Interview with Hillfield Strathallan College PARENT, Eric Houdet
- Name
Eric Houdet - Child 1
Gr. 5 - Gr. 7 (Female, Current Day Student) - Child 2
Gr. 9 - Gr. 11 (Female, Current Day Student) - Child 3
Gr. 11 - Gr. 12 (Female, Day Student)
Eric Houdet, a parent at Hillfield Strathallan College, shared his perspective on the school’s welcoming community, individualized support, practical learning, caring teachers, and his daughters’ transition, happiness, and university preparation.
Highlights from the interview
We definitely enjoy the school, and we're very happy to be part of the HSC community. Our daughters are very, very happy to be at the school. One of them graduated from Grade 12 last year and is now in Montreal, but we still have two daughters at the school.
It wasn't easy coming from France and switching from French to English full-time, but we were made to feel very welcome. The teachers were very helpful in making that transition possible through all the support and organization they provided.
I think they really appreciate how practical the learning is. It's a very useful educational experience in subjects like math, economics, marketing, geography, music, and sports.
We can feel, and they can feel, that the teachers love the school, love what they're doing, and love the students. They really care about the children, and that makes a huge difference.
What I appreciate the most is seeing my daughters happy; happy to go to school and happy to come home afterward.
I can see, with my oldest daughter, that the quality of the education at HSC has made a huge difference. She compares herself with other students at university who came from different schools, and she's much more comfortable than many of them.
I also appreciate that the school cares about every individual. It's not only the top students they take care of, but they also support every child based on their own talents.
I feel that my children learn with joy, and I think that's really part of the school's mindset. It's not just that you come to class. You live an experience. It's a community as well.
What surprised me most was how quickly my daughters were able to adapt from the French school system to the Canadian school system… It was possible thanks to HSC's approach and the way the school supports students.
From my experience, families appreciate the quality of the education. They know their children will be accepted for who they are and supported as they grow, discover their talents, and develop their own way of learning.
The school opened its doors to us and showed us how it would support our family's transition and integration.
What we tell them is how welcoming the school is, how much the children enjoy going to school every day, and how happy they are. When you see your children happy, you're happy too.
I would advise families to visit the school and meet with the administrators to learn everything the school has to offer. It's always valuable to visit the campus, meet the staff, and, just as importantly, meet the students in the middle school and high school.
