The Hill Academy Newsletter- November 8th, 2020

November 8th, 2020 HILL Message (from Academic Director Rick Kunc): “Hill student-athletes are taught to make decisions and to work through his/her academics and athletics INDEPENDENTLY.” This is part of who we are. So how does this materialize on a day to day basis? In the classroom, it is reflected in our faculty members knowing their students and providing them the support they need. And it is about our students striving to be their best by taking responsibility for engaging in the learning. We often measure our success in the classroom by the mark we get. However, this is a bit of a false narrative. Take two grade 9 geography students. Student A rarely participates in classroom discussions, gives minimal time for homework, and rarely studies for assessments. But geography comes “naturally” and this student gets an 82 per cent. Student B always asks questions in class, does homework regularly and usually creates a study group to prepare for tests. This student works hard, is consistently engaged and receives a 78 per cent. Who is more successful? We would argue that Student B is more successful because he has developed great work habits, a sense of discipline, how to advocate for himself, and has probably learned a lot about geography that he didn’t know before. While the “reward” at the end, the mark, was not as high as Student A, the rewards that will impact him for the rest of his life are far greater. This also applies to athletics. An Olympic athlete trains for four years to get to the Olympics. Of course, each one of them wants to win gold but only one does. So, if each of them only judges their success with gold, then all that hard work for every other athlete was for nothing. But if they take to the journey committed to be their best, to do the work and grow as an athlete and to be the best that they can be, then the rewards will take care of themselves. Athletes want to win; we play to win, and we should. But winning is not the only reward we get for training and competing. This coming week is signing day for many of our student-athletes. And while post- secondary destinations are important, it cannot be the only reason that you strap on your equipment each day. We hope that our young athletes grow from the process. That they learn to engage in their athletic growth, skill development and the invaluable lessons that you learn by being a part of a team. We believe that our student-athletes should not measure themselves by the prize at the end, but rather by the growth that they have experienced along the way. By their INDIVIDUAL growth and development. And when you focus on that, the rewards take care of themselves. We want them to leave The Hill knowing more about themselves, having developed