Traditions
Life at Hillbrook is filled with adventure, learning, and laughter - these are a few of our favorite ways to connect and grow as a community.
FRIDAy Flag
Why did the chicken cross the road? Each Friday, accompanied by the Head of School and led by Hillbrook's Student Council (STUCO), our campus community meets for the Pledge of Allegiance, announcements, birthday recognitions, news, updates, celebrations, and more. Each weekly Flag gathering ends with a round of jokes, where students have an opportunity to hop on stage and share a joke with the audience (and living out one of our favorite Core Values - take a risk!). This is a favorite time for families to spend a few minutes observing and enjoying the school community.
Buddies
Middle School and Lower School students connect through various events, art projects, and fun activities, providing an opportunity for students in different grade levels to interact throughout the school year. This is a valuable experience for Middle School students to act as mentors and leaders to our younger students, and our Lower School students benefit from building meaningful relationships that last year after year with older peers.
Family Fun Night
Each fall, our community comes together for an evening of family games and an old-fashioned barbecue. This event, open to all families, is highly anticipated every year - it's one of our favorite ways to reconnect as a community after a long summer away.
Student/Faculty Games & team day
We make time for play at Hillbrook! Interaction outside the classroom between students and teachers is a vital part of Hillbrook's integrated learning. Faculty vs. student basketball, volleyball, and softball games develop friendly competition and demonstrate school spirit. Team Day, our annual end-of-year activity day, invites 7th grade students to plan and run a campus-wide set of camp games for younger grades.
Concerts and Performances
Students of all ages take the stage throughout the year - a wonderful way to appreciate and experience the performing arts as a medium for self-expression and build confidence! Performances include acting, singing, dancing, creating costumes, and musical instruments. Annual performances include the Junior Kindergarten & Kindergarten Family Celebration, the 1st-4th Grade Spring Concert, the 5th-8th Grade Winter Concert, the all-school Grandparents & Special Friends Day performance, and more. Click here to learn more about our performing arts program!
The Halloween Parade
One of the most popular events, every member of our community is invited to celebrate the morning with Hillbrook in costume. Get ready to party, because Halloween at Hillbrook promises a vibrant parade, led by the Head of School, who starts the parade in junior kindergarten, picking up every grade before gathering the entire school in the Amphitheater. A school-wide musical performance led by our music teachers follows, with help from a few 8th grade students. Countless photo opportunities abound as each grade takes the stage to show off their costumes to music.
8th Grade Recognition Ceremony
Honoring the way in which we know and value each student for their unique passions and curiosities, this is a memorable and bittersweet experience for our 8th grade class as they finish a milestone year. Teachers and staff honor each student on the Amphitheater stage before an audience of peers, teachers and administrators, friends, and family. This is also where the students, who have been nominated by their own peers and teachers, are honored with the Founders Award, which recognizes a student whose goodwill, community mindedness and spirit, citizenship, and sense of humor enhance the life of their class and Hillbrook School.
8th grade Promotion
1st-7th grade students attend and sing with and for the 8th graders and their guests on this special milestone day. The promoted 8th grade class is celebrated by a selection of special guests, including the recipient of the Hillbrook Award from the graduating class four years prior.
8th Grade Musical or Play
Hillbrook tradition, the entire 8th grade class is involved in staging the show, from singing and acting to building sets, making costumes, and running lights and microphones. The annual musical is a cherished tradition that dates back to the earliest days of Hillbrook School in the 1930’s.
Regatta
A seaworthy engineering challenge for our 8th graders! Each year, o8th graders form teams and create incredibly creative boats out of cardboard and duct tape, and gather at the Hillbrook pool to race their creations across the pool. It's a marvelous (and deceptively difficult) challenge that brings together art, engineering, physics, athletics, and a whole lot of smiles, as well.
the walkathon
May is Gratitude Month at Hillbrook, and our entire community rallies together to create fun events and gifts to appreciate our amazing teachers! The annual kickoff event for Gratitude Month is the Walkathon, where students of all ages spend an action-packed day taking as many laps as they can around Hillbrook's 14-acre Lower and Middle School campus! The Walkathon raises funds for professional development for our faculty and staff. Learn more
