Alumni
Alumni
From the Head of School
Excerpted from "Moments", Winter 2008
Dear Hilltop community,
Oh the places they have gone. My vicarious globetrotting through the alum update herein (if only a partial accounting) struck a nerve and swept me back in time; way back to my days as Director of the fledgling middle school program when most of our illustrious alum were still alum-to-be. In those evolving years students and families were both championing and pioneering the potential of a complete Montessori experience. As such, a defining question for the program and the school those days was: "Will these Montessori students be prepared for life beyond Hilltop?"
Balled up in that enormous question were the concerns and anxieties that accompany life's leaps of faith and the desire for more or better for our children: "Will they be ready for the rigors of high school? How will they fare in the private high school admissions process? How will they respond to more traditional academic approaches and environments? Will the lack of diversity affect them? Substantive questions that only time and experience could address.
In those early years there were also times on circle when students themselves would survey their experience—be it in the classroom, on the coast of Maine, or at our "North Campus" in outer Putney—and broach similar queries as to "life beyond Hilltop". I remember vividly how those honest, if somewhat naive, thoughts ignited conversations that helped me to better appreciate the unique responsibilities inherent in a middle school. There was no more Hilltop up above to continue the great developmental work. The stakes were higher than ever before for all involved.
Those early interactions guided me to the conviction that there was something distinctly important about how these adolescents, these adults-to-be, were beginning to define themselves and their relationships to the world around them. They were malleable, respectful (in that special adolescent sort of way), comfortable with adults, empathetic, reflective, and confident. Most importantly, they were growing beautifully into their own skin and voices. They felt safe!
They felt safe largely because they were respected and valued starting as three year olds in the Primary classroom. And they had come to be assured all along the way that what they said, felt and thought, and how they went about it all, mattered deeply. Reflecting on the latest alum profiles, I think if there is an edge to a Montessori education it is precisely that: The child and the adolescent benefit socially, emotionally, and intellectually from an environment and approach in which they are encouraged and permitted to construct themselves. This edge is consistently reflected in the alum's heartwarming, inspiring, and reaffirming stories.
Though some may take longer than others or traverse far different routes to arrive at their hearts' content, I find that Hilltop's growing pool of grads approach "life beyond" with a characteristic openness and gusto. The growing and documented experiences of 155 former Hilltoppers suggest that not only is there "life beyond Hilltop" it is a life in which these young adults typically open their own doors, make their own way, and define their own paths independently and responsibly.
Best,
Kevin
