The Hill Academy Newsletter- January 3rd, 2021

January 3rd, 2021 HILL Message (from Academic Director Rick Kunc): Welcome to 2021. As I joined The Hill team, I was drawn to the positive energy. The Leadership team’s grounding in the HILL principles has allowed them to deal with the immense challenges of the past year with grace, professionalism, and a positive attitude. As I interacted with the faculty over the summer, they brought passion and excitement in preparing how to bring a quality program to our students. Our coaches and staff focused on “how might we” rather than what we could not do, and our families showed that you believed in us by making the continued commitment to the Hill. Finally, and most importantly, our students arrived each day with a smile, a willingness to work hard, and the commitment to leadership and growth that we ask of each of them. If we reflect on the start of this school year, I am sure that we were all hopeful that by now we would be in a world that was closer to “normal” than we are. We were hopeful we could be back competing, training, and attending classes in a “normal” way. But we are not. In fact, we may be in a position where we must take greater precautions because the weather means it is more difficult to spend time outside. So, this is what tests our resolve as a community. We must stay strong, positive, and committed to following the safety protocols that are in place. Right now: Highest Level of Achievement – means following protocols all the time. Independent Thought – means identifying the supports we each need to get through this and asking for the help that we need. Leadership – is what we all need to show right now. Notice your teammates. If they are struggling, help them, and if they are struggling to follow the rules help them to do so. We need each of you to lead right now. Legacy – We can do this together. And if we do, our COVID-19 legacy will be that together, as a community, we were able to face these unprecedented challenges and come out the other side stronger than ever. Failure to follow the rules could result in the school closing for an extended period and none of us want that to happen. Each of us is a link in the chain that determines our success. Be the strongest link you can be.

Quote of the Week: The weakest link in the chain is the strongest because it can break it. Stanislaw Lem