The Hill Academy Newsletter- October 18th, 2020

October 18th, 2020 HILL Message (from Academic Director Rick Kunc): This week was a short week but that did not make it any less busy at The Hill. One of the amazing things that happened in our classrooms was The Hill – TEDx. Our grade 12 English students had this assignment as the culminating task for the rhetoric unit. The students had to write and present their own unique TED talk on a topic of interest and personal experience, being sure to use language as persuasively as possible to entertain, persuade, educate, and inspire their audience to make a change in their lives. Most importantly they had to speak publicly. In chatting with some students after, they were telling me how great they felt in their room saying it aloud, but that once they got in front of their peers it became difficult. They said it was really hard. In the classroom we must take risks to learn. Our best lessons come from failure. We learn many lessons from making mistakes, falling down, and getting back up. Taking risks in the classroom and sometimes getting things wrong, is a critical part to learning. And we also find this in athletics. Greatness is not achieved by being comfortable. Every so often, you must go for it. And to go for it, you have to take a risk. You have to try to hit the green in 2, you need to try that spin move on the attack, or you have to try that behind the back pass you have never done in a game before. Yes, taking risks during practice first is really important, but at some point it has to translate to the game. And when you do, and when you are successful, there is no greater feeling of accomplishment. Each of these English students was challenged to take a risk. Risk taking is part of a successful life. Sure, life is safe and comfortable without risk, but that life is also without reward. You cannot reach your Highest Level of Achievement without taking risks. This is what we must challenge each of our students to do each day in order for them to be their best self. It is aligned to our HILL core values. I was proud of how loud the students cheered for their peers once each finished their talk during that English class. But I was most proud of how they took a risk, because each will be better for it.

Quote of the Week: “I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all.” Simone Biles (A