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 some essential life skills, and being proud of what they accomplished and who they have become. Quote of the Week: “Concentrate on what will produce the results rather than on the results, the process rather than the prize.” — Bill Walsh – Hall of Fame NFL Coach ________________________________________________________________________ Other Notes and Important Information: Movember: Please join up this Movember as we raise funds to fight cancer. You can support our "Mo the Hill" team by growing your Mo or donate by visiting: https://movember.com/t/mo-the-hill?mc=1 Monday Morning Assembly: There is a Monday morning assembly tomorrow. Secondary students will tune in by clicking the Zoom link below at 8:30am: Monday Morning Assembly Midterm Report Cards/Parent Portal Secondary Students will be receiving their midterm report cards for Semester 1 this week on Wednesday, November 11th. The Power School Parent Portal will be closed until Thursday, November 12th. Parent Teacher Interviews Secondary Parent-Teacher Interviews will be taking place in two sessions: Thursday, November 12th from 6:00pm-8:00pm and Friday, November 13th from 9:45am -12:00pm. Appointments can be made HERE and will take place through Zoom. Hill Re-Usable Masks: Hill Academy reusable masks are now available for sale through our online store for $20.00! The masks are lightweight and breathable with soft elastic around the ears that allows for maximum comfort and stretch. The inner layer is a super soft bamboo/cotton blend, with a Micro Quick-Dry mesh outer layer. There is also a slot between the layers to allow for the addition of a filter if desired. When ordering online students can select the Pick-Up At School option under the shipping tab. Orders can be picked up from the from office on Tuesdays and Thursdays. https://www.thehillacademy.com/shop Remembrance Day 2020: The students will be participating in a remote Remembrance Day ceremony in their class this Wednesday November 11th, from 10:45-11:05am. Wednesday November 11th- National Signing Day All grade 12 & PG students who are committed and will be signing their letters of commitment to attend their respective universities in the fall of 2021, are encouraged to bring their school swag for pictures celebrating National Signing Day! We will be doing both group and individual shots at lunch during your flex time. We look forward to celebrating and capturing this amazing accomplishment with our student-athletes. Dragons Den with Ms. Campagna and Mr. Siskos Yesterday, Mr. Siskos and Ms. Campagna hosted a cross-curricular "Dragon's Den" event, with his Economics class and her Writer's Craft class. The Economics class has been learning about marketing, and the Writer's Craft class has been learning about rhetoric, advertisements, and sales pitches. The Writer’s Craft students presented business pitches, and the Economics students acted as the "dragons", asking questions and assessing the effectiveness of their pitches. Congratulations to our presenters, who were all persuasive, efficient, and professional! HILL Athletics (From Athletic Director Brodie Merrill) This week’s theme was “measure someone by the size of their heart.” The video highlighted a group of underestimated, undersized Navy Seals in training, that were doubted, but prevailed in a gruelling paddle competition. Coach Glisic was our staff guest speaker, which in a way was ironic considering he is the tallest person in the school! That said, it can go both ways, people make assumptions based on size too often. Once you become engaged in competition, you quickly realize that physical stature is less of a factor than qualities like competitiveness, heart, determination, poise, IQ. Physical athleticism can be defined in a lot of different ways as well. The key is using what physical strengths you have to your advantage and driving your talents with strong character traits. Coach Glisic recognized two of our more notable Alums as being smaller, unassuming people and athletes. I hadn’t seen Mitch Marner play live when he was at The Hill and was shocked when he was projected to go in the first round of the OHL draft. “The nice, skinny kid that looks like he is 10 years old?” Then I watched him on the ice later that year and was amazed by his skill and hockey instinct; the puck was always on his stick. Much of the same can be said of Jeff Teat and Coach Glisic shared a similar “who, that kid?” story on Jeff. The core of what makes them successful as athletes is not easily seen by the naked eye. Coach Glisic also recognized Shane Wright, who does have have your prototypical athletic stature, but his attitude and work ethic is what really sets him apart. There are plenty of athletes that are big, strong, and fast! Our very first attack line in our lacrosse program consisted of: Jeremy Noble, Zach Palmer, and Travis Comeau. All of them were “5 foot nothing, 100 and nothing,” but formed one of our best attack units in program history. I recently watched Hill Alum, Aurora Cordingly compete for Team Canada Women’s National lacrosse team. Although one of the smallest and youngest players on the team, she was possibly the most impactful. She had a presence all over the field, displaying high level skill and competitiveness So for the smaller players in our program, consider the impact the following players have made in sport in the last year: Kyle Lowry, Megan Rapinoe, Brendan Gallagher, Brayden Point, Mookie Betts, Matt Rambo. Common trait of these players? Time and time again, sport has demonstrated that it is for all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds. In my experience, the best teams I’ve been a part of have great balances and a little bit of everything. Never let your size become a defining quality in your game! Varsity Hockey Notes from Coach MacLean: A big focus this week was on quick release shooting and shot deception. We touched on a variety of drills that involved changing our shooting angles at the last moment, working on keeping the puck on our forehand from reception to point of release and using out edges to make quick lateral movements quickly to move past defenders. This week's games focused on quick transitions, moving to open spaces, making plays in confined spaces and creating offence off of quick passing. Next week we will be spending our time focusing on footwork with puck possession and keeping our feet moving while making both shooting and passing plays. By keeping our feet moving we become more in the offensive zone and it gives us a better opportunity to avoid issues in our own zone. Prep Hockey Notes from Coach Orr: Assistant general manager and coach of the Mississauga Steelheads, Jeff Kyrzakos, spoke with the prep players on Monday via Zoom. Here are some takeaways from the talk, aside from the obvious skill and ability aspects of hockey.
