Bulldog News

Thanksgiving Relection 2009: Kyle Corda '10

Friday, November 20, 2009

Hello, my name is Kyle Corda and I am a ninth grader. I have been at Hillside for four years. On behalf of all of the community members at Hillside School, young and old, I would like to welcome everyone to our Thanksgiving service and dinner.

When Hillside met me, I was not in a very good place. I did not have respect for anyone or anything, especially myself. I remember having to sit on Mr. Beecher’s couch within the first month of school. Believe me, that is not a fun place to be!

He said, “Kyle, it is time to be on the team and Hillside is a pretty good team.”

Back then the word “team” did not mean very much to me. Words like team, community and partnership were not part of my everyday life. I was far too focused with myself.

As I started to reach out more and more for help, I realized how many hands there were reaching back. It took me a while, but I finally understood what Mr. Beecher meant …

“You don’t have to go it alone. You are part of a team.”

That is a pretty good feeling!

Hillside is a loving community where you feel welcomed. There is always someone to give you a hand. Other kids are having a hard time with homesickness or not feeling like they fit in.

Well, you don’t have to go it alone!

I am a better person today because of all I learned from the many mentors around me. I am grateful for my mom and my dad, my sister and grandparents. They have shared some of the Hillside experience alongside me. Our parents put a lot of effort into making it possible for us to go to school here. I hope that my classmates will also be able to thank their families for having the experience of being at Hillside School.

I am honored to give thanks to the Hillside community and am grateful for all that it has done for me.

You know the saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,” well, it takes Hillside to raise a gentleman.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Kyle Corda '10 reflects at Hillside's Thanksgiving Service on Nov. 18.