The
Winter, 2015
Hillsider
A newsletter for the Hillside School Community
The Head’s Slate
S t u de n t L e a d er s h i p B y H e a d m a s t e r Dav i d Z . B e e c h e r
L
eadership is of vital importance to the Hillside culture. While we recognize the need for strong leadership from faculty and students to guide our young people in their important Middle School years, we feel equally strongly – perhaps even more so – about the significance of leadership responsibilities and opportunities for the students themselves.
depending on trends, changes within the curriculum or community, and the skills of the students themselves. Varying numbers of mid-year students, the addition of new programs such as the iPad, or an increase in visits by prospective families can necessitate some shifting of proctor responsibilities and the addition of new ones mid-year.
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illside provides a bifurcated leadership training program that on the surface may seem contradictory but makes complete sense to those of us within the community. On the one hand, our definition of leadership is that “any action small or large, seen or unseen, done by a student to support another student or member of the community is leadership.” This means that any boy has the opportunity to show leadership, whether it’s planned or spontaneous. A few days ago, a new Fifth Grader reached out in a small way to help clean up his classroom, and the next night after dinner, I saw a veteran student (but not a formal student leader) take aside a new student who was upset. We feel this encouragement provides all students an opportunity for leadership development many times per day. We value the behind-the-scenes, seemingly small displays of compassion and support as significant leadership moments.
T
Doing the Right Thing
hat said, we also have a more prominent hierarchical system of prefects and proctors. This more traditional system allows for boys to be selected for proctor or prefect positions and further their leadership skills. The former are selected for specific program areas such as athletics, residential life, or technology. These leaders work with the specific faculty or staff department chair to improve the program in that specific area. The number of proctors needed in each function can vary from year to year,
P
refects are selected through a multi-tier process that ultimately recognizes a small group as the top leaders within the School. They are responsible for assisting in administration in all areas of student life. In addition to the more visible elements of the position, such as running the Tuesday community luncheon, these leaders provide significant support in the dorm houses and behind-the-scenes with students in need of a big brother for some mentoring. I have often asked prefects to reach out to students who are struggling, perhaps with a divorce at home, homesickness, or having trouble getting on the same page with a teacher. This year as in the past, the prefects have been incredibly effective in turning the boy around.
S
o whether you are in a highly visible leadership track or just one of the boys at Hillside, leadership opportunities abound. We are proud of our leadership development program and how it helps all of our boys grow and learn. I am proud of having seen so many young men make great strides in their careers with us, and am just as excited when we learn of alumni leadership stories in secondary school, college and beyond. I personally feel a deep sense of satisfaction that many of these leaders may have gotten their first taste of this important life skill right here at Hillside.
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lease read on in this issue to learn more about our leadership programs, see the list of our leaders who handle a wide range of responsibilities, and get the perspective of our Dean and Assistant Dean of Student Life, Kevin Hundley and Craig Evans.