Drafted or signed players must fit the ‘culture’ of the Mississauga Steelheads. They have passed on first round talent in the past because of attitude and/or off ice issues.
All OHL teams do their research when choosing a player. They will talk to teachers, past coaches, other parents, etc.
Coach Kyrzakos mentioned important traits like body language being a deciding factor when choosing between two similar players.
Academics are a major priority, if players are out of high school it is mandatory to take university level courses to set themselves up for their future.
Parental involvement and support is crucial for a successful player, but when it comes to playing time and hockey specific questions it is the player’s responsibility to address those.
Feather Cup Standings The prep teams have created a Feather Cup competition where players have been assigned to three teams and a point system will be kept track of. These will be based on scrimmages, small area games, testing on and off the ice, etc. Here are the standings thus far: W L T PTS Black 1 0 1 3 Red 1 0 1 3 Grey 0 2 0 0 Game 1: Black 2 Red 2 Game 2: Black 2 Grey 1 Game 3: Grey 0 Red 1 This Week's Lacrosse Schedule: We please ask that all grade 9, 10 and 11 players are at the field no later than 8am and we will aim to start practice by 8:10am. Monday: Remote Non-Athletic Day (no practices) Tuesday: Grade 9,10, 11 Boys Lacrosse: 8:10- 9:10am Practice @ The Hill Academy Grade 12, PG Boys Lacrosse: 9:30am- 10:30am Practice @ The Hill Academy Girls Lacrosse: 12:25pm- 1:25pm practice @ The Hill Academy Wednesday: Grade 9,10, 11 Boys Lacrosse: 8:10- 9:10am Practice @ The Hill Academy Grade 12, PG Boys Lacrosse: 9:30am- 10:30am Practice @ The Hill Academy Girls Lacrosse: 12:25pm- 1:25pm practice @ The Hill Academy Thursday: Grade 9,10, 11 Boys Lacrosse: 8:10- 9:10am Practice @ The Hill Academy Grade 12, PG Boys Lacrosse: 9:30am- 10:30am Practice @ The Hill Academy Girls Lacrosse: 12:25pm- 1:25pm practice @ The Hill Academy Friday: Grade 9,10, 11 Boys Lacrosse: 8:10- 9:10am Team Session/ Practice @ The Hill Academy Grade 12, PG Boys Lacrosse: 9:30am- 10:30am Team Session/ Practice @ The Hill Academy Girls Lacrosse: 12:25pm- 1:25pm Team Session/ Practice @ The Hill Academy This Week's Hockey Schedule: Monday: Remote Non-Athletic Day (no practices) Prep Hockey: 4:30pm Zoom Meeting Zoom Link Meeting ID: 820 2074 9340 Passcode: cED06G Tuesday: Senior Varsity @ Teen Ranch Arena 8:15- 9:15am Prep Hockey: 8:15am- 9:15am Scrimmage @ Alder Arena Wednesday: All Junior & Senior Varsity Goalie Session @ Teen Ranch Arena 8:15 - 9:15am Senior Varsity Skaters: 8:30am- 9:30am Practice @ Alder Arena Prep Hockey: 8:15am- 9:15am Individual Skill Development/ Goalie Training @ Alder Arena Thursday: Varsity Hockey: 8:15am- 9:15am Practice @ Teen Ranch Prep Hockey: 8:15am- 9:15am Positional Play/ Goalie Training @ Alder Arena Friday: Varsity Hockey: 8:15am- 9:15am Team Session @ The Hill Academy Prep Hockey: 8:15am- 9:15am Scrimmage @ Alder Arena **Please note that parents are NOT permitted inside the arenas during practice time.**