The Sixth Form
Each year is special in the life of
the sixth form. Prospective parents
always ask me what makes our sixth
form unique. Put simply, how do I
measure the success of the school? The
answer is simple in my estimation. Is
the student happy? Does the student
have friends? Is the student involved
in the school and community? Do
they enjoy coming to school and most
of all, are they experiencing success
and personal growth? The Hillcrest
sixth form can confidently tick all
these boxes; we aim to give all our
students the fundamental skills to be
a success academically, personally and
socially. The higher education system
is extremely competitive these days.
Three good A- levels are no longer a
guarantee of a place at university and
so we aim to give our students the
opportunity to excel in many other
areas.
As always, our sixth form students
have participated in a myriad of
activities. You just need to read
through this magazine to see how its
pages are filled with so many memories
and images of happy and successful
times spent in Hillcrest.
It is our ambition to unlock the
wealth of talent in these young people
and help them fulfil their dreams.
We continue to offer incredibly
rigorous and enriching education that
provides a platform to meet the world
expectations.
It has been a source of delight to see
just how varied the students’ talents
are. We have students who play
beautifully, creating memorable
pieces on their instruments;
Jive has become an indomitable
band consisting mainly of
sixth form students. Under 19
teams have brought great fame
to Hillcrest in this last year
by scooping a majority of the
trophies. There are students who
have remained firm debaters for
years, as they seamlessly think
on their feet and make well-
reasoned arguments to excel in
debating competitions. Some
have become empathetic peer
mentors, giving up their free
time to tutor struggling students.
Keen public speakers have taken
up opportunities to represent the
school at MUN as well as using
their talent to address parents and to
give presentations on assembly. Still
in the sixth form, we have enjoyed the
remarkable talents of students who
independently put up the production
of plays and many other theatrical
pieces. We were thrilled by professional
equestrians as well as motor cross
champions within our sixth form
who have embraced the spirit of
adventure and have become famous
for their daredevil stunts. On the quiet
side, we have definitely noticed the
philanthropists among us, who are so
concerned about the needy that they
wake up early on Wednesdays to make
waffles for sale as well as collect items
to distribute to the needy through the
Interact Club.
With such a wealth of experience,
our students have been successful in
gaining offers of places at some of the
best institutions of higher learning
worldwide and this is a testament to
both the calibre of our students, the
strength of the teaching staff and
careers support.
I must thank the outgoing prefects for
all their support in making sure that
we maintain the Hillcrest spirit at all
times. It is my hope that the new year
12 prefects will raise the bar set in
maintaining the Hillcrest ethos.
The year 13 Graduation event is always
inspirational. Farewells are not easy
to manage and as you can imagine,
there were sad moments as tutors and
students shared heartfelt experiences.
It began to dawn on me just how much
this particular group of students had
injected into the life of the school,
some as prefects, club leaders, charities
and sports captains. It would be
difficult to mention their contribution
individually here. However, it was a sad
day for me to say goodbye to them. For
them, this is the end of one era and
the beginning of another journey. On
behalf of all the teachers, particularly
their tutors, I want to say, go well,
enjoy yourselves, be successful and
happy, and don’t forget us!
By Maurice Otieno
26
2017 | Hillcrest Magazine