Tuesday, Feb. 25 @ 7:00 pm Pemberton Community Centre

Wednesday, Feb. 26 @ 7:00 pm Whistler Museum

 

Join us to learn more about The Hill Academy Pacific, the academic and athletic programs and how to become a Founding Family.  

 

Comments from the CEO.

 

I attended a conference last week in Ottawa. It was the National Summit on Sport 4 Life with a focus on Long Term Athletic Development. Most of delegates were from government agencies, sport associations, and various school boards. Many countries were represented as well. I was one of the few attendees from the independent / private school world.  The discussions pertained to a wide variety of issues and topics with a common theme being the current lack of physical activity in the lives of our youth.  It was informative for me to participate and reinforced our belief that The Hill Academy platform is filling a gap, providing a program that is unique within our world.

As I review my notes, I would like to cite some points that are relevant to our students and their families.

• Sleep is a key ingredient to successful academic and athletic performance. Having no sleep on one day cannot really be compensated for by sleeping in the following day. Sleep must be consistent. In addition, blue light(computer screens/ phones/ iPads) has adverse effects on sleep. Hence, turning off all technology at 10pm is the correct strategy for students.
• Activity to start your day is ideal for better learning in the classroom.
• Specialization in sport at an early age( before 12-13 years old) is counter productive on many levels.
• Non structured play is very valuable to athletic and personal development. Our youth should be at the playgrounds, away from technology, just playing games.
• Mathieu Schneider, former NHLer, commented on hitting in hockey. He felt strongly that the introduction of the body check should not be delayed. Mathieu, (not a big man) stated that the body check is an offensive and defensive tactic, not a form of aggression. Youth should learn positioning and rink awareness as early as possible.

 

The Hill Academy Pacific Foundations Program.

 

The new Foundations Program planned to launch at the Hill Academy Pacific is a responsive and innovative curriculum with the following features: 

• Encourage participation in variety of sports that are challenging yet promote skill development and fun
• Focused on lifestyle activities that create a healthy foundation, promote self expression, and confidence
• Development of leadership skills  through these activities on a personal and school level
• Science based programming and scheduling 

The Hill Academic Program:

 

Recently a representative from the Ministry of Education visited our Vaughan campus for their biannual inspection. This is a very rigorous and comprehensive assessment, especially now that some schools have been under scrutiny for misrepresenting marks and credits. I am happy, but not surprised, to report that our result was highly positive. We received comments citing the enthusiasm of our staff,  exemplary preparation and detail of lesson and unit plans, innovative use of technology, and noticeably respectful students.

 

I have to commend the academic leadership of Wally Tymkiv with John Allardyce and Christy Flynn who create  the high expectations, standards, and support for our staff. Our teachers consistently display profound commitment and care. They "walk the walk". 

 

While the curriculum in BC is somewhat different than that of Ontario, the inspection speaks to our experience, standards, and our passion for our unique culture. The same foundation will be consistent in both campuses.