What differentiates Hillfield Strathallan College is the real sense of community within the school, and how they bring extensive efforts into connecting current students and alumni, and students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
Hillfield Strathallan College fosters a community of mentorship. It's a really inclusive environment. Everybody has the opportunity to feel welcome, to explore their passions. It's something that really goes beyond the classroom, and makes you feel like you're at home with family.
Hillfield Strathallan College promotes and fosters a community that appreciates kindness, and not only in its service initiatives, but also with the mentorship within the school and the relationships that students form with each other, and the teachers.
I think the most surprising thing to prospective Hillfield Strathallan College families or students would be the sense of community between 12th graders and Kindergarteners.
Hillfield Strathallan College pushed my boundaries in terms of learning, making friends, and feeling a sense of community.
There are two key pillars that encapsulate Hillfield Strathallan College, and those are community and opportunities.
At Hillfield Strathallan College, what stood out to me is the community and the relationships that I built with my classmates and my teachers.
One thing that really sets Hillfield Strathallan College apart is the diverse community that comes into the school. Many other private schools, if you're operating in a city or community that has many other institutions within the city, you are getting a narrower pool of candidates. Hillfield Strathallan College has individuals from so many different cities, with so many different backgrounds, and that broader scale of backgrounds brings a broader scale of networks. It provides you with a really interesting and diverse network of individuals to learn from and build connections with.
Once you're in the hallways of Hillfield Strathallan College, you'll get to understand the value that's there. You'll get to see the relationships between students and teachers and understand that Hillfield Strathallan College is a family. There's no greater place I could imagine learning and growing as a person.
Hillfield Strathallan College has so many different great offerings, and it's amazing that despite your age and what section of the school you're in, you can still truly feel like you're part of one community.
The word that always comes up is community. And that has a lot of elements of culture in it. Feeling connected is what the culture is. Two quick examples of that. One, we just did a survey of our faculty to say, do you feel a connection to the college? And 99% of people surveyed said yes, which I think is amazing, because the faculty culture is as important as the student culture, in my opinion. There are niches where anybody can find success here, but the culture is to make sure that that success is recognized, but also part of that larger HSC community. That's really the core of what the culture is.
Throughout my time at Hillfield Strathallan College, I built connections with so many different areas of the school. Despite the large size, it's amazing how you really do feel a sense of community at Hillfield Strathallan College. I feel like I could walk through any part of the school hallways, from the Montessori school with the pre-Kindergarteners, all the way up into the admissions office, and there would be a smiling face or someone that I know. Even with its large size, it's very easy to call Hillfield Strathallan College your home.
Hamilton itself is becoming very diverse and our student population reflects that. It's incredibly supportive. I just had three emails today from parents just full of gratitude, different ones: one Montessori parent, one middle school parent, and one senior school parent. Completely unrelated, just saying, like, you guys have done a great job this year given the challenging circumstances. And we talk about parent-school partnership all the time, and it's not just words, the fundamental element of the school is that home-school partnership.
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.
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.
My daughter also enjoys the sense of community where the high school students will help the younger students, whether it be with reading or art projects.
The student body at Hillfield Strathallan College is rather large. With four different schools: Montessori, Junior, Middle and Senior the feel is organized chaos. With so many different students, teachers, and staff; the school feels electric and spirited. What stands out about the general atmosphere of the student body is the sense of community you feel throughout the four schools and as a whole. The "typical" student at Hillfield Strathallan College is an enthusiastic individual with an understanding of community and leadership. These qualities garnered the most respect from other students and shape how new students see themselves. The major values that students -- as a whole -- tended to share is community and the benefits of working together towards a common goal or overcoming a tribulation.
My kids get along with their friends. They’ve loved the school since the first day. The school has a very diverse culture. HSC offers good programs so all students can feel they are included and involved. The school has almost 1250 kids from 18 months to grade 12. It’s also a reason we love the school. My two kids can grow up together in one school. So can their friends. They can have lifelong friendships which will benefit their whole life. As parents, we can know so many families throughout the school years. We build up friendships as well. HSC is a big community but we never feel left out. As parents, we are always involved and notified of any events, ceremonies, seminars, school trips, etc.
Even though I have only been at HSC for four years, it does feel like home to me. I think this is because I have engaged with the people around me and built relationships across the school. In my role as a student leader, I have had the opportunity to connect with the younger schools as well. This has allowed me to feel like a part of the whole college. At HSC, being a part of the community means being engaged and interested in events and activities across the college. I think if you are only focused on yourself and your academics, you will struggle to feel like the college is a home. I think anyone who participates wholeheartedly will feel like they have people to support them and that they have a place in the school.
—Lucie Osborne, student (beginning 2020) (see
full review)
From our first visit, we could feel the warm professionalism from all the staff at HSC. My 3 and 4 year old boys were greeted by 'grown-ups' squatting to give either a handshake or a high five, followed by a conversation to get to know them and their interests. Since then, my boys have loved the social aspect of school. They have many friends with wonderful families (often met through weekend birthday parties) and the teachers are kind people and exceptional educators. We find Hillfields' learning environment a great fit for our kids because of its child-centered atmosphere and engaging materials. And after class visits, I feel reassured having seen firsthand that my children are in the care of dedicated educators who foster a love for learning. The way their Montessori curriculum is set up, they essentially have multiple times per day that they are receiving one-on-one teaching. Most often this is done with fun manipulatives so they actually see and play with their learning materials. This satisfies me as a parent because I know the boys are engaged in sensory and tactile experiences. Another aspect of the school that makes it extra special is the fact that they celebrate so many different holidays, spirit days and events. My boys love the Turkey Trot and chasing the Turkey (gym teacher) in the fall. They are often teaching me about celebrations that I didn't grow up with- proudly explaining the meaning of the beautiful tea lights they made for Diwali, or impressing me with facts about the Giant sun and tiny dwarf planet, Pluto. As a parent, I see the joy on their faces everyday when they teach me new things, and I know we have made the right choice.
—Rebecca Punthakee, parent (beginning 2022) (see
full review)
I would describe the HSC student body as friendly, engaged and, for the most part, school-oriented. We are a small school (about 120 per grade) so you will often see someone you know walking down the halls. I have found this allows you to become closer as a grade. People who tend to thrive in our school community are involved and outgoing. Academically speaking, I think anyone has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of who you are as a student. I have found the best way to find friends is through common interests. This could be a class you both enjoy or an activity. That first connection point is a great launch pad. I think if you are struggling to feel like you fit in, talk to a teacher. They are often aware of this and can help you to get out of that situation. Be brave and put yourself out there!
—Lucie Osborne, student (beginning 2020) (see
full review)
