotal gathering space on The Hill School’s campus."[32]
Dr. Boyd Edwards 1922–1928 [33]
1928–1952 Olympic silver medalist in 110 m hurdles[34]
Edward (Ned) T. Hall 1952–1968 Also served as ice hockey coach[35]
Archibald R. Montgomery[36] 1968–1973 Left to become headmaster of St. Stephen's Episcopal School. Former United States Marine.
Charles C. Watson 1973–1993 Former U.S Navy officer[37]
David R. Dougherty 1993–2012 Episcopal High School, Washington and Lee UniversityOversaw shift to co-ed school[38]
Zachary G. Lehman 2012–2022 Phillips Exeter Academy, Dartmouth College, Harvard Law School [39]
Kathleen Devaney2023-PresentBowdoin College, Dartmouth CollegeFirst female head of school

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Form 990 . Internal Revenue Service . 6 February 2022 . 2019.
  2. Web site: The Hill School . Ten Schools Admission Organization . 15 March 2018.
  3. Web site: The Hill School Campus . www.thehill.org . 2017-06-22.
  4. http://www.msa-cess.org/default.aspx?RelID=606553 Hill School (The)
  5. Web site: Hill School History and Trivia . www.thehill.org . July 26, 2017.
  6. Book: Chancellor, Paul . The History of the Hill School:1851-1976 . 1976.
  7. Book: Princeton Alumni Weekly . Princeton Publishing Company . 1911 . 12 . PRNC:32101077278289.
  8. Book: Princeton Alumni Weekly . Princeton Publishing Company . 1910 . 11 . PRNC:32101081974675.
  9. Web site: Princeton Alumni Weekly - Google Books . 1994 . 2017-07-26. Williams . Jesse Lynch . Norris . Edwin Mark .
  10. Book: Lessons from Privilege: The American Prep School Tradition - Arthur G. Powell - Google Books . 9780674525498 . 2017-07-26. Powell . Arthur G. . 1996 . Harvard University Press .
  11. Web site: The Hill School College Matriculation . 2017-06-16 . Thehill.org . 2017-07-26.
  12. Web site: Advancement Placement Courses . The Hill School . 18 January 2016.
  13. http://www.charterhouse.org.uk/Hill-School-USA "The Hill School, Pottstown, USA"
  14. Web site: Student Exchanges | Maru-a-Pula School . Maruapula.org . 2017-07-26.
  15. Web site: Profile for Colleges . www.thehill.org .
  16. Web site: About Us - ASP Programs . 2001-11-09 . www.usna.com . 2017-07-26.
  17. Book: Muscle and Manliness: The Rise of Sport in American Boarding Schools - Axel Bundgaard - Google Books . 9780815630821 . 2017-07-26. Bundgaard . Axel . 2005-07-11 . Syracuse University Press .
  18. Web site: Mid-Atlantic Prep League . Maplathletics.org . 2017-07-26.
  19. Web site: Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association . Paisaasports.org . 2017-07-26.
  20. Seeley, Don. Hill School vs. Lawrenceville more than a rivalry. Pottstown Mercury (Pennsylvania). November 12, 2010. "The fifth-oldest rivalry in all of America is enough to kindle the Rams and the entire Hill School campus."
  21. Web site: Recordings of Hill Day wins for football and field hockey now available | Peddie School . 2014-10-13 . Peddie.org . 2017-07-26.
  22. Web site: Eric Trump, Donald's Son: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know . Morrow . Brendan . 2016-05-25 . Heavy.com . 2017-07-26.
  23. Book: Edmund Wilson's America - George H. Douglas - Google Books . 2015-01-13 . 9780813159232 . 2017-07-26. Douglas . George H. . University Press of Kentucky .
  24. Book: Kingdom: The Story of the Hunt Family of Texas - Jerome Tuccille - Google Books . 9781587982262 . 2017-07-26. Tuccille . Jerome . 2003 . Beard Books .
  25. Web site: The Answer Sheet - The education of Oliver Stone . Strauss . Valerie . 2010-09-24 . Voices.washingtonpost.com . 2017-07-26.
  26. Book: The High Status Track: Studies of Elite Schools and Stratification - Paul W. Kingston - Google Books . 1990-03-27 . 9780791400104 . 2017-07-26. Kingston . Paul W. . Lewis . Lionel Stanley . SUNY Press .
  27. Who Was Hobie Weekes? . The New Yorker . 2017-07-26.
  28. Education of an Elite | History of Education Quarterly | Cambridge Core . (a1) State University of New York . History of Education Quarterly . 2017-02-24 . 28 . 3 . 367–386 . Cambridge.org . 10.2307/369088 . 369088 . 143094005 . 2017-07-26.
  29. http://www.thehill.org/EarlySchoolHistory Early Hill School History (1851-2012)
  30. https://books.google.com/books?id=yDJPPGNwQE8C&pg=PA146 A Handbook of the Best Private Schools of the United States and Canada
  31. Staff. "Prof. John Meigs Dead.; Principal of the Hill School Was a Prominent Educator.", The New York Times, November 8, 1911. Accessed January 5, 2018.
  32. http://www.thehill.org/DiningHallHistoryTraditions Seated Meals in the Dining Room
  33. Staff. "Hill School Gets New Headmaster.", The New York Times, May 21, 1922. Accessed January 5, 2018. "Elaborate ceremonies this afternoon marked the induction into his new position of the Rev. Dr. Boyd Edwards, formerly of Orange, N.J., as headmaster of the Hill School."
  34. Staff. "Dr. James Wendell, Headed Hill School", The New York Times, November 23, 1958. Accessed January 5, 2018.
  35. Strauss, Michael. "Prep School Sports; Hill Headmaster Builds Interest in Hockey Despite Forecast of Warmer Winters", The New York Times, January 5, 1953. Accessed January 7, 2018. "Ned Hall, the new headmaster at The Hill School, came upon a disconcerting item over the holidays. While on a junket through New England and New York, Hall read a report in which a Yale scientist said winters in this hemisphere would be warmer and drier for approximately two centuries."
  36. Web site: Archibald R. Montgomery Iii, Educator.
  37. Staff. "Watson Is Appointed As Hill's Headmaster", The New York Times, June 10, 1973. Accessed January 5, 2018. "Charles Caldwell Watson has been appointed to succeed Archibald R. Montgomery 3d as headmaster of the Hill School, the boy's preparatory school in Pottstown, Pa."
  38. Brandt, Evan. "Hill School headmaster reveals plans to retire", The Mercury (Pennsylvania), May 1, 2011. Accessed January 6, 2018. "David R. Dougherty, the headmaster who oversaw the historic conversion of The Hill School from a boys' college preparatory school to a co-ed facility, has announced he will retire next year, ending a 19-year career at the school."
  39. Brandt, Evan. "Maine educator chosen to lead The Hill School", The Mercury (Pennsylvania), November 14, 2011. Accessed January 6, 2018. "An assistant headmaster at a Maine private school has been selected as the new Hill School headmaster it was announced Monday. Zachary Gimbel Lehman, 38, who has served for six years as the assistant head of school for advancement at Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine, will take over for retiring Headmaster David R. Dougherty, who, with his wife Kay, will retire on June 30, 2012 after 19 years of service to the school."

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