REVIEW OF Hitherfield School BY student, Elena Di Tommaso

(4) Student Experience

I love it at Hitherfield. On my first day, I went into my 2/3 three-room, with no idea what to do. My teacher, Mrs. Cameron gave us each a cut paper apple and said, "the matching pair to your apple will be your desk partner for the first month or so." What I didn't know was that the school I was in was going to be my desk partner. One thing I would change about Hitherfield would be to make sure that if you couldn't get something you wanted to be done last year, do it this year, accomplish more than before.

(4.5) School Leadership

I respect my teacher more than an average amount. I think they do well in making everyone feel like they are doing something right, not the opposite. I would only like for them to give us a little more time to finish the assignments that were given to us. However, they always make us correct our work and listen to us if there is a problem that we need them to fix or even advice on how to fix it.

(4.5) Teaching

I think the teachers don't want to pressure their students. They give us a good amount of work to finish, yet the time period we have to finish it in is hard to maintain. I always feel that I am at what the teachers think they are expecting of me. Always getting an assignment done before the time period is always a good thing to do. My teacher doesn't talk about success much more as everyone did the right thing on the assignment. They only talk about how people have come so far in their studies when it is graduation/award ceremony night. They always encourage us to try harder. I think they mean that if at first, you don't succeed, try and try again.

(5) Academics

The work that is given to us is the perfect amount. I think the learning will be useful later in life. They provide us with communication skills for learning proper english/language as well. Our French teacher has found an online french reading website to increase our speak french abilities. We have MMS (Math Makes Sense) books to learn more about the unit we are learning about each week. We have a weekly spelling, math, and french test and exams two to three times a year. These skills are what are good to learn because they are the basic things to know in the future. And the way they are teaching these skills is what increases your chances of having an easier time. There is no better way.

(3) Extracurriculars

At Hitherfield we have a (an) art, dance, and sports club that happens during our recess time. We have Music lessons after school, yet due to Covid, this hasn't been happening recently. I think that the extracurriculars we offer are good enough, but you don't truly need extracurriculars. I do believe everyone has enough to do, even after school finishes.

(4) Students

I think the kids at this school are happy but don't know how to give off that feeling. Some kids are nice and welcome you right away, some will take a little longer than others, and others need to get a sense of what type of person you are to be who you are to other people. What I mean by this is once they know you, they will be another version of themselves which is good. Not everyone feels included sometimes, but all you need to do is be friends with people that always will. I think students that are very focused and do their best.

(4) School Life

If I were asked to give a tour of Hitherfield to a group of visitors I would start with showing them all the classes, telling them what the teachers teach for each grade, what they are teaching at the moment, and tell them if they were to let their kids go to this school what class they would be in. I would then tell them a little of a backstory to let them know how this school came about, and how it is connected to a house. And then finish by showing them the pond, recess field, each destination on the recess field, and finally tell them about the trail used for skiing.

(4.5) Community

Hitherfield does feel like a home to me, like a second home actually. It contains all the people that make me feel happy, a little weird, a little stressed, but that is what family's do. A family helps you prepare for the future, which basically what a school does. I don't always feel that everyone else feels included and appreciated, but when the time is right they have a whole side of friends backing them up in their decision or in general. A family helps you with all these things, and that is what this school does for me. My friends are like brothers and sisters, my teachers are like parents. And this school is like my second home.

(5) School Location

We go off campus sometimes during the school day. Of course, that is with the rest of the school going on trips and special surprise places. This happens only like eight times a year. Hitherfield wants everything to be fun and an adventure. Of course, we are at school the rest of the time.