The Hill School is a four-year private, coeducational, preparatory boarding school located on a campus in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about northwest of Philadelphia. The Hill is part of the Ten Schools Admission Organization.
The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools.Hill School (The) , Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed January 7, 2018.
Academics The Hill School is ranked as one of the top high schools in Pennsylvania and top boarding schools nationally.
Distinctive programs The Hill School is best known for its programs in the Humanities, Classics, and liberal arts. In 1946, Paul Chancellor introduced one of the first Humanities programs in secondary education. The school also boasts a robust STEMD program through the Shirley Quadrivium Center, named after Jon Shirley, former Microsoft President and alumnus of the Class of 1956, who gave a significant gift to fund its design and construction.
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."The Hill School, Pottstown, USA", Charterhouse School. Accessed March 13, 2017. "The relationship between Charterhouse and The Hill School, Pottstown, USA, started in 1994 and has developed into a strong working partnership that has seen regular science trips (every year for over ten years), a theatre trip, choir visits, football matches, and a teaching exchange." It is linked with the Maru a Pula School in Botswana. As well, the Hill hosts a Thai King's Scholar every year. The Hill School is a participating school in the Naval Academy Foundation Prep Program.
Athletics The Hill School is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL), which the School joined in 1998. The Hill School was a charter member of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA), which became an officially sanctioned organization in 2011. 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.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." 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.
Culture
Since its founding, The Hill School has been described as different in style and spirit from its counterparts in New England: "The Hill School's aim was to serve not the genteel Eastern seaboard but the industrial towns of Pennsylvania; not the sons of Wall Street, but the sons of anthracite barons and coke-oven princes. Instead of being snooty it endeavored to be stern and academically sound."
The Hill School typically enrolls 530 students per year, making it a medium-sized boarding school. Students describe each other as friendly, well-rounded, involved, hardworking, and determined.
Traditions The Hill School maintains notable traditions that contribute to its culture:
Academic Dress Code: students to wear blazers and ties or their equivalents daily to class. Seated Meals: students and faculty gather for seated lunch on each day of the school week and often for seated dinners. Chapel Talks: students and faculty share stories about their experiences. L'Ville Weekend: all sports teams from The Hill School and its rival The Lawrenceville School compete during one weekend each fall to celebrate the fifth-oldest high school rivalry in the United States. J-Ball: or Javelin Ball, a modified form of baseball played with tennis balls and racquets, that students play throughout campus each spring.
Past culture In the past, The Hill School has been described as conservative, strict, and demanding. 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." The Hill has been criticized, alongside other East Coast Protestant schools, for promoting "snobbish", undemocratic, and "un-American values."
E. Digby Baltzell's book The Protestant Establishment identified the Hill School as one of the "select sixteen" boarding schools in the United States.
History
The Hill School was founded in 1851 by the Rev. Matthew Meigs as The Family Boarding School for Boys and Young Men. It opened on May 1, 1851, enrolling 25 boys for the first year. It was a new type of boarding school, namely a "family boarding school" with students housed on campus, not boarding with families in the town. Since 1874, it has been known as The Hill School.
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.
In the early 20th century, The Hill was a feeder school for Princeton University; The Hill School Club was active at Princeton for the benefit of Hill alumni. Princeton's admissions standards were relaxed for Hill School students. At one point, Lawrenceville and Hill sent more students to Princeton than all public schools combined. Today, Hill alumni attend a wide variety of colleges.
In 1998, the school became coeducational, enrolling 88 girls in its first year.
Notable alumni
Heads of school Heads of school for The Hill School since its founding in 1851:Early Hill School History (1851-2012), The Hill School. Accessed January 5, 2018.
Name Tenure Education Notes Matthew Meigs 1851–1876 Union College, Union Theological Seminary Presbyterian minister and former President of Delaware College.A Handbook of the Best Private Schools of the United States and Canada, p. 146. Accessed January 7, 2018. "Established by the Rev. Matthew Meigs in 1851 prospered under its founder but owes its great success to the executive capacity of his son Dr. John Meigs, who reorganized the school in 1876 and to whose genius it remains a lasting monument." John Meigs 1876–1911 Hill, Lafayette College Took over as headmaster at age 24.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. 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."Seated Meals in the Dining Room, The Hill School. Accessed January 7, 2018. "Constructed in 1914, the present Dining Room was the first distinguished accomplishment of The Hill's third headmaster, Dwight Meigs, grandson of our founder, the Reverend Matthew Meigs." Dr. Boyd Edwards 1922–1928 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." James Wendell 1928–1952 Wesleyan Olympic silver medalist in 110 m hurdlesStaff. "Dr. James Wendell, Headed Hill School", The New York Times, November 23, 1958. Accessed January 5, 2018. Edward (Ned) T. Hall 1952–1968 Also served as ice hockey coachStrauss, 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." Archibald R. Montgomery 1968–1973 Westminster, Penn Left to become headmaster of St. Stephen's Episcopal School. Former United States Marine. Charles C. Watson 1973–1993 Former U.S Navy officerStaff. "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." David R. Dougherty 1993–2012 Episcopal High School, Washington and Lee University Oversaw shift to co-ed schoolBrandt, 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." Zachary G. Lehman 2012–2022 Phillips Exeter Academy, Dartmouth College, Harvard Law School 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."Kathleen Devaney2023–PresentBowdoin College, Dartmouth CollegeFirst female head of school
References
External links The Hill School The Association of Boarding Schools profile Boarding School Review National Center for Education Statistics data for the Hill School