Mission and Philosophy
Core Values
Standards and expectations are the guideposts for success at Hillside School. By living these values, Hillside students prepare themselves for lives of meaning and purpose.
Our boys are encouraged to embrace the school's core values of compassion, determination, honesty, respect and brotherhood throughout their Hillside career and beyond.
Shades of Blue
Our boys’ efforts in achieving the Hillside core values are measured through our Shades of Blue system. This communication system monitors student progress and behavior, brings attention to areas of concern, and often prevents small issues from escalating. Shades of Blue is also essential to Hillside’s effort to keep parents informed of their son’s academic and behavioral success and areas of challenge.
Students who model and even exceed the Shades of Blue standards are recognized by our Bulldog of the Week and Bulldog of the Term awards, which further emphasize the central importance of our core values. Thanks to the patience, guidance, and dedication of our caring community, all of our students have the ability to reach the highest levels of Shades of Blue and, in doing so, realize their full potential as students and individuals.
Hillside’s nurturing environment provides the vital support each boy needs to learn and mature. Our community’s extraordinary patience guides our boys to develop a solid foundation of compassion and self-esteem throughout their lives. Through our comprehensive yet flexible structure, as well as the experience that enables us to work with every boy at his own level of personal development, Hillside helps students to navigate the uncertain world of early adolescence.
A Hillside boy gains the skills and confidence to challenge himself in every aspect of his life and positively broadens and enriches his character and sense of identity. He learns to look beyond himself and to recognize excellence in others, an essential step to becoming a well-balanced, productive and happy individual.
Balancing Academics, Athletics and Community Responsibilities
At Hillside School, we believe middle school age boys must learn the importance of pacing themselves and developing the proper balance between their academic, athletic and community responsibilities. Therefore, we limit the number of extracurricular activities outside the School's schedule to one afternoon or one evening during the school week. This policy applies to our boarding students only.