Interview with Hillfield Strathallan College Alum, Rob Alexander
Rob, an alumnus of HSC, shared his perspective on the school's welcoming environment, agility in addressing challenges, the importance of traditions, strong academic performance, supportive staff, and the benefits of getting involved in various school activities.
Highlights from the interview
It’s a very welcoming environment. Because of the size of the classes and the whole school in general, you got to know everyone fairly quickly. It was easy to get to know people, my classmates, and the teachers around. I still keep in touch with my Grade 7 teacher at the time who welcomed me there. It was very much a familial environment, so it was pretty easy to get to know people.
Hillfield Strathallan College is more nimble than many other schools in the region, able to address needs and challenges that arise for the school, the students, and even parents' concerns. They are very quick to react and implement a plan that works for everyone. Their ability to pivot quickly is a significant strength.
A lot of the school traditions are really being looked at as something to continue. The ones that really were embraced by the students, the staff, and the parents are being reinforced and introduced in various events, whether it's events or uniforms or different hostings internally. The Alumni Association, which I'm part of, is trying to keep fostering and promoting the young alumni to start taking those traditions and start carrying them forward.
The teachers and coaches were really instrumental in helping us get through tough times. The academic performance combined with the small school feel is something a lot of people want.
The connection between the school, the staff, and the students is really strong and getting better and better. When my dad passed unexpectedly, the staff really stepped up, including the head of school. He was quite empathetic and understanding about what happened, and so were the rest of the staff, my coaches, and things like that. The students are always connected to each other because it's a small enough school.
I would say to a prospective student or family, get as involved as you can be because that really enhances the education piece of it. I stayed involved with the school because right after graduation, I was working at the college at the camps. They have a day camp there that did sports and different activities that were open to the college kids and outside kids as well. In terms of how it's changed, it's neat to see how things have progressed. Whether it's teaching, athletics, or arts, all that stuff together just molds that education piece.
