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'The Hill School' (a.k.a. The Hill) is an American preparatory boarding school for boys and girls in grades nine through twelve. Founded in 1851, The Hill is located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about forty-five minutes north-west of Philadelphia.
The Hill is part of an organization known as The Ten Schools Admissions Organization. This organization was founded more than forty years ago on the basis of a number of common goals and traditions. Member schools include The Hill, Choate Rosemary Hall, Deerfield Academy, The Lawrenceville School, The Taft School, The Hotchkiss School, St. Paul's School, Loomis Chaffee, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Phillips Academy Andover.
In 2006, The Hill's endowment totaled at $126,000,000.

Contents

History

School motto

School traditions

Athletics

Notable alumni

Years not listed

Headmasters

References

External links

History

The Hill School was founded in 1851 by the Revered Matthew Meigs as "The Family Boarding School." At the conclusion of the American Civil War in 1865, The Hill adopted school colors of Blue and Grey to symbolize the re-unification of the United States. School alumni fought on both sides of the conflict.
For nearly its entire history The Hill has maintained 500 students per year from which the school song "A Thousand Hands" is drawn. The Hill was an all-boys institution until 1998. As of 2005, the ratio between boys and girls at the school is 3:2. Legacy students make up roughly one-third of the student body.
Owing to its age, The Hill has a campus rich with historic architecture. The Hill's all wood-paneled Dining Hall houses a valuable collection of paintings by the famous American illustrator N.C. Wyeth, father of the notable American painter Andrew Wyeth. These paintings were a gift from former director of athletics, Michael F. Sweeney. A photo of the Dining Hall interior, taken in 1967 and picturing members of the class of 1971 in the foreground, is the cover of Tobias Wolff's novel, ''Old School''.

School motto

The School's motto is, "Whatsoever things are true," taken from Philippians 4:8. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

School traditions

★ Unlike many other boarding schools, The Hill continues to maintain its "jacket and tie" dress-code for students, requires all students to attend twice-weekly nondenominational chapel services, and participate in seated family-style meals with faculty in the dining hall.

★ Unlike other schools where students use grade terminology such as "Freshman" or "Sophomore", The Hill uses the traditional English term "forms":

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★ Third Form = 9th Grade / Freshman

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★ Fourth Form = 10th Grade / Sophomore

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★ Fifth Form = 11th Grade / Junior

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★ Sixth Form = 12th Grade / Senior

★ Students at the school enjoy competing in J-Ball, short for "Javelin Ball." J-Ball was created in 1955 by Sidney Wood, a future Wimbledon champion. Similar to baseball, J-Ball is played with a tennis ball and racquet, but only one player on the fielding team is allowed to use a glove. J-Ball is typically played on the Quad during the second list of the Spring Term.

★ After receiving their diplomas at graduation, Sixth Formers jump into The Dell and swim out to the center fountain; this is the most attended part of the graduation ceremonies. The Dell is a small pond located near the old ice hockey rink and outside of the Center for the Arts where the ceremony takes place.

Athletics

The Hill competes in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League. The Hill's football teams are called the "Rams". All other sports are called the "Blues". The Hill's arch-rival is The Lawrenceville School of Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The rivalry is celebrated annually on the first or second weekend of November. The festivities alternate between the two schools each year, and it is the 5th oldest school rivalry,and 3rd oldest high-school rivalry, in the nation.
Besides Hill and Lawrenceville, other schools in the league are Hun School of Princeton in Princeton, New Jersey, Mercersburg Academy of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey, and Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey.
Some of the schools that The Hill also competes against include St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Delaware, Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut, Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts, Governor Dummer Academy in Byfield, Mass; Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut, and Wyoming Seminary College Prep, in Kingston, Pa.
All students are required to participate at some level of athletics, whether it be at the varsity or intramural level. Interscholastic sports include cross country, football, field hockey, soccer, tennis, squash, water polo, swimming, basketball, ice hockey, wrestling, baseball, softball, lacrosse, track, and golf.

Notable alumni

★ David Abernethy '55. Political Science professor, emeritus at Stanford University

★ James A. Baker III '48. Secretary of State, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury

★ Bill Bamburger '75. Lyndhurst Prize-winning photographer.

