The 1988 classic film about students with a demanding maths teacher might lend its title Stand and Deliver to Hillside Community School this fall, but with a twist. Students were ‘standing’ in front of their classmates making speeches and presentation, and ‘delivering’ food to a pantry for distribution to those in need.
House Program
The Holiday Food Drive drew to a very successful close with an amazing collection of non-perishable food items and household paper products: 567 pounds of food and 40 pounds of paper products.
In particular the pantry asked for the following items: flour, white or brown sugar, cooking oil, salt and spices, chicken broth, coffee and tea, canned pumpkin, canned cranberry, breakfast cereal, dish soap, paper towels and baby wipes.
According to a complicated point system that awarded extra points for a complete set of the requested items, the houses earned the following points: 522 – Sphynx, 411 – Sparrows, 239 – Cerberus, and 226 – Epona
The items were delivered to the HopeLink pantry just before Thanksgiving. A ‘thank you’ from HopeLink:
ACADEMICS
In another sense of the word ‘deliver,’ students made presentations and speeches. The young scholars in grades 7 and 8, studied the novel Lord of the Flies. The assignment tasked them with presenting their analysis of symbols and how the author used those symbols to develop one of several themes in the book.
Students in grade 9 wrote and delivered persuasive speeches after listening to and analyzing great American orators: Fredrick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barack Obama.
Students spoke about controversial social issues and personal commitment.
The controversy continues with student presentations on the revolutionary dramatic work: A Doll’s House. The students in grades 10 and 11 also explored how the author used a variety of tools to influence the audience’s perception of what it means to a human. 
Éducation expérientielle:
Experiential education French style means cooking – French students studied the specialized vocabulary of cooking, and enjoyed Un Croque Monsieur sandwiches they made.
Younger students found themselves elbow deep in graphic novels. That requires them to tell a story with limited words and visual images that convey meaning. 
December birthday: Sawyer
January birthday: Elsie
Gifts of light: 15 December 2023
Winter Vacation: 16 December through 1 January
School resumes: 2 January 2024
Stay safe this Winter Break!