★ Pinckney Benedict '82. Screen writer and author.

★ Raj Bhakta '94. Appeared on Season 2 of ''The Apprentice''

★ Josiah Bunting III '57. Former headmaster of The Lawrenceville School, President of Virginia Military Institute.

★ Chris Collingwood '85. Singer, songwriter, member of Grammy-Award nominated band Fountains of Wayne.

★ James Cromwell '58. Academy Award-nominated television and film actor.

★ Briggs Swift Cunningham '26. Sportsman, motor enthusiast. Won America's Cup yacht race in 1958.

★ Harry Hamlin '66. Actor (''Clash of the Titans'', ''L.A. Law'')

★ Dick Harter '48. Assistant Coach of the Philadelphia 76ers

★ F. Barton Harvey III '67. CEO and Chairman of The Enterprise Foundation

★ Roger Horchow '45, Catalog entrepreneur and Broadway Producer

★ Clark Hoyt '60. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Washington editor of Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services

★ Lamar Hunt '51. Businessman, owner and founder of the Kansas City Chiefs Dallas Texans(NFL), Kansas City Wizards,Columbus Crew(MLS) and a founder of the American Football League also founder of the MLS (Major League Soccer)

★ Lewis Lehrman ’57. Republican Gubernatorial candidate against NY State Governor Mario Cuomo in 1982

★ Josh McHugh '88. Writer, editor of Wired Magazine

★ Sandy McNally ’58. President of Rand McNally

★ Norman Pearlstine '60. Editor-in-chief of Time, Inc.

★ William Porter '44. Olympic champion of 1948 Olympics 110m Hurdles.

★ William Proxmire '33. Served as U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (D).

★ Frank Runyeon '71. Actor, Double Emmy Award winner.

★ Peter Rummell '63. Former chairman of Walt Disney Imagineering

★ Jon Shirley ’56. Former President of Microsoft

★ Oliver Stone '64. Academy Award-winning producer/director.

★ Don Thompson. Co-Producer of The Fantasticks, the world's longest running musical.

★ Baird Tipson, Dr., '61. President of Washington College

★ Juan T. Trippe '17. Airline pioneer, founder of Pan Am

★ Donald Trump Jr. 96'. Son of billionaire business tycoon Donald Trump

★ Eric Trump 02'. Son of billionaire business tycoon Donald Trump

★ Douglas ''Sandy'' A. Warner III '64. former CEO of J. P. Morgan & Co.

★ Russell Watson '57. Senior Editor at Newsweek Magazine

★ Harry Elkins Widener'1902. Business man, book collector. Son of wealthy business man George Dunton Widener, grandson of extremely wealthy railroad tycoon Peter A.B. Widener. Two buildings donated in his namesake.

Years not listed

★ John Backus Computer scientist; inventor of the FORTRAN computer language.^[1]

★ Nelson Bunker Hunt Scion of the Hunt Oil Company family. Did not graduate. Donated the costs to renovate his namesake building on campus.

★ Wolcott Gibbs, writer for ''The New Yorker'', class of '20 but did not graduate.

★ Alfred Glancy III. Current Director of Detroit Energy Company, director and chairman of Unico Invesents, former chairman and CEO of MCN Energy Group Inc.

★ Lane Smith Attended in 1955, did not graduate. Character Actor

★ Edmund Wilson Writer.

★ Tobias Wolff Writer. Did not graduate.

★ Sidney Wood Creator of Hill School tradition, J-Ball, Wimbledon Men's Singles Champion 1931, Davis Cup finalist of 1934.

Headmasters

★ David R. Dougherty, 1993-

★ Charles C. Watson, 1973-1993

★ Archibald R. Montgomery, 1968-1973

★ Edward (''Ned'') T. Hall, 1952-1968

★ James I. Wendell, 1928-1952

★ Boyd Edwards, 1922-1928

★ Dwight R. Meigs, 1914-1922

★ Alfred G. Rolfe, 1911-1914

★ John Meigs, 1876-1911

★ Matthew Meigs, 1851-1876

References

1. JOHN BACKUS: a restless inventor, accessed December 24, 2006

External links

★ The Hill School

★ Boarding School Review

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Hill School